Welcome to my Africa Travel Blog

Yesterday was very calm, surprisingly. I woke up very tired. I slept well, but I think my body is wanting more sleep than I am giving it after playing soccer for two hours every day. Classes were fairly normal; I marked some papers while observing an English teacher (Lameck) give a lesson, I helped clean up and put together the music room, and the rest of the day I spent with Ezekia in the music room teaching some guitar (although I can’t say I taught much as I’m not in a position to be handing out guitar lessons).

Fridays are sport and game days, so after lunch at 1:30 the students have two hours of free time to play sports or get extra help in classes before they go home. Yesterday, however, everybody gathered in the cafeteria and did some karaoke and musical chairs. Why they didn’t play sports, I don’t know, but the alternative was very entertaining.

It was very hot yesterday, in the mid 80’s with very little cloud cover. I’m glad I’m wearing long sleeves so as to not getting sunburnt, but then again I am sweating like crazy! I took the bus home again and it is so adorable seeing all the little kids playing around in the bus and being trouble makers. The afternoon at home was slow and relaxing. Edith came home last night with many pots and plants and we all worked for an hour or more potting the plants.

We had to wake up early this morning because in about 20 minutes (at 6am) we are leaving for Tarangire National Park! Lucas has a camp at this park, but we are only going for the day. The drive is said to be about 3-4 hours from home so I might be able to get some extra sleep on the ride! Tomorrow you will be seeing a lot of pictures from today’s adventure!

Wow wow wow! It’s been a week since I’ve departed home. It doesn’t quite feel that long, but I’ve been busy keeping busy and I’m sure once I slow down I will begin to get homesick. Yesterday I did more of the same at school, just observing lessons, on course to make my way through all of the classes by next week. I’m tending to like the older kids in classes 6 or 7 rather than the younger kids because they’re more mature and the teaching material is interesting and at times new to me. After school I went along with one of the bus routes dropping kids off at home. It seems like most kids on this route lived within a 2 mile radius or so, but there are many other buses and those kids may be further away. It was very interesting and fun to drive around the area and see the houses and people that are out here. I think the school and where I’m staying are located in what would be the suburbs. So now that it’s been a week and the days are starting to feel like a routine, I should introduce some people here, starting with the man who helped all this happen (along with Jim Popp).

Lucas is the head of the family. He’s the one who helped me connect with Hope Girls and Boys School (as he is the owner), and has been kind enough to house me for the past week and hopefully will continue to do so for the next 3 months (fingers crossed!). I never expect to see him around the house or at school, Lucas is always moving and doing some type of project. From what I’ve seen, he is very well respected everywhere he goes and people take him very seriously. But like everyone else here, he is always laughing and telling jokes. He owns a safari business (I’m hoping I can get him to take me to the national parks someday) and his kids seem to be following in his footsteps. During my adventures here I hope to be able to spend more time with him, it seems he has extensive knowledge about business, professionalism, and family life and I’m looking forward to learning from him.

This picture here is one of my favorites so far. The whole school was outside on the basketball court for “parade” when I took this. The parade is a sort of assembly outside with all the students, done every other day of the week. The head teacher introduced me to all the students during it and had me say a couple words. I’m glad he did, kids are now coming up to me, introducing themselves, asking me questions, and giving me high fives or hugs (I think they were a bit shy before—I was too—and have now settled in to the idea I might be around for a bit).

Previous days were so busy and new, I wandered through them like a lost puppy in a haze, following whoever grabbed me and wanted to show me something. Yesterday, however, felt real. I started going to classes and observing how the teachers work, the school and schedule are feeling a bit more organized, and the kids seem to know what’s going on now as well. One thing I am struggling with is the room system. The pupils stay in the same room while the teachers are the ones who move around throughout the day; no bell ringing, telling when one lesson ends and another begins. This system causes some sessions to be disrupted by others that run long and teachers who don’t arrive on time. The computer and music building is being remodeled right now and should be prepared for students next week, and I’m thinking with those classrooms opened up, things will flow a bit better. Sitting in the classrooms watching the lessons helped me understand a lot about teaching young kids. The style is similar to the U.S., teachers will explain a topic, work out some example problems, and then roam around checking work while the kids work on some exercises.

I took the bus home from school today with Jovin and Rebecca (two kids I’m staying with) and a bunch of other students. Right when we got home Jovin insisted on playing some soccer. He has so much energy (which I’m glad for). He’s sure going to keep me very active and healthy. After soccer I helped Jovin and Rebecca with some school work, and in doing so I made a mistake. Dinner is served buffet style, it sits in large pots and each person comes to dish up however much they want. I didn’t know this—I guess I hadn’t observed previous nights—but everyone waits for me to serve myself first without saying anything. And I was so busy helping with homework that it wasn’t until 9:00 I noticed nobody was eating and they were all waiting on me. It’s safe to say I will never make that mistake again!

Oh boy! Yesterday was busy busy. It was the first day of the school year and the scramble was full blown. 200+ new students with no new teachers hired, so I am hoping to relieve some of that pressure and stress these teachers are sure to be to be feeling. In the morning I “welcomed” new students and parents. I could only do so much with the English they know and Swahili I know, so “good morning, karibu” was about as far as I got. School was to begin at 8:00, but new students continued arriving in spurts until 10ish when it was breakfast time (tea and bread). They sing a national anthem every morning—which I had forgot about having done early in elementary school and makes me wonder why we stopped in later grades—that I am trying to learn right now. I bounced around a lot after breakfast, jumping into classroom after classroom to introduce myself. The first class I went to was extremely shy and quiet, anxious to respond to my questions or ask their own. This made me a bit nervous that it was going to be hard to connect with the kids, but the next few classes I went to were very talkative and interested. I met some teachers that I think I will be working side by side with.

Ezekia is the music teacher at the school. He is currently working on a bachelor’s degree in music and knows 16 instruments that he helps the kids learn. If I had to guess, I think I will end up being closest with him out of all the teachers, but I haven’t spent too much time with others, so we will see. There’s another, Teacher Samuel, and I think I’ll be in his class a bit too.

After the long day of class and introductions, I was very excited to be going home. At home I played soccer for a couple hours with Jovin, John and kaka. Jovin is the youngest son of Lucas and the baby of the family at 9 years old. John, Jovin’s older brother, is 18, works with Lucas at the safari business and seems to be very motivated and intelligent. Kaka (a sort of nick name, meaning brother) is the grounds manager of the home/property and is always working—I wake up he is washing the cars, I go to sleep he is tilling the garden, never not moving. After soccer we had dinner. It was a delicious potato and banana stew with some beef and a dry, leathery type of fried chicken. I woke up this morning pretty early and couldn’t get back to bed, but at least I had some time to prepare for today with a bit of schedule planning for which classes I’m going to help in.

Yesterday was the first day at the school. No kids were there, only teachers preparing for the start of the new year. The school year is done differently here, it starts in January and ends in November. I think it’s better for me this way as well, as I will get to start the year with new students and new teachers and be on pace with everything they are doing. Everyone has been so welcoming; showing me around the grounds, teaching me simple Swahili greetings, introducing me to other friends and teachers. I’m hoping to learn a good amount of Swahili whilst here, but languages have never been my thing so we’ll see.

The school grounds are very beautiful. The classrooms run in a square perimeter along a lush, tropically landscaped garden. It reminds me of some of the Southern California designs of open space buildings. I was told there are around 450 students (from ages 3-13) which seems like it will fill up the space quickly. It was very busy around the school grounds, all the teachers were getting last minute meetings and prep work done. But I’m told today will be even more hectic and exciting! After being an unemployed couch surfer for the past few months, it’s really energizing having days full of activity and business. Over the next few days my role is to observe the classes so I can see how teaching is performed (I’m expecting it to be quite different, I’ve heard it’s more lecture centered).

Yesterday was a full experience. It seems that Sundays are a day for chores and shopping. The day started out slow; after waking up with the chickens it was a while until anyone else was moving. For breakfast we had donut like pastries and juice. After breakfast I spent my morning with the boys playing games while the girls did cleaning (laundry, dishes, etc). There are pretty distinct gender roles which is a bit hard for me to accept, but I’m sure as the days go on I’ll get used to the nuances of Tanzanian culture.

After midday passed and we had lunch, it was shopping time. 9 of us packed into a small hatchback—as a guest they gave me the front seat which forced 6 others to cram into the backseat. I will say the driving here is very nerve racking and a bit lawless. First of all, they drive on the left side, so it’s discombobulating to begin with, and then to make it worse no one follows any sort of traffic patterns. Not to mention the motorcycles that swerve and cut their way through the smallest gaps. A lot of the shopping we did was in markets—large outdoor settings with many vendors, either in a dirt lot or along the city streets. Buying something at these markets is a long process; you’re expected to bargain and negotiate to the penny. The markets were beautiful and busy and bright, but if I had to go get everyday essentials at places like this, I would get very overwhelmed. We also went to a mall and supermarket for some other goods. The prices seem to be about as much as one would pay in the US, tending to be cheaper but never more expensive. So it makes me wonder if at the markets people get better prices and deals, only going to supermarkets for necessities you can’t buy elsewhere. After the shopping we went to the barbershop. I didn’t get a haircut, I’m not brave enough yet, but at some point I know I will be due. For dinner we had Ugali, tilapia, and sour milk. I was a bit nervous about the sour milk, but it was pretty much a watery yogurt and very good with the tilapia.

I have arrived! Yesterday’s flights were much better. I was tired enough to fall asleep on both flights and from Dar es Salaam to Kilimanjaro I had the full row to lie down in and sleep soundly. Stepping off of the plane straight down onto the tarmac was when it really hit me that I was here. (Also when I got in the car with Ally and he said “there is no going back now”). It seems that the weather right now is classified as the “short rainy season”. For the month of January it rains for a couple days every couple of days. And then it will dry out for February, and the true rainy season begins in March and lasts through June. Getting through customs was very quick and it seemed like most people were acquiring their visa on arrival (Lucas later told me that the Tanzanian government really appreciates tourism, so they make the process fairly easy).

My living quarters are wonderful. I didn’t have many expectations, but it seems like I’m provided with a lot of privacy. I’m in a detached room outside of the main house, with my own bathroom and shower. One thing I was not expecting was AC!

I was so relieved last night when I was able to sleep in a bed! I was exhausted by the time I went to sleep, I laid my head on the pillow and was out. This morning I woke up around 5:30 to roosters crowing and goats bleating, so it seems I will have a natural alarm clock.