ESP/Moshi/Birthday Adventures

Jambo Rafiki....

I am actually sitting at school right now doing nothing. I was supposed to go into three different classes today, but the teachers all requested that I didnt come. I am hoping that this isnt a reflection on my skills as a teacher!! Just kidding...I know it isnt. It just so happens that all the teachers I support in-class on Fridays are giving tests or lecturing today, so it is really a waste of my time to be in their classes. So, I basically have a free day! Yipee!!!!!

I will start by telling you about ESP. ESP stands for Extended Studies Program. It is a full week program where the teachers take the students away to learn about Tanzania, to build social relationships and to do some onsite learning in the natural environment. I happen to be on two grade level teams, so I am one of two teachers in the school that gets to do this twice in the year. My next one is in February...and I will be taking the grade 10 students to Light in Africa!!! This time was with grade 7. The grade 7 students are by far the best in the school. They are a perfect mixture of cultures and backgrounds, academic ability, etc. so they offer a lot to both each other and to us, as teachers. Our group went to Pugu Hills, a nature/forest reserve and then onto Bagamoyo, a city on the coast that was an important trading port for slaves and other goods. The week was tiring, but very rewarding in the end. I had one low moment, which I will share with you. In Pugu Hills, we were scheduled to go on a hike. When we arrived, it was as hot as any place I have EVER been in my life. I am getting better with the heat issue, but this was unbearable. However, we still had to follow the itinerary and do the hike. So, we set off at 1:00 for our so called "45 minute" hike. Mind you, none of us teachers had ever been to Pugu before so we didnt know what to expect. 2 hours later, covered in sweat, legs swollen, water gone, students passing out from heat stroke, teachers with heat rash...we reached our destination. The cattle market. I have to say, I have never seen less enthusiastic students about anything. Our water was gone, they were starving, everyone was staring at us, and frankly...the cows smelled awful. Our non-english speaking guide had nothing to offer, so we attempted to sit down for lunch before the dreaded hike back!!! Par for the course, the only spot available to sit in the shade was in a CEMETERY!!! In histerics, I told the students to choose a gravestone and dig in!!!! I almost melted that day, and it took days to get back to normal. The students were great though...better than the teachers...and pushed through. I guess they have good stories to share!!! On the whole, the ESP week was very good and very worthwhile. I bonded with both teachers and students, and saw a part of TZ that I hadn't seen before. I am very excited for my week in February!

In other school news, we are nearing the end of term. This term has flown by! I can't believe that I will be leaving for Italy in less than a month. The students and teachers are both nearing saturation point now. There is a lot to get done in a very short amount of time. Our students are extremely good, though. On the whole, they are hardworking, dedicated to their schoolwork and activities, and very respectful to one another and to teachers. The mixture of nationalities and backgrounds is immense here at IST. We dont have a single race of student that makes up more that 12% of the school population. We also have a wide range of backgrounds and races represented amongst the staff. It is such a nice environment to work in...and so extremely different that the 100% American staff you get at home. Not saying Americans are bad...............just saying that I like the variety!!!! The TCK (third culture kid) is something new to me this year. They are also referred to as "global nomads." These are kids who have spend most of their lives in cultures other than their own. I would say a huge majority of the students here fit that description. Often times you ask a student, "Where are you from." And the response you get is, "I don't know." These kids might have an Indian mother, a Kenyan father, born in Senegal, went to school in Ghana, Egypt, South Africa and Tanzania. They really dont have a secure identity. It is definitely something I had not encountered before. Quite a fascinating culture of its own!

OK...now onto Moshi. I will make this quick because I always talk about Moshi. Basically, I am trying to get there once a month. So far, I have been successful!!! The LIA kids definitely expect me, but never know exactly when I will be there. This time they had no idea. However, when we pulled up in the red Pathfinder that Abdi had rented for us, they must have had a "feeling" that it was me. Immediately the boys started chanting..."Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer." They couldn't have seen me, as I was in the back with tinted windows. So, that was a very nice welcome!!!! We took some of them out to lunch and then we spent the whole day Sunday at a posh hotel swimming with the older boys. It was such a relaxing weekend after the somewhat stressful and extremely HOT ESP week!!! I was also able to take Theresa and Lucia (fellow teachers) with me, and neither of them had left Dar until this trip. So, they were very happy to see a different side of TZ. Moshi is such a different (and better!) city than Dar. They both enjoyed the contrast of the two cities, but ultimately agreed with me that Moshi is MUCH better.

I turned 30 on Wednesday. The big 3-0. Cant quite believe it, myself, but I dont feel any older, so I guess that is good. My students tell me I dont look any older either!! The day was very special. Abdi, after spending the weekend in Moshi with me, took the bus to Dar so that he could be there with me on the actual day. He is great in that sense...always travelling to Dar to see me. I appreciate it a lot, considering it is about an 8 hour bus ride. So, we went out to dinner at my favorite Indian restaurant on Tuesday night when he arrived. Delicious. Indian food is my new favorite cuisine!!! Then on Wednesday, I went to work and the ladies in my department had a small party for me at break. I got presents from each of them, and we had cinnamon rolls! After school, I had a horribly boring meeting that I was itching to get out of. I had tolkd Abdi to meet me at home at 2:30 to go to a movie. At 3:00, the meeting was still dragging on! When I finally got home, I walked into a beautifully decorated house, with a bottle of chanpagne, birthday cards and decorations, a birthday crown, etc. Abdi had spent the day shopping and decorating. It was very sweet and much appreciated after the horrible meeting. We immediately got in the taxi and headed to watch a Bollywood flick. This wouldn't have been my first choice, but Abdi loves Indian movies, so I caved since he was so sweet!! I must admit, the movie was very good! After the movie, we met some friends at the Ethiopian restaurant for dinner and they had a cake for me there...and more presents! All in all, it was a wonderful way to celebrate the end of a decade! 30's...here I come!

Well, I must get back to work. Oh wait, I dont have any work to do!!! I guess I can get ahead in writing grade reports and the SSP's (IEP's) for my 4 students!! Tough life, eh?

Love you all!

Jen

An Unexpected Adventure....Tanzanian Style!

Hello Everyone!!

In Tanzania, you never know what you are going to get!! This is part of the reason I love this place, and also a part of the reason that I have my days where I feel like I might explode or have a nervous breakdown. However, things usually work out for the best, as was the case this weekend!!

Originally, my weekend was just going to consist of going to dinner on Friday night with some friends and then Abdi was supposed to be coming to Dar, from Moshi, on Saturday. However, I got a text late on Friday night from him saying that he had been asked to play on the Moshi Veterans soccer team in a tournament in Morogoro, a city outside of Dar. So, he asked if I would come in the morning to watch. Reluctantly, I agreed to go. For those of you who know me well....I do not like doing new, unfamiliar things alone!!!! I frantically sent texts out to all my friends that I thought might be willing to accompany me, but there were no takers being that it was so last minute!!! So, the next morning, I woke up early, and headed to the bus terminal. Keep in mind, I had no idea where I was going (specifically once I arrived), what time the buses left, how long the trip was going to be, what I would actually be doing once I arrived.....or, if Abdi would even be in Morogoro when I got there. Since they were coming from Moshi, they also had a long trip that day. I could only hope things worked out. So, I hopped in a taxi and went to the terminal!

Upon arriving at the Ubungo terminal, a man jumped in my taxi, frantically asking me where I was going, when I wanted to leave, how many bags I had and how much I wanted to pay. My own personal travel agent, African style! I was to pay him for the ticket, and he would organize everything for me! Keep in mind EVERYTHING in Tanzania is negotiable. Therefore, you have to do research in advance or you WILL get ripped off. Luckily I had looked at Wikitravel that morning to see what the price of a ticket should be. After originally asking me for $25 for a ticket, the crazy man finally agreed to $6, which is what the internet had told me to pay! Good thing I looked! After paying, I was whisked away to three buses before actually finding a seat. Since I am a mzungu (white person), they wanted to make sure I had a window seat, and the first two buses were quite crammed and only aisle seats were left. How nice of them!

The ride that was supposed to take one hour, ended up taking three! It was relatively uneventful, which was nice. When I arrived in Morogoro, I once again entered the madness that IS Tanzania when I stepped off the bus. Apparently, the sight of a white person signals $$$$$ and the taxi drivers, food salesmen, newspaper salesmen, etc. get excited about the possible business and basically attack. I had to call Abdi to see where he was, and I realized very soon that I should have done this before stepping off the bus. I bet I had 15 taxi drivers hovering around me waiting for the verdict. I chose one randomly, and he took me to Abdi and the Moshi team, who had luckily arrived just before me!

The plan was to stay for the afternoon, watch the soccer games, and leave that evening back to Dar with Abdi. But of course...............plans changed. When I got there, I learned that the field had been double booked, so the tournament would begin tomorrow instead. Needless to say, I had no change of clothes, no toothbrush, no pajamas, no ANYTHING!!! But, after the adventure to get there, I wasnt about to go back! I would embrace my weekend in Morogoro!

That afternoon, instead of watching the Moshi team play, we watched the Arsenal/Man U game. The Tanzanians are crazy for British soccer....and this was a big game. In Morogoro, they have no such thing as a "Sports Pub", so we ended up watching the game outside someone's house on rickety wooden benches. The cost was $.50...a good deal!!! The sight of a mzungu female DID surprise, or should I say SHOCK, the masses of Tanzanian men who were there already waiting for the game to begin! It was difficult to find seats....but, I was offered a seat next to almost every man there!!! Lucky mzungu! In the end, we got the back row and enjoyed a good game. Arsenal won, which is who the Tanzanians wanted, and some serious celebrating began shortly thereafter.

After the game, we went downtown for dinner. It is nice to "go local" every once in awhile, and we ended up having a great meal. We all had rice, beans, beef stew, cabbage, spinach and potatoes. This is a typical African meal, called "wali nyama", and is very tasty!!! And, the best part was that it was only $1.50. So, being the generous person that I am, I offered to pay for my table!!! Following dinner, we returned back to the hotel to freshen up before going to "Ze Klub." Funny name....awesome club!! However, prior to entering "Ze Klub", we were invited to a wedding that was happening at the hotel. Abdi and I had been standing at the door, and the next thing we new, they had set up chairs for us and we were invited inside to join! It was hilarious! The wedding was VERY different from an American wedding. The were just a few streamers for decorations, the videographer had a MASSIVE camera with a huge spotlight, goat was being served as the maincourse and the music was being played on a 80's style boombox. It was classic! As we were sitting there watching, we noticed some commotion outside the door. The next thing we knew, all of Abdi's teammates came rushing onto the dancefloor, and basically crashed the party! The great thing here, though, is that it was not seen as crashing! They were welcomed with open arms by the bride and groom and the entire family. So, they danced for about an hour at the wedding, and then we all headed to "Ze Klub."

My Morogoro adventure came to an end the next day. Abdi and I had made plans to go back to Dar, while the rest of the team headed to Moshi. As we were getting into a taxi to get the bus to Dar, Abdi's brother came running after us to say that the Dar Soccer team had room on their bus for us, and they would let us ride for free. So, we boarded the bus, and were off to Dar. We soon found out that the Dar players are CRAZY, and I would say the majority of them were alcoholics. As soon as we got on, we had beers, Konyagi (African liquor), and several other beverages thrown our way. All of them had been drinking, and would continue to drink the entire way to Dar...a three hour trip. I was suddenly taken back to my days at Gonzaga in Florence!!! The man sitting next to us opened a bottle of Konyagi and chugged the entire bottle without stopping....about a pint of liquor. He lasted about an hour, and then passed out on Abdi's knee. The rest of the team managed to stay awake and had a dance party/sing along the whole way. It was a riot....very entertaining to watch. Since I was the token white girl once again, I cant help but think that a lot of it was a show for me. There were several glances in my direction to see my reaction to certain things! Such a funny bus ride! Overall, a great weekend and I definitely came away from it with stories to tell.

We ended our weekend with a movie at the theater in Dar. We saw James Bond...my first Bond movie!!! Not my type of movie, but decent. Next week we are headed out on a week long trip with students. Each class spends a week away with their teachers...a good learning and social experience. I am excited for a break from school...and a chance to get to know my students better! Hope everyone is happy and healthy. Keep in touch!

Jen