Ok...here goes some attempt at framing the last, and without question, the hardest week of my entire life.
I was hoping by the time I got to a computer this story would be funny, but I'm not exactly laughing yet. I'm getting ahead of myself though, let's start at the beginning.
Our swearing-in ceremony was fantastic, if not a little yawn-worthy. I was actually given the privilege of writing a speech with another girl in my class and giving it in Swahili at the ceremony. It was taped so I'll put it on my blog when I can. :) Oh and in case you had any doubt, I looked absolutely fabulous in my yellow,orange,brown checkerprint skirt, shirt, and headwrap. Not as fab as Mama though, naturally. That woman just rocks it night and day. She even bought some new hair for the occassion. (Side note: Sometimes I don't recognize women that I actually have met several times because they're always changing their wigs!!)
Fast forward to that night...VICTORY PARTY. We made it. There was dancing, drinking, and all-around merrymaking. I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't dancing on the bed of a pickup truck at one point in the evening. End scene.
Next morning, at 6am we set off in a little coasta (van/bus type thing). There were 10 PCVs and about 14,000 suitcases. Dozing, reststops, and anticipation, yada yada. We finally arrive in Njombe town at a little after 8pm. Projected ETA? 4PM. The next morning we frantically raced around the market buying buckets, pasta (about all I eat), and random other must-have items.
I arrived at my lovely village, Mhaji (Moo-hah-ji) at around 4 and put all of my bags in my completely empty house. I'm talking zip, zero, nada empty. Oh unless we're counting spiders. Then I have the most furnished house in the world. I threw my foam mattress on the floor in one room and spread a sheet on the floor of my 'living room.' No prob whatever, moving on.
Day 2 was exhausting and busy and full of mind bogglingly fast Kiswahili speakers. Fine okay, good. Go to bed. Finally, time to escape and store up energy to try it all again the next day. Around 1:30am. I awake to a strange noise. I ignore it but it doesn't stop and it's so close to me. I fumble for my glasses and flashlight.
OH MY GOD. Really. OH MY GODDDD. A rat was crawling around my head. The F word, completely applicable here will be used freely. THERE WAS A FUCKING RAT CRAWLING AT MY HEAD. AHHHH
I went through every step of grief. Denial (lasted 2.2 seconds), Anger (about 12 seconds), Pain/Fear/Misery (7 hours). Let's just say the floodgates finally opened. I cried the type of cry where you are choking, screaming, cursing your very existence, why me, why me? There was so much snot pouring out of my nose that I started blowing it on the sleeve, neck, bottom of my shirt. I was a picture perfect mess. Major shout out to my family, and PCV Jess who calmed me down throughout the night. I sat on the cement floor with no blankets (not love or money would take me back in that bedroom). It was a pity party to end all pity parties. The next day...I got a cat. Well, more truthfully, I rented one til my lil kitten is strong enough!
Shoot, I only have 10 minutes left. Life has been progressing slowly since The Night of the Rat. I have been visiting around the village, trying (very poorly) to cook, bathing (verrrry occasionally) and even gardening a bit! As for the whole vanity thing...I'd say it's gone out the window. I was kindly told today I'm wearing myshirt inside out...the same shirt I was also wearing yesterday. I think I may be starting to embrace this smelly new identity with a bit too much fervor.
OK SHOOT. The rest of my blog was deleted and this was all I could salvage. Stupid internet cafe. I literally have minutes to finish so I will send you this plea: CALL ME.
And...write me
Kate Glantz, Peace Corps Volunteer
P.O. Box 749
Njombe
Iringa Region
Tanzania
Don't worry too much about me though. I love and believe so much in the reason that I'm here that I'm not ready to let some pesky rodents kick me out just yet.
Alright I am off. On a final note this weekend I am embarking on a home improvement project. I'm going to paint the inside of the house. Mwaha, what a fabulous little disaster that will be.
Finallllly...in this tragic comedy of a life I am living, much of the humor comes from my wonderful family and friends. I relish in your comments, letters, and texts. I could use some more calls tho! You are all amazing, and I couldn't do this without knowing somewhere you're all out there.
Love you. Miss you. And wear your heels loud and proud girlies.
Katie
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Back to the Village
It's now Thursday, around noon. I have absolutely nothing new or inspiring to contribute. I did, however, manage to sneak away from 'school' and hitch a ride to the internet cafe. And by hitch a ride, I mean I politely filled out a vehicle request form and asked for permission. Most of the group headed to the baa (bar), but what does any responsible sorority girl do after spring break? Detox. This week is for family, reflection, and frantically figuring out how to light a portable stove without singing off my eyebrows.
I'm getting sworn in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer next Wednesday. My mama and I will be in matching African garb and trust me, we will be hot. While we're discussing wardrobes, I might as well give you a brief anatomy lesson. The wowowo (big bootay) is prized here and regarded as far superior to the American dream of a great rack. Therefore, I am fairly certain that my skirt will be very, VERY tight. I'm talking waddle-to-move tight. Don't worry too much about the visual, I will take a photo shoot from all angles. If some of you haven't received the memo yet, I don't actually have an ass. Perhaps this is why I've only received 3 marriage proposals?
On another amusing note...while on shadow in Iringa, quite a few male 'well-wishers' stopped in to linger/solicit/oogle. One man, after watching me 'cook' in silence for about 30 minutes finally contributed in perfect English, "Clearly, you have had no experience in this area." I responded, "You are absolutely right, would you like to give it a try?" Silence. This whole cooking business may prove to be a tough learning curve. Still, with a village full of potentially doting mamas, I think I'm going to be alright.
Not too much else to add. The trip from Dar back to Chanzuru was uneventful. I have been pouring over my People magazines and even had some quality time reading about Angelina and Brad with my family by lantern light post din. I will REALLY, REALLY miss them.
This will be my last post for at least a week. I move out of my homestay Monday and leave for Njombe on Wednesday. We'll spend a night in town setting up a PO Box and buying some necessities. Then it's TIME! Wooohooo. I'm thinking about getting a pet. Pehaps a cat to save me from nasty rodents. I know my family is rolling their eyes right now. Not only do I hate cats, I haven't the slightest idea of how to care for one. Nor am I all too thrilled about having a poop box inside my house. The whole idea of pet maintence, flea removal, and potty training is quite underwhelming, but at the end of the day, I think having another pulse in the house would be great for morale. Just stay posted...it may be a phase.
Finally, thanks everyone for your comments, letters, and texts. They make me beam with happiness. I definitely-no questions asked-have THE GREATEST, MOST SUPPORTIVE, friends and family in the entire world. In the next month please make a concerted effort to eat at Mongollian BBQ, wear really tall stilettos, and oh, I don't know, buy a really jazzy frivolous accessory. I hear we're in some sort of recession, so think of it as contributing to the economy on my behalf. Really, when you look at it that way, you're just being patriotic.
Love to everyone!
Katie
I'm getting sworn in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer next Wednesday. My mama and I will be in matching African garb and trust me, we will be hot. While we're discussing wardrobes, I might as well give you a brief anatomy lesson. The wowowo (big bootay) is prized here and regarded as far superior to the American dream of a great rack. Therefore, I am fairly certain that my skirt will be very, VERY tight. I'm talking waddle-to-move tight. Don't worry too much about the visual, I will take a photo shoot from all angles. If some of you haven't received the memo yet, I don't actually have an ass. Perhaps this is why I've only received 3 marriage proposals?
On another amusing note...while on shadow in Iringa, quite a few male 'well-wishers' stopped in to linger/solicit/oogle. One man, after watching me 'cook' in silence for about 30 minutes finally contributed in perfect English, "Clearly, you have had no experience in this area." I responded, "You are absolutely right, would you like to give it a try?" Silence. This whole cooking business may prove to be a tough learning curve. Still, with a village full of potentially doting mamas, I think I'm going to be alright.
Not too much else to add. The trip from Dar back to Chanzuru was uneventful. I have been pouring over my People magazines and even had some quality time reading about Angelina and Brad with my family by lantern light post din. I will REALLY, REALLY miss them.
This will be my last post for at least a week. I move out of my homestay Monday and leave for Njombe on Wednesday. We'll spend a night in town setting up a PO Box and buying some necessities. Then it's TIME! Wooohooo. I'm thinking about getting a pet. Pehaps a cat to save me from nasty rodents. I know my family is rolling their eyes right now. Not only do I hate cats, I haven't the slightest idea of how to care for one. Nor am I all too thrilled about having a poop box inside my house. The whole idea of pet maintence, flea removal, and potty training is quite underwhelming, but at the end of the day, I think having another pulse in the house would be great for morale. Just stay posted...it may be a phase.
Finally, thanks everyone for your comments, letters, and texts. They make me beam with happiness. I definitely-no questions asked-have THE GREATEST, MOST SUPPORTIVE, friends and family in the entire world. In the next month please make a concerted effort to eat at Mongollian BBQ, wear really tall stilettos, and oh, I don't know, buy a really jazzy frivolous accessory. I hear we're in some sort of recession, so think of it as contributing to the economy on my behalf. Really, when you look at it that way, you're just being patriotic.
Love to everyone!
Katie
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Big News!
I'm currently sitting in the Peace Corps office in Dar es Salaam. I wrote my first African post in this very chair and fast forward 2 months, my life has turned topsy turvy. I have lived with my amazing host family for 2 months, acquired a truly functional grasp of Kiswahili, made incredible friends, and am proving to myself everyday that yes, I can do this.
The conclusion of shadow week was amazing. I had been living out of my current reality into something much closer to my former environement: Spring Break. And let me just say, Spring Break Iringa truly lived up to the hype. The actual town of Iringa is fantastic. I did some shopping, some eating (okay, a lot of eating...enchiladas woopwoop), and got my bearings in a region that wait for it, wait for it...
IRINGA IS MY FUTURE HOME!!!!!!!!!
I was placed this morning in a ceremony at the PC Office. I will be living in a small village north of Njombe town. My house will be on the grounds of a primary school and I should have a few teachers as neighbors. The entire village has no electricity so my solar charger is about to get a lil wear and tear. I'm replacing a volunteer that has served 3 years! Big shoes to fill, but I'm up for it. Supposedly she wasn't aware her site was being replaced and sold/gave away everything in her house!
Let's take a moment and picture me furniture shopping in a rural village. Okay. Can't picture it? No, me either! I'm ready to nest tho and let's just hope I have my mom's green thumb for decorating. I'm about one hour from Njombe so I will be able to post pictures of my future residence without too much trouble.
What more scoop can I give you about Njombe? It's COLD there. I'm talking long underwear cold. It's also beautiful, infused with a lot of tribal language, and well, I just know it's going to be amazing. Somehow every star alligned and my best girlfriends are all in the same region. That means less than one day of travel to visit each other. I'm already planning the next theme party. I'm beyond ecstatic about the entire situation and I can't wait to give you the details as they unfold.
For now, the line for internet is out the door and people are getting feisty.
Love you all and hopefully I'll post again in the next few weeks.
XOXO
Kate
The conclusion of shadow week was amazing. I had been living out of my current reality into something much closer to my former environement: Spring Break. And let me just say, Spring Break Iringa truly lived up to the hype. The actual town of Iringa is fantastic. I did some shopping, some eating (okay, a lot of eating...enchiladas woopwoop), and got my bearings in a region that wait for it, wait for it...
IRINGA IS MY FUTURE HOME!!!!!!!!!
I was placed this morning in a ceremony at the PC Office. I will be living in a small village north of Njombe town. My house will be on the grounds of a primary school and I should have a few teachers as neighbors. The entire village has no electricity so my solar charger is about to get a lil wear and tear. I'm replacing a volunteer that has served 3 years! Big shoes to fill, but I'm up for it. Supposedly she wasn't aware her site was being replaced and sold/gave away everything in her house!
Let's take a moment and picture me furniture shopping in a rural village. Okay. Can't picture it? No, me either! I'm ready to nest tho and let's just hope I have my mom's green thumb for decorating. I'm about one hour from Njombe so I will be able to post pictures of my future residence without too much trouble.
What more scoop can I give you about Njombe? It's COLD there. I'm talking long underwear cold. It's also beautiful, infused with a lot of tribal language, and well, I just know it's going to be amazing. Somehow every star alligned and my best girlfriends are all in the same region. That means less than one day of travel to visit each other. I'm already planning the next theme party. I'm beyond ecstatic about the entire situation and I can't wait to give you the details as they unfold.
For now, the line for internet is out the door and people are getting feisty.
Love you all and hopefully I'll post again in the next few weeks.
XOXO
Kate
Monday, August 4, 2008
Im ALIVE
Well hello again. Did you think you had all (and by all, I mean my parents, sisters, and 3-4 friends that probably read this blog) been abandoned? I have been living the high life. Flat screen TVs in my bedroom, wireless internet across the village. I've just been playing coy so you'll miss me more.
LIES. I haven't seen a computer in 7 weeks! I was utterly unprepared for this glorious window of time to use Internet and sadly have no formal entry prepared.
What have the last 6 weeks been like? OH, you know...right you don't. I still go to bed in my wildlif e preserve, I mean bedroom, at about 830 pm. Everyday is intensive Kiswahili training, practical (?) health sessions, etc. Lots of information smacking me in the face.
I'm sitting now at an internet cafe in Mafinga town, Iringa region. Google it. I'm with one of my great gal pals and we're shadowing a current volunteer. After living in a village that doesn't even sell toilet paper since mid-June, suffice it to say homegirl is ready to splurge. Yesterday, in Morogoro they dropped our busload of wazungu (white people) off at this small Westernized grocery store. Oh. My. God. It was like the apocolapse was 10 minutes away, it was like a drunk person waiting 2 hrs for their pizza delivry at 2am, it was like, OH WAIT. it was like 50 Americans who hadn't seen cheese or ice cream or DORITOS in 2 months. I watched a 90 pound girl ravaging a full block of cheese. Full tubs of ice cream were being bought and NOT shared. Myself, I wetted my appetite with a chocolate dipped ice cream cone. Tossing the wrapper aside (in Africa, the world is your trash can), I licked my fingers (can't waste a morsel), and moved onto the Nacho Cheesier Doritos. 5 minutes later I shamefully ate a Snickrs bar almost biting my finger off in the process. For that 29 minute sugar high, my life made sense. Bliss, ecstacy, religion. I had it all.
Sadly, I lost some of my fervor for processed foods as a likeness to a higher power while I hunched over the choo saying wiping goodbye to all 12,000 shillingi ($12 and 3 days stipend). It was worth every.damn.penny.
Dairy goods? Everyone go out and eat somthing severely lactose today. Do it for me.
So here I sit, about 8 hours away from my fabulous lil village in Iringa, the southern highlands of TZ. I will be here for 1 week hanging out, seeing what it's like to actually be a PCV, and eating my body's weight in cheese.
On Saturday I head to Dar es Salaam where we will get Tanzanian bank accounts and our VILLAGE PLACEMENTS!!! Aug 12 I will know where I'll be living for the next 2 years.
So what else is the scoop? I've been so many fantastic friends. I am absolutely obsessed with my host family. My mama and I text eachother sometimes when I'm at school or away for the weekend. My sister is SO cool and has decided to say "OH MY GOSH" at some point in every conversation.
I hope to post pictures one day (mungu akipenda-said a lot here and means, if god wills it!)
OHHH GREAT NEWS. We ate our fucking rooster. In my last entry I believe I wrote somthing to the like of being woken up at 4 cuz it sounds like the rooster is at my window. Actually, it lived in the house, like the other 20 chickens. They just sleep in the house. YEP. Anyway, on JULY 27, we ate the rooster. I've been sleeping like a princess ever since!
Ok, my time is running out quickly, so sorry for you I have not had time to edit or even read this entry.
In conclusion, thank you everyon for your support. Some people get annoyed with me because I get so much mail. I read every letter over and over, and they have all made me SO happy. Seriously, I'm so proud of all of you, starting your lives and showing up to real people jobs.
OH FINAL thing....EVRYONE get skype and put a lil money on it and CALL ME!!!! it's like 25 cents a minute. just do it. and then drunk dial me.
KISSES to everyone.
I love my family and friends more than anything. I am so grateful for every one of you.
It's now5pm and it's time to present our shadow guy with a bottle of wine and Doritos. Lets get Sring Break Iringa rollin in high style!!
XOXO
LIES. I haven't seen a computer in 7 weeks! I was utterly unprepared for this glorious window of time to use Internet and sadly have no formal entry prepared.
What have the last 6 weeks been like? OH, you know...right you don't. I still go to bed in my wildlif e preserve, I mean bedroom, at about 830 pm. Everyday is intensive Kiswahili training, practical (?) health sessions, etc. Lots of information smacking me in the face.
I'm sitting now at an internet cafe in Mafinga town, Iringa region. Google it. I'm with one of my great gal pals and we're shadowing a current volunteer. After living in a village that doesn't even sell toilet paper since mid-June, suffice it to say homegirl is ready to splurge. Yesterday, in Morogoro they dropped our busload of wazungu (white people) off at this small Westernized grocery store. Oh. My. God. It was like the apocolapse was 10 minutes away, it was like a drunk person waiting 2 hrs for their pizza delivry at 2am, it was like, OH WAIT. it was like 50 Americans who hadn't seen cheese or ice cream or DORITOS in 2 months. I watched a 90 pound girl ravaging a full block of cheese. Full tubs of ice cream were being bought and NOT shared. Myself, I wetted my appetite with a chocolate dipped ice cream cone. Tossing the wrapper aside (in Africa, the world is your trash can), I licked my fingers (can't waste a morsel), and moved onto the Nacho Cheesier Doritos. 5 minutes later I shamefully ate a Snickrs bar almost biting my finger off in the process. For that 29 minute sugar high, my life made sense. Bliss, ecstacy, religion. I had it all.
Sadly, I lost some of my fervor for processed foods as a likeness to a higher power while I hunched over the choo saying wiping goodbye to all 12,000 shillingi ($12 and 3 days stipend). It was worth every.damn.penny.
Dairy goods? Everyone go out and eat somthing severely lactose today. Do it for me.
So here I sit, about 8 hours away from my fabulous lil village in Iringa, the southern highlands of TZ. I will be here for 1 week hanging out, seeing what it's like to actually be a PCV, and eating my body's weight in cheese.
On Saturday I head to Dar es Salaam where we will get Tanzanian bank accounts and our VILLAGE PLACEMENTS!!! Aug 12 I will know where I'll be living for the next 2 years.
So what else is the scoop? I've been so many fantastic friends. I am absolutely obsessed with my host family. My mama and I text eachother sometimes when I'm at school or away for the weekend. My sister is SO cool and has decided to say "OH MY GOSH" at some point in every conversation.
I hope to post pictures one day (mungu akipenda-said a lot here and means, if god wills it!)
OHHH GREAT NEWS. We ate our fucking rooster. In my last entry I believe I wrote somthing to the like of being woken up at 4 cuz it sounds like the rooster is at my window. Actually, it lived in the house, like the other 20 chickens. They just sleep in the house. YEP. Anyway, on JULY 27, we ate the rooster. I've been sleeping like a princess ever since!
Ok, my time is running out quickly, so sorry for you I have not had time to edit or even read this entry.
In conclusion, thank you everyon for your support. Some people get annoyed with me because I get so much mail. I read every letter over and over, and they have all made me SO happy. Seriously, I'm so proud of all of you, starting your lives and showing up to real people jobs.
OH FINAL thing....EVRYONE get skype and put a lil money on it and CALL ME!!!! it's like 25 cents a minute. just do it. and then drunk dial me.
KISSES to everyone.
I love my family and friends more than anything. I am so grateful for every one of you.
It's now5pm and it's time to present our shadow guy with a bottle of wine and Doritos. Lets get Sring Break Iringa rollin in high style!!
XOXO
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