Napapenda hapa! (I love it here!) We didn’t celebrate the Fourth of July this year with a cookout or a fireworks display, but I couldn’t have asked for a better day. We finalized our T3 (Teaching the Teachers) program, and our team (Sunita, Shaina, Stan, and I) met up for dinner at the Ruaha Lodge Restaurant. Dinner was delicious, but the best part was that we all had some quality time to sit and chat about the days we’ve had and the ones to come. Shaina and I polished of the night at an establishment that resembled a cardboard box. The tender was a riot!
The next day, Shaina and I joined Ally in town for breakfast. We wandered the streets for a bit. I bought a new short at a secondhand store down an alley that I will never be able to locate again (Thanks Ally! I love the shirt!) We strolled around and bought fresh grilled corn on the cob, sugar cane, and Baobob seeds (Baobob is the famous African tree that appears as though its roots are reaching for the sky. It has very few leaves, if any.) Baobob seeds cannot be eaten, but Tanzanian cover them in sugar and suck on the coating. I even sat down for a second to have a pair of sandals sized that a street vender made out of used tires for about . It's amazing what you can find in the market!
After shopping we hiked up one of the village trails to the top of the mountain ridge and had a late lunch in tiki-like huts. The food was the best yet! The weather was perfect, and we had a breathtaking view of city! Allen graced us with a "short" Tanzanian story (2 hours long!!!!). Another laughing fit began. What was the story about? I still haven't a clue...
After our long day, we returned home. I walked the 2 kilometer dirt path to the bishop's house. Unfortunately, when I got there I realized that I was locked out (again). I decided that it was best to walk back towards town and stay with a friend. I met up with "The Germans", our friends working in Tanzania with the Lutheran Church. We exchange a lot of laughs and enjoyed some bamboo juice (which was three-quarters the way to fermentation - not bad). The next morning, I went back to my house, hoping to get in - I did. Too bad someone had to lock me in the building this time. It made for another good laugh when people started to come check on me.
The first days of T3 went far better than even I had anticipated. The experience of working with this amazing collection of people is wonderful. They were reluctant at first to come out of their shells but have been quickly becoming more and more involved with discussions and activities. We usually walk into the village for some chipsi (fried potatoes - I like mine with egg, onion, and pepper sauce), and at night we try out a new diner.
On Tuesday morning, Stan came to me and said my bags had arrived. I was excited... for only a few moments though. I passed out some of the candy I had packed and grabbed a shirt off the top. But then I started thinking... What was in this bag that I really needed? Why is it so heavy? What in the world made me think that I needed so many things? How will I lug this stuff around? Why would I want to? It had seemed that I got my bag and it had become more of a curse than anything else. I was content (not a word I can use to describe about myself often). I was just as happy with the clothes on my back as I would have been with all the amenities in the world, perhaps much happier. For some reason, I think that I learned one of those life lessons that everyone preaches about and tries to follow, but they never really realize it until they have no choice but to live it. It's been a couple of days since I opened the bag. I'm still content sink-washing and wearing the same three outfits I had before.
Yesterday, I woke up to not only church bells but also to the shrilling sound of a hog being tied up and thrown in the back of a small car right outside my window. I'm not a vegetarian by any means, but the sound that the pig made is definitely putting a new perspective in my mind. When we arrived at school we quickly got started but halted when the Bishop arrived to see our progress. He delivered a speech to the class that motivated me even more than I had been. When we ate lunch with him, we saw a completely different side of him. He was a hilarious and continued on his Obama talk. Obama is seemingly more popular than he is in the USA (if that's imaginable). Everyone loves Obama! Everyone! We presented PowerPoint presentations in the afternoon. Goosebumps and tears. The students did so well and seem like they will actually be using what we're giving to them. Perhaps we truly are changing the course of Tanzanian education, a remarkable feeling.
I've been locked in and out of my room several times, bribing the guard is apparently the only solution. It doesn't matter because today we will move to our final residence, the apartments that Sunita and Stan have been staying in. I must say the prospect of a hot shower is one amenity that I'm looking very much to.
Last night, Allen Ally and I went out to dinner. The running joke is that Tanzanian time is much different than American. We waited for over three hours to receive half of the food we ordered. It didn't matter... laughing fills the soul and the stomach I guess.
Make sure you check out Shaina's blog for all of the details that I've forgotten:
http://sbuckles30.wordpress.com/
Until the next time I get a chance to type a few words... tutaonana baadaye! (see you later!)
The next day, Shaina and I joined Ally in town for breakfast. We wandered the streets for a bit. I bought a new short at a secondhand store down an alley that I will never be able to locate again (Thanks Ally! I love the shirt!) We strolled around and bought fresh grilled corn on the cob, sugar cane, and Baobob seeds (Baobob is the famous African tree that appears as though its roots are reaching for the sky. It has very few leaves, if any.) Baobob seeds cannot be eaten, but Tanzanian cover them in sugar and suck on the coating. I even sat down for a second to have a pair of sandals sized that a street vender made out of used tires for about . It's amazing what you can find in the market!
After shopping we hiked up one of the village trails to the top of the mountain ridge and had a late lunch in tiki-like huts. The food was the best yet! The weather was perfect, and we had a breathtaking view of city! Allen graced us with a "short" Tanzanian story (2 hours long!!!!). Another laughing fit began. What was the story about? I still haven't a clue...
After our long day, we returned home. I walked the 2 kilometer dirt path to the bishop's house. Unfortunately, when I got there I realized that I was locked out (again). I decided that it was best to walk back towards town and stay with a friend. I met up with "The Germans", our friends working in Tanzania with the Lutheran Church. We exchange a lot of laughs and enjoyed some bamboo juice (which was three-quarters the way to fermentation - not bad). The next morning, I went back to my house, hoping to get in - I did. Too bad someone had to lock me in the building this time. It made for another good laugh when people started to come check on me.
The first days of T3 went far better than even I had anticipated. The experience of working with this amazing collection of people is wonderful. They were reluctant at first to come out of their shells but have been quickly becoming more and more involved with discussions and activities. We usually walk into the village for some chipsi (fried potatoes - I like mine with egg, onion, and pepper sauce), and at night we try out a new diner.
On Tuesday morning, Stan came to me and said my bags had arrived. I was excited... for only a few moments though. I passed out some of the candy I had packed and grabbed a shirt off the top. But then I started thinking... What was in this bag that I really needed? Why is it so heavy? What in the world made me think that I needed so many things? How will I lug this stuff around? Why would I want to? It had seemed that I got my bag and it had become more of a curse than anything else. I was content (not a word I can use to describe about myself often). I was just as happy with the clothes on my back as I would have been with all the amenities in the world, perhaps much happier. For some reason, I think that I learned one of those life lessons that everyone preaches about and tries to follow, but they never really realize it until they have no choice but to live it. It's been a couple of days since I opened the bag. I'm still content sink-washing and wearing the same three outfits I had before.
Yesterday, I woke up to not only church bells but also to the shrilling sound of a hog being tied up and thrown in the back of a small car right outside my window. I'm not a vegetarian by any means, but the sound that the pig made is definitely putting a new perspective in my mind. When we arrived at school we quickly got started but halted when the Bishop arrived to see our progress. He delivered a speech to the class that motivated me even more than I had been. When we ate lunch with him, we saw a completely different side of him. He was a hilarious and continued on his Obama talk. Obama is seemingly more popular than he is in the USA (if that's imaginable). Everyone loves Obama! Everyone! We presented PowerPoint presentations in the afternoon. Goosebumps and tears. The students did so well and seem like they will actually be using what we're giving to them. Perhaps we truly are changing the course of Tanzanian education, a remarkable feeling.
I've been locked in and out of my room several times, bribing the guard is apparently the only solution. It doesn't matter because today we will move to our final residence, the apartments that Sunita and Stan have been staying in. I must say the prospect of a hot shower is one amenity that I'm looking very much to.
Last night, Allen Ally and I went out to dinner. The running joke is that Tanzanian time is much different than American. We waited for over three hours to receive half of the food we ordered. It didn't matter... laughing fills the soul and the stomach I guess.
Make sure you check out Shaina's blog for all of the details that I've forgotten:
http://sbuckles30.wordpress.com/
Until the next time I get a chance to type a few words... tutaonana baadaye! (see you later!)
Keep having the time of your life!
ReplyDeleteI want to see those sandals. Go veg! I'm so glad you're having fun and making a difference in the world!
ReplyDelete