Time

This week marks the longest amount of time I've been out of America-5 months 1.5 weeks. After a semester abroad in Cape Town I was so ready to get home. Life ceased to be special and different and I yearned to leave what I then considered to be the 3rd world. Ha! This experience is paced differently and I feel on one hand that I've only just arrived and on the other that I've already been changed forever. Perhaps the expiration date, 2 years and 3 months, has better equipped me to handle the ups and downs in a more rational manner. To be homesick now would be a disasterous hurdle. I wasn't sure how I'd feel after 1 month in Tanzania, or 2 or 5, and now bordering on the start of my 6th month, I am far more stable than I imagined.

My biggest fear was coming here, something that was essentially in the making since I was five years-old, and hating it. The Peace Corps isn't for everyone and the early termination statistics are very high. I wasn't sure if I had it in me. I knew pride and ego would be enough to make me stick it out for the first 6 months. I was prepared to grin and bear it and make up an excuse to high tail it outta here. Thankfully, this scenario was all just the result of an excessive imagination and bad self-esteem!

Life continues to scoot along and the pace is just right. I've been pushing myself hard to be visible, work hard, and set a good example. It's exhausting really, but it's an uphill battle that I'm currently winning. There are many days where the guilt is overpowering. If I decide to go into town for a party or spend an afternoon reading in my bedroom and ignoring the kids pounding on my door, I actually feel like a bad person. This feeling of obligation is something that manifests itself constantly and in many situations. I don't know how I'll settle this but for now I am reminding myself that I am here for 2 years. If going to town for a long weekend inhibits me from creating sustainable projects that can thrive long after I'm gone, then I'm clearly not working smartly. This job has a lot of downtime, but in many ways I'm never really off the clock. If I'm speaking KiSwahili, I'm working. If I'm walking down the road, I'm working. It's no wonder I tumble into bed at 8:30/9 pm and sleep for 10 hours.

Ahh, I only have 3 minutes of internet left and lots of errands to run! On a final note, I have a kitty! She is absolutely adorable. The animals are so stunted and malnourished here that their offspring are bite sized little critters no more threatening than a stuffed animal. Unfortunately my cat sucks. She has fleas in her ears and butthole and more self-entitlement than reasonable for a bush cat. I've never been a cat person and it's clear why. I have her to ward off rats but in a wrestling match, I'm not sure if she'd even triumph. Let's just say if little kitty goes a missin, I won't be heading up any search parties. Cats are actually a delicasse in these parts, but I promise to draw the line at kitty souflet. Even if she continues to jump on my table or meow incessently. The second I get a flea tho, home girl is gettin the boot to the courtyard.

Alright, back to the vil for the week. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Today I am thankful for my health, my friends and family in America and Tanzania and well...salt and vinegar pringles available just down the street.

So Little To Do, So Much Time...Scratch That, Reverse It!

Pictures:

1. My girlfriends/Peace Corps Sorority at a party

2. Cooking beans. This is the same stove I make my regionally-praised brownies!

3. A part of my garden! I'm growing mchicha (Tanzanian spinach and tomotoes)

4. Some updates to my house

5. New wall art!

Hello again! I've neglected you all for a few weeks. Pole (Sorry)!

No need to worry. I'm alive and well. And HAPPY.

I've begun work in earnest and am now a "teacher" at two primary schools. My adult English club started this week and the students are so motivated. We've had two lessons: greetings and self-introduction. Let me just say my heart sings when these grown men stumble, fumble, and finally create a sentence! It's a strange surge of pride and excitement. I explained an English concept to them in Kiswahili and they were able to process it and turn it into English. For awhile I was not enthused about teaching English to my villagers. It's absolutely the language of commerce and practically universal. However, most people in my village don't have enough money to catch the bus into town let alone travel outside of Tanzania so wouldn't it just be wasting everyone's time? Not so! My 'star' student already knowns a small amount of conversational English. He is a business man that travels to neighboring countries to buy machines to make school uniforms. His business is being held back by his restricted English abilities. However, with a few months of weekly practice, he has an opportunity to make better or new contacts in places like South Africa and Malawi. He can actually profit financially from sitting in my classroom twice a week reading the ridiculous dialogues I make up each lesson. Yes!

My other students are younger men. They do assorted work in the village like fishing, transporting goods on their bikes and of course farming. To boost them into functional English fluency, they could eventually find stable, well paying jobs in town at hotels or restaurants catering to tourists. Regardless of their employment goals, learning English is part of that overall curriculum I mentioned in which broadening one's world-perspective and leads to creating a life beyond subsistence.

The women's business group is set to take off Saturday morning at my house. I'm hosting chai and a cake baking lesson! I'll keep you posted on the outcome.

Socially speaking, my life is a hoot. Let me just say that Peace Corps volunteers are like the sorority and fraternity members of the international traveling community. We know how to have a good party. Now that I am a former sorority girl AND a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV), my unofficial title as Social Director is slowly coming to fruition. This is a title I will hold with pride and perserverence. Already in the works is a Thanksgiving fiesta in Iringa (big town about 5 hours away), a surprise birthday party for a volunteer friend, and a massive NYE bash on the beach in Dar es Salaam. No matter where you are, everybody's workin for the weekend, right?

Granted, life in the vil is an absolute circus. I've been possessed by good KiSwa spirits this week and have passed a real milestone with my language. I'm feeling more comfortable and capable than ever in communication with Tanzanians. I'm also increasing my vocabulary in the tribal language of KiBena. At this point I can only exchange greetings, but it's enough to get a big laugh and a handshake out of strangers.

Guess what? Life is good! I'm a happy, happy camper and eager to jump into a new week with enthusiasm and perserverence.

How did I neglect to mention OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA! On behalf of PCVs and about 90% of Tanzanians, THANK YOU AMERICA FOR MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION! I was fortunate enough to be watching news coverage in town the moment the West Coast polls closed and Obama officially pulled it off. After watching his victory speech with a gaggle of assorted Europeans, Tanzanian waitstaff at the hotel, and friends, I feel so much renewed hope and excitement for the future of America! The feeling is contagious and everyone including Italians, Swiss, Germans, and Tanzanians alike were hooting, hollering, and cheering for Change!

On a final note, I've received some interest in connecting you, my fabulous blog readers to Tanzania and an opportunity to help my new friends and family. I have several ideas and would love your feedback!

Most of my villagers don't have shoes. They might have one pair of taped together shower flip flops that serve as their only footwear. In the coming months the weather actually dips to nearly freezing (believe it!) and walking barefoot will no longer be pleasant. Being barefoot while farming or completing activities is not only dangerous but unhygeinic. If anyone is part of a school or church community and would be interested in hosting a winter 'lightly-used-shoe-drive' please contact me!

School supplies are also considered a luxury here. Some students don't have enough money to buy even a 10 cent notebook and therefore must sit and listen to lessons without completing assigned exercises or taking notes. Teachers also humiliate or beat them for not being prepared for class. Items like notebooks, pencils, small pencil sharpeners, crayons, markers, etc. could mean the difference between success and failure in a student's academic career. Kids also have no opportunity to explore artistic and creative outlets. Starting an art club would be an AMAZING after-school activity that could also be used as a platform to promote goals and good decision making skills.

Also, the orphan population in the village is astronomical. Of approximately 450 students at my primary school, 60 are living without either parent. An additional 70 or so have one living parent. This is a tragedy. It is clear my job as an AIDS educator is lucrative. It is a burden I take humbly and with great care. However, for these children, it's too late. Many are bright, not to mention, ADORABLE kids. They attend school now with the definititive knowledge that they will end and become farmers after grade 7. While extended family may help feed and house them, there is not any option for furthering education. If anyone would be interested in sponsporing some of these children to attend secondary school, you would actually be changing their lives. To give someone the gift of education is giving them the gift of self-reliance and hope for every generation to follow. I know I may be sounding dangerously like a Save the Children 2:00am infomercial, but the best way to ensure sustainable development in the village, is through education. The fees for a secondary student that does not board at school are under $100 a year.

I'm not expecting or requesting finanicial assistance from anyone. I am grateful that you can share this wild ride with me and get to know this little corner of the world a bit better. By giving humanity and life to The Wild that is Africa, we're already making progress. However, tis the season of giving, and if you feel obliged, we can work together to find a project, a person, or a cause that best suits your interests and match that with the needs of Mhaji.

Thanks for the continued support. Love to everyone!

Kate