August 31, Shortages

So, it’s only 10:00 in the morning, so not much has happened yet. Siwema and a number of other students stopped by multiple times this morning. They were perplexed by the towel I had wrapped around my hair and thought it was some kind of fashion statement. I explained that I wrap a towel around my head when my hair is wet. They told me they want to “style me” with a hijab-style hair-wrap, so maybe I’ll go to the village center later to see if they can find me a nice head scarf. I also had to explain to my students that it was not okay my students to sleep over at my house. Interesting issue to have…

I went over to my mkuu’s house for breakfast, but there were no vitumbua being sold in town today, so I had hard-boiled eggs instead. I really love vitumbua, but I was kind of glad not to eat them this morning. They are super greasy and I assume super fattening, so I don’t really want to be in the habit of eating them all the time.

I asked where I should burn my trash (which took me a while to explain, even when I used the word “rubbish”) and my mkuu said she would show me later on today. It’s very hot in the sun right now, although I got very cold last night. I have been sleeping with multiple layers because my blanket isn’t very warm. I think I will ask the people at Tumaini Hostel where they get their fleecy blankets of love from…so dreamy.  I want one.

I was also shown the classroom where I can set up my library, in addition to some of the unfinished/unused classrooms on the school-grounds. Two of them would make great laboratory and library spaces, but they aren’t completed structurally, so I guess that idea is out the window.  I also asked if Emmanuel was going to be replaced, and she said maybe by next year we’ll have another teacher, but that she has no control over that. For now, it’s just going to be three (including me) full-time teachers. The “storekeeper” has also been transferred to a new school, so she was telling me it’s going to be difficult to get food supplies (i.e. huge bags of rice and beans) here for lunch. I met the cook yesterday, actually, but I guess he isn’t in charge of getting the food to the school. I was kind of looking forward to the free lunchtime meals every day, but I may end up having to fend for myself. I’m okay with that since I’m currently being given a surplus of food all the time, and wouldn’t mind cutting back a bit. But, it is going to be a problem for my students.

Anyway, my school is basically going to be lacking in teachers, administrative staff, funding, supplies, books, resources, and food at least until January. I also am not really sure who my counterpart will be. I guess Martius since he lives on the other side of my duplex. I literally never see JB (the Civics/Geography guy) anywhere around, so I’m not sure how easy it would be to work with him. Martius has been gone this entire time, though, so technically I haven’t seen either of them this week.

I also found out there may be no bus to town tomorrow morning, so I’m currently in a pickle trying to figure out how to get to Lushoto. I need to get my books from Glenn/to go to the bank to get my banking card/to buy some more supplies for my house. Really it would be a pain to have to go there on Sunday or Monday instead, but that may happen unless I walk out or find an alternative method of transportation. 

August 30, Hiking & Kisambaa

Nzeze?

That’s a greeting in the local language here, Kisambaa. Or I assume that’s how it would be written. I wish they’d write stuff down for me so I’d really learn it, but that’s not really the culture here.

In any case, the past two days have been very interesting to say the least. Yesterday I woke up in a bad mood and really just wanted to burn off some stream via exercise. I would have gone wandering alone, but I didn’t want to get lost and not be able to find my way back, so I asked Emmanuel if he knew how to get to Amy’s village. They said it was about an hour’s walk away (which isn’t true, but if we actually walked an American pace, it wouldn’t have taken us the two hours that it did to get there.) so I figured it’d be nice to figure out how to get there while I have nothing to do. He said he would find someone to take me, so I waited around until about 1:30 in the afternoon before marching over to the staff room at the school. The student teacher who had hit on me the day before was the one Emmanuel asked to take me, along with two of my students (one of which is the student teacher’s sister). I had to wait around for a while, eat some food that I wasn’t hungry for, and then wait around some more. Fortunately, the walk was truly beautiful. Next time I’m bringing my camera! They were also extremely surprised how “strong” I was because I have a faster hiking pace/don’t need to stop to take breaks all the time. It’s amazing how these girls can carry fifty pounds on their head, but get winded from walking up a hill. I wouldn’t consider myself in that good of shape, but they were astonished by how well I could climb. Kind of an ego boost I guess.

Once at Amy’s I met her favorite village elder, who is also the chairman of my school. Her mkuu gave us tea and omelets, and I had a really nice time chatting with the people who came to greet us. It’s colder there than it is in my village—I actually had to keep my fleece on even when hiking up there! We left to go back home pretty late, so we walked quite a bit of the way in the dark. Some people took a picture of me before it got too dark, and the rest of my group stopped to get cookies. It was pretty frightening to walk back with just one flashlight between four people—it’s very steep on that trail. I slid around a lot from the loose dirt. I ended up splitting my pinky toe open, which has been really hard to keep clean/bandaged here.

Before going back home, I was also invited to the houses of two different sets of relatives. I don’t feel like I was a very cordial guest because by that point I was pretty tired physically and mentally. In truth, the one big negative was that I ended up having to make it abundantly clear (over and over and over) to the student teacher showing me the way that I was engaged, not interested in being more than friends, didn’t plan on becoming his wife, and didn’t like all the touching/attention, etc. I can only hope that I got my point across since he didn’t come to see me today, but going to and from Amy’s village was very uncomfortable because of the constant touching and marriage comments. It’s such a weird gray area here—the lines between friendly, flirting, confrontational, and polite are hard to navigate sometimes, especially when turning someone down who you are going to have to work with. Needless to say, I hope it’s not an issue anymore, because it’s very stressful.

Anyway, Amy lives amazingly close to her mkuu! They even share a kitchen space! But he was very nice. He had us sign a guest-book and expressed his gratitude that I walked over to “connect our schools”. I did feel bad for the poor students who escorted me to and from Amy’s village, though I did REALLY appreciate their company, since it was a bit of a trek.

Anyway, today I woke up feeling kind of cranky and tired. I really just wanted a day to myself, but I knew I needed to go to the market, so I was expecting people to show up at my house at least during the afternoon. I spent most of the morning at my house, though it was overcast so nothing would charge well. Later on some of my students came by and invited me to town. One of them, Siwema, wants to learn English very badly and eventually go to university abroad. She invited me to her house, gave me tea, cooked cassava, and papaya, and then introduced me to her grandparents. After a bit she took me to town to meet her younger brother, father, mother(s?), and aunt. She’s a very sweet girl with a lot of ambition, so I look forward to getting to know her better. I also met up again with one of the girls, Osi, who walked with me yesterday. They came back to my house for an “English lesson”, but just ended up looking at my photos and rummaging through my basket of hygiene supplies. I explained sunscreen, shaving cream, face wash, and most importantly I taught them to use dental floss! I offered to give them some but they didn’t take it. They did buy me an avocado and some low-quats at the market, though. They insisted on having me take their picture before leaving my house. They were shocked by the size of my camera, but still wanted to learn how to use it. I suppose I should impose higher privacy standards, but it’s hard sometimes to flat-out refuse to let people look/touch/try things like using my camera.

In other news, my mkuu finally returned! The ceiling boards for my kitchen will also hopefully arrive soon, but I guess there were a number of bus issues, so they didn’t come back with her. She agreed to give me some time off in September for things like the PC Super-Regional Conference and seeing my friend Sarah Flynn from home. She is coming all the way to Zambia, so I’m glad I will have a solid three days with her!!! All in all, it was really nice to finally talk with my mkuu. She’s going to show me potential library spaces tomorrow and negotiate prices with the fundis in town. She also said she was excited to try my American cooking soon! So that should be cool. I really, really like her. She’s a very nice lady, with very nice nieces, and she was very understanding about all my concerns/needs. She joked around with me about my fear of having rats in my house, and also agreed that starting in January I may also teach Biology or Math Form 1 on top of English. Things are looking up that way, if nothing else.

Later on I went back to town by myself. I practiced greeting everyone and anyone I met on the street. People really get out a kick when I throw out any of the three Kisambaa words I know. I had a nice long chat with a guy who works at the health clinic, and informed a number of children that I am “Jade” and not “Mchele.” Emmanuel met me and showed me the duka where I can charge my computer/laptop. It only costs 1,000 to charge my laptop, which is GREAT. Phone will probably be even cheaper to charge, although for now I have been squeaking by with my D-Light.

I had dinner at my mkuu’s house and once again was given way too much food. They’re very over-hospitable here. It’s very sweet, but I feel like a dough-boy sometimes after eating so many carbs. Emmanuel brought me my charged laptop (YAY) at around 9:00 and then PJ ended up having me talk to his parents on the phone in KiSwahili. Overall, it was a very interesting day even though nothing actually that exciting occurred. But I do feel good that I am starting to be recognized by the community, and that an avocado here only costs 100 shillings. Woot woot!

I am hoping the PCVs who are heading back to America tomorrow make it safely and that the two who might return, both do return. I have been listening to Mule and Dead songs all day and hoping things work out. 

August 28, MZUNGU PRICES ARE HIGH!

So, today ended up being quite eventful. I wouldn’t have predicted it, but it did make me feel a lot better about being here.

First, some students came by my house again. One asked me for help writing a “Curriculum Vitae”, but I ended up going out so I didn’t actually help him like I said I would. I’m a little nervous about showing him what to do, because I bet that the way they write resumes here is very different from how we do it in America, and I have no information about how professionals want things to be presented here.

Some of the university student teachers also stopped by today to say hello. They invited me to go to town with them, so I accepted the invitation. They taught me a couple words in Kisambaa, the local language here, but talked primarily in Kiswahili to me. It was good to actually get some practice in since I’ve been worried that my language skills have been suffering lately. One of the guys was a bit pushy with the handholding (which they say is culturally inappropriate to do here, but at one point two male teachers grabbed my hands, so I wasn’t really sure what to do) and at one point I think he tried to kiss me. He also told me he loved me and asked if I could find him an American wife, while insinuating he wanted to marry me. I showed him my engagement ring, but that didn’t seem to really register with him. Tanzanian men are fixated on marriage, but polygamy is okay here, and that makes it harder to shut people down.

Anyway, I went to the house of a fellow staff member once we got to town. He is the one in charge of all of the students’ resources/academic materials, but his name isn’t coming to me. I talked with him and watched his wife Serafina cook. She gave me a lesson on cooking cabbage and dagaa, and then I was invited to my second lunch of the day. I actually ate four meals today (fortunately I only had a little food at each one!) because Emmanuel’s wife fed me at dinner, and my mkuu’s nieces gave me both breakfast and lunch.  Lunch was different from one house to the other, but dinner was literally the same in both houses: rice, beans, and bananas. I have decided never to eat until I’m full because whenever I do, more food seems to come my way. I’m really glad I didn’t stuff myself at lunch today, because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to be gracious the second time around. I definitely don’t want to seem rude when people offer to feed me, and it’s really hard to outright refuse someone’s food here. They get offended enough when I refuse to have seconds on things! The one thing that is hardly ever offered, however, is drinking water. It is only served post-meals, but in Mlola chai seems to be the big thing. I am used to dehydration by now, though, and soon I will have the capability of boiling my own water, so I’m not worried.

After eating my second lunch at the staff member’s house, I was shown the living room, which is in a different building altogether.  Lot’s of red items and fruit posters….I had a short conversation about religion (all the teachers seem to be Christian even though it’s a very Muslim community) and then was escorted back to their kitchen/dining building. I terrified their young daughter Eva, who kept crying whenever she saw me. I guess I’m the first white girl she has seen, and the experience was too much for her. I felt bad that I was scaring her, but I did find out that they have the same kind of potty-training piss pots that we do in America from sitting there. (The plastic kind with the removal pee-catching dish.)

 Emmanuel showed up eventually and then we went to talk to a fundi.  Describing the American-style kitchen cupboards I want was very interesting. The fundi came to my house to take measurements. We took a “shortcut”, which means we took a longer but more scenic route to the school. I had to awkwardly show them my computer because that was the only place I had a picture of the style of cabinets I was talking about. I have a picture of my kitchen back home from when I was a child, and the design is similar to what I’d like to have here. They were very curious about how much my laptop cost, which was relatively uncomfortable since my Macbook is pretty expensive even in terms of American standards. I think seeing it made the fundi assume I was rich, because he gave an outrageous price for the bed frame, couch, and cabinets that I want to have made. Emmanuel is going to talk to a different fundi tomorrow or Thursday in order to reduce the price. I did find out today, however, that he is being transferred to Tanga in September. Guess he won’t be my counterpart! His degree is in Special Education so he is going to a school that needs his expertise. I’m kind of sad because I was looking forward to getting to know his family/now I only have two full-time teachers to work with…. Plus, it looks like I’m never going to be giving Papa that puzzle that I wanted to make him, unless I do it this week. Emmanuel is kindly giving me a charcoal jiko, though, for free. I’m pretty excited about that. We also had a nice cup of tea together, so that was nice.

My mkuu is supposed to return tomorrow, so that’s good. I have a lot to discuss with her. I’m hoping that my kindle will unfreeze itself in the meantime. It is stuck right now, and since I’m killing my computer battery at the moment, I will be stuck without Internet if it doesn’t wake up. And without any reading material. That would be a very big disappointment, especially if I stay here for two weeks before going back to Lushoto. (Guess I may have to go back to town if I start craving technology too badly…)

I am feeling better, though, in general. It was good to meet people in the village and say hello to some of the elders. It was also nice to have the help of Emmanuel and the other student teachers regarding my furniture requests. I think I needed the socialization.  I did find out it’s not safe to leave out my solar-charging items when I’m not around, though, which is going to be a big problem in the future. I am also  bummed that people in my region are having a lot of medical issues right now. People seem to be dropping like flies from the Tanga crew. I just hope that everyone is okay and that I can see them all again soon!  Especially one individual in particular, but for now I just have to wait and wish. And hope I start getting better cell signal--it's been real spotty today, which sucks. 

August 28, The kids think I am Michelle

I am about to kill my kindle battery. I am trying to charge it but it is a bit too overcast. I am not quite sure what to do today. No teachers are around and I am feeling a bit nervous about trying to bargain alone. I guess I should get over that and force myself to go into my village alone, but it is hard since I am shy by nature. My mkuu told me I would have to pay thee times the amount if I went alone for the first time, and I am having a hard time getting that nervous feeling out of my head. I am hoping Emmanuel will help me this afternoon. I want him to be my counterpart, but he is usually hard to find.

I washed my bag and shoes that got wet and gross thanks to our journey in the rain. I decided I would utilize the hot water they gave me since I don't really need to bathe twice daily.

I went over to see Papa and Susan for a bit. Papa was playing with a wooden block with a nail in it and pretending it was a car or bus. Susan and Samau (Or something like that? One of the nieces, but they only said her name once and I have a bad memory.) made him a crown out of some old curly piece of tubing. The kids here make toys out of bottles, caps, and trash they find. They are extremely creative, but I do wish I could give Papa some puzzles or something. Maybe I will make him something and use my creativity , too.

A giant group of children were running up and down the hill to fetch water while I was watching my neighbors play. They kept calling me the word for uncooked rice "mchele" and I had no idea why. Then I realized that they think I am the former health volunteer who was here. She had to leave after four months of service, but I think they assume I am her because I am white. Anyway, her name was Michelle, and that explains the uncooked rice chanting.

For now I think I will study some Swahili and contemplate mural scenes. I had nightmares again from the mefloquin, but I am feeling a little better about things. Pole pole kama kobe (Slowly like a turtle). I have been getting a lot of support from people and that really helps. My students also stop by to say hello a lot. It is nice.

August 27, Rootless Tree

Wonders never cease!!! I am blogging via kindle. Not sure if this will ever happen again but I am very excited about it.

Hannah left early this morning.. I walked her to the bus stop. It was dead on my way back and slightly creepy. It was also a bit chilly...it gets quite cool here. I wore two sweatshirts today. I really wish I had slippers  or a nice warm fleece blanket.

I set up some stuff in my house today, like my clothes lines and nails that will serve for hanging clothing off doors. I also got in touch with Emmanuel and he told me he would look into a bedframe that has already been made. The fundi is out of town I guess. I wonder if it is the same one who has left my kitchen in disrepair. I wish they would just finish my ceiling so I could unpack things. I also really want my own jiko to cook on. Right now I am relying on the kindness of my mkuu's nieces. They heat my water and let me eat with them,though the abudant hospitality sometimes is hard to refuse. Today I ate a number of mysterious organs without actually ever putting any on my plate. At lunch I was able to ditch a lung without being noticed (when I was left alone to eat for a minute.) I tried being polite at dinner but they insisted.  I loaded up on spinach and ate all the meat they gave me to avoid being rude. Organs twice in one day was a first for me, though. I had fun joking around with the girls and met some students and volunteer teachers. Everyone here is very nice. The census is going on so people are at my school. Lots of people like to peer through my unfinished gate door. I think a cow stood out behind the fence for quite a while today I heard excessive mooing. Loud mooing.

I managed to also do some solar charging today before it was overcast again. I studied a little Swahili and talked on the phone. I have been pretty bummed out but it was nice to talk to people at least. I also think I am going to paint my walls and ceiling. I might do a mural scene or something. Amy also told me that her village is like an hour walk away. I hope that is true!!! Being here is the most undewhelming overwhelming experience at times. But I do have to say I have a great support network and the people here are so welcoming. I enjoy being able to make them laugh. I just hope it will be a little easier to stay positive. On the bright side I haven't puked in two days. That was hard for me today but i managed to do okay and keep stuff down. Livers and all!

August 26, Setting Up a Mattress by Headlamp

So, I've decided while I'm burning through battery life I'd post again. Such hard life decisions. I can't wait find out where I can charge things in my village...it will make me feel much better about things. It sucks only getting three hours of computer life...I'm a technology addict, admittedly. Listening to some music to try to perk myself up a little. Sam gave me a bunch of awesome Grateful Dead & Gov't Mule stuff, which is exciting. I'm kind of mildly obsessed with the song "Time to Confess" right now, so I'm pumped to have a better version of it now.

I'm currently watching Hannah undo the straps that kept my mattress halved-over for it's windy bus journey. It's funny because the only lights we are using are from her headlamp and my laptop. It works out, though. I'm getting used to operating in the dark even though I have barely been at site.

Gotta get up at 3:30 in the morning to get Hannah to the bus. Rough timing, but that seems to be the norm in Tanzania. Early mornings and long rides. I had to pay an extra four thousand shillings to transport my mattress today, so I'm glad I can get furniture made in my village. I'm also hoping they finish my ceiling soon. It's pretty dusty and gross in there right now. Plus I can't wait to paint it. Hoping to do some mural stuff with the help of other people, but maybe that's overly ambitious. I just want my house to feel homier. I am going to hang some rice sifters to use as hanging shelves. And hopefully fix up some kind of thing for the clothes hangers I bought. They're nice wooden  ones that only cost 7000 shillings for a set of six. Not a bad deal. I also got some wooden spoons that would cost a ton in America for less than a dollar a piece! And some of those awesome hot pots I've talked about before--hot food is in my future.

I am very excited about the fabric I got to make curtains with. I also can't wait to actually get a bed frame for this mattress. It will be exciting!

Also, I must say the ocean in Dar was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. It was a big highlight of going there. I wish I was closer to the coast, but the mountains are pretty nice. Much chillier here, though!

August 26, Back at Site

So, I finally managed to get my Internet dongle to work. It’s been a battle lately, even though I was in places/hostels with electricity. Currently I’m sitting on my cement floor at site in the one spot that has enough cell-signal to go online. 

In any case, the past week has been pretty intense. I don’t feel like it’s appropriate for me to explain the details of it because of the importance of medical confidentiality. But, needless to say, my trip to Dar es Salaam was not for fun reasons. The person I am closest to here/the guy I’m dating has to go back to America for some medical stuff, and it’s still unclear whether or not he will be able to return. It’s been a rough set of days, but I’m keeping my hopes up that everything will work out. Fortunately I have a good set of PCVs surrounding me, so I have been getting a lot of positive support. I’m really bummed, but also very, very hopeful. And I have great friends, so that’s nice.

Speaking of great friends, Hannah actually came with me to site. I had a ton of stuff to take back to my house since I did a lot of shopping in Lushoto. I bought a mattress, kitchen supplies, buckets etc. My mkuu is out of town, so her two nieces and one of her friends (Angelina the Evangelist) helped me carry stuff back. Well, didn’t just help, but kind of took over taking all my bags back. The people here are way too sweet and hospitable. I felt bad because one girl carried my mattress on her head and still tried to insist on carrying another bag on her shoulder. These girls are crazy strong! I was also really happy to see my neighbor’s kid, Papa, who came over and shook my hand at dinner. I couldn’t eat much because I was still full from lunch. There is this AMAZING place in Lushoto we go for chipsi mayai. It costs $1 for a hefty plate of chipsi that has onions, peppers, and carrots mixed into the eggs. Plus he often tops it with avocados, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Add chili sauce and it is ridiculously good for a ridiculously cheap price. We brought him candles and chili sauce as a thank you since he tends to give us tons of extra food for free/is already giving us a ton of food for a really low price. I love that bwana, he makes being in Lushoto the best. We also had some GREAT salad at Lawns. So good. I’ve been eating really well lately…but I did confirm in Dar that I’ve lost weight here. So that’s’ encouraging!

I have big plans for my house, but my kitchen is a construction zone right now. The gate is still unfinished, but there’s a mysterious big black pipe running through my yard now. Hoping it means I’ll have a water tap at my house, but that may be wishful thinking.

In any case, Hannah and I are re-writing songs to fit our Tanzanian experience. It’s pretty fun. I will try to post again soon if I’m able to conserve battery life. I hate not having electricity primarily because it makes communicating with the outside world difficult. Things are fine here, though, for the most part. Just hoping for the best for now!!! 

August 21, Chicken on Buses

Today's post is all about chicken.

First off, I just have to say that I personally find it astounding/hilarious when people transport their chickens on long-distance bus trips. How the birds stay in their little bags I'm not quite sure. I assume their legs are tied or something, because otherwise I can't imagine a chicken sitting still for eight hours so complacently. But this is Tanzania, so honestly what do I know?

Second of all, I had the best chicken I have had in country today. Dar is the place to eat chicken apparently. It was spiced and delicious and moist. I have not experienced the magic of such amazing protein in a very long time. I also had some good chipsi and treated myself to some dried mango. It was a very special day in the way of food.

Third, I would also like to add that when I'm at site chickens just wander into my house/my neighbors houses all the time. Papa (my neighbor's three year old son) is very good at chasing them out. He also can entertain himself with bottle caps for hours. No toys, just caps. I still want one of those water-bottle cars the kids make here...I will make one next time I have four caps and an empty bottle. Plus some string. And then I will entertain myself with it, because honestly I have a lot of time on my hands and not much battery life on my kindle. I really regret not bringing a guitar. May try to buy one in the city...or become a professional air guitarist.

Bed time for the tired girl!

August 20, Wait, There's Rain in the Rainforest?

I will preface this post by saying that it is still the "dry season" here in Lushoto, so we didn't expect rain. I thought it would be misty, but not rainy. I was very, very wrong.

Our four hour hiking trip in the rainforest was quite wet. It poured, and poured, and drizzled, then poured. I had my camera on me (regrettably in retrospect because it stressed me out the whole time--I was so scared it would get wet even though I had it in a waterproof stuff sack under my jacket), so I bought an umbrella to attempt to stay dry. That attempt mostly failed, but I wasn't as soaked as the people with no umbrellas, and my camera survived just fine. Several other people bought umbrellas as well, but I'm pretty sure it must have looked absurd as we struggled down the slippery paths with our black, maroon, and green umbrellas. We slid around quite a bit, and got slapped by a lot of wet, huge ferns/thorn bushes. The best part of the trip was watching Brittany slide down an entire hill on her butt. Fortunately she went with it rather than try to cling on to the hill or something, so it was kind of like watching her go down a really dirty slip-and-slide. I fell a couple times, but caught my balance most of the time. I'm extremely happy with the Columbia sneakers I bought before coming here. Thank you, omni-grip!

I'm just glad the rain wasn't cold, although I still lost all the feeling in my hands and feet (common problem for me.) I also seem to have acquired a cough from the whole thing, but on the upside of life, my appetite is back! I have been eating actual full meals! I'm happy that things in my body seem to be fixing themselves. Good news I'd say! Also, I had some delicious guacamole and lowquats. AND ACTUAL BEEF I COULD CHEW!!! IT WAS AMAZING! :))

I also confirmed that fire places do, in fact, exist here. That was a magical discovery.

On an unrelated note, I think I may be washing my clothes in the river for the next two years. Or hiring someone to wash them, but I feel weird doing that. I feel like I should suck it up and do the hard work. We will see how long that philosophy actually lasts...it would be convenient not to scrub for hours every week. But we will see...

It is the end of Ramadan now so many things are closed here, making shopping and dealing with setting up my bank account quite difficult. It also makes travel difficult, as all the buses going out to the villages are super-packed. I'm just happy to have electricity for now. I'm really going to miss it, but I will adjust.

August 18, In LUSH-OTO

Yesterday was a good day. I talked a lot with my mkuu about the differences between TZ and America. She had interesting questions, like if we have still born babies, if I knew about Muslim customs, what foods I could cook that were "American", how long maternity leave is, how the US school system works etc. She also fed me vitumbua and I actually kept them down! I feel sick when I eat but I have been able to keep down food, so I hope that I'm getting over whatever it is that's bothering me.

I really like my mkuu. She's a very nice lady. She understands I need to have help, but also independence. She also has grown much more sympathetic to my need to set up my house (Originally she wanted me to start teaching this Monday, but now she is giving me more free time.) I think it's going to be a very healthy working and personal relationship, which is nice.

I did get a bit lonely at site. My phone also died, and I couldn't charge anything because it was too overcast. May be a problem in the future. I had no solar light, but my headlamp did the trick. BEST INVESTMENT by far.

I will be doing shopping here/going on a quick rainforest trip. VERY EXCITING. I also am going to finish setting up my bank account and get some money out so I can have furniture made for my house. I can't get back to my village until Wednesday because the buses are going to be too hectic to transport all the stuff I plan on buying. The moon celebration for Ramadan is coming right up, and all the men who live in cities are going back to their villages to see their wives and celebrate. My mkuu told me to come back Wednesday, and I'm happy to spend some time with my fellow PCVs and use the internet. I'm sure I will post again later since today is a pretty lazy day.

It's so green here! And chilly! I got cold last night. Very glad I brought a fleece, although I really need to invest in a big, warm blanket. I'm staying in a pretty nice hostel, too! Living it up!

August 16, Move to Site

So, today was moving day….and what a day it was! The morning was terrible. I wanted to cry multiple times. Instead I just replayed "Time to Confess" and "Cosmic Love" ten thousand times on my iPod. Oh, and "Coast of Carolina". Love that song.

I woke up at 4:00, rushed to get ready, left my ticket in my room, had to run back to get my ticket, dropped my phone on the ground in the process of rushing back, and then had to have my phone then brought to the bus stand by Brian (one of the PC directors, who is a really cool and tall dude). I didn't really have time to say any goodbyes and had to get on a different bus than the rest of the Lushoto group. My mkuu didn't have her ticket, which was also a bit of a fiasco, but she eventually got it and sat next to me on the bus. I then spent about 8 hours feels nauseous/fighting my urge to pee my pants. Once I got to Lushoto I peed in a "public restroom", which was a really awkward experience. My mkuu had to find a kanga, fill up a bucket of water, and acquire soap...and then I had to pee in this room full of wooden planks and tools that had a tiny drain in the corner of the floor. I narrowly avoided peeing all over my feet, and I'm pretty sure people could see me since the kanga didn't actually cover much.The only plus side was that after I returned, I found out that Sam was on the same bus as me! That was the big plus of my day even though we weren't sitting close to each other. It was also nice because I finally figured out where his village is in relation to mine road-wise. Still not sure if it's possible to walk there a different way, or if I can walk to Amy within a reasonable amount of time, but I hope to find out soon. 

The ride from Lushoto to my village wasn't bad. Went from a little after 6 am to 5:30 pm, even though it was supposed to be an 8 hour ride. We had to get out of the bus at one point because it got stuck and couldn't make it up the hill. Buses seriously slow crawl here. SERIOUSLY. It wasn't even that long of a distance from Mombo to my village, just took forever thanks to the really windy, steep roads set alongside cliffs. I didn't really mind the bus ride to be honest, though. I slept and listened to music. It was almost relaxing!

Anyway, I made quite the entrance when I finally arrived in my village. There were literally 100 people waiting at the bus when I arrived, but I'm not sure why. We had to pay some men to carry my stuff the 1.5 kilometers to my house. They all think I'm really rich which is unfortunate. I guess I am comparatively, but honestly I make no money as a volunteer.

Once I got to my house I had to have them bring back my table...not sure why it left. My roof and gate remain unfinished, so I can't use my kitchen yet. Or leave the kitchen door open at night, lest I want rats to come keep me company in my tiny bunk bed. Glenn's cat may be knocked up, so I may get a kitten and teach it to become a ratter. Rats be gone! 

My mkuu was very kind and told me that she's not just my headmistress, but my mother. She is a very kind lady!! She also gave me dinner and mango juice. MORE IMPORTANTLY: She told me she will teach me to cook vitumbua! I LOVE THEM. I am going to start a gluten-free donut/chipsi-mayai business when I get back just to share the magic. You all are seriously missing out.

On another note, tonight at dinner I actually managed to keep what I ate down! It wasn't a lot, but it was a lot more than I have been able to eat lately. WOOHOO. She also gave me a nice, hot bucket of water. It felt really good to get the dirt of traveling off. I can't wait to start fixing up my house/buy things. Right now I don't have much. 

August 15, I am an official PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER

So, today we were sworn in at the Ambassador’s house. The ceremony was pretty short. We sang both national anthems and performed our Kiswahili version of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”.  There was also a cake cutting ceremony. Apparently all the staff members particularly enjoyed my bobbing/whistling/singing according to PJ. There was some sort of group discussion about it…

I couldn’t see most of the ceremony because the photographers/videographers stood in front of us and took pictures of people at the podium the entire time. I took some photos of the people taking photos because I thought it was funny. Then we all took a bunch of photos together and subsequently got escorted quickly back to the PC Office. We had lunch (well other people did, I haven’t been able to really eat anything for the past three days. I had 3 bites of rice and a couple cucumber strips. I’m not sure what’s wrong. The doctor had no real advice) and then came back here after finding out our travel plans. We are leaving at 4:30 in the morning, but everything must be packed and loaded on the vans tonight. That’s my next big task! 

August 13, In Dar

We ate three lunches on Saturday! THREE! It was an insane amount of feasting. We ate at Sam's house, then at Aly's house, and then had an amazing amount of food at Michelle's house. The other kids in my CBT also ate funfetti cake. I had three oranges, which was plenty of sugar for me, and a ginger beer. I felt like I was going to literally explode. My host family also gave me a kitenge that's yellow and black, so I will have to get something made out of it. Saying goodbye was sort of strange. Priska wasn't even up on Sunday, so I didn't really get to say goodbye. I'll be back in Moro in December, so I'll say hi then.

Yesterday I got yelled at for wearing something culturally inappropriate. It's the first time I have, and needless to say I didn't take it well. Today we heard all about the rules of the PC. I definitely miss my freedom...might need to change the name of my blog because I'm not sure how "huru" I will really be over the next two years.

It's warmer here in Dar. I haven't been feeling very well, but I'm hoping that will change soon. Our Mkuu's are coming tomorrow to meet us. I am getting a bit nervous about moving to site/setting things up/feeling like I can socialize when I want to. Time will tell...

Today was also a hard eating day. Dairy and peanuts in most of the food, plus a lot of wheat items. I wasn't impressed.

August 11, Last Day in Moro

So, here I sit in Oasis, for the last time at least for several months...

Did laundry at 7:30 in the morning but still managed to be watched 70% of the time. There is no escape. Hopefully my fenced in courtyard makes that a little bit better/gives me some semblance of privacy. They picked up my bags around 9:00, but I will have a big fat duffel to still lug with me tomorrow.

I gave my host family their gifts and they kidnapped my iPhone. Hoping to get that back, but who knows. But really, I do hope that I get it back. We are doing a strange goodbye-tour at each house in my CBT. Going from house to the next to say "Bye" and then eating food at Michelle's house. Apparently Pilau ("Curried" Rice) is what we will be eating. I am getting chipsi mayai while I'm here at Oasis. Such an addict to that potato egg goodness.

Apparently the Peace Corps is switching people sites, but not telling them when they're in the process of doing so. I am concerned about them switching me out of my region. Really hope they don't!

August 10, Broken Ring

We got back our tech exams yesterday. Seemingly subjective grading scheme... I got a 91, which was actually pretty high for the group, but I have no idea why 9 points were taken off. Most people seemed to get in the 80’s range, but there was no justification as to why they didn’t ace it. Thankfully it really doesn’t matter/nobody studied for it, so it’s no big deal.

Today was a long day. The real plus was that I got a bunch of compliments on my TZ jersey/an extra big piece of chicken at lunch. Michelle had a pretty serious reaction to her mefloquin and ended up vomiting/having chest pains. I went into the bathroom to see if I could do anything to help and five minutes after she finished puking, I ended up getting sick, too. I am not sure if it was because I heard her puke, or just coincidental, but I have been having major abdominal pain today and ended up losing the greater part of my lunch. I also didn’t feel well yesterday, so who knows. In any case, we spent a long time lying outside while everyone else talked about the first three months at site.

Another tragic thing happened today: my ring broke. Definitely not worth the 5000 shillings, though I really did like it while it lasted. One of the two bands is still on my finger, but the other one broke and ended up scratching me pretty badly before snapping itself into two sad little pieces. I am bummed about it, but the one my mom bought in the states should be coming in the mail soon. Hopefully that lasts a little bit better.

My bags are being picked up tomorrow at 8 am. This has been causing me a dilemma since I had planned to do laundry tomorrow morning. Either I will not get to go to town tomorrow (we are doing this go-around-to-all-the-host-families-thing in the afternoon), or I will have to do laundry in Dar in my bathroom and hope my things dry. I am going to ATTEMPT to do laundry before 9:00 am and get the best of both worlds, but we will see if that really works out. We are leaving for Dar at 8:00 on Sunday morning from the CCT. I am excited to be swearing in soon!