All the chickens are dead!

The School – Orkeeswa Secondary School is where we are working. The school is currently three main classroom buildings designed in a horseshoe shape. Each building has two classrooms in it with teachers' offices between. There is also a cook building (we eat lunch outside), a garden, chicken coop, pit latrines. Unfortunately, all the chickens were all killed this week by, no doubt, a vicious and terrible creature! This was really sad because the chickens are actually managed by a student group called the microfinance club. No worries though, they had already made plans to buy more!

Monduli – After months of speculation and trepidation, we finally arrived in Monduli, Tanzania. The greater Monduli area is a town of around 2000 people. However, as I am learning in all of Tanzania civilization, a town really consists of smaller villages interconnected with dirt roads. For instance "Monduli" is really Monduli Juu (upper), Monduli Chini (lower), Mlimani (means Mountain), etc… By the way, we actually live in Mlimani which means we walk about 1 mile every time we want to go down to where the shops, etc. are located.

The Students – There are three groups of students – pre form, form 1 and form 2. Forms are equivalent to grades in the States. Right now, the form 2 students are working towards their big government-issued standardized tests. If they pass, they can go on for more education. If not…well that's unclear to me right now. Our students are primarily from the Maasai tribe. They are split pretty evenly between boys and girls. I am surprised at how much we have already learned about their personalities. I don't know what I was expecting! In general most have come up and greeted us. We shake hands regularly. They say "you are welcome" to our school. They also ask some very challenging questions. I quickly realized that part of what I'm experiencing is foreign to me because of cultural differences and language barriers. However, quite a lot of what I see is also just teenagers interacting with other teenagers coping with typical teenage issues. Boys want to be manly and girls want to be beautiful (gross generalization I know). Some are shy, some are bold. Some are intellectual and some are just looking for fun. I have been shocked by many things here in Tanzania, but this time I think it was just how similar teenagers really can be.

The Teachers - Our teachers are diverse! We have four from the US, one from Australia, one from Ireland and four from Tanzania. We are pretty well split male to female. Most have taught in schools other than their homeland. I am also pleased to announce that most of them like coffee…so we get along just fine! Obviously we have only been here for one week. However, here are some generalities I can find. We live together, eat together, work together, ride together in the same dusty landrover over bumpy roads, get covered in dust together and struggle with the same issues of scarcity. I've found them to be supportive, open and very passionate about what they are doing here.

The House – We live in the "Polepole (meaning 'slow') Palace." We have hot water showers, two flush toilets, a refrigerator and gas stove top. There is a gate and security guard. By any standards, this is a nice house! All of us here feel really fortunate…especially to have the hot showers! There are four of us living here and three in the other volunteer house. The houses are in Monduli town, about 4 miles from Orkeeswa. We did run out of water twice. Once was because there just wasn't water being supplied this far up the hill and it lasted two days. The second time was just because we used too much water and the holding tank had not had time to recharge. Obviously water will be a factor here. Nevertheless, it is so nice to be able to turn on a faucet and have water!

The Housemates – Lisa and I are so spoiled! Ben (Australia math/chem teacher) and Jane (Ireland English teacher) are wonderful cooks and both hilariously funny! By wonderful cooks, I mean they create things from their head that include food items Lisa and I have never even heard of! For example, we were sitting around on Thursday night and Ben said, "I think I'll make prawns in a garlic sauce." What the heck! Who does that! Further, given the fact that it gets dark at 7:00 PM, everyone goes to bed by 9:30. So, this past week Lisa and I have been better fed and better rested than possibly ever before! Lisa and I are, however, more than a little nervous because we have no idea how to cook like this. So, if anyone has a good recipe, please send it our way so we can contribute!

The Pig Feast – Friday night we dined on pork and drinks after work. By pork, I mean the place barbecued 8 kilos ( I have no idea how many pounds that is) of pork meat and we just dug into the pile of meat and ate it with our hands! It was cool to be sitting around swapping stories, learning Swahili and watching the personalities of our new comrades unfold.

Next Week - Things have a tendency to change from day to day. However, at this time it's looking like I will teach a two week course in chemistry to form 1 on fuels and two weeks of animal science to form 2. Lisa will start working with the pre form students on speaking English (helping Jane) in the mornings and then working in the office in the afternoons helping with getting an Academic Office started for the school and getting some fundraising materials ready for our Director's upcoming fundraising tour in the States. Please continue to pray for our students, our teachers and us as we move forward!

"I didn't know the black mamba would chase you!"

 

Snake Zoo & Maasai Cultural Center

I've never been what you might call a "diligent student." So, when Rich & Carli, fellow language learners, asked if I wanted to skip class and go look at poisonous snakes, I didn't hesitate. Lisa, not one to "break the rules"…or really enjoy snakes for that matter…took some convincing. But with the promise of danger and romance, she was entered and we were on our way. The snake farm took about an hour to get to because the president was in town campaigning. He "inconspicuously" flew in on a helicopter. And, just in case you missed that noise, the fact that every building in town had his poster or banner displayed might have clued you in. Some particularly fashionable advocates had cloth wraps called "kangas" with the president's face on them wrapped around their waist!

 

Nevertheless, we survived the increased traffic and arrived safely at the snake zoo. We paid the "local rate" of 5000/= (shillings) and entered. Our tour guide told us about the approximately 20 varieties of snakes on display. Nearly all of them were poisonous and, of course, resided in northern Tanzania…aka Lisa & Seth's back yard! We enjoyed the hooded cobras and python (complete with pictures of a boy that had been eaten by one). But, the show stopper was the 6 foot black mambas they had on display. Then, our guide told us that they will chase you…at 15 MPH! And…to avoid them catching you it is necessary to run in a zig-zag pattern from them. I'm thinking this might be something we can drill on at school…Fire Drill, Bomb Threat…and now Black Mamba Chase Drill.

 

After the Snake Zoo we were ushered into the Maasai cultural center. We learned some of the intricacies of Maasai life. At the conclusion of the tour, our guide said "this is the conclusion of the tour." Then, he stood in the doorway and looked at us as if to say "and now comes the part where you tip me!" It was about a 7.5 on the awkward moment's scale!

 

Overall, the snake zoo and cultural center a great excuse to blow off class!

 

Watoto Foundation Boys Technical School

This week we were treated to a field trip to a technical school for "hard core street boys." The students were between the ages of 13-18 and had previously been living on the streets. The school provided basic formal education, such as reading, math, etc… However, where the school really shined was in the technical skills arena. We (the language class) were ushered around by boys currently living on the campus of the school. The boys showed us the facilities where they learned skills related to agriculture, carpentry, masonry, electrical and welding. I particularly enjoyed their garden which had a drip irrigation system. Each boy started with an 18 month rotation to try out each of the trades. Then, the next 18 months would be spent focusing on just one trade. Finally, the boy would do a 6 month internship with a partnering company. If the boy performed satisfactorily, he would likely be hired by the company. In general, there was a feeling of optimism at this place.

 

Going Away Party

Thursday this week we had a rip-snortin' party to conclude our time at TCDC. The night was complete with live music, a DJ, a BBQ. I mean, we had it all! It was nice to be able to visit with our fellow participants one last time before saying good-bye.

 

 

 

 

Dinner with Friends Rich & Carli

We have really met some great people here at TCDC. We hit it off with a married couple that is about our age named Rich and Carli. They are from Canada and moved here to manage an orphanage. They, along with their daughter Elise, have been good companions here. Last night we went to dinner in Arusha. The place we went could easily have come from any city in America. I ate a beef burrito and Lisa ate pizza. We have seen and felt a strange dichotomy of lifestyles in our short time here. This shopping center/restaurant was well stocked with virtually any product you could buy in the States. There were a variety of restaurants to choose from. However, walking around the compound, it was primarily "wazungu"…the Swahili word for white people. It felt strange to be in the middle of Africa yet surrounded by the same amenities you might find at home. Then, as soon as we left the gates of the shopping center, you drive by the local scene of open front shops with rusted metal roofs. It is almost like driving through two very different worlds in one trip.

 

Arrival at Monduli

We have arrived in Monduli and been to the school twice. We hope to have pictures and more detail posted soon!

“Who the #$!! let the cat in here!”

"Who the #$!! let the cat in here!"

This week found Lisa and I, well, a little frustrated with Swahili. It felt like our brains had taken a bit of a safari and said "we'll mail you some postcards." Toward the end of the week we were working on how to tell "Swahili Time"…which is a lot like my sister Noelle's time…about 6 hours off. Anyway, we are reading these sentences in Swahili which say things like "Mr. Jones went to the market at 6:15 and then he went to dinner at 7:00." Pretty rich stuff. It sounds easy, but it was like pulling teeth for us and the other two in our class, a really nice couple from Germany. You know on Dumb and Dumber when he is reading and it sounds like "will hos…will hos.. will host. Tuha…t..heee…the…" Yeah, it was like that. Anyway, at one point our friend Rosi was trying to read a sentence and the word for "until" is mpaka….which is really similar to cat, which is just paka. Anyway, Rosie is reading along a sentence like "Saa mbili na nusu mpaka saa tatu…" when all of a sudden her husband, Klaus, says under his breath "Who the #$!! let the cat in here!" Ahhh….just what you don't need to hear when you are looking for something to distract you anyway!

Skyping with Parents

One of the joys this week has been using a program called Skype with our parents. For instance I tried calling my mom and accidently got her at 5 am her time. Then, "something was wrong with her sound" and so Lisa and I had to type our responses to her for an hour because she couldn't hear. Or, sometimes for fun she would ask us yes/no questions. My dad refuses to stand in front of the camera…but we know he is there because every now and then he shifts his weight a little too far to his right and we catch a glimpse of his arm. Jeff and Kim (Lisa's parents) have taken to Skype like a duck to water. Unfortunately, our internet connection is really slow here, so every now and then they will be talking and then just freeze. Then, after about 3-5 seconds the screen "fast forwards"….right along with their voices and animations! It is really entertaining for Lisa and I…can't really say that Jeff and Kim enjoy it that much! We are, however, really thankful for such a media so we can keep in touch!

Market Experience

One day last week we were able to attend a local market near Usa River, home of our campus. Our assignment was to buy something speaking in Kiswahili and then get information on prices of other things. It was great! I bought an orange and some carrots and Lisa bought some oranges and tomatoes. Most of the produce was sold in small piles, called a fungu. Lisa was a better negotiator because her pill only cost 300 TSH (Tanzania Shillings) while mine cost 350 TSH. We also found a section of the market where you could buy clothing. Shoes, pants, shirts and undergarments for men, women and children all over the place! It was a bit overwhelming to push your way through the crowds. However, we later went to a store in Arusha and compared prices. It will be well worth our time to learn how to navigate the street markets if we want the better deals here! They were probably ½ the price, at least! Plus, at one point, someone bumped my arm, fist pumped me, and said "what's up my homie." So, that was a real plus too. My personal favorite shop was the "Yankee Wear" with a picture of President Obama painted on a sign with the word "Yank" under it. It appears they really like him down here (for real). Today, we even saw a Kanga (cloth wrap) with him on it!

Happy Birthday Seth

I turned 29 this week! Thanks to everyone who wrote kind words on Facebook! We went out for milk shakes. It was a good day. Now I celebrate my age by taking Ibuprofen when I wake.

Rehabilitation Center

One thing we have really enjoyed visiting while we have been here is this rehabilitation center for children and young adults with handicaps. It is just across the road from our campus. One of the other Kiswahili students, Hinrike, works there and introduced us to the place. In addition to helping improve the lives of these young people, they also make some AWESOME milk shakes.

Happy 5^th Anniversary

On Friday, Lisa and I celebrated our 5^th wedding anniversary. Thanks again for everyone who sent us kind wishes on this special day. We are so romantic…we watched a movie with some friends and went to bed early so we could get up and go on a safari!

Safari to Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater

We finished the week by taking a quick safari to some incredible lands. Saturday afternoon we arrived at our camp site, swam, ate and rested. That evening we went to Lake Manyara. It was awesome to be so close to elephants, birds, and many other species. We even saw a lion hidden in a bush but couldn't get a great picture. That night we slept in tents in a campground and prepared for an early morning. This morning (Sunday) we awoke and had breakfast of eggs, chipati (pancakes), sausage (hot dog), fruit and of course coffee by 6:30 AM. We arrived at the crater by 9:00 AM and were treated with hyenas, lions, several antelope species, zebras, warthogs, elephants and at one point a cheetah. In fact, we thought the cheetah would chase a family of warthogs because the warthogs were heading right toward the cheetah. But, alas, life prevailed and the cheetah just stayed where it was sleeping. My favorite part, besides all of the wildlife of course, was when a monkey stole another tourist's Pop-Tart right out of her hand from the vehicle WITH THEM STILL INSIDE! Even though we froze this morning, it was a fantastic end to the week.

To see all of the pictures from the safari, go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=233375&id=658766625&l=0944c0d2e2

Arrival

Arrival – We arrived last Friday, August 27^th into the Kilimanjaro Airport in Arusha. Thankfully all five of our bags arrived. Our driver from MS-TCDC was waiting for us and so we went straight to the campus. Driving in we saw what looked like chaotic vegetation. I'm sure there was some order to crops and pastureland, but we couldn't make it out. In the background was Mount Meru. We spent the first few days just resting and getting settled in to our room on the TCDC campus.

Native dancers at TCDC

Hospital Encounter – Many of those who know me know that I have a love of poison ivy. Once again, I managed to find it in Ohio whilst hiking with my dear sister in law Laura. By the time we arrived in Arusha, it had made its presence known on my arm and leg. Since I have no defense to it, I knew we needed to go to the doctor. So, we took a taxi into Arusha last Saturday to the Luthern Hospital. After waiting nearly 4 hours, I finally was able to see the doctor. I told him my problem and what it typically took to cure it. The doctor wrote a prescription (albeit wrong) and we were out of there. I was actually quite impressed with the facility. It didn't seem as if anyone was in a hurry and I certainly didn't like the wait. But, it was clean and organized and had an in-house pharmacy. Plus, between seeing the doctor and buying the prescription, we paid only 9800 shillings which at an exchange rate of 1500:1, that comes out to only $6.50!

Classrooms at TCDC

Courses – We have been taking Kiswahili classes on the MS- Training Center for Development Cooperation. Let's just say that Lisa and I are slowly but surely making minor progress! We are in the "slower" group with a really nice couple from Germany and that is right where we belong. To date we can greet someone and say I want/like something. We also know important words like toilet, water, toilet water, and food. I am pretty sure I recognized "big headed white person" walking in town yesterday, but that's up for debate! Anyway, we'll finish courses in two weeks (September 17^th) and hopefully by then we'll be able to successfully say "I want to hunt monkeys with a blow dart and eat ice cream" and not have it come out all offensive.



Arusha – Yesterday we went in to Arusha. It's a little confusing what that means because technically the training center is in Arusha, but it's so spread out that it takes ½ hour to get in to the "downtown". So, people refer to it as Arusha Town. To us it felt like chaos. We were almost instantly pressed by street vendors to buy art work or newspapers. We did find that if we spoke to them in Swahili they would ask if we were a volunteer or a tourist. When we said volunteer, they would leave us alone. There were small shops along the streets selling anything from welding equipment to flat screen TV's. We walked from the city center to a "strip mall" near the outskirts of the town called the Shop Right Center. Shop Right is a chain of stores across Tanzania. Inside is just like any major grocery store in the states. It was a strange and welcome feeling to walk inside after the stress of the walk to get there! We found Red Bull and Snickers, so I think we'll be just fine.


Transportation – Yesterday we took our first daladala. This is Tanzania's public transport bus system. Basically we crammed as many people into a Toyota microbus as possible. At one point I had a baby on my lap, a tub of bananas under my legs and people touching me in ways I don't even want to describe. Overall, a pretty good experience!



Food – This has been a welcome surprise! Here at the center we have lived like kings. Each meal is set up in a buffet and there are lots of options. Primarily we have had a lot of starches and lintels. We have rice and some sort of beans at nearly every meal. But, there has also been salads, fruits, mutton, fish, beef, maize, ugale (this I understand is a staple pretty much everywhere – looks like mashed potatoes but has virtually no flavor!). I don't think this is a typical fare and we'll probably be very sad when we move to Moduli! But for now, we're carbo-loading!



Monkeys & Wildlife – This has to be my favorite part of being here so far! There have been at least three types of monkeys around our campus – grey ones, black ones and these black and white ones with crazy tails (they look like big skunks climbing in the trees!). I think the last ones are called colobus monkeys. There are also these enormous cranes that are in the trees near our room. They have a 5-6 foot wing span and when they fly their wings make a lot of noise! There are also lizards and spiders all over! I have a tough time focusing sometimes because there is a lot to attend to!



People we've met – Besides the wildlife, we've been blessed with some wonderful people! Our instructors, Mama Elda and Mama Frida have been very kind and patient. The other class participants in the beginner course are from Canada, Germany, USA ( Montana of all places) and Seattle. We have also met folks from World Vision and the Tanzanian government. Overall, there is a sense of purpose and passion with most of the people we've met and that has been really encouraging.

Ben, Lisa P., Seth, Scott

Meeting our Orkeeswa Colleagues – The capstone of the week was finally being able to meet the people we will be working with at Orkeeswa! We met for dinner in Arusha. I'm happy to report that we will be working with a Wyoming native and UW grad! Scott (Wyoming native), Lisa (New York native), Ben (Australian native and our soon to be roommate!), Quinn (Missouri native) and Peter (IEFT founder) were all there to welcome us and celebrate birthdays.