Settling In

Right after I posted the last blog, it happened: I pooped my pants. You’d think being 21 years old that I would be able to control it, but it just happened. Thankfully I was alone able to shower when it happened. I guess I’m a REAL volunteer now!

It has been hard to integrate into my community because they aren’t sure what to think of me. I’m the first volunteer they have had and some people think I’m Chinese because some Chinese volunteers are doing a water project nearby. They are unsure if I know Swahili or if I speak English or what. With that being said, I went to a soccer match to celebrate the end of Ramadan. It was our village team against a nearby village’s team. My house girl (the last day she was with me) and my Mkuu’s house girl escorted me. It was so intimidating. Probably about 300 people were milling around outside the field and it became dead silent when I walked up. Everyone turned to stare at me and a mob of children inched closer but wouldn’t speak. I was smiling as big as I could to keep from crying. My Mkuu met us there with some of the students that live with him. My Mkuu said everyone was surprised to see me. Well, duh. I’m pretty sure the village officers had to have meetings about me coming, and with the way word spreads in a village, I don’t know why they WOULDN’T expect me to be there. I was thankful to be escorted by Fausta and Amina. We went inside and were standing in the “women and children” section of the field and someone important called us over to sit on a bench. There are only 4 benches in the whole stadium, so we were sitting with all the elders and respected people. Of course, the fee for this special treatment: the man who invited me over got to take my picture on his phone. As the players entered, they all shook our hands, so that was pretty cool. A blind man who spoke perfect English came over to greet me also. As we left, a few people yelled “I love you” and then a mob formed again as the blind man asked me for my phone number.

I went to the beach house in Mtwara for 2 nights and it was the perfect break for me. We went to celebrate another volunteer’s birthday (and I needed to use the bank and buy a bicycle). It was a last-minute decision for me to go because I wasn’t sure how my Mkuu would react. He wrote me a permission slip to go into town…but I went! It only took a little over 3 hours to get there from Ndanda. The other girls had been planning this for a while, so they went shopping when we arrived and we made American food. We had chili cheese dogs for dinner, followed by a birthday cake. Then omelets for breakfast, hummus for lunch and pizza for dinner. I ended up staying the second night because when I went to buy my bicycle, I just thought I would put it on the top of the daladala and take it back to my site right then. But the fundi has to “tengeneza” (put together/repair) bikes before you can even sit on them. They are just slapped together for display purposes, and also so people don’t steal them. We swam in the ocean (amongst naked Tanzanian boys who were trying to swim near us) for a good hour one evening, and just lounged on the beach the next day. I love the beach house in Mtwara and can’t wait to go back!

When I got back to my site I was finally alone. I have just been organizing my house and trying to cook. I hung my hammock in my living room and it is AWESOME. I hang a light on the window so I can read at night. I think that is my favorite part of my house! I arranged my kitchen and set up a “sink” outside. I’m waiting for a cabinet to be made for my kitchen now. A mouse ate some chicken bouillon cubes, so I want to get my food and dishes off the ground. I have gone to a seamstress in the village twice now and I love going there! She is the sister of the bajaj driver. She is very patient with me and has good relationships with her neighbors, so they come to hang out while she works. She cut and sewed a kanga, made 2 little zippered coin purses, and is working on a skirt now. I tried going to another fundi just to distribute business, but he had horrible cataracts, was drunk, and was groping me instead of actually taking measurements.

The Tanzanian Census is going on right now, which is why there is a school break. When I came into Ndanda I was charging my phone at Mikey’s house when this lady came to do the census. It took awhile to explain to her that I didn’t live there. The next day I ended up doing the census at my village. The questions were awkward and I laughed at a lot of them. It was weird to say that I am the head of my household. He didn’t believe me when I said I was 21 either. I thought it was interesting that they never ask a question about Ethnicity. In America that is so standard, but here, they just assume everyone is black! There were questions about health/mobility/vision/hearing; types of appliances you own (radio, TV, fridge, hot plate, computer); employment history. It is really weird for them that I live in a 3-bedroom house, alone. My Mkuu has about 6-8 people sleeping at his house each night.

I have been having health problems, so was told to come into Ndanda to go to the hospital. I have had diarrhea for about a month straight, and I have a bone growth on my clavicle. Anyway, once I had my doctor explain over the phone why I was there to the intake nurse, I was escorted to a room. The doctor spoke English, but he didn’t really understand that I needed a stool sample. I told him in Swahili “I need to poop in a cup” and he just asked me why. I got my PC Doctor back on the phone and he explained and then all of a sudden the doctor reaches across the table for my chest. He was feeling my collarbone, but still, I didn’t have any warning. He determined it was “hardy” and “boney”. So I’m going to Dar on Monday to see the PC Doctor.

Currently I am back in Ndanda waiting to go to Dar. I went to Masasi to go to the Posta and see where things are, and it doesn’t make sense for me to go back to my site, when I need to board the bus here at 6am. People in Ndanda are actually interested in me. At least 10 people know my name (it’s Allen, didn’t you know? They add the “y” sound on the end of EVERYTHING (Jakc-y, gift-y, guest-y, friend-y), but somehow think I’m saying Allen. Maybe I’ll start introducing myself as Al.) and yell to me when I walk around. I like being known here and more people here know how to speak slowly for me to understand. I got another marriage proposal yesterday. He was a 42-year-old farmer in Masasi. When I told him no, he said he wanted to give me a gift (“jifti”) of a cow so that I could drink milk everyday. Today I will go swimming in the pond and learn how to play bao (kind of like Moncala but has 4 rows instead of 2).

I will have internet access until Tuesday night at least-possibly longer depending on my diagnosis and treatment in Dar. Feel free ask me questions, or request topics to discuss in future blogs. I will be writing about: cultural differences, money conversions, typical food, typical day (once I start teaching), education issues, and water issues. 

New Beginnings

After returning to Morogoro, we had a lot of down time. I have no idea why training was stretched out as long as it was. We had a simulation exercise to help us prepare for the LPI. When I took the LPI I made a horrible mistake. When asked what I did before coming to TZ, I said I was a teacher (I forgot how to say assistant, though). Then she asked what I taught and even in English it is hard to explain what I was “teaching” to the young adults with special needs. Anyway, I tried to think of words for about two minutes-starting sentences, then stopping midway because it didn’t make sense. I could tell Loyce was getting irritated and wanted to move on to other questions, so the only full sentence I could come up with was “I taught stupid kids.” I felt so awful afterward! Anyway, I ended up passing the LPI.

It was a tough week getting accustomed to a schedule and living with my host family again. Although I will miss them, I think I was ready to leave. They gave me a hijab as a going-away present so I can “visit Saleh in Saudi Arabia”.

We went to Dar es Salaam for four days. We spent an afternoon exploring and trying to get ice cream. All three shops we knew of were closed, but we had fun getting semi-lost. Then we managed to squish into the most packed daladala yet. At one point, my body was touching 6 other peoples’. Did I mention it was hot and humid also? Yuck. We finished up training and had a conference with our Headmasters. I felt like a horrible person because I didn’t recognize my Mkuu in the crowd, but then I found out he had sent the Second Master in his place.

Our Swearing-In Ceremony was held at the Ambassador’s private residence. I felt so affluent and uppity going there. There was security, butlers, servers, etc. It was a very nice ceremony. I thought it was funny how in the speech they would refer to the guest of honor as “His Excellency”. Tanzanians have a really odd way about being formal. Sometimes things are so formal, that the communication gets lost in all the BS. We sang Bob Marley’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” but changed the words to “Usijali Ufurahi”. It was really fun to perform.

Thursday I took the bus to my site. This bus went directly to Ndanda so it only took about 10 hours. Then the one car of the village was sent to get me. It has been hard adjusting. A house girl was “given” to me when I arrived. I didn’t find out until that night that she is sleeping in my house too. No one is supposed to live in the house with me, so I need to take care of that…She has been cooking and cleaning all day. How many times can you sweep the sand?? She is very sweet though. She is in Form 3, so should definitely know English, but doesn’t (or chooses not to speak to me in English). Two other students are staying with the Mkuu. They are in Form 4 and their English is excellent. They ask me kind of nerdy questions that I wouldn’t expect. Like what is the geography like in America, what is our main cash crop, why don’t we have malaria in the USA…stuff like that. I enjoy their company. We rode bicycles together yesterday and they showed me the “boundaries” of Chinongwe.

Last night a student teacher and one of the other students came over to help us lock the doors. Nothing in my house is level so it takes a lot of effort to lift/push/pull in order to lock the doors. Then I realized I needed to hang my mosquito net. (I moved my bed into another room.) This was my entertainment for the day. They didn’t want to step on my bed, so instead brought in the table, chairs, and stools. They used the bars on my window in order to tie a “harness” around. It was hilarious. I will put pictures on Facebook.

Today, I was finally allowed to come into Ndanda because “proper transportation” (i.e. non-motorcycle) had been arranged. Halfway here, we got stopped by the police. Apparently my driver didn’t have a license. The other police officer holding the giant machine gun turned out to be my driver’s brother, so we were free to go. He alerted other drivers of the police as we continued into town. Mikey has a combination lock on his door, so he gave me that so I could grab my bag that I had left here. When I arrived I couldn’t get the screen latch undone and all the neighbors were staring at me like I was crazy. I finally got in though! I went to one duka that I went to before when I visited. That guy was so nice. I showed him my list and he helped me find everything I needed. He even walked with me about a quarter mile away to find solar light bulbs. I got to practice my Swahili, too. It was nice to be “guarded” by a native. It got people to stare less, and they would also greet me with more respect. One drunk guy selling oranges came up to me and kept saying “Ninakupenda sana!” (I love you very much) and he was comparing our skin color and saying he wasn’t going to wash his hand because he had no shaken hand with a white woman. My duka friend made the drunkard leave me alone. When we returned to his duka, I even got to see his month old baby that was sleeping behind the counter. It was so nice to be able to make a friend so easily. He also gave me an extra pot scrubber for free and told me that when he visits me, he expects I will make him ugali.

My site has spotty cell service and no internet. I hope to come back into town around the beginning of September. School doesn’t begin until September 10^th. I still don’t know exactly what is expected of me until then. Goals: kick out the house girl that is living with me, learn how to cook, meet more villagers, figure out what I’m teaching (oh, by the way, my Mkuu brought over a Biology book this morning…I have now been told I will possibly be teaching English, Math, Geography and Biology), start lesson plans, buy any other supplies I need, find a Swahili tutor.

Awesome things about my new home: cashews and mangoes are their cash crops, so I can eat them endlessly while they are in-season (assuming I don’t develop an allergy like most volunteers); I can see the stars outside my window; my Mkuu’s house is connected to mine, so I feel safe; there are enough people close to me that know English if I ever need help….

Some things that might take adjusting: I have a pet rat that lives in my ceiling, my water that is for bathing, cooking and cleaning is a milky color and salty (thankfully there is other water for drinking); the hang-out spot is right outside my front door; people have been coming in and out all the time; learning how to light my charcoal jiko….

Shadow Week Complete

After proctoring the exam at Abbey Secondary School, Tyler showed me his computer lab. All the students just come to hang out and talk in there. We had to explain to them several times that there were two separate beds in his house and that we were not sleeping together. Tanzanians don’t get that concept. I watched some videos of the students dancing and then showed them that I could “Jerk” also. They laughed at me of course. The students also noticed my fake wedding ring and asked a lot of questions. They wanted to see pictures of my wedding but I told them that I couldn’t because my shoulders were bare. Also, I told them I was 25 years old and they told Tyler that he needed to respect me. He didn’t think that was very funny.

Wednesday I finally got to see my site! We had a relaxing morning and then waited for Mikey to finish teaching. I was pretty much laughing the whole way to my site because of the looks we were getting from people. And then we ran out of gas about halfway there. There are two roads in my village. The Northern road is for a tribe (that I forgot) and the Southern road for the Makonde tribe basically. I arrived at the school and the headmaster was not there. Typical. The second master was trying to figure out what to do with us when the headmaster finally arrived. There were about seven teachers there, which was more than I was expecting. However some are student teachers who will stay until October and some are part time teachers. There are only four classes: one stream for each form. Form 1 is pretty much the equivalent of Freshmen in High School. Most schools separate their forms into streams based on academic achievement, so Stream A is like IB/AP classes, and Stream B is like regular CP classes. I think it might make it more difficult because there is such a wide range of ability.

All the students gathered in one classroom to greet me. There were only a little over 100 students present. This week has been weird for most schools because teachers are on strike, and there is a break from August 3^rd until September 10^th to do the census, so maybe some students went home early. Anyway, the students asked me if I could also teach them Geography. My headmaster really didn’t want to discuss my schedule with me so I still have no idea what I will be teaching!

My house is on the campus, but about 200 yards from the school. It is a duplex shared with the headmaster and his family. I have a living room, 3 bedrooms, choo, bafu, kitchen and a courtyard! There is also solar power. I’m not sure if the outlets work, but I need to buy special light bulbs that are solar power compatible. There is already a bed frame, two mattresses and a table, but that is it. I need to buy all the rest of the things to furnish my house. Two people should be able to visit me at any time with no problem, but if more people do come I think I’ll buy another mattress to put on the floor. (Please let me know if you are wanting to visit at any point so we can start arranging that! I still don’t have specifics on my schedule, but I have approximate dates.)

There is a girls dormitory on campus that houses about 15 girls. I’m hoping I can arrange a meal plan with either them of my headmaster’s family. Cooking here takes so long that I really have no idea when I will have time to cook!

We walked with my headmaster and two of the student teachers to the village center. There we walked through the market, saw the soccer field, and met the Village Executive Officers. Everyone was really nice, but I didn’t really have time to actually get to talk to them. I actually doubt my Swahili will be good enough to hold a good conversation for awhile.

We took a bajaj back to Ndanda and had amazing Chipsi Mayai. Mikey says it is the best in country. We then went to his school’s Fema Club, which is a life skills/HIV prevention group. I don’t know if it is just the language barrier, but the students seemed to go way off topic. There was one discussion question about why teens often have trouble getting out of unhealthy relationships. I automatically assumed this meant romantic relationships just based on the club, but some students talked about cigarette use, prostitution, poverty, etc. It was interesting to see their definition of an unhealthy relationship. I want to start a Fema Club at my school eventually.

Thursday morning I woke up to Jackson calling me to wish me happy birthday. It was a great way to start my day! Tyler is leaving for Amsterdam so he had to pack a bunch of his stuff. We finally got on the road around 9. His school’s driver, Frances, drove us to the daladala stop. Frances asked for my number and I’m kind of grateful he did because that is one more form of transportation in case of emergency. It took about an hour and a half to get to Masasi (to the West). We immediately got on another bus going to Newala (back to the East). There is a weird triangle between Lindi, Mtwara and Masasi, so in order to get on the Southern road you have to go to either tip of the triangle first. It is probably only about 50km or less from Ndanda to Newala, but because we have to go in a “<” shape, it took about 5 hours. Stephanie, an environmental volunteer, met us on that bus.

We arrived in Newala and dropped our stuff off at a nice guestee. We ate, walked around, and hung out by the fundi. Katie was picking up some awesome pajama pants from the fundi. I bought a kitenge and left it there to be made into a pencil skirt. During this time we also found out we had been added to the Airtel plan! This means we can call any Peace Corps Volunteer or Staff in country for a flat rate of 5,000Tsh per month. Phone calls here are normally made my purchasing vouchers (papers with codes) and then you are charged per second you are on the phone. It can get quite pricey! Anyway, we wandered over to a bar and I had my first legal drink! There were about ten of us there and it was fun just to get to know everyone. I would say it was a typical 21^st birthday, except for the fact that I was in bed by 10pm.

The next day we got to the standi around 8 but the bus didn’t leave until 8:40. Most of the road to Mtwara is unpaved. It is about 150km and is supposed to take about 4 hours. It took us 9 hours. We broke down (I think it was the transmission) and after over an hour of them trying to fix it, another bus showed up. All of us transferred to that bus and a little while later our front tire went flat. They switched out one of the double tires from the back wheels to the front. We drove about 100 yards, got stopped by police for inspection, and then the front tire blew out again. They spent another hour working on it there, then we drove about five more minutes and pulled into a mechanics shop. At each spot we stopped, a crowd came out to watch us. While we were at the mechanic shop I decided to pee behind a chiken coop. I guess my skirt was dragging on the ground and I ended up peeing all over my skirt. We finally got on the road again and we were about 30 minutes from town when we stopped on a hill. At first we thought we ran out of gas but then we decided the driver had just stalled it and the engine was hard to start. Their solution: putting the dala in neutral, letting it coast backwards down this hill, and therefore starting the engine. It worked. Needless to say we were dusty, dehydrated, hungry, and tired when we arrived at the beach house.

We spent Friday night and all day Saturday hanging out by the beach and relaxing. I bought Pringles and chocolate in town! We checked out the fish market and took multiple bajaj rides. We swam in the ocean with a ton of teenagers who were staring at all of us. The house is owned my Germans and is a gorgeous, European style gathering point. We had a refrigerator even!

Today we woke up at 4:30am to catch our bus into Dar. It took about 9 hours also, but apparently we made really good time. I think it is over 500km from Mtwara to Dar. I was a little scared at some points, but we arrived safely. There is a good portion of the road that is unpaved (but they are working on paving it), so imagine high-speed off roading in a giant 100+ person charter bus. I’m pretty sure I got whiplash. Nick was guess-timating the inches he flew away from his seat every time we hit a bump. We spent the afternoon in our room with a fan and then we got shawarmas for dinner and ice cream for dessert. Yummy!

At this point I’m so tired of traveling, I can’t wait to get back to Morogoro! Being on squished, tiny buses with no air conditioning gets a little old. Plus we had so many issues with transportation. The bus only stops once for a potty break, but I don’t feel comfortable peeing in the bush in front of everyone, so I purposely dehydrate myself. On top of that, you don’t want to eat either. And you can’t really sleep because it is too bumpy and loud. And you’re sweating everywhere because no one wants to open the windows because of the dust.

Ok, I’m done ranting. I did have a great shadow trip though and I’m so glad I got to travel as much as I did and meet so many Volunteers. Here are a few jokes I learned

Peace Corps: The longest vacation you’ll ever hate. (One of Peace Corps’ mottos is: The toughest job you’ll ever love.)

“How many Peace Corps Volunteers does it take to change a lightbulb?” “None. They don’t change anything.”

“What is a Tanzanian midget’s favorite sport?” “Kung-Fupi!” (fupi=short)

Package Note

Also, many people have expressed an interest in sending me care packages and such. I do NOT NEED any of these items, but if you feel like you want to send them, I would be forever grateful.

*Stickers or Self-Inking Stamps (for awarding students)

*Cut outs of newspapers (comics, local news, etc)

*Chocolate Chips

*Any magazines/catalogs that children, teens or 20-somethings might enjoy (Highlights, Popular Science, Time, National Geographic, Popular Mechanics,etc.)

*Fun Math or Science Activity ideas that are easy to do with little materials

***Candy/Snack Food-(Rice Krispie Cereal & Marshmallows, Dove Individual Milk Chocolate, Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal Packets, Munchies Snack Mix, Starbursts, Sour Patch Kids, Gum, Macaroni and Cheese, Cream Savers, Apple Gummy Rings, Cheetos, Banana Laffy Taffys, Mini Reese’s, ANYTHING you can just add water, oil, eggs or milk to)

*Words to American nursery rhymes

*Purse-Sized Hand Sanitizers

*Travel-Sized Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash, Face Wash (even ones stolen from hotels!)

*Printed Photos (of anything! For me, or for my students to look at)

*Pretty Smelling Anti-Bacterial Hand Soap (in a pump bottle)

Send to:

Alyson Hite PCV

P.O. Box 218

Masasi Town, Mtwara

Tanzania

First Half of Shadow

First of all, I wanted to thank so many of you that sent me encouraging emails. I don’t have time to reply to every single person, but just know that I really appreciate it. I still haven’t seen my site, but am less anxious about it. I’m having a great time so far on my shadow visit. I know I can do it! It is definitely going to take some time to figure out how to do things in the most effective way, but I know that whatever I teach them is better than what they are getting now with no teacher. My favorite piece of advice came from my little cousin Max:

“Dear Aly,

If i was a little kid in the middle of nowhere i would want you to be my teacher.  if you are scared then don't be scared because you should have fun because Math is fun.  If I were you i would go over there right away and teach them and after the first day you wont be scared again.

Love,

Max”

Just to clarify, now that I know more, the closest town is Ndanda, which is about 8 miles away from Chinongwe. My two closest options for banking towns are Massasi (to the West) and Lindi (to the East). I could also go to Mtwara if I want. They are supposed to be putting an ATM in Ndanda soon also! The big thing in Ndanda is the Benedictine Brothers who have contributed a lot historically to the foundation of the town. The Makonde is the main tribe in the area, if you want to look up some historical information. I am technically in Lindi region (state), but am very close to Mtwara region. The two are usually just spoken of as one region.

On Saturday, I left Morogoro for Dar. I bought a "refugee bag" (giant recycled bag) and packed all of last night. My Bibi came to see what was going on because I was listening to Party in the USA. We had a dance party and then the kids came in to watch me pack. I managed to fit most of the excess stuff Peace Corps has issued us into this giant bag- language stuff, 5 gallon bucket, medical kit, mosquito net, blanket, sheets, books, bug spray....It was kind of sad to see my room so emptied out. I'm really going to miss my family. My Baba helped me load my gigantic, heavy bag and then Mama drove us down the road to catch the daladala. I was really grateful for his help.

A staff member, Paul, met us all at the bus stand. I boarded the bus with Minh, Nick and Drew. They are all placed in the Mtwara region, but we are traveling together. It was about 3 1/2 hours to Dar. I was sitting next to the window, so had to do some transactions for people at the "drive-thru" window. AKA people shoving buckets of food and drinks in your face and asking you to buy them. A mom had her 5-year-old sitting on her lap the whole way, so I felt bad and offered them some Skittles. They seemed to like them!

Our driver picked us up at the bus stand. He found us, since we were the only white people in the area. We got back to the Msimbazi Centre. We then went on an uncertain journey into town. We boarded a daladala hoping it was going the right way. It was headed to the Posta that was the only landmark we really knew. But before we reached the Posta, we got in our first daladala accident! Exciting! Both Nick and I watched the accident happen and saw the glass from the other car spray over the dala’s windshield. So we started walking in the direction we had been driving and stopped at the first place there was food. It was a super safi (clean, good, awesome) place with milkshakes. REAL, COLD, MILKSHAKES MADE FROM ICE CREAM. It was amazing. I ordered sausages and chipsi, but once again forgot that “sausages” here are hot dogs. It’s ok because there was this awesome hot sauce to go with it. We asked where a bank was and so we walked around a bit. We ended up finding 3 banks actually. During our Dar Walk-Around with Peace Corps staff, I had gone to the third bank, so we knew how to get home from there. But first, we went to a casino in a mall. Minh doubled a 10,000 Tsh on a slot machine. I did not gamble. We did a lot of khanga and kitenge shopping also. I got this awesome turquoise one that I’m splitting with Drew. I think I’m just going to get an elaborate skirt and coin purse made out of it. We made it safely back to the Msimbazi Center. I’m glad I’m good at recognizing where I am in relation to other landmarks. It was also cool because during our Dar Walk-Around during training, we knew pretty much no Swahili. So we were able to ask for directions, bargain, and greet others on the street. I think I know more Swahili than I think.

We left our rooms at 4:30am on Sunday. Our driver took us to the bus stand and we loaded our luggage onto the bus. Only a few people boarded so I was a little bit confused as we started to leave. The bus finally got out of the traffic jam of busses around 6:30am. We then stopped about 15 minutes later at another bus stop in Dar, which is where most of the passengers boarded. A larger woman sat next to me with her large 5 year old on her lap. I kind of felt bad for her being smashed the whole way, but towards the end I was pretty irritated. The kid kept grabbing things and people and then screamed the last hour of the bus ride. Most Tanzanian children are fairly reserved so I was shocked by his behavior. There were scandalous American rap music videos playing the whole way. Some men started cheering during one that showed women in bikinis. I slept most of the way and purposely didn’t drink much because I didn’t want to have to pee in the bush. My little seatmate got out and peed on the bus tire during a potty break and the conductor laughed at him. Pretty much people mob off the bus, into the bushes on the side of the road, pee right next to each other, and get back on. Maybe in a few months I’ll feel comfortable doing that. The road was mostly paved, but some parts were just stretches of dirt road. And when we slowed down it got really hot because we weren’t going fast enough to create airflow. At about 2:30pm we arrived in Lindi, so it was about an 8-hour trip. Tyler, Katie, and Kathryn met us at the standi and helped us negotiate our way out of the mob. I was getting hassled to pay for my luggage again and he kept telling me to pay. They just helped me pick up my bag and start walking.

We dropped off our stuff at a guestee and then got lunch. Lindi kind of reminds me of Seal Beach. It is a beach town, but small and pretty quiet. We went to a bar on the beach and sat with our feet in the sand for a while. It was nice to talk to other volunteers who are not part of our training class. I guess you could say we gossiped, but they were interested in the differences between their training classes and ours. It was cool to hear the similarities and differences between training classes that make each person’s experience unique. We walked around a little bit to get a feel for the town. We stopped by the bank and discovered we all had just gotten paid. My new goal: become a Shillingi-aire! That is, a millionaire in shillings (about $625USD). We then hired a bajaji to take us up a hill to eat dinner. A bajaj (they just add the “I” to the end of any word) is kind of like a cross between a motorcycle and a golf cart. It has handlebars and a clutch like a motorcycle, but the driver sits on a seat and then there is another wider seat behind that. So it is a tricycle? Anyway, we fit all 5 of us in the back of this little thing and puttered our way up the hill. The girls knew the owner of the Italian restaurant. He kind of reminded me of Mike Reppas. He was very friendly and created special dishes for Tyler and me because they didn’t have ingredients for the meals we wanted. It was pretty expensive, but totally worth it. Drew and I shared a double room and it was fine but it still seemed weird for me.

Monday we woke up early, got breakfast, bought some groceries at the market, packed our stuff, and bought Drew a mattress. We lugged my giant refugee bag, Drew’s luggage, the mattress, and everyone else’s luggage to the standi. We got stared at a lot and I don’t blame them. We probably looked pretty ridiculous! Tyler and I threw my bag on a bus and then said goodbye to the others. Thankfully, we got seats because we were there early. It was about a 3-hour ride to Ndanda and some people had to stand the whole way. We somehow managed to get an “ugly fruit” for free. It is like a mandarin I guess…we forget the name in Swahili. When we arrived, Mikey saw us coming up the street and came to help carry my giant bag. People were laughing at Tyler and me as we kept dropping the bag every few seconds. Within about a mile radius is a hospital, post office, police station, abbey, Mikey’s school, and his house. Mikey’s house made me forget I was in Africa! It is 3 bedrooms, he has electricity, internet, an oven/stove, running water, and a lot of furniture. We went out for lunch and halfway through eating these Makonde men showed up to sell us their carvings. Do a quick Google search of “Makonde carvings”. This is the prominent tribe in my region. Tyler bought this crazy ape/man carving with one ear that apparently is their weather god. He lives in a tree and created the rain, thunder, lighting, etc. If anyone can find the full story that would be awesome! We just couldn’t understand why one of his ears is cut off. I bought a carving of baby Jesus in Bethlehem to give to my host family.

We hung out for a while, and then decided to go swimming. I cannot tell you how excited I was! There are a lot of German missionaries in the area with the Benedictine Brothers. They own a spring, which produces the bottled drinking water in the area. Apparently, they have given all other Mzungus an extended invitation to come swim in the holding area near the spring. It was about a ¼ acre of water. It was so beautiful and clean! The water was such a pretty color. I think that is the longest I have gone without swimming ever…it had been over 2 months! Oddly enough I felt awkward swimming in a sports bra and shorts. It just felt so weird to expose my body! As we were about to leave, one of the Brothers came out for his evening swim. He has been in Tanzania for 47 years, but has traveled/lived in many different regions, so has not completed all the training to become a Father. He handed me a piece of bread and told me to hold it in the water for the fish to eat. They came up and nibbled on my fingers as they were eating. It was really cool. He went for his swim and saw a lizard sunning itself at the far end. Mikey had been looking for it earlier because it is usually there. The Brother came back and continued talking to us about his experiences and what we were going to be doing here. Then just out of nowhere, he started changing! He was just completely naked sitting on his towel, using the ends of it to dry his toes. And he continued talking to us like it was the most normal thing to be doing! Then he told our bajaj driver to take us to the far side to see the lizard. It had left, unfortunately. When we got home, I took the most luxurious shower I have taken in Tanzania. I got to shave my legs even! The water was so warm, and it was just a bucket bath, but it felt so good! Mikey made us dinner, which was spaghetti with peanut butter sauce. It was really really good. He also made bucket hibiscus wine. It tasted just like the alcoholic version of jugo de hamaica! If you just put fruit/flowers in a bucket with water, yeast and sugar for a few weeks, you get alcohol! We had a wine and movie night and I felt like I was back in America hanging out with my best friends. It is so cool how just by being PCVs we have a common tie that makes us all very welcoming of each other. I love it.

Today we went to watch Mikey teach at his school. He teaches forms 5 and 6, which is kind of like their version of community college, although it is called high school. It is an all boys school, so they obviously noticed that I was there. There were over 100 students in his class. After class, we hung out in the staff lounge for Chai. The teachers were all very nice. A lot of them laughed when I said I was going to be in Chinongwe, and they said it is out in the bush. We will see…One of the teachers is from Chinongwe. He seemed really cool, until he asked why I wouldn’t marry him. He seemed to understand eventually, so I hope we can get past that and be friends because I think he could help me in integrating into the community. Mikey’s neighbor has puppies that are about 3 months old. We went to check them out and they are so timid from being beaten all the time. They kind of look like Bear with short fur. I am possibly going to buy one for a security dog at my site. Tyler and I are now at his site. It is an all boy’s private Catholic school. His second master in charge saw us on the road and picked us up. Right away he asked if I was Tyler’s girlfriend. He also laughed about me being in the bush in Chinongwe. I am proctoring an exam right now. I will write more about my site when I see it! Also, Friday and Saturday nights we are spending at a beach house in Mtwara. I am super excited!