October 16th (part 2)
I was extremely exhausted from staying in bed for two weeks that I spent the weekend enjoying my new health! After attempting to sleep in Friday morning (Mr. Mbughi came knocking at 6 AM to invite me to a church celebration!) I spent the morning doing some light cleaning before meeting up with two teachers to go on a hike. After enjoying a meal at Wema’s house Wema, Makhala, and I climbed one of the mountains behind the school. Wema informed me that it was not considered a mountain but a hill. Let’s just say the temperature changed drastically as we reached the top…that doesn’t happen when you climb a hill!! But the climb was nice and I felt very strong which made me happy.
As we were descending from our climb I received a phone call from Mr. Mbughi. He talks very fast and I can never understand him on the phone. I did catch the word ‘church’ and promised I would go there when I returned. There has been a man in Kafule videotaping the church choir over the last few days. In the morning he were videotaping at the school when Mr. Mbughi came knocking. In the evening, when he called, they were dancing in the middle of the soccer field. I intended to go home, dress, and report to the church to watch but I made the mistake of walking past the soccer field before reaching home. I was called over to watch the videotaping. I am interested to see how the video comes out. You have cows and goats in the background eating grass, random kids running by, and various other random incidents and people watching from the hillside. After sitting for twenty minutes I tried to escape to go home and change, but Mr. Mbughi wasn’t having it. He refused to let me leave. I didn’t know that he had other plans for me.
After the group dancing was complete it was time for free dancing. Free dancing meant I was included in this. Trailing behind Mr. Mbughi we danced in a circle over and over again. When the camera was trained on us Mr. Mbughi went crazy. He’s got some dance moves that would put even my father to shame! I just smiled and smiled as the entire village walked out of their homes to watch me dance. Don’t worry mom, my Cheshire cat grin came in handy! In two months the music video should be going on sale (during, of course, another celebration). In the manner of ten minutes I became a celebrity.
Yesterday, I did a deep clean of the house before heading to Isoko to charge my computer. While there I gained a new best friend. Enea is a nurse at the hospital. She wanted my mother’s e-mail address to discuss how much she likes being a nurse with her. She showed me her house and the twenty chickens she is saving for her Christmas feast. She does not like to speak Kiswahili to me which was a nice little change. After the sun set, I started my walk home. I didn’t stay home for long because it was already late and I promised Mr. Mbughi I would go to his house. After a short rest, I headed over to his house and taught his kids how to play cards. We started out with War but the game lasted entirely too long. They absolutely loved Slap Jack though. I was a little worried after the Slap Jack game because Noel and Wema (brother and sister) were getting a little too competitive. I have not seen a Tanzanian fight (especially siblings) and I don’t want to be the one starting the fights! Today, I have been at church from 10 AM until now (it is 6:30 PM)! We were celebrating the pastor. Of course, I was brought in the front to sit so I could not run away. On the plus side, I was brought to the pastors to enjoy “brunch” afterwards!
This week we are getting a visit from our field director Ashley.
Love,
Gretchen
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Another week of rest
October 16th
I am finally feeling back to normal. On the 8th I was finally discharged from the hospital in Mbeya and Lindsay and I spent the entire day traveling on public transportation to return home. We did not return until after the sun set. I was extremely exhausted and went right to bed. Throughout the night I could hear singing at the church. On Sunday, I decided to make an appearance at church not realizing that the celebration was continuing from the night before. I later found out the celebration was going on for four days straight. I am glad I was not in Kafule during the entire celebration because I would have not slept the entire time. I only stayed at the service for four hours, but it continued well into the night. I rested the remainder of the day so that I could be prepared for teaching again. I had many visitors on Sunday bringing me gifts and apologizing for my ill health. Nothing like a soda to get me on my feet again!
I planned to teach throughout the week but the medicine made me feel uneasy. I was left with an awful headache from Monday until late Wednesday night. I couldn’t do much but sleep during the time. It made for not the best birthday celebration on Wednesday. I tried to trick my body by dressing in my best outfit and walking to school in the morning like normal. Unfortunately my headache remained well into the night. I was able to stay at school throughout the day doing light work as my headache wasn’t as bad. By the time the sun set the headache was back in full force and I laid in bed while Lindsay prepared dinner. Lindsay was thoughtful enough to make me chocolate cake which brought my spirit way up!
On Thursday I woke up feeling better than I had for weeks! Since Friday was a holiday I decided to go to school to greet my new students. For the last four months the form 1 and 2 students were being taught mathematics by a student teacher. He has now returned to school and it is my turn to take over! I am actually very excited about teaching the younger students. They are very enthusiastic and excited that a “mzungu” from America is teaching them. On Thursday I spent twenty minutes greeting the students in form 1. As I moved from class to class they followed close behind. They were overjoyed to have me teaching them. I don’t quite understand it though because they know very minimal English and have no idea what I am saying. We will see how this coming week goes! The student teacher would just lecture them when he taught so I hope to liven up math as best as I can. There aren’t many students that enjoy mathematics and I hope to change that before I leave!
This weekend I became a celebrity in Tanzania, please read part two to find out why!
Love,
Gretchen
I am finally feeling back to normal. On the 8th I was finally discharged from the hospital in Mbeya and Lindsay and I spent the entire day traveling on public transportation to return home. We did not return until after the sun set. I was extremely exhausted and went right to bed. Throughout the night I could hear singing at the church. On Sunday, I decided to make an appearance at church not realizing that the celebration was continuing from the night before. I later found out the celebration was going on for four days straight. I am glad I was not in Kafule during the entire celebration because I would have not slept the entire time. I only stayed at the service for four hours, but it continued well into the night. I rested the remainder of the day so that I could be prepared for teaching again. I had many visitors on Sunday bringing me gifts and apologizing for my ill health. Nothing like a soda to get me on my feet again!
I planned to teach throughout the week but the medicine made me feel uneasy. I was left with an awful headache from Monday until late Wednesday night. I couldn’t do much but sleep during the time. It made for not the best birthday celebration on Wednesday. I tried to trick my body by dressing in my best outfit and walking to school in the morning like normal. Unfortunately my headache remained well into the night. I was able to stay at school throughout the day doing light work as my headache wasn’t as bad. By the time the sun set the headache was back in full force and I laid in bed while Lindsay prepared dinner. Lindsay was thoughtful enough to make me chocolate cake which brought my spirit way up!
On Thursday I woke up feeling better than I had for weeks! Since Friday was a holiday I decided to go to school to greet my new students. For the last four months the form 1 and 2 students were being taught mathematics by a student teacher. He has now returned to school and it is my turn to take over! I am actually very excited about teaching the younger students. They are very enthusiastic and excited that a “mzungu” from America is teaching them. On Thursday I spent twenty minutes greeting the students in form 1. As I moved from class to class they followed close behind. They were overjoyed to have me teaching them. I don’t quite understand it though because they know very minimal English and have no idea what I am saying. We will see how this coming week goes! The student teacher would just lecture them when he taught so I hope to liven up math as best as I can. There aren’t many students that enjoy mathematics and I hope to change that before I leave!
This weekend I became a celebrity in Tanzania, please read part two to find out why!
Love,
Gretchen
Monday, October 10, 2011
Oh Sara!
October 7th (part two)
On Wednesday at around 4 PM we finally began the long journey away from Isoko. I sat in the front of our Land Rover turned ambulance while Lindsay sat in the back with some smelly old man. We took many stops along the way. The stops were for people and food. At one stop we picked up the district educational officer whom Lindsay and I have met a few times. She decided to share the front seat with me, it was cozy! She brought us to a house and tried forcing me to drink porridge. I continually refused. I had half a cup; that was enough. In between forcing me she kept calling Lindsay Sara and complementing her legs and her overall beauty. “Oh Sara, you have such nice legs.” “Sara, you keep getting more beautiful every time I see you.” “I think I want to take a photo of you. I would send the photo to your family so they could see how beautiful you are.” And then when I left to use the restroom she told Lindsay she would also like the photo. :-) Glad I looked like a “hot mess” as Lindsay called me. Eventually we dropped this lady at her home ten minutes away after spending over an hour hanging out with her. We picked up some more people and continued on our journey. We arrived at the hospital in Mbalizi at 10:30 PM. I was a little worried about arriving so late but it was probably much better that way, I didn’t wait in any lines!
After getting a new hospital card I was taken into a room to visit the night doctor. He was a young man but very intelligent. He asked me questions and actually (I know, I was surprised) recommended some tests that I should take. He also kept commenting that my eyes tell him that the diarrhea was really bad. He would say that my sunken eyes told him a lot which I was utterly confused but nodded about. Lindsay informed me that my eyes were completely dilated. After another malaria test I was brought into the VIP room. The room was very large and contained two beds: one for patient, one for visitor. There was also a crib that our bags took over. I was so excited to go right to bed and start tests the next morning. Unfortunately they wanted to start me on an IV right away. I didn’t sleep until 3 AM when I saw the IV was finished and I called them to take it out of my hand. They just took the wiring out. I sat around the bed all day waiting results. I had a few visits from the district education offices and the woman, Suma, who escorted us in the ambulance, spent most of the day with us. She was also the woman who got us things. We didn’t realize the hospital does not offer food or even water for the patients. Suma brought Lindsay around to show her where to buy things and where to go to get a doctor or nurse. At around 4 in the evening she left us with good luck wishes.
Eventually it was 6 PM and I had yet to hear about the results from my urine and stool samples. There was also blood taken but that was late in the evening and I did not expect to see the results that soon. I called and called and an hour later a doctor and his two assistants showed up. They found bacterial dysentery and a urinary tract infection. In Isoko, they found only amoebic dysentery so either they were wrong and I was taking the wrong medicine or the medicine they gave me killed the amoebas. Not really sure. Now, I am on a combination of three medicines to stop all my troubles. I am feeling much better and have a lot of my energy back. Coming with that energy is annoyance at how slow the system works. Today, we planned to return to Kafule but the doctor didn’t show up until noon and decided it was already too late in the day for me to leave. I am still having severe stomach cramps and trouble sleeping so maybe it is good I am staying under the hospital “care.” They finally took the IV needle out of my hand last night after my hand blew up like a marshmallow and I can finally type this blog entry.
Back to watching another movie or reading my book.
Love,
Gretchen
On Wednesday at around 4 PM we finally began the long journey away from Isoko. I sat in the front of our Land Rover turned ambulance while Lindsay sat in the back with some smelly old man. We took many stops along the way. The stops were for people and food. At one stop we picked up the district educational officer whom Lindsay and I have met a few times. She decided to share the front seat with me, it was cozy! She brought us to a house and tried forcing me to drink porridge. I continually refused. I had half a cup; that was enough. In between forcing me she kept calling Lindsay Sara and complementing her legs and her overall beauty. “Oh Sara, you have such nice legs.” “Sara, you keep getting more beautiful every time I see you.” “I think I want to take a photo of you. I would send the photo to your family so they could see how beautiful you are.” And then when I left to use the restroom she told Lindsay she would also like the photo. :-) Glad I looked like a “hot mess” as Lindsay called me. Eventually we dropped this lady at her home ten minutes away after spending over an hour hanging out with her. We picked up some more people and continued on our journey. We arrived at the hospital in Mbalizi at 10:30 PM. I was a little worried about arriving so late but it was probably much better that way, I didn’t wait in any lines!
After getting a new hospital card I was taken into a room to visit the night doctor. He was a young man but very intelligent. He asked me questions and actually (I know, I was surprised) recommended some tests that I should take. He also kept commenting that my eyes tell him that the diarrhea was really bad. He would say that my sunken eyes told him a lot which I was utterly confused but nodded about. Lindsay informed me that my eyes were completely dilated. After another malaria test I was brought into the VIP room. The room was very large and contained two beds: one for patient, one for visitor. There was also a crib that our bags took over. I was so excited to go right to bed and start tests the next morning. Unfortunately they wanted to start me on an IV right away. I didn’t sleep until 3 AM when I saw the IV was finished and I called them to take it out of my hand. They just took the wiring out. I sat around the bed all day waiting results. I had a few visits from the district education offices and the woman, Suma, who escorted us in the ambulance, spent most of the day with us. She was also the woman who got us things. We didn’t realize the hospital does not offer food or even water for the patients. Suma brought Lindsay around to show her where to buy things and where to go to get a doctor or nurse. At around 4 in the evening she left us with good luck wishes.
Eventually it was 6 PM and I had yet to hear about the results from my urine and stool samples. There was also blood taken but that was late in the evening and I did not expect to see the results that soon. I called and called and an hour later a doctor and his two assistants showed up. They found bacterial dysentery and a urinary tract infection. In Isoko, they found only amoebic dysentery so either they were wrong and I was taking the wrong medicine or the medicine they gave me killed the amoebas. Not really sure. Now, I am on a combination of three medicines to stop all my troubles. I am feeling much better and have a lot of my energy back. Coming with that energy is annoyance at how slow the system works. Today, we planned to return to Kafule but the doctor didn’t show up until noon and decided it was already too late in the day for me to leave. I am still having severe stomach cramps and trouble sleeping so maybe it is good I am staying under the hospital “care.” They finally took the IV needle out of my hand last night after my hand blew up like a marshmallow and I can finally type this blog entry.
Back to watching another movie or reading my book.
Love,
Gretchen
my butt is crying...
October 7th
This eventful last week started Friday evening when I returned to Kafule alone while Lindsay stayed in Isongole to visit the other volunteers. During the return trip I was very dehydrated and every time the bus stopped I asked someone to buy me a bottle of water. I am not sure if it was from living in a semiarid environment for the last week or the illness that was lurking in my system. Nonetheless I spent all of Saturday cleaning the house that Lindsay and I left quite a mess before heading into Isoko for the evening. Again, I kept feeling dehydrated throughout the day. On Sunday, I went to church as normal. During the two and a half hour church service I started feeling dizzy. I went home to rest for the remainder of the day.
By late in the afternoon my fever did not subside and I started feeling very tired. I decided to give myself the self-malaria test. The results were negative so I decided to wait until the next day. Lindsay came home late that night and gave me Motrin which gave me a temporary relief from the fever so I could sleep. I had a restless sleep and woke up the next morning with a temperature still at 101. I decided to go to the hospital to get some tests done. It was a shit show. I couldn’t walk the thirty minutes because I was dizzy so I went to school to hope the headmaster would help me find a ride. He did, three hours later. I arrived and sat in a waiting room next to one of my students. Eventually the doctor came and everyone ran to the reception desk. I was escorted into the reception office to make a hospital card with one of the nurses. I gave her my passport to write my name yet she still asked me questions such as: “Where are you from? You know, like Germany or something?” and “Is this the year you were born?” There were also real questions like, “what tribe are you from?” that I didn’t know how to answer. I was first to be brought to the doctor. I know most of the doctors at the hospital but had never seen this guy and he didn’t know much English. I stayed in a room with him while he checked on an old man that could barely breathe. The old man was getting some type of physical done and I sat and waited as a curtain was drawn around him and he did some breathing exercises. He ordered me to get another malaria test. Then I sat and waited while everyone stared at me and I continued to get more dehydrated sitting in a window ceil outside in the sun. Eventually I ran into Mr. Mbughi because the post office is next to the church and he brought me for a soda. I didn’t want a coke but I needed some kind of sugar boost and accepted. Going to the “cafeteria” got the attention of one doctor which finally got me some answers. After a two and a half hour wait a doctor brought me back to his office to find the answers for me. He returned to tell me that I am negative for malaria. He wasn’t too sure what to prescribe from there because that is the only thing he imagined I could have. He took my blood pressure (with great difficulty) to find that was normal and then just sat talking to another doctor about giving me malaria medicine. I asked for a stool sample which he thought was a good idea. Off we went for a stool and (little did I know) blood sample. I was extremely dehydrated at this point so they had some trouble finding any veins. It took four people and two misses to strike a vein. I went back into the doctor’s office to wait out the results. They found that I was positive for amoebic dysentery. Dr. Kitta gave me three packets of rehydration salts, medicine to kill the infection, and some pink pills (not too sure what the pink pills are to be used for) and then sent me on my way.
When I arrived home Monday night and took my first dosage I became very nauseous. I didn’t sleep well that night and awoke the next morning in a cold sweat. It rid me of my fever! I felt well on Tuesday until it started getting dark outside. I woke up Wednesday pretty good until I ate. Let’s just say I didn’t leave the bathroom that morning. I became extremely dehydrated and weak. I called my roommate to come home from school. I didn’t really know what to do but I knew I wasn’t going back to the village hospital! We called the field director and decided to get me to a hospital in Mbeya, the closest city. It was a bitch of a day. She called the district educational officers to help find rides. They in turn called our headmaster who came down to our home. He wanted me to go to the Isoko hospital to get checked out but I didn’t want to go. It was bad and I was very sick. Eventually we agreed to go to Isoko to wait for the other vehicle that was taking me to Mbeya. We got to the hospital and they made me go on an IV (which was a good decision but I was frightened nonetheless). The IV leaked the entire time I laid on the unclean bed and when I had to get up to use the bathroom (remember, I have dysentery) my blood would come out into the tubing. And they decided to put me on 1000 ml at a slow drip. For three hours I laid there as everyone and their mother came in to greet me. Everyone also gave me a talk about how great Isoko Hospital is and that they would want treatment there. Pole sana. Very sorry. My insurance wants me to seek treatment at a larger hospital in the city was my response. My ride came but they couldn’t take me. I was being held hostage at the hospital. After the IV drip completed Lindsay and I sat with the regional education officer, Suma, as we waited a letter from the doctor. The doctor arrived a half an hour later to give me some advice. Luckily, it wasn’t more advice on how to cook food because I heard that plenty throughout the day. It is not the food I cook that makes me sick! Instead, this doctor has to fill me in about what diarrhea is.
Have you ever had a foreign object in your eye? Now, what does your body do to get rid of that foreign object? It cries, doesn’t it? Well, you have a foreign object inside your body and the diarrhea is your butt crying. The diarrhea is good because it means you will soon have the foreign object out. And then he goes on for a couple more minutes repeating this until he gets called out and never returns. At 4 PM we finally receive the official doctor note and head off. The journey was a long and tiring one that I have decided to share in part two. Hope you enjoy and your butt isn’t crying for me!
Love,
Gretchen
This eventful last week started Friday evening when I returned to Kafule alone while Lindsay stayed in Isongole to visit the other volunteers. During the return trip I was very dehydrated and every time the bus stopped I asked someone to buy me a bottle of water. I am not sure if it was from living in a semiarid environment for the last week or the illness that was lurking in my system. Nonetheless I spent all of Saturday cleaning the house that Lindsay and I left quite a mess before heading into Isoko for the evening. Again, I kept feeling dehydrated throughout the day. On Sunday, I went to church as normal. During the two and a half hour church service I started feeling dizzy. I went home to rest for the remainder of the day.
By late in the afternoon my fever did not subside and I started feeling very tired. I decided to give myself the self-malaria test. The results were negative so I decided to wait until the next day. Lindsay came home late that night and gave me Motrin which gave me a temporary relief from the fever so I could sleep. I had a restless sleep and woke up the next morning with a temperature still at 101. I decided to go to the hospital to get some tests done. It was a shit show. I couldn’t walk the thirty minutes because I was dizzy so I went to school to hope the headmaster would help me find a ride. He did, three hours later. I arrived and sat in a waiting room next to one of my students. Eventually the doctor came and everyone ran to the reception desk. I was escorted into the reception office to make a hospital card with one of the nurses. I gave her my passport to write my name yet she still asked me questions such as: “Where are you from? You know, like Germany or something?” and “Is this the year you were born?” There were also real questions like, “what tribe are you from?” that I didn’t know how to answer. I was first to be brought to the doctor. I know most of the doctors at the hospital but had never seen this guy and he didn’t know much English. I stayed in a room with him while he checked on an old man that could barely breathe. The old man was getting some type of physical done and I sat and waited as a curtain was drawn around him and he did some breathing exercises. He ordered me to get another malaria test. Then I sat and waited while everyone stared at me and I continued to get more dehydrated sitting in a window ceil outside in the sun. Eventually I ran into Mr. Mbughi because the post office is next to the church and he brought me for a soda. I didn’t want a coke but I needed some kind of sugar boost and accepted. Going to the “cafeteria” got the attention of one doctor which finally got me some answers. After a two and a half hour wait a doctor brought me back to his office to find the answers for me. He returned to tell me that I am negative for malaria. He wasn’t too sure what to prescribe from there because that is the only thing he imagined I could have. He took my blood pressure (with great difficulty) to find that was normal and then just sat talking to another doctor about giving me malaria medicine. I asked for a stool sample which he thought was a good idea. Off we went for a stool and (little did I know) blood sample. I was extremely dehydrated at this point so they had some trouble finding any veins. It took four people and two misses to strike a vein. I went back into the doctor’s office to wait out the results. They found that I was positive for amoebic dysentery. Dr. Kitta gave me three packets of rehydration salts, medicine to kill the infection, and some pink pills (not too sure what the pink pills are to be used for) and then sent me on my way.
When I arrived home Monday night and took my first dosage I became very nauseous. I didn’t sleep well that night and awoke the next morning in a cold sweat. It rid me of my fever! I felt well on Tuesday until it started getting dark outside. I woke up Wednesday pretty good until I ate. Let’s just say I didn’t leave the bathroom that morning. I became extremely dehydrated and weak. I called my roommate to come home from school. I didn’t really know what to do but I knew I wasn’t going back to the village hospital! We called the field director and decided to get me to a hospital in Mbeya, the closest city. It was a bitch of a day. She called the district educational officers to help find rides. They in turn called our headmaster who came down to our home. He wanted me to go to the Isoko hospital to get checked out but I didn’t want to go. It was bad and I was very sick. Eventually we agreed to go to Isoko to wait for the other vehicle that was taking me to Mbeya. We got to the hospital and they made me go on an IV (which was a good decision but I was frightened nonetheless). The IV leaked the entire time I laid on the unclean bed and when I had to get up to use the bathroom (remember, I have dysentery) my blood would come out into the tubing. And they decided to put me on 1000 ml at a slow drip. For three hours I laid there as everyone and their mother came in to greet me. Everyone also gave me a talk about how great Isoko Hospital is and that they would want treatment there. Pole sana. Very sorry. My insurance wants me to seek treatment at a larger hospital in the city was my response. My ride came but they couldn’t take me. I was being held hostage at the hospital. After the IV drip completed Lindsay and I sat with the regional education officer, Suma, as we waited a letter from the doctor. The doctor arrived a half an hour later to give me some advice. Luckily, it wasn’t more advice on how to cook food because I heard that plenty throughout the day. It is not the food I cook that makes me sick! Instead, this doctor has to fill me in about what diarrhea is.
Have you ever had a foreign object in your eye? Now, what does your body do to get rid of that foreign object? It cries, doesn’t it? Well, you have a foreign object inside your body and the diarrhea is your butt crying. The diarrhea is good because it means you will soon have the foreign object out. And then he goes on for a couple more minutes repeating this until he gets called out and never returns. At 4 PM we finally receive the official doctor note and head off. The journey was a long and tiring one that I have decided to share in part two. Hope you enjoy and your butt isn’t crying for me!
Love,
Gretchen
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Ruaha National Park
September 28th
After breakfast, Lindsay and I walked to Iringa Info desk to find the company Warthog Adventures. The transaction was quite easy. For $250 we could go to Ruaha National Park for one day, each additional day costs $150. To enter the park it costs $20 a person and then accommodation (the cheap kind) costs $20 per person per night. We thought that was reasonable given we would have our own driver and Land Rover for the time. We decided on a two day, 1 night tour. We spent one hour gathering water and various foods before returning to depart. The park has a kitchen in which you can cook your own food or you can pay for food at a dining facility. I was hoping to save money as much as possible and opted on bringing my own food. After a two and a half hour drive we managed to finally enter the park.
The park is the largest in Tanzania with a lot of wildlife within its boundaries. I was happy to find out that there is no fence keeping the animals inside so they can roam free if they want. The first stop on the trip was at a river where we saw hippos. The hippos were so large and lazy. We were able to get out of the vehicle and walk around taking photos of the hippos. Throughout the day we continued driving around. We saw giraffes, elephants, zebras, hyenas, warthogs, and impalas. At the end of the day we were still looking for lions and were exciting to come across a female pride sleeping under a baobab tree. It is amazing how close you can get to all the different animals. We finished the driving shortly after sunset and unpacked in our bandas. The bandas are the cheapest form of sleeping accommodations. Lindsay and I shared a thatch hut which had two beds covered in mosquito netting. There was also a building for bathing, one for showering (real showers!), and a kitchen facility. We met two other groups of tourists while there. The kitchen facility had electricity so we spent a few hours charging up our various electronics before going to sleep.
I was quite scared during the night. At 4 AM I had to use the bathroom really bad but was frightened to leave the banda. The bathroom facilities were about 75 yards from where I was sleeping. Typically, I am not scared of the dark but we were located along the river that had hippos swimming inside. It is common to have the hippos come out of the water during the night. I was not too excited about coming across one of those on my walk. Hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal. There are also crocodiles in the river and elephants close by. There is a good reason I was so scared! Instead, I went into the showers that were ten yards away and peed inside the first one! As I was walking to the showers something started to bark at me and I practically ran. Luckily, I only spent one night in the park and don’t have to worry about that happening again!
On our second day we got a late start at 8 AM, but saw just as much as we could imagine. We saw much of the same animals and at the end of the day saw a male lion hanging out under a baobab tree about ten yards away. We also saw a family of water buffalo as we were driving along the dried up river. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous and much drier than we are used to in Kafule. All in all, the experience was well worth it and I am glad I spent all of the money I made from my stipends for this week of vacation. After we arrived yesterday we didn’t do much but relax for the rest of the evening.
Today, Lindsay and I did a lot of shopping. Iringa has a lot of tourist shops so we stocked up. Lindsay is going home for a few weeks in December and wanted to buy a lot for her family and friends before she leaves. I don’t know if I will be returning to Iringa again so I bought a lot of goodies to send home at some point. Tomorrow we will start the journey back home.
Love,
Gretchen
graduation
September 26th (part two)
This past Friday was graduation at school. Lindsay and I were anticipating a huge production and were a bit disappointed in some ways. Throughout the last two weeks school has ended early for group practices. Various groups throughout the school performed songs and dances to prepare. On two of the days the student teachers organized auditions which we readily participated in watching. The performances were very entertaining. We had songs, dances, local drumming, gymnastics, comedy, a news report, and a skit about drunks. Unfortunately the student teachers picked only five of the performances and left out some of the best ones!
Lindsay and I were in charge of the decorations and arrived at school at 7 AM. We waited a while for the other teachers on our committee before we began. We decorated the main graduation venue with two students while a group of students decorated the “cafeteria” for after the graduation. By 10:30 AM the decorations were complete. The DJ arrived and we sat listening to music while various students got up and danced. The graduation was planned to begin at 10 AM. At 1:40 PM the guest speaker, a member of parliament (MP) from Isoko, finally arrived. He walked in hand in hand with the headmaster. Graduation lasted a total of four hours. I thought it would go well into the night. The Christian graduation was ten hours long so one would think the actual graduation would be just as long if not longer. I am not complaining though, I was happy that it was shorter. The MP’s speech lasted an hour. I could comprehend parts of what he was saying but I lost interest throughout the long speech. His main message was that it is not good to celebrate; the students must study for their examinations which are in a week. He also said that there should be no celebrations after examinations because they don’t know their results yet. The results do not get returned until January or February so there is a long period of waiting! After graduation was complete we were ushered into the “cafeteria.” I was unable to congratulate my students. I thought that after we ate I would be able, but no one was around. The graduation was not centered on the form 4 students so I wanted them to at least feel special by offering some sort of congratulations to them.
At 6:30 we finished eating the cow, chicken, rice, spiced rice, and vegetables and thought we could go home. Of course, we were wrong. The student teachers wanted us to join them in dancing and drinking in the cafeteria. On my third Coca-Cola of the day I danced with a few of the teachers while some of the old men of the village watched. Luckily, the DJ was ready to pull the plug and we did not stay for long. At 7 PM we finally began the short walk home. After fifteen minutes of resting Mr. Mbughi called and wanted us to go to his house. He was having a party for two form 4 students who live in his housing compound and had previously invited us. We had all intention of going but were looking for a rest first. He did not want us to rest. We arrived to a house full of kids of all ages. The only adults were Mr. Mbughi and his wife. After eating, Lindsay and I sat by the DJ for two hours watching various kids dancing. Most of the kids were not even in O-level! Most were much smaller village kids that came for the free dance. I was completely exhausted at the dance and barely kept my eyes open. Every time the dancers approached the stereo system Mr. Mbughi would jump up and chase them away with a stick. The entertainment of watching him chase them was the only thing that kept me awake. Around 10:30 we finally said we had enough and Mr. Mbughi escorted us home. The dancing continued throughout the night but I was too tired to have the music bother my sleep.
As I mentioned in part one, yesterday was a very exhausting day of traveling. Today I am waiting for Lindsay to wake up so that we can walk to the Iringa Info desk and ask about transportation to Ruaha National Park. Hopefully everything will work out and I will be viewing some animals today!
Love,
Gretchen
This past Friday was graduation at school. Lindsay and I were anticipating a huge production and were a bit disappointed in some ways. Throughout the last two weeks school has ended early for group practices. Various groups throughout the school performed songs and dances to prepare. On two of the days the student teachers organized auditions which we readily participated in watching. The performances were very entertaining. We had songs, dances, local drumming, gymnastics, comedy, a news report, and a skit about drunks. Unfortunately the student teachers picked only five of the performances and left out some of the best ones!
Lindsay and I were in charge of the decorations and arrived at school at 7 AM. We waited a while for the other teachers on our committee before we began. We decorated the main graduation venue with two students while a group of students decorated the “cafeteria” for after the graduation. By 10:30 AM the decorations were complete. The DJ arrived and we sat listening to music while various students got up and danced. The graduation was planned to begin at 10 AM. At 1:40 PM the guest speaker, a member of parliament (MP) from Isoko, finally arrived. He walked in hand in hand with the headmaster. Graduation lasted a total of four hours. I thought it would go well into the night. The Christian graduation was ten hours long so one would think the actual graduation would be just as long if not longer. I am not complaining though, I was happy that it was shorter. The MP’s speech lasted an hour. I could comprehend parts of what he was saying but I lost interest throughout the long speech. His main message was that it is not good to celebrate; the students must study for their examinations which are in a week. He also said that there should be no celebrations after examinations because they don’t know their results yet. The results do not get returned until January or February so there is a long period of waiting! After graduation was complete we were ushered into the “cafeteria.” I was unable to congratulate my students. I thought that after we ate I would be able, but no one was around. The graduation was not centered on the form 4 students so I wanted them to at least feel special by offering some sort of congratulations to them.
At 6:30 we finished eating the cow, chicken, rice, spiced rice, and vegetables and thought we could go home. Of course, we were wrong. The student teachers wanted us to join them in dancing and drinking in the cafeteria. On my third Coca-Cola of the day I danced with a few of the teachers while some of the old men of the village watched. Luckily, the DJ was ready to pull the plug and we did not stay for long. At 7 PM we finally began the short walk home. After fifteen minutes of resting Mr. Mbughi called and wanted us to go to his house. He was having a party for two form 4 students who live in his housing compound and had previously invited us. We had all intention of going but were looking for a rest first. He did not want us to rest. We arrived to a house full of kids of all ages. The only adults were Mr. Mbughi and his wife. After eating, Lindsay and I sat by the DJ for two hours watching various kids dancing. Most of the kids were not even in O-level! Most were much smaller village kids that came for the free dance. I was completely exhausted at the dance and barely kept my eyes open. Every time the dancers approached the stereo system Mr. Mbughi would jump up and chase them away with a stick. The entertainment of watching him chase them was the only thing that kept me awake. Around 10:30 we finally said we had enough and Mr. Mbughi escorted us home. The dancing continued throughout the night but I was too tired to have the music bother my sleep.
As I mentioned in part one, yesterday was a very exhausting day of traveling. Today I am waiting for Lindsay to wake up so that we can walk to the Iringa Info desk and ask about transportation to Ruaha National Park. Hopefully everything will work out and I will be viewing some animals today!
Love,
Gretchen
send-off sherehe
September 26th
Today I am in the city of Iringa. It is about halfway between Mbeya and Dar es Salaam. Yesterday was a long day of traveling. I woke up at 3:25 AM, left my house at 3:35, boarded a cattle truck at 3:50, and did not finish traveling until 6:40 PM last night. We were in three different vehicles throughout the day with not much rest time in between. I didn’t realize how long it would take us to travel to Iringa or I might have backed down from the trip all together. On Tuesday afternoon we had a staff meeting at school. I arrived late (because I was teaching) and then didn’t pay attention because I had a lot of work to do for my form 4 students. The meeting was also in Swahili which is difficult to follow for a two and a half hour meeting. My form four students take their examination in two weeks so I am trying to prepare them as much as possible. On Tuesday I prepared my own mock examination for them and I was administering it on Wednesday. Since we do not have copiers nor computers I had to hand write each examination. Luckily, only eight students signed up to take it. During the staff meeting I worked on writing up each of the problems. At the end of the school day I continued writing up problems at my home until Makhala (second headmaster) arrived to bring Lindsay and I to a celebration in Isoko. As we walked to Isoko, Makhala informed us that there will be no school the next day nor all of next week. I was very upset about this. I thought I wrote up all the examinations for nothing. I also very much need a break from teaching, but this week is the last week for me to help my form 4 students. I didn’t want to leave Lindsay alone to travel during the break and I definitely didn’t want to travel alone later in the week. For the rest of the evening I was in a bad mood.
One of the student teachers invited us to a “send-off” celebration in Isoko about a month ago. We couldn’t read the invitation and everyone told us it was a celebration. We thought the celebration was for her because she is leaving to go back to university. The invitation also said “send-off” within the text so we thought that it was appropriate to assume it was for her! We found out that it was actually for her sister. We think, we still don’t really understand, her sister will be getting married soon (maybe this weekend). Maybe it was an engagement celebration and she won’t be married for some time, not too sure. We arrived in Isoko around 6 PM to find the electricity went out so the party that should have started at 4 PM was postponed. When the generator arrived we are escorted into a little building with benches to sit on. In front of the benches there were three decorated tables with sodas on them. Slowly the procession of people began to enter. The student teacher didn’t enter with them! She entered in some side door wearing jeans! (It is inappropriate for a female to wear any type of pants in Tanzania, long skirts only!) The MC entered first in a white prom dress with jewels in her hair. Slowly following her were parents but there were three sets of them so I do not understand whose parents they were. Next, two girls walked in in bright orange matching prom dresses. They sit at the center table so at this point we believe the celebration is honoring them somehow. As they are walking in I get told to move and I go and sit closer to the front next to Mr. Mbughi. Shortly after I get moved two men walk in and take my seat. They sit in the tuxedos with their heads bowed down. The video camera is on and the party is starting.
I am still very lost in the events of the evening. I think one of the girls and one of the guys might be getting married, but then it might also be both girls will be getting married. Both girls walked together at a snail’s pace to the back of the room where the guys were seated. They kneeled down and one lady gave a bouquet of fake roses to one of the guys. People started hooting and hollering and the girls finally smiled! The guys followed the girls and all sat down in the front of the room. Cake was brought out next and each person in the room was given a slice the size of a crumb! This is the first time I have had any type of dessert since living here so cake (or caki as they call it) is kind of a big deal. Many people spoke. There was much dancing and finally around 10 PM we ate. I was very hungry by the time we ate. I did not have lunch that day because I was told I would be eating a lot of food at the celebration! There wasn’t even that much food! I received two types of rice: white and spiced and one piece of pig meat. I didn’t actually eat the pig meat but it would be rude not to accept and I needed some kind of juice to wash down the rice. Tanzanians do not believe in drinking while eating. I was so ready to go home. After eating we brought up our donation and were asked to speak, we refused. At this point we still didn’t understand what we were celebrating so what would we say?! And then for the next half an hour I had to stand in the front and dance with the student teacher while everyone stared (Lindsay ran away). Throughout the night there was a video rolling so I will definitely try to get my hands on that!
After the celebration we arrived home very late and I was exhausted. Unfortunately, I didn’t complete writing up the mock examinations and spent another hour writing those before going to bed. The next morning I woke up an hour early to continue writing up examinations. When I arrived to school the students weren’t gathered for assembly yet and I noticed none of the form 4 students were present. I was quite upset. I thought I wrote up the examinations for nothing! The headmaster told the form 4 students not to come until 2 PM so they were very confused. The other students were doing “environmental cleanliness.” I managed to tell one of the younger students to go to the homes of various form 4 students and tell them to come to school. I started the exam with 4 students, before we finished the exam 4 more showed up. I gave each of them the same amount of time. I spent almost the entire day in their room. By 4 PM I finished grading: 2 F’s, 5 D’s, and 1 C. That is surprisingly very good. On Monday they received the results from the mock examination for the region and only two received passing marks. Many of them were happy to see the improved marks. On Thursday I sat down with each student individually and we discussed their strengths and weaknesses on the examination. I think some of them will do very well in their real examination. I feel bad leaving them for this week, but vacation is badly needed from my end.
On Saturday I cleaned, packed, and tutored one last student for her examination before departing yesterday morning for my big trip.
In part two I will write about form 4 graduation on Friday.
Love,
Gretchen
Today I am in the city of Iringa. It is about halfway between Mbeya and Dar es Salaam. Yesterday was a long day of traveling. I woke up at 3:25 AM, left my house at 3:35, boarded a cattle truck at 3:50, and did not finish traveling until 6:40 PM last night. We were in three different vehicles throughout the day with not much rest time in between. I didn’t realize how long it would take us to travel to Iringa or I might have backed down from the trip all together. On Tuesday afternoon we had a staff meeting at school. I arrived late (because I was teaching) and then didn’t pay attention because I had a lot of work to do for my form 4 students. The meeting was also in Swahili which is difficult to follow for a two and a half hour meeting. My form four students take their examination in two weeks so I am trying to prepare them as much as possible. On Tuesday I prepared my own mock examination for them and I was administering it on Wednesday. Since we do not have copiers nor computers I had to hand write each examination. Luckily, only eight students signed up to take it. During the staff meeting I worked on writing up each of the problems. At the end of the school day I continued writing up problems at my home until Makhala (second headmaster) arrived to bring Lindsay and I to a celebration in Isoko. As we walked to Isoko, Makhala informed us that there will be no school the next day nor all of next week. I was very upset about this. I thought I wrote up all the examinations for nothing. I also very much need a break from teaching, but this week is the last week for me to help my form 4 students. I didn’t want to leave Lindsay alone to travel during the break and I definitely didn’t want to travel alone later in the week. For the rest of the evening I was in a bad mood.
One of the student teachers invited us to a “send-off” celebration in Isoko about a month ago. We couldn’t read the invitation and everyone told us it was a celebration. We thought the celebration was for her because she is leaving to go back to university. The invitation also said “send-off” within the text so we thought that it was appropriate to assume it was for her! We found out that it was actually for her sister. We think, we still don’t really understand, her sister will be getting married soon (maybe this weekend). Maybe it was an engagement celebration and she won’t be married for some time, not too sure. We arrived in Isoko around 6 PM to find the electricity went out so the party that should have started at 4 PM was postponed. When the generator arrived we are escorted into a little building with benches to sit on. In front of the benches there were three decorated tables with sodas on them. Slowly the procession of people began to enter. The student teacher didn’t enter with them! She entered in some side door wearing jeans! (It is inappropriate for a female to wear any type of pants in Tanzania, long skirts only!) The MC entered first in a white prom dress with jewels in her hair. Slowly following her were parents but there were three sets of them so I do not understand whose parents they were. Next, two girls walked in in bright orange matching prom dresses. They sit at the center table so at this point we believe the celebration is honoring them somehow. As they are walking in I get told to move and I go and sit closer to the front next to Mr. Mbughi. Shortly after I get moved two men walk in and take my seat. They sit in the tuxedos with their heads bowed down. The video camera is on and the party is starting.
I am still very lost in the events of the evening. I think one of the girls and one of the guys might be getting married, but then it might also be both girls will be getting married. Both girls walked together at a snail’s pace to the back of the room where the guys were seated. They kneeled down and one lady gave a bouquet of fake roses to one of the guys. People started hooting and hollering and the girls finally smiled! The guys followed the girls and all sat down in the front of the room. Cake was brought out next and each person in the room was given a slice the size of a crumb! This is the first time I have had any type of dessert since living here so cake (or caki as they call it) is kind of a big deal. Many people spoke. There was much dancing and finally around 10 PM we ate. I was very hungry by the time we ate. I did not have lunch that day because I was told I would be eating a lot of food at the celebration! There wasn’t even that much food! I received two types of rice: white and spiced and one piece of pig meat. I didn’t actually eat the pig meat but it would be rude not to accept and I needed some kind of juice to wash down the rice. Tanzanians do not believe in drinking while eating. I was so ready to go home. After eating we brought up our donation and were asked to speak, we refused. At this point we still didn’t understand what we were celebrating so what would we say?! And then for the next half an hour I had to stand in the front and dance with the student teacher while everyone stared (Lindsay ran away). Throughout the night there was a video rolling so I will definitely try to get my hands on that!
After the celebration we arrived home very late and I was exhausted. Unfortunately, I didn’t complete writing up the mock examinations and spent another hour writing those before going to bed. The next morning I woke up an hour early to continue writing up examinations. When I arrived to school the students weren’t gathered for assembly yet and I noticed none of the form 4 students were present. I was quite upset. I thought I wrote up the examinations for nothing! The headmaster told the form 4 students not to come until 2 PM so they were very confused. The other students were doing “environmental cleanliness.” I managed to tell one of the younger students to go to the homes of various form 4 students and tell them to come to school. I started the exam with 4 students, before we finished the exam 4 more showed up. I gave each of them the same amount of time. I spent almost the entire day in their room. By 4 PM I finished grading: 2 F’s, 5 D’s, and 1 C. That is surprisingly very good. On Monday they received the results from the mock examination for the region and only two received passing marks. Many of them were happy to see the improved marks. On Thursday I sat down with each student individually and we discussed their strengths and weaknesses on the examination. I think some of them will do very well in their real examination. I feel bad leaving them for this week, but vacation is badly needed from my end.
On Saturday I cleaned, packed, and tutored one last student for her examination before departing yesterday morning for my big trip.
In part two I will write about form 4 graduation on Friday.
Love,
Gretchen
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