Life in Tanzania

new blog!

2011-09-01T19:37:00.000+03:00

This may be my last post here for a while. But fear not, my wife, Allison, and I have an entirely new blog at http://the-schuttes.blogspot.com. Sign up there with your email address or Google account to be notified when we update it. Thank you everyone for following along Life in Tanzania.

i truly look funny

2011-04-07T17:02:00.000+03:00

One of my students in standard 6 recently wrote this about me in her topic writing notebook:

But teacher Aaron you do look funny time for music. Mmm... Sometimes if you get your cheeks big you truly look funny. If you could have a mirror you could truly get fun.

Ha ha. I love the honesty of this girl. She really made me laugh.

tuesday tunes: memories of an old friend

2011-04-05T16:51:00.007+03:00

Before I get too far, I should say I'm not promising music recommendations every Tuesday or even once a month on Tuesday. I'm afraid my TZ internet would have no such thing. However, it's Tuesday and I felt like taking a step aside from writing about school and wanted to some music with you.

While I haven't exactly formed a close bond with "Bongo Flava" music (most popular here) and can't exactly keep up on music from the U.S., I have managed to discover "new-to-me" music via the stunning ability of the World Wide Web. Most recently that included Memories of an Old Friend (2011) by Angus & Julia Stone.

Angus & Julia Stone are a boy-girl duo (always good) from Australia (more here: Angus & Julia Stone) with good harmonies, folk-y tunes, and at times, when Julia has lead vocals, a Joanna Newsome sound. This particular album generally switches lead vocals with each track which shows off the different styles of the two. It's all pretty mellow with acoustic guitar and light percussion which brings out the vocals and harmonies. My favorite tracks from the album include "Old Friend", "Chocolates & Cigarettes", and "Paper Aeroplane" and for a good Joanna sound, "And the Boys" from Down the Way (2010) is definitely a track to listen to as well. If you are looking for something new to listen to, check them out.

picture of the week, 03 april 2011

2011-04-05T08:53:00.002+03:00

I decided to do something a little different this week and share a video with you instead. The place I live, Balamaga, is great thanks to the many trees and flowers and birds they attract. In the video you can hear what many mornings sound like with the additional sound of monkeys.

exam time

2011-04-03T14:19:00.000+03:00

We've reached that time again: it's time for midterm exams. While at first glance it may seem to be a slightly less stressful time (no need to lesson plan and a few days from teaching), it's far from a vacation. In fact, it usually ends up being busier than any other time of the year. It didn't take me too long to write my exams, but then I, along with three other teachers, have to type others' exams which is a huge undertaking. (For more on this, check out Novemba and More Tests.)

Not to mention, I don't really know when exams will be. It was first announced exams would be Wednesday, Thursday, Friday this week. However, it was then realized (how do you forget…anyway :) ) there was a public holiday on Thursday. It was then announced exams would be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. That was fine, except for the 40+ exams yet to be typed. So, what does tomorrow have in store? I'm not sure, but I will have exams and lesson plans in hand hoping for the best.

At least with more than four hours, lunch included, spent in the computer lab, I finished my computers exam on Friday. Students were busy creating PowerPoint presentations about what they would change at KEMPS. Some simply followed the guidelines, but others created some very interesting proposals and gave great speeches. Among my favorites were more time for music, sports competitions within and outside of our school, and a night study time for those who have national exams. Yes, it is students here who are requesting to have more time to study. I would definitely like to add more time for extra curricular activities, and if they want more study time, why not? When we talk about how to improve our quality of education, it usually involves adding more classes, but time outside of the classroom could really benefit our students too.

topic writing drawings

2011-03-30T17:33:00.002+03:00

Here are a few pictures of drawings/designs added to topic writing notebooks that I thought were well done:

I'm not quite sure if the pictures had anything to do with what
he was writing about, but I enjoyed the colors he used.

This was how one boy finished his topic writing prompt on jokes.
I really liked this one.

rihanna, you should take some notes from shakira

2011-03-28T16:32:00.004+03:00

Topic writings are probably one of the interesting aspects of my teaching. I get to know my students better and well, they often make me laugh. In one of our recent topic writing prompts, a girl was writing about all of her favorite things, food, colors, places, and most notably, music. This is what she had to say about a few of her favorite artists:

Rihanna, very beauty, very good sound but clothes oh she is not wearing well she is wearing unrespectful clothes.

Shakira, she has a very good sound, clothes, style. She is beauty in all musician.

It seems as though Rihanna should be contacting Shakira for dress recommendations. I mean, I cannot think of anyone who embodies respectful clothing more than Shakira. Certainly more people should take notes from her.

picture of the week, 27 march 2011

2011-03-27T16:06:00.000+03:00

This week's Picture of the Week is a bit frightening, but I was too shocked at what these standard 1 and 2 boys found to not share it with you.

A boy found this in the grass at school. What is it? What did the boy who put it in his backpack do with it later? Some questions are better left unanswered.

quick health update

2011-03-20T22:04:00.000+03:00

For those of you who heard that I was ill, I wanted to let you know that I am feeling better now. I'm not entirely sure what I was sick with, but I think it was along the lines of malaria followed by pneumonia. It was a three-week process that involved visits to four different clinics and hospitals, but thankfully I am feeling much better now and am back at school. Thank you for the thoughts and prayers.

picture of the week, 20 march 2011

2011-03-20T21:46:00.000+03:00

A good day of cooking: steak fajitas, flour tortillas, and guacamole; all from scratch too.

picture of the week, 6 march 2011

2011-03-07T22:06:00.000+03:00

You may think this picture was modified or just taken a weird angle. Don't fool yourself. I thought I was confused at first when this hearty glass of passion juice was set in front of me at the New Rose Café, but I quickly learned it was no ordinary glass of passion juice. Given the right leaning table this leaning glass of juice would be perfect. It could have perfectly matched many other tables I have sat at, but not New Rose's. Oh, no. The tables were too level for this particular glass of juice. Well, enough talk. This is "Picture of the Week" not "I-blab-on-and-on-until-you-don't-want-to-see-the-picture of the Week."

Leaning Tower of Passion Juice

(If you haven't checked it out yet, some of these pictures are also geotagged if you check out my Picasa Web Album. A pretty cool feature.)

picture of the week, 27 february 2011

2011-02-27T20:43:00.001+03:00

Sorry I missed the Picture of the Week last week; I wasn't feeling so well. I've been spending a bit of time in the medical system here and came across this ambulance at the government hospital in Bukoba. I had to take a picture and thought I would share it with you.

Picture of the Week 27 February 2011. Happy I'm not needing the Ambulan...

picture of the week, 13 february 2011

2011-02-13T21:15:00.001+03:00

Two girls holding hands on their way to school.

quality education means

2011-02-09T17:43:00.001+03:00

Quality Education Means

Quality education means education that is based on both genders not only men or only women but both. It is the education that teaches class periods and how to behave to our fellow children and our elders. It is the education that is following the government rules and makes sure pupils are following them. This is the education that cares and makes sure that the pupil is always in a healthy and clean environment. Quality education is the education that can make your child in a nice way without bad behaviours and can also help you child become clean and neat. [It] can also help your child become brave and also when you child studied in a school which gives quality education after completing he or she can depend on himself or herself by making some properties that the school was teaching them to make (e.g. hats, baskets, mats, etc.).

Elizabeth Mushi, age 12

quality education and care

2011-02-08T17:34:00.002+03:00

Quality Education and Care

Hello! I would like to say how quality education and care means to me. This school it is the first school in Bukoba. There is no other school good like this. Our school it’s good in teaching and it’s caring about pupils. Our motto attracts people. It helps some pupils who don’t have parents. It helps different people. My parents ever say that this school is perfect so all of my young sisters are studying here and my older sister started here. I don’t have much to say but thanks for reading.

Asiimwe Rwakyendela, age 12

our school motto

2011-02-07T17:15:00.002+03:00

At KEMPS, we have the motto "Quality Education and Care." I was interested to hear what students thought of our motto and asked my standard six English class to write on that topic. Over the next three days I'll be posting three different responses which I thought were quite good. Note that these three writings have been edited very minimally.

What Does Quality Education and Care Mean to You?

This means that the school gives education and good care that care is in the highest quality. Quality Education and care it is our school motto. And our school gives good education. It takes care of the pupils and things/materials which are being given by ELCT NWD which is the owner of this school, BLSS [Bukoba Lutheran Secondary School] and other schools and hospitals. This is given by anyone to someone.

Everyone here has his or her goals like mine. I wish to study hard and get the first position and I bring KEMPS on the first stage but you can’t say your goals without knowing how you will achieve your goals. I say this because you can have many goals but how you can achieve them you don’t know. I am thinking that people should learn from young ones because you may not know things which you learnt when you were young and maybe if you ask a child he or she can give you the correct answer.

This country needs more help in developing itself and this will be done if people get quality education and care of all properties so as to improve themselves and their country. […] And what I wish is that people to get their basic need. I think this will help so much to our country and the people living in it.

THE END
Orion Muttagahywa, age 12

picture of the week, 6 february 2011

2011-02-06T21:26:00.000+03:00

Market in Mwanza

picture of the week, 30 january 2011

2011-01-30T21:45:00.001+03:00

Hello everyone, happy 2011 and welcome back to a few blog updates. I've been busy traveling and teaching again at KEMPS.

This week's picture of the week comes from right outside my house in TZ and is certainly my most exciting news of 2011: I'm engaged!

Engagement in Tanzania!

Also, my apologies about the other pictures disappearing for a little while. I'm not quite sure what happened. You should be able to find them on the Picture of the Week page now.

new blog features

2010-12-05T15:33:00.000+03:00

Happy December everyone! And what a good month it is.

I wanted everyone to be aware of some new features on my blog. You will see that I have added new pages which can be found at the top of the website:

If you click on one of the tabs, it will take you to a new page. I'll be updating these and adding more as I go, but I thought I would at least start with these. You will see that past Picture of the Week photos will be uploaded there as well.

picture of the week, 5 december 2010

2010-12-03T20:49:00.000+03:00

Hello everyone,

I have decided to add a new feature to my blog. As many of you may know, I love taking pictures, so I am going to upload a different picture every week from my life here in TZ.

Enjoy!

Picture of the Week, 5 December 2010. A look behind to the beautiful blue skies on a recent walk.

Picture of the Week, 5 December 2010. A look ahead to ominous storm on its way.

post one hundred

2010-11-09T22:12:00.000+03:00

To keep my blog posts consistent, I thought it was only appropriate to post today. Also, this appears to be my 100th post on my blog, so enjoy!

Tonight I ate leftover Indian food from Walkgard Hotel. Delicious.

:)

another case of malaria

2010-11-08T20:58:00.000+03:00

As some of you were aware, I had malaria again at the end of September. It certainly was not as easy of a battle as the previous time I had it, but with the help of some rest, medicine, and support from friends, I recovered.

Fear not though! I do not have malaria again; rather, it is KEMPS this time. This might be a bit of a stretch, but let me explain.

If there is one thing that seems to be consistent in education here, it is quantity. In our teachers meetings and general discussions at school, the key point is usually adding more of something.

Before June 2009, students at KEMPS only studied from 8:00 to 1:30. After that time, day scholars would return to their homes and the boarding students would remain to eat lunch. The afternoons were quite open to alternative learning activities.

After June 2009, an afternoon session was added. I have talked about such classes before. All students now eat at school and study for an addition two hours in the afternoon. The time is primarily used for English, math, Kiswahili, and science with two hours, once a week each and geography, civics, and history with forty minutes, once a week each.

KEMPS has also usually been first or second of 30+ schools in the municipal, but this past year dropped to the sixth. Therefore, we held a meeting to discuss what strategies or goals we could set to help improve our position. I was baffled by most of the responses. Add an evening session. Add classes on Saturday. It was, again, how can we add more quantity? It's as if people were saying, If adding two extra hours a day didn't help, certainly adding an additional two will.

Today we had another meeting to discuss what we are going to do next year to improve our position; the school board will be meeting soon and are interested to hear of our plans. First of all, the discussion was highly held around how we can become the first again. It reminded me of many of my students when setting goals. Every student writes, "I want to be the first." Of course, who wouldn't want to be the first? However, if you were the fifteenth last year, is that an attainable goal? I don't think so. Therefore, I proposed to the other teachers that instead we set a goal of improving one or two positions. If we are the first next year, great! We can all be very happy about that. But if we aren't but improve, we can be happy about that success.

The second thing that surprised me was the discussion around next year's standard seven class being different from the previous. It was proposed that we look at those who are struggling in standard six now and hold them back. I would agree that there are a few who would benefit from an additional year in standard six, but at some point they need to move on. And if our instruction hasn't been working for them this year that probably means we need to make a change.

The blame usually shifts to the students. They aren't working hard enough. I taught them how to do this, they should understand. Yes, there are times I teach a topic and someone in my class doesn't write any notes and then fails an exercise or part of an exam. However, at the same time, if I look at my exams and see that 50% of my class didn't understand one section, I don't say that they aren't working hard enough. I ask myself what I can do to teach that topic in another way or help them to further understand. It seems as though most here would say those 50% have failed and not that the teacher has failed to reach them.

As the class teacher of standard three, I track attendance throughout the year, create sweeping and cleaning schedules, assign monitors of the class, and deal with any issues they may have. I learned recently that this also involves recommending who should be held back for another year. What a task! I only teach standard three math, so I consulted the other teachers.

Many of the recommendations were similar, but I also wanted to see whether or not students were improving in their classes. I took all of the exams scores for the year and divided them by subject and included an overview of all exams. I was shocked by the results. In science, on average, students only understood 54% of the content. It's really only so long you can blame the students. If only half of my class understands the content I am teaching, there is likely some problem in the way I am teaching something.

Still, our discussion today usually went back to the students. This standard seven class is different. Well, of course it is. The next one will be different too. Just because one teaching method worked last year or five years ago, doesn't mean it's going to work for the next. We, as teachers, also need to be actively learning about the students we are teaching and how we can better reach them.

I suggested to the teachers that we also need to consider how we can change our teaching, that we are also students and need to continue learning. This worried many of the teachers. What if we just told the school board that? I do believe that we need to also have a proposal of how we are going to improve, but I don't think it's bad to admit that we need to improve.

The example I gave was a person with malaria. If he keeps denying that he has malaria, he will not ever go to the hospital to get tested and cannot receive treatment. If, however, he can admit that he does have malaria, he can slowly recover.

KEMPS has malaria. We aren't that sick yet, but if we never stop talking about adding quantity and not quality or never look introspectively, we may very well get even sicker and sicker.

This is not to say that KEMPS isn't one of the best schools in the region. I still believe it is. But even the best school has room for improvement. If we were the first school in all of Tanzania, we would still need to have this discussion of how we can improve. I just hope that teachers really do see the need.

Polepole tutafika (slowly we will arrive). We may not be the first next year or even two years from now, but if we can continue to change and challenge ourselves and this school, it is possible to reach there one day. It takes change though and that change can be difficult. We may not get immediate results or see the fruits of our labor, but if we continue to work toward this goal, I believe the reward will be great for this school and this country. That is something worth working toward.

timetable ma(st/k)er

2010-11-07T21:30:00.001+03:00

Merely a timetable maker? I think not. ;) If there is one thing I should have mastered this first year of teaching, it is schedules or timetables as they are more fondly referred to here.

(Note: the yellow indicates all of the changes I had to make.)

I really can't believe just how many I have made. The new timetables are usually just put on top of the older ones, so I decided to check just how many there were in the office. Ten! Yes, I have made that many in just one year. Why all the timetable changes? Well, the biggest reason is changes in teachers.

First of all, at the beginning of the year, there is the need to make sure everything is correct on the first timetable. Of course, I work through people requesting various times to teach and other times not to teach, but eventually we get a timetable which most people are happy about.

I must say that this, pleasing people, or worse yet, just reminding people I am just making the timetable and not allocating subjects are the hardest things about making the schedule. It never fails; I will post a new timetable and be told by someone that they shouldn't have so many periods/classes. Even after telling them I only make the timetable and the academic teacher allocates classes, they usually continue telling me to reduce their number. Once, I even took down a timetable for a night to make a new one for the following week, posted it again the next day, and was asked by a teacher why I had changed the timetable. When I told her it was the exact same schedule she refused to believe me. There are many more timetable terrors, but I will continue. :)

This year, I had to make several new timetables already at the beginning of the year because one of our teachers decided to leave on the second day of school. A bit shocked? I was at first, but I'll write more later on the coming and going of teachers. We had to reallocate all of his classes which meant a completely new timetable. (This was how I ended up teaching East African geography.)

Later on in the year, KEMPS celebrated the birth of a new baby to Laudia, one of our teachers. Now, you might think that the birth of a child is something a school could plan for. Of course no one knows exactly when he or she is coming, but they usually have an idea.

However, one morning, Laudia wasn't there and it was announced she had given birth to a son. Several days later it was announced that someone should take her classes, and finally about a week later they were covered. At this point we were so short on teachers that even Joyce, our head teacher, had to teach one class as well.

My training with ELCA-Global Mission meant at least one thing: another timetable. I worked on making one before I left in June which again included Laudia but didn't include me.

Upon returning I found that even that timetable had been changed due to the arrival of two new teachers. Although I only ever met one of the two as the other one had to go back to his school to finish a contract with the government. Maana yake? What did that mean? Yes, a new timetable.

After observing some classes, Stephanie was also ready to start teaching some of her own. Again, timetable. :)

I'm sure there have even been a few others in between and everywhere else you could imagine, but as of now I am hoping that I have at least finished for this year. However, I have also learned to always expect the unexpected here, so I won't keep my fingers crossed. I'll keep you posted on the all new and upcoming 2011 KEMPS Timetable.

Update: I wrote this last week and guess what? A new timetable. That's right. :) This time is was due to one of our teachers leaving and not coming back. All of her classes had to be covered by other teachers for the remaining weeks.

Am I at least finished until 2011? I won't count on it yet. Less than four weeks remaining!

price of sugar

2010-11-06T22:44:00.000+03:00

The price of sugar has once again dropped a little but not after a spike earlier this year which lasted until sometime before I returned in August. Of course August has long passed, but it was such an interesting case to me that I felt I had to share.

When I first arrived in July last year, sugar was around 1,000 Tanzanian Shillings ($0.76) per kilogram. This was the same price as a kilogram of tomatoes, onions, flour, or rice (to name a few things). It was nice cane sugar from the Kagera Sugar Factory, a factory not even 80 km (50 mi) from Bukoba, which I toured with a friend.

While the price was slowing increasing with passing months, early in 2010 the price severely jumped. Overnight sugar suddenly cost 1700 TZS ($1.21). What was the change? Why had the price changed so much?

One day I asked one of the vendors I frequently visit why the prices had jumped so much. She explained that not only had Kagera Sugar raised their prices, but they also decided to start exporting most of their premium sugar to other countries. Therefore, many people like her in the market had to either buy lower quality sugar or turn to an alternative: another company.

For this woman, that other company ended up being in Brazil. Yes, people in Bukoba who lived less than 80 km from one of the largest sugar factories in all of East Africa could buy higher quality sugar for a cheaper price from a company located on a different continent. The sugar itself wasn't coming from Brazil but another country next to Tanzania, but it was still a strange picture. It meant that for most of this year I was using sugar from a country other than Tanzania.

However, upon returning I asked the same woman about the dilemma with sugar and she said that Kagera Sugar had reduced their prices slightly again and were offering their top grade sugar again. I was happy to hear that, and for now, it is at least at 1600 TZS ($1.07) per kilogram and coming from the Kagera Region where I live.

my latest trip to outer space

2010-11-05T23:16:00.000+03:00

Sometimes I just have to smile when reading standard six topic writings. This week's topic was "If I Could Travel to Outer Space." Overall, it was a topic many of them enjoyed which meant I enjoyed reading them as well. Two things that I couldn't pass up were these:

A- "I could catch an alien and bring it back to Tanzania and look up on the internet what to feed it."
- The Internet is all wise, my friends.

I- (Question to me) "Have you ever seen a dinosaur?
- : ) This came shortly after talking about finding other animals (including dinosaurs) on different planets.

I hope this brings you a smile or two as well.

step-by-step shower success

2010-11-04T21:31:00.000+03:00

It's hard to believe that it's taken me this long just to figure out how to have a hot shower; it's so easy! After some observation and careful testing, I now know a simple step-by-step method to have the shower I've always dreamed of. I need enough water pressure to pump water into my water heater and later to my shower. To acquire such aforementioned pressure, I simply follow these steps:

It must be the rainy season
It must be the right day in an on-average, every other day rotation
It must also be the right time of day
My neighbor, Agnes, must not be using any water
My furthest neighbors whose house is now vacant must not be using any water
My next closest neighbors (but still further away from the water tank) must not be using water
The people who receive water from the random other pipe leading away from our single line must not be using water
Pressure must continue for about 45 minutes as the water heats up
The water pressure must then continue up to the end of the shower or the hot water will now just sit in the water heater until it cools down

To explain a little more of this simple step-by-step process, you should know that most days I turn my faucet handle in my shower only to receive five taunting drops and then turn it back off. I always have water, but not very often enough water pressure.

My house is second closest to our large water tank. Given its size and general over-spilling of water, you would assume I would always have water pressure. But as I looked more closely lately, I have noticed a strange thing: along the main pipe leaving the tank, there are a number of other water lines leading off to various places. These are the places mentioned in numbers 3, 4, 5, and 6.

To operate my shower, I have two different lines: a shorter one containing cold water leading straight to the shower and another longer one going to the water heater. Confused? I am. Take a look at this picture to assist you and me:

There are days when there may not be enough water pressure to push it to the water tank, but it can make the shorter distance to the shower head. It's usually is enough to enter the water heater or more commonly not at all present, but there are a few days like Tuesday when I can "enjoy" a normal, but cold shower. Unfortunately that morning there was a very cold rain which meant an extra cold shower that evening. It was quite the experience.

Like I said, there are other times where there is enough pressure to get water into the water heater. It usually then takes 45 minutes to heat up. There are times, however, by the end of the 45-minute period that there is not longer water pressure. It's really great to just stare at the hot water heater, imagining what how water must feel like.

There are the few times though when I have enjoyed a good, hot shower since returning in August. I could probably count them on two hands, but they were a nice surprise.

If you are concerned about people moving further away from me each day or my inability to make friends while waiting for my shower to work again, I do have an alternative: the ol' cup 'n bucket. This tried and true companion has yet to fail me, and I think we are bound to stick together.

duct tape plumber

2010-11-03T22:44:00.000+03:00

I've had to learn a lot of new things living in my first house alone and in another country. Most recently I quickly became an electrician and plumber. My electrical work only included changing a few light switches and sockets, but my plumbing is certain to impress many more in the profession.

My kitchen sink started leaking about a month ago. At first, it was pretty minimal--a drip here and there. Nothing too serious. More recently, however, it I had a secondary faucet. For those less knowledgeable in the field of plumbing, this isn't good. ;) Luckily, my knowledge was great.

A quick change of plastic thanks to the help of Myaka, the ultimate fix-it-man and school driver, things seemed to be working great…until a few drips later. Apparently we hadn't quite succeed. It was better than the river flowing below my kitchen sink, but enough drops and well, you know.

I realized that the previous plumber had placed the pipe leading outside at the most awkward angle. Not only was it angled upward leading outside, but it was virtually impossible to connect to (see picture below).

So I set off with the best tools possible: duct tape. I say "tools" because it really is multiple tools in one. A few wraps, an awkward, straining bend, and more pieces of greatness and I was enjoying a "dripless," "riverless" kitchen sink. If uncertain, my professional opinion is that those are the best.

I don't know what is next, but given my success in electrical and plumbing work, I figure no task is too great. Stay tuned next week for "Iowa Native Sails Across Lake Victoria in Duct Tape Boat."

surprising people with good

2010-11-02T21:53:00.000+03:00

This afternoon was full of surprises. Just like every Tuesday I had two whole hours with Standard 3 Math. I'm never quite sure exactly how this class will go (how can you with 37 nine-year olds?) and today was no exception.

The class was a little noisy at the beginning but after a short while everyone seemed to calm down. I gave them a quick break after the first 40 minutes (a bell is rung every 40) and after returning, they started an exercise on geometric shapes. Shortly after beginning two girls were having a small disagreement, so I asked them to go outside the classroom in order to talk to them individually.

After just a few minutes, we quickly sorted through what the problem was, and I sent them back inside the classroom. I followed them inside to find mass chaos. Two other girls were up and pulling on the other's sweater, looking as if they would soon be swinging fists. I quickly moved to them and pulled them apart and sent them outside.

At first, I was quite upset with the two girls who were fighting and considered just taking them to the office. I decided though that taking them there wasn't going to really help a lot more. I figured I would at least give it a try myself.

I wasn't even sure exactly what to say, but I knew they needed a different response that what they were used to. They didn't need to both be put down or beat for their behavior; they needed someone to talk and listen to them. This is one thing I wish I saw more: talking with or listening to students and giving them a chance to speak.

As it turned out, what had happened was one girl had slid out her chair which banged into the knee of the other girl. She thought the other had done it on purpose and started to hit her. In defense, the girl who had slid out her chair also started hitting back. This led to the pulling on sweaters which I observed.

My message to them was this: surprise people who do bad things to you with good. How often we think that if we can just get even with people, it will really teach them a lesson. If we are called a name, call him/her a name in return. If hit, you better hit back. When attacked, arm the military and drop your bombs. That will teach them a lesson. Kill a murderer because killing is wrong. Hmm. What lessons are we teaching others?

Even I struggle with this idea of doing good to those who wrong us. Frequently I encounter racism and am called names or taken advantage of. At times I think, Oh, if I can only get them back. What would good would that really do? I certainly don't have a good answer to it all, but I know calling someone a name back isn't going to help at all. Often, I use humor to defuse situations but that is harder when you are tired from a long days work and just want to return home.

The girls quickly calmed down and were ready to go back into the classroom without the need for more intervention.

I don't think any of us can expect to always have the right answers or perfect response to people. If we did, there wouldn't be two nine-year-old girls fighting. But, even in uncertainty, if we can surprise people with good, we can teach such a greater lesson.

novemba and more tests

2010-11-01T20:29:00.000+03:00

A new day and a new month. I think this may be the first month I have actually remembered to change my calendar on time. Some months have half past without me changing it. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. Still, on to November which may not have a lot of excitement planned yet, but it does mean December is on the way. It's hard to believe next month I will be finishing my first year of teaching and seeing Allison and my family. I'm greatly looking forward to it.

But before I skip past this month or even not mention the previous, I should provide a bit of an update. Life in Tanzania is continuing pretty well. Even though we just finished September monthly tests, we are now finishing up our end of the month exams for October. These tests still seem a little redundant or inconvenient at times when you are middle of a chapter or unit, but it does at least provide another form of feedback.

This month was a little different than others. On a Thursday, the 21st of October, the Academic Teacher announced that we would be giving exams the following week. This was not the surprise. I've learned to thrive or at least work within short notices given here in TZ. However, with the short notice it was also announced that teachers could just handwrite their exams, and they would not be typed.

That only lasted a short time, however. It was quickly realized that it would take a lot more paper to just make copies, and there were errors on the handwritten tests which needed to be fixed. Then, a day later, the copier was broken. Given all the signs, it was back to the usual exam order.

Typically, exams are first handwritten and then submitted to Jason Tefurukwa, the academic teacher. His role at the school is basically as his title says, academic matters. He leads our "monthly" (I use that term loosely) academic meetings, schedules exams, and administers the allocation of classes. Of course, a lot of that is done alongside Joyce, the head teacher, but he is the person to go to with any academic questions.

After Tefurukwa has approved or made some comments about each exam, they go to the office for typing. At KEMPS, there is a total of five people (six now with Stephanie) who are able to do this. Zelva, the secretary, is usually the person who does a majority of the typing. It can greatly depend on peoples' schedules or even absences. For example, there was about a month and a half when Zelva was sick and not in school. That meant a lot more work for Joyce as well as the other two teachers and me who can type.

I always find this challenging because while I've had a lot more practice than many of the other teachers and can therefore type faster, I don't always have the time to help with typing exams. I am often consulted about advanced diagrams and math exams and general requests for help, but in the end, I don't always have hours to sit in the office typing exams. It's hard when you have your own exams to work on or even other work to do. I find this tugging around challenging at times. There is of course no way I can be a librarian-computer lab tech-pen pal letter extraordinaire-typist-MNYS representative-teacher (oh right)-oh, and a person all at the same time. This has worked out much better though as this year has gone on.

But, back to the exams--once an exam is typed, it is given to the writer for further revision and is eventually printed. This process can be more challenging as a few times I have had no idea how to answer a question on an English exam and asked a teacher about it and am told not to change it. Hmm. There are also times teachers get upset that there was an error on their exam, even though they marked it for any corrections which needed to be made. Other times I am just in the wrong place at the wrong time which is the office when someone needs an exam I didn't type yet he/she insists I must know where it is.

The job really isn't all that bad too often; there are just times people need to remember that I or someone else only typed their exams. What would be most helpful would be computer classes for more of the teachers so they could type their own exams, but it's hard for people (including myself or another teacher) to get the time to do so.

I decided this time to give a little harder exams to help my students prepare for their final exams which are quickly approaching. Overall, I was pretty pleased. The averages were pretty good, but I still want to improve my classes. It's hard to reach everyone when there are almost 40 students in each class, but I will do my best between now and the end of the year.

monthly tests

2010-10-06T22:55:00.000+03:00

The education which I am in relies heavily upon tests and exams. At the end of every month we have tests along with the middle and end of every semester. Those grades/scores alone determine each student's standing in his/her class. The results which go home to parents include perhaps one comment about a child's performance for the semester or given period of time, but rarely is anything more than the results of each subject's exams included.

However, as I was looking at my Standard 6 (6th grade approx.) English class in particular, I noticed that there are a number of students who perform well in exams but don't give much effort during the everyday class. At the same time, there are those who don't test well but work hard every day. This is pretty common but not very conducive to a system which only values exam scores.

In addition, there are components to my class which I can't really assess on an exam. For example, weekly I have students respond to a writing prompt as a part of 'Topic Writings.' These writings are free writing, graded solely on length, and have increased from a half page to two pages through the year. They prove to be extremely valuable as they give me great insight to my students' true understanding of the English language.

Throughout the entire year I have been keeping track of scores on these topic writings as well as other parts of my class like daily work, spelling, daily oral language, and exams. I post grades for my class but before now it was only something which was on a piece of paper hanging in the classroom.

That is, until now. I have determined that I shouldn't go to the bother of writing down the scores for some 100 assignments for the year up until now nor require such work from students without further purpose than just a piece of paper posted in the room stating students' standings. Therefore, I have decided it best to use those scores as my final exam score for the class. I will still give a final exam, but their grade will be dependent on much more than just one thing, on one day, for one hour for an entire year. I will see how it works as it is something new, but I am hoping for the best. I hope it gives further purpose to the work we have done (aside from the benefits of learning more about the English language).

To add a little more about this period of tests, it was an interesting one. On the first day, yesterday, the morning was full of high winds and cold rain. As the students greeted me in the morning with "Good morning, Teacher" I joked back to them, "Good night. How are you?" The skies were dark on the verge of letting loose. Minutes into the test rains came in full force. The wind blew the windows open and closed along with our door. Still, everything was going pretty well...

...until the electricity went out. What do you do? Well, we continued. You could still see somewhat and luckily the power was only out for about 10 minutes. It flashed again a while later but after an hour and forty minutes, we had reached the end of our test time. (Yes, that was for 9-year-olds.)

Although, what is a schedule really? I found that the teacher who was supposed to give his test after mine did not come to the class. Later when I was giving my English test, I found myself alone while the other three classes which should have had tests were all outside playing and making noise while my students tried to take their test. Hmm. Usually the test schedule is followed a little better but not so much this time. I was just happy to have all of my tests finished in the first day.

A lesson for test writing though, when giving about 40 tests to each class, assess well but at the same time be kind to them and yourself. I knew a certain section on my English test on grammar, punctuation, capitalization and parts of speech would take some time, but I didn't imagine my entire day today grading just that part alone. It gave me a good idea of what they really understood, but four hours later, I was thinking differently. Fortunately, I still managed to finish all of my marking today during the school day.

Tomorrow, it's figuring out how to better explain how "unless" is different from "if" to standard 6 and "money" and "division" to standard 3. Wish me luck! Less than two months of teaching remaining for this school year...

the mound

2010-10-05T21:34:00.000+03:00

This morning I was greeted by the mound and unfortunately I wasn't playing baseball either. As I was cleaning my bathroom I discovered a strange mound which first appeared to be a pile of soil around one of my pipes which goes into the ground. On further inspection, the mound was moving. Yes, it was a termite mound.

If you are asking WHAT? it's not too far from what I asked myself this morning, followed by the heck is that? Baseball? Well, the pile was the size of a couple. Termite training wasn't included in the ELCA Orientation, so I did what I thought best; I went to the kitchen and returned with some DOOM spray. This is some horrible stuff they sell here to mainly kill mosquitoes (and likely four people for each mosquito). I've only used it one time up until now but the time had once again come.

Termites, be gone.

I took my machete and put the soil substance in a bucket and got rid of it. I had to ask myself, Where do I live? Always exciting. Always unexpected. Tanzania.

i wish

2010-08-18T22:55:00.001+03:00

Before I left KEMPS in June for the U.S. I gave students a topic writing prompt for the break/holiday: 3 Wishes. Having returned I've had time to read their responses and today was blow away by the beauty of what Jackline Jonathan wrote (see her picture and other work here). She said that of all the writing prompts she was most excited for this one. Her entire writing was wonderful, but I found the most beautiful part in her first wish. I will leave it with you for now to reflect on:

I wish for my world to be covered with peace, joy, love and wisdom.

water again

2010-08-12T22:59:00.000+03:00

Around 35,000 shillings ($20), 4 days, and 3 phone calls later, I have water again! Someone finally arrived today after promising every day they would come to my house since Monday. It was great to return from school and be able to turn on the sink and have water. Goodbye water buckets, at least for now.

mgeni (guest)

2010-08-10T22:34:00.001+03:00

For the past two days I've had the joy of having one of my good friends, Leo, stay at my house. He is a German volunteer working in Karagwe, about a 5-hour drive from Bukoba (depending on conditions). He works with a project building fuel-efficient cookers. With insulation and method to control the size of the flame, they are able to cut wood usage almost in half which helps reduce the high deforestation rate in Tanzania.

We were planning on spending some time together on Sunday, but due to some issues, he wasn't able to arrive in Bukoba until almost midnight. I was happy to wait up for him and catch up when he arrived. It was great sharing stories from the past seven weeks since we said goodbye in Mwanza when I flew to Arusha. Unfortunately he's the only friend remaining in the Bukoba area whom I said goodbye to in Mwanza, but I'm glad he will at least be around for a little while longer. Perhaps I'll even make another trip out to see him.

hamna maji (no water)

2010-08-09T15:56:00.002+03:00

Unfortunately since my return to Bukoba I haven't been able to spend much of my time at school. Granted, much of my time was during the weekend and getting settled again. But what I didn't expect was that I would come back to a house without water.

Since I didn't find out until Friday when offices were closed that it was due to the water company shutting off my water while I was gone, I had to wait until today to set off and find some answers. The reason why I was confused was due to the fact that when I left, I supposedly had 4,280 TZS (Tanzanian Shillings) in my account and when I returned owed a total of 36,640 TZS after two months' bills only totaling 5,380 TZS.

I must say, I have always been a little confused with my water bill. When I received my first bill, it said my total amount due was around -23,000 TZS. I asked someone about it and was told there was probably already money on the account. Every month, the amount got closer together (although not quite right according to the bills) with the exception of one random month when the amount wasn't negative.

As it turns out, none of those months should have been negative. There was never any money paid to my account. It was just an error within their computer system. And by their computer system, it is as follows: you pay at one window, receive your receipt, go to the next window, they look at it, write it in their record book, and then pass it to one other person who types it all manually into a computer. I don't know where the error came from… ;) Luckily, I was able to pay my bill and "get my water back." (I write it that way because I haven't received it yet. They were supposed to come to day but didn't.)

If wondering, I have been getting water from my neighbors, one bucket at a time. It's actually worked out pretty well. I need to remember that some Tanzanians walk miles just to get a bucket of water. Walking to my neighbors' houses is quite convenient. I've also learned just how much water is wasted when flushing my toilet. I am going to see if I can work out a way to not use so much. While I'm checking mine why not take a look at yours too? Maybe we can all save a little more.

In the meantime, it's buckets for me.

dreaming in the US and return to TZ

2010-08-09T01:15:00.000+03:00

Hey everyone, mambo vipi na habari za siku nyingi? I am once again back in TZ and at my home in Bukoba. If you are wondering where I disappeared to, it was none other than Marekani, the U.S., for time with my family and friends and training with ELCA Global Mission in Chicago. And wow, I must say my time at home was so much more than I ever could have hoped for or expected.

Before leaving TZ, I had almost surreal feelings about going back to the States. After an amazing weekend in 'The Rock City' Mwanza (not Detroit ;) ) with Ole, Andreas, Leo, and Prosper and his family, I was on a plane bound for Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was also strange knowing that most of the people I was saying goodbye to wouldn't be in and around Bukoba when I got back. I was uncertain about what my time would look like in the States during the middle of my contract of service here in TZ.

But that uncertainty was soon broken after meeting my mom, grandparents, and girlfriend, Allison, at the airport in Cedar Rapids. It still took some time to settle in, but it didn't take too long. Soon I was eating a burger and fries and talking with them about my journey back and their lives where they are all living. It was still surreal in ways but so amazing and joyous at the same time.

My first days were full of time with my family and Allison at family get-togethers, game nights, and even a day of horseback riding. Shortly thereafter I was off to cooking and a music festival with Wartburg friends, including Singers.

Those first few weeks were great enough to make the summer amazing, but then in early July I traveled to Kansas with my family and Allison for my brother's wedding. I was honored to be my brother's best man as he exchanged vows with my new sister, Jamie. I was so happy to be able to be back and share in such a joyous occasion. I saw all of my family and got to know Jamie's better, sang on a rooftop with friends, saw fireworks, and laughed together with my brother, Bryan, again.

Shortly after the wedding I parted with everyone as I flew to Chicago for Global Mission Personnel Orientation with the ELCA. I have to admit, I was somewhat skeptical at first of what the training might be, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised.

We spent the first three days with the ELCA, which included Global Mission Personnel traveling to Japan, Central African Republic, Liberia, Nicaragua, Slovakia, Egypt, Jerusalem, and Tanzania. Along with attending the training with one of my past Wartburg professors, Dr. Fred Strickert, who is traveling to Jerusalem, I first met Stephanie, who I'll be working with for the next year and a half if not longer. Feel free to read a short bio on her here: Introducing Teacher Stephanie. It was great to spend some time getting to know her before we set off to Tanzania. During those first three days, it was also great to get an idea of the larger mission of the ELCA as I met with incredible people getting ready to leave for their places of service.

The following week and a half was spent in ecumenical training with the Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Church in America, and Episcopal Church. We worshiped and engaged in Bible study, talked about what it means to be in accompaniment with those we will be living and working with, Islam, personal security, and our own stories and call among other things. During that time I was both challenged and encouraged as I met other people with similar passion. It was good to have time to reflect on my first year in Tanzania and look ahead to the next year and a half.

Following training I was off to Wisconsin with Allison to visit our friend Ellen who had been serving in Malaysia for the past year through ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission. It was nice to connect with someone who had been working in another country for a year and reflect and celebrate with her.

My remaining time was then filled with time with family, a wedding reception for Bryan and Jamie in Iowa for those who were unable to go to Kansas, reading, a trip up to Minneapolis to see where Bryan and Jamie now live, a picnic, more games, cooking, and so much more, so much more than I ever expected and how great! :)

That does lead us back to where I am now, Bukoba. I left Cedar Rapids Monday morning and arrived in Arusha Tuesday evening. We spent two nights in Arusha and then were off to Bukoba with a flight from Arusha to Mwanza and then another to Bukoba (after a 7-hour wait including delay for a 45-minute flight). It was nice to both set foot in Tanzania and then Bukoba again. In some ways, it made my time in the U.S. seem like a dream, as if that time couldn't have really happened. But amazingly, it did.

So, again, you can look forward to new blog posts from the Land of Ndizi (bananas), Bukoba. I'll try to keep you updated as I start teaching again and experience more of what life is like in Tanzania.

Upendo na ujamaa.
Love and depending on and lifting up of one another.

surprise day of teaching

2010-06-02T21:13:00.001+03:00

Today was supposed to be the first day of terminal examinations at KEMPS. But, as always, you need to be ready for about anything in TZ. If you ever think I couldn't happen, it will. And well, I made the mistake of thinking exams would start on the day stated. Thus, I was left with a surprise day of teaching.

First, let me give a little background on the exams which were supposed to first occur on Monday and then were pushed back to Wednesday. At KEMPS, we usually have four people who can type exams, Zelva, our secretary, Maureen and Laudia, two teachers who have taken some computer classes, and me. Already you can say, there is the problem. Yes, four people typing fifteen people's exams is a bit of a problem. Not to mention when Laudia is gone on maternity leave, Maureen was sick, Zelva busy with other office work, and there are days when I have only three periods free all day totaling an hour and 45 minutes. That sounds okay…if you don't intend on marking any of the 40-120 exercise books you could have on any given day. Still, we managed to type most of the exams before Wednesday.

However, along with typing exams comes printing exams. Paper. Oh, right. Tuesday saw an early finish to printing exams after running out of paper. We still had a plan to arrive early the following morning to finish printing and typing them though.

When I arrived at school I was surrounded with questions of "Are we starting exams today?" and "What exam is first?" from students. Uncertain myself I went to the office to get the exam schedule. I quickly learned that on the schedule was "surprise, no exams."

I had planned my week around exams being today, so I had to think fast. At first I thought about just admitting utter defeat but quickly said to myself, "You're a teacher. You can do this." (Although not completely untruthful, making yourself believe something that isn't true can get you a long way. Ha.) I quickly looked at my upcoming classes. Oh, only 70 minutes of Std. III Math, a period of Std. VI English, Std. V Geography, Std. VII Music, and 2 hours of Std. VI English in the afternoon too. No problem… ;)

I decided with math I had done about as much reviewing as my students and I could handle so we moved on to our unit on division which students had already completed a pretest. A new topic and division time test kept them busy enough for those 70 minutes.

As for Std. VI English, we've been working through indirect speech. It's been surprisingly harder than I first anticipated. One English textbook has only a few examples of statements where students just have to add a word or two:
"The teacher is very angry," said Joshua.
Joshua said that the teacher ___________ very angry.
or
"The stolen car is red," said the woman.
The woman said ___________ the stolen car ___________ red.

Not too hard. But we use another textbook which has sentences like these:

"Amina asked if Miss Pili was still Headteacher," Asha answered.
or
Mawazo asked Asha, "Did Amina say what is wrong with her?"

Suddenly, we were dealing with statements, commands, open- and close-ended questions. Not to mention sentences with verb tenses which needed to be changed to other verb tenses standard VI students haven't even learned yet. Given the challenges of indirect speech, I was able to spend one more day on the topic and review a flowchart I had made and given them at the end of last week.

I never remember learning indirect speech such as this and the Tanzania National Syllabus doesn't provide much guidance:

Topic/Subtopic: 5.2 Reporting in the past using indirect speech.
Objective: The pupil should be able to report past events using indirect speech.

Ok…? So, should I teach simple statements as is in one textbook or the extremely complicated ones of the other? Perhaps I should move on to Standard V Geography and Standard VII Music.

During Std. V Geography I played an on-the-spot review game which went quite well and in Std. VII Music we worked on drumming for some of our songs. All-in-all, not a bad morning given the amount of planning I had done. :)

As for the afternoon, we attempted to have a debate as chainsaws ran right outside our window. Perhaps more on that later once I'm not feeling so bitter about it.

In the meantime, I will be enjoying the unexpected things which come my way that makes my life that much better or at least interesting here.

day three without electricity

2010-05-27T21:07:00.008+03:00

On day three, I am thankful for other alternative sources of light…

Such as my torch/flashlight with built-in phone. Of course the added on phone feature makes this little device great, but let's be honest, devices are always best at what they are meant to do. I'm always glad to have my torch/flashlight handy.

Dorky? You bet. Incredibly useful for activities like running at night or driving a car with no headlights? Indeed. How delightful.

When it comes to alternative sources of light, it's hard to beat the ol' moon, especially when it's full. Conveniently it was full on my last night without electricity. Who needs electricity to type exams and mark exercises when you have one of these place right outside your window?

day two without electricity

2010-05-26T21:04:00.006+03:00

On day two without electricity I am thankful for…

My kerosene cooker. Even in the dark, food can still be hot. How convenient!

day one without electricity

2010-05-25T20:57:00.003+03:00

I recently was paid a visit by some new guests: Tanesco. That is, Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited. They're usually not guests who you want to have especially when they come to cut your power because someone else has an unpaid bill on the house where you are now living. What could I do? Well, sit in the dark of course.

But in my time in the dark, I did learn there are some things I am thankful for. On day one:

My great kerosene lantern. A gift from Lea and Rikke, two Danish volunteers, on my birthday last year. This works well for marking papers from school or imagining you are on a camping trip or exploring a dark cave which was once your house.

one for the other

2010-05-20T08:00:00.003+03:00

The following was written for a free choice topic writing by Esther Rwabukambwe and is used by permission. This is incredible and needs to be read. I think it is the best writing I have seen from Standard 6 yet.

One for the Other

I was at a certain boarding school which was some kilometers away from town. My school life was very nice but I had some problems like waking up late.

One night I was very tired, I slept as usual. It took me to wake up very late. When I looked outside through the wind, the sun was very bright. I knew I was already very late, I dressed up and cleaned myself and I went outside.

When I went outside I thought everyone was on Parade. When I arrived on the parade ground there was no one. I said to myself that I was too late that day. I went to class but when I was walking to class I didn’t hear any noise. When I arrived to the classrooms there was no one there. I wondered. Later I thought to go and look in the staff room maybe there was a quiet meeting of teachers. When I arrived there, it was quiet and there was no one. I went out of there up to the gate, even the watchman was not there. I thought maybe they had gone for a trip in town. I stayed on the gate to see if I would get a car to town. It was approaching noon when I decided to walk to town. When I arrived there was no one in town. No one was making any motion changes. I never wished to die but that day I wished to die.

Feeling lonely, I walked along the road towards the place where I could get a car to take me home. Some were just parked and others open with their engines on but no drivers. I felt as if I was deep in a narrow ocean alone. My heart beat fast and I started believing I was the only living organism around. In my mind I thought of many different things that would happen. I wanted to walk home but I saw nobody to accompany me. Nobody to talk with, no shops, restaurant and cafes open. The food was available but no one to sell it. I felt hungry that I could be satisfied by neither food nor drink.

At last I sat down to think of the solution to this problem. I said to myself, “Why me Lord? Lord, where are my fellow human beings? Lord, why have you left me alone?” I asked God to send me some angels from Heaven to satisfy me. My body was in a state of numbness.

Suddenly I heard a voice deep in my heart telling me that, “Every human being is made as an image of God. Everyone has a thirst that can be satisfied by seeing your fellow human being. The face of your neighbor is the image of God, so if it happens you don’t see God for some time, you won’t have INNER PEACE. Your friend is made for you. You too, you were made for others.

Esther Rwabukambwe
Standard 6
Kibeta English Medium Primary School

a woman can do it

2010-05-19T21:39:00.000+03:00

Continuing with more MLK "I Have a Dream" projects, this is one of the better presentations given by three standard 6 students. Caren Lukosi was also in this group and provided artwork which I will have to figure out a way to submit later. I'm glad we have such strong women in this class. They will be great leaders in Tanzania as they have already demonstrated in this class.

“A Woman Can Do It”
By Jackline Jonathan
Verse 1
A woman can do it, a woman can do everything. And this nation once may have a president who is a woman. La la

Chorus
A woman can do everything being done. Same as men what, they do and both can do everything done. La! La!

By Esther Allen:
A woman can do it, she can do anything she wishes to do.
It’s not true that a woman always has to do house work, and it’s not fair.

debates

2010-05-19T21:26:00.000+03:00

One great opportunity for me at KEMPS is to create debates for my standard six English class. It is during times such as these where students' English skills really shine through. Sure, I could share my ideas about education with a friend in Swahili, but to formally debate with confidence? It's a credit to the 'Quality Education and Care' KEMPS students receive.

Our first debate took place in February on the topic of whether or not a woman can be president. It was very successful and left students talking long after the debate was over. The class was about divided in half with more students on the side that a woman can be president. I was happy to even see a few of the boys on that side as well.

Then, last week we had our second debate: City life is better than village life with the city life team pulling out a victory.

Next week, we are on to whether or not it is necessary to beat children. Sound a bit startling? I had to ask to get enough people on the side that said it is not necessary. It is bound to be a great debate.

Most of these debate topics have been generated by students as well with the exception of the previously mentioned topic. I am quite interested to hear my students' perspective on it. Before Easter, I had my standard six English students write their ideas for debate topics and these were their top choices of a list greater than fifty:

Growing crops is better than keeping animals
Education is better than money
Boarding is better than day
A medium school is better than a government school
To listen to the teacher is better than to write your own work
To stay poor with happiness is better than being rich with sadness
City life is better than village life

I would love to debate number 5 with my students. When I asked some of my students which side they were on they quickly said 'to listen to the teacher' expecting that was my stance. We should debate. :) Stay tuned to hear the outcome of our upcoming debate on beating children next Wednesday.

may

2010-05-19T21:06:00.000+03:00

Hello, May. How quickly you have come and just as fast halfway passed. Before you go away, I would like to write a little more about you.

I think a good sign of how busy I generally am is by the changing of my calendar. Often I am usually at least a week into a month before I change my calendar. I finally look up to realize that no, it's not April anymore and a week or so late change to the next month.

If you have been wondering if May has been an uninteresting month with nothing to write about, it's been nothing of the sort. It has actually been quite the opposite and full of a lot of excitement. Highlights have included a weekend trip to Karagwe to spend time with George's family and visit friends in Omrushaka, a weekend spent in Bukoba with friends, and most recently a trip to Mwanza with Andreas, Ole, and Malte. Not to mention I also have been busy at school and have some good stories from there as well. So, as to not forget about this month (and a bit of the last) I am going to break up blog posts about the separate events.

Thanks for checking in. And, May, thanks for hanging around a bit for me.

pictures, little by little

2010-04-29T22:37:00.000+03:00

I am continuing to add more pictures to Flickr. Be sure to check them out at http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronschutte.

when in doubt, 'piga' it

2010-04-29T21:53:00.004+03:00

As mentioned in a recent blog post, kupiga has to be one of the most versatile verbs within Swahili. To show just how many ways you can use it, look at this beginner's list:

-piga verb
1 hit, beat, strike
-piga pasi
iron
-piga makofi
clap hands
-piga pua
blow nose, snort
-piga picha
take a photo
-piga ngoma
beat the drums
-piga mbio
run swiftly, run fast
-piga domo
chat, gossip

2 talk nonsense
-piga mswaki
brush teeth
kupigwa sindano
have an injection
-piga hema
pitch a tent
-piga kilemba
put on a turban
-piga deki
wash the floor
-piga chapa
type, print
-piga hodi
call 'hodi' outside someone's door
-piga magoti
kneel
-piga chafya
sneeze
-piga miayo
yawn
-piga kelele
make a noise
-piga maji
be roaring drunk
-piga bao
consult omens
-piga kura
vote
-piga soga
chat, gossip
-piga kiberiti
set fire (arson)
pigwa kalamu
be fired, be sacked
-piga kabari
seize by the throat
-piga mnada
make an auction
-piga jeki
assist/help someone
-piga mstari
underline
-piga marufuku
ban, prohibit
-piga mafungu
divide
-piga randa
to plane (wood)
-piga kisi
kiss on mouth
-piga hatua
advance, go ahead
-piga mbiu
make public announcement, sound the horn
-piga mbizi
dive
-piga foleni
fall in, queue
-pigwa kitutu
be beaten by many people at once
-piga moyo konde
have courage
-piga konde la nyuma
bribe
-pigwa bumbuazi
be confused
-piga makuu
be arrogant
-piga kite
give a groan
-piga kikumbo
nudge
-piga saluti
salute

With one simple verb you can have courage to vote, confusingly blow your nose, fall in queue to be beaten by many people, yet arrogantly give a salute as you set fire to something, and yawn while taking a picture of the whole thing. Though, in the end let us not forget to next time consult omens. It's all in a days work with kupiga.

more dreams

2010-04-26T14:52:00.003+03:00

Given that I have a little extra time today thanks to a national holiday, Union Day, which commemorates the unification of Tanganyika and Zanzibar in 1964, I thought I would spend a little more time writing on my blog.

To begin, I wanted to share a little more of my students' work. This first one is one of the projects created by my Standard Six Arts class in response to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Standard six spent more time learning about the Civil Rights Movement and responding using drawings, speeches, pictures, songs, and in this case, poetry.

The following poem was written by a group of girls using one of their written dreams. (I had them write their dreams first and then create a project for it later.) I worked with them several days after school brainstorming rhyming words and teaching them how within poetry many words/sentences can have multiple meanings or be manipulated in the English language. I was really impressed with how much of the poem they were able to write on their own. Yes, I helped some with the rhyming, but these are completely their thoughts. Reading, writing and speaking English is challenging enough, but trying to create poetry? It takes a much more advanced skill set.

But before I talk to much about the poem, I should just share it. The girls were hoping to choose a title for their poem but weren't able to decide on one yet. If they do, I'll add it here. They did tell me in the beginning that their goal for this project was to reach the world. Let's hope the world hears it.

[Untitled]

We have a dream that if we don’t change!

There will be drought
rain will not come out
desert will be about
plants will not sprout.

Now about this aluminum
this will affect some
death of children will come
Why are we so numb?

WE HAVE A DREAM

If our hearts will strain
our love would fall like rain
people will not feel pain
and all will gain.

Enmity will decrease
wars will cease
love will increase
There will be peace!

By Poet girls.

Esther Rwabukambwe

Irene Amos

Julieth Mathayo

Palvin Mulokozi

Standard Six
Kibeta English Medium Primary School

Working on their project (left to right): Julieth, Irene, Palvin, Esther

day of the earth

2010-04-22T23:05:00.002+03:00

In honor of Earth Day, I asked standard six students to write a one page topic writing on the environment. I left it quite open so they could decide which aspect of the environment they wanted to discuss and was quite pleased with the results. Someone has especially taught them the importance of forests and replanting trees which makes me quite happy given the amount of deforestation in some parts of Tanzania.

Given the lack of viable forms of income, many people turn to using what is available: trees. They cut them down for farm land, for lumber, for charcoal, for their life. When driving around many areas of Tanzania, the sides of the road are littered with large bags of charcoal for sale. As more and more people use this as a way of life you can see less and less trees close to these areas. People have to walk further and further every day in search of firewood. This can threaten peoples' livelihoods in some places. BBC Images from how some people in the neighboring country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are dealing with deforestation and increasingly dangerous routes to get firewood: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8580967.stm.

Or in the case where people cut down trees for farmland, it leads to issues of soil erosion, land slides, and loss of top soil. Suddenly great land is now drying up due to the increased amount of sunshine and lack of trees to hold moisture into the soil. Here is one example of a freshly cut, 'protected' government forest:

In other areas along this road there is a vast forest. But for how long?

One of the topic writings this week that stood out to me was that of Beatha Aniceth. You can find her writing and picture below.

Environment
First I would like to tell the definition of environment. Environment is everything around us including people. The environment must always be clean, cool, warm always. The environment is destroyed by people when doing their daily activities e.g. fishing, mining, animal keeping and cutting trees for charcoal for selling so that they get money. I would like to talk about forests, the forests are trees but if we cut them without planting new ones it causes loss of rainfall. Many people like to keep the forests well like not cutting trees every time. The environment can be anywhere like at home, school, town, city, village, hotels, guests. The environments of hotels are very clean and tidy e.g. City Garden Hotel, Royal Palm Hotel in Dar es Salaam, etc. Even the Shamba [farm] is an environment.

Soil erosion may cause pollution of air and environment, like in Kondoa. A person must not think that Dar es Salaam is not dirty. It is the dirtiest place I have seen in any book, radio, television. Even industries make pollution of environment.

I want the people to change their bad habits. Let’s look our next future will it be a pleasure or no. Please think about it people of the World.

Environment should change to clean & tidy.

Beatha Aniceth
Standard Six
Kibeta English Medium Primary School

sure?

2010-04-22T05:30:00.008+03:00

Many times when directly translating phrases from one language to another we run into some problems. I know there are times I make mistakes when saying things in Swahili. One of my recent lessons was 'familia yangu' (my family). In the U.S. it is fairly common to ask someone how their family is. You could ask me how my family is and I would instantly think of my parents, brother and sister, and grandparents. I would say they are well. They are 'my family.'

However, in Tanzania I do not have a family; well…not really, at least not in the sense Swahili is referring to in 'Habari za familia yako?' (How is your family or basically, how are the wife and kids ;) ?). The better way to ask about parents and brothers and sisters is to ask someone about his or her home. 'Habari za nyumbani kwenu?' Basically, 'How are things at your (plural) home?" And that's just one mistake I've made recently. I'm sure there have to more.

As for great directly translated phrases from Swahili to English, there are many. I hear them daily at school or places I go. While there are many, these are just a few of the best:

"I am coming." -- This is directly translated from 'Nakuja.' When used it usually means "I'll be right back" or seemingly more often "I am acknowledging that I see you but it's not likely I'll actually be coming back." I've been working on using this one as "I'll be back" doesn't make as much sense.

"You girl, come here."

"Teacher, this one is disturbing me." -- Two very common phrases/words here: "This one" and "disturb." I always ask them, "Who?" when they tell me "this girl" or "this boy" or "this one" or "that one." They usually try to say "This one" another three times until they catch on that I want them to say someone's name. And it's not just students either. Teachers commonly call students by saying, "You boy, come here." Again, perfectly common here but does not come off well when said in English. This is one I don't think I will find myself saying anytime soon (or ever).

"How is it?" -- This is directly translated from "Inakuwaje?" It's just not a question I had heard ever before coming here and now find myself saying it somewhat often.

"Teacher, beat me! Beat me!" -- Concerned? Don't worry. Let me explain this common error. This is said when I am taking pictures because in Swahili you say, "Kupiga picha" (literally: 'To beat the picture'). If that seems strange, know that you can 'piga' anything really. It is used with so many other actions. For example:

"Piga kilele" -- Make noise
"Piga magoti" -- To kneel
"Piga mswaki" -- To brush your teeth
The list goes on and on and is really a post in itself.

While there are definitely some mistakes made here and there in translation, I don't know if any can top my favorite, direct Swahili to English translation: una hakika? -- sure? Una meaning 'do you have?' and hakika meaning 'certainty.' So literally, 'Do you have certainty?' 'Are you sure?' or simply 'Sure?'

Now you might be thinking, We often use the word 'sure' in the English language. What is so peculiar about that? Sure, we use it, but not in the great way it is often used here.

Here are some examples from the U.S.:
Example 1: Early Out
Student 1: I heard we are getting out of school early today.
Student 2: Are you sure?
Student 1: Well, I read it on the bathroom door.
Student 2: That's been there all year.
Student 1: Oh.

Example 2: Mrs. B.'s Cookies
Mrs. B.: Johnny, would you like another cookie?
Johnny: Gee wilkers, Mrs. B., would I ever! I reckon these are the best oatmeal and raisin cookies I ever laid eyes on. (Or simply, "Sure.")

Now, compare that with those of Tanzania. (Please note that while the first two examples might have been slightly hypothetical, the following are nothing of the sort.)

Example 3: Easter Holiday/Break
Friend: How was your holiday?
Me: Great. I went to visit my sister.
Friend: Sure?

Example 4: Country of Origin
Guy: What is your name?
Not really her name: Dræb Batman
Guy: Where do you come from?
Dræb Batman: Denmark
Guy: Sure?

Example 5: Introducing Your Mother to a Friend
Napoleon: Hi Kip, this is my mother.
Kip: Sure?

There are some things in life we can easily be uncertain about: whether or not we are going to be dismissed from school early, whether or not a volcano will erupt and blanket an entire continent, or whether or not we will win the lottery. Some things just need a 'Sure?'

There are other things, however, that we should try to be a little more certain about: such as whether or not we really did visit our sister during the Easter holiday, whether or not we really are from Denmark, and especially whether or not the woman standing next to me who I believe to have been raised by for the past 19 years really is my mother. These aren't things to take lightly.

So, the next time you think you are absolutely certain about something, be sure…um, don't forget to look around and ask yourself, 'Sure?'

bank queue

2010-04-21T23:40:00.000+03:00

I've heard it said that the wait time at a bank in TZ can be pretty ridiculous, but I had no idea really. I've seen the lines string out from the banks onto the streets either from the ATM or teller windows inside, but I've usually been able to avoid them since I only use the ATM and can usually come back another day. That was not the case today, however, as I needed to deposit some money in a different account. Therefore, to the queue.

When I first entered the National Bank of Commerce (NBC) today I thought things were looking up. There were about 15-20 in one line and perhaps 6 in another. Confused about which line to go in, I asked a woman for help. She said I needed to wait in the longer line. Not what I was hoping for, but it still looked better than other days I have seen the lines.

As I stood there waiting, I had the pleasure of trying to figure out the random interweaving of people and various lines. We had our main line which people would randomly enter and exit and then there was the side line that people would also enter and get to a different teller window much faster. This entering and exiting is quite common for 'lines' here. I've experienced it a few times when I had to wait at the ATM. A person will arrive, take his or her place in line, and then go to town to do some shopping while someone else saves the place in line. If you arrive later, you are perplexed by the amount of people who simply show up, take a place in line ahead of the other people, and yet are not stopped by anyone.

Today was no exception. In one case, a new teller arrived and a man who had just entered the bank saw her and decided to go behind the dividing tape for the queue and go straight to the window. The amazing part about this all is no one says anything. I saw other times when certain people would just come in from outside and not take a place in the queue but rather just go up to the next open window while 30 people waited in line. This is definitely a system I have yet to fully understand. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned in contrast to our rigid lines we form in the U.S. If I find it, I'll be sure to let you know. In the meantime I'll be waiting in the hot sun wondering how the guy who just arrived is now second in line. ;)

My early optimism of a short line and hopeful thinking of quick, less than one hour wait time was quickly dashed as I began seeing just how long it took to help one person. In fact, it took so long that I decided to start timing on my phone the amount of time it would take each person to finish. The average time ended up being 5 minutes and 15 seconds for each person with Teller #1. Thank goodness after some time another teller arrived who was much faster or I would have really been there a long time.

In the end I did get my money deposited and was only a little late leaving. After returning home after school today, Esther, the woman who helps at my house, told me I was lucky it wasn't quite the end of the month when a lot of people get paid. Then you can often expect a four to five hour wait. I guess I should count my blessings I only had to wait a little over an hour to deposit some money. Next time, back to the automated version.

the english language vs. operating a car

2010-04-20T22:59:00.000+03:00

Operating a car can be challenging. You have all of these buttons for the radio, pedals which make the car move and stop, and that tricky hazard light which once is engaged is seemingly impossible to disengage. To make things really challenging you have to push in on the keys in order to remove them from the ignition! Thank goodness cars come complete with a comprehensive manual.

If instructional manuals were proportionate in size according to the difficulty of the material enclosed, it would certainly make learning English appear loads easier than driving a car. Many times when asked about our textbooks at KEMPS (or those of Tanzania) I reference the aforementioned car manual as a book of comparative size (though slightly larger). And if the student textbooks sound small, there are still the teacher's textbooks explaining how to teach the material found in the student edition which are smaller yet.

For those who have studied or taught in the U.S. and need a frame of reference, look at Figure 1a: Textasaurus Marekani versus Pamphletatus Tanzaniano.

Note the sizable difference between textbooks used in the United States and those used in Tanzania. ;)

If you are still a little confused or unconvinced of the difference in size. Look at Figures 1b - 1d comparing the size of the latest issue of National Geographic (which you should definitely check out) and the teacher's manual and student textbook for Standard Six English.

Figure 1b: Primary English Course: Teacher's Book, National Geographic, Primary English Course: Pupil's Book.

Figure 1c: Primary English Course: Teacher's Book vs. National Geographic

Figure 1d: National Geographic vs. Primary English Course: Pupil's Book

You might wonder, how long does it take to teach or learn all objectives of Standard Six English? According to the Tanzania Ministry of Education and Culture English Language Syllabus it should take around 262 periods as is inline with the average 7 periods per week of English (around 276 periods per year).

However, when you begin to look at the time allotted for certain objectives, you begin to wonder how it is possible to spend so much time learning one thing. Take for example Topic 10.0: Friendly Letters. The objective states, "The pupil should be able to write letters to friends." This topic is learned both in Standard Five and Standard Six English. So if it is a topic which only needs review in standard six, I wonder why 25 periods are allotted for learning how to write a friendly letter. I don't know if I could manage to differentiate methods of writing a friendly letter for 3.5 weeks. I am also uncertain as to whether or not I could spend 20 periods on the word 'must.' Topic 13.1: Must. "The pupil should be able to use ‘must’ to express obligation." These are just a few examples of the challenges in teaching.

Yet here comes the disparity. I can become frustrated with small and inadequate textbooks for my students or with teachers who prolong topics throughout the entire year to meet the syllabus, but these students and teachers are the fortunate and better educated. These are the students who have access to textbooks and notebooks, chalk boards with chalk, personal desks and chairs, English as the medium language and not Swahili, and most of all, an opportunity to succeed. There are students who are lucky to study for at most half a day, have no textbooks or desks, have teachers who rarely come to their classes or have completely abandoned the school, and fail their national exams because they weren't given the opportunity to even learn the topics which are outlined in the National Syllabus. I wish the capacity of education, the National Syllabus, and textbooks could match the capacity of Tanzanian students. So many children are eager to learn but when are simply a drop in the bucket of 150 students in a classroom, their opportunities are quite limited. Let us hope and work for a world which challenges eager minds, so they can in turn challenge the world.

afternoon session

2010-04-19T21:08:00.002+03:00

Last June, Kibeta English Medium Primary School decided to make changes in its schedule. As is common for many schools in Tanzania, students only studied for part of the day. They would study during the morning and into the early afternoon until lunch and then day scholars would go home while boarding students stayed. However, now we have an additional two hours for all students.

What does that look like? Well, as I've mentioned before, most classes just meet for two hours straight in the afternoon. Some subjects, such as my Standard Five Geography class, meet for only forty minutes, but others, like my beloved Standard Two Math class, meet for a splendid two hours straight. Two hours with 9-year olds--true excitement. Needless to say I usually end my Tuesdays a bit exhausted.

But, hope is on the horizon. Changes may be on the way. Our Easter break gave me some time to think. Although I've been thinking about the afternoon session for a while now, I decided I needed to present some ideas to our head teacher, Joyce. I was happy to present not only my own ideas, but those of my Standard Six English class too.

Before leaving I asked them what they would change about KEMPS. Often students like to say how much they love KEMPS (which is certainly true), but I challenged them to write things they would like to see changed. I was happy with the result to. Gardening, a cleaner campus, sports groups, an improved library and schedule. I couldn't have said it better myself. I was happy to see we were both hoping for changes.

As of now I don't know what changes may be made, but I presented some ideas at our last teachers' meeting which seemed to be pretty well accepted. I believe we could really make KEMPS a unique and outstanding school if we manage to accomplish these goals. Of course it can't just be my or standard six's ideas. It needs to be something that everyone believes in. The possibilities are great: cooking, regular library time, special study groups which give teachers the opportunity to work with smaller numbers of students, an acting group, a school newspaper, a football club… I could have time to teach more people piano and guitar. I realize this is hopeful thinking right now and it will take a lot of work to make all of these things happen, but why not hope for it? Let's work for a greater KEMPS.

new, old photos

2010-04-14T22:01:00.001+03:00

Also, I wanted to add that there are new, old photos on Flickr now. I finally uploaded some from Nov/Dec. Hopefully in the near future there will be many more of the say, I don't know, 4,000 (give or take) pictures I've taken since then. :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronschutte

back at school

2010-04-14T21:56:00.001+03:00

After a needed and much enjoyed Easter holiday/break, I am now back at KEMPS. We just reopened the school yesterday. I must say it was great to see the students again. It was a little hard coming back after relaxing to all of the work, but now that I have completed two days of work I am feeling much better about it again.

My latest work--creating a map of East Africa for my Standard 5 Geography class. I was hoping to find/create a map which would help my students to find the various things/places we have learned about in East Africa. It was quite the feat layering various maps to get everything I needed, but I eventually ended up with a good final product.

Here it is. Can you identify everything on the map? :) I had my students find 52 different things including the bordering countries.

bring out the sandwiches already!

2010-03-09T00:03:00.001+03:00

I was just finishing some preparations for an English lesson and saw this in the English for Tanzanian Primary Schools: Pupil's Book 6. Great quality, a vital final phrase which you and hopefully many Tanzanian primary school children will learn, and a hilarious read all-in-one. Felt like I had to share:

Speech work. Practise saying these words.
we, wave, wheel, wind, weather, when, which, wonderful
everywhere, twenty, sweet, twelve, railway, sandwich, quick

Now practise these phrases.
wonderful women
twelve wonderful women
sandwiches for twelve wonderful women
twenty sweet sandwiches for twelve wonderful women
we want twenty sweet sandwiches for twelve wonderful women
we want twenty sweet sandwiches for twelve wonderful women quickly!

i have a dream (final part)

2010-03-07T17:00:00.001+03:00

This is the last post for now from Standard VII. Hope you enjoyed hearing about what students are dreaming about in Tanzania. They really appreciated comments from others. It's amazing how we can begin to connect the world. Look forward to projects created by Standard VI in response to "I Have a Dream."

For myself
I have a dream that I will be a person who will not be judged by the age but be judged by the knowledge and advice for development in the Nation.
-Erick P.

For my community
I have a dream that KEMPS community will increase that I mean many pupils will come to study here and it will be one of the best schools in Tanzania.
-Robinius Eliazar

For my world
I have a dream that our world will ever stop fights, wars, etc. We will one day live in a better, best life and in peace. We will all be children of God. We will all stop sinning and turn to God. I have a dream that God will forgive us. The world we live as one family and trusting and helping each other.
-Hiba Gridon

For my world
I have a dream that once the world will live in peace and love without discrimination of color or whatever. I have a dream.
-Siangicha Minja

For my world
But I still have a dream that the world will join together and become a better place for you and for me and for the entire world. Amen.
-Derick Mutalemwa

i have a dream (part 6)

2010-03-03T17:00:00.000+03:00

For myself
100 years later my name will be known all over the world. Because I have got a dream today that I will become a great scientist and be known all over the world.
-Nickiforos Paul

For myself
I have a dream that one day, as I study hard I’m going to fly a big plane of the world. And I should be the first Tanzanian person to fly it and it will be fantastic.
-Robinius Eliazar

For my family
I have a dream my family and I we will be praying when the last day will reach, will have finished praying when Jesus will arrive in the world, and my family, we will see the Lord. All of us, we will go to the heaven.
-Diana Obadiah

For my world
I have a dream that one day the whole world will be like one country which has peace and love without wars like at the past when world wars happened. People were affected. I will pray to God and ask that not to happen again. Do you also like that? I believe that once we will be like one country with peace and love and the devil won’t get a chance. Forever Amen.
-Irene Katabaro

i have a dream (part 5)

2010-03-02T17:00:00.000+03:00

For myself
I have a dream that one day I will have a good job. I will help those people who can’t help themselves. I will wish to help orphans in the streets. I wish my dream to be true.
-Hiba Gridon

For my family
I have a dream that one day my family will be proud of me that I can be the person I am supposed to be.
-Issaya Kamala

For my community
I have a dream that one day my school will rise up like the bright sun in the sky and it will shine like the light of a torch and each person will be able to participate and contribute for KEMPS. I have a dream.
-Joyce

For my world
I have a dream that the world will change in 100,000 years coming that each country will be the same not of black or white people.
-William

what makes good parents?

2010-03-01T21:08:00.000+03:00

What Makes Good Parents

I love my parents and they love me. I love my family too. One thing that I want to say is that what makes good parents is that they should love their children and give them family needs like to make sure that a child has gone to school and has worn clean clothes and make sure that a child has eaten a good balanced diet. They should teach a child how to respect elders and young ones. A good parent should know how the child is going on at school and make sure that if a child has been sick should go to the hospital and they should make sure that the child is well treated at home. A parent should not be angry to his or her children. Children should relax with their parents. I don’t mean that children should be lazy! I mean they should be loved by their parents as my parents love me and my family. That is my topic about WHAT MAKES GOOD PARENTS.

- Erick Kajuna, age 13, Standard VI

What Makes Good Parents?

Who brought me here! All the surroundings around me! Oh, yes they are my parents. Someone asked me about parents. First, parents are the ones who bornt you and took care of you. Look! Now I’m grownup, it’s because of my parents. I love my parents and God. How will I respect my parents?

a. loving them

b. to follow what they tell me (sense)

c. by being clean

d. not being lazy

e. having good manners

Why should they be good? They should be good because: If parents could not be good, children could not love them. Also the Bible helps, because it says how to love God, parents and parents to love children. Parents are really important because

a. they bornt us

b. they teach us good manners

c. they took care of us

d. they teach us about God

e. they love us

Children: You should respect your parents and take care of them. Also, you must pray for them to God. Parents: You should love your children and give them their special right. For every child who lives in the earth. If this God will be proud of us and we will live happily!!!

- Jackline Jonathon, age 12, Standard VI

i have a dream (part 4)

2010-02-24T08:00:00.001+03:00

For myself
I have a dream that one day I will be the first president a woman in Tanzania. Hope that I will rule my country well and have developments in our country Tanzania. I will make every human being have his or her rights and provide social services to all regions.
-Aliganyila Wilson

For my family
I have a dream that one day I and my family will have a trip to a national park and see animals.
-Patience

For my community (country)
I have a dream one day Tanzania will become the richest country in the entire world. Rich of everything like mineral, industries, factories, economic. And being a peace country forever. And have a lot of rain as usually. And never malaria disturb Tanzania children ever. And all diseases especially AIDS. For me and for the entire country.
-Goodluck

For my world
No, no, no, no and as black people we need to be loved as other people in other continents not discriminated. We are not poor but its peoples’ behavior who hate black people.
-Irene Essau

i have a dream (part 3)

2010-02-23T08:00:00.000+03:00

For myself
I have a dream that one day I will study in the college and I will be a pilot. But my parents won’t be separated from me. I will still be their daughter and they will still be my parents and my society will be happy and innocent people will be free. But if I will have a dream. I won’t be discriminated when I will fly my airplane but I will be praised with my work. And I will be given the open freedom.
-Joyce

For my family
I have a dream. One day my family all the children will be successful. We will help our mother also I wish when we go in heaven we meet our father and enjoy. I thank God for a good family I got.
-Renatha Rwakyendela

For my community
We should love each other as ourselves as God loves us all and should not hate each other.
-Vivian Thomas

For my world
I have a dream that the world climate will not affect us. And they will be having peace and love. People will respect and honour each other. There will be no wars anymore. And other countries which have hunger will have plenty of food. And those which have drought will have a lot of rain. We will live like sisters and brothers.
-Annamary Thomas

topic writings

2010-02-22T22:05:00.000+03:00

One of the classes I really enjoy teaching at KEMPS is Standard VI English. As the weeks past, I see students taking more and more risks in the class which really allow them to grow.

I think I was most prepared for this class thanks to my great student teaching placement at Central Middle School in Waterloo, Iowa last year. I taught sixth grade math and English with Mr. Randy Lee. I was able to experience a great model of a sixth grade/standard six English class. I think Randy might smile a bit seeing how similar the model for my classroom is.

There are many different components to this particular class, including daily work, spelling, daily oral language, and exams, but I think my favorite is topic writings. Every week students respond to a given question or statement. Here is the first set of topic writing prompts:

Due Date	Writing Prompts
21 January	You and your family.
28 January	How do you plan to fulfill your goals?
4 February	What does 'Quality Education and Care' mean to you now?
11 February	How do you define respect?
18 February	What makes good parents?
25 February	If I were an animal…
4 March	Choice #1
11 March	Favorite things to do.
18 March	What would you change about KEMPS?
25 March	What makes a good friend?

For this first series of writings, students write a half page and grading is simply based on length. I wanted to give students an opportunity to freely write and express themselves. I hope that as the year progresses, improvements will naturally occur as we do other activities in class.

So far, I have been very impressed with many of the responses students have written and decided I would also like to share some of those with you so you can see other samples of student work here at KEMPS. Therefore, this first post was written in response to the question "What makes good parents?" Only small revisions have been made to the original writing.

Good Parents Act This to Their Children

Every parent is great in his/her own way. A child likes a parent in different ways. A good parent must understand a child's situation on certain times. A parent has no right to interfere with private properties of a child. A parent has to listen to a child. A lot of parents in Africa think a child is unable to decide for themselves or give out ideas. And they think wrongly. Every child has a right to express her/his opinion and to have that opinion taken into account. A good parent is supposed to get quality education and care for the child. He/she should make sure that the child is getting enough of what a child needs. By enough of what a child needs doesn't mean to give a child too much freedom that should not be given to a child and that is absolutely wrong. A parent should take time to know a child's health too, on the contrary to understand how to act on that situation. He/she should try not to show a child that he/she is abandon to the parent or the parent has not enough to care for the child. In the whole world there is a big problem that rules our planet. Parents don't give CHILDREN'S RIGHTS, and that is always important to act fair. I have a dream, that dream is that we will be fair among each other in love, peace and harmony.

*ACTING FAIR IS WAY TO GO!*

Esther Allen, age 11, Standard VI

i have a dream (part 2)

2010-02-21T08:00:00.007+03:00

I should add that I gave students the option to define their community. Some wrote about their village, some KEMPS, and others Tanzania.

For myself
I have a dream that I will once follow the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as my hero Baraka Obama. Also I have a dream that I will once be the most talented musician all over the known world just like Michael Jackson because I got ideas which are flowing like the river Nile.
-Kenneth Mitti

For my family
I have a dream that my family to be safe and sound until when God calls them. I have a dream that my family will always be in peace and happy and successful in life. I have a dream that my family will be God’s children forever.
-Bella Mutagahywa

For my community (country)
I have a dream about my country. Few years later my country will get good leaders who will bring progress and will be in very high standard.
-Alvin Joseph

For my world
I have a dream that once all the world we will be able to talk one language with peace and unity without violence.
-Joanitha Hamburungi

i have a dream

2010-02-20T17:10:00.000+03:00

The following posts were written by standard VII students at KEMPS. Many of the students are similar in age to grade 7 students in the U.S. The posts have been only slightly edited for spelling and are used by permission of the students.

For my world
I have a dream that the world will be in peace; that there will be no more war. That the weak countries will rise that we will see no more global warming. That we will regain our better climate. That we will have no more deserts and that the world will gain the peace like the ancient times. I believe that all the countries having war will become one of the solid brotherhood. That we won’t see any more use of nuclear weapons. And we shall use our own sources to protect ourselves. I have a dream that violent countries regain their peace. That we will see a smile on the weak people. God bless our world with peace and harmony and love.
-Jensen

For my family
I have a dream that one day my family will be living joyful and will be praising God and hard working with very kind hearts to all people.
-Alicia Makwasa

For myself
I have a dream that one day I will be a teacher and will have pupils. I will teach them well and they will expand the society of educated people in Africa. I love my community that’s why I love to teach.
-Happiness Hapson

mlk day

2010-02-20T16:59:00.000+03:00

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has long passed but it was not forgotten in my lesson plans at KEMPS. On the particular holiday I decided to teach my Std. VI and VII Music/Arts classes about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his speech, "I Have a Dream." I planned I would spend a day or two on his life and work and listen to the speech and respond to it in that same time frame. My standard VI class had a different idea though…and a good one.

After a quick overview of MLK's life I asked my class if they had any questions. Well, one hand went up and then another and then another until finally I could see that this would not be a one or two day lesson. And really, I knew there was no way to give full respect to such a man in a short time, so I was so happy to see their interest. Here were some of their questions/requests on that first day:

Who killed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Tell us more about his family.
What did people do after he was killed?
Did the Civil Rights Movement end there?
How long and when was he in Birmingham Jail?
Who is still living in his family?

Those and many more questions relating to the Civil Rights Movement were asked and needed to be answered. So we spent an extra three days working through the Civil Rights Movement and MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech.

After listening to the speech, we discussed the significance of it during that time and still today. Then, I asked students to write the following:
I have a dream...

For myself
For my family
For my community
For my world

Every student responded to the four areas and chose one to create a project for in our computer lab. I was very impressed with many of their thoughts and dreams and wanted to share some of them with you. Therefore, I asked students if I could share their writings in my blog to which all of them agreed. I will try to post several different dreams every so often in the coming weeks. I also told my students that I would pass on any comments which were left. If you wish to leave a comment about a particular dream or a group or the entirety of posts, please do. You can either write it here or email me at schutte.aaron@gmail.com. I know the students at KEMPS would be happy to hear your feedback.

the daily things

2010-02-20T16:42:00.000+03:00

There are great things that I see and experience every day which make TZ great and I had to just share a few of those:

As I was walking home from school yesterday, I could see a car coming toward me with some strange metal bar propped up outside of the car. As the car came closer I saw what was holding that long metal bar: two arms of men inside the car. They had their windows open, arms perched at a 90 degree angle holding a piece of metal almost as long as the car while someone else drove. Innovative.
Last night I went to the Bukoba Club to meet up with some friends for tennis and dinner. The Bukoba is not really anything you would imagine a club to be but a good place to get cheap food on the beach with a large open area which is sometimes used for weddings. As we were sitting there talking we noticed that they were playing a pretty good mix of music and went over to ask one of the workers about a song that had played a few tracks before the current one. He said he couldn't remember the particular track, but we continued to talk about the music and shortly thereafter he told me he would just give me the CD to rip and return. I'll have to try that one when I get back to the States.
Now, for this last one, it took me a little while to even be able to tell anyone about it without breaking into hysterical laughter. (Much like my grandpa with a funny story--sometimes the story isn't even that funny but for some reason you just can't even tell it for about 5 minutes because you are laughing so hard.) About a month ago I was on my way with some friends to the orphanage where Øjvind is working when suddenly we saw a man driving down the hill into Bukoba. This was not your average driver and car, however. Not only did the car not have a windshield, he was sitting behind the steering wheel wearing a motorcycle helmet. Priceless.

visitors from nyc

2010-02-19T02:58:00.009+03:00

Today was a truly joyous day at KEMPS. We were blessed to have a delegation from Metropolitan New York Synod (MNYS) visit us. It's one thing to talk about a relationship but it's so much greater when you can actually see and feel that relationship face-to-face. It was quite evident that the students, staff, and teachers at KEMPS and the delegation from NY were very happy to meet one another.

I'm still getting to know the group, but the main purpose for their trip was to continue to build relationships between NY and TZ while visiting various ministries of the North Western Diocese (NWD) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT). I believe I may have explained it before, but the Lutheran Church is divided into various geographical regions within the United States and Tanzania. Many of those regions are then paired together to help provide support for one another and create long lasting relationships. A map of those regions can be found on the ELCA Regional Representatives to Tanzania's website. Every ELCT Diocese is in relationship with a synod within the US as well as other partners around the world.

While various synods/dioceses have different methods of furthering their relationships, that between the MNYS and NWD is best summed up as stated today by Pastor Gary Mills from MNYS, "A relationship isn't a relationship without relationships." MNYS can help build classrooms at KEMPS and NWD can send pastors to NY but without actually meeting that relationship can only move so far.

Today was certainly about relationships. The delegation visited every classroom and exchanged greetings with every class. As a member of such a delegation, it is wonderful to be able meet the children, hear their songs, and learn about what they are studying. I remember it well as I was part of such a delegation only seven months ago when I first arrived with Bishop Robert Rimbo, Lois Rimbo, and Pastor Gary Mills from MNYS. Although, I must say the greater joy is definitely being able to share such a gift with guests. The students at KEMPS always make all the work worth it. It's nice to have a day to 'show off' your students when they are as impressive as they are.

After visiting all of the classrooms and taking a break for tea, we started our program. Yesterday I was asked if one of my music classes would sing a song, and given that most of standard VII was away singing with the school choir, I decided to practice with standard VI. I was hoping we would have time to practice one more time altogether, but we didn't have the opportunity. However, without even practicing once as a whole class since the beginning of this year, they sounded quite good. I once taught them "Light the Fire" which they really liked so we sang it. Minutes before the program starting I discovered that standard VII would also be singing a song. Luckily we also had one ready from music class, "One Name." And finally, to my surprise standard V decided to sing the song I also taught them during music class, "Romans." haha. EWALU people notice a trend? These were all songs I knew from camp. I taught standard V "Romans" along with a lesson on dynamics. It's great to hear songs you have sung many times with a slightly different style as is present here in Tanzania.

Of course any good program is not complete without ngoma (dancing) as well. The Haya (main tribe found in and around Bukoba) are well known for their drumming and dancing. The students had a blast dancing and welcomed the other teachers and the guests from NY to join them. We all had a lot of fun.

In the afternoon we enjoyed a great lunch and then walked a short distance to Kibeta Primary School. (Note, not Kibeta English Medium Primary School.) Kibeta Primary School was once owned by the NWD but after independence and nationalization it was taken over by the government. It is still a government school today. Therefore, all studies are in Swahili with the exception of one English class every day. Students only study from 8:00 - 1:00 and leave school around 1:30. Each classroom has around 100 students with 735 students in all. Many of the classrooms do not have enough desks for all of the students either. While it seems like a stark contrast to KEMPS, it is not that different from many government primary schools in TZ. Class sizes can be as large as 200 and students only have the opportunity to study for part of the day because another rotation of students have to come that same day. This is not to say Tanzania hasn't made improvements in its education system. It made great improvements in access to education when it utilized debt cancelation to build new primary schools. It was able to increase its enrollment rate of 58.6% in 2000 to 96.1% in 2006. Numbers such as these don't always show the whole picture unfortunately. It's important to see just how different schools can be within one small geographical region.

We then returned to KEMPS for a little more dancing which I joined in. My students had a good time seeing me dance. Ha. Several of the people from New York jumped in as well. And finally, after a full and exciting day, the guests waved goodbye to the all the students, staff, and teachers at KEMPS. I am certain both the guests from NY and the students at KEMPS will remember this day and all the excitement that was shared for a long time.

schedule

2010-02-11T22:36:00.002+03:00

I thought that breaking up my posts might help a bit. So, here we go again, this time with my schedule and not just a list of classes. This will hopefully give you a better idea of the craziness in scheduling.

We have two sessions at KEMPS, a morning and afternoon session. Until June of last year, students studied from 8:00 to 1:30 and then those who were day students went home and those who were boarding students stayed. I don't know a lot about the events around the decision, but sometime in June an afternoon session was added which runs from 2:30 to 4:30 Monday through Friday. This has become increasingly popular in many English medium primary schools while at others students still only study in the morning or afternoon (sometimes due to the large amount of students and need for two groups).

Our morning session is broken into eight, 35-minute periods with a central break for tea at 10:30. There is also a short, 10-minute break after each two periods. Here is what it looks like:

Period 1: 8:00 - 8:35
Period 2: 8:35 - 9:10
Break: 9:10 - 9:20

Period 3: 9:20 - 9:55
Period 4: 9:55 - 10:30
Tea Break: 10:30 - 10:55

Period 5: 10:55 - 11:30
Period 6: 11:30 - 12:05
Break: 12:05 - 12:15

Period 7: 12:15 - 12:50
Period 8: 12:50 - 1:25
Lunch/break: 1:30 - 2:30

The afternoon session on the other hand is much different. It is a 2-hour session with one class in many cases, such as Standard III Math. Yes, two hours in the afternoon with 40 nine-year olds is pretty exciting. It is sometimes broken into three different periods, however, as is the case with my Standard V Geography class. It shares the afternoon with civics and history. Here is that sample schedule:

2:30 - 3:10 Geography
3:10 - 3:50 Civics
3:50 - 4:30 History

But the better one is just 2:30 - 4:30 Standard III Math. :)

Part of why I know this schedule so well is because I helped put it together this year. I was given the list of everyone's classes, the schedule from last year, and a ton of requests and created it using Excel. Thank goodness I was able to add conditional formatting to check for teachers with duplicate periods at the same time and formulas which would count how many periods each teacher had every day to keep a balance and those which would only allow certain entries to avoid errors. It at least saved me some time, but still, that was a good part of my weekend.

Back to my teaching schedule, I do not teach every period like in the U.S. Most days I have four or five periods when I am teaching and the other three am "free." I don't teach every afternoon either. I teach three of the five, but somehow my time always manages to disappear.

Classes also meet at different times every day. Here is an example of my Standard VI English class:
Monday: Periods 3 and 4
Tuesday: Period 3
Wednesday: Period 5; 2:30-4:30
Thursday: Period 3
Friday: Period 1

Still, along with the somewhat chaotic schedule I have managed to at least establish some routine in my classes and within my life. Std. VI has figured it out pretty well while Std. III is still working at it, but then again, I'm still working at my own. We eventually something out, right?

those subjects i teach

2010-02-11T21:58:00.004+03:00

After a seemingly good start to a new year of blogging, I have dropped off again--well, or at least started school. And started it has. Wow. So many stories and craziness to share that I don't really know where to begin. I figure I should at least share with you the classes I am teaching.

As I have said before, teaching in TZ is some ways very different from the U.S. Primary school is taught like many middle schools in the States, one teacher teaches a few subjects to multiple grades. That said, here are the classes I am teaching at KEMPS:

Standard III Math
Standard V Geography
Standard V Music/Art
Standard VI English
Standard VI Music/Art
Standard VII Computers
Standard VII Music

I know you are wondering, How can one person have so much fun in just one week? It's hard to imagine, really. But in my boredom I decided managing our library, computer lab, pen pal letters, and help out with other issues around the school would be a good idea to keep my mind occupied. ;)

KEMPS truly is a great place. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the students better and have my own classes. I like the balance of subjects and standards too. I have the cuteness of standard III and the humor of standard VI. It's great. It's a lot of development and students (40 per class) to consider, but I usually appreciate it.

cell phone rates

2010-01-06T21:49:00.002+03:00

To go along with my recent post, 'Tanzania isn't so far away,' I thought I would also contrast the difference between calling within Tanzania and calling from Tanzania to the United States. Naturally you would think making a calling within your own country must be much cheaper than calling a 'far off land' like the U.S., but as our transportation example showed us, things aren't always as you would expect…

Tanzania is full of cell phone companies. Tigo, Zain, and Vodacom are the big three along with a few other small ones popping up here and there. It's impossible to come here and not be surrounded with advertising ranging from huge billboards sporting Maasai talking on their cell phones to roadside houses painted with a cell phone company's colors and logo.

(Comm Arts people, if you are looking for a new, up-and-coming advertising scheme, you should present the idea of painting people's houses with product colors and logos. I'm sure that would go over pretty well. ;) )
Even those who come to Arusha will the sole intention of dropping in, seeing some animals, perhaps climbing Kili, and returning home can't help but miss the boulevard of billboards leading up to the airport. They are everywhere. It is the one industry which is really flourishing here. And why not, given their prices?

At a first glance, you might think having a cell phone here wouldn't be that bad of a deal. If you already have a phone with a removable sim card, you could easily buy another sim card here with any cell phone company for about 500 shillings ($0.38). This is of course for those not from the U.S. Most of our phones in the U.S. can only be used with one given company and either don't have a removable sim card or have to be unlocked in order to be used with other companies. If this doesn't make a lot of sense, don't worry about it. Basically, most of the phones which are bought here (and in various other places of the world) are not associated with any cell phone company. You first buy the phone and then separately buy a sim card which will enable that phone to work with a certain company. You then have to buy vouchers to use the phone. It's a 'pay as you go' system. For example, you could buy 2000 TZS worth of credit and once that runs out you would just buy more.

Almost everyone prefers this system of payment, although there are a number of people who are notorious for only buying 500 shilling vouchers at a time and constantly run out of credit. Luckily, all incoming calls are free regardless of where they come from, but this also leads to 'beeps.' Beepers are people who call you and let it ring only once or twice to be certain you won't be able to pick up (lest they be charged) and then hang up hoping for you to call them back. In most cases, it's usually not an emergency or just an accidental call (a double "A" at the start of your name will do that). I also figure that if people don't want to use the 50 shillings ($0.04) it costs to send an SMS, they probably don't need me to call them back that badly.

Quite a few people use cell phones too. Even in villages you will see a Maasai warrior with a cell phone on his belt. At first, it's a surprising sight to see. I remember last year when I was here with other students from Wartburg and went to our first Maasai village with Pastor Hafermann. We were sitting there enjoying tea when a cell phone suddenly went off. I think we were all a little surprised thinking that was one of last things we expected to hear.

Traditional landline phones are also present but usually only found in businesses and a very small number of homes. This does present a great potential for mobile technologies, however. Around last September, much of East Africa and other parts of the continent received undersea, fibre-optic cables which should in the future provide further high speed internet access. To read more on what this might look like in neighboring Rwanda, check out BBC's article, Bold Rwanda Takes Broadband Leap.

Given the versatility of phones here, you can also have one phone and multiple sim cards for different companies which you switch in and out of that phone. This is very popular and somewhat comical to see at times. For example, in every case it is cheaper to call within the same network. Therefore, most people use two different cell phone companies and have two different numbers. People carry around a phone with one sim card in it and if they need to call someone who has Tigo, they remove their Vodacom sim card and replace with a Tigo one and call their friend and later switch it back. Some people even have a different phone for each cell phone company. It's great to see the person with a phone in each pocket and one around their neck--one for each major cell phone company. While this is rare, I have seen it, and what a sight it is.

Why would someone go to the hassle of carrying around more than one sim card or even more than one phone? Once you know the rates of actually using the phone, you will have a better idea. Here's a full comparison for Zain, Vodacom, and Tigo:

Type of Call	Price/min (TZS)	Price/min (USD)
Within same network*	60-190	<0.05-0.14
To another network	180-360	0.14-0.27
To a landline	180-380**	0.14-0.29
International to U.S.	300-400	0.23-0.30

*Many companies have a deal that you can at least call those within the same network for 1 Tanzanian Shilling (TZS) per second, but in the case with Zain, it's only for 10 people who you select. For the rest, you have to pay the 190 TZS per minute.
**This depends on the distance from where you are calling with Zain.

I should add that these are all basic prices and a broad overview of post paid services. (You can also purchase prepaid services like in the U.S., but those prices are also not good). Each cell phone company has slightly different prices and various deals to make certain services cheaper. To give a few examples, you can talk Zain to Zain all day long for 1900 TZS or talk for an hour on Vodacom for a given rate or send unlimited text messages for a day from Tigo also for a given rate. (I'm not certain what these rates are but have heard about it.) Text messaging usually ranges from 49-54 TZS per message (around $0.04) depending on the company.

But, as you can see, it is cheaper to call the U.S. using Tigo (300 TZS per minute) than it is to call outside of your network using Vodacom (360 TZS per minute). And further contrast that with what I pay to call the U.S. using Skype:

Every month, I pay $2.50 for an unlimited plan to the U.S. That means unlimited calling to any cell phone or landline in the U.S. for the entire month. One month that amounted to a whopping 16 hundredths of a penny. That's right, $0.0016 per minute. Ouch. ;)

Of course you have to pay for the internet which goes with that though. Without video, that has averaged at about 0.335 MB per minute which costs another whopping $0.006. So, put those two outrageous figures together and a call to the U.S. costs about 3/4 of a penny or $0.0076 per minute. (I figure I should let my math side come out every once in a while.) At that rate I better stick to just calling within Tanzania for the average price of $0.12 per minute.

Feel like talking now?

a cup of sugar

2010-01-05T01:08:00.002+03:00

Most of my day today was spent baking. My greatest accomplishments were two loaves of bread and a pineapple cake. This 23-year old bachelor managed to do it all without burning the house down much less burning the things being baked. While I need to tweak a few things in my cooking, I considered today a success. Amazingly enough, it was this simple act of baking which taught or at least reminded me of an important lesson: the importance of relying on our neighbors.

My first major need came as I had almost mixed up everything for my two loaves of bread and opened my container of 'Kimbo Vegetable Cooking Fat.' Unexpectedly, I opened it to find it almost completely empty. I knew a trip to town to buy this one item would take at least 45 minutes and that would be if I was moving fast. Uncertain how my partially mixed bread felt about this, I decided to check with my neighbor first.

Within the small area known as Balamaga where I live (few Bukobanites know it), there are a group of houses fenced in together and owned by the ELCT NWD. (The map on your right will at least show you where this is in relation to Bukoba town. You can open it in a new window or use it here. Either place, be sure to zoom in on Bukoba to see it better.) The first house is occupied by a German couple, Martin and Anthea, who are working with the North Western Diocese. They have been here for five years and have been very helpful when I have questions. The second stood vacant for my first two months but shortly after I left for language studies, a couple moved in there as well. I have yet to meet them, but they are soon to return after their holiday. Finally, there are two more houses at the end of the drive. The first of the two is mine and the second belongs to my neighbor, Agnes, a Tanzanian who works in the ELCT office. We've enjoyed a number of laughs together as our houses are quite close.

Back to my minor crisis, I decided to try to avoid the trip to town to buy Kimbo by stopping at Martin and Anthea's house. They were at work but another woman who lives with them was there. It wasn't a cup of sugar, but she was still happy to share a little vegetable cooking fat with me. :) Crisis averted, I returned to my house, finished preparing the dough, and left it to rise as I worked on roasting some ground nuts and mixing up a pineapple cake.

I was also greeted with a nice surprise today as Flora, the girl who sat by me for that epic, 21-hour bus journey across the country, came to visit. She traveled from Morogoro to visit her extended family in and around Bukoba. And although our conversations on the bus started off slow with just occasional questions, she eventually learned that I knew some Swahili and spoke to me like I was fluent in it. Ha. I did manage to pick up most of what she was saying then and today, but I still asked a few times to make sure I understood exactly what she meant. I find that I am beginning to pick up more and more words; it's just the meaning that isn't always there. Either way, I enjoyed her company and the opportunity to be a Tanzanian host by bringing out some coffee and tea (and the java...) along with some freshly baked bread.

Shortly after Flora left, I invited my neighbor, Agnes, inside for some bread as well. Consequently she saw the terrible mess that was once my kitchen due to baking today and company coming before I had time to clean. She gladly accepted the bread but insisted she help me with all of the dishes which had piled up (there might have been a few from yesterday as well… ;) ). At first, I declined telling her I would be fine with them and that she didn't have to help, but given her intent on helping me and my desire to be quicker to just say thank you (more on this later also), I agreed. We managed to wash and put everything away in at least half the time I would have been able to and had some fun doing it too.

It's amazing what a simple task like baking bread can teach us. As I've said many times before, the sense of community here is great. It was quite possibly one of my biggest reasons for returning. As much as we try to be independent, we need to both rely on our neighbors as well as be a neighbor for those around us. Don't wait until you are out of sugar either. Start filling your cup today.

tanzania isn't so far away after all

2010-01-02T22:46:00.001+03:00

When you think of Tanzania, you may be picturing this far-off land, nearly impossible to reach by any means. But, I'm here to tell you that while 5000 miles (8000 km) might seem like a great distance to travel from the United States, you can very well make the journey through three continents faster than you can travel from Morogoro to Bukoba. Amazed? I know I was. Here is a recount of that 21-hour bus ride across the country of Tanzania:

After saying my last goodbyes to friends at Lutheran Junior Seminary in Morogoro, Pastor Hafermann took me to the Mohammed Bus Stand where I would climb on a bus coming from Dar on its way to Bukoba. The reporting time was 8:00 and departure time, 8:30, which of course really meant around 9:00/9:15. While I had some picture in my mind of how my next two days were going to go, I really had no idea just how far Bukoba was. I think the best response to me informing someone that I was from Bukoba occurred in Morogoro on Christmas Eve:

Former ELCT driver: Are you working in Morogoro?
Me: No, I am working and living in Bukoba.
Former ELCT driver: Ay yai yai!

(Sounds such as these are very popular in Swahili and really make it an even more fascinating and exciting language to learn.)

That's about what the trip back to Bukoba was, "Ay yai yai!" The first day took us across a huge part of the country. We took one break just before noon and another late in the afternoon in Singida. After that we were forced to travel alongside the road since repairs are being made to the current road and plans are in place to eventually pave that section. Due to extra rains as part of an El Nino (which is Spanish for "The Nino") which Northwestern Tanzania is experiencing, much of that time was spent driving through large puddles and small streams where a road once existed. It was certainly polepole (slow).

The intention was to arrive in Kahama for the night, eat, and then find a place to sleep, but because of the bad roads, we stopped early to eat quickly. After a 15 minute break we were back on the road for another 30 minutes and arrived in Kahama around 10:00 at night. We basically had the freedom to find a place to stay in town or sleep on the bus, but if we chose to leave, we had to be back for the 5:00 a.m. departure. I figured the 13 hours I spent on the bus that first day were enough for me, so I went out in search of a guest house. Ten o'clock at night isn't the best time to find a place, but luckily I ran into a pikipiki (motorcycle) driver who knew of a place and gave me a ride there. Four thousand shillings ($3) got me a comfortable bed complete with a fairly new mosquito net, blanket, and pillow and a safe place to stay for the five hours of rest. Not a bad deal.

At 4:30 the follow morning, the same pikipiki driver came to take me to the bus. We waited a bit for everyone to return and at 5:10 were on our way again. I was told that we were going to arrive around 11:00 that day which didn't sound too bad to me. Certainly another six hours on the bus didn't sound great, but I could handle it.

Well, we met more road construction and muddy roads so our departure time was delayed. We only stopped briefly for breakfast and then dropped a few people off along the way, but our 11:00 arrival time quickly turned into 1:30. Our excitement for the day occurred just before breakfast as a man stood up on the bus and started citing scripture and yelling various reasons why people should be Christian (and this specific denomination). Although, unlike in the U.S. where someone may be quick to ask him to stop right away, people sat by and listened; some looked at the scripture he was sighting; some stared off waiting for him to finish; and others just continued their conversations. This will be a blog post in itself, but I don't believe this is helping the cause of Christianity. More on that later.

Although exhausted, was I ever glad to be back home finally after the 21-hour bus journey! There were certainly some fun parts to it--seeing the beautiful and ever-changing countryside, getting to know those sitting close to me, and all the other craziness that comes with that much time spent on a bus--and I might just do it again. I think I'll wait a couple of weeks though. ;)

In the meantime, feel free to take advantage of the shorter travel time flying from the United States all the way to Tanzania. It's not as far as you might imagine. :)

a new year and new blog posts

2010-01-01T13:41:00.003+03:00

Heri ya mwaka mpya! Happy New Year!

While many of you are sleeping, I'm well into the midday of the start of 2010. I must say New Year's Eve wasn't exactly what I or anyone in our party could have pictured one year ago, but it was quite enjoyable none the less.

My day started with a trip to the beaches of Ntoma, which is a peninsula on Lake Victoria, with Øjvind and Andreas (a new volunteer from Denmark). We enjoyed the almost Zanzibar-like beaches without the Zanzibar heat (40 C/104 F), prices, and people which come complementary there. Here is a little taste of the beauty of Northwest Tanzania:

After some time on the beach, we headed back to Bukoba to Uyacho, the orphanage where Øjvind works. They've made quite a few changes since I was last there in August which was great to see. It was fun to talk and joke with the kids more than the last time I was there too. My Swahili skills still aren't perfect by any means, but they seem to be slowly getting better. Hopefully that continues over the next weeks and months.

For dinner, we went to Kolping Hotel and watched the blue moon rise over Lake Victoria. What a sight! We called ahead around 5:00 and asked for our food to be ready by 7:00. We arrived 20 minutes late but in good Kolping fashion still sat for about 50 minutes waiting for the food. We managed to get everything we ordered over the phone too which surprised me a bit. I may have to try that again in the future.

Things became a bit strange from there on. We went to town hoping to find some sort of New Year's Eve celebration. Our search led us around the streets of Bukoba. We encountered a huge Christian gathering at the football (soccer) stadium full of shouting and prayers in the same fashion; Lina's, a club which is usually full of people but was empty; and finally in our uncertainty of where else to go, to the beach. There, the three of us laid and brought in the new year. It was essentially at that point when we pondered how we had all arrived in Bukoba and how last year we hadn't pictured this as our New Year's Eve, 2009, but still how great it was.

Hope you all are enjoying a good start to 2010 and found something joyfully unexpected.

the lost months

2009-12-24T22:32:00.001+03:00

Many of you have probably been wondering, "Whatever happened to 'Life in Tanzania' during November and now even December? Has it ceased to exist?" I am back to tell you that I am still alive and well and Life in Tanzania could not be better.

While life is certainly great, I am left with quite the challenge: Where do I begin to reconstruct two months of my 'Life in Tanzania' within a blog or even my own mind? I'm not certain how to exactly accomplish this but I will do my best to catch you back up to speed.

Here is just an overview of my time since I last posted:

October 25 - 29: Arusha

October 29 - November 4: Same/Pare Mountains

November 5 - December 18: Swahili studies in Morogoro

December 19 - present: Travels within the Mission District

If any of those pieces seem to be lacking in information, it is because they will all be explained in good time. :) This is just an outline for the posts to come. In the meantime, I would like to wish everyone a blessed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Stay tuned for updates on how I spent Christmas in Tanzania or the last two months for that matter.

All the best.

from the road

2009-10-28T11:49:00.002+03:00

It's hard to believe so much time has passed since I last wrote. To those faithful readers wondering if I fell into Lake Victoria or resorted to "plog" updates (paper log as I'll call it) rather than blog (weblog) updates, I can reassure you that neither are true. Instead the last two and a half weeks took me across the Nile to northern Uganda, over Lake Victoria to Arusha via Mwanza, to the base of Kilimanjaro in Moshi, and through the Seregenti and Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha again. And soon after I will be climbing the slopes of the Pare Mountains once again visiting my friends from EWALU Bible Camp and eventually arriving back at my first Tanzanian home, Morogoro. I wish I had better or at least more exciting excuses than these, ;) but I'm afraid I do not.

To help with some of the time periods and dates spent in various places, here is an overview that will hopefully aid you in the following updates:

September 28 - October 9 - Teaching at KEMPS

October 09-13 - Lukodi, Uganda (near Gulu) to visit Melissa

October 14-15 - Travel to Arusha via Mwanza

October 15-19 - Arusha/Moshi for ELCA Missionary retreat

October 19 - Back to Mwanza to meet friends

October 20-25 - Serengeti and Ngorongoro along with other TZ National Parks

While it's hard to know where to begin exactly, I am going to actually rewind a bit to before all of my travels. I think I can still remember a time when I wasn't on the road... To keep dates and events straight, I will again post multiple blog posts. Try to check the dates if you are at all confused. And if you can't quite figure out exactly what I'm talking about feel free to either email me or stop by my house for a little conversation. My guest bedroom is always open. :)

get your motor runnin';

2009-10-04T16:52:00.000+03:00

Transportation is always interesting in TZ. You never know what you might use to get around or how something that seems like it was never a road suddenly becomes your main route. Traveling is always an adventure.

While I've already traveled many different ways this and last time, my favorite way has to be to hit the open road with two motorcycles and three of your best friends. Twice now I've had the excitement of renting motorcycles and traveling around northwest Tanzania (Sept. 19-20; Oct. 3).

The idea of renting motorcycles started forming shortly after my friends Lea and Rikke moved from Bukoba to another village nearby, Ntoma, to work at an orphanage. Øjvind and I were already making plans to visit them that first weekend when he asked me what I thought about renting motorcycles to visit them. I had already been thinking about doing it sometime and quickly contacted my friend George to see what he knew about renting motorcycles. He told me he didn't need his that weekend and I could use it, and he would find another for Øjvind to use.

For those of you who know me well, you're probably wondering, "Wait, I can't say I ever remember seeing Aaron drive a motorcycle." Well, you're right. I hadn't driven one since I was in middle school and that was just a dirtbike at a friend's house. Seeing how all Tanzanians use utmost safety at all times when on the road, ;) George said he would give me a lesson. After driving around Bukoba for an afternoon, I was ready to go. (Note that this piece is intended to bring comfort. I really am a very cautious and safe driver and am obviously writing this and did alright. :) )

On that first Saturday morning Øjvind and I set off on that dirt road toward Ntoma with "Get your motor running" in our heads. After around a half hour, we arrived in Ntoma. The only problem was that I was leading the way and had no idea where we were going. Øjvind couldn't remember either so we just drove right by the orphanage. Eventually I stopped and asked him if he knew where we were. He was pretty sure we had passed it so we stopped and asked for directions. With a little bit of help we made it to our destination and met three happy friends, Lea, Rikke, and Lisa.

There was definitely one thing that we observed on our ride: there is one thing that will make Tanzanians more shocked than two random white people- two random white people on motorcycles. On the way we watched as people stopped everything they were doing in utter surprise. People stopped talking, working, walking, whatever it was to say something to us as we passed or to just stare in disbelief. In fact, I saw one woman stop with a machete in midair/mid-swing to look at us. Many people were so caught off guard looking at me in the lead that they wouldn't see Øjvind until he passed. It was so funny.

After catching up with the girls again we decided to hit the dirt road again. Lea and Rikke joined us as we set off to find the beach. Ntoma is located on the top of a peninsula with water on both sides (as peninsulas go I suppose). We drove down the hill and through smaller villages as more people stared in seemingly disbelief. Eventually we arrived at the beach and just drove our motorcycles onto the white sand. We parked them and walked along the beach for a while. It felt just like we were in a movie.

We had only planned on riding around the one day but we did have them rented for two days and the girls needed to renew their visas...so of course the following day we decided to go to the Ugandan border. It felt great to feel the wind on a nice highway. We ended up only needing to drive to Kyaka too to renew their visas.

We grabbed some lunch there while it rained a bit and then drove all the way back to Ntoma under blue skies. After returning the girls, Øjvind and I returned the motorcycles. It was an exhausting weekend but quite possibly the most fun I've had yet. I felt so alive after that weekend. It was so nice to see friends again and hit the open road. I may just have to get my own motorcycle now...

i want to be a pirate

2009-09-30T16:22:00.000+03:00

When we are young, we are full of dreams and desires. It seems like we can do any- and everything. And in many ways, we can. Many of us dreamed to be a police officer fighting crime or a doctor saving lives. Personally, I wanted to be a farmer and a grandpa as my mom recorded when I was very young. In a way I've been able to accomplish the first goal in TZ with my large garden. But don't worry Mom and Dad; although I'm goal oriented, I haven't started on the second one yet. :)

Many of you may be wondering, what is it that most Tanzanian children want to be? I was wondering the same thing as I started teaching my very own standard 3 classes at KEMPS. After observing classes and talking with Joyce, the head teacher, I started teaching math and English on the week of September 28. Unfortunately, I only had two full weeks with 38 wonderful students but really learned a lot from them.

But before I give a grand revealing of what standard 3 students want to be, I should explain another thing about English as a second language in northwestern TZ: the confusion and swapping of r's and l's. The Swahili language has both letters, but still many children and even adults commonly switch the two letters. Lea quickly becomes Rea, Aaron-Alon, and like-rike. I even had a student named Gloria who spelled her name in every way with r's and l's but never in the right order. Glolia. Groria. Grolia. But never Gloria. It's a real problem at times.

Going back to the smiles and energy of standard 3, I thought I would be best to get to know my students better on my first day with them. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Responses were varied but most students agreed that being a teacher, doctor, pastor, or pilot would be most desirable. I would agree that those are all great jobs and Tanzania has a bright future.

However, let's go back to the preceding paragraph. R's and l's. I was flipping through responses when I came to my first student who said, "When I grow up I want to be a pirot." Thirty or so copybooks later I realized I had five future pirates or "pirots" in my class. No wonder the coast off of Somalia is having issues with piracy; elementary school children are dreaming of being pirates and their teachers are just standing by! ;) I really couldn't help but smile, corrected their spelling, and gave a spelling test the following week. Word #9: pilot. I was happy to see almost every student spell it right on the post test. It is certainly true that children are wonderful and provide plenty of smiles all around the world. And fingers crossed, the waters of Lake Victoria and the Indian Ocean will be a little safer. :)

time to update the blog

2009-09-21T16:16:00.002+03:00

You would think that a two week break would allow a lot of time for blog updates, but I have been pretty busy. Therefore, I decided today to sit down and write about what I have been doing with my break. You'll notice that many of the posts are back dated according to what days/events they are talking about. So if you are wondering how you missed so many, they were all posted today.

As always, check for map and picture updates! I try to keep you updated there as well. Thanks for the comments, emails, thoughts, and prayers. Please keep them coming!

surprise shamba and impala update

2009-09-09T04:38:00.000+03:00

After working for two days on the limited space around my yard, I had another surprise in store for me: a huge garden which apparently my neighbor and I share. I spent two days digging up ground and planting various plants to be informed I would probably want to move them to another area with more sunlight. The most work was done for two banana plants. I decided to count the other garden area--we have just over 100. Granted, some are pretty small still but all the work put in for two seems a little silly now.

My next project: transplanting the banana and pineapple plants and leveling off my backyard again. Oh, surprises.

In other news, I have a sad update on the story I wrote which possibly brought more comments than any before it: the impala. When we returned, George took the impala to his house hoping to raise it and show it to guests. It didn't eat much right away but after some research was eating well. However, a week and a half later, it stopped eating for three days and has since died. For now, no more baby impala/antelope.

Try not to shed too many tears though. George informed me he went to that village and asked them to find him another one, only bigger, so it doesn't die. This could be good. George, me, AND a full-grown antelope on his motorcycle. If we didn't get looks last time, this could manage just a few. :)

labor day

2009-09-08T06:11:00.002+03:00

In honor of the U.S. holiday, I decided to take a day of labor today. Although the first day of my break, I woke up extra early, watched the sunrise, enjoyed some conversation, and made breakfast. It made for a great morning.

It also rained almost all day. It started around 9:00 and lasted until about 1:30. The rains were very welcome after several days without them. It's amazing how many flowers come out or plants grow in just one day after the rain. I have several flowering trees which after a week without rain will lose all of their flowers, but after just a little bit of rain, they are full of flowers again.

My main goal for the day was to plant my own garden…and that's just what I did! I've been looking around my yard surveying the best spot and found one area which would support a garden. Most of the area is covered by trees, but I think one spot will receive enough sunlight during the day.

I set off with the best tools of the trade and started digging away. Unfortunately after just breaking the ground I found my biggest challenge: trash. And I mean A LOT of trash. Of course a lot doesn't well describe what I found, but I think a picture of SOME of the trash does a better job:

Needless to say, it was a lot of work but felt good to turn a past landfill into a present garden. So far I have planted a tomato plant, four American Chinese plants (leafy, cabbage-like plant), and Chinese plants in that plot. In another area I have planted three pineapple plants and one sweet banana and one matoke/cooking banana plant. I'm looking forward to the day I can enjoy some of my own food. Of course the market is always fresh, but it's nice to grow some too. Here is one final comparison of before and after (or think of the pile of trash and the second picture):

waiting on the fundi

2009-09-08T00:57:00.000+03:00

"Keep on waitin', waitin' on the fundi to come."

Time is completely fluid in Tanzania. You quickly learn that a given time is really more of just a general starting point, give or take several hours, days, and sometimes weeks. When I was traveling with Mchungaji (Pastor) Hafermann, Luka, and other pastors, the big joke Mch. Hafermann would always say to the Maasai elders who greeted us was, "We must have arrived too late, because everyone has already come and gone." He was, of course, referring to the fact that it was 'time' for church to start but there weren't many people if any there yet. We had a 'start time' for church, but we all knew nothing was going to begin without a proper welcome (food, tea, conversation, and sometimes games with children) and the completion of prior work (caring for the cows or goats or making other preparations for our arrival). In the many villages I visited, it worked. We weren't so concerned with what quantity of time had passed, but rather the quality of time we were spending with the people around us. We only needed to eventually gather to collectively worship God and thereafter return home before it was too dark.

Fluid time doesn't always work as well, however, when you are attempting to keep a more set schedule. I'm certainly not looking for the stress of being worried about having an entire meeting or deal canceled because I'm one minute late as is true in some places and industries, but being able to arrive consistently on time for school is not only related to my efforts but those of others as well.

To further explain this concept of time, I think my experience with the fundi (repairmen) so far is a good example. There are/were several minor and a few major things that need(ed) to be fixed in the house. All of you know about the pipe leading to nowhere which was quite funny and fixed relatively quick. Two weeks ago, Thursday, Aug. 27, other fundi came to my house to assess some of the other concerns I had written down. They arrived the day after I contacted the General Secretary, my contact here, and seemed pretty knowledgeable and reputable. They even promised that one of them would return that day and the others the following day. And sure enough, the one man returned that afternoon and fixed my light but said he would have to return on Saturday (two days later) to replace a part on the stove since one burner wasn't quite working properly.

Needless to say, my luck must have run out. :) The fundi told me they would return Friday at 10:00. Finally, at 5:00 a truck pulled up to my house and one of the men I knew quickly came to the door, greeted me, and said he needed to get some small nails and handed me a bag of supplies and dropped some board and a roll of screen in the liv-din. Right before he sprinted back to the truck he said he would return the following day.

On Saturday I just sat and waited. No fundi. No calls. So eventually I had to leave after not hearing from them.

I knew I needed to help prepare for the jubilee and decided to go to school in the morning on Monday and left a note in both English and Swahili asking the fundi to call me if they came. Monday afternoon I received a call where a man just started rapidly speaking Swahili to me. At first I thought someone had called the wrong number until he asked if I heard what he had said to which I replied that I didn't understand. He then told me he was the fundi and would return the next morning at 8:00.

I certainly had my doubts, my low and behold at 8:00 a.m. there was a man standing outside my door ready to work. He fixed most of my windows (screens and small gaps which bugs could come through) until he eventually ran out of supplies with just a little bit of work remaining. He left later that morning and said he would return in the afternoon and check on the other fundi who was supposed to fix the stove and look into my lack of water pressure.

Suddenly, another week has passed. I was very busy at school this past week; it worked out that the fundi didn't come, but hopefully I will see them this week. In fact, the electrician returned this morning to inform me he hadn't found the part he needed yet (a week and a half later) but would come back this week. I have their numbers now, so I may just need to make a few calls and hope my Swahili is ready to go. In no way is my house falling down, so I will be fine until they come, but I think it gives you a better idea of what time can be like in TZ. It's not always this way with all people, but it helps to be a little laidback and very flexible at times. See you tomorrow can easily mean see you in a week and half.

I think the safest answer is the one Mch. Hafermann used when asked when he was coming to someone's village again: "Soon." Yes, we are all coming soon. :)

viewing the world from the back of a pikipiki

2009-09-06T21:02:00.005+03:00

This past weekend George invited me to go with him, his wife Joddi, and their baby Arian to Joddi's home village. I met George at his house at 9:00 and we set off on our journey. He and I first traveled on his pikipiki (motorcycle) 50 km (31 mi) to Kyaka. It was a fun drive through the many hills and valleys of northwestern Tanzania.

George checked before we left and heard that the road after Kyaka wasn't very good, so I joined Joddi and Arian on a bus (which they were already on) for the rest of the journey. The bus didn't have an empty seat, so I enjoyed a seat on the steps. (Fear not, family, employers, and readers; it was safer than it might sound. :) ) I wasn't even quite sure where we were going, because George had only told me we were going to Joddi's home village. As we stopped several times, I just waited to see if she was getting off the bus.

Eventually we arrived close to Joddi's home, hired a motorcycle-taxi driver to take us to the house, and were soon enjoying village life. And I really do mean enjoying. There is something I miss about village life from last time. It's great to be surrounded by more people and have access to more things in a small town like Bukoba, but people are so very genuine in Tanzanian villages. I believe those are the places that really made me fall in love with this place. The hospitality of the Maasai, Chaasu (Pare), and now Haya is unbeatable in villages. People are constantly coming to greet you and to make sure you are comfortable and have plenty of food to eat.

Although, there was something I found different about this particular trip. In the past, most people in the Maasai or Pare or other villages assumed I knew Swahili and then discovered I didn't know a lot. This time, it was as if people assumed I didn't know any Swahili and really didn't try to see if I knew a lot more. Granted, I still don't know a lot, but I can a least have a reasonable conversation at times. Most people would greet me and then talk amongst themselves. I even asked a woman various questions in Swahili and she would answer those but not really ask much back as if I didn't know any Swahili. It was kind of funny and strange at the same time.

After we were greeted by most of Joddi's family and enjoyed some great food, George and I were off to climb a very large hill close to the house. We could see a waterfall from road and decided we were going to find a way to walk to it. On the way we met children caring for cattle, which although appear pretty mean with large horns, were quite docile. The children informed us they were being paid TSH 20,000 a month to watch and move the cattle which is a little over $15. They were also in school but spent most of their extra time with the cattle. The area was also very different from Bukoba and was in need of rain to nourish the dry land. It was so hot and dry!

After walking for some time we were greeted with a beautiful view of the valley.

This is what most of the area looked like close to Joddi's home village.

We did eventually reach the waterfall too. I was followed around for about 15 minutes by some very interested children. I think they were pretty surprised to find us up there.

After we returned from our 2+ hour journey, I was in for another surprise--a traditional shower. I told George I was fine and didn't need one and would shower when I got home, but he insisted I have the experience, so I agreed to it. Of course, I won't explain everything in detail, but just imagine walking out to the middle of a banana field in the dark with a tub of warm water and a bar of soap. It was certainly nothing shy of an adventure. Ha.

When we got back, we enjoyed a huge jack fruit, which if you ever get the chance to try, definitely do it. It is really sweet and delicious fruit which grows on a tree. We also met Joddi's father and talked to him and a few of her brothers as well.

Finally a little after 10:00 George said he was really tired and asked if I needed to rest. I wasn't so tired I was falling asleep (George was close) but decided I was ready for some sleep, so I said I could. He went in and laid down and I grabbed my toothbrush and brushed my teeth.

Now, last time I was here I went to quite a few different villages and ate quite a few meals at strange times. Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought the night wasn't quite over when I laid down at 10:30 but figured the late lunch and fruit was our food for the day.

The knock on the door at 11:15 told me I was mistaken…it was time for dinner...or rather supper. I know in the Midwest of the U.S. some people call meals at 6:00 supper while most others call it dinner. But let me tell you, if there was ever a meal I ate called supper, this was it: rice, matoke (dish made from cooking bananas which is somewhat like mashed potatoes, though not like Grandma's!), fish, and more. It was quite the meal for 11:15 at night. They were probably all wondering why I was brushing my teeth before I ate. Most villages are never short on surprises. :)

Here I am with Joddi's family.

The following day we said departing words and George and I were on our way. Joddi decided she and Arian would stay a while longer to be with her family. We traveled to the center of the Karagwe District which was just beyond Joddi's village and then returned.

This time we rode together on the rough road. It was pretty exhausting with all of the random rocks and holes. We were happy to arrive at Kyaka and see the paved highway again.

From there we traveled to the Tanzanian-Ugandan border. There is town right on the border which is half in TZ and half in Uganda. There were various shops on both sides, and George asked if we could visit the ones on the other side. They asked if we were going to Kampala, but George said just to the shops. So, without mention or showing of a passport, we drove through the gate and were standing in Uganda. Ha. That's what I call immigration control. We were there for about 10 minutes and then came back without any troubles.

It was really fun but exhausting weekend. Seeing the countryside on a motorcycle and getting back to village life were definitely highlights of the trip. I hope to experience more of both again in the near future and maybe even walk out to a banana field late at night...

a message from the headgirl

2009-09-04T22:50:00.000+03:00

If you have been wondering exactly how well students are able to use English, please take some time and read what Warida Musa in Standard V had to write for the Jubilee Book (used with permission):

When I was elected to be the Head Prefect for the year 2009, it was the beginning of a new chapter in the book of my life. It must be like the feeling a mother probably has when she first holds her newborn baby. Joy, hope, service and responsibility are a few of many things a mother feels towards her child. In the strangest way, I experienced the same feeling. KEMPS, being like this born baby to me got me thinking what I can do for the school and even more and what KEMPS and I can do together to make it prosper. To me that was a beginning of the start.

As true KEMPS students, we hold the lights of KEMPS so that we may shine to give light where there is darkness and hope where hopelessness prevails. It is true that most Tanzanians have lost hope because of the existing impoverishment in the country, but as young Tanzanians we should have hope that we are here to make a change. This can be done if we live in accordance with morals of our societies.

It should be noted that everybody should uphold the qualities of a leader. If only a leader is to be punctual and self-disciplined with good conduct, what should we expect from a normal citizen? We are all leaders, because if we are to fight corruption, then it should start from individuals; if we are to pull up the economy of our country, it should also start from individuals. So that from individuals we may get a group of people which is proactive, think with the end in mind and care for their fellows, free from selfishness.

A MESSAGE TO WOMEN:

Confidence is the key. It is one which tells you: "Yes, you will do it." Have the courage and confidence to say, "NO." Do not resign yourself to failure. It doesn't matter where you come from; you can succeed. Be true to yourself. Cultivate honesty and integrity. Take care.

Peace! In all things love and serve with Quality Education and Care!

Warida Musa

the days of kashura

2009-09-03T01:50:00.003+03:00

It's amazing, really, how we encounter people. We are surrounded by such gifted people every day, yet many of these people we do not meet. There are many challenges coming out of college: finding a job, renting an apartment, saving money to pay off student loans…but the greatest challenge, I believe, is finding a new community in which you truly belong.

In some ways, we have a peculiar educational system in the United States. For many of us, we spend the first 18 years + of our lives in school. We go to primary school, middle school or junior high, high school, and then without breaking many go straight to a community college or university. Even after that, some choose to continue once again with another four or more years of schooling.

For those who choose this non-stop track of school, school, school, we are constantly surrounded by a made-up, or in some ways, superficial community. Certainly, we have the struggles of meeting new people and fitting in; I mean, most of us have been through middle school. Yikers! But still, for the entire time we are in school, we are surrounded by people our age and with a little bit of luck, people with similar interests or dreams. By the time we reach a college or university, there is usually a club or organization for everything we have ever been interested in and ever could be interested in, and if it's not there, we just need to find a few other people with similar interests and a new one is formed.

This may come as a shock, ;) but outside of that college or university people don't seem quite as eager to just for a club or organization. Sure, I love rice and beans just as much as the next person, but for some reason I have the feeling that starting the first rice and beans club in Bukoba may not go that far (but don't count it out!). :) Yes, it takes a little more than just walking down the hallway of your college dormitory to meet new people…especially when they speak a different language than you!

Of course a different language can mean many things as well. You don't have to travel to another country to struggle with meeting new people. Moving to a new town or job at any age is hard enough. There is always new language. Maybe you don't understand the language of every person mowing their lawn every other day or wonder why every single one of your co-workers is talking about their children when you just left your parent's house for the first time. Suddenly the similarities you once had with those around you and ease of asking the rhetorical question of "What are you doing this weekend?" when you already know the answer, don't come quite as easily. Life often hits you with unexpected surprises.

But surprises can definitely be good. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect coming to a new part of a country I was only somewhat familiar with. I wasn't worried about feeling welcome, because I learned last time that regardless of where I went, I always had a home and family, but I did wonder how my life would be different knowing I was going to be here for longer, much longer than three months. It was great making friends last time, but I always knew I would have to say goodbye after only a short time.

What if this time I wasn't so lucky to meet so many great people? What if I only had one or two or even no close friends when I knew it wasn't all going to change after just three months, but rather last for two and a half years?

I am thankful that those are questions I haven't really had to even worry about yet. They are certainly still on my mind at times, but I have been blessed with amazing friends who I see almost every day.

Almost daily, I am making my way to Kashura to visit close friends. It can range anywhere from choir rehearsal to learning how to cook Tanzanian food or from birthday parties to watching movies. It's great to even just go and talk or reflect on the day. It's nice to know people are there for you. So if anyone is worried, fear not. I have plenty of people to look after me on good or bad, healthy or sick days. And should no one be able to come visit me, I know I can always count on the group of monkeys who come by to hang out every once in a while. :)

As I said before, I have spent a lot of my time recently at Kashura. If you look at the Google Map on the right side of the blog, you can see where their house is in relation to mine. (Also, check out the new pictures and point for Makongo on the map. Thanks, Spence, for the idea!) There are various volunteers living at two houses in that area. I first met Lena, who is from Germany and volunteering at KEMPS. We enjoy sitting by each other every day at tea and 'Smoky Rice' or 'Matoke Wednesday' (aka lunch). She lives with two other amazing people, Lea and Rikke, who are volunteers from Denmark. We have spent so much time sharing and laughing during the past weeks. We even have our own language and jokes after a short time. It's nice to feel that community. They have all been here for about three months and will be returning home or moving on within the next month and a half.

We've had two others join us as well. Øjvind arrived two weeks ago from Denmark and Lisa, who is from Germany, has been here for over a month, but is now living in the same house as Øjvind. Also, Joyce's children, Anneth and Abbot, often join us in the fun.

Somehow with all of these random volunteers thrown together, we managed to have four different birthdays within just over a week's time. Therefore, last weekend we celebrated birthdays for Øjvind, Lisa, Rikke, and Lena. It was a really exciting week…and gave the boys a chance to cook for once. Luckily I had at least one Tanzanian dish in my cooking arsenal which seemed to please the group. :)

Of course, there are many more stories from my time at Kashura, but I wanted to say that while there may not be a bountiful amount of clubs and organizations, I have been blessed with a great community here. I hope that all of us who are in transition and in search of belonging find such continued support and welcome in those around us. It may not always come easily, but we can at least trust that there are others around us feeling the same way and also searching. May we continue to be found.

the end of teaching

2009-08-29T00:51:00.000+03:00

Monday marked my last day of teaching, at least for now. Gayle returned last week with the brand new KEMPS Land Cruiser and along with it came an end to my classes I was covering for her. On Monday, I taught my last Std. 5 English class and finished a lesson we have spent several days on: comparative adverbs. Almost all of the students needed practice on comparative adjectives, so I decided to add a little extra challenge for the more advanced students since I had already taught regular adverbs. How confusing the English language can be at times! It's hard enough for us, those who have spoken and learned English all our lives, but is much harder for those students learning their third language.

Yes, most students at KEMPS are learning their third language. The largest tribe in the Bukoba area is the Haya. Therefore, many students learn Kihaya (the language of the Haya as referenced in Swahili), Swahili, and then English in school. There are somewhere around 125 tribes in Tanzania and all 125 have their own language. Special thanks to the Germans for Kiswahili (though not their colonialism) and Julius Nyerere for his leadership and unification practices as the first president of Tanzania. Fortunately, Tanzania is a very peaceful country without many large rifts among the various tribes. That is not to say, however, that there aren't tribal disagreements or issues. In my experience (and that referenced by other Wartburg students who have traveled to TZ), the Maasai are many times not treated fairly, especially in land disputes. Compared to other parts of Africa, however, Tanzania is fortunate not to have tribal disputes like those found in Kenya or Sudan, for example.

I should talk a little more about language in Tanzania. Before coming to TZ last year I was always confused when I saw Kiswahili and wondered if it was different from Swahili. Well, Kiswahili is no more different from Swahili than Español is from Spanish. Simply when you are speaking Swahili, you refer to the language as Kiswahili.

In fact, all languages in Swahili begin with Ki-. Kiingereza is English, Kijerumani is German, Kimaasai is Maasai or Ma, etc. In some cases, Swahili completely changes a tribe's name or their own name for their language. My friend Mndeme, who I worked with at EWALU and visited last year, is a part of the Chasu tribe which speaks Vyasu and mainly lives in the Pare Mountains. In Swahili they are referred to as the Pare people who speak Kipare. I'm not sure of others but that is just one example. Local people love it if you learn just a little bit of their language, and it's fun doing so. Though I think for now I may need to focus on Swahili.

For an update on my Swahili, ninaendelea pole pole (I am continuing slowly). At times I find a lot of success and other days I just hope I can formulate a few sentences. The use of Swahili is certainly different than last time. I teach at an English medium primary school, so I rarely ever speak a word of Swahili there, although it is used sometimes. Take for example my first ever staff meeting. When you are new to a place, there are always things you have to learn and hope you are as prepared as possible when you start. Well, I can't say I was quite prepared for our first meeting which was all in Swahili. Needless to say I was a little lost. I understood only the head teacher and that was because she talked slower than the rest. I'm just glad I know the little bit of Swahili that I do. It comes in handy every once in a while. :)

I am still planning on returning to Morogoro this year to continue my Swahili studies, but I have yet to determine when exactly that will be. I need to talk to the head teacher, Joyce, to figure out when the best time would be with school.

Right now we are busily preparing at KEMPS for our 10 Year Jubilee. KEMPS has been in existence now for 10 years and we are going to celebrate as a joint program with our graduation ceremony. The students just finished midterm exams today and will be working quite hard next week to make sure their songs, dances, skits, and more are ready for the big day. It should be a joyous celebration, and I'm looking forward to it very much.

To help get ready, I've been spending some time in the office this week typing the 10 Year Jubilee Book/Magazine. Various teachers and students wrote articles, messages, jokes, and more and the plan is to have it printed in time for the celebration. I'm sure that will be my project this coming week as well. Many of the older teachers do not have many computer skills as the computer lab is relatively new so a small group of people are usually left with typing.

My biggest hope is to get back to the students soon now that they are done testing. I really enjoyed my time with them for the last week and a half. It was a joy getting to know them. I've even had several students come to my house to visit in the past couple weeks. Two weeks ago I had more than ten children come to my house to visit. We talked for a while and ended up playing on my drum for a while that is in my house. The children even randomly started dancing in the middle of it. Then they all wanted to take silly pictures outside so I grabbed my camera and they all made their own pose. It was pretty hysterical.

It's the students who make it all worth it.

i use skype to pay my student loans

2009-08-27T01:36:00.000+03:00

I had a short, funny story that I wanted to share from today. I used Skype to pay part of my student loans. Before I left the country, I tried to talk to Iowa Student Loan about setting up a payment plan before I left. They of course couldn't do so until so many months before my first payment and basically said I was out of luck.

Thanks to the advancement of technology in Bukoba, I now have internet at my house which actually works pretty well most of the time. I sometimes have to do a special walk around the house to get the best network, :) but when connected I am able to call people on Skype and enjoy pretty good quality.

When I decided I may as well not have my unsubsidized Stafford loan accumulate so much interest, I decided I was going to work on paying it off. I found out that if I wanted to make a payment I needed to call Iowa Student Loan. With a little help from my mom, I had the numbers I needed and gave them a call. I think my favorite part of the conversation was when I was asked where I was currently employed if I was employed. I told him, "Bukoba, Tanzania" with which he quickly replied, "Excuse me, where?" I then explained that I was teaching abroad in the country of Tanzania. (To Singers: he then replied, "Oh, the airport!") He at least understood the abroad part.

Several minutes and awkward delays later, I had made a payment. I can't say I ever expected to make calls from my house in Balamaga, TZ. I'm not even in Bukoba, and I'm able to do so. Not bad. And the delay really isn't as bad as it was last year. I thought about warning him but thought I may as well enjoy the beauty of Skype and calling from 8,000 miles away.

If wondering if those loans are ever really worth it, just know that there may be that split second where you smile and laugh to yourself as you call your loan company on Skype from a country he or she perhaps hasn't ever heard of. In that moment, they are all worth it… As for the thousands of other dollars, I'll get back to you on that one.

the day i caught an impala

2009-08-17T01:32:00.001+03:00

Now, you may be asking yourself, "REALLY?" (At least if you are a Castle Singer you may say it that way.) What is this blog REALLY about? It is nothing more than what it says; I caught an impala…well, sort of.

After another long day of school and staying after to set up two more email accounts, watching choir rehearsal, and talking with a student who had some questions about the U.S., I was finally home and ready to start my weekend. Unlike my jam packed weekend last week, I didn't really have any plans this time. But as it many times tends to happens, no plans equal a full weekend.

Before it all started, I did at least enjoy a nice Friday night. I just warmed up some food in my microwave (aka 'saucepans on the stove'), wrote to some friends, and read a book. Since I didn't really have many plans I was planning on going to school on Saturday to spend some time with the students and maybe play some games. But Saturday had different plans…

I slept in because I was pretty tired after a two late nights in a row. I was awake for maybe 30 minutes and George was at my door looking to travel or do something. I don't know if I've written about George yet, but I randomly met him in Bukoba one day and he loves to hang out with me. He teaches at Rugambwa, a secondary school for girls, which is close to my house. He is a native Tanzanian/Ugandan so it's nice to know someone that knows the area.

First, he decided that we were going to make lunch together and then go to a beach north of Bukoba. I was a bit hesitant at first but it ended up being a great day. We made some traditional Tanzanian food and then jumped on his motorcycle. We rode for some time and eventually left his bike at his old school with a friend. Then we started to walk and walk some more. We walked through villages and along the countryside and eventually reached a place that looked something like a Windows XP desktop background. We stood in an open prairie which was scattered with large rocks looking at Lake Victoria.

Eventually we made our way down the hill and through a few more villages to reach the ocean. There were homemade fishing boats, nets, and life jackets scattered on the shore. We walked along the shore for some time until we knew we better start walking back before the sun set. We took a "short cut" which took us straight up the side of a cliff (ok, maybe it wasn't that bad but it was pretty steep). When we arrived at the top we saw a very old man and a bunch of children who looked to be carrying a baby goat. And so begins the adventure of the impala…

George went over the children and started offering them money for the 'goat.' When I walked over he asked me if I knew what it was and told me it was an antelope. Sure enough, it was a baby antelope (or impala). We gave the old man some money and started walking back, carrying a wailing impala. We saw a larger one on the way back but it darted off. Of course I could have caught it but didn't want to show off to much in front of George or the children. :)

The route ended up being a little shorter and brought new scenery. As we were walking back though I did have one thing on my mind, "How exactly are we going to get an antelope back with us to Bukoba?" Well, my question was quickly answered as we returned and George got on the motorcycle and basically handed me the baby impala. And so we rode--George, the baby impala, and me. I can't say it was something I had done before. Now George wants to go back and find a larger one. This should be interesting…

If you are ever in need of someone to chase after a wild animal, dear friends, feel free to give me a call. I'd be happy to run after it and bring it back on a motorcycle. Yesterday a baby impala. Tomorrow a baby elephant.

goodbye parties

2009-08-15T21:14:00.000+03:00

If there is one thing I've found to be true about Bukoba so far, it is there are a lot of bananas…well, that and many of the volunteers I meet come and go. Unlike the countless banana trees I see every day, I must say goodbye to the various volunteers and friends I meet.

It may sound like a sad story, but it's not as sad as you might think. There are a lot of interesting people who come through Bukoba. So far I've met people from Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S. And many, if not all of them have a similar passion for service and have great stories to tell (although most have thought I'm a bit crazy for leaving my family for 2.5 years). It's been a blast meeting, traveling, visiting, and dining with everyone.

But, as I said, eventually you must say goodbye, and that is what we (those who are still here) have done twice now in the past week. On the 9th, it was Bethany who we said goodbye too. Again, she was one of the teachers at KEMPS in the past and was back to do some research. We enjoy a great potluck of pizza, pasta, rice, tortillas, guacamole, curry, plenty of fresh fruit, and Swedish sweet bread (of which I'm sure there is a better name).

After dinner we sat around talking and just as I was about to leave and go do some lesson planning, we decided to play some games. I must say, my years of being a camp counselor at EWALU, an orientation leader at Wartburg, and other similar experiences really paid off. We had people from Sweden, Germany, and Denmark all teaching various games and I knew every single one. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. ha Sometimes I knew a slight variation, but it's funny to see how the of the same games are played internationally.

One of my favorite games of the evening was a game we played as orientation leaders. I won't describe the entire game, but for those orientation leaders and others who played who are reading: "WHALE! Panda. Waddle, waddle. …" Just imagine the group I have at least somewhat described along with a few Tanzanians playing a game where people take turns making various animal names. Sound strange? Hilarious really.

Then, on Thursday we had to say goodbye to Anna and Bella. (Bella is actually also named Anna but having two blond Swedish girls both named Anna really confused some Tanzanians. The best question they were asked multiple times, "Are you twins?" Parents and future parents, take note--should you have twins, be sure to give them the same name. ;) ) So, we met at Kolping Hotel (which is close to my house and as you probably noticed by now, we go there often; the waiter and waitress both recognize me now) and had a final dinner together. There was quite a party there for a German group who was visiting. I must say I didn't imagine I would hear yodeling in Tanzania.

After this goodbye dinner I went to my house quick, picked up the guitar which is from KEMPS, and headed with the group to Lena, Anna, and Bella's house. We sat around singing songs and eventually pulled out a keyboard too. It definitely wasn't a real piano, but it was nice to play again. We shared music and talked for a few hours and eventually said our goodbyes. I will miss the Anna's. They were a lot of fun. But as I said before, I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to meet so many different people.

teacha

2009-08-14T23:13:00.000+03:00

Before I begin, I wanted to point out that for those who have been asking about pictures, there are now pictures of my house, some of my students, and the area I am living in on Flickr. There is a link for them on the right side. -->

I must say the most exciting part of this week had to be my first day of teaching. Yes, on Thursday I taught my first official class, Standard 5 English. Gayle had to leave for Dar to pick up the new KEMPS vehicle, so I am teaching some of her classes. My first lesson: adverbs. It seemed to go pretty well. It was the second day they were working on them, so they had a good start.

To explain the difference between grade 5 and standard 5, there really isn't much of one. Most of the std. 5 students are about the same age as our grade 5 students, although some are older because they started school a little later. At KEMPS, we have preschool (who I spent two classes with this week and are a joy) and standards 1-7. Standards 4 and 7 have national exams to track their progress. For standard 7, it greatly influences which secondary school they are able to enter. As I learn more about this, I'll be sure to share.

As I said before, I spent some time with the younger classes this week. Preschool and standard 1 have been asking me when I would come teach their class, so I decided I had to at least visit. For all those teachers or really anyone who has been in a classroom, picture this: 30 preschool children who just finished playing outside running toward the room you are sitting in. Sister Fraisca is a special woman to be certain. There is never a lack of energy in that classroom. Students are eager to share, answer questions, and learn more.

It's amazing how much music helps too. As soon as they came in the classroom Sister Fraisca had them singing to bring down their energy a bit. One song had them jumping and the next had them counting and clapping. It was really fun to see and proof of how important music is and how it shouldn't be limited to just the music room.

I was happy to also see some of the resources available to the younger students. Various curriculum resources, books, and manipulatives have been donated by Danish, Swedish, and American volunteers and organizations. The children were building with blocks after they finished their math lesson. It was interesting to see how they interacted with the communal pile of blocks at their tables and what they built with them. Some children were quick to grab their own pile while others were building things together and sharing blocks when they saw another student needed one of a certain color. And of course, they all wanted me to see everything they had made. "Teacha! Teacha! Look!" (By std. 3 or so, it does become "teacher"; Swahili words do not end in consonants, however, so teacha is much easier for the younger children.)

I also spent some time in the computer lab this week, both teaching and working. I taught stds. 6 and 7 computers which consisted of students working on projects they have been working on in the past and a few worksheets (like how to create and change a document without a mouse). Of course, as any 10-14 year old would be, most of the students love to play games. We do not, however, really have any educational games, so it's not the best use of time. I thought I should be fair though, so I made a deal with standard 6 that if any of the students can type faster than me on the typing program, they can play games the entire time. A few boys and I laughed pretty hard as they tried to type as fast as they could.

They are learning, but of course an additional 10 years of typing would probably help them. They all ask me how I became such a fast typist and honestly, the typing program at school taught me where the keys are, but MSN Messenger taught me how to type fast. Special thanks to those middle school days...

If the internet starts working again, I will be helping standard 7 set up their own email accounts. There are four computer monitors in std. 7 who make sure the computer lab is in order (both clean and various folders are present and desktops aren't too cluttered). This past week I helped them set up their email accounts. It was a lot of fun as they were very interested. While I was showing them various things to do with Yahoo Mail I asked them, "Is this too much or would you like to learn more?" All four quickly responded, "Please teacher, teach us more." :) I didn't leave school that day until 6:30 but it was probably my favorite day of school.

And yes, the internet. If all was working well and TTCL, our internet provider, actually provided internet every once in a while, we would have internet in the office, staff room, Gayle's house, AND the entire computer lab. The school was without internet for weeks (and maybe even months) only to have TTCL tell them that they didn't know they wanted internet now. Well, they finally started it and at the beginning of last week sent someone to set it up. He set it up on one computer but didn't know how to set it up for the rest. Thanks to my days of just trying things on various computers and Bryan, my older brother, who also showed me a lot, I was able to get internet working for the office and entire lab. What changing a few settings and switching a few cords will do for you… Joyce, the head teacher, gave me a high five when I got internet working in the lab. :)

Unfortunately, the internet TTCL provided for us for three days is now gone again, so I will have to call them on Monday. Pole pole tutafika (slowly we will arrive). I'm not quite sure how that works in this context, but certainly pole pole (slowly) is true. ha

I think I'll stop there for now. More stories about children, laughter, and catching impala to come. ;)

As always, if you have any questions about what I write or just want to say hello, email me at schutte.aaron@gmail.com.

the plumber

2009-08-10T21:51:00.002+03:00

With the last update, that leaves me with where I am now, enjoying my house in Balamaga and observing classes at KEMPS. To clarify, I should explain a few of the places nearby.

Bukoba is of course the largest city close to where I live. It was the city I told almost everyone I was going to be living in because 1. I didn't really know where I was going to live and 2. you can actually do a Google Maps search and find it. Which, may I add this exciting update: on the right hand column of my blog you will find a map. Open it up and zoom in on the upper left hand corner. You can see exactly where my house is, the city of Bukoba, and KEMPS. Yea for Google updating their satellite images a month and a half ago. How crazy is that? Of course, it's an older image so you won't be able to see the large American flag flying outside my house. haha... No, I think my Obama kanga will be enough.

KEMPS again is an acronym for Kibeta English Medium Primary School and that is where it is located, Kibeta. It is on a hill overlooking Bukoba and Lake Victory. Around Bukoba there are a lot of these different areas or villages. Balamaga is another one and that is where I live. It is a nice, quiet area on top of the hill overlooking Bukoba and Lake Victoria. I have a nice view of the lake from my house, in fact. And, by popular demand, there are pictures coming very soon! Fear not. Hopefully the new map at least gives you a nice idea of where I am. And really, a lot of people from Bukoba don't even know where Balamaga is. It is a pretty small area. I usually give one of the hotels nearby as a reference point.

Now that you have a somewhat better idea of where I am living, I should continue where I left of last. After saying goodbye to Gary, Lois, and Bob, I went to the market and a few other shops to finish shopping for my house. I was almost ready to move in on the weekend but was without food. Gayle took me around and introduced me to a various sellers and Ester, the woman who is working for Gayle and now me, helped me pick out good beans, rice, fruit, vegetables, etc.

Monday was the first night I stayed in my house as well. It was a nice feeling to finally stay there. And my mosquito net held true the first night and nights to follow as well. It was quite the adventure setting it up but a great victory through my eyes. :)

I spent that first week preparing my house. I bought most of things I needed while Gary was here, but still needed a few more things. So, I spent time in Bukoba shopping and the rest at my house seeing what I could fix and what needed to be fixed by someone else. Much of the house was already furnished (stove, refrigerator, dinning table, chairs, two couches, desks, beds, and a few other chairs), but I had to get some of the smaller things. I don't have much for my house yet, but that day at Lake Victoria at least provided some shells for one of the shelves in my main living/dining room (or the 'liv-din'). I also have several things the MNYS staff left for me (the Barack Obama kanga, a few floor mats, and an awesome drum). I'm glad they left a few things because it really brought some life to the house. And I'm sure it will fill up in time.

I think my favorite story thus far about my house is the shower. When we first went through the house altogether, we checked a few things just to make sure they were working--the shower being one of those. Upon looking everything over, it seemed like most things were in working order. Specifically for the bathroom, there was running water, the toilet flushed, and the water heater turned on for the shower. So, on Tuesday morning I decided I would take a shower. I went to turn on the water just to test it but couldn't get any. I had to go to school and thought I would try to look at it later. When I returned that afternoon, my plumbing skills paid off. Now, you might not think I am much of a plumber, but I figured out the problem quite quickly. I took a walk outside and looked for the pipe that led to my shower. One look was all it took…as there was only one pipe sticking straight out the wall. haha Yes, my plumbing/'handyman' skills may be limited, but I did figure out the problem right away. :)

Now if I can just figure out how to use that water heater… (Don't worry, I've heated my own water and shower occasionally ;). )

My first weekend on my own (July 31 - Aug 2) was filled with meeting new people. A few people Gayle had met several years ago returned to Bukoba for a few months. It was nice to meet other volunteers who are also living here. This particular couple is from the U.K.

I've also been spending some time with Bethany, who taught at KEMPS in 2005/06 (I believe) with Gayle. She is back doing some research for her masters. It's been fun having as we called it this past weekend, 'The past, present, and future teachers of KEMPS.'

I'm not sure about you, but I enjoy stories in smaller portions. So, I will go ahead and end this part of 'working on my house' and transition to time at school next.

Much more to come--be sure to check back soon.

siku nyingi sana

2009-08-10T20:40:00.004+03:00

Siku nyingi sana: many, many days. And many, many days it has been since I've updated all of you on what is happening in and around Bukoba. It's hard to know really where to begin. I think first, I should write about the rest of my time with the ELCA MNYS staff and then move on to where I am now.

So, part 1: Saturday, July 25 - Monday, July 27. Time with the MNYS staff.

On the 25th, I traveled to Ndolage Hospital which is a part of the ELCT. We toured most of their buildings and saw a few patient rooms as well. As with many hospitals, the director, Dr. Onesmo Rwakyendera, said they were understaffed in both areas of nurses and qualified doctors. We were informed at the nursing school, which we visited right before the hospital, that their once four-year program was cut to just three years due to the need for nurses. Now, they fit more information in a shorter amount of time and the entire program has been restructured.

As our tour revealed, malaria is still the leading cause of sickness and admissions for children. The hospital admitted 1330 children under the age of five in 2008 compared to the next leading sickness, pneumonia which only brought in 148 children. For those above five years, non infectious eye diseases brought in 3329 people while malaria brought in 1337, the second highest for that age group.

Dr. Rwakyendera also shared with us that much progress has been made regarding HIV/AIDS. The Kagera region used to have one of the highest prevalency rates (around 15%) since it is believed the virus first arrived to Tanzania from Uganda in this area. He said the rate is likely around 5 or 6% now, however. The hospital has an active HIV/AIDS program where patients can receive Anti-Retro Virals (ARVs) as well as support through various programming.

After our tour and eating, we walked to where the hospital generates most of its power: a small hydroelectric dam set up on a waterfall. It was a beautiful area. With it being the dry season, the waterfall wasn't quite a large as normal, but it was a wonderful sight as we were on the top looking out along the valley.

On Sunday, I went to church at the head church for the North Western Diocese. Bishop Rimbo gave the message and we were all introduced once again. The bishop gave a good message about not only saying something but actually doing it. It was an easy sermon to understand, as it was all in English. :)

For those of you who followed along with me last time, church services in Bukoba are both very similar and very different from those I went to last time. The main similarity is that it follows the same service order as we used around Morogoro. There is a hymnal and service order much like the one used by the ELCA. I remembered most of it from last time too. Much like our services, you need to flip back and forth in the hymnal for the liturgy and hymns. Also similar to last time are the choirs. There were two choirs at the service which performed more traditional music.

Services are definitely different in a town or city where the Lutheran church has been present longer though. There are official start times, a larger variety of hymns, and a seemingly closer similarity to European or American (US that is) churches. Of course, we had our 'start time' in the Morogoro area, but that was simply a time given to guests and really meant 'whenever we're ready,' maybe three or four hours later. I've also gone from worshipping under a tree to churches much like ours. It is certainly a big change, but one that I'm looking forward to experiencing more and will write about later.

After the service, I had my first opportunity to get to know some of the students at KEMPS. I rode to the service with Gayle and four children who are orphans. It was a home leave day and since they didn't really have a place to go, she took them with us to church and then out to eat afterward. We went to Spice Beach and enjoyed an afternoon of laughing and playing on the beach of Lake Victoria. The girls had an absolute blast. It was nice to learn a few names as I haven't really had a chance to do that yet.

In the evening, we had one final dinner together at Kopling, a hotel close to my house. We enjoyed some final conversation and Gary, Lois, and Bob were back to the ELCT Hotel and Gayle and I back to her house (as my house wasn't quite ready yet).

Then, Monday morning, Gayle, Joyce, and I drove to the airport to say goodbye to the MNYS staff. It was a little strange to go back to the tiny airport and this time be on the other side of the fence waving goodbye, but I felt really good about it at the same time. I really enjoyed my time with them but knew I was soon to start writing my own story in Bukoba.

And that is where I will leave you, with more of that story to come. :)

my new home

2009-07-25T05:53:00.002+03:00

For the past few days, I have been introduced to my new home, Bukoba. We arrived by airplane via Kilimanjaro then Mwanza. We landed on the gravel runway in Bukoba and were greeted by a group of people from the Northwestern Diocese (NWD) and KEMPS. It was wonderful to have such a warm reception.

Bukoba has been full of surprises and many introductions so far. On Thursday morning Gary, Bob, Lois, and I attended a morning devotion with many of the NWD staff members. The devo was led by Pastor Christopher who spoke about God's love. knows Iowa quite well. He asked where I was from and I said close to Decorah and right away he said, "Luther College." Of course, we don't mention the Norse too often ;) but I was shocked he knew where it was at. I later found out he attended Wartburg Seminary and his daughter attended Luther. Again, Tanzania is always full of surprises.

Following the devotion we had breakfast and Bob and Gary were off to meet with the Bishop while Lois and I were off to KEMPS for the first time. It was really exciting to see the school for the first time. We were greeted by Gayle (the current teacher from MNYS) and Joyce (the head teacher). We soon were meeting other teachers, volunteers, and touring the school grounds. (I will need to spend quite a few other posts just talking about KEMPS and all that I learn about it.) The preschool, Standard 1, and Standard 2 students all greeted us as we entered, "Good morning, teacher," or "Good morning, teacha" as many of the younger students say. They also greeted us with songs and a few questions.

While I don't know much about the school yet, one thing is certain to prove true as has been shared with me by all the past and current teachers from MNYS I have talked to, it is the children that make this place so special. They really are wonderful, and I've only spent two days with them. I had quite a few students from Standard 2 ask me, "Teacha, when will you teach our class?" or "Teacha, will you teach us tomorrow?" They are beautiful, and I'm really excited to have the opportunity to work with and learn from them.

To update you all on when I will begin teaching, it is much earlier than I last thought. I will likely be finishing up my time with the MNYS staff and then possibly on Tuesday of next week observing classrooms. Perhaps I will be teaching a few classes the following week. I'm not sure yet. Gayle reassured me that Joyce will completely support me in whatever it is I decide. I know I have the full support of the MNYS as well as I decide what will work best. I will likely go to Morogoro sometime around the end of the year then.

But back to KEMPS! We were officially welcomed to the school by a wonderful presentation by the children. Several choirs sang songs and presented traditional dances for us. And even Pastor Mills, Bishop Rimbo, and I were invited to join in on the dance. I have no doubt we looked great. Haha :) It was a joyous celebration, and we were even presented Tanzanian clothing. Now I at least have one shirt to wear to school.

After our tour and the great presentation we were off to my house. Just saying my house sounds strange, but it was exciting to see if for the first time. We did a quick walk-through to try to determine what else would be needed and on the way out I was handed the keys. I even met my neighbors for the first time! There is much change, and I have a lot to learn, but I am looking forward to all that is to come.

I spent much of Friday, then, finding all the things I would need for my house. Gayle, Gary, and I explored the market and stores of Bukoba, trying to find everything I might need. Of course, I've never had my own house before much less an apartment and it's in another country, so I wasn't quite sure what I all needed. I think we did pretty well though. We picked up a lot of things and Gary reassured me that if I needed anything after he left to make sure I get it. I hope to move in sometime Sunday or maybe Monday. I still need to get a few things including some food.

In the evening, we had a nice reception at the ELCT Hotel in Bukoba. Although we have been welcomed quite a few times by everyone we have met, this was an opportunity for the NWD to officially welcome us. Both the current and past bishops were present as well as many people from the NWD. It was a great opportunity to meet more people from the diocese as well as be received officially. Bukoba is a great place and quickly becoming my new home. I look forward to sharing more with you later.

arusha

2009-07-21T23:16:00.001+03:00

First of all, remember that time I blew all of the outlets in my room? That was pretty awesome. I'm back up and running already though. I just misread something that I thought said 110/220. Right...

Today we spent most of our time in Arusha. It was interesting to finally see the city. Quite a few groups who come through Tanzania stay in Arusha. There are plenty of volunteer organizations, larger buildings, places to stay, and yes, tourism. I really wonder what a person's perspective of Tanzania would be if they only visited Arusha and went on what many call a 'safari.' I'm afraid they may miss out on much of the beauty of Tanzania. This city is certainly a part of the country and it's not to say all the work done here is any less valuable than that done in other parts of the country; I just think it is different.

Gary, Lois, Bob and I had a great day today. Those are the three others who I am traveling with. All three are from the Metropolitan New York Synod (MNYS) who is supporting me. Gary is a pastor who spends much of his time abroad and will be my main contact in New York. Lois is a teacher in New York and is on the companion synod committee for the relationship in Tanzania and is married to Bob who is the current bishop of the MNYS. It's been nice traveling with a smaller group and one that has all been to Tanzania multiple times.

We began the day visiting the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) headquarters. We dropped off some equipment for a hospital here and met Bob and JMe Lowden who are the

ELCA Regional Representatives to East Africa-Tanzania and Rwanda (or so their card tells me ;)). They will be one of my main contacts in Tanzania and I will be meeting with them along with other volunteers in Tanzania and Rwanda in October for a retreat. It was fun to look at the map of Tanzania and see volunteers who I know.

Also exciting and related to people I know, I ran into an old friend in Arusha. We decided to go out for tea and Bob and JMe said they were going to ask some friends to come along with us. Turns out, one of the people I studied with in Morogoro, Harold, now lives and works in Arusha and had tea with us. It was crazy. I didn't think I would be seeing him again so soon. The world can be small at times.

In the afternoon we visited Mwangaza which is an ELCT organization that works solely with education in various forms in Tanzania. It was great to visit and see another resource I could utilize. They provide training and resources for teachers in all 20 Tanzanian dioceses. They also have programs specifically for women as well as congregations. It sounds like they are very busy training teachers, holding conferences, evaluating schools, and evaluating curriculum and methodology.

Tomorrow we are off to Bukoba. Unlike what I thought earlier, we are not taking the ferry across Lake Victory but rather flying over it. Unfortunately I don't get to experience that quite yet. ;) I'm sure I will have my chance, however. We will be flying tomorrow afternoon to Mwanza and then to Bukoba. I am very excited to finally have a chance to meet the other teachers and especially the students at KEMPS. Also, as another update, I will be teaching much earlier than I thought. Perhaps it will be as early as next week. I will likely be spending the next days being introduced to KEMPS, visiting other ministries of the Northwestern Diocese, moving into my house, and getting ready to teach. I hope to have some time to really work on that last part because it is approaching quickly. Some of this will be determined by Joyce, the head teacher as well. So, an update will be due as soon as I know more.

I think I could use some sleep for now as it is a little past 11:00 here. (Add eight hours in case you were wondering.)

Usiku mwema.

new beginnings

2009-07-21T17:53:00.002+03:00

From the Amsterdam airport:

Wow. It's hard to believe it is really here. I've been thinking about this opportunity for weeks and months…really almost since I returned from Tanzania last August. And suddenly, it's here. There is some part of it all that still seems a little surreal. Although I have no doubt that soon enough it will be very real as my feet hit that red soil again.

To hit on lighter note before I get into what I am feeling, I should share about my first flight. I really never discovered any type of order associated with the madness of check-in and security. I arrived at JFK around 1:00 and proceeded to check-in. The process appeared pretty standard--check yourself in at the self check-in and check your bags. However, there really were no lines and a Northwest employee would randomly come up to people after they checked in and provide baggage tags. I figure my luggage will make it to Tanzania at least by the new year. ;)

After that I enjoyed the long wait for security and the upset people complaining about how they were going to miss their flights (and some did--that was a nice scene). I made it through fine and was off to find my next surprise: JKF decided it would be a great plan to have two flights leaving at the same exact time to board at the same gate. How this made sense, I'm not quite sure. They likely wanted people to have a variety of options. Amsterdam, LA...maybe another surprise. Perhaps this was all part of a plan to help me get back into the more relaxed and sometimes seemingly unorganized parts of Tanzanian culture.

I did decide to stick with my original flight, although I'm sure both destinations would have been quite similar. :) Our flight was actually not very full at all. It was a small international airplane (just three seats on each side of the isle), and I enjoyed an entire row to myself. This provided for some nice room to spread out and sleep a bit. Leaving at 16:00 Eastern Time and arriving at 5:30 in Amsterdam after a seven hour flight will throw off the sleep schedule a bit. And while the smaller flight didn't have personal movie players like many longer, international flights, Northwest did not disappoint. The first movie they played? Seventeen Again. What a treat.

Arusha update:

We arrived at Kilimanjaro airport at around 20:00 after our 7 hour flight to Amsterdam and 8.5 hour flight to Tanzania. Since my work visa will take anywhere between 4 to 6 months I needed to get a tourist visa to enter the country. Normally, this is a long process and people are asked a lot of questions, but I had one in probably less than five minutes. Granted, I'm sure it helped that I had everything filled out, but I wasn't even asked one questioned and my passport was stamped and I was on my way.

From the airport we headed to Arusha to stay for the night. We are staying quite comfortably at a hotel in the city. We spent the day in the city, but I will have to write about that later as I am soon off to dinner with the ELCA Regional Representatives to East Africa. I'll report back later.

Ndiyo, nitarudi!

2009-03-16T19:06:00.005+03:00

Yes, I will return.

Months after I finding out about an amazing opportunity to teach at an elementary school in Tanzania and weeks after receiving an offer to take such an option, I am now returning to Tanzania. The decision was made on February 16. It's hard to even believe now after accepting the job, but I am truly excited for the chance to see loved ones again and connect my passion of teaching, faith, and Tanzania. It's been a whirlwind of events, but this is how it all happened:

When I was in Tanzania, I met a woman from New York who was teaching at the Kibeta English Medium Primary School in Bukoba. Gayle overheard that I was an education major informed me of the need for another teacher and got me in contact with the Metropolitan New York Synod (MNYS) of the ELCA.
I emailed and talked to Connie Duever, assistant to the bishop of MNYS, to figure out whether or not it was something I was interested in.
I decided it sounded like an amazing fit and put together a resume, requested recommendation letters, and filled out an application.
An interview was scheduled for January 31 in New York.
I was interviewed by a great committee and offered the position three days later.
After much consideration, I accepted the job on February 16.

When I left Tanzania, I knew I would return, but I didn't know I would have the chance to this soon. Now that I've accepted the job I know that I will be leaving July 20th from New York for Bukoba. I will be traveling with a team from MNYS which will give me a chance to meet various people from the school and the Northwestern Diocese. It will give me a chance to settle in a bit and get somewhat acquainted to where I will be staying. MNYS will be providing me a house to stay in for the duration of my time there which is located close to the school. I can't wait to see what the new area of Tanzania looks like.

After about two weeks in Bukoba, I will be headed back to Morogoro where I stayed this summer and will again study Swahili. I will be able to stay in the same place, revisit old friends, and even hopefully travel around with Pastor Hafermann again. It would be an amazing opportunity to see some familiar villages and people again. I felt so connected to the community there along with my faith and hope to capture that again. It will be an opportunity for growth and renewal.

Once I'm finished with a six- to eight-week language course, I will be going back to Bukoba to live and observe and substitute teach at KEMPS until I start full time in January. It will be a nice opportunity to ease my way into the school. I'm there to add to the teaching staff, but first I need to learn from the teachers there. I've learned a lot of great things through experiences and my current student teaching placement, but Tanzania will be a new teaching setting for me. I'm looking forward to expanding my ways of thinking and teaching.

Tanzania is a place I love so check back again for another update. I will likely write more about the school and what I'll be doing. I'll eventually get you directions so you can stop by whenever you'd like too. :)

Furaha na faraja.

To Tanzania again?

2008-12-08T23:47:00.004+03:00

It's been months now since I last wrote and even now Tanzania is still on my mind. I think that is evident in my conversations, thoughts, and dreams. Regardless of what I do, I find it hard to not make a reference to my time there or compare life here with life there. It's been an interesting contrast coming back to the States after staying in Tanzania for a short three months.

As I eluded to in a previous post, I would likely figure out more and more what I learned and experienced in Tanzania months after leaving. That has certainly proved true. Every day I seem to discover more of what I learned and how it has affected me. Yet still, it should be known that although I have a global mind I have a humble heart. Just because I have been to Tanzania does not mean I have any better understanding of the world than any other person; for me, it just means that I have a slightly different outlook at times. Even others who went to Tanzania with me and who are there now all experienced many of the same yet entirely different images, people, and feelings and all have different outlooks.

With that said, I wanted to reflect a bit more on some of the hardest things for me returning to the US of A. I think first and foremost the idea of the American Dream has baffled and bothered me most. I struggle when I drive and walk through various neighborhoods and see homes so large you wonder if they could possibly even visit every part in a day. And yet that is what we strive for. We strive to have a big house, a nice car, a great job, and live comfortably. The problem is, why is happiness and comfort associated so closely with large sums of money? I am torn between living a simple lifestyle as is found in Tanzania and a life of want.

We seem to have this idea here that what is mine is mine. I believe it makes it a lot easier to forget the homeless and hungry as you figure out what to do with the extra rooms and unused space in your house when you believe you "earned" it. Up to this point I'm not sure how much I've really earned. I have worked hard where I have been but also recognize my placement. I was fortunate to have a decent high school education, be able to choose my college, and now, hopefully find a good job. If all people could really do that and really follow that dream, maybe there would be something we have earned. But until it is that easy (which I don't predict seeing in this lifetime), we need to remember all of those around us.

It's interesting that right now our greatest concern is a system in which we created to have some value. It's hard to believe we are so wrapped up around money when it was something that we just created. At the same time we need it to live. But what do we need to live? Tanzania in recent years was one of the ten poorest countries in the world while in many ways did not seem evident to me while I was there. People lived within their means and were happiest with the people around them and community. I would be much happier leaving this world with a multitude of friends and loving relationships than a large sum of money which really holds no value.

To get to the title of this blog, I am considering returning to Tanzania. It may be next year or in ten years, but at some point I will return. Specifically, I am looking at a teaching position in Bukoba in the northwestern part of TZ on Lake Victoria. I would teach at an English medium primary school for two years or longer and be supported through the ELCA and Metropolitan New York Synod. Granted, I haven't even interviewed or be offered a position yet, but given the opportunity, it would be wonderful to return. I think there is still a great deal I can learn from the Tanzanian people, especially children. In a recent conversation with Weston Noble, I told him my desire to teach elementary school. He was full of joy to hear that desire and said, "I can tell you will love the children first." That is what I hope to do--love children and all people around me.

Even after months away from Tanzania and at this point in my life, I certainly am far from having all or many of the answers. I may or may not be returning to Tanzania soon and am not really sure where I will be in the near future. Either way, I am thankful to have some time to reflect once again on my time in TZ. My prayer is that God will lead me to where I need to go at the right time and have the opportunity to love children first. I am thankful to almost be finished with my last semester of classes and soon to be student teaching. More importantly, it has been wonderful having such amazing people surrounding and supporting me.

Umoja na upendo.

Hair

2008-09-03T07:25:00.002+03:00

Vote now friends. Here it is:

What I Can’t Take Back

2008-07-21T12:36:00.002+03:00

The end to my three months in Tanzania has come surprisingly fast. This past week has been clouded by feelings hard to describe. And that is what this final post is about, that which is hard to describe. Many people I meet in Tanzania ask me, “What will you take back?” or “What will you tell people about Tanzania?” As I’ve pondered the question I’ve only come to realize that what I want to take back I cannot and what I would like to tell people I am unable.

My time here, in a lot of ways, has been divided into phases or chapters. I started off my first month with 12 fellow students and friends. It seems forever ago when we went to the orphanage, I had Tyler as a neighbor, or I smelled the ever present smoke of Gale Bonsall. I quickly learned solidarity with the poor when I experienced my own strand of malaria as I laid in Zanzibar. And I said a quick goodbye to my friends uncertain of what was to come next.

I returned to LJS to start my second chapter of life here, language school. For two and a half weeks I found success and frustration as I tried to further my language skills. I became even closer to the teachers in conversations, tea time, and singing songs outside my door. My language skills lead me to be able to hold some conversations, fully introduce myself at church services, understand most of one sermon and parts of others, and be in on a joke or two. Of course I still have my frustrations and desire to learn more, but I’m glad I at least accomplished what I did with three weeks of study.

Chapter 3 started after leaving the language school and I was thrown around with various teams to many villages. I did an immensely diverse amount of things including building, translating (haha)/working triage, attending meetings, and of course, more village visits. Many days I didn’t know where I was going. During this and the previous chapter I grew close to many people only to have to say goodbye. Some free time in the afternoons allowed me to go to the orphanage again and see my friends from the secondary school at choir rehearsal. I watched football matches and stayed up late talking to Andi and Sue.

Then, my journey led me to longer travels. Chapter 4 led me to the Pare Mountains to see old friends, days off at the seminary, and the marathon weekend. During this time I further learned how to fully introduce myself, had success in conversations and complete failures too. I learned how to say my name in the rest of the world, Ah-rone and not Eh-rin like in the States; sometimes I used Aroni or Haruni (actually Swahili name for Aaron). I saw so many different things during this time including a much different church, traditional dancing, and more of everyday life living with Tanzanians. The end of this chapter has lead to me having to say my goodbyes, to friends of three months and some of three weeks.

To date I’ve been on almost 30 village visits, been called mchungaji (pastor), Aaron (both U.S. and TZ ways), Aroni, mzungu, and the translator, and traveled countless miles. I’ve learned and experience so many things, things which will be hard to truly convey. So how do I answer, “What will you take back?” I don’t really know. I didn’t know what to expect coming here and in a lot of ways don’t know what to expect when I return.

:: THE TANZANIA I LOVE

This is what I can say: every day I meet amazing people, people willing to open up their homes and livelihoods to complete strangers. I have been greeted with not only chai and mandazi (tea and doughnut-like food), but unforgettable smiles, handshakes, and that wonderful phrase, “Karibu sana.” It can only be topped by a choir of women and girls singing and dancing until those watching even grew tired, a group of men chanting and dancing traditional dances, and a resounding chorus of “Bwana asifiwe! Amen!” That is the Tanzania I have grown to love.

Yet no matter what I do, I cannot “take back” the Tanzania I love. How does one bring back the majestic mountains, fields of corn and kasava, and the vast forests? Harder yet, how does one bring back those things which aren’t physical—the love, songs, dances, phrases, greetings, and especially feelings? I can bring back pictures, artifacts and souvenirs, even stories…but even then I think part of me will remain in Tanzania waiting for me to return. And when will that be? I don’t really know. But even if I don’t ever return, I know this experience has changed me. I know some ways now and will learn more as I return home.

So thanks for reading, looking at pictures, open minds and hearts, and your support. See you again soon.

Peace and love.

The Marathon Continues

2008-07-21T09:29:00.000+03:00

With little time left I will finish writing about this past week.

To continue where I left off, we left the village and traveled to Lusani where we would stay for the next three nights. We stayed with a Maasai pastor who is actually the older brother of one of the language school teachers, Moreto.

The five year old church which stood next to the house was one of the larger churches I had seen and brought especially to life by the youth of the congregation. Every evening youth gather at the church to sing (much like in the U.S., right?). Our first night there boys and girls seemed to come from every direction moving toward the church. As we finished dinner the choir had started to sing and soon we were invited inside. The choir proceeded to sing and dance for the next hour straight, not missing a beat. The pastor and evangelists joined right in too. It was an amazing sight and sound as the 50 voices of one of the best choirs I have heard filled the church and every person and place at all close.

The following morning I awoke to the sound of a rooster making sure no one slept past 6 A.M. We ate breakfast (tea and chapati) at a nearby boma and headed to our only service of the day at Lusani A. We had to drive for about 45 minutes yet the choir we had seen the night before walked the long distance to sing. Sure, they were able to take a much more direct route but it wasn’t a walk across the street by any means. It’s an honor to be able to sing.

The service was underway around 1:30 and lasted over 3 hours. There were two choirs who sang quite a few songs and baptisms which stretched it out a bit. At this particular place there were a surprisingly large amount of old men too. A lot of elders from surrounding areas were either Christians or interested in the service.

After the service we walked to a nearby boma for dinner. After we finished eating I was able to witness for the first time women milking the cows. Each one is of course milked by hand and into a calabash which has only a small hole on one end. Milking is a job only for the women and they are said to know every cow. Also, certain cows will not go into ‘fenced’ in area if not all cows are accounted for. This is even more impressive considering some wealthier, older men have one or two thousand head of cows split up among his wives and children.

When we returned we ate again which seemed to happen a lot on this trip. We would eat at a village only to eat again at the next. It was fine with me but I must say I ate a lot of rice during those four days. We were not surprised to see the choir wasn’t gathering at the church to sing after a 1.5 hour concert the night before and long walk to the service that day.

On Tuesday we were going to have a service at the church next to the house but because it was somewhat of an afterthought and not well announced, only a few people were there. Therefore, we left for our second location of the day where I, along with Pastor Hafermann and Luka, really didn’t know where it was at. We drove down numerous “roads” or rather cow paths and even less. Occasionally we stopped to ask people if we were going in the right direction and eventually made it to our stop, Masindani, another Maasai village.

How did end up driving an hour and a half down non-existent roads to a place that none of us knew? It happens like many of the new villages, word of mouth. Maybe one or two people travel from their village to see a church service or maybe an evangelist identifies a village that would like Pastor Hafermann to come. Others just see a changed community want to be a part of it as well. This village had sent a couple of people to another service to ask Pastor Hafermann to come.

With this being the first service, we did a lot more of our usual hurry up and wait. We talked, played with children, ate, walked to another boma, and waited some more. At the other boma we met a Maasai warrior who wanted to be baptized. Also, after some time one of the elders agreed to have his wives and children baptized. Much of what happens is based on the wishes of the elders of a village. Pastor Hafermann said it helps that he, too, is an elder. He has even a greater amount of respect because of it.

Age in Tanzania is thought of much differently than in the U.S. In my experience, I’ve seen old people brushed off as not understanding the current times, forgotten in retirement and nursing homes, or thought of as just plain crazy. And of course there are people who don’t completely understand the world today or rather have a different perspective because they grew up in a much different one 70 years ago or those who tell you some pretty crazy things (though isn’t the world itself pretty crazy?), but I don’t think we have the same amount of respect in the U.S. Anyone older than you is to be greeted with “Shikamoo” and the response is “Marahaba.” It’s just a sign of respect. And I don’t see people trying to hide their age by either saying a different age or changing oneself to look younger; getting older is just a part of life. Also, I’ll likely be a crazy old man some day. :-)

After five hours the service began. Not many people spoke a lot of Swahili as the only school nearby couldn’t keep a teacher for much more than a day. We were really out in the middle of nowhere so when a teacher was assigned to the area (the schools are all run by the government and teachers are assigned by the government as well), he or she was quick to leave again. I realized I was not alone in my not really understanding the sermon or some other parts of the service.

We had to quickly say goodbye as we didn’t want to drive back on a road we didn’t know in the dark. We made it back safely and decided against another service as it was already quite late. We sat around talking thanks to an almost full moon (no electricity) and went to sleep to prepare for an early morning.

The following day we left around 7:00 and were back to the seminary by 10:15. I was thankful to be home again but especially thankful to have experienced so many new things, even after three months of living here. As I went to chai and was greeted by a lot of my friends happy to see we had made it back. This is a great place to be.