The One With The Long Journey Back to Kafule (10/30/2012)

Sunday morning at about 8:00 Dahlia and I left the hotel and took a city bus to the central bus station where we met Kita.  He helped us find the right bus to take to get to Mpemba, a town about 100km outside of Mbeya.  That is where the truck that goes to Lupembe (about a 30 minute walk from our house) leaves from.  While on the bus we met a man named Kibona who is a teacher at Ileje Day, which is where Sarah, another World Teach teacher is working.  When we arrived in Mpemba Kibona helped us call our truck driver to find out what time he was planning on leaving.  The driver had originally told us 11 but he told Kibona that he was running late and would be at Mpemba around 1.  So Dahlia and I found a place to sit and get a soda; it was 11:00.  Two and a half hours went by and there was still no sign of the truck so we were starting to get a little nervous.  Dahlia tried to call our driver and I got talking to some men who were witting at the soda shop.  It turned out that they are pastors from Mpemba.  Just then I got a text from a friend who told us that the truck that we were waiting for was broken down in Tunduma (an hour away from Mpemba) and would not make it to Mpemba until about 6pm.  Dahlia and I quickly formulated a new plan.  We would take a bus to Isongole, where Sarah and David live, which is about half way from Mpemba to Kafule, and then spend the night there.  The pastors helped us find the right bus (a very crowded bus… keep that in mind) and we got on.  A few minutes later we got a call from Kita who said that he just heard about our truck but that he knows another driver (going to a town about an hour away from Kafule on foot) who agreed to wait for us in Isongole!  That’s right, a bus of about 50 people was waiting for the two of us, just because Kita asked him to!

On the way to Isongole our bus broke down… three times.  Each time we got it started again, Little Miss Sunshine style, with people pushing from behind and jumping in one by one when the bus started.  Despite the fact that I kept thinking that we had reached the busses maximum capacity we kept stopping to let on more people.  Eventually we reached the pointing where we actually could not fit anyone else (already the people seated by the windows had to lean out) but we took on one more person.  The conductor (the man who collects the money), unable to fit back on the bus, waited for the bus to start and then began running next to the bus.  He leaped onto the side while we were going and climbed up to the roof where he rode for the next few stops until someone finally got out.

We reached Isongole and found not only that the bus Kita had called was there waiting for us but that Asha, Stela, and Grace, three of the teachers from our school, were on the bus and had saved us seats.  On the way to Ndembo we had to get up some pretty steep hills.  The bus could not make it with all of the people on so each time we got out and walked.  At about 8:00 pm we made it to Ndembo where we planned to hire motorcycles to take us home.  But when we got off the bus we saw the hospital car from Isoko and the driver offered to take us home for free! Four busses, a car, and a little over 12 hours later, Dahlia and I reached our house, tired and hungry, but amazed at God’s protection throughout the day.  Between meeting Kibona on the first bus, the meeting the pastors in Mpemba, having the bus wait in Isongole, the teachers being there and saving us seats, getting to stretch our legs when we walked up the hills, and the hospital car being in Ndembo it would be near impossible to doubt that there is Someone watching over me.  I continue to feel blessed in so many ways!

The One With Roda (10/27/2012)

Today Dahlia and I went back to Kita’s house after wandering around the city and doing a little shopping.  Most of our conversations with Kita end up in some kind of discussion about cultural customs, school practices, marriage traditions, views of women; it is always fascinating to talk with Kita!  But today we had a particularly interesting (and heartbreaking) conversation.  Kita rents part of a house that is owned by a widow who has only her granddaughter, Roda, living with her.  Apparently her daughter had an affair with a married man and became pregnant.  Shortly after having the baby she passed away and so the baby, Roda, went to live with her grandmother (Kits’a landlord).  In Tanzania children are property of their fathers family and so when a child is born out of wedlock it is the mothers responsibility to raise them until they finish primary school (age 13 or 14).  Then the father comes ad takes the child to live with his wife and family (giving the mother some money for raising the child).  Apparently last night Roda’s father and his wife came to Kita’s landlord and said that they are going to take her.  It is illegal for the grandmother to say no, Roda is property of her father, and so she is spending the day packing her things.  I cannot even imagine what Roda is going through so I ask for your prayers for both her and her grandmother.  

*Roda is not her real name

The One With Kita’s Family (10/27/2012)

Yesterday when Dahlia and I got to Mbeya we were met again at the bus stop by Kita. He took us to the grocery store and to get some lunch and after that we went to his house to meet his wife and two sons.  He has 2 boys, Elvis who is 10 years old and Goodman who is 3.  It was so wonderful to meet his family! His wife is so sweet! She is actually just beginning university this week! I am so excited for her! She is beginning a three year program to get her degree in human resources.  It is pretty rare that women go to college here but it is virtually unheard of for a mother to go to school.  I think this is going to be such an amazing opportunity for her!

There was a big box full of New Testaments in Kita’s house.  When I asked him about it he said that he bought one for each of his form two students when they finish their exams.  I am continually impressed with Kita.

The One With The Wedding Video

The singing and Dancing at the wedding!

The One With All The Pictures

The bride and groom with Mr. Mbughi 

Elizabeth and I outside my house

Neema, the school secretary and I at the wedding

The walk back from the wedding

Dahlia, my roommate, and I 

Also on the walk back from the wedding

Elizabeth and I cooking bagea

The bride and Groom at the wedding reception 

The One With The Three Day Weekend (10/25/2012)

Tomorrow is Eid-El-Hajji which is an Islamic holiday (from what I can gather it is only celebrated in Tanzania).  It seems to be a two day conference in Dar where Muslims are encouraged to help orphans and the elderly and to live in peace with other Tanzanians.  But it means that Kafule doesn’t have school tomorrow.  Not surprisingly, I didn’t find out until 9:00 last night.  So with a long weekend ahead of us, Dahlia and I decided to go to Mbeya.  While the truck ride to and from Mbeya is less than exciting I can’t wait for another weekend in the big city!

The One With The Game Of Mini-Golf (10/25/2012)

Grace and I were sitting in the staff room today and of course we were goofing off.  Grace was swinging around one of the sticks used to discipline the students as if it was a golf club.  So I suggested we play mini-golf.  We grabbed a rock to use as the hole and used empty chalk boxes as the balls.  (It turns out it is a lot harder than you might think to aim a chalk box with a stick, but that just made it more fun).  We were playing all around the staff room, while the other teachers laughed at us.  Out game ended early though when some students can in and caught is playing.  The staff room is anything but boring here in Kafule. 

The One With All The Grading (10/23/2012)

The form 2 students are currently taking a practice national exam as preparation for the actual exam which will begin November 5^th. They took the math section on Friday so midway through the day I received a stack of 120 exams on my desk to be graded.  Yesterday afternoon I finally finished and turned the grades in to Kivega, our academic master.  There was 2 B’s and the rest were C’s, D’s and F’s (keep in mind that in Tanzania 0-20% is an F, 21-40% is a D, and so on).  The 2 B’s were actually 60.5 which I chose to round up to 61 in order to give the students the B.  The grades were mostly what I was expecting considering that before last year the school didn’t have a math teacher.  But I was talking to Kivega today and he was thrilled with the grades.  Apparently this is the first time any of the students from this grade had scored a B and there was a huge increase in the number of C’s.  I know that most of this is thanks to the hard work of the volunteer who was here teaching math before me but I am so excited for the students! One of the challenges that I face is that some students see math as a lost cause; they feel that they are too far behind and so it is not worth trying.  But I think the exams have boosted their confidence.  I am really excited to continue working with them as their motivation rises!  And hopefully their exams next month will reflect this improvement! 

The One With The Wedding (10/21/2012)

Yesterday the school groundskeepers’ son got married.  The entire school staff was invited so Dahlia and I got to go.  The wedding was in Kapelekese which is a little over an hour from our house.  Moses, the school librarian, walked with us.  In typical Tanzanian fashion we arrived late, about 4 hours late, so unfortunately we missed the ceremony.  But we arrived at the church just in time to see the bride and groom walking out together followed by a procession of all of the guests waving flags of different fabrics, singing, clapping, and whistling.  They walked next door to the pastors’ house where they signed their marriage certificate and then the whole party began the hour ling walk to the brides’ house where the reception was being held.  When we got to the house the bride and groom sat down at a table with their maid of honor and best man behind them (they sat there fanning the couple for the next few hours).  The crowd sang and danced around them while on the other side of the house hundreds of plates of rice and bananas and meat were being served up.  Mr. Mbughi, our neighbor, seemed to be the MC of the night, calling out songs to sing giving speeches and praying over the couple.  Dahlia and I had to leave just before dinner though because we had about a two hour walk to get home and only two and a half hours of daylight left.  But the walk back was beautiful!  And it was so wonderful to experience part of a Tanzanian wedding! 

The One With The Night Of Games (10/21/2012)

On Friday after school there was a boys’ soccer game and there was supposed to be a girls’ netball game.  So I went to the fields excited to see my first netball game.  The soccer game was going on so I watched that for a little while.  The boys were playing so well! But the other team was really good and we ended up losing 2-1.  But it was one of the best games I have seen the boys play yet! And I got to see my first substitution here.  We don’t usually have subs but this game one of the boys needed to come out (I couldn’t really figure out why) so Kivega, the coach, went in for him.  Here is how substitutions work: the player runs to the sidelines and kicks off their shoes and throws them to the sub, they then continue to play barefoot while the sub puts the shoes on (some of the boys play the whole game barefoot because there aren’t always enough shoes.  None of the girls have shoes from what I have seen so they always play barefoot).  Then the player runs off the field, taking off his shirt.  The sub grabs the shirt and runs onto the field while putting the shirt on and begins to play.

The team we were scheduled to play in netball didn’t end up coming so the girls played a match of form 2 against form 3.  It was so fun to watch! For those of you who don’t know, and I didn’t either until 2 days ago, netball is kind of a mix between basketball and ultimate frisbee and it is played with a volleyball.  There are hoops but once you have possession of the ball one foot has to stay in the same spot.  The girls had so much fun and they played so well!

After the games I came back home with some of the teachers.  Dahlia and I had cooked veggie burgers and the teachers were SO excited to have an “American” meal.  We spent the rest of the night laughing and playing cards.  

The One With The Bagea Cooking Lesson (10/16/2012)

Bagea is a food kind of like a hush puppy but made with potato that women sell at the markets here.  Of course, being that it is pretty much just a deep fried potato, it is delicious.  So I asked Elizabeth to show me how to make it.  On Saturday I bought what I thought were the correct potatoes and yesterday Elizabeth came over to cook.  I brought out the potatoes and she started laughing hysterically.  Who knew that not just any potato will work for bagea.  “Hamna Shida,” Elizabeth said, which means no problem.  And then she had me follow her outside.  We walked over to her sister-in-laws house where we went around back and started digging.  Apparently her in-laws grow Magimbe, which is the potato used for bagea.  What a blessing to be able to go to the neighbor’s garden when we don’t have the right ingredients!  Elizabeth and I spent the afternoon cooking with her daughters who stopped by and the bagea were delicious!

The One With The Apology (10/14/2012)

Sorry for going so long without posting! I didn't turn my computer on for a few days and had totally forgotten that I had written but not posted so many blogs.  But don't worry, I am fine.
I also wanted to say thank you again for taking the time to ready my blog.  It is so amazing to be able to share this experience with you and it brings me such joy to know that there are so many people praying for me, my students and this village back home.

The One With The Katengele Market (10/14/2012)

Yesterday morning Ashley and I decided to go to the market in Katengele.  It is a little over two hours each way.  I had thought that the walks that we had been doing had a lot of uphill but compared to this walk that they are nothing.  It was a challenging climb but we got to walk with some students who were showing us the way which was really fun.  When we finally got there I was shocked! The market was enormous! There were clothes and fabric and produce, there were women cooking and selling lunch and places to get tea.  Ashley and I hung out there for about two hours.  I can’t believe there is such a big market way out here in the mountains (and I really can’t believe that so many women walk all the way up this big hill with baskets to things to sell on their heads!)  We finally made it home, tired and a little sore, but it was a beautiful hike and a great market!

The One With The Movie Night (10/14/2012)

Ashley brought with her a DVD of the US presidential debate for Dahlia and I to watch.  We told the civics teacher, Kivega, about it and he suggested that we allow the students to watch it as well.  So he organized a school movie night (apparently they do this periodically on Friday nights).  So Friday night they turned on the school generator and brought out an old TV.  A bunch of students came and packed out one of the classrooms.  Unfortunately after about 20 minutes of trying and failing to get to DVD player to read the disk we gave up efforts to watch the debate and the students put in a Tanzanian movie.  I didn’t quite follow all of the plot but there was karate and kung fu and a gang and lots of really dramatic music.  The students were more fun to watch than the movie, they totally loved it! Another great Friday night in the village!

The One With The Football Match (10/14/2012)

On Friday there was another football (soccer) match in Kafule.  The games are so fun! The whole town comes out to watch and all of the students cheer and dance the whole game.  Kafule played really well and won 1-0.  I really enjoy getting to watch the students at these games, they are just laughing and having a great time with their friends the whole time and it is such a blessing to get to watch! 

The One With The Site Visit (10/14/2012)

Ashley, my field director, came to visit for the second half of this week.  She visits all of the World Teach volunteers to watch their classes, give them feedback, and see how they are settling into their communities.  It was so great to see her and to get her thoughts and suggestions on my teaching.  Getting to show her around and introducing her to all the people that I have become friends with was really fun! It made me realize how much of a life I have made here.  Most of the time I still feel like I am playing house, going to work, cooking, doing chores around the house.  My roommate, Dahlia, said that it is like we are in our own little world and it is just the two of us who share it.  But getting to take Ashley around made it seem more like real life.  It is so fun to really be settling into a life here!

The One With The Revolving Door (10/11/1012)

Tuesday Dahlia and I came home from school to begin cooking for our neighbor, Elizabeth.  Two and a half hours later we had our meal of rice and beans prepared.  And so Elizabeth came over to eat.  We were just saying goodbye to her and walking her to the door when Neema, one of my students came walking up.  She was wondering if I could answer some questions she had about statistics.  So we welcomed her in, gave her some food, and I worked through some problems with her. As we sat there studying we heard another knock on the door.  It was Stela, Grace and Rebecca (a teacher who is here proctoring the form 4 exam).  So Neema and I finished up, she went home, and Dahlia and I fed Stela, Grace and Rebecca.  At this point Dahlia and I became very glad for our inability to correctly portion the ride and beans that we cook.  Anyway, we spent the rest of the night laughing and drinking tea with them.  Another exhausting but totally rewarding day in Kafule! 

The One With The National Exam 10/9/2012)

Yesterday the national exams began for Form 4.  Each school is not allowed to have their own teachers proctor the exam so we had to send some of our teachers to other school in the district and we have some new teachers here with us for the week.  In addition to teachers who are proctoring, there are police here with huge guns; their job is to deter cheating.  I’m sure it is quite effective, nonetheless it was a little shocking to walk up to the school on Monday morning and see all those men at the doors to the exam room.  The students are taking the mathematics portion of their exam today and I am really eager to talk to them after and see how it went!

The One With the 11th Hour Studies (10/6/2012)

The form 4 students begin their national exams on Monday.  On Fridays classes end at 1:00 and for the last hour and 20 minutes of the school day the students have religion, which means they have choir practice if they are in the choir and if not they have time to pray.  During this time I usually sit in the staff room and lesson plan or pray myself.  With their exams begin so soon, the form 4 students asked if they could spend their Friday afternoon studying.  So at 1:00, after my last class ended, I went to the staff room to lesson plan.  But instead I had a fairly constant stream of form 4 students coming in to ask me questions about some of the topics that will be on the exam.  It was so much fun to get to work one on one with so many of the students! I really love getting that individual interaction with them and I am so glad that I could be here for their last minute questions. 

The One With The Cake (10/6/2012)

Thursday marked one month of life in Kafule for Dahlia and I so we decided to use this weekend to celebrate.  And what better way is there to celebrate than with cake.  I had been able to download the Peace Corps Tanzania Cookbook while we were in Mbeya and it turned out that we had everything that we needed to make a carrot cake! So with our ambitions high and our expectations low we attempted to bake a cake over our charcoal jiko.  To make the jiko into more of an oven we put some charcoals on the lid of the pot so that the cake could cook from the top and the bottom.  Things started out a little rocky; we had way too many coals underneath so within about 2 minutes the bottom began to burn.  But we quickly readjusted and with hopes still high we continued to cook the cake.  Half an hour later we had one of the most delicious carrot cakes I have ever eaten! It was incredible! We pretty much giggled the entire time we were eating because we were so excited! And so our celebratory weekend is off to a great start! 

The One With The Kafule Night Life (10/6/2012)

Last night Dahlia and I went over to our neighbor, Mr. Mbughi’s house.  We hung out for a while, drank some tea and talked.  At about 10:00 (right around our bed time) Dahlia and I were ready to head home.  “Oh no,” said Mr Mbughi, “it is time to go to the church.”  Apparently there is a weekend long service going on.  And so to the church we went.  It was awesome! There were a bunch of men and women dancing (picture a cotton eyed joe style dance but much more intricate and much longer), liturgical prayers, and the most beautiful hymns (which they accompanied with an exceptionally resounding base, they had brought in a generator which powered speakers and one light bulb that dimmed with each pulse of the base).  It was so wonderful.  I saw tons of my students there as well as Elizabeth.  Apparently night life does occasionally make its way to Kafule.

The One With the 11th Hour Studies (10/6/2012)

The form 4 students begin their national exams on Monday.  On Fridays classes end at 1:00 and for the last hour and 20 minutes of the school day the students have religion, which means they have choir practice if they are in the choir and if not they have time to pray.  During this time I usually sit in the staff room and lesson plan or pray myself.  With their exams begin so soon, the form 4 students asked if they could spend their Friday afternoon studying.  So at 1:00, after my last class ended, I went to the staff room to lesson plan.  But instead I had a fairly constant stream of form 4 students coming in to ask me questions about some of the topics that will be on the exam.  It was so much fun to get to work one on one with so many of the students! I really love getting that individual interaction with them and I am so glad that I could be here for their last minute questions.