Mzungu in the District

Welcome back! USA to Africa!
Left to right: Kate, Tirzah, Doug and Diana

I couldn't have asked for a better welcome home. It's true I have some of the greatest friends on the planet. Tirzah pulls up curbside to pick me up with her car all decorated in welcome signs! She knew I was sad to be home and her excitement to see me was just what I needed. Africa to America may only be a day of flying apart, but it's a world apart...

The drive home was short and I excitedly talked about my adventures away and inquired about the hubbub of the District. Tirzah had had a long couple of weeks moving and I think it was good for me to hear the more normal circumstances of my home.

As we neared my apartment, I realized I wasn't even excited to be in it. My home had become my house while I was away.

My staircase up to the door seemed long. The double lock keeping my things safe seemed excessive. I slowly inserted by key, not sure what the other side held for me. I've never been away from my apartment for that long and not really missed it. I didn't know what to expect.

What was on the other side, I never would've guessed. Kate, Diana, Doug and Tirzah had surprised me with a welcome home party!!! I had an instant realization that it was their faces that I wanted to see. There was so much to talk about and my brain was still in sleep mode from my flight. It was so special to be welcomed by my nearest and dearest friends.

I realized quickly enough that I hadn't become an entirely new person. My first thought went to how messy I had left my apartment! They assured me it wasn't, but I know better...I'm fairly certain they made my bed. Now, that is true friendship!!

We made small talk - I couldn't handle much more than that! The adventures too numerous, the challenges too massive, and the changes too precise to even know where to begin. For now, the short conversations would suffice. I have so much to share that I can't imagine I'll ever convey justly.

I was asked what single word I would use to describe my experience and it took me just a few minutes to decide what it was...happy. Not my happiness, which, of course, I was, but their happiness. I have never seen so many smiles and so much joy in my life. Moshi is a town of immense wealth...just not the kind we are used to in the States.

I've started thinking about my future plans. I want to go back. I have to go back...a piece of me is still there. I don't want to return to help them. They don't need help. They are more rich than so many people here in the States. I realize that's another trite statement and a gross overgeneralization, but it's simply the truth. I have even seen that in my life, I find myself always needing and wanting more. How can that be? I am one of the wealthiest people I know -- I have a healthy family and friends who I can always count on and are always by my side. I think that's what everyone learns when they go to Africa. The people in their lives are what make a life worth living. I learned even more...

Left to right: Tirzah, me, Kate and Diana

Left to right: Tirzah, me, Diana and Doug

In Tanzania, you don't say 'goodbye', you say 'badaaye'

I've made it back to the States...in body, not quite yet in spirit. Everything here is so drastically different it's hard to get back into my life, knowing that the old life isn't exactly what I want. The goodbyes were hard. I made a lot of new friends in the volunteers from around the world and from the local volunteers in Tanzania. Mostly, though, I made a connection with the place. I felt so at home, constantly covered in dirt, being called mzungu, and incessantly mobbed by little kids.

My ride to the airport was a somber one. It still didn't feel like I was really leaving. I think Moshi must've fit me like a glove because even as I was leaving, everyone was shocked that I was only a three-weeker. I had found my place and a home in Moshi.

It was surreal at the airport. The day before I had taken Ann-Michelle to the airport. It was finally my time. Jes was my traveling buddy, so that made things a little easier. Richard and Athumani both took us to the airport...dressed in their finest! Athumani had been ill from malaria all week, but rested up enough to give me a proper fairwell. Our goodbyes were exchanged. My tears were withheld. I don't cry in front of people.

Jes and I head to the passport window for the final bon voyage from Moshi. The passport guy wouldn't stamp me. I had my excuse! I couldn't leave!!!! My visa hadn't been properly filled out by the visa gods, which is surely how getting a work visa works. Alas, since Jes and I were traveling together, it was fairly easy to convince him to let me go...darn it.

As we boarded the plane, my imminent departure became even more of a reality. I wasn't ready to be dragged away. My time had only just begun...and yet time had passed and I knew I made an impact, even if only a little one, and a big impact had been made in me. As the plane taxied down the runway, I listened to my farewell song, Africa by Toto. It's trite, but the song rings so true. "It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you..." And it did. The clouds covered Mount Kilimanjaro as if to shield her from the goodbye that was due to her. The plane lifted. It was taking me away from the piece of my heart that Moshi had taken...or had I given it freely? I sat, I think in a bit of shock and disbelief. My only respite was knowing that my heart will one day soon be reunited.

"...I know that I must do what's right
Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti..."

It's Tournament Time!

My last day in Moshi was spent at a futbal tournament being played by some of the local boys. We arrived at 8 am. Chels and I had been up since 6 am. We'd started our packing venture (meaning getting my clothes out of the closet), eaten breakfast, and showered. A most productive morning before 8 am. We hit up the International School with the boys, Kileo, Living, and Amani. Chels and I where we were the only white people there who didn't go to the International School. It was grand. We kept to ourselves with the boys while they figured out when and if they would be playing. Next game they kept telling us. Hey, it's TFT (Tanzania Flexible Time), it's whenever!

We sat and waited. And waited. And waited. It was kind of fun being surrounded by the locals and watching the games. It was a tournament and the International School kids (mostly white kids from the US and Brittain it appeared) got completely trashed in most of their matches. It was kind of comical and I felt a bit sorry for them.

Chelsea did some tree climbing. I laid out and relaxed. My flight was imminent. I hadn't packed. I was in the polepole zone. Once you go polepole...

The games were awesome. Scores remained safuri-safuri for all (0-0).

Teaching Woes

Week two at the secondary school gave me an opportunity to sit in some of the classes. I hadn't got a good grasp on what the classes were learning and what exactly I needed to be teaching. Mary invited me to sit in and observe her lesson in Form 2. I was told I would be teaching Form 1, so I was a little out of place watching Mary's Form 2 class. I awkwardly stood out from under the pavilion in the sun...moments later, one of the students brought me a chair. I sat back and learned. Literally, I learned. Mary taught the the students past participle. Before the lesson, I couldn't have told you what a past participle was...now I know, it's "I had gone to the store." Never would've known that before! I hadn't studied that since high school if not even earlier! I sat in the sun through the lesson, getting a sunburn and a little ridiculed from the Form 2 students. The lesson left me a little insecure about the Form 1 class I was to start teaching the next day. From what I could tell, these students were way beyond what I knew, or rather, remembered, from high school English!

My first home visit

Monday of week two. I was scheduled for teaching at the nursery and then a couple of home visits. I had talked to my mom the night before about my near mauling from the tembo and a little about my placement at the nursery. She could hear the frustration in my voice, I knew.

I was still put off because I was not more prepared for teaching. My mom was a preschool teacher for six years or something and I hadn't had an opportunity to get advice from her about teaching. I have no experience with children and was really frustrated because I was not given an opportunity to ask my best resource for tips or ideas for teaching. Talking to my mom on the phone proved to be one of my better ideas for the trip. She gave me a lot of ideas of games to teach the kids and on how to help them better at writing their letters and numbers. I put her advice into play immediately the next day!

Nursery school was finally starting to get routine. My kids were starting to welcome me more regularly, taking my hand as I walked through the office to the "classroom", and I had found my niche in the daily routines of teaching. I took responsibility for checking the kids papers. In both of my schools, checkmarks are very big deals. The students must have checkmarks for all the correct marks. They love to get them!! I started using dotted letters for the kids that couldn't copy very well. I had a lot of a lot of difficulty getting the children to understand what they were supposed to do with the dotted letters. A few of the kids picked it up really quickly. It was really rewarding to see that the kids could understand what I was teaching them. Those that could trace the letters became very eager for more!! One of my girls, Esta (pronounced AY-sta) was incredibly eager. Daily she came to me looking to trace more and more words. She was in the younger class and was writing beyond the homework given to the older kids!

I spent my first hour with the children and Mother Mary came to pick me up. We headed off with the two Finnish girls that were working with Uwawayaki also. Off we headed to Majenga -- the district of town where our patient was. Our walk to Clementine's house took us through a couple of fields and winding around pathways behind other homes. One field looked as if it was once used for planting crops, but the land then was arid and unplowed. At one end of the field that we passed through was a very large tree that stood somewhat ominously with what appeared to be large black leaves. Upon closer inspection, they were not, in fact, black leaves but large bats. The tree was filled with bats! I thought that I would pass by the tree again, so I decided not to get a picture...and, as it turned out, i didn't end up passing by again.

After a short 10 minute walk, we arrived at Clementine's. Clementine was a 50-something woman who had recently had her left leg amputated because of complications of diabetes. Her right foot had taken a turn for the worse. Our purpose for the visit was to help her daughter, a 30-something HIV positive mother of three, redress her wounds. I look at Clementine's chart which was a makeshift medical history written out on a piece of paper. It included things like her age, her next of kin, her religion, and how her last visit was. It appeared as if this was a new system being used by Uwawayaki since it only included her most recent last visit.

Clementine had to be carried in to the living area space of the house by her daughter and Mother Mary. She stays in the single room off the living room. We spent some time asking how she felt and how she had been in the past few days. All of this exchange took place in Swahili, so I only understood parts of it before Mother Mary translated. After about 15 minutes we began undressing her foot.

Her foot was swollen and was excreting fluids. I won't go into the extremely gory details, but it was quite infected. Her foot was numb except when a lot of pressure was placed on it.

We left Clementine's house advising her to go to the hospital. She had an appointment scheduled, but it wasn't until March...her foot wouldn't wait that long. I found out on my last day that her right foot had been amputated that week.

Our second home visit was to a woman who was HIV positive. She, like Clementine, lived with her daughter and her daughter's children. Her home was a bit bigger than the last -- a living room and two rooms connected. I read her medical sheet as I had done for Clementine. She did not have any visible problems. She had a cough that wasn't going away and was out of cough medicine. Mother Mary offered to try to get more medicine for her.

As Mother Mary explained to me how she was feeling, I acknowledged her by saying "sawa" which, in Swahili, is just saying "okay". The patient asked if I spoke Swahili (which I understood), the shock that registered on her face as I responded to her question with "kidogo" (a little). Both she and Mother Mary got a good laugh at my attempt to learn Swahili, but I was trying!!

After we wrapped up at the second home, it was time for me to head back to the school for my morning pick-up. Mother Mary guided me back to the school through alleyways, backyards, and side streets. I was able to really see the town and see off the beaten path.

The home visits were really powerful and a small idea of life without access to proper healthcare.

Near Death by Tembo

The day started early again. Wake-up at 6 am. Breakfast at 6:30 and departure for Lake Manyara at 7 am. We had to get an early start because we had a short day due to the long drive we had to get home. We pass into the park to a family of baboons. If you don't know anything about baboons, you soon will from the massive quantity of pictures taken...their families consist of anywhere from 50 to hundreds of baboons. Baboons were almost more populous than zebras in the Ngorongoro...almost! It was incredible to see the habits of the baboons. They fought just like real siblings (I've got a video of it to prove it, Mom!). They groom just like we do. It's a little more disgusting because the nitpick (which is how we got the word in the English language) and then eat what they've picked out, but I guess they have to get food somehow!!! They were in every nook and cranny of the Manyara. Danger from baboons comes from invading their territory (which we were obviously doing) and when they are in very large numbers (which they were!). We were quite safe, however. I think they have become quite used to the visitors of the park.

Elephants were everywhere. They were even more plentiful than they were at the Ngorongoro Crater the day before. We were shocked to see so many of them. They were crossing the roads, they were walking down the roads, eating, bathing, and at one point getting very angry at us and exploring our vehicle. This is the proper segway to our near death experience.
Our safari had three vehicles. My vehicle had the same passengers as from the day before, Ann-Michelle, Lindsay, Cathy, Leann and myself. We are driving through Manyara National Park and stopping at every elephant along the way. They are just such majestic creatures. Up close, or as close as we thought we would ever get, their eyes are so soft and sleepy. They are so calm and gentle looking, always moving pole pole (slow). They walk pole pole, they eat pole pole, they bathe pole pole. Everything with the elephant is pole pole...at least we thought.

We drive by about five of them (including a baby elephant) at very close range, probably about 100 feet away. They didn't even seem to notice us. Perhaps that is because they are bigger than the vehicles we are traveling in and we are quite non-threatening. Words can't even begin to express how truly massive these animals are and it still is extremely hard to grasp that these animals are in the wild. We were constantly grappling with that and kept feeling like at night the animals go back to their cages! That's not the case at all...at night, these elephants must fight off lions and other animals that might attack and eat their young and/or weak. I digress. Back to the story at hand...

As we drive along the forest lined road we happen upon a bull slowly eating in the middle of the road. I should note that by eating, I mean the bull was ripping trees out of the ground and chomping away on them. He ate slowly but chomped quite forcefully. He was getting what he needed. Jonathan killed the engine knowing that we had to wait for the animal to finish his morning snack as he has the right of way. So we sat and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, the tembo starts his slow, steady movement off the road. We were so close to him!!!! He mosied on closer to us. It was incredible. Jonathan told us to get in the jeep because we had previously been sitting on the roof (which was completely open). Our car was still in shock that we were this close to a wild elephant!!!

The bull stops right on the side of the road about 20 feet from the jeep. The excitement I had being so close to this massive beast was unreal and completely indescribable.

What happens next I would've never have imagined. The tembo (elephant, if you didn't already gather that) decides he needs to relieve himself...which seemed to indicate that he was getting pretty agitated and was marking his territory. Indeed, he was. By this point, the elephant had moved to within 10 feet of our jeep and we began to worry. Jonathan stayed calm. Ann-Michelle, in the front seat, was nearly eye-to-eye with the beast. She seemed to be fairly in control. Later, I would find out that was not the case. Cathy and Leann were in the middle, Lindsay and I in the back seat. The bull explored the front part of the jeep with his trunk...touching the sideview mirror and the side of the jeep. His tusks brushed the sideview mirror where they left scratch marks that we would later discover. He continued to move forward. His trunk and tusks were directly in line with Cathy and Leann. He stood, menacingly, next to our jeep, seemingly begging us to make a noise or some movement. Each of us were inside the jeep freaking out in our own way. I was taking pictures, scaring everyone in the jeep because my camera made little clicking sounds with every picture. Why I didn't think to take a video is something I still question....

At this point, the elephant had moved so that his entire body was directly beside our jeep. It greatly outsized our vehicle and another person in our group has a photo that shows exactly how large the tembo was. His tusk was about three inches from my face...with only a measly glass standing between it and my face. His beady eyes (note that by this point, his eyes were no longer soft and gentle) were coldly staring at Lindsay in the seat next to me. His trunk swung from side to side. With the small tree size trunk, he picked up a snort of dirt and flung it on himself...and into our jeep. This action is a sign of anger and agitation...not a good sign for us.

We sat there covered in his dust spray, quivering, wondering what was going to happen when (not if, when) the elephant nudged our jeep and it tipped over tossing all of its passengers around like rag dolls. Thankfully, we never had to find out...the tembo moved on...as slowly and innocently as he had come. The whole encounter seemed like twenty minutes of almost complete terror. We never did find out exactly how long it lasted. Perhaps that's a detail we might not like to know -- knowing we were so close to the complete unknown is terrifying enough.

Team Tembo (as we were no donned and would be for the remainder of my time here in Moshi) had made it out...unscathed...barely. The jeep, however, had a couple of brushes with the massive ivory tusks of the beast, but suffered no major damages.

Shortly after we sped away, we stopped for a bathroom break. All of us had to get a serious grip on what had just happened. Only then, did we learn that Jonathan had a death grip on Ann-Michelle's hand and was as equally as terrified as we were. I honestly thought that he had been that close to many elephants!!! We relished in our close encounter and most of the jeep (myself not included) vowed to not spend anymore time near the tembos!!!

The rest of the afternoon was much calmer with no more near death or near attack encounters. We spent some time in the plains with the giraffe and actually got to get out of the jeeps and walk around with them. I guess I should mention that they were several 100 yards away (this picture is probably a fairly accurate depiction as to their distance from us), but it was still incredible to be walking around in the wild Savannah of Africa. It's an experience that I can't even begin to describe and will absolutely never forget.

Our trip ended with a quick camel ride. Think carnival pony rides Africa style! We mounted the humped creatures and got lead around for about 200 yards and returned to our starting point for the awkward dismount. If you've never been on a camel, their front legs go down before their hind legs and they are quite gangly about it. It's not an easy feat and is pretty comical to watch. We watched everyone in our group...and everyone was as ridiculous looking as the next person!! It was a blast though...and now I've had the blissful (ha) experience of riding an African camel!

Touring the Ngorongoro Crater

Our early morning consisted of a lot of zebras, wildebeasts and water buffalo...but our adventure had only just begun. The land was beautiful. We were surrounded by mountain walls with only us and the wildlife within. It was incredible to feel so intimate with them. It's difficult for me to even use words to describe the experience. Going to zoos is nothing, although, I'm certain that that has numbed me to being so close to the animals. The picture above can indicate that. We were literally that close to a lion...and he just stared at us. This was just after he finished mating with a lioness. The lioness was under the culvert in the road. He was lying in the ditch and staring at us.

Lions, elephants, wart hogs, zebras, rhinos, hippos, everything on day one...and even more adventure to look forward to the following day!!

Ngorongoro Crater, the beginning...

(Our group of seventeen at the top of the Ngorongoro Crater.)

Excited and anxious, I had no problem hopping out of bed at 6 am to get ready and eat for our 7 am departure to Ngorongoro Crater. The conservation area was about an hour and a half drive through Masai land from our camp. It was awesome to see the Masai working, tending their herds of cattle and sheep, doing laundry, and traveling by foot from village to village. Their lifestyles are so simple and yet they seem to be so fulfilled.

As we near the park, we get our first glimpse of African wildlife from afar...GIRAFFES!!!! I took some great pictures, but they were fairly far away (about 500 yards). We were ready for our adventure. We finally arrive at the park around 9 am. We popped the roof off of our jeeps and off we drove. Once inside the park, we have to head uphill some to get the the summit of the side of the crater. On the top, we get out and make use of the fantastic photo op (as shown above). We got a bit of history about the Crater from our guides as well. The Crater is a volcanic crater that has grown because of the shifting of the tectonic plates. The mountain beside the crater is an active volcano that erupted in December of 2007 - a mere three months ago. It was an incredible site. The wildlife in the Ngorongoro crater are permanent residents. They do not migrate in and out because all of their needs - food, water, and shelter - are met within the walls of the crater.

We finally start our descent into the Crater. It seemed like such a long drawn out drive, but the excitement once we finally arrived was incredible. We came in three jeeps (Land Cruisers actually), and my car held (from L to R in the picture) Leann (US), Ann Michelle (Boston), Lindsay (Edmonton, Canada), Cathy (Edmonton), and myself. None of us had ever done anything like this before and we had all dreamed of doing it since we were little kids. Our dreams were coming true!!!

At the base of the Crater, the first thing we run into is zebras (punda milia). We had been told that we would quickly tire of zebras. They are a gorgeous creature. They are donkeys (not horses) with stripes that look like they are painted on. It was almost surreal to see them in the wild. They were right next to our jeep throughout the safari and we never tired of them. It is the season for having young, so we got to see lots of baby animals. Actually, we saw a baby animal for every animal we saw except for the lion.

Living right alongside the zebras were wildebeasts and buffalo. In the picture above is a heard of zebras and wildebeasts. It was simply incredible. The base of the Crater was filled with heards since they never migrate.

I want to spend the appropriate amount of time on the safari, so I'm signing off for now to head to lunch and will post more later when I have time...There's many more animals to talk about and show pictures of. I can't wait to download my pictures -- I've got at least one of every single animal we saw!

The pictures in this blog are not my own but those taken by Bushmen Expeditions. My pictures are not uploaded yet and this is just easiest!

Visiting a Masai Village

Finally the time has arrived to head out on safari. We leave home base around 1:30 and start off on our drive to the our campsite which was right near Lake Manyara (which we visited on Sunday). The campsite was nice and not near as rugged as you might think. We had guides that pitched our tents and one roommie per tent. Our campsite had showers, a bar, a flushing toilet, oh, and a pool. It was a little strange to be in this town where probably most of the community didn't have running water and we had a pool. The pool was actually pretty gross, but that's another story! Ha!

We went on safari with Bushmen Expeditions (this is the little plug I promised I would do for them for anyone visiting the Moshi/Arusha/Kili area). It was a fantastic deal which included visiting a Masai village, a camel ride, safari through the Ngorongoro Crater, and safari time in the Lake Manyara National Park. Both Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara are conservation areas. Only the Masai are allowed to live in the land. (The Masai do not hunt or farm, they are a ranching tribe, so their animals are allowed to graze on these conservation plots.)

The Masai village was AMAZING. Masai is one of the four Swahili language groups. They are a warring people (I think I just made that word up). They live in small communities in huts made of cow dung. The Masai live solely off their livestock -- cattles and goats (mostly cattle). They eat only beef and drink both the milk and the blood of the cow. They do not eat any kind of vegetable as they historically were a nomadic tribe of a very arid region.

They performed this awesome welcome ceremony for us. I took some video, but you'll have to wait til I get home for that! Their community was very small. They kept their livestock in a pen in the middle of the community which consisted of about 10 huts. Individual families keep their cows in their small huts to keep them safe from people who would steal them. I thought this odd, not to protect them from predators, but they indicated that wasn't a problem at all. It's so hard to even begin to explain the village, but it was a phenomenal experience.

We returned to the campsite after that for a nice dinner prepared by our own personal cooks. We had a group of 17, so it was a big group to feed, but it was fantastic! After that it was time to hit the hay for an early 6:00 am wake-up to leave for the Ngorongoro Crater.

It's PICTURE time!!!!

The grounds at my home base. They are gorgeous!

The living room at home. It's cozy and everyone congregates here.

The whole group of newbies -- we all started on February 16. Many are staying for weeks after I leave. Makes me sad to go...

Around town...the top is just a store front that I thought was neat. The second is the view from the top of the hotel bar that we hit our first day.

Friday fun!

The final day of my first week was excellent. I spent the morning at nursery school, helping Lillian teach the kids and the late morning at the secondary school observing a teacher again. I got some great tips from the volunteer whose last day it was on what to teach each of the classes...particularly the Form 1 class. I watched Teacher Mark teach the students and got some really good ideas from him -- games, pronunciation exercise and then lesson. I finally felt prepared to teach!!!

When I returned to the nursery to get picked up, I learned that I would be doing a home visit on Monday. I was finally ready to teach and Uwawayaki had something more up their sleeves! I was super excited for the home visit though!!!

Friday afternoon, we headed off for safari. That's going to require a whole blog to itself...or probably two, so stay tuned over the next couple of days!!

Relaxing day!!!

I'm really far behind on posting blogs and I figure everyone is getting somewhat tired of hearing about the mundane details of the day...like the fact that I shower every morning at 6:45 am.

Anyways, Thursday in class was much better. I was at the nursery school and the teacher was there and she led the lesson. We spent the week doing letters A,B, and C and the numbers (1-10) in English and Swahili. The lessons are really remedial and the teacher speaks very little English...yet she is teaching the lesson. That's pretty much how it goes in all of Moshi I think. I went over to the secondary school for the second half of the morning but requested not to teach because I had no idea where in English lessons the students were. I opted to watch the lesson given by Madam Mary. Only after heading off to the class did I realize that I was going to be watching her teach Form 2 and she had asked me to teach Form 1. This was not going to be a helpful shadowing...

It actually was. The students in Form 2 are only mildly ahead of the students in Form 1. It was a great lesson for me -- a relearning of present participle ('I have left the building' if you needed a reminder...). I left the class somewhat ready to start teaching on Friday.

Thursday afternoon we got some free time for the first time all week. I spent the afternoon at an internet cafe (actually writing the previous entry) and wandering around town. Moshi is an incredible place and I love being here. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. It's going to be so hard to leave!!! Tomorrow is my half-way mark.

It's just another day at the office

Day two. I come in to class prepared (well, semi-prepared) to teach. I brought pictures of body parts for them to learn in English. We got off to a great start. They seemed to catch on quite well, but I'm still not sure they fully understood what they were saying. About ten minutes into my lesson, a woman shows up who is identified as the class's teacher. It was pretty awkward. She let me finish the short lesson and then I gave her class back to her. It seems that there was a system (of course, I didn't know it) that the class is following. Her name is Lillian. She's probably around 30 and doesn't know much English, yet she is teaching these 3-6 year old children English.

We start off with the letter A. The older kids (5-6 years) copy words, the younger kids (3-4 years) copy the letters Aa. That is basically how English is taught to all the Moshi kids -- copying what the teacher writes on the board. I don't think they understand what they are learning and it's really hard with no resources to teach them these things.

I already have a favorite student by day two. Sahidi. He's in the younger class (not that the classes are separated), but he's the cut-up of the class. He's dressed in camouflage shorts that are too big that keep falling off to reveal his lack of underpants, a tattered orange t-shirt and mismatched flip flops. He is the one that greats me with a hug and sort of hangs on my throughout the day. He calls me 'mzungu' which means white person and is semi-derogatory. It's literal translation is visitor, but many of the locals identify white people as mzungu. I correct Sahidi everytime, but he doesn't stop.

Sahidi brings me his first assignment (writing the letter 'a'). He had written nothing. Lillian informs me that he can't write. Isn't that what a teacher is supposed to do?! I pull Sahidi aside and helped him with the letter. I'm happy to report that now he can write the letter 'a', but that is all he can write. I find out later that this child is HIV positive. Immediately, I wonder if that is the reason that he hasn't been taught how to write. It's tragic that it seems that they have just given up on him. I am determined to keep working with him and make progress where I can...it's slow and challenging...and probably will be until I depart.

I didn't make it back to the secondary school on this day. There was so much to be done at the nursery and I wasn't sure I was supposed to head over there.

All in all, I think day two was a success...on to day three...

Thrown into the lion's den

Day one at the work was interesting to say the least. Mama Martha (the woman who formed Uwawayaki Women's Group) took me around. First we went to the nursery school. The school is for ages 3-6 and is in the backyard of a building that serves as the office for the nursery school. I have about 50 students ranging as I said from age 3 to age 6 with a wide range of knowledge. Some can speak a bit of English and some can't even speak Swahili. The school itself is outside in the yard on a large cement floor with a small pavilion over it. It's pretty much what I expected...about mid-range for schools here.

After briefly checking out the nursery, I walked with Mama Martha to the Uwawayaki Secondary School. It, too, is outside and only have the cover of a pavilion. There are three forms (grades for the Tanzanians) Form 1, 2, and 3 (sorry to state the obvious!). Each class is massive. I spent a few minutes watching each of the classes. Form 1 is the lowest grade and has about 50 students between 12 and 13. Form 2 is the middle grade with about 70 students ages 14-15. Form 3, the highest grade, has another 50 students ages 16 and up. Each of these classes have only one teacher -- although different teachers for math, science, and English. There are two offices that are very much like the shed my dad has out behind our house. The school, surprisingly enough, has a computer! I assume it has internet, but I have not yet confirmed that. I should really stress here that I am using the term school very loosely. There are no walls for any of the classes. The secondary school students sit at desks in the dirt. They do wear a uniform (white blouse/shirt and green pants/skirts). I spoke with the woman in running the school, Mary, and she informed me she wants me to teach Form 1 English.

As I observed each of the classes, I noted the curriculum being taught to each of the grades. Form 1 was on a break when I observed, but Form 2 was deep in session. I could see across the small room that it was English written on the board. To my complete and utter dismay, it was biology. Form 2 was learning biology in English!!! I would have never guessed they would be learning such high level material. And just as my shock was about to wear off, we head to Form 3 only to find that they are learning electricity and circuits. I couldn't believe the caliber of the curriculum. I left the secondary school in complete shock.

I returned to the nursery for the remainder of the morning only to find that the mwalimu (teacher) was not there. The assistant teacher spoke no English and made a hand gesture that implied that the class was mine. I was not prepared for this. On the board was written numbers and when I had observed previously I saw that they knew their numbers in English and Swahili. And that's just what we did. Moja, mbili, tatu, nne, tano...over and over and over again. Finally, the mwalimu returned. He spoke minimal English and this time verbally indicated that the class was mine to teach. I was nervous, overwhelmed and horrified!! It didn't take long to figure out that the watoto (children) didn't really English. They only repeated what they had memorized without actually understanding what they were saying. I thought to myself, 'It's going to be an interesting couple of weeks.' Finally, after reviewing numbers, shapes, and colors, the mwalimu told me it was break time. Off we went to play. Play time involved a large circle and lots of singing. It was so different because it was about group bonding and playtime. Not like in the US where it's individual playtime. This is a culture that is vastly different from the US -- it's so community-centric that views your neighbor as your family. I always knew that but it is so apparent in the daily activities that I get to see.

After playtime was snacktime. Porridge. It's basically cream of wheat...and it smelled horrible. The children don't mind. They are some of the few children that get porridge at school. The women's group business is how the porridge is provided to the students.

The children are simply amazing. They don't have much and they are the happiest children I have ever seen. They were so eager to learn that they all paid attention all through my pitiful lesson. It's so amazing to see these children who have virtually nothing (by Western standards) seem to have such a blissful existence. Even the adults at the school are so happy to just be. There is joy all around and smiles everywhere. They seem to take each moment of life as if it is a precious gift. I think it's something that many of us could all learn a lot from...I know that I am...and will continue to.

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

Our mission should we choose to accept it: To find the Y.M.C.A. and to observe the economic activity out front.
Partner in crime: Zahra, a sweet 18-year old girl from Scotland.
Directions: Take a right outside the gate, a left at the end of the road and the YMCA is right across the street.

Off Zahra and I go. Following the directions to a T. We arrive at said location a mere 3 minutes after beginning our journey. It didn't look like a Y...we thought we better ask. We greet a local woman and ask. She doesn't understand a word, but luckily, there's a group of young men nearby who overhear us and point us further down the road. Again, we set off.

After walking for another 8 minutes or so with still no sign of a Y, we decide we should probably inquire again. Thankfully, we had stumbled upon a gas station. In we go. Again, greeting in Swahili, followed by an awkward exchange of asking where the Y was. We resorted to just saying the letters, "Y.M.C.A.?" Another point and some directions in Swahili. We start moving again in the general direction of the pointing and realize that we are just going to have to ask one more time.

The nice woman we stopped on the street graciously pointed us in the right direction. Much to our surprise, we had wandered right in front of it!! While our directions were terrible (we complained later!), we found our way to the Y.

Once there, we didn't see anyone outside...and therefore no economic activity. We ventured inside and found a couple of other volunteers also at the Y learning about the activities the Y has. We ran into John from England who offered to give us a tour of the facilities. John is the education director for all of the YMCAs in Tanzania...and he spoke no Swahili. I greeted him with a Shikamoo (the greeting I give to elders) and he looked at me as if my head had just fallen off. It was really odd to think he held such a position, but couldn't even greet in the language that he worked in. It was really a shame. He was a nice man anyways, but it's quite sad and explains some of his later behavior.

The Y has a pool that costs 3,000 shillings to use (that's about $3) for the day. The catch is that there is no halfnakedness allowed. Women must wear a full piece bathing suit and shorts. Men, a shirt and shorts. No one was swimming yesterday.

We were shown the auditorium, which is an open-air room that can seat up to 1,000 people and is used frequently for large university events. It was really neat and looked like any other lower income auditorium.

He showed us the clinic which was just another building with offices. There are two doctors and a dentist on site and they accept walk-ins. There were quite a few younger people waiting outside for a counsel, but John told us the clinic is very expensive and not many Tanzanians can afford to go there. The clinic also had a a couple of operating rooms, but we didn't get to see beyond the closed door.

Our next stop was the Shule Watoto (children's school). We visited two classrooms of preschoolers (anywhere from ages 3-7). John brought us in and introduced us to the class. We greeted them in Swahili. The children were extremely excited to see us. They were grinning from ear to ear with a look of awe on their faces. The sisters had them sing us a Tanzanian song and we applauded them in Swahili (not your typical American applause, but involves rubbing your hands together, clapping your hands, stomping your feet, and blowing a kiss). They thoroughly enjoyed that -- and they definitely laughed at us! John was a bit awkward with the introductions.

His introduction: We have very special visitors today. A person from Canada, a person from England...AND two people from AMERICA. They are our special visitors today and how do we greet our special visitors?

He then began applauding and the children followed suit. It was quite bizarre and made me very uncomfortable. I'm very well-informed that people from the States are very highly regarded, but to have that encouraged by someone who works in the community about someone who works in the community was really disheartening. This is why the notion that Americans (and other foreigners) have some special quality lives through generations.

Our next visit was to the adult class. The Y also houses a hotel management school where locals can go to learn the skills needed to manage hotels. John strolled through the class and interrupted in order to introduce us, the special visitors. He introduced us in the same way. The students were our age and it was even more awkward than with the children who didn't understand. I wish it had been different and we could've interacted more with the adult class, but our time was limited and we got a whole lot more than we had bargained for already!

On our way out we ran into another Canadian volunteer who commended us on our efforts - that's always refreshing! We bid adieu to John and the other volunteer and off we set on our trek back to home base. I little humbled, a litte sheepish, and a lot more curious and excited about our next three weeks.

Goals, Expectations, and Placement

Habari za leo! (Good day, how are you?) It's the middle of the night on my fourth day and I wanted to take a little bit of time to send you an update.

Yesterday was a full day. We started at 7:30 and didn't end until dinner at 7:00! We did orientation for the morning and spent the afternoon learning more about our placements. Our first task of the day was to identify goals for the time we are here and to identify our expectations for the program, for our volunteer placement and for the country. The first was an individual reflection to which I had the following goals:

1. to make an impact in the community, especially in helping to empower the women that I will be working with and helping them to further develop and refine their entrepreneurial skills as it relates to their local business
2. to experience the Tanzanian culture through food, local interaction, and site visits
3. to learn Swahili

The second was a group activity, but generally speaking, we identified expectations of security (which we very much have - Mack Daddy is our overnight security guard, you can't feel safer than with someone like that guarding your gate!), support, to teach as well as learn ourselves, and to become comfortable outside of our comfort zones. It was a great exercise in reflection!

We did a scavenger hunt, but I'll go into more details about that in the next post.

The afternoon gave us an opportunity to meet the leadership at our placement.

Mama Martha is the founder and head of Uwawayaki. Uwawayaki was formed in 2002 in response to Mama Martha's loss of her brother to HIV. After his death, Mama Martha found herself caring for his wife and their three children. Because of this experience, Mama Martha recognized the need for a support group for widows and orphans that have HIV. Uwawayaki has many facets and I'm hoping to get some time working with each of them. The group has a nursery school for children from 3 years old to 6 years old, a primary school for ages 7 to 12 and a secondary school for ages 13 and above. The women's group helps to teach as well as provide money for resources for the school (books and porridge for meals). Additionally, Uwawayaki helps to provide care for the sick and elderly. Often, they will make home visits to those members that cannot leave their homes because they are too sick. In the homes, they help provide the family with food (rice, sugar, etc.) and clothing if needed. They help out with hospital bills and hospital transport if necessary when they can. Mama Martha was very adamant in stressing that they only help out a minimal amount, but as much as they can.

In order to do all of this, Uwawayaki has three business ventures - a chicken farm, a pig farm and a basik making business. The chicken farm is used to get eggs that are then sold into the community. The pig farm raises pigs for butcher and the basik-making is a clothing making venture. All of the excess money is then put towards the education of the children and to helping with the health care needs of the other group members.

It was a humbling conversation and I let Mama Martha know that I want to be put to work in any way that will most help Uwawayaki. I start work tomorrow!

We finished off the afternoon with a quick jaunt to the city. We got a guided tour of the city and found some of the local hangouts, coffee shops and bars, and visited an amazing artist and a basik-making shop. I plan on going back to the artist and he even offered to let us do some painting on our own! I am also having a couple of things made from the basik-making shop, the Unique Boutique!

All in all a grand day...more on my scavenger hunt next.

Leo Moje (lay-oh moh-hay) (17 February 2008)

Leo moje, day one. 6:15 am. I wake up to the sun not even risen yet and the roosters not even crowing. I tried to go back to sleep to no avail...so I decided to get up and spend some time online. I walk out into the CCS common room (which is in the same house that I live in) to find that the internet isn't on. I tool around for a little bit trying to fix it but give up and journal instead.

Breakfast doesn't get served until 7:30 and I was famished. Other volunteers started trickling in around 6:45, so I got almost 30 minutes of alone time to think and just be in KILIMANJARO!!! Wow, I can't believe I'm here!!

Breakfast itself left a little to be desired -- these really weird biscuits, watermelon, bananas and oatmeal. I guess I can't complain, it's cooked and cleaned up for me!! I might be spoiled when I get back home and have to do all that myself!!!

A group of us decided to go into town. I desparately needed a comb and I wanted to check out Moshi. Our guide, Heather who had been here for about 12 hours longer than we had, led us to town which is about a 15 minute walk. It was still morning, a little before 10, so it hadn't gotten hot yet. The sun was still beating down on us and it warmed up quickly. I can't complain though because I'm here...which still seems quite surreal!! The locals immediately came up to us, mzungu (m-zoon-goo/white people) and began chatting us up. I got to practice my Swahili which most of the locals were quite impressed with! That excited me!! In fact, some of the volunteers are even impressed with my Swahili!!

Moshi was awesome! It's a nice little town and I found a comb, the internet cafe and a bar with no problem. Actually, I have to give props to Sam for finding (and suggesting) the bar. We just stumbled into this hotel and found the bar on the top floor. The view was INCREDIBLE. We caught a glimpse of Kilimanjaro and could see a 360 degree view of Tanzania. It was amazing. The beer was good. I got a Serengeti which was more flavorful than the Kilimanjaro that some of the other volunteers had. Good choice on my part and it had a really neat label with a chui (choo-ee/cheetah) on it.

This was all before lunchtime at 1 pm...A great day already!! Orientation for my program starts at 4 pm. Once the program starts, I'll probably have less time to blog, but I'll do my best!

First Glimpse of Home Base (Evening of 16 February 2008)

Finally, home base! Jes, Sam and I arrived after a long 24 hour journey to find home base quite inviting. We got our room assignments, Sam is in Pandya Mlia (the Zebra Room) and I am in the Simba room (you know that one from the Lion King!!). (I can't remember what room Jes is in, but it's not the Swahili names that I know! I came home, unloaded a little and showered. I've never had a better shower -- and it was about 5 minutes long and ice cold...and glorious!!!
After my shower, I started meeting the other volunteers. My roommates, Chelsea (from nw Washington state), Megan (I don't remember where she is from) and Kelly (from Austin), are all really cool. Chelsea and Megan have been here for about a month already and I think Kelly is going to be here for two months. Turns out that I'm one of the few volunteers that is going to be here for such a short amount of time. It's so wild that people have such an opportunity!
My room and home base are poa (cool in Swahili). It's very camp-like and everyone is instant friends! The meals are served three times a day and there's no in between...bread is always out if we need a snack, but that's the extent. The long-term volunteers have said they have gained weight since they've been here. That seems obsene to me because I've been starving almost the entire 24 hours I've been here (even with the three meals I got)! The food is wonderful. We've got beef and lots of fruit and vegetables. There is this spinach-like salad that I'm not a huge fan of, but it's not bad. There's a lentil salad that looks and tastes like Indian spiced chickpeas to me. We've also had watermelon, fresh pineapple, mango/cucumber salad, avocado/tomato/cucumber salad, and some traditional rice-like dish (when I remember what the name of it is, I'll let you know).

Last night, we hung around talking and learning about each other and sharing our excitement about the upcoming weeks. The veterans went across the street to the bar. I was too tired to go, but I'll go sometime in the near future. They tell us that it is literally some woman's backyard and she serves alcohol only to accommodate the CCS volunteers. She's got chairs and tree stumps for tables. Apparently, she is putting in a convenient store to sell snacks to the CCS volunteers. What a great entrepreneur!!

Bedtime arrived around 9:30 pm. I was exhausted and fell right to sleep snuggled in my bed with my mosquito net tucked in. I had a crazy Lost-esque dream (for those of you that don't know Lost, sorry you don't get that reference) where I found a baby that could speak and I taught him Swahili...well, the phrases I know. I blame the air, the water (NO, I haven't really had any Tanzanian water, mine's only come from the cooler!), the heat, and the severe exhaustion, but it was WEIRD even for me!!

Written 17 February 8:45 am

The Long Road Home (16 Feb 2008 at 2 pm)

Our journey to home base begins. We have an old-school van that is prepped for tours. The windows open all the way and it appears that there is a removable roof. Richard sits on the right side and we drive on the left. We exit the aiport which requires having a guard open the gate. We didn't have any problem coming into the airport, but apparently the exiting is the problem!

Home base is a 45 minute drive from the airport. The road leaving the airport is long, narrow and bumpy as most Afrian roads are. It's paved though and there are cyclists and people walking all over the place. Most people are carrying big loads, of what I'm not sure. We come to our first intersection -- to the left is Arusha and to the right, our home, Moshi. Off we go. I notice a couple of things first. There are lots of livestock, cows, donkeys, and chickens. The cows are extremely thin and everything eats right off the road where the only green grass is. The cars speeding past do not deter them. It looks very dry and brownish green. There's lots of dirt and only patches of green grass which is probably why the cows are so thin. It reminds me a lot of my drives through the Navajo reservation actually. Things seem old and make-shift. There are the occasional mud houses and lots of houses that have been started and not completed (or were at one point completed but then abandoned). There were really dark rain clouds off in the distance where Mt. Kilimanjaro is.

The weather was warm still, but the wind blowing through the car was nice. After several kilometers of semi-desolation, we make it to the marketplace. It was bustling with activity since it was a Saturday. Locals were everywhere and the shops looked interesting and fun. The road, still extremely narrow, seemed a bit more treacherous as we zoomed through the marketplace, narrowly missing pedestrians and dangerously passing slow vehicles in the left lane. Apparently, this driving is the norm. We were in good hands so I was never scared at any point, but it was quite exciting. We never got much past 40 km/hour, so we weren't going that fast!

After the marketplace, we went through what is more the town that we will be frequenting. I'm not sure if it was actually Moshi but it's fairly close to where we live. There's a Mr. Price store which is apparently the main store for getting anything beyond food (think 7-11 meets CVS).
Finally, we turn into our drive. It is dirt with massive potholes. This is the norm for roads in Moshi. We didn't have a long drive down it (literally a couple 100 feet), and we turn into our home base. We are in Rau Village and I assume that's the town that we go to when people talk about heading in to town...When I got here, I realized I forgot a comb, so I'm unbrushed right now and probably somewhat frightful! The other volunteers shuddered a bit when I mentioned that I didn't have a comb...sounds like I"m going to have a tough time finding one. Better learn the Swahili word for comb!!

By the way, I learned quite a bit of Swahili on the plane (comb wasn't one of them, but...) and I'm not half bad!!

(Written 17 February 2008 at 8:45 am)

From DC to Rome to Addis Ababba to Nairobi to Kilimanjaro (15 February 2008)

What a trip!! I started out with a wake-up at 5 am to finish getting ready to leave. I had to finish my packing, shower, and do some last minute apartment clean-up...and all before I left at 6 am! Once all the last minute tasks were done, I caught a cab to Dulles. (The only thing I forgot to do was water my plant one last time. Hopefully it can go another three weeks!)

I hopped in the cab and off we went. I had three bags, a pocket full of US dollars and extreme excitement, oh, and exhaustion! I'd spent the past several days not sleeping as I prepared for the trip and spent some time last minute hanging out with some friends. I had an 8 hour flight to sleep on though! At the airport, I run into Jes and Sam. Both are ready to go and equally as exhausted. I spent the two hours at the airport sending some last minute emails and making some last minute phone calls to my family. (Sorry, Mel, that we didn't get to talk before I left...)

Finally, BOARDING TIME!! On the plane, it quickly became apparent that we were not going to have a full flight. Nothing made me happier at that moment. I was exhausted and desperately in need of some sleep. I didn't even make it you through take-off. It was airplane sleep so it still wasn't that great, but it was sleep!! I woke up about every two hours of the eight hour flight -- basically for the food. Ethiopian Airlines feeds you well. We got two meals -- some beef and gravy with au gratin potatoes and steamed zucchini, followed by tuna salad with a slice of roast beef and some celery apple salad that was really good. It was pitch black most of the ride, but I woke up over Paris and saw the lights below. I don't know if it's even possible to make out the Eiffel Tower from above, but I most certainly couldn't!

In Rome, we changed pilots. Not even planes. We pulled in, some Italian men came on to clean the cabin and off we were again...with an equally as empty plane. We got so lucky!! Breakfast was pretty good also - an omelet with steamed mushrooms and hash browns to start the new day. I slept for parts of this leg, but was awakened by sunlight starting to stream in my window. I peer out to see the sun rising over what appeared to be clouds for as far as I could see. When I fully came out of my slumber I realized that that wouldn't be possible -- a sun rise with complete cloud coverage -- so I investigated further. After looking closer, I realized that it was not clouds but SAND! Sand as far as I could see stretching below me. I was over the Sahara...and what's more, I witnessed this amazing sunset!! It was beautiful and a once in a lifetime occurance. I hardly slept after that as the excitement just continued to mount! (I definitely took pictures of the desert and the sunrise and I think I'll be able to post them at some point.) Five hours after we took off from Rome, we start our descent into Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. From the monitor in the airplane it looked as if Addis Ababa was in mountains, but when we landed it was clear that it wasn't. They were tall hills. We exited the plane by walking out on the tarmac. The weather was nice, probably around 60 degrees and sunny. The airport itself was small. We walked from our gate five gates down to the next gate. The storefronts in the airport reminded me of an open air market (it was all indoors though). I snapped a quick shot before we boarded our next flight which was already boarding when we landed.

This next flight was a short one, only two hours. It was packed! I sat next to Jes and we chatted a bit and wondered if we would get fed one more time. We did -- I got the vegetarian option which was a spinach quiche and a bowl of fruit. The cramped flight was a struggle after having whole rows on the previous! We finally start our descent. I peer out the window to see the landscape below. It looks a lot like when I fly into the midwest -- long stretches of rolling hills, green grass and dirt roads. I see below me a small body of water and notice two lanky structures next to it. I strain my eyes to get a better idea of what it was and see that it is, in fact, two GIRAFFES! They just looked like awkward twigs from how far up we were (a couple of thousand feet), but it was still incredible. Their bodies appeared to be on very thin, unstable legs and their necks stretching out above them. It was amazing!

Nairobi was a short stop. We didn't get out of the plane at all. And the plane CLEARED OUT. We went from being completely full to almost completely empty for the final one hour of our journey. There was no meal this time which I was thankful for because I was getting full from doing nothing but sitting, eating and sleeping for almost 24 hours! When we got close to Kilimanjaro, our captain informed us we would be flying over Mount Kilimanjaro. It looked just like a volcano should -- a huge crater in the top of a snow-capped peak...and it was beautiful! I was on the wrong side of the plane and the German whose window I was trying to see out of kept putting his hand in my face. I got a few pictures, but I don't know how well they will turn out!Finally, arrival in Kilimanjaro. The aiport was really small and again we deplaned off of a stairway onto the tarmac. It was pretty warm. I was wearing a sweatshirt which I had to remove almost promptly. We waited in line for our health inspection. I must've passed because they let me through! Customs was non-existent, even faster than it was in Dublin only a few weeks back! We got a quick stamp, picked up our bags which had quickly been unloaded since we were the only plane. Jes, Sam, and I had finally arrived. Richard, one of the CCS employees, picks us up and off we go towards home base. The drive to home base requires it's own entry and breakfast is about to start.

(Written at 6:30 am on 17 February 2008)

New Home Base Photos!!

Turns out the pictures in my previous post are from the old home. These pictures are of my actual home base. My program manager says that the pictures don't do the place any justice...and really, what picture could if I can see Mount Kilimanjaro right off my front porch!!

My excitement continually mounts -- only four more days!

Counting down!

I'm speechless. And terrified. And excited! Last night I had a conference call with my program manager and several of the other volunteers. They gave us pointers and told us a little about what to expect. Something tells me that that still won't be enough to prepare me for the awesome experience that I'm about to have!

Laura, my program manager (stationed in upstate New York), just got back from Kilimanjaro where she was checking out the program before we went. She got to see our new digs...which are apparently really NEW digs. They were just built and we will be the first people staying in them. The pictures here are pictures of our home base -- the building, the gardens, and the inside. You can see Mount Kilimanjaro from our front porch!!! I can't wait to actually see it! I'll send pictures of the rest once I'm there if I can!

As it turns out, the program that I've been placed with is also brand new. I'll be the first volunteer testing it out -- she told me not to expect a lot of structure. That will be good for me, I think, getting something secured and organized. Since I'll be the first, I think I'll also be able to really see changes that I make, even day-to-day. I'm also quite apprehensive about this placement. I know it will be extremely challenging and probably even more rewarding.

Laura told us the weather has been interesting lately. It almost never rains in January, but there have been a few showers. We were advised that we wouldn't need rainboots, but I've been checking the weather and there's supposed to be spots of rain all week long. I'm pretty sure my rainboots are going to be making the trek with me -- even if only needed occasionally!

On the call we were also told that we couldn't bring any gifts. I'm going to have to get some more details around this because if you know me, I'm a gift giving person. I love to share things about myself and give people things that I know they will appreciated. It's going to be so difficult to not give them material items. For those of you that have shared things with me already, I plan on bringing them -- the books as resources for the kids, the toiletries perhaps as gifts for the women learning English, and the sunflower seeds just to share with them as a piece of my home.

I've got so much to do and so little time to do it in...I'm running errands this weekend and buying the last minute essentials...SIX MORE DAYS!!!!

Meeting everyone!

We are starting our first round of introductions via email. Looks like we have 14 or so volunteers from all over the US and some from the UK. Only a few have responded thus far, but it looks like I'll be on the same plane with at least two of the people coming from the US -- Jes from Pennsylvania and Sam from North Carolina. I thought it might be interesting for share my responses to some of the questions as they tell a little bit about why I'm embarking on this adventure and how I'm feeling as the day quickly approaches for my departure.

What is your favorite food?
I like almost any and all foods. I became a lover of sushi in college and haven't looked back since. I am a great cook of Italian food from my study abroad there. I like all sorts of cuisines - ethiopian, greek, thai, mexican, etc. I wish I knew how to cook more ethnic cuisines -- hopefully some day I'll learn. I've heard from multiple people the samosas in Tanzania are to die for, so I'm looking forward to those!

Any other interesting or funny facts about yourself (favorite book/movie/color/sport etc…)
My claim to fame is that I've been to 49 of the 50 states. I think I'm going to have to make a special trip to North Dakota to knock that last one out...My favorite book is Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I'm currently enjoying Microtrends which will likely make the journey to Africa with me.

What is your favorite city/country to travel to?
While I have been to most of the states, I haven't done a lot of international travel. Within the states, Alaska is by far the most beautiful place. I've only been to southeast Alaska -- it was gorgeous and I hear the rest of the state is even more spectacular! In the continental US, it's definitely Glacier National Park in Montana. As for international, I recently spent a bit of time in Dublin and really enjoyed the city and the Irish culture. My most favorite place so far, though, has to be Siena, Italy, and Santorini in Greece. I studied in Italy for 3 months learning the language (which I'm terrible at), art and culture. I got to travel a lot around the country and even did a wine-tasting tour through Tuscany. Since then I've been a terrible wine snob. Santorini is simply gorgeous and the people/culture are incredible.

What moved you to volunteer with CCS? What areas are you interested in working in?
I've always wanted to volunteer in Africa and CCS gave me a lot of flexibility in timing, location, and duration, while seeming to have a lot of stability as well. I've been placed at UWAWAYAKI -- a women's group of widows and orphans that are living with HIV/AIDS. I'm really excited to do something that will really impact the life of someone else in whatever capacity they put me to work in!

What are you most looking forward to?
I'm looking forward to everything -- the people, the culture, the food, the extreme change from my everyday life. It will be an experience that I know I will cherish forever and I'm extremely grateful to have the opportunity.

What are you least looking forward to?
I don't know if there is anything I'm not looking forward to. I don't even mind the long trip over -- I'll probably be singing a different tune when I'm halfway through, but for now, I'm just excited!

My first twinge of sadness...

I got my first bit of sadness yesterday. Three weeks is pretty long to be gone, but I travel so much for work I am not that nervous about being gone for three weeks.

I coach 11-year-old basketball in Arlington (one of the DC suburbs) and I've been doing it since October of 2007. My team is a great group of girls that have so vastly improved I can't even believe it's the same team I started with four months ago! Coaching these girls has been one of the best things I've done in the city since I got here four years ago. Last night, I had to let the girls know that this weekend would be my last weekend with them. I didn't really think they would think anything of it, but they all seemed a little bummed. I knew I was sad to leave them for their end of season play, but I never realized they might be too!

I still have to pinch myself daily - well, almost hourly - to remind myself about the incredible adventure I'm about to have, but I still am a little saddened leaving my girls. They'll do wonderful in end of season play I know, and I'll certainly keep tabs on them!

Job Change

I can't believe it is only 9 days until I leave. I'm so excited and nervous! Everyone is great at keeping me more excited, less nervous! I've got some wonderful ideas on gifts to bring, from recipes to books to cosmetics. The willingness of my friends and family to share their lives is incredible and just the tip of the iceberg of the generosity of the people in my life.

I got a new job placement today. I think they had enough volunteers at Jipe Moyo, so they've moved me over to UWAWAYAKI. While they don't have an easy blog to reference, I'll share a little about the group. The group has 38 members -- all of whom are widows and orphans with HIV/AIDS. It's very similar to the other group, although with this one, I will have some interaction with the children in the area. I will primarily be responsible for helping the women maintain one of their three business, Batik Project, Piggery Project, Chicken Project, which are their only sources of income; teaching the children English, and/or providing HIV/AIDS education to both the women and the children.

I'm equally as excited about this post, perhaps more so because of the flexibility and wide range of activities I will be assisting in! This is truly going to be an amazing experience -- I have to keep reminding myself it's actually happening!!