January 8th (part two)
Once we reached Kigoma on the 14th we headed to the other ferry port to purchase our tickets to go to Mahale NP. After waiting twenty minutes someone finally comes to the office to inform us the MV Liemba is not running that day nor will it be running the following week because it is Christmas. So much for the boat running every Wednesday! The gentleman wasn’t very helpful on advice for reaching Mahale except to tell us to go to the tourism office in town. The guard at the tourism office informed us that there is a daily local boat from Ujiji (the next town about ten kilometers away) that leaves at 5 PM. He didn’t recommend that we travel on it since it is a local boat but we were too excited to let that dissuade us. At 3 PM we reached Ujiji were we sat and waited until 6 PM. At around 6 PM we took a canoe to the boat that was being loaded up. When we loaded in we tried to find what would be the most comfortable place to sit. This proved to be a very difficult task in a wooden boat without seats. The options were on the side of the boat or below deck where it smelled like piss. We opted for the side of the deck. Inevitably we chose the wrong spot and moved three times before the boat actually took off at 7 PM.
The journey was very long and uncomfortable. We didn’t sleep, eat, or use a bathroom much. The twelve hour boat ride we were expecting turned into twenty. When we finally reached our destination we didn’t even know it. It was the last stop, but no one told us so we continued to sit and wait. And it wasn’t like there was a sign to help guide the way. As we sat and the rain began someone walked over to us asked if we were afraid to get off the boat because of the rain. The boat couldn’t go the extra 3 kilometers to drop us off at the park so we had to walk 25 minutes from a village to the park. Normally this wouldn’t bother me too much, but I hadn’t eaten or drank much of anything in a day, was completely sun burnt, and felt like I was still swaying with the boat. The first thing we did at the office was discuss alternative transportation to return to Kigoma. Luckily, for a price of course, there was other means of transportation.
My first impression of Mahale was a bit of frustration. The staff was a little stricter about the 24 hour pass. I only had to pay $40 for the pass but Ben had to pay $80 for each day which adds up with all the other costs you must pay each day. We had arrived Thursday night and wanted to leave first thing Sunday morning but didn’t want to pay for three days in the park. We figured it would be more challenging to travel back Saturday night in the dark and maybe a little dangerous. After much persuasion the man at the main office let us pay for two days. Along with the 24 hour pass you must pay for each night you spend in the park. Because we only paid for two days he said he could only charge us for two nights. No complaint from our end but not exactly what we were expecting. Before we left the office we were devoid of all the money we brought with us. There were so many hidden costs that we were not aware of that made the welcoming not quite as inviting as at Gombe Stream.
To reach our camp sight we took a speed boat for twenty minutes further down the coast where we met our tour guide Peter. Peter showed us the kitchen facilities and then our cabin. He also introduced us to the man in charge of the grounds who kept asking me to pay his wife to cook for us. For $15 a meal I wasn’t persuaded too easily. Very soon after explaining how much we like to cook he saw our permit and that we were only paying for two nights and started making a stink about it. I explained (all in Kiswahili mind you) as best I could but he wouldn’t stop. He even brought it to our guides’ attention and the next morning that was the first thing out of his mouth. He told us he would need to talk with someone in the office about it. I tried as best I could to just enjoy the time and not think about it but it kind of got me in a slump. All day Friday we trekked in the rain tracking down more chimps. Luckily, Mahale was a more desolate area and the chimps were not quite as familiar to humans as at Gombe Stream. The experience on the trek was so much more enjoyable. The chimps were completely free and didn’t seem to care one way or the other about us watching them. On the first day we didn’t manage to take any photos. The rain was too rough so everything we saw we left imprinted on our minds. The sounds and movements of the chimps were sensational and something I won’t ever forget. After two hours we returned to the campsite for lunch.
After lunch hours started passing and Peter didn’t come around. We saw the chimps, yes, but we paid for a guide for the entire day. We were interested on going on hikes through the mountains as we explain on the previous night, but it somehow didn’t register in his mind. Eventually we found him and he was utterly confused as to why we would want to go walking around in the jungle for another two hours. At 4 PM we headed out for an intense but really enjoyable hike. That evening Peter informed us that we would now have to leave Saturday night because our permit was an official government document and we couldn’t lie on it. After our second trek to see the chimps we would need to depart. I was a little frustrated with the whole thing but at that point just went with it. What could I really say or do to change things?
On Saturday morning we began the trek to see the chimps. Luckily, the sun was shining. It took all morning to see the chimps. We did come across two very old looking warthogs early that morning which was very unexpected. As one walked up to me I moved to the other side of the guide a little freaked out. The other warthog saw this as his opportunity to come up to me and kind of raised his head as though he were going to charge me. I was ready to continue walking. I started getting a little nervous that we wouldn’t see any before we left. At one point we stopped for ten minutes and started hearing the chimpanzees making noise in the distance and then we were off to find them. We found a family of chimps just hanging out and for almost two hours we walked around watching the chimps. Our guide seemed just as fascinated with viewing the chimps which made it a cool experience. We were fortunate to see the alpha male and the number two interact with each other as well as numbers of females, other males, and babies. At one point Ben and I stopped and watched a chimp sitting in the bush and the chimp stood up and started running at us. I froze as it grabbed a tree, tore it out of the ground and continued towards us. He ran right by us and I almost fell over I was so frightened. At the same time, it was very exciting and thrilling to be that close to the chimps. I felt as though it was a great way to end our day at the national park. After lunch we began to pack when Peter came back to inform us that we could stay until the next morning. So much for packing! Instead of bothering Peter about bringing us on another hike (it’s not like he offered or came back to the tent that afternoon to ask!) we swam in Lake Tanganika and cooked a big pasta dinner to finish out our days in Mahale.
Sunday morning we took a speed boat to a tiny village along the coast and then a three hour car ride to Kigoma. Instead of a 20 hour trip we were able to return to Kigoma after 5 hours. The cost definitely outweighed the luxury in this instance. I still prefer to travel via bus over plane though!
On the 18th of December we found ourselves back in Kigoma planning how to return to Kafule for Christmas. In the end it took us five days of awful traveling but we eventually made it to Kafule on the 23rd, just in time for the holiday! Please continue reading part three to hear about Christmas in Kafule and New Year’s in Zanzibar!
Love,
Gretchen
Sunday, January 8, 2012
monkeys and bananas
January 8th
Once Ben arrived in Dar we stayed for three more nights while he adjusted to the time zone and I made sure my new medicines went down fine. On Friday, December 9th we purchased a ticket to Kigoma and prepared as much as possible for the 24 hour bus ride we had ahead of us. The “luxury” bus we bought a ticket with was not very luxurious. We were seated in the last seats of the bus that weren’t quite bolted down. Every time (and this is very often on a Tanzanian road) we hit a speed bump or a pot hole our bodies and our seats would go flying in the air. A few times I hit my head. We were also informed that the bus would take us straight to Kigoma. As we continued on the most uncomfortable bus ride we (or maybe it was just me they were talking to) made friends with some local men sitting near us. They informed us that the bus actually stops in some random town overnight. At 10:30 PM we stop in Kahama: a little town that is in my Lonely Planet map. Unfortunately, Lonely Planet does not have a description of this little town. Because we were completely lost and confused a man working with the bus company helped up pick up our ticket for the next day and then set us up in a hotel for the night. The next morning we were given tickets on a different bus company for the eleven hour bus ride to Kigoma. I didn’t imagine the bus could get worse yet it did.
After a 16 and a half hour bus ride you can’t really look forward to another day on a bus but we tried to be optimistic. We were luckily closer to the front of the bus and didn’t feel each bump nearly as bad but there were three seats to a row. And the road was full of potholes. And my luggage fell out of the overhead every thirty minutes. At one point I had to hold my two bags (one weighed close to forty pounds) on my lap because there was nowhere to put them. The luxury part of the bus really went missing on this ride and we stopped every twenty minutes to add more people on the bus. When we reached Kigoma we were completely exhausted and ready for a hotel. We luckily did not have much trouble finding a hotel and were able to sleep in the next morning.
Our goal for Monday was to reach Gombe Stream National Park. We read in the Lonely Planet guidebook that there was a taxi ferry that leaves every day for the park. After we woke up and ate breakfast we began the walk to the boat port. We arrived at the port at 11 AM to find that at noon each day two boats leave for a ride up the coast. For 4000 TSH (or a little over 2 USD) we took a two and a half hour boat ride up the coast. If it didn’t rain (and it wasn’t crowded with about sixty people) I think it would have been very enjoyable. It started raining as soon as we were loaded up and then settled down as we approached Gombe Stream but never came to a stop. As soon as the rain started the crew pulled out a tarp. We sat under the tarp breathing in gas fumes for two and a half hours. I luckily did not get sick on the ride but was very thrilled to finally reach the park. Gombe Stream was a very relaxed place. The atmosphere was very conducive to a vacation and I enjoyed it. Luckily, the staff weren’t too particular about costs. They allowed us to pay for a day (or 24 hour) permit when were at the park for about 36 hours. While in the boat we met two Germans traveling to Gombe Stream. We were on the same wavelength in terms of what we wanted to do at the park so we stayed with them for the two nights. We stayed at a self-catered lodge and went out with the same tour guide on Tuesday. They were volunteers from the Arusha area and were pretty cool to talk to and hang out with. On Monday night we all sat on the beach talking over a bon fire. Tuesday morning we started an early trek to find the chimps.
On Tuesday we woke to a heavy downpour. We unfortunately got hit with a lot of rain for most of the morning. I really enjoyed the long trek but was desperately hoping the rain would stop. Around 1 PM the rains finally seized and we were able to pick up the pace a little more. Around 3 PM the chimpanzees were spotted and we basically started a bit of a jog through the jungle to reach them. We finally reached the chimps and watched them in the trees for about an hour before they climbed to the ground. For the next half an hour we ran around the bush with them. It was a really cool experience. At the end of the day I was completely exhausted. After a night swim Ben and I enjoyed a nice three course meal back at the campsite. On Wednesday we were headed back to Kigoma and then attempting to travel to Mahale National Park. We definitely needed a good night’s sleep before the next journey.
Mahale Mountains National Park had many similarities and many differences from Gombe Stream but I seemed to enjoy the excitement of it a little more. In part two you can read about the journey and the adventure it had to offer!
Love,
Gretchen
Once Ben arrived in Dar we stayed for three more nights while he adjusted to the time zone and I made sure my new medicines went down fine. On Friday, December 9th we purchased a ticket to Kigoma and prepared as much as possible for the 24 hour bus ride we had ahead of us. The “luxury” bus we bought a ticket with was not very luxurious. We were seated in the last seats of the bus that weren’t quite bolted down. Every time (and this is very often on a Tanzanian road) we hit a speed bump or a pot hole our bodies and our seats would go flying in the air. A few times I hit my head. We were also informed that the bus would take us straight to Kigoma. As we continued on the most uncomfortable bus ride we (or maybe it was just me they were talking to) made friends with some local men sitting near us. They informed us that the bus actually stops in some random town overnight. At 10:30 PM we stop in Kahama: a little town that is in my Lonely Planet map. Unfortunately, Lonely Planet does not have a description of this little town. Because we were completely lost and confused a man working with the bus company helped up pick up our ticket for the next day and then set us up in a hotel for the night. The next morning we were given tickets on a different bus company for the eleven hour bus ride to Kigoma. I didn’t imagine the bus could get worse yet it did.
After a 16 and a half hour bus ride you can’t really look forward to another day on a bus but we tried to be optimistic. We were luckily closer to the front of the bus and didn’t feel each bump nearly as bad but there were three seats to a row. And the road was full of potholes. And my luggage fell out of the overhead every thirty minutes. At one point I had to hold my two bags (one weighed close to forty pounds) on my lap because there was nowhere to put them. The luxury part of the bus really went missing on this ride and we stopped every twenty minutes to add more people on the bus. When we reached Kigoma we were completely exhausted and ready for a hotel. We luckily did not have much trouble finding a hotel and were able to sleep in the next morning.
Our goal for Monday was to reach Gombe Stream National Park. We read in the Lonely Planet guidebook that there was a taxi ferry that leaves every day for the park. After we woke up and ate breakfast we began the walk to the boat port. We arrived at the port at 11 AM to find that at noon each day two boats leave for a ride up the coast. For 4000 TSH (or a little over 2 USD) we took a two and a half hour boat ride up the coast. If it didn’t rain (and it wasn’t crowded with about sixty people) I think it would have been very enjoyable. It started raining as soon as we were loaded up and then settled down as we approached Gombe Stream but never came to a stop. As soon as the rain started the crew pulled out a tarp. We sat under the tarp breathing in gas fumes for two and a half hours. I luckily did not get sick on the ride but was very thrilled to finally reach the park. Gombe Stream was a very relaxed place. The atmosphere was very conducive to a vacation and I enjoyed it. Luckily, the staff weren’t too particular about costs. They allowed us to pay for a day (or 24 hour) permit when were at the park for about 36 hours. While in the boat we met two Germans traveling to Gombe Stream. We were on the same wavelength in terms of what we wanted to do at the park so we stayed with them for the two nights. We stayed at a self-catered lodge and went out with the same tour guide on Tuesday. They were volunteers from the Arusha area and were pretty cool to talk to and hang out with. On Monday night we all sat on the beach talking over a bon fire. Tuesday morning we started an early trek to find the chimps.
On Tuesday we woke to a heavy downpour. We unfortunately got hit with a lot of rain for most of the morning. I really enjoyed the long trek but was desperately hoping the rain would stop. Around 1 PM the rains finally seized and we were able to pick up the pace a little more. Around 3 PM the chimpanzees were spotted and we basically started a bit of a jog through the jungle to reach them. We finally reached the chimps and watched them in the trees for about an hour before they climbed to the ground. For the next half an hour we ran around the bush with them. It was a really cool experience. At the end of the day I was completely exhausted. After a night swim Ben and I enjoyed a nice three course meal back at the campsite. On Wednesday we were headed back to Kigoma and then attempting to travel to Mahale National Park. We definitely needed a good night’s sleep before the next journey.
Mahale Mountains National Park had many similarities and many differences from Gombe Stream but I seemed to enjoy the excitement of it a little more. In part two you can read about the journey and the adventure it had to offer!
Love,
Gretchen
Safari Adventure
December 7th
Two weeks ago I began the two day journey to Dar es Salaam. The traveling was quite unexciting. After arriving in Dar I first took a taxi to the hotel then to the airport to pick up my mom and Jenn. The hotel couldn’t find our reservations nor did they remember about an airport pickup. Luckily, I arrived first to help them remember. I arrived at the airport and waited for Jenn and my mom to emerge. The greetings weren’t quite as expected. Jenn’s luggage did not arrive and she was quite upset. For three days we waited around Dar hoping and praying Jenn’s luggage would turn up. Luckily, we only waited 24 hours. After her luggage arrived we headed on a ferry the next day to Zanzibar and spent one night in Stone Town. Zanzibar was their favorite part of the trip (at that point there wasn’t much to like in the scum of Dar es Salaam). Dar was a city and wasn’t thrilling to be in but Zanzibar definitely catered to tourists and we relaxed for the first time all trip.
After returning from Zanzibar we spent the night in Dar before departing for Kilimanjaro. Our flight was on an early Thursday morning. Our bad luck in Dar es Salaam continued. We arrived at the airport to find they do not accept credit. Eventually, we made it on the second flight. We paid for a one way ticket hoping that the return flight would not be an issue and that maybe we could pay with credit. We were wrong and after ten days in Moshi, we returned to Dar via public transportation.
In Moshi, we spent the night at Honey Badger Lodge before departing for our safari. The safari was fantastic. We spent our first night at Lake Eliyad, then three nights in the Serengeti, and our last night was spent at Ngorongoro Crater before returning to Honey Badger Lodge. Lake Eliyad was very interesting. The trip was geared to a more cultural experience. The drive from Moshi was very long. On our first night we visited the home of one tribe in the region. The household specialized in making tips for spears, medal bracelets, and beaded bracelets. After the visit we went back to the campsite where our personal chef cooked up a three course meal for dinner. The next morning Jenn and I ran in the bush chasing a banded muskrat with the boys from a bush tribe. My mom stayed back with the women collecting roots out of the ground. It was a very different and interesting start to the safari. After practicing shooting with the bows and arrows we departed for the Serengeti.
The first night we just did a drive up to our campsite and didn’t stop too often for the wildlife. I was very excited to see all the wildebeests as soon as we entered the park. My mom was quickly able to distinguish leopards and cheetahs after the first day of driving. Our guide, Dawson, was surprised with how many leopards and cheetahs we saw. We saw every animal we wanted to see but there are definitely a few moments which I won’t forget. On our first night in the Serengeti Jenn comes running back to the tent after a bathroom break in the middle of the night. She was screeching that she saw an elephant outside. I look out to see bush and possibly a glint of an eye but it was too dark to see anything. The next morning Dawson told us it was a buffalo. As long as it doesn’t stampede the tent I have no problems with the animal. Each morning we woke to fresh pile of dung so maybe they thought we smelled good. Besides Jenn’s excitement, we came across some pretty awesome animals. On our last day in the Serengeti we found two female lions and three cubs munching on a zebra. On the second day in the Serengeti we saw a giraffe stuck in one of the streams. For about twenty minutes we watched as it struggled across the river until finally reaching the bank and running free. For the first time all trip we didn’t feel rushed and on a schedule which was a nice change for a vacation and is so completely Tanzanian.
After the Serengeti, we spent our last night of the safari at Ngorongoro Crater. The animal life at our campsite was a bit more dangerous. An armed guard was positioned 24/7 walking the camp grounds. At night my mother had a zebra licking her tent. Jenn and I yelled at her to wake up but she ignored us! The next morning she said she was awake and heard the animals but was too scared to open the flap of her tent! She would have had a mouth full if she did. During breakfast we overheard a group discussing an elephant that made its way onto the camp grounds in the middle of the night. The group that was talking about it sounded a bit ridiculous. The one girl said she was crying because of how lifelike the elephant was! And I am pretty sure she went over and touched it. That’s why tourists die while on safaris. Ngorongoro had the most spectacular landscape than any other place on the safari. The lake settled in the middle of the crater was home to thousands of flamingoes and varies other animals. The highlights for me were when we saw a pride of lions (with mother, father, and two cubs) very close to the end of our trip. We also saw, from a distance, the very rare black rhino with her baby. There was also a great abundance of hyena’s roaming around the crater. I really enjoyed being able to see what a hyena looks like. Their body shapes are just so rough looking. After we spent the afternoon at the crater we started our long drive back to Moshi. For three more nights we relaxed in the Honey Badger Lodge.
On Thursday we went on a “relaxing walk to the waterfalls” at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. The start of the trip consisted of a “nature hike.” We walked through a mountain village looking at different plants for about two hours. Our guide stopped at one point, offered me a piece of grass, and asked me to fish the bug out of his eye! After my great assistance of capturing the bug we became best buds. He offered to take me up to the peak of Kilimanjaro in June/July for a “discounted” rate of course. He also informed me he has the world record for the fastest climb up kili on the Machame Route. . . I don’t think I am too keen on climbing at a pace like that! In between the waterfall and the nature hike we explored an “underground cave.” In terms of my definition of a cave this was not a cave. We explored a dugout tunnel. My mama was not too fond of this cave either. We did not explore for too long. The “relaxing” waterfalls were the next stop on the day’s events before returning to Honey Badger. There was nothing relaxing about the waterfalls and we couldn’t even swim after we made the kilometer descent down the side of a mountain. We rested for maybe ten minutes before ascending straight up the mountain which didn’t make the experience too enjoyable.
On Friday we spent the day shopping in Moshi. My mom and Jenn needed to stock up on gifts before returning to the US. We spent an exhausting day in the streets of Moshi buying enough gifts for all of Delaware. The next morning we took an eight hour bus ride to the congestive metropolis of Dar es Salaam. Since their departure Saturday night I have been hanging out at my field director, Ashley’s, house. I’ve been walking around making many friends with the locals. As I was walking around looking for an Internet café I made friends with a girl Veronica. Veronica and I went back to her house where she let me use her laptop and then we watched two movies before I returned to Ashley’s house. I also got a nice checkout at the international clinic while I was in the area. I am starting my medicine for Lyme disease today!! Ben is arriving on an afternoon flight today and then we begin a more localized exploration of Tanzania over the next few weeks.
Love,
Gretchen
Two weeks ago I began the two day journey to Dar es Salaam. The traveling was quite unexciting. After arriving in Dar I first took a taxi to the hotel then to the airport to pick up my mom and Jenn. The hotel couldn’t find our reservations nor did they remember about an airport pickup. Luckily, I arrived first to help them remember. I arrived at the airport and waited for Jenn and my mom to emerge. The greetings weren’t quite as expected. Jenn’s luggage did not arrive and she was quite upset. For three days we waited around Dar hoping and praying Jenn’s luggage would turn up. Luckily, we only waited 24 hours. After her luggage arrived we headed on a ferry the next day to Zanzibar and spent one night in Stone Town. Zanzibar was their favorite part of the trip (at that point there wasn’t much to like in the scum of Dar es Salaam). Dar was a city and wasn’t thrilling to be in but Zanzibar definitely catered to tourists and we relaxed for the first time all trip.
After returning from Zanzibar we spent the night in Dar before departing for Kilimanjaro. Our flight was on an early Thursday morning. Our bad luck in Dar es Salaam continued. We arrived at the airport to find they do not accept credit. Eventually, we made it on the second flight. We paid for a one way ticket hoping that the return flight would not be an issue and that maybe we could pay with credit. We were wrong and after ten days in Moshi, we returned to Dar via public transportation.
In Moshi, we spent the night at Honey Badger Lodge before departing for our safari. The safari was fantastic. We spent our first night at Lake Eliyad, then three nights in the Serengeti, and our last night was spent at Ngorongoro Crater before returning to Honey Badger Lodge. Lake Eliyad was very interesting. The trip was geared to a more cultural experience. The drive from Moshi was very long. On our first night we visited the home of one tribe in the region. The household specialized in making tips for spears, medal bracelets, and beaded bracelets. After the visit we went back to the campsite where our personal chef cooked up a three course meal for dinner. The next morning Jenn and I ran in the bush chasing a banded muskrat with the boys from a bush tribe. My mom stayed back with the women collecting roots out of the ground. It was a very different and interesting start to the safari. After practicing shooting with the bows and arrows we departed for the Serengeti.
The first night we just did a drive up to our campsite and didn’t stop too often for the wildlife. I was very excited to see all the wildebeests as soon as we entered the park. My mom was quickly able to distinguish leopards and cheetahs after the first day of driving. Our guide, Dawson, was surprised with how many leopards and cheetahs we saw. We saw every animal we wanted to see but there are definitely a few moments which I won’t forget. On our first night in the Serengeti Jenn comes running back to the tent after a bathroom break in the middle of the night. She was screeching that she saw an elephant outside. I look out to see bush and possibly a glint of an eye but it was too dark to see anything. The next morning Dawson told us it was a buffalo. As long as it doesn’t stampede the tent I have no problems with the animal. Each morning we woke to fresh pile of dung so maybe they thought we smelled good. Besides Jenn’s excitement, we came across some pretty awesome animals. On our last day in the Serengeti we found two female lions and three cubs munching on a zebra. On the second day in the Serengeti we saw a giraffe stuck in one of the streams. For about twenty minutes we watched as it struggled across the river until finally reaching the bank and running free. For the first time all trip we didn’t feel rushed and on a schedule which was a nice change for a vacation and is so completely Tanzanian.
After the Serengeti, we spent our last night of the safari at Ngorongoro Crater. The animal life at our campsite was a bit more dangerous. An armed guard was positioned 24/7 walking the camp grounds. At night my mother had a zebra licking her tent. Jenn and I yelled at her to wake up but she ignored us! The next morning she said she was awake and heard the animals but was too scared to open the flap of her tent! She would have had a mouth full if she did. During breakfast we overheard a group discussing an elephant that made its way onto the camp grounds in the middle of the night. The group that was talking about it sounded a bit ridiculous. The one girl said she was crying because of how lifelike the elephant was! And I am pretty sure she went over and touched it. That’s why tourists die while on safaris. Ngorongoro had the most spectacular landscape than any other place on the safari. The lake settled in the middle of the crater was home to thousands of flamingoes and varies other animals. The highlights for me were when we saw a pride of lions (with mother, father, and two cubs) very close to the end of our trip. We also saw, from a distance, the very rare black rhino with her baby. There was also a great abundance of hyena’s roaming around the crater. I really enjoyed being able to see what a hyena looks like. Their body shapes are just so rough looking. After we spent the afternoon at the crater we started our long drive back to Moshi. For three more nights we relaxed in the Honey Badger Lodge.
On Thursday we went on a “relaxing walk to the waterfalls” at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. The start of the trip consisted of a “nature hike.” We walked through a mountain village looking at different plants for about two hours. Our guide stopped at one point, offered me a piece of grass, and asked me to fish the bug out of his eye! After my great assistance of capturing the bug we became best buds. He offered to take me up to the peak of Kilimanjaro in June/July for a “discounted” rate of course. He also informed me he has the world record for the fastest climb up kili on the Machame Route. . . I don’t think I am too keen on climbing at a pace like that! In between the waterfall and the nature hike we explored an “underground cave.” In terms of my definition of a cave this was not a cave. We explored a dugout tunnel. My mama was not too fond of this cave either. We did not explore for too long. The “relaxing” waterfalls were the next stop on the day’s events before returning to Honey Badger. There was nothing relaxing about the waterfalls and we couldn’t even swim after we made the kilometer descent down the side of a mountain. We rested for maybe ten minutes before ascending straight up the mountain which didn’t make the experience too enjoyable.
On Friday we spent the day shopping in Moshi. My mom and Jenn needed to stock up on gifts before returning to the US. We spent an exhausting day in the streets of Moshi buying enough gifts for all of Delaware. The next morning we took an eight hour bus ride to the congestive metropolis of Dar es Salaam. Since their departure Saturday night I have been hanging out at my field director, Ashley’s, house. I’ve been walking around making many friends with the locals. As I was walking around looking for an Internet café I made friends with a girl Veronica. Veronica and I went back to her house where she let me use her laptop and then we watched two movies before I returned to Ashley’s house. I also got a nice checkout at the international clinic while I was in the area. I am starting my medicine for Lyme disease today!! Ben is arriving on an afternoon flight today and then we begin a more localized exploration of Tanzania over the next few weeks.
Love,
Gretchen
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Dar es Salaam, here I come!
November 17th
Tomorrow morning I will be waking up at 3:15 in the morning to begin my long journey to Dar es Salaam! Tomorrow I will travel to Mbeya and then early Saturday morning I will take a 14 hour bus ride to Dar es Salaam. I am not looking forward to the long bus ride but am excited to see my mom and Jenn! They will visit for two weeks which should be a lot of fun.
Things have turned around in Kafule since I last wrote. The rain stopped and we’ve had gorgeous hot weather over this past week. On Saturday I decided to walk to Katengele. Katengele is a village at the top of a mountain that has a big market every Saturday. Before departing I called Enea (my new best friend who is a nurse at the hospital) and she wanted to join me on the walk. She has never walked to the market though and I knew it would be a very long, difficult journey. She called everyone that she knew with a car or motorcycle while we walked to Isoko. No one was traveling to the market. We decided start the climb. She was a little out of breath but I wouldn’t say she was struggling. She told me it was too much and she needed a pikipiki (motorcycle). As we continued going up the shortcut I heard a pikipiki on the road and ran up to stop them. It was my friend Kapesa from school and he told me he would go to the market and then return for Enea. We continued walking but stuck to the road. Enea was breathing much easier on the road (it is not a straight up the mountain climb like the shortcut). Many pikipiki passed and offered us rides but we declined as we waited for Kapesa. He returned with no gas and had to return to Isoko. Enea was pretty upset but was able to get a ride shortly after. She jumped on the pikipiki while I climbed the short cut. We met at the top and walked the flat part together. We didn’t stay long and caught a ride back to Isoko with the hospital car. Enea had me promise when I return to walk with her every Saturday to the market. She wants to wake up at an ungodly hour to do the walk though and I don’t think I can handle that!
On Sunday I went to church, did some house work, had many student visitors, and then went for my daily walk around town. I didn’t quite enjoy the walk as a drunken man decided to hold my hand and invite me to his home. We exchanged numbers and he has called me every day multiple times a day. I don’t pick up, but he keeps on calling! My daily walks have been more eventful and less enjoyable this week which makes me a little sad. Too many men walking the roads!
This week the students had their final exams. Mathematics was first on Monday morning which made me very happy. Unfortunately I also had to proctor all the exams because there weren’t enough teachers. I was very worried about finishing grading in time. I finished yesterday though and everything has been smooth sailing.
I’ve got my bags packed and am ready for the morning departure! My computer will stay in Kafule so you probably won’t be hearing from me for a while (I am sure you are used to that by now!)
Love,
Gretchen
Tomorrow morning I will be waking up at 3:15 in the morning to begin my long journey to Dar es Salaam! Tomorrow I will travel to Mbeya and then early Saturday morning I will take a 14 hour bus ride to Dar es Salaam. I am not looking forward to the long bus ride but am excited to see my mom and Jenn! They will visit for two weeks which should be a lot of fun.
Things have turned around in Kafule since I last wrote. The rain stopped and we’ve had gorgeous hot weather over this past week. On Saturday I decided to walk to Katengele. Katengele is a village at the top of a mountain that has a big market every Saturday. Before departing I called Enea (my new best friend who is a nurse at the hospital) and she wanted to join me on the walk. She has never walked to the market though and I knew it would be a very long, difficult journey. She called everyone that she knew with a car or motorcycle while we walked to Isoko. No one was traveling to the market. We decided start the climb. She was a little out of breath but I wouldn’t say she was struggling. She told me it was too much and she needed a pikipiki (motorcycle). As we continued going up the shortcut I heard a pikipiki on the road and ran up to stop them. It was my friend Kapesa from school and he told me he would go to the market and then return for Enea. We continued walking but stuck to the road. Enea was breathing much easier on the road (it is not a straight up the mountain climb like the shortcut). Many pikipiki passed and offered us rides but we declined as we waited for Kapesa. He returned with no gas and had to return to Isoko. Enea was pretty upset but was able to get a ride shortly after. She jumped on the pikipiki while I climbed the short cut. We met at the top and walked the flat part together. We didn’t stay long and caught a ride back to Isoko with the hospital car. Enea had me promise when I return to walk with her every Saturday to the market. She wants to wake up at an ungodly hour to do the walk though and I don’t think I can handle that!
On Sunday I went to church, did some house work, had many student visitors, and then went for my daily walk around town. I didn’t quite enjoy the walk as a drunken man decided to hold my hand and invite me to his home. We exchanged numbers and he has called me every day multiple times a day. I don’t pick up, but he keeps on calling! My daily walks have been more eventful and less enjoyable this week which makes me a little sad. Too many men walking the roads!
This week the students had their final exams. Mathematics was first on Monday morning which made me very happy. Unfortunately I also had to proctor all the exams because there weren’t enough teachers. I was very worried about finishing grading in time. I finished yesterday though and everything has been smooth sailing.
I’ve got my bags packed and am ready for the morning departure! My computer will stay in Kafule so you probably won’t be hearing from me for a while (I am sure you are used to that by now!)
Love,
Gretchen
mvua sana!
November 10th
My test results came back negative a second time for amoebic dysentery. I found that it wouldn’t have mattered by that point because it would be worse if I switched medicines. The drive home from the hospital was very long and exhausting. As I walked up the mountain shortly before 8 PM I was praying that Lindsay prepared something for dinner. I was very disappointed when I opened the door to find not only did she not prepare anything for dinner, she didn’t even have the jiko (Swahili word for our little cooker) heated up! I quickly prepared some rice while filling Lindsay in with the details of the hospital visit. She believes they took me off the medicine for amoebic dysentery too soon and it never went away. I am not too concerned about the past procedure at the hospital; I just want to have normal bowel movements again!
Due to lack of rainfall, the electricity (which is run on hydraulics) in Isoko has been turned off for the past three weeks. It has been back on for the last three days so my laptop is finally charged! I celebrated by watching a movie which I spread out through two days. It has been a pretty dreary week. The rain finally began on Saturday and we have had rain each day thereafter. The rain isn’t as bad as I had in Samoa but I am told it gets much worse come February. In Samoa when it rained the sun also shone, not so much here. Today was nice but it has been overcast every other day this week. When I go out for a walk everyone must stop me to tell me, “mvua! (rain!)” I reply with an exaggerated, “hapana! (no!)” and keep walking. Hopefully they will learn I don’t care and will let me walk in peace. I’ve concluded this will never happen though because everyone must stop and ask me where I am going.
Lindsay left yesterday. On Monday she will be flying home to Oklahoma where she will stay for three weeks before returning to Tanzania. Usually when she leaves I don’t mind, but her leaving and this crappy weather has made me hope that I was heading out of here as well. I do have much packing and cleaning to do before next Friday which will keep me plenty busy as I begin grading exams next week. Once I am done grading I am free for about two months. Very exciting!
I hope to spend this next week peacefully at my home but many people are concerned and think a student should live with me—not looking forward to that happening!
Love,
Gretchen
My test results came back negative a second time for amoebic dysentery. I found that it wouldn’t have mattered by that point because it would be worse if I switched medicines. The drive home from the hospital was very long and exhausting. As I walked up the mountain shortly before 8 PM I was praying that Lindsay prepared something for dinner. I was very disappointed when I opened the door to find not only did she not prepare anything for dinner, she didn’t even have the jiko (Swahili word for our little cooker) heated up! I quickly prepared some rice while filling Lindsay in with the details of the hospital visit. She believes they took me off the medicine for amoebic dysentery too soon and it never went away. I am not too concerned about the past procedure at the hospital; I just want to have normal bowel movements again!
Due to lack of rainfall, the electricity (which is run on hydraulics) in Isoko has been turned off for the past three weeks. It has been back on for the last three days so my laptop is finally charged! I celebrated by watching a movie which I spread out through two days. It has been a pretty dreary week. The rain finally began on Saturday and we have had rain each day thereafter. The rain isn’t as bad as I had in Samoa but I am told it gets much worse come February. In Samoa when it rained the sun also shone, not so much here. Today was nice but it has been overcast every other day this week. When I go out for a walk everyone must stop me to tell me, “mvua! (rain!)” I reply with an exaggerated, “hapana! (no!)” and keep walking. Hopefully they will learn I don’t care and will let me walk in peace. I’ve concluded this will never happen though because everyone must stop and ask me where I am going.
Lindsay left yesterday. On Monday she will be flying home to Oklahoma where she will stay for three weeks before returning to Tanzania. Usually when she leaves I don’t mind, but her leaving and this crappy weather has made me hope that I was heading out of here as well. I do have much packing and cleaning to do before next Friday which will keep me plenty busy as I begin grading exams next week. Once I am done grading I am free for about two months. Very exciting!
I hope to spend this next week peacefully at my home but many people are concerned and think a student should live with me—not looking forward to that happening!
Love,
Gretchen
Driving in Tanzania
November 1st
Dr. Kitta made arrangements to pick Lindsay and I up at our home at 1 PM last Sunday. At 12:30 he called me as I was in church. Around 2 I thought the service was close to ending (as we were on the last prayer) and texted Dr. Kitta to come at 2:30. After each church service we walk outside for another song, prayer, and a short auction of various grains before departing for home. For some reason there were many songs played and the service wasn’t officially over until 2:25. Because church can typically last this long I went in with the plan to leave early. That was quickly erased when they saw me and made me sit in the front with the guests. I was trapped. At the end of the service they told me I must go eat at the pastor’s house. I explained that the doctor was coming and I could not, but there was no way to get around it. I was seen as a guest because I was sitting in the front, it would be beyond disrespectful to not go to the pastor’s home. They ended up running me to his house to scarf down food while the doctor drove up and waiting a half an hour for me. I felt like such an idiot and beyond rude. The doctor seemed a little annoyed but got over it. In his car we drove to Isoko to his home where his wife cooked us a huge feast. After the feast he thought it would be a good idea for us to go to ngoma (local drumming) in a village fifteen kilometers away. We reached Dr. Kitta’s car and he asked if I could drive. I thought it was a big joke but he gave me the keys and I drove to ngoma and back. It was a lot of fun driving on the unpaved roads of Isoko. This week the doctor offered to give me his car to go to Mbeya. I like to drive, but Mbeya actually has police officers and that scares me.
There wasn’t much news at school last week. I worked many hours and returned home late every day. My garden is finally sprouting though so all my watering is finally paying off!!!! On Saturday Lindsay and I woke up at 3 AM to catch the Toronto bus to Mpemba. From Mpemba we caught a bus to Mbeya. We needed to check out the immigration office and get our passports signed off. I am not too worried because I don’t plan to leave the country any time soon. Since Lindsay is leaving next week for America she needs to get everything checked out. The immigration office was closed. Lindsay returned to Isongole with Nicole while I stayed in Mbeya with Lisa for the night. Lisa was quite tired and I spent the day shopping and met up with a friend from Isoko. My friend (who I call the Pastor but just found out his name is Umbege) was attending some religious conference and dragged me along with him. I thought after an hour I could depart but he thought it would be better for me to hear the sermon. Luckily I showed him a text from Lisa that said she wasn’t feeling well and we left early. Lisa threw up twice on Saturday and started getting chills. We needed to check for Malaria. I walked from pharmacy to pharmacy and could not find a Self Malaria Test. I finally found a clinic and dragged Lisa out of bed to get a Malaria test.
The Malaria test came back negative so I convinced her to get her urine tested. It came back heavily infected with bacteria and with a yeast infection. Ciproflaxin would kill everything and she decided to wait until she returned to Isongole to start taking it. The next morning she woke up with blood in her stools. We decided to go to the hospital in Mbalizi that I know so well. I called my doctor friend to tell him we were on our way. He was really excited. When we arrived there weren’t many people around. We sat around and waited. Lisa was very weak and needed to go on an IV but they just weren’t admitting us for some reason. I told the doctor and she told me not to worry and then just sat down socializing with her buddies. After an hour my friend came and he got us the same room I stayed in and quickly got Lisa hooked up to an IV. After two IVs her energy was restored and she was ready to get out of the hospital. Since my diarrhea has returned off and on and I have had it every day for the last ten days I also got my stools tested. Both of our stools came back negative. It was impossible that I didn’t have anything wrong with me. They don’t have a test for bacterial dysentery but said they could clinically diagnose it for me. Since amoebic dysentery is known to reoccur and can hide in samples I have ordered a retest today. After eight bowel movements yesterday they put me on medicine which is good for both amoebic and bacterial dysentery. It is strong though and I am hoping not to be on for long.
Today we are waiting for my test results and Lisa’s discharge paperwork. I hope to return to Kafule today but it will be challenging.
Love,
Gretchen
Dr. Kitta made arrangements to pick Lindsay and I up at our home at 1 PM last Sunday. At 12:30 he called me as I was in church. Around 2 I thought the service was close to ending (as we were on the last prayer) and texted Dr. Kitta to come at 2:30. After each church service we walk outside for another song, prayer, and a short auction of various grains before departing for home. For some reason there were many songs played and the service wasn’t officially over until 2:25. Because church can typically last this long I went in with the plan to leave early. That was quickly erased when they saw me and made me sit in the front with the guests. I was trapped. At the end of the service they told me I must go eat at the pastor’s house. I explained that the doctor was coming and I could not, but there was no way to get around it. I was seen as a guest because I was sitting in the front, it would be beyond disrespectful to not go to the pastor’s home. They ended up running me to his house to scarf down food while the doctor drove up and waiting a half an hour for me. I felt like such an idiot and beyond rude. The doctor seemed a little annoyed but got over it. In his car we drove to Isoko to his home where his wife cooked us a huge feast. After the feast he thought it would be a good idea for us to go to ngoma (local drumming) in a village fifteen kilometers away. We reached Dr. Kitta’s car and he asked if I could drive. I thought it was a big joke but he gave me the keys and I drove to ngoma and back. It was a lot of fun driving on the unpaved roads of Isoko. This week the doctor offered to give me his car to go to Mbeya. I like to drive, but Mbeya actually has police officers and that scares me.
There wasn’t much news at school last week. I worked many hours and returned home late every day. My garden is finally sprouting though so all my watering is finally paying off!!!! On Saturday Lindsay and I woke up at 3 AM to catch the Toronto bus to Mpemba. From Mpemba we caught a bus to Mbeya. We needed to check out the immigration office and get our passports signed off. I am not too worried because I don’t plan to leave the country any time soon. Since Lindsay is leaving next week for America she needs to get everything checked out. The immigration office was closed. Lindsay returned to Isongole with Nicole while I stayed in Mbeya with Lisa for the night. Lisa was quite tired and I spent the day shopping and met up with a friend from Isoko. My friend (who I call the Pastor but just found out his name is Umbege) was attending some religious conference and dragged me along with him. I thought after an hour I could depart but he thought it would be better for me to hear the sermon. Luckily I showed him a text from Lisa that said she wasn’t feeling well and we left early. Lisa threw up twice on Saturday and started getting chills. We needed to check for Malaria. I walked from pharmacy to pharmacy and could not find a Self Malaria Test. I finally found a clinic and dragged Lisa out of bed to get a Malaria test.
The Malaria test came back negative so I convinced her to get her urine tested. It came back heavily infected with bacteria and with a yeast infection. Ciproflaxin would kill everything and she decided to wait until she returned to Isongole to start taking it. The next morning she woke up with blood in her stools. We decided to go to the hospital in Mbalizi that I know so well. I called my doctor friend to tell him we were on our way. He was really excited. When we arrived there weren’t many people around. We sat around and waited. Lisa was very weak and needed to go on an IV but they just weren’t admitting us for some reason. I told the doctor and she told me not to worry and then just sat down socializing with her buddies. After an hour my friend came and he got us the same room I stayed in and quickly got Lisa hooked up to an IV. After two IVs her energy was restored and she was ready to get out of the hospital. Since my diarrhea has returned off and on and I have had it every day for the last ten days I also got my stools tested. Both of our stools came back negative. It was impossible that I didn’t have anything wrong with me. They don’t have a test for bacterial dysentery but said they could clinically diagnose it for me. Since amoebic dysentery is known to reoccur and can hide in samples I have ordered a retest today. After eight bowel movements yesterday they put me on medicine which is good for both amoebic and bacterial dysentery. It is strong though and I am hoping not to be on for long.
Today we are waiting for my test results and Lisa’s discharge paperwork. I hope to return to Kafule today but it will be challenging.
Love,
Gretchen
got my dancin' shoes on
October 23rd
Last night was one of the most enjoyable nights I have had in Tanzania. Before we get to that, you need some knowledge of the week.
On Monday, with the help of a student, I started a garden. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I will have some eggplant and green peppers sprouting! On Tuesday, I was escorted to my student, Nisile’s, home. While we were there she reminded me of the “send off” celebration for her sister. We sat and spoke more about it. I wanted to understand why these celebrations always occur. She told me a couple of things about her various sisters so I don’t know which one the celebration was for. What I gathered was that her sister would be moving to Mbeya. I am not sure whether she is starting university or getting married. I am leaning on the marriage answer, but the celebration yesterday did not have a male in attendance (besides the village men)! I was at her house until after 7 PM. While eating I heard Mr. Mbughi’s voice in the back yard. When I finished eating I greeted him. He was surveying the land for the celebration. He was building a structure to house Nisile’s sister. I decided to use the opportunity to go home and asked Mr. Mbughi to sindakisa (escort) me. I didn’t know that we were going to stop at various homes on the walk. A lot of the church folk that I see every Sunday live very close to Nisile and Mr. Mbughi. Now that I have been to many of their homes I can match up couples and children. Everyone wanted me to eat of course. Maybe they think I am looking too thin, not really sure. I believe I have gained weight though so I don’t know why they want me to eat so much! I finally arrived home close to 10 PM carrying my gifts of eggs and peanuts.
On Wednesday my field director, Ashley, arrived in Isoko. After a long school day Lindsay and I walked to Isoko to greet her. We ran into one of our student’s parent’s right after leaving Kafule and he escorted us to Isoko. I was really tired from teaching each period at school that day and did not care for the escort. He was very violent, but didn’t realize it as he continued to slap our back’s and pull on our arms. I was not a fan. I also did not enjoy the warm soda he treated us to when it was in the high 80’s and we just walked for forty minutes. As we were finishing up the soda he kept offering us food but luckily we saw the bus and ran off to greet Ashley. After dropping off her things at the guest house, Lindsay wanted to prepare her food at our home. We walked back up the mountain and after dinner Lindsay escorted her back and stayed at the guest house for the night.
Throughout the week I have had a full schedule at school. I am now teaching every student and have every period of every day that I teach. Things change all the time, but I am typically not found in the staff room anymore. If someone else wants to teach the class that I was intended to teach then I would just go to a different room to teach. I am trying to stay loyal to my form 3 students and teach them as much as before but that will be difficult in the coming weeks. I do enjoy my younger students though. Most of them attend class and do their work. For this week I have kept them in their separate streams (or classes) for each level because I hate teaching larger classes. This will be difficult to continue with as I will need time to rest my brain as well. I used the same lesson for form 1 and 2 this week which made classes and planning for classes completely manageable.
This week I was given the “Teacher on Duty” title and had other responsibilities to uphold on campus. Makhala, the second headmaster, worked alongside me (and did much of the work) so it wasn’t too awful. All the students had to talk to me if they wanted to leave campus. It was really depressing when ten students came up to me in the morning asking to leave because they are sick. Besides asking for permission to leave, I was also given the role of inflicting punishment. Each morning during assembly the students are hit with sticks if they did something bad or are dressed incorrectly. Sometimes I feel as though the other teacher’s make up excuses to hit the students. I told Makhala that there will be no piga-ing this week (strike-ing). He didn’t listen to me and many students were still hit. Each day he managed to give me a group of ten students while he hit the other 200+. I made the boys walk in laps around the grass at the front of the school like chickens while the girls gave me jumping jacks. The ones being punished did not enjoy it but everyone else thought it was comical. I was not given the group of ten students until the end of assembly which typically made me very late to class each morning!
Since I taught all the time and had to stay at school late for my “duties” I didn’t get the opportunity to hang out with Ashley very much on her visit. Lindsay took her around the town and introduced her to various people. After Ashley watched me teach on Friday I asked for permission and left school early to go to Isoko with the two of them. We enjoyed a big feast on Ashley’s last night before saying our goodbyes. She left at 4 AM Saturday morning so we had an early night!
I basically spent all of yesterday walking, eating, and dancing. I went for a long morning walk and got lost on the million trails that locals have created over the years. After my walk I ate before leaving for Nisile’s sister’s send-off celebration. When I arrived, they made me eat a massive amount of meat before walking up to the celebration. The celebration was in the middle of the woods. I sat next to a pine tree. Mr. Mbughi was the master of ceremonies and took it upon himself to constantly call me to the front to dance in front of everyone. At 6 PM we took a break to eat some more. I was offered a full glass of chunky milk. I quickly made the excuse that I was allergic (this to the only English speaker in the room). More rice, beans, and meat before returning to dance. At that point I was excited to dance and lose the tens pounds I gained from food. The dancing didn’t continue for long as the sun began to set and there were no lights in the woods. The party did continue at the church though! After going home for an hour of recovery I headed to the church until 11 dancing. I mostly danced with the younger women at church (in their late 20s maybe). The old women liked to join me and one kept competing with me about who could get lower to the floor. The church was jammed pack. It was nice to see so many of my students enjoying themselves. I especially liked how the old, middle aged, young, and infants could all be in one room dancing freely, enjoying themselves.
This morning, I am off to church and then one of the students is coming to bring Lindsay and I to her home in Isoko. Lindsay was not feeling well yesterday though so I might be going solo on this adventure…
Love,
Gretchen
Last night was one of the most enjoyable nights I have had in Tanzania. Before we get to that, you need some knowledge of the week.
On Monday, with the help of a student, I started a garden. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I will have some eggplant and green peppers sprouting! On Tuesday, I was escorted to my student, Nisile’s, home. While we were there she reminded me of the “send off” celebration for her sister. We sat and spoke more about it. I wanted to understand why these celebrations always occur. She told me a couple of things about her various sisters so I don’t know which one the celebration was for. What I gathered was that her sister would be moving to Mbeya. I am not sure whether she is starting university or getting married. I am leaning on the marriage answer, but the celebration yesterday did not have a male in attendance (besides the village men)! I was at her house until after 7 PM. While eating I heard Mr. Mbughi’s voice in the back yard. When I finished eating I greeted him. He was surveying the land for the celebration. He was building a structure to house Nisile’s sister. I decided to use the opportunity to go home and asked Mr. Mbughi to sindakisa (escort) me. I didn’t know that we were going to stop at various homes on the walk. A lot of the church folk that I see every Sunday live very close to Nisile and Mr. Mbughi. Now that I have been to many of their homes I can match up couples and children. Everyone wanted me to eat of course. Maybe they think I am looking too thin, not really sure. I believe I have gained weight though so I don’t know why they want me to eat so much! I finally arrived home close to 10 PM carrying my gifts of eggs and peanuts.
On Wednesday my field director, Ashley, arrived in Isoko. After a long school day Lindsay and I walked to Isoko to greet her. We ran into one of our student’s parent’s right after leaving Kafule and he escorted us to Isoko. I was really tired from teaching each period at school that day and did not care for the escort. He was very violent, but didn’t realize it as he continued to slap our back’s and pull on our arms. I was not a fan. I also did not enjoy the warm soda he treated us to when it was in the high 80’s and we just walked for forty minutes. As we were finishing up the soda he kept offering us food but luckily we saw the bus and ran off to greet Ashley. After dropping off her things at the guest house, Lindsay wanted to prepare her food at our home. We walked back up the mountain and after dinner Lindsay escorted her back and stayed at the guest house for the night.
Throughout the week I have had a full schedule at school. I am now teaching every student and have every period of every day that I teach. Things change all the time, but I am typically not found in the staff room anymore. If someone else wants to teach the class that I was intended to teach then I would just go to a different room to teach. I am trying to stay loyal to my form 3 students and teach them as much as before but that will be difficult in the coming weeks. I do enjoy my younger students though. Most of them attend class and do their work. For this week I have kept them in their separate streams (or classes) for each level because I hate teaching larger classes. This will be difficult to continue with as I will need time to rest my brain as well. I used the same lesson for form 1 and 2 this week which made classes and planning for classes completely manageable.
This week I was given the “Teacher on Duty” title and had other responsibilities to uphold on campus. Makhala, the second headmaster, worked alongside me (and did much of the work) so it wasn’t too awful. All the students had to talk to me if they wanted to leave campus. It was really depressing when ten students came up to me in the morning asking to leave because they are sick. Besides asking for permission to leave, I was also given the role of inflicting punishment. Each morning during assembly the students are hit with sticks if they did something bad or are dressed incorrectly. Sometimes I feel as though the other teacher’s make up excuses to hit the students. I told Makhala that there will be no piga-ing this week (strike-ing). He didn’t listen to me and many students were still hit. Each day he managed to give me a group of ten students while he hit the other 200+. I made the boys walk in laps around the grass at the front of the school like chickens while the girls gave me jumping jacks. The ones being punished did not enjoy it but everyone else thought it was comical. I was not given the group of ten students until the end of assembly which typically made me very late to class each morning!
Since I taught all the time and had to stay at school late for my “duties” I didn’t get the opportunity to hang out with Ashley very much on her visit. Lindsay took her around the town and introduced her to various people. After Ashley watched me teach on Friday I asked for permission and left school early to go to Isoko with the two of them. We enjoyed a big feast on Ashley’s last night before saying our goodbyes. She left at 4 AM Saturday morning so we had an early night!
I basically spent all of yesterday walking, eating, and dancing. I went for a long morning walk and got lost on the million trails that locals have created over the years. After my walk I ate before leaving for Nisile’s sister’s send-off celebration. When I arrived, they made me eat a massive amount of meat before walking up to the celebration. The celebration was in the middle of the woods. I sat next to a pine tree. Mr. Mbughi was the master of ceremonies and took it upon himself to constantly call me to the front to dance in front of everyone. At 6 PM we took a break to eat some more. I was offered a full glass of chunky milk. I quickly made the excuse that I was allergic (this to the only English speaker in the room). More rice, beans, and meat before returning to dance. At that point I was excited to dance and lose the tens pounds I gained from food. The dancing didn’t continue for long as the sun began to set and there were no lights in the woods. The party did continue at the church though! After going home for an hour of recovery I headed to the church until 11 dancing. I mostly danced with the younger women at church (in their late 20s maybe). The old women liked to join me and one kept competing with me about who could get lower to the floor. The church was jammed pack. It was nice to see so many of my students enjoying themselves. I especially liked how the old, middle aged, young, and infants could all be in one room dancing freely, enjoying themselves.
This morning, I am off to church and then one of the students is coming to bring Lindsay and I to her home in Isoko. Lindsay was not feeling well yesterday though so I might be going solo on this adventure…
Love,
Gretchen
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