RVCV was a great place for me to start
exploring Tanzania. It was a place where I made strong connections,
with other westerns, with Tanzanians, and most importantly with
children. It is a crazy feeling when you love a child. A child from
another another country, another family, another culture. I miss
those kids as much they drove me up the wall sometimes. I miss their
good mornings as I stumbled out of bed half awake. I miss their
ability to get me to turn back into a kid. With kids you have to just
laugh. You have to appreciated how they look at the world. These kids
had their worlds crushed when they lost their families. Yet they are
the ones smiling and playing everyday.
But all things must come to an end. I
knew it was time for me to grow and 'get uncomfortable' again. It is
important to shake things up, to be scared, to try new things. And
that is what I did. I was scared leaving RVCV, getting in the bus to
go to Arusha. By myself, with only my belongings, and a hope that my
new home would be a good one.
And here I am. I am now living in
Tengeru, 15km outside Arusha center. It just takes a quick pikipiki
(motorcycle) ride to a dolla dolla to get into city center. The total
of that trip 1,400 shillings or a little under a dollar.
For the next three and a half months I
will be living and teaching at Peace Matunda school/orphanage. Two
weeks ago I starting teaching Standard 4 and 5 math in the mornings.
In the afternoons I work on either the volunteer program or school
development. The school has accomplished so much in a short time but
has a way to go. I started developing a disciplinary code to provide
more structure for the school. I am also helping to start a teacher
to teacher observation program so that they can starting learning
from each other. PM is lucky to have so many donations from western
countries but the key is showing the teachers how manipulatives work
and how differentiating curriculum can help kids learn. That last
sentence is a long term goal. It is very complicated coming into a
school and trying to help. I am coming into their culture and their
school. I cant forget learning goes both ways.
Some new things for me here at Peace
Matunda:
- I hand wash all my cloths. I have already learned that waiting two and a half weeks to do laundry is a BAD idea. My hands are raw after spending 5 hours on laundry the last two days. I now appreciate washing machines.
- Don't pet Itchy. Itchy is the PM dog and has that name for a reason. After a few flee bites I have learned that even though I miss having a dog...its just not worth it.
- I can't say I am from the East Coast anymore. At night and in the mornings it is SO COLD. I found myself one night in full sweats, hat, scarf and layers underneath....under 3 blankets...yeah it was 50 degrees.
- WEAR sunglasses while riding on the back of a pikpiki. No matter if it rains or not the roads are so dusty. I get off the pikipiki and have a line of dirt around my sunglass rims.
- Instead of ugi time (porridge) for snack at school, Peace Matunda has banana time! I am surrounded by fields and fields of bananas!!!
- Roosters do not know what time it is....ever.
***Little to no internet here and I am
working my butt off so probably will not blog often...this one was
for you Dad!
