Oh Heck, I’m Up to My Neck…in MUD!

The rain has finally come to Monduli! It was about 3 weeks later than normal and obviously affected life all around!

The Dust

Rain did come to this area over one month ago. It was a good downpour. Unfortunately, it didn't last. It did encourage people to plant their maize – mostly used for their own consumption. The plants shot up with the moisture. Then, they immediately started to wither under the sun. Just as soon as the rain started, it stopped. Dust returned everywhere. Talks turned to the widespread drought that covered the area two years ago. The sky would cloud up and then produce nothing. We even planted the entire school garden, only to have nothing germinate except lots of weeds. The implication, the one that no one really spoke of, was that people would starve. In the States if a crop fails maybe prices increase a bit in the grocery store. Here, when most of the crops go directly to feed your family, if they fail, the consequences are far more grave.

The Sub-Saharan Depression

Whether it was because of the lack of rain or just the grind of school, there was a heavy cloud hanging over our house. We volunteers were grouchy toward each other. The students, while almost always courteous, had a bit of an edge to them. The work just wasn't fun. It was work. It was virtually impossible to find a reprieve. We were tired out, fed up, and generally frustrated. I can't help but think that a fair amount of that influence came from the lack of rain and the emotional effects it carried. Thankfully, we remained civil toward each other. I think we all sort of understood that this wasn't normal. And, in the words of that famous person Anonymous, we knew that "this too shall pass."

The Rain

Finally the rains came! Last week, with a torrent, they came. Buckets and buckets fell from the sky. The change in the air was obvious. The students were quite literally jubilant! Even Form 3, who usually growls at anyone who tries to be the least bit cheerful with them responded. "Good morning Form 3!" Lisa would say. They cheerfully responded with, "Good morning, Teacher!" What the…. That never happens! The rains just create a hum in the air. I can remember at home in Wyoming this same thing would happen. When people are so closely connected to their surroundings, major changes like this have an obvious effect. Maji ni uhai – Water is Life!

The Mud

An obvious side effect of the rain is mud. How shall I describe the mud? You know those Betty Crocker tubs of frosting? Picture something like "Dark Fudge" or something like that. You know that same creamy, smooth texture and dark black/brown color? Well, picture the road being covered in that and trying to navigate a Land Rover through it. That's what is created when it rains here. We spun off the road on Friday. Everyone piled out (I say piled because we usually stack 10 extra bodies on the Land Rover). Even the principal ripped off his suit coat and went to digging. We went off the road right next to a family's boma (house). I was sure at any moment we would tip over and crash through their mud wall! Finally after much digging and being covered in mud, literally, we got unstuck. Students standing around were laughing. But then, they had to walk home through it. The road turns into a river of rushing muddy water crashing down from the hills above. The going becomes slow. Easy trips into the school become a battle every morning and night. Ah the fun!

The Disease

Right along with the water comes the disease. If you are constantly wet and sleeping in and near mud, chances are good you'll get sick. This has happened around here for sure. I've seen quite a few cases of water-borne disease, malaria and of course the ongoing battle of parasites. I don't know what you do about it either. Even Lisa is sick now; hacking up a lung. I think our epically long walk yesterday didn't help.

The Epic Walk (followed by the epic blisters!)

Yesterday we walked to the end of the Earth. Its name is Lendikenya. Unfortunately, because of the mud, we decided to wear the rubber, calf-high boots. We were following a student to her boma and she didn't seem to be having any problems. Lisa and I on the other hand were in full sweat mode! By the time we arrived, we had walked nearly 6 miles there and I was covered in sweat. But, it's always worth it! Her dad is a farmer and her mother a primary school teacher. They were happy to have us there and even killed a chicken for us to eat. We had a great conversation, as translated through our student. Lisa told them about her father, Jeff, who is a farmer. They decided Jeff needed to come visit them if he ever came to Tanzania! Finally, after filling our stomachs with tea, makande (corn and beans cooked together) and chicken, we began our return journey. Thankfully Ben was able to meet us about 2/3 of the way into the trip. I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have made it all the way home! Right now, I have a blister about the size of a quarter on one foot. Lisa has one that looks like a small marble on her foot. But, ha ha ha Seth, this is how most people get around here. My tender-footed ways wouldn't last very long without the aid of a car and some serious foot crème!

The Healer - Baba Loliondo

There is a faith healer that EVERYONE is going to near Loliondo. He makes a drink, blesses it, and people are cured. The five things it cures are tuberculosis, AIDS, cancer, diabetes and ulcers. People are flocking up this rough, long, dusty (well now muddy) treacherous road by the thousands. Once they arrive, the queue is so long, a few die just waiting for the dawa (medicine). He charges 500 shillings per person for overhead costs. Transport services are charging hundreds of thousands of shillings to get you there. Don't tell people that you don't believe in it, either. This is grounds for a healthy debate and eventual ridicule from the obvious polarizing effect such an emotionally charged issue can create. Also, don't go to the knock-off healer in Moshi. His dawa doesn't work.

A Cocktail of Events from here in Monduli

Kilimanjaro 1/2 Marathon

We spent last weekend in Moshi taking students to compete in the Kilimanjaro Half Marathon and 5-K fun run. We had eight boys, Lisa and Ben compete in the half and six girls plus Peter compete in the 5-K fun run. I was too busy drinking Coke and eating cashew nuts to be bothered with running! It was fun to take kids on their first overnight trip. We slept in classrooms at International School Moshi the night before the race. We also ate an enormous dinner in their cafeteria. I say enormous because it was a buffet and those Maasai boys can put away the food! It does make you wonder where it all goes because they are so skinny! We did have one boy finish with a time of 1:20 in the half...pretty darn fast. Maybe it was the food...

School Inspection

We had a random school inspection this week. I equate it to the horsemen of the apocalypse descending on your school which is soon followed by much wailing and gnashing of the teeth. I guess this is the way Tanzania does quality control for their schools. Basically the inspectors (two of them in our case) show up unannounced and look at all of your paperwork, interview some students and watch a few teachers do their lessons. Everyone is hustling and bustling around to find all of the right forms, etc... And, at the end of the day, their score doesn't mean much. Nevertheless, it was a stressful 24 hours when they arrived.

Crazy Friday

Yesterday was just crazy. First, we had scheduled all of the student's parents to come help at the school. This is supposed to be a regular occurance and is an effort to have the school become truly a community run effort. But, yesterday many of the parents did not show. So, students were sent home to get their parents. To be clear, this meant that students had to walk home for several kilometers in the hot sun, find their parents, and bring them back to school. I was gone for part of the morning tending to a sick kid (I'll talk about that more later). When I returned, it was crazy! Students and parents were everywhere! I think the point was to send a message to the parents that we are serious about their attendance at these things. However, from a western perspective, it didn't make much sense.

Student Sickness

We have had quite a few sick students lately. Many of them are pretty serious. Some are simply because boiling water is such a difficulty. It requires finding fuel (likely wood or charcoal) and burning it. Plus, most of the time the water really doesn't make the local folks sick. But, around this time of year, for some reason, there are more bacteria in the water and people get sick. I've visited a couple student's homes now and the scene is really sad. I think I've already voiced my frustration with the sanitation and water situation here. However, lately it has taken on a whole new and very sinister head from what I have seen.

The Chicken Coop

In light of the craziness of this week, one very cool thing stands out. I asked the Form 2 (sophomores) class to take care of the chicken coop. I read off the names of the groups in class and gave a general overview of my expectations. I thought I would have to remind, cajole, yell, kick and scream for a while to get them to take care of the chickens. So, I was really surprised when one student came to me with the key to the chicken coop. I asked him why he had it. He said he went and took it from another student so he could take care of the chickens like I had asked. My jaw must have been on the floor! He not only had listened to my instructions, but he had also taken the initiative on his own to make it happen. Sometimes just some simple things like that really strike you.

Seven Year Itch (caution sensitive material below....ha ha ha!)

I have sensitive skin. Everyone who knows me knows how frequently I get poison ivy. For some reason, I have been itchy for about the past month. And not just a little bit! I don't know whether it's the dust or the unclean water I shower in or the clothes that don't really get rinsed of their suds very well... but something is getting me! And getting me from head to toe! Now, I know many of you don't want to know this. But, as an accurate and thorough blogger, I felt obliged to share ALL of my woes with you! So, there you go. Have a scratch for me.

Garden and Livestock Projects

I'm pretty excited about some of the things happening around the school. We're trying some different projects in the garden and also some possible livestock projects. In the garden we are developing a distribution plan for grey water that will go to the fruit trees. We are also using plastic drinking water bottles to irrigate other trees and bushes around the campus. In the near future we are hoping to establish a drip irrigation system throughout the rest of the garden so we're not so dependent on the unpredictable rains. There is also the very real prospect of building a barn for dairy cattle, goats and sheep. I'm hoping all of these things come to some fruition while I'm here because they sound like fun challenges.

Football and Netball Matches

In addition to teaching English, Lisa has been coordinating the athletic events. For the past two weeks we have taken the students in to Monduli (7 dalla dalla busses full) to play football and netball. Football means soccer. Netball is like basketball, but with significant differences. These festivities are a fun way to see our kids in a different dynamic. Plus, they are really good! Our boys football team won last week against the best team in the district!

American Football in Tanzania

Lisa started an American Football club. She teaches them the basics of the game. Sometimes they watch football movies. I think someone sent us the Super Bowl so I imagine that will be enjoyed soon. My hunch is this may be the only American Football being played in Tanzania, if not Africa! However, soon there will be an American football match between Iowa (Drake University) and Mexico (no idea what team there) in Arusha! These two teams are coming as part of an aid program of some sort. We are hoping to take Lisa's students there to experience what I'm sure is bound to be an interesting event.