September 29, Bought Some Cashew Nuts!

So I'm lucky that the bus out of my village started this morning...it was looking bleak for a while, but they did actually get it running by 4:40. It sounded like it would fall apart at any moment the whole ride to Lusho, but I made it without breaking down!

I have been practicing eating small amounts at a time, in addition to limiting my water intake around meals to avoid vomiting. (It's become a problem again.) Our PCMO, Dr. Makwabe, is on board with my diet plan, although part of me wonders if something  else is going on in my stomach. Hopefully everything will be resolved soon if I stick to my veggie platters!

I tried to buy a gas stove but the store was closed for prayer all day. I'm hoping it will be open tomorrow! I did get some storage containers for food and a couple other house-hold things.

Hannah is by far the best at socializing with everybody here in Lushoto. I have a hard time being loud enough when I'm greeting people sometimes. It's hard enough for me to say hello to everyone I pass, let alone say greetings super loudly. Amy is also very good at being social, but not quite as exuberant. Sometimes I feel like I am too shy and reserved. I just tend to get a lot of unwanted male attention, so I'm kind of hesitant to be overly social to a lot of the guys here. It's just so hard to navigate the female-male relationship dynamic...

September 28, Lessons to Be Learned

It's 7:00 in the morning, so nothing interesting has happened today. Nonetheless, I think I will use my battery time to write about lessons we can learn from TZ. I am tempted to also write about what they can learn from us, but everything I have typed out so far sounds a bit cynical, which isn't my intention, so I'll start with what we can learn. Note: Some lessons I personally feel may be a bit over-the-top to truly be adopted by Americans, but we can still take the core lesson from their cultural values/practices!

Things Americans Can Learn from Tanzanians:

• It's good to laugh. Don't take yourself too seriously--Laugh at yourself, and don't be afraid if others laugh at you, too.
• French fries should be served omelette style whenever possible. Seriously. Chipsi mayai. Best. Food. Ever. 
• Respect your elders.
• Share. Yes, that thing you hated doing in preschool. It's okay to let others use or even have your things. They are just THINGS.
• Let your children have some freedom. Living life is about making some mistakes and getting hurt occasionally. Don't keep your kids in a plastic bubble.
• Don't make breast-feeding a sexual or scandalous activity. It's about feeding a child, not about ogling someone's boobs.
• Swim in a ninja-turtle outfit. Seriously. Just try it, it will be fun. 
• Don't let time control you. Roll with the punches a little bit. 
• Embrace your inner-urge to hit the repeat button over and over again, so long as you truly do love that song. 
• Make toys out of trash. Get creative with your recycling abilities. Water bottles make awesome cars, and the caps even roll like actual wheels. 
• Live in the moment--life can be very short, so enjoy it while it lasts. 
• Buy custom-made items. Support your local economy rather than Wal-Mart. 
• Say hello to people when walking down the street. 
• Make rice fritters (vitumbua). They are delicious. 
• Don't be too afraid of the outside world. Cockroaches happen. 

Alright, my internet bundle is running low, so that's all for now. Off to Lushoto tomorrow--electricity ahoy! 

September 27, Good Second Day of Teaching!

Today was a really productive, encouraging day! I started off by doing laundry and sweeping my house. I turned down a man trying to give/sell me vitumbua, and had some nuts for breakfast. Delicious and nutritious.

I taught for 80 minutes rather than the 40 minutes I had planned. (The schedule said that "Physics" would be taught starting at 11:40 so I planned accordingly. Silly me. I confirmed today that there are actually no permanent or temporary science teachers of any kind at my school.) The kids were very eager to answer questions, and they listened well, so it was good!

I went to the market with Saumu and got rightly-priced produce. When I came back I went to see my mkuu in her office. She gave me NECTA and Class statistics for my library project, talked to me about my health, helped me arrange a potential Kiswahili/Kisambaa teacher (JB's wife--I'll find out tomorrow if she'll agree to tutor me), and told me she'd help me buy couch cushions. She also gave me permission to go to Lushoto to get a gas stove this weekend. This makes me feel far less guilty about leaving site again since she told me it's important to get it ASAP.

I made gazpacho and it was delicious! Okay, well, I made something similar to it. I didn't have all the ingredients I needed because they weren't available at the market today. After bathing (It was a super hot bucket bath! Oh, and I'm getting really good at using my charcoal jiko!!) I went over and talked to my mkuu and her nieces. They gave me an avocado to eat while we chatted, and my mkuu and her nieces didn't try to make me eat the dinner they'd prepared. It was great! It would have been a perfect day if I didn't have a number of different stomach problems. My no-vomitting streak ended tragically after I finished eating my gazpacho. A lot of wasted vegetable chopping, but I'm not letting my health problems affect how nice today felt! It's the first time I've truly felt productive in a while, so I'm very excited.

Also, I was complimented on another one of my African-style outfits. I need to have more made since they really seem to appreciate "the effort I'm making to integrate".

ALSO THERE MIGHT BE ELECTRICITY AT MY MKUU'S HOUSE BY JANUARY. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT MEANS MINE TOO BUT I WILL DREAM!
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School Statistics/Why WE NEED A LIBRARY:

Number of students: 196--Even though that doesn't add up? 

Form 1: 22 Boys; 34 Girls; Total of 56 

Form 2: 17 Boys; 24 Girls; Total of 41

Form 3: 21 Boys; 26 Girls; Total of 47

Form 4: 20 Boys; 28 Girls; Total of 48

Capacity for students per school buildings/classrooms available= 480 

Student: Teacher Ratio: 65:1

Subjects Taught: English, Civics, Geography, History

Subjects Missing: Biology, Physics, Chemistry, KiSwahili 

In 2011 22 out of 52 students failed their NECTA final exam. That means they cannot go on to higher levels of education. 24 students scored "Division 4", which means they can go on to trade schools, but not university.

September 26, My Day Part Two

So, today a bunch of my female students came over to sweep my yard...which means they swept my dirt for me. After sweeping they asked for water. (It is common here for people to do you favors if they want something in return. Fortunately for them I can spare the water.)They also asked for food so I let them try macadamia nuts. Later a group of about thirty of them came to invite me to netball. I declined because I am not really feeling so hot. They all stayed for about a half hour and taught me some words in kisambaa. They also looked at my photo album and PST magazine.

The outfit I wore was a big hit today. I have on one of the African style blouse and skirt combos I had made here. Blending in slowly but surely. Well....a little.

September 26, First Day of Teaching

Today I taught my first class. It could have been better, but I guess it could have been worse. They don't really understand English, nor did they seem to want to stay quiet when their fellow classmates were introducing themselves. Not all the students have notebooks, so that is going to be another obstacle. I didn't expect them to have any books, but universal notebook use would be nice for giving out assignments.

It is going to be interesting using non-physical punishments with students who are used to getting beaten. I am hoping tomorrow will go better and that I will feel better about things.

Most of my students are between 14 to 15 years old, though some are older. Most seemed to have around three siblings, but that also varied. Many like to play netball and football. Dancing was also popular amongst the group. Most of the girls wear white headscarves, but a couple just had on the maroon and white uniforms. I noticed many of their sweaters have holes in them, which is interesting because Tanzanians are big on keeping their clothing nice. I think my village has a lot of poverty problems. The students can't afford a graduation ceremony and many families do not contribute school dues. Lack of parental funding means less resources and no lunch for those students who don't pay. I am actually not sure if they are serving lunch this semester. I haven't scopped it out yet.

I ate stewed tomatoes and macadamia nuts for lunch. I wish I had more protein sources, especially since nuts are hard to come by and cost a lot. Meat tends to be fatty and overpriced, and without refrigeration I question how safe it really is to eat. I may have to just get over that, but eating steak that has been broiled to death just isn't my thing. I do like the chicken here so I may look into whether or not I can get individual pieces here in town. I admit fully that I haven't explored the meat options here, so I should probably do that. That, or just live off of eggs forever.

My students enjoyed the pictures I showed them of home. I wish I had more. Some also came to my house and asked for water. I didn't have any drinking water available aside from the stuff with my rehydration salts in it. They ended up just scooping some water out of one of my green big buckets. I have two large buckets I use to keep water in, but that water is in no way clean. I told them that, but they didn't care or seem to understand why I would suggest drinking water was different.

On that note I love my steripen and the filter it came with! Best gift ever.

I am not feeling well, but I am doing okay. I am hoping my headache and nausea will subside if I drink enough ORS (Oral rehydration salts) over the next couple days. I am having salad for dinner and trying to think of some good recipes that fit my diet. If you have suggestions please leave a comment or send me an email. I need recipes based around the following foods: cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, avocadoes, onions, cucumber, zucchini, and eggplant. Note that the recipes shouldn't involve using oil or butter. Raw oil is okay, but nothing can be cooked in oil or fried.

September 24, I Fainted in a Market

So, today I have been laying in bed for the larger part of the day. This morning we got up and had some breakfast at Tumaini. Later on I went with Sarah to the market to pick up some khanga, kitenge (cloth used to make dresses, curtains etc.), and housewares. I got some nice fabric to hang in front of my doors (very African style, plus it should make things look a little prettier in my house). I also picked up a wash basin and some kitchen items. Right around paying for a refugee bag (to carry things in) and a water scoop I started to feel extremely nauseous. I realized I was about to pass out and managed to sit down, but then tried to get up for some reason. I failed at walking, hit the wall of another duka, and blacked out. The Tanzanians were quite concerned by this whole thing, so apparently they got me a stool. Sarah told me that I sat down on it, but then face planted into the ground, getting my face and dress all dirty in the process. I regained consciousness after a little bit and talked to the doctor on the phone. Thankfully Sarah was there, so things ended up fine! In any case, I'm guessing the fainting spell has to do with being overly dehydrated. I may or may not have to go see Dr. Makwabe in Dar. I have a feeling I will just be able to go back to site tomorrow--that's my hope anyway. It all depends on whether or not my other sickness symptoms resolve themselves tonight, but I'm hoping a good night's rest and some water will do the trick.

Anyway, for now I'm enjoying the comfy blankets here at Tumaini. I'm drinking oral rehydration salts and eating a couple bananas. It's nice to have good company, and I've had some very nice Facebook chatting tonight, so I'm happy.

Hanging out with Sarah has been GREAT. It's really great to hear about Zambia and how it compares to Tanzania. It's also just nice to see a friend from home, especially someone who is so laid back and fun to be around. I also got a package today. I am SOOOOO HAPPY! I got a steripen! And a bag of gluten-free pretzels! And an oven-mit! I feel so loved. My mamma is the best. Packages are the best thing. Little pieces of home just make being here a lot easier somehow. (Hint-hint: Send me letters!)

September 24, Thoughts on Blogging

I have recently been contemplating whether or not I should continue this blog. My intentions behind keeping a blog are pretty simple:

1) To let friends and family know what my new life is like.
2) To keep a diary of sorts for this whole thing.
3) To let other potential PCVs know a little of the inside scoop.

I have found, however, that it is hard to honor all three objectives. I have the following issues with blogging:

1) I can never really post the whole story. I wouldn't want a negative entry to affect my relaionships here if someone from my village read my posts. I also don't want to get in trouble with Peace Corps. And it's hard to express the positive things in a way readers can actually understand since usually the up-moments are very simple.
2) I don't have the internet time or speed to tell the whole story anyway. This also leads to spelling errors etc.
3) In allowing everyone to read my blog, certain people don'tknow me well enough to know my sense of humor. I have a good head on my shoulders and I am precautious as a rule. Nonetheless, blogging about my interactions here has been leading to worry and some concerned criticism. This is hard to deal with because I want to include the funny or sketchy things, but I don't want people to assume I am putting myself in danger. Dealing with men here is difficult, but I try to find the humor in the ridiculousness that ensues sometimes.
4) I appreciate people being concerned about my health, but I don't like making people worry. I have had stomach problems for years, and from working with kids I am used to getting sick. Peace Corps will take care of me, and I also plan to put my foot down and enforce my new diet.
5) Subjectivity is hard. I write opinions and not hard facts.

Anyway, I do think I will blog despite the issues. I like to write and keep people involved and informed. For now I am off to breakfast.