Sunday, September 26, 2010
Month One: DONE!!
August 29, 2010
I spent the last few days away from my village and although I had a very good first week it was really nice to hang-out with Americans, talk in English, and be with my friends. I did some shopping at the safi duka (shop, they sell oatmeal there) and went to the internet café and got to use real high speed internet, I almost thought I was back in the states for a minute. At night we all went to the bar together and sat around drinking and talking. It was a lot of fun. It was also really nice because since I don’t have network at the moment at my house I was able to talk to my siblings and family and catch up. This made my week because I love talking to them and hearing about what is going on, especially because it is usually hilarious.
Tomorrow I head back to my village and I am a little sad, not because it is bad, only because it is so unfamiliar and foreign still. I am going to have to go back into awkward mode and putting myself out there. If y’all saw me now, you would not recognize me because I actually go up and talk to people and make small talk, introducing myself and asking them tons of questions. I am a whole new person in TZ, but only here, I plan to keep conversations short in the USA.
Also we made banana bread and gingered carrot soup for dinner. It was delicious, who knew you could make such wonderful food here. Now I just need to remember that this stuff can all be made in my village by me.
August 30, 2010
It is my first day back at site and I was dreading it the entire day, Randi and Paul were really excited to get back, but me I was just scared and not ready to leave electricity and running water. Along with I had just watched It is Always Sunny in Philadelphia and this was a bad idea because this made me desperately miss home. But after arriving home, I went around the village and met with one of the women’s groups and I instantly felt better. I am ok again, it just stinks that I am so far removed from everyone. I had bought a different network card hoping that I would be able to talk inside my house but this didn’t work.
I am working on my house and making it a home which in the past I have not been very good at, but I figure if I can make this house something comfortable and something I want to come home to, this will instantly make life a ton better. My friend Jessica came over today and helped me wash and clean my floors which were caked in dust. I don’t think she thinks I can clean.
September 1, 2010
Today I am officially on the Zain plan which is wonderful. For $10 a month I can talk to all the other PCV’s for free and I get 100 free texts which is wonderful so now when I am having a bad day or a good day for that matter I can call someone. Granted I still have to walk to get network but at least I can talk to people now and not have to worry about my prepaid minutes running out. Apparently Alberta was more like TZ than I expected.
I think I understand people and then I find out that what they said is completely different from what I thought. Today I waited around almost the entire day waiting for the Fundi (carpenter) to come to fix my door. I come to find out that what was actually happening was we were going to his house at dinnertime. Not a big deal though because I caught up on some reading about the village and washed my walls because tomorrow I am going to begin to paint them. I am doing my bedroom purple and blue, hopefully those 2 colors look good together.
I also made naan bread today. I think it turned out all right, it was edible anyway. I think I am going to have to work on this. I also was visited by the counterpart of the last volunteer, he doesn’t speak that much English but he at least knows the ideas behind PC so I am going to go and talk to him tomorrow. He lives in the next village over, so I will be visiting one of the sub villages.
I am not sure how I am going to deal with the amount of people that expect me to have loads of cash and presents ready to give away at any minute. I understand that I come from a very wealthy country compared to here, but still. I keep trying to explain to people that I am here to help they understand and learn about the environment, that I only get a living allowance and am suppose to live like the typical Tanzanian but they still keep asking. I usually try to laugh it off but sometimes it is hard when they continue to ask. If they only knew that I am probably poorer than them. Thank you college.
September 3, 2010
Today I taught my first day of class at the secondary school, I was beyond scared to teach because I have never taught to kids before (let alone in another language) and I hate speaking in front of people, I would rather be in the back. It went great. I talked about soil erosion and the climate of TZ. I loved it and was actually impressed at the amount of knowledge I knew about soil erosion. I know I am a dork but I love talking about the environment and it is so much more exciting when you are talking in a different language. Although I am still sure that although this information is useful to the people of TZ, I still will not be able to communicate with Tanzanians in Kiswahili because all of my vocab will consist of is environmental words.
I also baked my first banana bread today and started my first jiiko (charcoal stove) by myself today. I almost was not able to do it. I really don’t like this not having a table and cooking on the floor stuff. My body was not built for this. But after 2 ½ hours of cooking and trying to light the jiko (a lot of Kerosene was used) I was somewhat successful. The bread is edible at least which is good. I need to learn to have more patience and not want to do everything so fast. It is actually quite hard to try and fill your day up with things to do in a small village besides talk to people. Which would be fine except I am still very limited in my communication and really am not good at small talk in any language. I can only ask if you are married, how many kids you have, and what you cooked for lunch so many times.
I also taught the kids hopscotch today. I think they really liked it. They and actually the adults had a little trouble at first which I was surprised about it because all you do is hop but they got the hang of it after awhile and loved it. Besides having all of this free time, I also have a lot of silence which I need to learn is okay. It is weird being able to hear yourself think all day long, some days I am really sick of myself but I guess with all this time and silence I might be able to figure out the rest of my life or atleast the next step but probably I will just read a book and continue to put my future off. At the moment I am thinking Tahoe with Hannah or Steamboat with Andrew would be great.
Also I just finished UP and the old man in the movie reminds me so much of Grandpa Preston it is unbelievable (Stephi and Hannah I think you would agree).
September 4, 2010
Today I washed my floors which I have found is really hard without a mop, I probably will have back problems by the time I leave here but it was a good workout anyways and now my house is clean. I also climbed my little mountain today. I only went halfway up but the view was amazing and it was so beautiful. I see a lot of that mountain in my future. I also get service up there which is a huge plus so I might possibly be skyping from the top of the mountain if everything goes as planned. Which is actually kind of cool I think if it works. I think it would definitely make for a good story.
I also opened my first coconut today. It was so hard, I really thought I was going to kill myself or atleast loose a finger but then it opened perfectly. But of course the coconut was still hard to get out of the shell. I don’t think this is going to be a normal shopping item. I also saw one of the women in the village cleaning a chicken, the amount of time and energy needed to clean it amazes me. I dabbled with the idea of telling them about the KFC chickens but figured that it would be better when I can actually communicate. Which I have still found to be quite difficult. Today I was talking about Bailey doggers because they asked if we had pets in American and instead of saying he died I said he was married which made for quite an interesting conversation.
September 7, 2010
I started reading this book called “My Gorilla Journal” by Helen Attwater it is all about Africa and how this lady moved to the Congo with her boyfriend to take care of orphan monkeys. It is interesting to read because she is describing almost exactly how I feel at times. Wishing I was home in the US and then at the same time so happy that I am here. It is so weird these highs and lows, but I find that as long as I keep busy everything is fine, so I have a feeling that I am going to have a lot of projects so I don’t have a lot of time to think.
I walked around the village today and talked with people again, I am not sure if my Kiswahili is getting any better but atleast I am trying and people can see that I am trying. One of the boys I talked to today knew English so he gave me some lessons. This is what he taught me in Kiswahili:
1. Refusing and wanting at the same time
2. To live long is to see much
3. Follow bees that you may eat honey
4. The cock crowing saying my boy is far away.
Not sure what I am going to do with these sayings yet or when I will ever have the chance to use them, but he was nice enough. The random things that people know in English astounds me, it is all so random and useless. They will be talking about food and then randomly bring up some organic chemistry or physics. And when this happens I am supremely lost because why on earth would you go from talking about food to talking about physics. That just is not natural.
I made my first fresh baked bread today. It took me ½ hour to prepare the dough and an 1 hour to light the Jiiko. I am not sure I will ever get the hang of it, everyone else makes it look so easy but every time I try and light it I almost burn my face off, If I make it out of TZ without a burnt face or hair I will be utterly surprised.
September 8, 2010
Today I went to one of the subvillages and introduced myself to some of the villagers and at the same time asked some questions about the village. It is weird that people are not busy all the time, Tanzanians look like they have all the time in the world. Which I guess they do, they live a more simplified life, one which I am finding harder and harder to adjust to. I like being overly busy and a workaholic it is really hard to be one here. It is also really hard to remember that this is going to be my life for the next 2 years. I am still thinking of this as strictly a job and school related which is not good. I need to build relationships that are not always focused on work. This is again going to be hard to do but I am going to try my best.
I made crepes with a tomatoes sauce today and it was amazing, even more amazing that I did this all while on the floor. I cannot wait until I have furniture, cooking on a table might be one of the simple joys in the world. I do think that me living in Houghton without furniture and on a blow up mattress got me more ready for this adventure than I thought. In reference to cooking I think I am going to try and make periogi’s (they butchered the name, it made me cringe when I saw how they spelled it in the PC COOK BOOK) here. There is a recipe in my cookbook and I figure I have a lot of time to perfect it. Hopefully they turn out, I am not going to start trying until I get a table first though.
I also think I am starting an addiction to sugar, before TZ I hardly ever ate sugar or added it to my food but now I add A LOT to everything. I ventured out again into the village today and found that a lot of villages indulge in the occasional alcoholic beverage as well. I talked to a few grandmas and grandpa with too tight of shoes.
September 9, 2010
So what happens when you respond with TAK to everything Ndiyo in Kiswhaili (YES) you end up walking for almost 6 hours straight. And I thought I was just going to this cute old man’s farm. I was probably the farthest from the truth. We started out by walking around the mountain and ended up looking at hay fields. We then continued to walk around another mountain where I found that they have electricity, really wish I lived on that side. After this we ended up in the town which I thought was the complete other way and talked to the Livestock Institute about my being in the area and possible collaboration. At this point I was ready to fall over, but then we met this scientist who is interested in collaboration and ended up at his house for lunch which was great especially because he spoke English we then preceded with our journey home which was another 2 ½ hours. I don’t think I have ever walked this much without going hiking. And I am pretty sure we walked around 2 full mountains today and there some of the worst gullies I have ever seen. I have to say it is amazing how much water can do for an area, it was so green on the other side of the mountain. On top of being the most tired I have ever been in TZ so far I think that I am probably the most dirty and dusty I have ever been, even after bathing I am still covered. A bucket bath sure doesn’t beat a hot shower.
Also when we went to this scientists house it was liking walking into the USA. He has electricity, a fridge, dvd player, ect. I didn’t know what to do with myself. It was really weird because I haven’t seen any of that stuff or technology in general in 3 months. It is funny that any time I talk to someone they all asked how I am surviving without electricity, even the teachers at the school. The lack of electricity doesn’t really bother me it is more of the sketchy cell service and lack of internet. I didn’t realize how much I love the internet or the amount of time I used to spend on it. I love it because everything you could possible want to know about anything is at your finger tips I really miss being able to look up random things or find the answers instantly. But I don’t really miss tv that much.
September 12, 2010
This last weekend I went into town because I just couldn’t stay in the village any longer. I am still working on making my house nice and as of right now I still have no furniture and I have to say it just doesn’t make staying home enjoyable. So I went into town and stayed with my friend Claire who is from Scotland. She is really cool. It was great because all we did was hangout and cook and I got to use electricity and watch tv. We watched Miss TZ which was hilarious. The program looked like something we could have produced in 8th grade film production it was horrible but still nice to watch. I also watched more of It’s always Sunny in Philly and I love the show even more now. It is so funny, if you haven’t seen it you need to start watching it. I am getting less homesick although the transition (sitting on the bus and waiting to leave to come back to the village) is still pretty painful. But once I got back home I was fine, although while on the bus I was on the verge of tears which I am not sure why because I like my village and feel great when I am here (most of the time). I did decorate a little more when I got home which made me feel a little better and I think it is starting to look better. I also got to talk to my parents which was amazing, even extra amazing since they didn’t know that I was going to have service.
Also I have another animal issue in my house. For the past week I have been finding pellets of poop on the floor but that is it, I never hear anything or see anything only the poop. So I of course have been discussing this with my friends and they all keep telling me you must have a rat or a mouse. And I keep telling them I know the difference between that poop. (Large rodent incident of fall/ winter 2008) Today I finally saw it, it being a lizard that is about 3 times the size of Gonzo the Gecko. I think we have an understanding though, that as long as he stays out of sight I will continue as normal. I just hope he doesn’t wake me up in the middle of the night too.
RANDOM INFO: I am living in the Dodoma region in a village of about 5000 people. My friend Paul lives a few villages over and is about a 2 hour walk. Paul is from Oregon and spent 2 years living in Vietnam. Randi (girl) lives about a 3 hour bus ride away. She is from a tiny town in Washington and probably has one of the best laughs I have heard. Paul, Randi, and me are all environmental volunteers and have not electricity or running water. We also have very sketchy cell service which makes communication hard. In our banking town Yue and Claire live. Yue is from California and is a education volunteer and Claire is a education VSO volunteer from Scotland. It is really nice that Yue and Claire live in town because then I have a place to retreat to that has running water and electricity and the closest thing to an American home that I think I am going to find in Dodoma.
September 14, 2010
As usual you can sit around and wait for something or someone to show up and no one ever does but the minute you start doing something, you get the knock on the door. This of course happened to me today, which was fine. I talked for a while with this girl about the previous volunteer and what she was is interested in, but then my stomach starting hurting and I was just trying to get her to leave because guess what I have diarrhea. Wonderful, first time in TZ which is probably a record within my group of friends.
But anyways, I started reading “EAT, LOVE, PRAY” (Jenna you should be really happy about this, but I think that I am going to finish it in less than a week unlike someone I know who took what seemed like forever, also I met someone else who read People of the Book and I explained to her how I haven’t read it but heard a lot of it because of your i-pod on random) and so far I am loving it. I just finished the part about Italy and it makes me miss Italy, although I am not sure why, I think it is because I miss my mom and Hannah more than actually Italy because I don’t even like Italian food. Although I did make spaghetti here because it is faster than rice. But anyways so far I really really like it. It is also weird though because she talks about her relationship with her sister and how in her early years they weren’t very friendly and how now she couldn’t imagine her life without her. Which maybe because I am here and realizing what and who is important, but I know that now I cannot either imagine my life without Stephi and Hannah in it. (weird considering Hannah and me used to never get along, we couldn’t even be in the same room together).
September 15, 2010
I finished reading “”Eat, Love, Pray” and really enjoyed it. It makes me want to write a book about my experience here in Tanzania but then I remember that I hate writing and that I am a terrible writer. So this blog is the closest thing that I will ever get to writing a book, which is fine for me. Also this makes me think that I might like to try meditation since I of course have the time, but then I think that would leave me even more time with my own thoughts and I really don’t like it when I have a lot of time to think. Nothing good ever comes of it, but on the other hand it might be good and actually help me and bring my thoughts together and away from home. So I might try it, I am still talking myself into it at the moment if you haven’t noticed.
Today I went to practice my Swahili with a pair of form 4 (senior) students. It was so funny, they learn English a very interesting way and therefore talk very differently from what I am use too. But it was still very good it is nice to talk in Swahili and English. They lectured me on the history of Africa and explained the key factors as to why Europe wanted Africa. It made me laugh, I felt like I was in History class again. Of course we also talked about drinking in the USA, marriage, sex, and HIV. The 4 things that villagers seem to love to talk about the most.
We also have no clinic here, but once a month the hospital comes to town. It was crazy to see all these women waiting to have their children weighed. They weigh them on a scale with a hook, so the baby hangs from the hook, I thought half the babies were going to fall off it. I also learned to make Ugali (thick porridge made with cornflour) today which the villagers were really happy about but I still don’t think that I will ever make it. Maybe in the USA so that everyone can try it and see what they have been missing in TZ but I am pretty sure that you are all going to agree that it should stay in TZ. I also spent today walking very slowly back and forth around my house today and found that if I stand really still in one spot that I can get service sometimes which made me feel good, so at least if I really need to talk to someone I will be able to in the privacy of my own home. Just me and what I have so far counted as 2 lizards and more ants than I care to count, but at least the ants are really small and they lizards can eat them.
September 16, 2010
Another way to kill yourself or seriously injure your mouth would be eating sugarcane. Especially when the only way to cut it is with a machete. The kids really got a laugh out of me trying to cut the sugar cane. I also thought that sugar cane could help with a diet because if you really want to eat it, you are going to have to really work to actually eat it. So it might be a good snack for the future if I can master the machete. I also was thinking today how annoyed I get when all the little kids laugh at me when I am trying to do something or just talking in general and I would like to think that if it was reversed that I would not laugh but I am pretty sure that I would respond the same way that they are and have so I cannot be too mad. I also have started listening to podcasts. Funny the first podcast on the list was grow houses and the amount of energy they use. Which if you were wondering is 6 times the normal amount a household uses. Funny I have no electricity and people in California are using more than their fair share, they also use absurd amounts of water. I also have to admit, although I still don’t know that much Kiswahili, I still love it when people talk to me and expect that I won’t understand. Especially when they are just greeting me. Come on people I definitely know how to greet by now, both in Kiswahili and Kigogo if you were wondering. Someone also asked me today what tribe I was from, how do you explain America without the vocab. I decided to tell them I was German, Irish, and Polish. I think German and Irish they understood but Poland was above them. I also taught them Dzien Dobry because they were talking about how most American’s only know one language. Compared to here were most high school kids know 3 (Kiswahili, Kigogo, and English). Lucky Bastards. I still will take my English and small Polish over theirs any day.
September 18, 2010
I have found the perfect spot in my house that I get a consistent amount of network, so today I had my cell phone on all day and got 2 calls in my house. This the first time that this has ever happened. My dad called and then Andrew, Hannah, and Stephi called from the MSU VS Notre Dame game, I of course am very jealous that they are at the football game and tailgating but it was so nice to talk to them. The funniest part was hearing that Andrew go hit by a car. I would have loved to see this.
Today I cleaned my entire house and did all my laundry and it still doesn’t feel clean. I think I am just going to have to live with the fact that everything is going to be somewhat dirty all the time. Which brings me to washing my clothes. I thought that I was doing a wonderful job of keeping my clothes looking crisp and clean but I am pretty sure the Bebes and mamas have been talking because my friend Jessica came over and showed me how to clean my clothes with a few Bebes stopping by and telling me to add more soap. Then Jessica would explain to them that I don’t know because I have a machine at home. This always gets a laugh out of them. But I do think my clothes do look and smell the cleanest that they have smelled in weeks although I have a feeling it is because of the amount of soap that I think is still in the fabric. I also found out today that my water is very salty which explains why the bar soap looks like clumps in the water. I should have been able to figure this out myself seeing as I am a chemist but it still took Jessica telling me to understand.
Jessica is the head health person of the village which doesn’t really mean that much as I can tell but she has become a good friend to me almost like another mother. She makes sure that everything is taken care of for me and makes sure that things are running smoothly. She comes and checks on me every day and almost always knows before I tell her what I did for the day or what I am going to do the next day. She defiantly reminds me of a mom when she starts cleaning my house and telling me to change my clothes because they are dirty as well as when we are at a meeting she tells me I need to go home now and cook and bath. But I don’t mind it, it is nice to have someone looking out for me. She is 39 and has 4 kids (ages 20, 17, 5, 2) she also told me that she had her kids early at first because she didn’t know about family planning. I really like her and am glad that she is here. I just hope that she is sincere, I think that she is but you never know when you are the white person in the village. But I am hoping for the best and have seen no evidence of the reverse.
September 19, 2010
I am not sure why today I have so much to tell because it wasn’t that interesting or busy of a day but here it goes. I woke up and climbed my mini mountain today. It took me about 1 hour to climb I then spent the next few hours walking around, reading, and sleeping. I loved it and am pretty sure this is going to become somewhat of a regular affair. It was so peaceful up there and there was also no one to bother me which I really liked. You can see forever too, I tried to take pictures but it really doesn’t do the landscape justice. Then when I got home I rested and to a shower and feel the cleanest I have felt in weeks.
And here it goes, so I am talking to a potential counterpart and a group of kids maybe the ages of 15-19 walk over. I figure they just want to say hi but no they have bibles in their hands. And what do they ask me “ if I have been saved.” So as calmly as I can (because this is the one question that angers me more than anything. Why do people ask this question and really is it any of their business. If I wanted to be saved I would have been.) I say that I am Catholic and have been my entire life. He then asks again if I have been saved so I say yes thinking that he will go away. No. No. He calls me a liar and continues to tell me why I need Jesus (this is all in Kiswahili) He then asks if I am French or English and switches to English. After 15 minutes he still wants to save me, not convert me just save me and again I tell him that I don’t need saving, I already have a great relationship with God. This conversation has probably made me the maddest I have been here and over God. How Ironic.
Later I went and talked with the headmaster of the secondary school because I really like talking to him, he teaches geography so we talked about the great lakes and I explained how I could show you where I lived with my hand. We then started to talk about sports and he said that there is a hockey team in Dar. I was surprised but then he said not many Tanzanians play, mostly Indians. So this leads me to believe that he doesn’t know what hockey is and thinks it is cricket. Of course I have to look into this because ya never know. So someone should find out if there is a hockey arena in Dar es Salaam.
I also made rice-a-roni tonight and it was spectacular. I cut up a tomatoes and added some Lawry’s Salt. I think this is one of the best meals I have made so far.
September 20, 2010
Picture this: A mud stage with a DJ on top and 3 huge speakers with 3 men in suit coats that go to their knees, fitted at the arms and a tie that only goes half way down their chest dancing Tanzanian style which to me looked like a drunk man lip syncing to his own music but acting like he is really singing. It was the most bizarre thing I have seen so far and this was all for the Anglican Church. These 3 men were preachers and they were in their 20s. It might just be me but I can’t take someone serious in their early 20s preaching about God. They are going to be here all week so every night I get to watch this bizarre scene take place.
I also made popcorn today and I cannot get all the popcorn to pop all the way but I have mastered the half popped kernel which I love. My teeth don’t enjoy this as much but I love those half popped kernels. Also if I haven’t already told you, before you cook rice you have to search through all of the grains and pick out the rocks. You then have to wash/soak the rice before you cook it. And even after all of this you will still end up with rocks in your rice and bite on the rock. And then think Oh My GOD I think I just broke my mouth. I really hope I come back with all of my teeth.
Furniture is still not here yet and yet again today I waited around thinking that it was going to appear. This makes me so mad thinking about it because I am absolutely positive I understood today but because Tanzanian time is so different this actually means hopefully this week. I really wish this village had cell service so at least I could call and find out the exact time to be home.
September 21, 2010
Scratch that today I saw the Anglican people being cured of their ailments. It was crazy. Bebe’s that couldn’t walk without a stick but now can. I don’t believe it but these people all did. I heard a lot of Amen’s and Alleluias.
So I don’t know if anyone has been wondering about what my day consists of but here it is. I wake up sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 am and then get out of bed between 6:30 and 7. I don’t need an alarm clock because of all the noise from the people moving and the rooster crowing. I then precede to sweep my house and courtyard of all the dirt that has accumulated. Then I take a shower, make some breakfast, and read. I usually get out of the house around 9 and stay out until 1. I then come home cook lunch and read some more and then again at 4 head out of the house until about 6 or 7 pm where again I return to cook, shower, read, and sleep. My days are not that exciting. I usually go out and try and work on Kiswahili and get to know the village some more. Which stinks because the more I learn about it the sadder I get because although there are a lot of good people here, there are also some corrupt and bad people. And it is hard to know who is who, but I am working on it.
I also talked to my friend Kenzi today which was wonderful. She lives in the Iringa region and we talked about PC and how hard it is, but then how awesome it is at times. We are both having a hard time trying to pick a counterpart to work with and have found that it is even harder when the only person you have to bounce ideas off of is yourself so we talked about it, but still didn’t come up with an answer for either of us. She also said that her brother is coming to TZ for 4-6 weeks so he might come and stay with me for a bit, which would be awesome because I love people, especially Americans at the moment. Funny I never thought of myself as a people person but here I definitely do. It is also weird because although I get sad at some parts of the day I am also so happy sometimes my mouth hurts from smiling.
September 22, 2010
I finally have a bed. I am so excited and supposedly my table is coming tomorrow. I already feel better about my house which in turn makes me feel about a hundred times better about my village and what I am doing here. I also had one of those days where you are suppose to be everywhere but can’t. I never understand how one can be so bored one day and then so busy they can hardly see the next. Today I was visited by my WEO (ward executive officer), Paul, and my friend Mathayo. Mathayo is from Kenya and lives in town. He is awesome, he was friends with all of the other PCV’s that lived in the area, so he understands how PC works and actually I think at the moment knows more about the village than I do. I am very lucky to have him here, he is kind of like and older brother looking out for all of us and explaining how things work.
Yesterday and today I had people come and talk to me about corruption and the state of the government and people within the town. This made me really sad and depressed for a bit because as much as I want to help people it is so hard to figure out who the good ones are and who the bad ones are. Hopefully time will tell and I hopefully I am a good judge of character. On another note Paul rented a bike for the month, so yesterday he went into town and of course didn’t lock his bike up. Needless to say it was stolen and now he has to explain to the shopkeeper in Kiswahili that he lost the bike. I feel so bad for him, even worse when I think of him trying to explain what happened in Kiswahili.
Also when you go to the bathroom, you always need to check the water bucket before you go for a cup of water to flush because if you are not careful you will find a lizard swimming in your water. I really thought me and the lizards had an understanding but when I saw him in my water, I freaked out. Both because he couldn’t get out and he strongly resembles a snake, especially when he was swimming. And as most of you know snakes scare me more than anything in the world.
September 23, 2010
I went with the WEO and VEO (government officials) to one of the subvillages today for a meeting only to find out that it had been canceled due to a death in the village. Which was fine, but we went around the whole village saying our condolences and I really thought that we were going to see the actual dead body. So I spent much of the time trying to stay calm and remember that I have seen dead bodies before. Something about Africa just make it seem a lot more scary.
I spent the last few days away from my village and although I had a very good first week it was really nice to hang-out with Americans, talk in English, and be with my friends. I did some shopping at the safi duka (shop, they sell oatmeal there) and went to the internet café and got to use real high speed internet, I almost thought I was back in the states for a minute. At night we all went to the bar together and sat around drinking and talking. It was a lot of fun. It was also really nice because since I don’t have network at the moment at my house I was able to talk to my siblings and family and catch up. This made my week because I love talking to them and hearing about what is going on, especially because it is usually hilarious.
Tomorrow I head back to my village and I am a little sad, not because it is bad, only because it is so unfamiliar and foreign still. I am going to have to go back into awkward mode and putting myself out there. If y’all saw me now, you would not recognize me because I actually go up and talk to people and make small talk, introducing myself and asking them tons of questions. I am a whole new person in TZ, but only here, I plan to keep conversations short in the USA.
Also we made banana bread and gingered carrot soup for dinner. It was delicious, who knew you could make such wonderful food here. Now I just need to remember that this stuff can all be made in my village by me.
August 30, 2010
It is my first day back at site and I was dreading it the entire day, Randi and Paul were really excited to get back, but me I was just scared and not ready to leave electricity and running water. Along with I had just watched It is Always Sunny in Philadelphia and this was a bad idea because this made me desperately miss home. But after arriving home, I went around the village and met with one of the women’s groups and I instantly felt better. I am ok again, it just stinks that I am so far removed from everyone. I had bought a different network card hoping that I would be able to talk inside my house but this didn’t work.
I am working on my house and making it a home which in the past I have not been very good at, but I figure if I can make this house something comfortable and something I want to come home to, this will instantly make life a ton better. My friend Jessica came over today and helped me wash and clean my floors which were caked in dust. I don’t think she thinks I can clean.
September 1, 2010
Today I am officially on the Zain plan which is wonderful. For $10 a month I can talk to all the other PCV’s for free and I get 100 free texts which is wonderful so now when I am having a bad day or a good day for that matter I can call someone. Granted I still have to walk to get network but at least I can talk to people now and not have to worry about my prepaid minutes running out. Apparently Alberta was more like TZ than I expected.
I think I understand people and then I find out that what they said is completely different from what I thought. Today I waited around almost the entire day waiting for the Fundi (carpenter) to come to fix my door. I come to find out that what was actually happening was we were going to his house at dinnertime. Not a big deal though because I caught up on some reading about the village and washed my walls because tomorrow I am going to begin to paint them. I am doing my bedroom purple and blue, hopefully those 2 colors look good together.
I also made naan bread today. I think it turned out all right, it was edible anyway. I think I am going to have to work on this. I also was visited by the counterpart of the last volunteer, he doesn’t speak that much English but he at least knows the ideas behind PC so I am going to go and talk to him tomorrow. He lives in the next village over, so I will be visiting one of the sub villages.
I am not sure how I am going to deal with the amount of people that expect me to have loads of cash and presents ready to give away at any minute. I understand that I come from a very wealthy country compared to here, but still. I keep trying to explain to people that I am here to help they understand and learn about the environment, that I only get a living allowance and am suppose to live like the typical Tanzanian but they still keep asking. I usually try to laugh it off but sometimes it is hard when they continue to ask. If they only knew that I am probably poorer than them. Thank you college.
September 3, 2010
Today I taught my first day of class at the secondary school, I was beyond scared to teach because I have never taught to kids before (let alone in another language) and I hate speaking in front of people, I would rather be in the back. It went great. I talked about soil erosion and the climate of TZ. I loved it and was actually impressed at the amount of knowledge I knew about soil erosion. I know I am a dork but I love talking about the environment and it is so much more exciting when you are talking in a different language. Although I am still sure that although this information is useful to the people of TZ, I still will not be able to communicate with Tanzanians in Kiswahili because all of my vocab will consist of is environmental words.
I also baked my first banana bread today and started my first jiiko (charcoal stove) by myself today. I almost was not able to do it. I really don’t like this not having a table and cooking on the floor stuff. My body was not built for this. But after 2 ½ hours of cooking and trying to light the jiko (a lot of Kerosene was used) I was somewhat successful. The bread is edible at least which is good. I need to learn to have more patience and not want to do everything so fast. It is actually quite hard to try and fill your day up with things to do in a small village besides talk to people. Which would be fine except I am still very limited in my communication and really am not good at small talk in any language. I can only ask if you are married, how many kids you have, and what you cooked for lunch so many times.
I also taught the kids hopscotch today. I think they really liked it. They and actually the adults had a little trouble at first which I was surprised about it because all you do is hop but they got the hang of it after awhile and loved it. Besides having all of this free time, I also have a lot of silence which I need to learn is okay. It is weird being able to hear yourself think all day long, some days I am really sick of myself but I guess with all this time and silence I might be able to figure out the rest of my life or atleast the next step but probably I will just read a book and continue to put my future off. At the moment I am thinking Tahoe with Hannah or Steamboat with Andrew would be great.
Also I just finished UP and the old man in the movie reminds me so much of Grandpa Preston it is unbelievable (Stephi and Hannah I think you would agree).
September 4, 2010
Today I washed my floors which I have found is really hard without a mop, I probably will have back problems by the time I leave here but it was a good workout anyways and now my house is clean. I also climbed my little mountain today. I only went halfway up but the view was amazing and it was so beautiful. I see a lot of that mountain in my future. I also get service up there which is a huge plus so I might possibly be skyping from the top of the mountain if everything goes as planned. Which is actually kind of cool I think if it works. I think it would definitely make for a good story.
I also opened my first coconut today. It was so hard, I really thought I was going to kill myself or atleast loose a finger but then it opened perfectly. But of course the coconut was still hard to get out of the shell. I don’t think this is going to be a normal shopping item. I also saw one of the women in the village cleaning a chicken, the amount of time and energy needed to clean it amazes me. I dabbled with the idea of telling them about the KFC chickens but figured that it would be better when I can actually communicate. Which I have still found to be quite difficult. Today I was talking about Bailey doggers because they asked if we had pets in American and instead of saying he died I said he was married which made for quite an interesting conversation.
September 7, 2010
I started reading this book called “My Gorilla Journal” by Helen Attwater it is all about Africa and how this lady moved to the Congo with her boyfriend to take care of orphan monkeys. It is interesting to read because she is describing almost exactly how I feel at times. Wishing I was home in the US and then at the same time so happy that I am here. It is so weird these highs and lows, but I find that as long as I keep busy everything is fine, so I have a feeling that I am going to have a lot of projects so I don’t have a lot of time to think.
I walked around the village today and talked with people again, I am not sure if my Kiswahili is getting any better but atleast I am trying and people can see that I am trying. One of the boys I talked to today knew English so he gave me some lessons. This is what he taught me in Kiswahili:
1. Refusing and wanting at the same time
2. To live long is to see much
3. Follow bees that you may eat honey
4. The cock crowing saying my boy is far away.
Not sure what I am going to do with these sayings yet or when I will ever have the chance to use them, but he was nice enough. The random things that people know in English astounds me, it is all so random and useless. They will be talking about food and then randomly bring up some organic chemistry or physics. And when this happens I am supremely lost because why on earth would you go from talking about food to talking about physics. That just is not natural.
I made my first fresh baked bread today. It took me ½ hour to prepare the dough and an 1 hour to light the Jiiko. I am not sure I will ever get the hang of it, everyone else makes it look so easy but every time I try and light it I almost burn my face off, If I make it out of TZ without a burnt face or hair I will be utterly surprised.
September 8, 2010
Today I went to one of the subvillages and introduced myself to some of the villagers and at the same time asked some questions about the village. It is weird that people are not busy all the time, Tanzanians look like they have all the time in the world. Which I guess they do, they live a more simplified life, one which I am finding harder and harder to adjust to. I like being overly busy and a workaholic it is really hard to be one here. It is also really hard to remember that this is going to be my life for the next 2 years. I am still thinking of this as strictly a job and school related which is not good. I need to build relationships that are not always focused on work. This is again going to be hard to do but I am going to try my best.
I made crepes with a tomatoes sauce today and it was amazing, even more amazing that I did this all while on the floor. I cannot wait until I have furniture, cooking on a table might be one of the simple joys in the world. I do think that me living in Houghton without furniture and on a blow up mattress got me more ready for this adventure than I thought. In reference to cooking I think I am going to try and make periogi’s (they butchered the name, it made me cringe when I saw how they spelled it in the PC COOK BOOK) here. There is a recipe in my cookbook and I figure I have a lot of time to perfect it. Hopefully they turn out, I am not going to start trying until I get a table first though.
I also think I am starting an addiction to sugar, before TZ I hardly ever ate sugar or added it to my food but now I add A LOT to everything. I ventured out again into the village today and found that a lot of villages indulge in the occasional alcoholic beverage as well. I talked to a few grandmas and grandpa with too tight of shoes.
September 9, 2010
So what happens when you respond with TAK to everything Ndiyo in Kiswhaili (YES) you end up walking for almost 6 hours straight. And I thought I was just going to this cute old man’s farm. I was probably the farthest from the truth. We started out by walking around the mountain and ended up looking at hay fields. We then continued to walk around another mountain where I found that they have electricity, really wish I lived on that side. After this we ended up in the town which I thought was the complete other way and talked to the Livestock Institute about my being in the area and possible collaboration. At this point I was ready to fall over, but then we met this scientist who is interested in collaboration and ended up at his house for lunch which was great especially because he spoke English we then preceded with our journey home which was another 2 ½ hours. I don’t think I have ever walked this much without going hiking. And I am pretty sure we walked around 2 full mountains today and there some of the worst gullies I have ever seen. I have to say it is amazing how much water can do for an area, it was so green on the other side of the mountain. On top of being the most tired I have ever been in TZ so far I think that I am probably the most dirty and dusty I have ever been, even after bathing I am still covered. A bucket bath sure doesn’t beat a hot shower.
Also when we went to this scientists house it was liking walking into the USA. He has electricity, a fridge, dvd player, ect. I didn’t know what to do with myself. It was really weird because I haven’t seen any of that stuff or technology in general in 3 months. It is funny that any time I talk to someone they all asked how I am surviving without electricity, even the teachers at the school. The lack of electricity doesn’t really bother me it is more of the sketchy cell service and lack of internet. I didn’t realize how much I love the internet or the amount of time I used to spend on it. I love it because everything you could possible want to know about anything is at your finger tips I really miss being able to look up random things or find the answers instantly. But I don’t really miss tv that much.
September 12, 2010
This last weekend I went into town because I just couldn’t stay in the village any longer. I am still working on making my house nice and as of right now I still have no furniture and I have to say it just doesn’t make staying home enjoyable. So I went into town and stayed with my friend Claire who is from Scotland. She is really cool. It was great because all we did was hangout and cook and I got to use electricity and watch tv. We watched Miss TZ which was hilarious. The program looked like something we could have produced in 8th grade film production it was horrible but still nice to watch. I also watched more of It’s always Sunny in Philly and I love the show even more now. It is so funny, if you haven’t seen it you need to start watching it. I am getting less homesick although the transition (sitting on the bus and waiting to leave to come back to the village) is still pretty painful. But once I got back home I was fine, although while on the bus I was on the verge of tears which I am not sure why because I like my village and feel great when I am here (most of the time). I did decorate a little more when I got home which made me feel a little better and I think it is starting to look better. I also got to talk to my parents which was amazing, even extra amazing since they didn’t know that I was going to have service.
Also I have another animal issue in my house. For the past week I have been finding pellets of poop on the floor but that is it, I never hear anything or see anything only the poop. So I of course have been discussing this with my friends and they all keep telling me you must have a rat or a mouse. And I keep telling them I know the difference between that poop. (Large rodent incident of fall/ winter 2008) Today I finally saw it, it being a lizard that is about 3 times the size of Gonzo the Gecko. I think we have an understanding though, that as long as he stays out of sight I will continue as normal. I just hope he doesn’t wake me up in the middle of the night too.
RANDOM INFO: I am living in the Dodoma region in a village of about 5000 people. My friend Paul lives a few villages over and is about a 2 hour walk. Paul is from Oregon and spent 2 years living in Vietnam. Randi (girl) lives about a 3 hour bus ride away. She is from a tiny town in Washington and probably has one of the best laughs I have heard. Paul, Randi, and me are all environmental volunteers and have not electricity or running water. We also have very sketchy cell service which makes communication hard. In our banking town Yue and Claire live. Yue is from California and is a education volunteer and Claire is a education VSO volunteer from Scotland. It is really nice that Yue and Claire live in town because then I have a place to retreat to that has running water and electricity and the closest thing to an American home that I think I am going to find in Dodoma.
September 14, 2010
As usual you can sit around and wait for something or someone to show up and no one ever does but the minute you start doing something, you get the knock on the door. This of course happened to me today, which was fine. I talked for a while with this girl about the previous volunteer and what she was is interested in, but then my stomach starting hurting and I was just trying to get her to leave because guess what I have diarrhea. Wonderful, first time in TZ which is probably a record within my group of friends.
But anyways, I started reading “EAT, LOVE, PRAY” (Jenna you should be really happy about this, but I think that I am going to finish it in less than a week unlike someone I know who took what seemed like forever, also I met someone else who read People of the Book and I explained to her how I haven’t read it but heard a lot of it because of your i-pod on random) and so far I am loving it. I just finished the part about Italy and it makes me miss Italy, although I am not sure why, I think it is because I miss my mom and Hannah more than actually Italy because I don’t even like Italian food. Although I did make spaghetti here because it is faster than rice. But anyways so far I really really like it. It is also weird though because she talks about her relationship with her sister and how in her early years they weren’t very friendly and how now she couldn’t imagine her life without her. Which maybe because I am here and realizing what and who is important, but I know that now I cannot either imagine my life without Stephi and Hannah in it. (weird considering Hannah and me used to never get along, we couldn’t even be in the same room together).
September 15, 2010
I finished reading “”Eat, Love, Pray” and really enjoyed it. It makes me want to write a book about my experience here in Tanzania but then I remember that I hate writing and that I am a terrible writer. So this blog is the closest thing that I will ever get to writing a book, which is fine for me. Also this makes me think that I might like to try meditation since I of course have the time, but then I think that would leave me even more time with my own thoughts and I really don’t like it when I have a lot of time to think. Nothing good ever comes of it, but on the other hand it might be good and actually help me and bring my thoughts together and away from home. So I might try it, I am still talking myself into it at the moment if you haven’t noticed.
Today I went to practice my Swahili with a pair of form 4 (senior) students. It was so funny, they learn English a very interesting way and therefore talk very differently from what I am use too. But it was still very good it is nice to talk in Swahili and English. They lectured me on the history of Africa and explained the key factors as to why Europe wanted Africa. It made me laugh, I felt like I was in History class again. Of course we also talked about drinking in the USA, marriage, sex, and HIV. The 4 things that villagers seem to love to talk about the most.
We also have no clinic here, but once a month the hospital comes to town. It was crazy to see all these women waiting to have their children weighed. They weigh them on a scale with a hook, so the baby hangs from the hook, I thought half the babies were going to fall off it. I also learned to make Ugali (thick porridge made with cornflour) today which the villagers were really happy about but I still don’t think that I will ever make it. Maybe in the USA so that everyone can try it and see what they have been missing in TZ but I am pretty sure that you are all going to agree that it should stay in TZ. I also spent today walking very slowly back and forth around my house today and found that if I stand really still in one spot that I can get service sometimes which made me feel good, so at least if I really need to talk to someone I will be able to in the privacy of my own home. Just me and what I have so far counted as 2 lizards and more ants than I care to count, but at least the ants are really small and they lizards can eat them.
September 16, 2010
Another way to kill yourself or seriously injure your mouth would be eating sugarcane. Especially when the only way to cut it is with a machete. The kids really got a laugh out of me trying to cut the sugar cane. I also thought that sugar cane could help with a diet because if you really want to eat it, you are going to have to really work to actually eat it. So it might be a good snack for the future if I can master the machete. I also was thinking today how annoyed I get when all the little kids laugh at me when I am trying to do something or just talking in general and I would like to think that if it was reversed that I would not laugh but I am pretty sure that I would respond the same way that they are and have so I cannot be too mad. I also have started listening to podcasts. Funny the first podcast on the list was grow houses and the amount of energy they use. Which if you were wondering is 6 times the normal amount a household uses. Funny I have no electricity and people in California are using more than their fair share, they also use absurd amounts of water. I also have to admit, although I still don’t know that much Kiswahili, I still love it when people talk to me and expect that I won’t understand. Especially when they are just greeting me. Come on people I definitely know how to greet by now, both in Kiswahili and Kigogo if you were wondering. Someone also asked me today what tribe I was from, how do you explain America without the vocab. I decided to tell them I was German, Irish, and Polish. I think German and Irish they understood but Poland was above them. I also taught them Dzien Dobry because they were talking about how most American’s only know one language. Compared to here were most high school kids know 3 (Kiswahili, Kigogo, and English). Lucky Bastards. I still will take my English and small Polish over theirs any day.
September 18, 2010
I have found the perfect spot in my house that I get a consistent amount of network, so today I had my cell phone on all day and got 2 calls in my house. This the first time that this has ever happened. My dad called and then Andrew, Hannah, and Stephi called from the MSU VS Notre Dame game, I of course am very jealous that they are at the football game and tailgating but it was so nice to talk to them. The funniest part was hearing that Andrew go hit by a car. I would have loved to see this.
Today I cleaned my entire house and did all my laundry and it still doesn’t feel clean. I think I am just going to have to live with the fact that everything is going to be somewhat dirty all the time. Which brings me to washing my clothes. I thought that I was doing a wonderful job of keeping my clothes looking crisp and clean but I am pretty sure the Bebes and mamas have been talking because my friend Jessica came over and showed me how to clean my clothes with a few Bebes stopping by and telling me to add more soap. Then Jessica would explain to them that I don’t know because I have a machine at home. This always gets a laugh out of them. But I do think my clothes do look and smell the cleanest that they have smelled in weeks although I have a feeling it is because of the amount of soap that I think is still in the fabric. I also found out today that my water is very salty which explains why the bar soap looks like clumps in the water. I should have been able to figure this out myself seeing as I am a chemist but it still took Jessica telling me to understand.
Jessica is the head health person of the village which doesn’t really mean that much as I can tell but she has become a good friend to me almost like another mother. She makes sure that everything is taken care of for me and makes sure that things are running smoothly. She comes and checks on me every day and almost always knows before I tell her what I did for the day or what I am going to do the next day. She defiantly reminds me of a mom when she starts cleaning my house and telling me to change my clothes because they are dirty as well as when we are at a meeting she tells me I need to go home now and cook and bath. But I don’t mind it, it is nice to have someone looking out for me. She is 39 and has 4 kids (ages 20, 17, 5, 2) she also told me that she had her kids early at first because she didn’t know about family planning. I really like her and am glad that she is here. I just hope that she is sincere, I think that she is but you never know when you are the white person in the village. But I am hoping for the best and have seen no evidence of the reverse.
September 19, 2010
I am not sure why today I have so much to tell because it wasn’t that interesting or busy of a day but here it goes. I woke up and climbed my mini mountain today. It took me about 1 hour to climb I then spent the next few hours walking around, reading, and sleeping. I loved it and am pretty sure this is going to become somewhat of a regular affair. It was so peaceful up there and there was also no one to bother me which I really liked. You can see forever too, I tried to take pictures but it really doesn’t do the landscape justice. Then when I got home I rested and to a shower and feel the cleanest I have felt in weeks.
And here it goes, so I am talking to a potential counterpart and a group of kids maybe the ages of 15-19 walk over. I figure they just want to say hi but no they have bibles in their hands. And what do they ask me “ if I have been saved.” So as calmly as I can (because this is the one question that angers me more than anything. Why do people ask this question and really is it any of their business. If I wanted to be saved I would have been.) I say that I am Catholic and have been my entire life. He then asks again if I have been saved so I say yes thinking that he will go away. No. No. He calls me a liar and continues to tell me why I need Jesus (this is all in Kiswahili) He then asks if I am French or English and switches to English. After 15 minutes he still wants to save me, not convert me just save me and again I tell him that I don’t need saving, I already have a great relationship with God. This conversation has probably made me the maddest I have been here and over God. How Ironic.
Later I went and talked with the headmaster of the secondary school because I really like talking to him, he teaches geography so we talked about the great lakes and I explained how I could show you where I lived with my hand. We then started to talk about sports and he said that there is a hockey team in Dar. I was surprised but then he said not many Tanzanians play, mostly Indians. So this leads me to believe that he doesn’t know what hockey is and thinks it is cricket. Of course I have to look into this because ya never know. So someone should find out if there is a hockey arena in Dar es Salaam.
I also made rice-a-roni tonight and it was spectacular. I cut up a tomatoes and added some Lawry’s Salt. I think this is one of the best meals I have made so far.
September 20, 2010
Picture this: A mud stage with a DJ on top and 3 huge speakers with 3 men in suit coats that go to their knees, fitted at the arms and a tie that only goes half way down their chest dancing Tanzanian style which to me looked like a drunk man lip syncing to his own music but acting like he is really singing. It was the most bizarre thing I have seen so far and this was all for the Anglican Church. These 3 men were preachers and they were in their 20s. It might just be me but I can’t take someone serious in their early 20s preaching about God. They are going to be here all week so every night I get to watch this bizarre scene take place.
I also made popcorn today and I cannot get all the popcorn to pop all the way but I have mastered the half popped kernel which I love. My teeth don’t enjoy this as much but I love those half popped kernels. Also if I haven’t already told you, before you cook rice you have to search through all of the grains and pick out the rocks. You then have to wash/soak the rice before you cook it. And even after all of this you will still end up with rocks in your rice and bite on the rock. And then think Oh My GOD I think I just broke my mouth. I really hope I come back with all of my teeth.
Furniture is still not here yet and yet again today I waited around thinking that it was going to appear. This makes me so mad thinking about it because I am absolutely positive I understood today but because Tanzanian time is so different this actually means hopefully this week. I really wish this village had cell service so at least I could call and find out the exact time to be home.
September 21, 2010
Scratch that today I saw the Anglican people being cured of their ailments. It was crazy. Bebe’s that couldn’t walk without a stick but now can. I don’t believe it but these people all did. I heard a lot of Amen’s and Alleluias.
So I don’t know if anyone has been wondering about what my day consists of but here it is. I wake up sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 am and then get out of bed between 6:30 and 7. I don’t need an alarm clock because of all the noise from the people moving and the rooster crowing. I then precede to sweep my house and courtyard of all the dirt that has accumulated. Then I take a shower, make some breakfast, and read. I usually get out of the house around 9 and stay out until 1. I then come home cook lunch and read some more and then again at 4 head out of the house until about 6 or 7 pm where again I return to cook, shower, read, and sleep. My days are not that exciting. I usually go out and try and work on Kiswahili and get to know the village some more. Which stinks because the more I learn about it the sadder I get because although there are a lot of good people here, there are also some corrupt and bad people. And it is hard to know who is who, but I am working on it.
I also talked to my friend Kenzi today which was wonderful. She lives in the Iringa region and we talked about PC and how hard it is, but then how awesome it is at times. We are both having a hard time trying to pick a counterpart to work with and have found that it is even harder when the only person you have to bounce ideas off of is yourself so we talked about it, but still didn’t come up with an answer for either of us. She also said that her brother is coming to TZ for 4-6 weeks so he might come and stay with me for a bit, which would be awesome because I love people, especially Americans at the moment. Funny I never thought of myself as a people person but here I definitely do. It is also weird because although I get sad at some parts of the day I am also so happy sometimes my mouth hurts from smiling.
September 22, 2010
I finally have a bed. I am so excited and supposedly my table is coming tomorrow. I already feel better about my house which in turn makes me feel about a hundred times better about my village and what I am doing here. I also had one of those days where you are suppose to be everywhere but can’t. I never understand how one can be so bored one day and then so busy they can hardly see the next. Today I was visited by my WEO (ward executive officer), Paul, and my friend Mathayo. Mathayo is from Kenya and lives in town. He is awesome, he was friends with all of the other PCV’s that lived in the area, so he understands how PC works and actually I think at the moment knows more about the village than I do. I am very lucky to have him here, he is kind of like and older brother looking out for all of us and explaining how things work.
Yesterday and today I had people come and talk to me about corruption and the state of the government and people within the town. This made me really sad and depressed for a bit because as much as I want to help people it is so hard to figure out who the good ones are and who the bad ones are. Hopefully time will tell and I hopefully I am a good judge of character. On another note Paul rented a bike for the month, so yesterday he went into town and of course didn’t lock his bike up. Needless to say it was stolen and now he has to explain to the shopkeeper in Kiswahili that he lost the bike. I feel so bad for him, even worse when I think of him trying to explain what happened in Kiswahili.
Also when you go to the bathroom, you always need to check the water bucket before you go for a cup of water to flush because if you are not careful you will find a lizard swimming in your water. I really thought me and the lizards had an understanding but when I saw him in my water, I freaked out. Both because he couldn’t get out and he strongly resembles a snake, especially when he was swimming. And as most of you know snakes scare me more than anything in the world.
September 23, 2010
I went with the WEO and VEO (government officials) to one of the subvillages today for a meeting only to find out that it had been canceled due to a death in the village. Which was fine, but we went around the whole village saying our condolences and I really thought that we were going to see the actual dead body. So I spent much of the time trying to stay calm and remember that I have seen dead bodies before. Something about Africa just make it seem a lot more scary.
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