School and African-ness

Whew! Almost whole week of teaching, and we’re still alive! Yesterday we found out we have to move 8 tables a half a mile from the school to the church because we’re getting kicked out for two weeks. Form 2 testing, the equivalent to sophomores. What a joke. Jacob, a teacher here in Manow, is helping us a great deal and arranging for help from students on Saturday. He’s also driving 3-4 hours round trip to take Nancy on a motorcycle to return to the states. I’ve never seen such a loved person. The whole town loves her, they call out, “Mama Nancy!” When we walk around. We were in Tukuyu, two hours away from Manow where the school is and a girl says, “Hi Mama Nancy!” and Nancy didn’t even recognize her! But lucky for us we got a ride home because of it, saving 50,000 shillings!

So another Tanzania tidbit. I wake up to roosters every morning at 6:15am. They’re punctual. Sometimes in the afternoons the pigs go nutty and squeal. Those are next to our front lawn. We have chickens and baby chicks running around the perimeter of our house. They’re funny. We have a 500 gallon bucket on a 15 foot platform that keeps our water. Every night you think it’s raining but Nancy and I went on a wild goose hunt chase and found it to be water from the tank…overflowing! Funny how sometimes we have no indoor water and other times we have overflowing. We have buckets fortunately, that keep water in droughts or when our neighbor washes a lot of laundry.

I’m a bit terrified Nancy is leaving. Marty and I will do the program on our own. She knows so many people and quick with names. But it’s nice and relieving that there are people who will help us like Jacob and Joshua. Nancy has done so much for the community, her home really is in Tanzania and America. Ok goodnight, my tea is done. I’m learning to drink lots of tea and chapatti and mandazi! Mandazi is soo good!

The Second Day

Wow 7 ½ hours a day on your feet is tiring! I wasn’t looking forward to teaching my second day to tell you the honest truth but my parents called me and that boosted me and started my day on the right foot. Nancy let me be late and talk. Marty and Nancy went ahead. It was good because I got to wander by myself to the dining hall to class. Didn’t realize I didn’t know how to really get there! Some trial and error and I found it!

The end of the day left me a bit discouraged because the second to last game of “I Spy” flopped. It’s nice to team teach with Marty so we can help each other.

So I was tired and got home to drink some delicious Mango nectar. Oh man! Nancy is the best. We drank it on the porch, taking a good load off our feet. Later that night I realized besides, “I Spy,” I have a lot of fun making a fool of myself and teaching. I told Marty and Nacy that I think I may consider TESOEL testing and teach ESL. I love grammar. Doing games and songs is fun, too.

So let’s talk about some African craziness. I took a sponge bath-ok a pitcher bath in a small tub made for a midget. Ha ha. I was proud. We ran out of water so we use our 5 buckets. I use maybe four gallons. Go me! What’s another thing? Nancy got a great gift of a weaved carpet mat called a mkeka, and the cutest part was a big container of bananas, rice and fresh eggs. Who gets eggs in America as a gift? I love it.

What, me? Teacher??

I taught my first day in Tanzania, Africa! Wow! These kids are cute. I know I wish I learned more Kiswahili but I’m glad I know a little and can make a fool of myself a lot. I just have to set my pride aside. Marty and I have a lot to learn but tonight we did some good prepping. Granted it took 2-3 hours, but we will get faster. I’m glad the kids like the songs. They got really into “The Ants Go Marching.” Lots of hand motions and dancing got them giggly and I love it. Alpha and Asifiwe and Mary contribute a lot. It’s interesting yesterday how worried I was to be in charge of teenagers. They are so vulnerable and shy because o f the language. Most of our curriculum is writing on the board and recitation to improve they’re pronunciation. It’s difficult to do group or partner activities because of the language, but we’re learning. We do try to do examples and animated demonstrations!

Important Info

Na omba ufunguo wachuo ni. I ask for the bathroom key.

If I die…

We traveled to Itete to see Carina and Klaus Dinkel. Klaus is a pastor and Carina a doctor-and my saint- who can help me if I get in a bad nut situation. Cortisol, hydrocortisol is what I’ll take if I need to use my epipen. A nice man gave us a ride there but we traveled by foot back. It’s 10 km. My parents will be happy I cleared the nut thing because first I talked to Klaus and he said all I’ll have is the epipen and there’s no resources at the hospital to treat me. WHAT? That took me for a loop. Then Carina came out of the OR, or what British call the “theatre.” She said they have the treatment I’d need and if she wasn’t at the hospital it would be no problem, I would get help. PHEW.

Liz is now teaching me how to make ugali. It’s corn flour that you add to water, a little salt and heat and add more of the flour until it thickens into a paste. You make balls out of it and dip it in your beans and sauce. I kind of love it.
The tribe that lives in my area is called the Nykusa and they speak the Kinikusa language. Here’s a snippet of what I say everyday when I see anyone.

Ugunili
Ndaga
Trombombo
Tununu
Ene.

I’m practically fluent! Ok no, but I can count and say hello, goodbye, how much is that, I would like… 

Home sweet Home

We’re in Manow! From Dar we went to Tukuyu and stayed the night in Longbosse hotel. I crushed on the hotel worker Joshua. Adorable. We met Jacob the teacher at Manow and he has great English. Tuesday we shopped at the market in Tukuyu. Got cucumbers, carrots and apples we can’t get in Manow or Lwangwa. Took a bumpy two hour ride to Manow and it was beautiful. The mountains and landscape and trees and thatched roofed huts are so picturesque, I feel like I’m a character in the Swiss Family Robinson! We arrived and Henry in our car is a doctor in Itetete at the hospital and has ok English. I’ll meet Klaus and Carina (she’s a German doc) so that will be good. Liz and I went on a good run and I’m learning greetings. “Za jioni” for adults or peers and “Shikamo” for 5 years or older. Reply that with “Mara haba” if they do it to me. Little kids, “Njambo…Sijambo” and peers “Nambowizi” and reply with “Poe.”

Ngwatika-house help, sews and washes linens. Her son will be in my class…Godlove. Yesterday, Wednesday, we painted the inside house. Looks great! Listened to Liz’ fun music like the Beatles and “You’ve got that Lovin Feeling.” We went to Lwangwa and I bought tomatoes four different times to practice. “Nya nya, shillingi ngapi.” Tomatoes, how much?

Wow it’s difficult for me. Liz was assisting me, Nancy for Marty. I just accept that Marty and I will be taken advantage of, we’ll overpay and we’ll budget over each time. :) Here are numbers:

1-moja, 2-mbili, 3-tatu, 4-nne, 5-tano, 6-sita, 7-saba, 8-nane, 9-tisa, 10-kumi. 200-miambili. On our second run, yesterday with Liz I learned more words: ruka-to jump, kukimbia-to run, kukaa-to sit/stay

To conjugate: kukimbia

(I) ni na kimbia (we) tu na kimbia
(you) u na kimbia (ya’ll) m na kimbia
(he/she/it) a na kimbia (they) wan a kimbia

Na-present
li-past
-future

Jacob visited and we got our kids’ applications. We have a bunch of 18 year olds! Ahh but most are 15. Not what I expected. I hoped for 13 year olds. I hope they listen to me. And Jacob says this to say goodnight, “usiku mwema.”

Where’s the house of Kai? = nyumba ya Kai iko wapi?

Mwalimu-teacher mwalimu -> walimu-teachers

Mwanafunzi-student

Mia-100

Elfumoja-1000

Elfukumi-10,000

Lakimoja-100,000

10 kumi

100 mia (moja)

1000 elfu (moja)

10,000 elfu kumi moja?

100,000 laki moja

Arriving to that really far away place

Bam! I’m in Africa! I arrived last night at 10:30 after travelling 23 hours. Whew! The best part is we got all our luggage. Last year, Ginny, a volunteer, never got her suitcase. I just thought, I gotta get my tampons! So I flew from Seatac -> Amsterdam and from Amsterdam -> Kilamenjaro. Marty and I sat next to each other and I had TWO empty seats so I spread out and slept! I was soo happy! There were a lot of people on the flight to climb Mt. Kili. One guy from Israel who lives in Boston paid $1200 to hike it. An Irish girl paid $1700. She was super cute. We were stuck by the bathrooms because the flight attendants were dishing out dinner. I ate like a queen! Two dinners both flights. My favorite was the ciabatta rolls, blondie cookies, (got 3 more from the attendant!), the pizza, and the tart pudding/flan. What else? Oh from Kili -> Dar es Salaam was only an hour but I got to sit by a cute chap from England. He paid $4000 total for his trip and didn’t summit Kili. Poor guy. But he was so cute and blonde and had the kind of British accent like Harry Potter. Nice way to arrive in Africa. :) We arrived and it was muggy! I didn’t feel freaked out when I saw all the black people. I have been a bit intimidated and just more anxious back home when I saw black people cuz I think I was thinking too much about it. But since I’ve been here, I don’t feel like the only white person and starred at. I am the only white person but maybe because I’m in Dar, it’s big, and there are other nationalities like East Indian, so that it’s not a big deal or what I imagined. I will be starred at in Manow I know but the people in the area will also be safer.

Oh so we get out of the airport, Nancy, Marty and I and the best part was: LIZ! She picked us up (we got a taxi) and I was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited to see her! The guys standing around the airport to drive taxis smiled a little cuz we were acting a bit crazy. I’m so glad I got to see her and she’s spending the week with us. She’s in PeaceCorps and teaching chemistry in Southeastern Tanzania. Fortunately she had a break, so she was able to see us.

I slept from midnight to 6am. Wow that was incredible! Especially since I slept so much on the plane. We are at an Econolodge and the stay is good. We ate at a small restaurant for breakfast: chapatti (40₡) eggs, this fried bread with meat and onions inside and passion fruit juice amazingness. Chapatti-I’m sold. It’s like a thick tortilla. We’ll be eating that daily for the school with mandazi, a fluffy fried roll.

Altogether for the four of us was 14,000 shillings, about 12 bucks. Wow. It would be easy $30-40 in the states. And actually this meal was expensive. Sadly the shilling is getting weaker for Tanzania. But even if it didn’t it’s nice how inexpensive food will be for this whole three month adventure!

Nambowizi—How’s it going.

Jo-oh—It’s cool

I ate at Bariki Makapeji’s house. I went to an LDS church. I’m soo glad we could. At Umbungo we had to buy bus tickets from there to Tukuyu and what an experience. Men are hounding you left and right. “Where are you going? Hello. Hey sister.” Very entertaining. Tangazwezi—ginger beer equivalent. And we’re on a mission to get that tonight nyam choma.

My bags are packed...

Now my bags are packed. Nancy, the "director" of the program, came over to help look over my belongings. Apparently I still packed too many undies! It's crazy how simple you can live on:
5 shirts
1 skirt
1 jumper (you better believe i'm going to work that jumper, 1st grade teacher style and all)
5 socks
10 down to 7 under-roos
and a partridge in a pear tree!

Well there's more but that's it clothing-wise. I'm proud to say, I'm not even packing my mascara. I thought I would but decided to pitch that to sneak in my contacts. I can't help it, glasses make my head hurt after a while. I must have a fat head or something.

The past two days have been a little hectic with living arrangements when we fly into Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Our previous plans fell through because the hostel got overbooked. As I was making plans for travels to church on Sunday with fellow Tanzanian John Mzengi, he offered to get us a couple rooms...yes! But this morning, Tanzania evening time, Nancy called me up to say we have a Travel Lodge in Dar!! I didn't even know they had Travel Lodges there. I wonder if they will have a McDs and Starbucks as well...hm.

John has been a saint, and offered to take us to church and back to our hotel. Very hospitable, so I asked him if he had any requests: Root beer and...Kool-Aid? I guess that is pretty American. I'll help a Tanzanian get his Kool-Aid fix! Especially since it's so light, yes! Have to give a shout out to Simon, thank you so much for getting me in contact with John. They were mission companions and John was a former Branch president in the Ubungo Branch in Dar es Salaam. I met Simon when I attended the Swahili speaking branch in Salt Lake City a few times. Simon translates Swahili to English in the Salt Lake Swahili branch. He's been a very good friend.

Well that's that. More to come.

Clean clean before I go

September 13
4 days! Bah! And I can say, BAM I'm in Africa! Wowsers. Can't believe it. Have been saying hi/bye to people in Olympia since I just moved from Provo to Olympia, WA. Today I saw Alicia and she's so cute and prego. She looks really good. She's going to name her girl Hannah Lin, cutie. Due November 5th. Told her November 29 is a really good day, hint hint -- but that would be pushing it, or more like Hannah would be pushing it!

Cleaned out more old food out of our house. I revel in that stuff. I love organizing and cleaning stuff out. Not sure why. Cleaning fetish? I got a bit too excited when I thought of tackling the freezer. Good thing I needed to go to FHE. Tee hee.

Took stuff to the dump and donated a bike part. Cool idea on Boulevard and Fones where you donate a bike and get a bike. You don't have to donate. You can imagine there's an array of bike conditions. I might get one when I'm back from TZ and fix one up. I did that back in Provo. Oh I sound like an old geezer, "Back when I was a young chap in Provo..." :)