Habari from Tanzania!

Hey everybody!

So I haven't had as much access to internet (or rather the time for it) as I was hoping, but I'll try to update as much as possible about my first 3 weeks in Tanzania! Actually I tried to post here a couple weeks ago at an internet cafe but the computer froze for the last 20 minutes, and i lost everything I had written. So hopefully this one actually works!

I hope everyone at home is doing well, things have been wonderful here. Honestly it still hasn't really sunk in that I'll be here for over 2 years, probably since we've been so busy since getting here. I wish i could share everything that I've seen, but I'll try to get all the important stuff in.

We flew into Dar es Salaam that first Wednesday, and apparently there was a lunar eclipse the same night. One of the PC trainers said he got a text from another volunteer about it just as our plane was touching down. So we considered it to be a sign of good luck. I was extremely jetlagged  and don't remember much else about the first night except it was very humid and getting through customs at the airport was shockingly easy. And only one person's bag got lost!

We stayed at a really nice training center in Dar for 4 days, but weren't allowed to go outside the walls unattended. Probably a good thing though I realized after seeing how crazy the drivers are here. Pedestrians definitely are at the bottom of the food chain. I did get to go walk around a bit with another PCV chaperone, a few of us went to the barber nearby, which was a pretty cool / only somewhat awkward experience.

From Dar we took a 4 hr bus ride to Morogoro, which is where the rest of our 10 week training is. We stopped for lunch and then shipped straight off to our host families. We have 39 trainees total, and are split into 4 or 5 person CBT (community based training) groups all around Morogoro. The people in the CBT groups all live in homestays that are pretty close together, and a couple of the CBTs are within walking distance from each other, but most are really far apart.

The first 2 weeks in Morogoro, we all met at one training center so that we could do different group activities, but now we are pretty much just with our CBT groups everyday. Once or twice a week we all meet together, which will be nice for a change of pace, though I like my group a lot.

Training so far has been very helpful, but the days are long for sure. I've been getting up with the roosters / call of the prayer around 530 everyday, with enough time for my bucket bath and homework before class starts at 8. We used to go til 430 or so everyday, but since moving to our small groups, we've compromised to 330 ish since everyone is pretty tired by then. It is really nice to go to bed at 9 everday though. The sun goes down at 7, and there isn't a whole lot to do after that / they don't really want us wandering around after dark, so it's easy to be in bed early.

Learning the language has been one of my favorite parts of training so far. Kiswahili is actually really intuitive to learn, and it's always fun to try (and fail usually) to use new vocab or whatever at the market or with my family. It usually ends up with me getting laughed at and not knowing why but not really minding either. Hamna Shida! - that's the Tanzanian version of Hakuna Matata, which apparently is actually Kenyan Swahili, and the Tanzanians don't really like to speak Kenyan Swahili.

We've also been doing microteaching practice, where we prepare 10 minute mini - lessons and teach in front of our small groups. It's really good for me, since Ive never taught before, but Im really anxious to actually teach in from of a class of TZ kids. We'll start that next week, I can't wait! Today a couple of us walked past our school during lunch and introduced ourselves. I said I would be teaching math and the kids gave a round of applause haha. I guess maybe they don't like their current teacher too much, or don't have one?

My host family is extremely nice, like everyone else for the most part. Greetings are a really big part of the culture here, so pretty much everyone I run into on the streets is very nice and loves it when I greet them in Kiswahili. The little kids like to shout "Mzungu!" which is the slang, slightly derogatory term for white person, or tourist, but I it doesn't really bother me, at least not yet.

Before we all left for our host families, I wasn't really nervous like a lot of others were, just really excited. I feel like I was one of the few who was actually kind of looking forward to really simple living conditions, I don't know why. I was trying not to have any expectations or assumptions, but I was definitely surprised when I first got to my house. My host baba (father) apparently owns a bunch of bars in Morogoro and is a super-successful businessman, and my mama is a buisnesswoman too, so they're really well off. My house is actually much nicer than anywhere I've ever lived in the States, and pretty much everyone in the family speaks really good English.  Initially I was a little disappointed, because I thought I might be missing out on some experiences or might not be prepared for the life I'll have at my permanent site. I still felt dumb though, because I was probably the only one who wouldn't have been really excited to have such a nice place. But I figured this is probably the best situation for me. I probably wouldn't have gotten as much out of it if I had gotten what I was expecting. My challenge will just be being proactive enough to still learn everything I need for when I leave.

After I met my whole family, though, I had no complaints at all about my situation. They're so great. It's me, my mama and baba, two dadas (sisters) Unisi, 13, Vanessa, 5; a 2 yr old kaka (brother) Kevin, and a family of house-workers who live there too and are basically all part of the family, though not related. They all speak in Swahili to try and help me learn, and loved the Chicago picture book and pictures from home that I brought. I've helped to cook a couple times and did my laundry by hands once, which were much more exhausting than I would have thought, but just that much more satisfying when I've finished! They always make me feel right at home, I'm really lucky to have them host me. I taught my kaka Kevin how to high-5 and now he screams and jumps up and down everytime he does it.

Maybe my favorite thing so far has been when I'm walking back to my house at night, and I see the backdrop of the mountains in the distance, and how clear the sky is with so many stars. I'll post pictures as soon as I can, but it really is an amazing sight to see everyday and wake up to. This past Sunday we went for a day hike in the mtns to this waterfall, about a 2 hr hike each way. It was so nice and refreshing once we got there to go for a swim. Makes me even more anxious to do Kilimanjaro!

Last week we had a really rare and awesome opportunity, because there was a big 50th anniversary Peace Corps party in Dar, since Tanzania was one of the original Peace Corps countries when it started 50 years ago. The Director of Peace Corps, Aaron Williams, was in country and wanted to stop by our training to say hi and have lunch. He talked a bit about his service and what he's done since and took some Q and A. And he actually sat right next to me at lunch, so I got to find out a little more about him. He's such a nice guy, and was really interested in all of us and why we decided to join the PC and everything. And I found out he grew up on the South Side of Chicago, and his sister actually lives in Tinley Park!! Small world moment for sure! I of course informed him that it was the best place in America to raise your kids, but he said his wife's kids were all grown up by now. And we got him to promise to make an appearance, at least by computer, at our swearing-in ceremony in August, so that will be really cool.

Everyone keeps telling us that we're the most diverse class of volunteers ever in Tanzania, in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, teaching experience, etc. We're also a very unique class because this is the first year they're having English teachers, and also the first year that the education volunteers have started in June. Usually it's in September, so there will actually be a 3 month overlap period when we go to site, and a lot of us will actually be living with another PCV during that time if we're going to a site where we'll be replacing someone.

I'm running out of my computer time, but I just want to let you all know that I did get a cell phone recently, so I now have access to the outside world! It's pretty expensive for me to call from here, but the advice I've gotten is that Skype is the cheapest option from the States if anyone wants to call here. I'll put my phone number and updated mailing address and all in the "Contact Me" tab on this blog. So give a call if you can, or feel free to send letters. I sent a couple like a week and a half ago, so we'll see how long it takes. I know the time difference is 8 hrs from Central Time (real time), so if you do plan on calling, please try to make it relatively early or I may wake up my host family by talking!

I know I've written alot, but I feel like there's still so much more I could say. But I'll keep all the interesting stories to send in letters or tell when I'm back. I hope everyone had an awesome 4th of July, and Happy Birthday Christine! I celebrated by taking out my iPod for the first time and listening to some CCR. America.

All the best to everyone back home, always thinking of you and miss you all!