I have SOOOOO many stories to share from our simple life in
Rulenge. I will try to be a little more organized than last week’s post, but my
life is still just as random and crazy. Topics for today’s post: First Weekend
in Ngara, Gradation #1, Graduation #2, and Most Interesting Questions about
America. This is a long one, but what else is there to do at night by light of
my kerosene lamp but sit and write for hours in order to share with you the
entirety of our life in Rulenge….
First Weekend in
Ngara…
Last Saturday, we decided to travel to Ngara Town to visit
two other volunteers and hit up the bigger market for some of the things we
needed to buy. We were able to sleep in until 7:30 Saturday morning, before
beginning our adventure. We first had to walk to Rulenge, so following the
masses of people on their way to the village, we spent an hour and a half
traipsing through the mountain side before making it to town. In town, we
bought our vegetables for the week, as well as some hot pots for storing food
and 8 tubs that I’m now using as storage for all of my belongings. We were
hoping that we would be able to send the things we bought at the market back to
our house with my piki-piki driver, but unfortunately his phone was off all
morning. Plan B kicked into action shortly thereafter, when we found out that
we would be able to spend the night in Ngara. Although we had no change of
clothes or anything necessary for an overnight adventure, we figured we could make
it work. So we went to find a taxi travelling to Ngara and piled in. For a mere
4,000 Tsh (approximately $2.50), we made the trip to Ngara in an hour…mind you,
there were a total of 11 people in the car, Marisa and I shared the passenger
seat, while two men shared the driver’s seat, Marisa’s hip switched the car
into neutral on more than one occasion, one of the men in the driver’s seat
(not actually driving) fell asleep on the driver, and there was at one point
two people in the trunk. Welcome to Tanzania. But we made it safely with all of
our belongings, no worries!
When we arrived, our fellow volunteers warmly welcomed us,
and we were able to share stories from our crazy school adventures before
heading off to the market in town. On our way, we were able to stop at an
internet café and catch up on life, and then we went to the market to pick up a
few more things like bread, pineapple, and white paper that are non-existent in
Rulenge. After the market, Alex prepared a delicious dinner of eggplant stew
with chapatti…it was seriously so good! I had no idea that I loved eggplant! So
great! Then we lit the candles, as we waited for the electricity to be turned
on so we could finally charge our phones, computers, and kindles. It was a very
happy moment when I could charge my phone again. Here’s the best part of the
night though: we stayed at the Director of Education (DOE)’s house. What? This
is the man who runs the education system for the whole region. And he insisted
we stay in his guest bedroom. So we went to his house, where he offered us
soda, warm water to “bathe”, and a nice comfy bed to sleep in. Seriously crazy,
but a very kind gesture. Albeit slightly awkward.
We woke up early the next morning, sneaking out of his house
quietly, and went back the other volunteer’s house. Around noon, we decided we
should call our taxi driver to pick us up closer to their house so we didn’t
have to walk the hour into town again with all of our belongings (from both
markets now). But once again, his phone was also turned off, so we were out of
luck. We began the journey to town with all of our things, and thankfully Sue
and Alex joined us to help us carry everything. The best part of this story: we
didn’t even make it to the taxi stand before a taxi stopped, waved out the
window to us, and told us he would give us a ride to Rulenge. Apparently they
knew us? Oh right…this is Tanzania and literally everyone within a three hour
radius knows the two wazungu (white) teachers living at Muyenzi. Perfect. So we
get in the taxi, which was comfortable at first with only 5 people in the car.
Soon however, we filled up the car with 10 or 11 people, including a woman and
young girl in the trunk with all of our belongings. Come to find out, the woman
was drunk and I watched her go through all of our vegetables, picking up
tomatoes, carrots, green peppers, and handing them to the girl before putting
them back into different bags. It was crazy and there wasn’t much I could do.
Luckily, she didn’t run off with any of them, so I guess it was alright. Once
we finally made it to Rulenge, I was plastered with dirt along the right side
of my body (especially my right ear), since the window had been open and the
roads are a lovely red gravel. Marisa and I each had to ride a piki-piki back to
our house since we had so many things from the market, but we made it. It was
quite the epic weekend, but it makes for some good stories. Can’t wait to make
this journey every weekend!
Graduation #1:
Bukiriro Secondary School…
In Tanzania, it is typical to celebrate gradation of Form 4
before they finish classes and examinations. And this was the week to
celebrate! My school held their graduation ceremony on Tuesday, and to say that
it’s a big deal is an understatement. The craziest part about this though, is
that I literally had no idea what was happening all day… but I suppose that’s
part of the adventure we call life. So the students spent the morning preparing
the grounds for the celebration. The few teachers that were actually present
were supposed to be in charge of making sure the students accomplished
everything (although more often than not, they were asking me questions about
English words and life in America). Again, I had no idea what was supposed to
be happening, so there was much I could do about it. As the morning progressed,
students moved hundreds of desks, tables and chairs between classrooms in order
to set up eating rooms for the guests of honor, parents, and students. They
also built a makeshift “tent” out of large trees, sticks, rope and several
tarps to provide shade for some students, parents, and guests. Also in this
process was the DJ. This part is great. So the DJ is a big deal, as is the
disco that occurs after the ceremony, but more on that to come. Let’s talk
about the set up of the DJ first…it starts with a generator sitting on a chair
to the side. Then a student who takes off his shoes and climbs a tree with no
limbs just like a monkey proceeds to hang a giant speaker in the tree.
Impressive. Once all of this is complete, the DJ starts to jam out to some
great tunes, mostly Tanzanian hip hop, but not excluding s classic “It Wasn’t
Me” by Shaggy. Awkward moment: one of the teachers asked me the meaning of the
song, which is actually highly inappropriate. So I made something up and
avoided the question. Haha.
Now, the ceremony was to begin at 10:30am…we were all
finally seated and ready to go shortly after 1:00. Again, typical Tanzania. The
form 4 students were all finally changed into their nice, clean, fresh white
shirts and ties, and they all looked very smart! A few of the boys had some
fancy embellishments on the collars, and some had sweet sunglasses for extra
flair. One of these days I will do a post on the hot styles in Tanzania…it’ll
be great! Anyways, back to graduation. Marisa and I were seated in the front
with the guests of honor and other teachers, looking out on the students and
parents. There was a very good turn out of people, which considering how far
out in the middle of seemingly nowhere Bukiriro is, I was impressed. The
ceremony itself consisted of an MC, some good DJ tunes, a series of
introductions in which I didn’t even know I was being introduced until everyone
was staring at me (fun fact…I don’t actually know Swahili yet), student
performances of songs and plays, a few long speeches, and the presentation of
the graduates. The last part was the most exciting, as students all put on
several colorful lei’s and walk to the front to shake hands with the head
master and a few of the guests of honor. I should mention the fact that there
were several men paid to take pictures throughout the ceremony. Now, Marisa and
I were sitting off to the side in the front…perfect opportunity for students to
casually walk behind us and pose for a picture. What? The first few times I was
unaware of what was happening, but as the trend caught on, we were the hotspot
for pictures throughout the entire ceremony. Good times for sure! The whole
ceremony lasted about 4 hours, and once it was over it was time to eat! Some of
the matrons from the village spent the day preparing rice, beans, bananas, and
meat, and cabbage for everyone. It was really good food, although eating rice
and beans with your hands is messy business, I must admit. After dinner, the
students have a disco which is apparently the highlight of the day.
Unfortunately it was getting dark, so we had to leave before we could share
that experience with them.
When we made it back to the village, we had our piki-piki
driver drop us off at the town center so we could visit our matron, Mama
Kibibi. Embarrassing moment of the day: my flip flop got stuck on the back of
the piki-piki as I was getting off, and I fell over on my back in front of
everyone. Lovely. Seriously everyone was laughing and no doubt word spread
quickly. Life happens. So we went and visited Mama Kibibi, who is a little
crazy but we love her dearly. She was preparing the meat for Muyenzi’s
graduation the following day, and insisted on feeding us. Now, eating meat here
is something I generally avoid, but when it’s offered to you, it’s only polite
to eat it. I believe we were eating cow, and although it wasn’t too bad, by the
second helping it was a little much. After the meat, she boiled us up some
peanuts. So delicious, but again, by the second plate they were a little much
as well. At some point during all of this food, one of the teachers from
Muyenzi stopped by to ask me how I felt, seeing as I fell off the piki-piki.
Mind you, he was not present to witness, he had just heard about
it…riiiiiiight. And of course he just happened to know we were sitting at Mama
Kibibi’s house. This is the simple life. Finally, after such a long a day we
headed home for a good night’s rest before hitting up Graduation #2!
Graduation #2: Muyenzi
Secondary School…
Wednesday morning began with Mama Kibibi yelling outside our
house for us to wake up. It was 6:59, and our alarms were set for 7:00.
Apparently the conversation I had with my normal piki-piki driver in which I
explained that I wasn’t going to Bukiriro for the day was not understood.
Because he called one of his fellow drivers to come pick me up for school,
which is why Mama Kibibi was yelling outside my window telling me to wake up. I
was so confused. Actually, we were all really confused, but after some
explanation, we were able to sort out that I was in fact staying at Muyenzi for
the day so that I could attend their graduation. Oy vey. Graduation wasn’t
scheduled to begin until 9:00am, so I had a few hours to get some things done
around the house. Like wash my leggings that I ‘ve warn everyday for the past
week and a half. They still aren’t clean, but it was a good effort. I also
washed some dishes, and again, they really don’t get clean, but it’s better not
to think about such things. So anyways, back to graduation…of course we arrived
late and early simultaneously at 10:00. Late, because the ceremony should have
started an hour earlier, but in reality early because we stood around waiting
for an hour and half before it actually began.
The ceremony itself was very similar to Bukiriro’s graduation, although
there were more student performances. Some were quite entertaining, like the
three groups of boys who rapped for everyone. No worries, I have videos, so
perhaps one day if you’re lucky you will also be able to witness the greatness
of this experience! After all of the students performed their songs, raps and
plays, the guests of honor gave their speeches, introductions were made, and
the form 4 students were able to shake hands with the headmaster and get their
photos taken. Luckily, Marisa and I were
not the center of the photo shoot during the ceremony like we were at Bukiriro.
After the four hour ceremony was complete, we made our way
to the staff room for food and drinks. As the food made its way into the room,
we noticed the hot pots from our house being carried in. Of course Mama Kabibi
would ask for our house key only to steal our hot pots to use to serve the
guests. No surprise. Actually, she asks Marisa for her key everyday and we come
home to find our garbage burned, or fresh milk on the table, or hot water in
our thermos, or charcoal in our jiko ready to be used. She’s wonderful, but
sometimes we wonder…like with the hot pots. Anyways, we ate another lovely
round of rice, beans, and bananas, along with no fewer than three sodas each.
Lack of water in this area means that when soda or beer is available, you drink
as much as you can. So when I only drank one soda, you can imagine the grief I
got about not drinking more. It happens.
The fun began after dinner. Students began changing out of
their uniforms and into their disco clothes, and let me tell you their sense of
fashion is something else. In particular, guys tend to go all out with vibrant
satin shirts with patterned collars and often a short colorful tie to top it
all off. The outfits literally kill me sometimes. Good news is that we got
pictures with almost all of the students, as we couldn’t go anywhere without
being summoned to pose. I suppose this is a small glimpse into the life of a
celebrity! After about 97 pictures, it was time for the disco to start. I
should mention that both Marisa and I were asked at our respective schools to
start the disco, which everyone thought was the best idea since sliced
bread.....literally crazy. So although we didn’t actually start the party, we
definitely joined in. the music was an awesome mix of Tanzanian hip hop, with
at most 5 songs that were played on repeat. My new favorite is “Hakunaga,”
which is something along the lines of “you are the only one for me.” I’m so
glad this song played at least four times, with a different student singing to
me each time. Also, I should mention that all of the other teachers were also
dancing with the students, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary that we joined in
this sherehe (party). And oh how the students enjoyed our presence. I just
about died when some of my students from Bukiriro showed up and said “hello
madam!” on the dance floor though. It was too much. We shared so many laughs
and learned some really great new dance moves from the students. Good
times…goooooood times. We were definitely partied out by the end of graduation
day #2.
Most Interesting
Questions about America…
Come Thursday, it was time for class again. Hopefully next
week I can talk a little bit more about class structure, timing, activities,
participation, attendance, and what not. But for now, I would like to make a
few comments on perceptions of America. I ended my form 4 class about ten
minutes early on Thursday, and gave the students a chance to ask questions. Naturally,
the first question was “What is the history of America?” Right, we could spend
the next year talking about that, but let me give you a brief two minute
history starting with Christopher Columbus. Then they generally asked me to
share stories from America. I figured telling them about snow days was the best
option, and they sure enjoyed it! Then one very smart boy, the leader of the
class, asked how long it took to get from America to Tanzania. So I explained
it took two days to travel. As a follow up, he asked specifically, “Which mode
of transportation did you use?” I was amused by the idea that the obvious
answer of airplane was not assumed. Interesting. I taught Form 1 that
afternoon, and at the end of class they also asked me to share a story from
America. Once again, I went down the route of snow days and I thought they were
going to die of laughter. The conversation then turned to me learning Swahili.
We then spent the next 20 minutes (mind you, this is 20 minutes into their next
period in which the teacher never came) discussing what I know how to say in
Swahili. I said a few simple phrases and words that I know, and I thought some
were going to hit the floor they were laughing so hard. Then one boy asked if I
know bananas. How could I not know bananas, seeing as this region literally has
millions of bananas. “Do you have bananas in America?” “How about tomatoes?”
“Avocados?” I’m not sure what they think we eat, but I assured them that we do
in fact have fruits and vegetables. So many questions, but both classes were
very enjoyable. I actually love teaching here, anyone surprised? Good, me
either.
A few questions that I’ve gotten from other teachers have
been really interesting as well. One teacher assumed that no students in
America drop-out because everyone is wealthy. Both are very unfortunate
misconceptions, although he didn’t seem to believe me when I tried to explain
the reality of it. Another teacher asked if we had tribal languages like they
do here, and it was relatively difficult to explain the concept of different
languages resulting from immigration rather than tribal life. I’ve also had
very interesting conversations on behavior, respect and punishment. I have
tried to assure teachers that students here are wonderfully behaved and very
respectful compared to some students in America, yet they cannot fully grasp
what I actually mean. It is simply so different here, that no one can even
fathom talking back to a teacher, not listening to directions, or having a
classroom be in a state of complete chaos. While I am facing other challenges
in the classroom, it is such a relief that behavior and respect are not
included. The Tanzanian culture places
so much emphasis on proper greetings and respecting your elders that disrespect
and poor behavior are simply not issues. It’s a really wonderful way of life.
And with that, I think I’ve told way to many stories with
way to many details for one week. But this is our life, and I hope you enjoy
reading about it. I’m sure that without two graduation ceremonies next week,
the excitement will be more contained and my post will be a more manageable
read. Until then, I’ll leave you one last story. We broke out the paper and
highlighters last night to decorate our walls with our quote of the year: “At one
point, this was EXACTLY what we wanted.”
also...check out marisa's blog for some pictures :) www.tanzania365.com
No comments:
Post a Comment