Top: Natalie, my new friend here at IST!

Bottom: Callie, my new friend in Moshi!

Hello Again...

I just returned from the beach, on this rainy, cloudy Dar es Salaam day. It was beach day for Grade 7, and since I have grade 7 students, I was priviledged enough to be able to join them on their special day. Despite the fact that it was raining most of the time, we actually had a very enjoyable day. I am one of the few lucky staff members that gets to attend two beach days!!!!! The benefits of Special Education! The Grade 7 students are absolutely precious, and they are extremely different from the stereotypical 7th grader back at home. These kids, coming from so many varied backgrounds, mixed race families, etc. just have a different take on the social part of life. I am not quite sure how to put my finger on the differences between the students here, and the students at home...but they are vast!!! The day was about building relationships, relaxing, taking a break from school, and helping the new students adjust. Mission accomplished, if you ask me!!! I think Beach Day should happen once a month!!!!

I mentioned Goat Races in my last blog, so I will expand on that experience now. Nowhere else in the world would goat races exist, BESIDES Tanzania!!!! It is such a funny concept, and yet a main event around here, especially for the ex-pat community. The Goat Races are similar to horse races...however, no skill, athletic ability, strategy or intelligence comes into play. The race merely involves unintelligent goats, being pushed around a track by a bunch of Tanzanian men, and the animal who happens to stick his nose out the most at the finish line wins. An extremely entertaining event!!! The Dar es Salaam Goat Races happen once a year, and they are a charity event. People in the community of Dar purchase one of these goats, name it, dress up, get drunk, and make asses of themselves at the event. If their goat is the lucky one, the money generated from the betting on that race alone goes to their charity of choice. For me, it was an opportunity to see just HOW MANY ex-pats there are in this city, and to have a little bit of fun on the weekend. In the end, I won 20,000 shillings ($20) on the only race I bet on, so I was a happy camper!

During this last weekend, I threw my first house party of the year!!!! Because IST is a small community, and an incestual one, I had to invite the whole faculty. That was ok though, because we all get along at this point, and in my book, "the more the merrier!" Even my principal showed up with his wife, which I thought was a nice change from certain principals I have had in the past. I wont mention names...but most of you know who I am talking about!!!! The party was a hit, and almost 50 members of the faculty came. My friend Natalie and I threw it together....she did the cooking, I did the organizing, list making and shopping. We are a great team in that sense!!! One of the teachers acted as dj, I had an outside dancefloor, the backyard was candlelit and the food was decadent. Natalie is an amazing cook. Everyone got drunk and the night ended late. In my ideal teaching world, I have always desired to be a part of a close-knit faculty who did things together outside of school, and who could be friends without letting the teaching interfere. I am pretty sure I have found that here! It is a great, and very satisfying feeling.

Well, thats about all for now. I am looking forward to my trip to Moshi this weekend!!! My friends who are volunteering there now are leaving next week, so I am going to join them for their final Moshi weekend. Hopefully Friday will come soon!!! Hope all is well at home, wherever that might be for you. A big "Jambo" from Africa! Take care......

Jen