July 9, Back from the Safari

So, we are spending this entire week pretty much at the schools we are interning at. I will be teaching my first lesson on Wednesday. I'm doing Form 1 English--I met the teacher in charge of that level today. He's very nice! His name is Jonas and he was excited to meet me. We also re-met a lot of the student teachers who will be interning with us. Most of them are humanities teachers (Swahili, English, Commerce, Geography etc.), and none of them are teaching science. Most of the teachers at the school also are humanities teachers--apparently science teachers are hard to come by. Makes me feel like I'm copping out as an English teacher/someone with a B.A in Government & Italian Studies. Oh well. We were asked by multiple people if we wanted Tanzanian husbands/what our relationship status was. I said I was engaged, and Michelle said she had a boyfriend. They applauded our faithfulness, but questioned it for sure. Then one of the guys started asking if I could hook him up with an American friend, but Sam told him that he didn't want an American wife because "they're too much work." I hadn't thought to say that, even though we have been told to use that argument when they ask to be hooked up, so I'm glad he remembered. In any case, three marriage proposals today was plenty for me. I guess I should expect more in the future according to other PCVs, so I might invest in an engagement ring. I was also asked to give out my number, but I failed to do so. They weren't very impressed by our lack of willingness to give out our digits, but I didn't want to send any false messages.

Anyway, about the Safari! It was a bit disappointing to be honest. Didn't see nearly as many animals as I would have liked....so I will have to go on another one and do it right next time. Mistakes we made:

1) Going via bus and not via safari car. Whoever gave us the advice that buses were great was VERY mistaken. Windows hardly opened, bus made crazy amounts of noise and scared off the animals, and we were not allowed to go on the bus roof as promised. I was not happy about the decision in retrospect.
2) Not paying less than a $1 per person for a tour guide. I saw no lions and barely any elephants. They were hiding in elephant grass. It made me sad. Maybe a guide would have helped.
3) Going late in the afternoon. We didn't really have time to see a lot of things/not all animals were out and about. I think we saw more things along the highway the next morning than we did in the park the afternoon before.

It was a lot of fun, however! A nice party/get-away/vacation of sorts. At night I got to dance and hang-out with people. It was great. One girl in our group did fall into a sewage pit, however. Like...fell literally up to her eyeballs in human feces. Slight mouth opening as well. Pretty horrifying, but she handled it amazingly well. Or so I was told--I missed out on the event because I was already asleep. Apparently the smell was beyond unbearable, and her clothes were pretty much destroyed in the process. But she was a super-trooper and  laughed it off. I dunno if I would have been so good about the whole thing. I just hope she doesn't get horribly sick from the whole thing...I can only imagine what was in there....

In other news, my host bibi (grandma) is over, in addition to a bunch of cousins of different kinds. It's very busy in my house!!

More info later. Went out for Sam's birthday tonight at a bar in Kihonda. Good times.

July 6, Ana Hipsi!

So, I keep forgetting to mention that the containers they keep hot food/drinks in here are absolutely amazing. I have never seen anything keep things so incredibly hot for so long. My chai is so hot that my family has to give me an extra cup in the morning so I can pour it back and forth and cool it down. I am definitely investing in some of these thermoses once I’m at site—seriously awesome.

At the CCT today I had a cook take the second chapati I had swiped off my plate. I usually get wheat items at chai so that I can give them to other people who are hungry and want seconds. Today my plan to get two people seconds definitely crashed and burned. Lot’s of people noticed since it was a little weird that she literally took it back as I was walking to a table.

Today I also went to get my measurements taken by Katie’s host mama. We had to have her host kaka show us where to go because we couldn’t find her shop when we went before (it’s in the market, but we didn’t see it before.) Anna and Katie got measured first since they are getting matching skirts. I am getting a dress so they started by measuring my torso, which went on with them just saying how many inches each part of me was. It was really funny because when she went to measure my hips, she was very surprised to find out I really have them. In fact, the lady measuring me said to Katie’s mom “ANA HIPSI!!!” (SHE HAS HIPS!)…and then she just kept saying that over and over. They were pretty excited to see a white girl with a booty. I don’t think they’ve seen such a curvy-bottomed Mzungu before.

I got some laundry soap (bar form, though there is also powder detergent) and dried pineapple at the grocery store. For the safari we got some cashews, dried mango, potato chips, alcohol, fruit juice, and bananas. Going wild! I’m super exhausted tonight so I’m going to sleep like a rock. My CBT and two others are getting VIP treatment and getting picked up via van tomorrow at 7:20 a.m. It would take us 1 ½ hours to make it otherwise, so apparently they are taking pity on us and providing a driver. I feel bad because the Kihonda CBT is pretty much the same distance away from our meeting spot, but they are getting shafted and being forced to get a daladala at 6:30 a.m….

I think I’m going to start speaking in a really low voice when people say things in English in a squeaky voice. Or at least think in a low voice in my head. In other news, I got a picture of our cat today. It was first manhandled, however, which they seem to be pretty used to. The kitten is still pretty brave and tried to get the fish I had for dinner. Sneaky. 

Also, found out Irene is our niece. Or I think that is what they said.

Usiku mwema!

July 5, DONGLE SUCCESS

Although I still don't really understand how money was put on this thing, my internet modem (dongle) is now working. Hence how I am able to post this lovely blog post from the confines of my mosquito net.

Some other things I forgot to mention in my last post:

1. Last night my host family watched some WWE wrestling. They really enjoyed when one guy got his ankle broken by another guy slamming it with a chair.

2. The weather has been a bit chillier lately, especially in the mornings and at night.

3. There has been a surge in roaches lately around my house...not sure why? Maybe they are seeking warmth at night, I'm not sure.

4. I need to start drinking more water. I seem to be chronically dehydrated lately...oops.

5. My photo posting on FB has earned me a lot of nice messages/comments from Peace Corps parents. :)

July 5, Home Before Dark

So, last night I went out with my fellow Peace Corps people to celebrate the fourth of July. I bought some fabric to make a dress with, but Katie couldn’t find her mom’s shop in the market, so I need to go back tomorrow or next week. We also got some Smirnoff for this weekend’s safari adventure. It wasn’t too bad in price—15,000 shillings for a bottle. Then we went out to a couple different bars. It was fun to hangout. I got home at 9:00 and had some dinner. There were a lot of young kids I had never seen before.  A couple of those kids were also here tonight, and I think one or more of them is staying here. I’m not completely clear how they are related/connected to my host family, though.  Such things often aren’t very clear in TZ.

I got home early today so I did dishes with one of the wee ones. Her name is Irene (said with Swahili pronunciation) and I’m guessing she is around three-years-old. When I was in my room earlier Priska came in and brought Irene with her.  Jackie and another girl also came in after that. They enjoyed having photos taken, though watching Irene continually keep trying to grab my camera and use it was fairly stressful. Then my camera died, and the fun died with it. Oops.

Today we had a pretty serious discussion about post-colonial literature and the implications of being a white teacher in Africa. I will write more about that as it becomes relevant to me. (Big discussion about what level English we teach, and why we teach forms 1 &2)

This weekend we are going on Safari!! I am very excited!!! ELEPHANTS!! TEMBO!

July 3, Breakfast

I think most people here eat bread or donuts for breakfast. Well, not really breakfast, but chai at 10:00 or 10:30. No one else ever eats with me in the morning. Because I can’t have gluten, every morning I am given eggs, an orange that is peeled and sliced, and a leftover item from the night before that has been reheated. Today I got plantain stew, yesterday I got rice, and the day before I got tomatoey potatoes. Chai is always served, but I’m very weird here because I take mine black. Tanzanians LOVE sugar (they can really chow own on some sugar cane), so my host mama was pretty shocked the first time I told her I wanted it black. A lot of people also have hot milk with tea, but obviously I wouldn’t do that either.  Allergies suck.

Today we talked about sexual assault for most of the day. It was an intense day and I’m glad it’s over. I got a Redds (alcoholic ginger-ale) before coming home as a self-reward. We walked again today. There weren’t as many shout-outs as usual, which was nice. Or maybe I’m just getting used to being yelled at. Sometimes I wish I could be a little less conspicuous. I still laugh at the kids who use strangely high voices to say “good-morning” at 6 pm, though. I don’t know if that will ever seem normal.

My host sisters are both out. I feel like I misunderstood my mama because she said that they are visiting their sister…but that confuses me. I’m not really sure what she meant, and at what point I misunderstood what she was saying.  Or if I’m just confused about the family structure—only time will tell.

I really love my new door lock. Now my door will shut without being locked which is really nice!!!

July 2nd, Cont.

So...we just had our cross-cultural presentations. Basically each CBT group presented a certain cultural norm that is present in the US or in Tanzania. Our group teamed with another and we demonstrated collectivism vs. individualism. Tanzanian culture is collectivist-based. Lot's of sharing--people aren't possessive of things. Harmony is EXTREMELY important (they avoid conflict and won't tell you if they have a problem with you directly) and relationships are far more important than following a schedule. (That's why greetings are such a big deal here.)

Another interesting thing is that there are wedding committees here. Most family members/friends/neighbors/coworkers contribute things to the wedding. For instance, I could pledge 30,000 shillings or offer to provide a goat for the wedding feast. I'm kind of excited to be invited to a wedding at some point. I assume I will be over the course of the next two years. Apparently we can also expect marriage proposals. A couple of the girls have already gotten them. So far I've only been touched/photographed/invited into a couple houses. Should you enter a man's house alone the implication is that you will sleep with him, so I definitely turned that offer down. Here the sex cues are a lot more defined/indicate that is what they are looking for. Flirting isn't really "for fun" here. 

Here are some ways of indicating you plan on sleeping with somebody/would like to sleep with someone:

1. Shaking your"wowowo". Aka booty. 

2. Flashing your thighs/breasts.

3. Eating a banana or corn sexually. Apparently you can also chew gum sexually with some sort of suggestive tongue movements.

4. Showing your waist beads off. 

5. Passing in front of man multiple times.

6. Giving lot's of attention/gifts. 

7. The "wiggly finger" when hand-shaking. 

8. Kissing. 

9. Closing the door/being in a private situation with a man. 

10. Following someone and asking for their digits. 

------

Other interesting facts about TZ. Sorry if these are repeats:

1. Sodas are very popular here. Sugar and grease are a big deal in general. 

2. Walking fast is just really weird to do. People walk very slowly, and don't seem to always understand why we as Americans don't just pay for a bus. (I REALLY prefer to walk.)

3. Some women wear pants, but usually they have on skirts or pants with a kanga (cloth wrap). Shoulders are usually covered, especially if you are a professional. 

4. A lot of things sold in stores or on the street are expired, so you have to check. I ate some expired cashews yesterday, but I'm fine. Well...mostly. I have been having some weird pain and intestinal problems, but I'm hoping those will go away. 

5. For you Spanish people, "parachichi" is the word for avocados. Translate and laugh.

6. People assume if you have a fever and flu-like symptoms that you have malaria. Clinics will often "test" you, but diagnose you before the test actually comes back positive. We have quick-response test kits for that reason. 

7. Bartering is a big deal here. I'm nervous about this because I'm not very good at it. 

8. Obama bubblegum exists. I also saw an "Obama" barber shop.

9. They use sunflowers to make sunflower oil. They're also really big on corn and chai tea. 

10. People burn their trash here. I burned mine with newspapers and several matches out in this bricked-in area in my yard. There is lot's of littering as well, but not much glass because all bars/restaurants keep glass bottles. You don't take them with you. 

11. Like in the US, things in town are much more expensive than they are in the village. Water costs 200 shillings more if I buy it in town. $1 = 1600 Shillings 

12. Apparently the dirty electricity here might fry my computer, so they advised us to buy this box that regulates electricity. An ICT guy came today and he has been electrocuted twice while here. 

13. People are intimidated by Chinese people because they think they all know kung-fu. 

14. People tend to be very short here. I'm actually average/maybe even tall for a girl. 

15. A lot of clothing from Goodwill is shipped here, so there are some really weird American shirts around. 

16. The mosquitos that transmit malaria come out at night and don't buzz. Apparently their bites also don't usually itch. I take anti-malarial pills once a week that give me crazy dreams, so I only have a 4% chance of getting the disease. Cerebral malaria is pretty frightening, and malaria kills a lot of children here every year (and adults.) 

17. When using the pit latrine, a pale of water is used to flush/wipe. Left hand wipes, and toilet paper is sold but not used by everyone. For instance, I have to bring my own at home. Some American-style toilets are used but not hooked up to plumbing, so they are also flushed with water from a bucket. Others are actually connected a plumbing system, and some pit latrines also flush that way. 

18. A lot of tourist destinations only accept American currency, not shillings. The park we are going to this weekend is one example.

19. It is okay to interrupt a meeting to take a cell-phone call. Cell-phones are pretty much always on.

20. Birthdays aren't really celebrated here very much. There are also no Christmas trees. 

July 2nd, At CCT

So, I had forgotten to mention in other blog posts that another fun (not-so-fun) thing about being a mzungu is that people ask to take/just take pictures of you fairly often. Also, I got extra attention from going on the daladala/walking home alone. I'm not looking forward to that trend.

The lock on my door is now broken. So I cannot close or lock my door. Makes me a little nervous since people come in and out of my house a lot. My host brother tried to fix it, but it just seemed to come further off the door, so hopefully a locksmith will come fix it soon.

Will post later. Gotta go!