This Last Month. and 50 yrs of PC

March 1, 2011 marked the 50^th anniversary of the Peace Corps. Since I am a volunteer, I feel compelled to express my gratitude towards President Kennedy for giving us this ‘experience of a life time’ . . . and of course to persuade more volunteers for the next 50 years . . . along with the rest of my usual blogging J.

 Neither Michael nor I grew up with the desire to join; in fact, it wasn’t until mid-college that we gave it any thought at all. I believe I can accredit the curriculum we have taken, and the professors who taught us, for pushing us to question our world and for opening our eyes to people that live outside the American boundaries. With this shift of thought, I cannot imagine sitting anywhere else right now other than Kibaya, TZ and I am thankful for the Peace Corps for putting me here.

Michael and I have now been teaching for over a month and a half. We are finally getting to know our students individually which makes teaching much more intimate and meaningful. We gave our students their first exams last week to see how much of our teaching they are able to understand (since it is in a whole different language). The majority of their scores were good, even though they all thought they would do horrible. When I gave the tests back to my freshmen they were so happy they asked for another one. Tomorrow morning I am gong to attempt to take my juniors into the laboratory and have them do an acid/base experiment. I believe it will be their first time working with chemicals, so we will see how it turns out. One of our frustrations is the high proportion of teachers meeting that just happens to interrupt classes. . It is mandatory for us to attend, so our syllabus falls behind and the students just sit in their classrooms. We are trying to develop some ways to push the meetings after class time.

The other day Michael interrupted our conversation because there was a little chameleon walking on my head. We wanted to keep it but our dogs will just have it for lunch.

We have a really close teacher friend, Samson, who came over this morning for our homemade banana and mango pancakes. It was very interesting explaining to him the concept of credit cards (they do not exist here) and how the majority of Americans are in credit debt. He was quite confused as to why people spend money they do not have in the first place, only to pay more for it in the long run. . We explained that it confuses us too but that, in America, the material objects you possess have more of an impact on your friends and neighbors than the red numbers in your bank account that you can keep hidden. It is so interesting how the idea of a credit card seems so normal to our culture, and yet strange and as Samson put it ‘stupid’ to other cultures. He also couldn’t believe how much we are charged for college tuition after we told him our college debt. . and that our university was not even an expensive private one. Our conversation led into African politics which was super fascinating. I think it is these cross-cultural exchanges that are rewarding.

In only two weeks we are leaving to meet up with our training class that we haven’t seen in a few months for more training, and then we are going to home with our good friend Doug to the island of Pemba for a week. Speaking of Doug, we sold our goat the other day.

 I will end with a shortened excerpt from Pres. Kennedy the day he signed the PC into action:

“The initial reactions to the Peace Corps proposal are convincing proof that we have, in this country, an immense reservoir of such men and women—anxious to sacrifice their energies and time and toil to the cause of world peace and human progress.

“We will only send abroad Americans who are wanted by the host country—who have a real job to do—and who are qualified to do that job. Programs will be developed with care, and after full negotiation, in order to make sure that the Peace Corps is wanted and will contribute to the welfare of other people. Our Peace Corps is not designed as an instrument of diplomacy or propaganda or ideological conflict. It is designed to permit our people to exercise more fully their responsibilities in the great common cause of world development.

“Life in the Peace Corps will not be easy. There will be no salary and allowances will be at a level sufficient only to maintain health and meet basic needs. Men and women will be expected to work and live alongside the nationals of the country in which they are stationed—doing the same work, eating the same food, talking the same language.

“But if the life will not be easy, it will be rich and satisfying. For every young American who participates in the Peace Corps—who works in a foreign land—will know that he or she is sharing in the great common task of bringing to man that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace.”

I apologize if this post is very sporadic. I miss you and love you all,

Melinda

Don't Forget to Bring your Hoe

After two months of idle ‘relaxing’ and exploring, Michael and I have finally begun teaching. Michael is teaching Biology and Math to the first years (our Freshies) and I am teaching Biology to the third years and chemistry to the youngins. The experience has been great so far, yet mind awakening.

            Primary school here in Tanzania is mandatory and free for all children, while secondary school (the equivalence to our high school) is optional only if you pass the primary school test… which covers everything you have ever learned in 7 years of school primary school. If you pass the test, and if you can afford it, then are allowed a secondary education.     

            In order to continue with their education, there is a number of things the students must bring: A hoe or machete, their own desk and chair, a 20 pound bag of corn kernels or flour, their 4 piece uniform, a bucket, fees for all their food, the guard, and misc. school fees (about 30,000 - 40,000 shillings), package of computer paper, and of course all the regular school stationary supplies. If you live in the dormitory, you have to also bring a mattress. The major problem about all these necessities is that the majority of the families these children come from can hardly afford their normal household expenses. If a student cannot afford everything on the list they do not get to attend classes…and the poverty cycle continues. Luckily, we work with some exceptionally caring teachers. They allow students to attend class while their parents are slowly bringing in the items over time.

            For the students who are enrolled, there are other struggles. There is over 750 students here at Kiteto Sec; yet only 10 teachers, including Michael and myself. This means that the class sizes are enormous and the teacher work load is heavy. The school itself does not receive much money from the Tz government, so there are no printers, or copy machines. No overheads, nor a computer lab. The students do not even have textbooks. Their only material for studying is their hand-written notes. Teaching aids are all hand-made and worksheets and study guides are nearly impossible to obtain. The black board and chalk is about the only resource most teachers have. Our school is lucky enough to have just received some laboratory equipment from the government, and the science teachers are eager for Michael and I to teach them how to use the apparatus for experiments. The biggest struggle for us, however, is that the classes are taught in English to students who speak Swahili. The language barrier is the biggest heartache.

            With all this said, I cannot wrap my mind around how excited these students are to learn. They struggle to understand what we are saying, but try regardless. Many of them are aware that an education is the only way to a secure job, and they realize that they only have one chance. The students are remarkably polite, and appreciative. They work in the farm between class, sweep the dirt from the school grounds, clean the classrooms and teaching lounge. Many sit in the classrooms after school has ended to review their notes over and over. They do not have a choice at lunchtime, just beans and Ugali (flour and water).

I can’t get over how remarkably lucky we were as high school students. . . with all its privileges and plethora of lunch choices. School is free for us. Our parents do not have to make the choice between buying meat for our family or paying our school fees. How are we given all the textbooks, overhead projectors, and now computer touch boards we need; when I see students sharing notebooks because they cannot afford their own? I understand the underlying politics (I won’t even go there) but my bigger question is why do I have to come here to know about this amazingly huge and unfair gap? Why was I allowed to complain about school and lunch food when I had every opportunity in the world at my fingertips . . . merely because, by chance, I was born an American? Why were we so ignorant when appreciation was due?

Yet, these students are not angry. They do not question their circumstances. They just learn and do what they have to do. . .and for me, witnessing that is what life is all about. My students are not the only ones learning, so am I.

The funniest "Crap" story ever!!

The following is a journal article written yesterday by husband, Michael. This should be a story of extreme embarrassment on my behalf (if I had any shame), but it is just too darn funny to keep it our little secret, so I put it in my blog:

          So Mindy and I just arrived home from downtown with Flo (the German Anthropologist) and Thomas (the Aftrican tribesman). The sun just set as we returned home. All of our laudrey from earlier in the day was still hung out to dry, and Savannah and Mogley (our new puppies) were anxiously waiting for us. When we entered the courtyard, I had noticed that the wind had blown off some our clothes that were not pinned. The dogs took advantage of this, and have been playing and chewing with my underwear and a pair of Mindy's. I picked them up and started whipping them around in an attempt to get the dirt off of them. As I was whipping, I realized that they smelled so very bad. I kept putting each pair up to and touching my nose and face, to get a big whiff, to see if they needed to be rewashed. The smell from one of them (Mindy's) was horendous and had a great amout more dirt than my own pair. I began to ask the dogs "Jees guys, what the hell did you do to the underwear, they smell like crap!?" Just then it hit me like a ton of bricks and I had just realized what I was holding and putting to my face multiple times.
        It turns out that the dogs did not get into a pair of Mindy's underwear that were freshly cleaned and had just fallen down from the clothesline. The dogs had actually found and dragged out the pair of underwear that Mindy had gone diarreha in the night before and had just hidden them under rocks in the courtyard. The story is that she was eating with us downtown the day before, and nature hit her, so she had to leave us and rush home (a 20 minute walk). She didn't quite make it home in time so as soon as she got home she got a shower and didn't know what to do with the underwear (there are no trashcans here just public holes of burning trash) so she put them in a bag and hid them under big rocks in our courtyard for the time being. She told me all of this that night when I returned home. Once I realized I was holding and smelling Mindy's now brown, once pink, underwear, I stood there in horror while Mindy (who realized it at the same time) broke out into a pain in the gut laughter, and almost peed her pants. I'm glad she took amusement from my dismay in sniffing and bringing her diarreah filled underwear  up to my nose. It is also interesting how she failed to dispose properly of her goopy-poopy underwear (she says she didn't want the neighbors to see it). Well funny enough, I had paid off for it tonight...and we did dispose of them..in the deep hole of a huge turmite mound.

I apologize if this story makes you grossed out. The funny thing is that everything happened so perfectly and unplanned that it couldn't have been better in a movie. I guess that I am a wife than only Michael could love. . . and I am soo glad to have him even with all that he has to go through. The fact that I post this entry probably leads you to the idea that the rest of our PC experience thus far has been fairly uneventful. We do not start teaching until mid January, so in the mean time we have been hanging out with fellow community members, cooking, and reading. We will be enjoying the holidays together with a couple other PC people... and exchanging hand made and heart filled gifts (the non-material type).  Happy holidays!!

P.S. A wish list can be found on the side of the page if you would like to send us some goodies within the next two years.

Love you, miss you





    

A few life lessons from the Tanzanians

Hello!

Michael and I are very fortunate and appreciative to have been born in such a developed country as the U.S.A. We were given the opportunity of further education (along with massive debt) as well as the opportunity to live and work in another country through the Peace Corps. Our awareness of this is one of the reasons we joined the PC; so we could take the knowledge we have gained as Americans and teach it to the Tanzanian students. But, what we have noticed is that the Tanzanians have some valuable life skills that most Americans do not have… and there are many sociological reasons for this. Sure, Michael and I are able to teach them complex ideas such as the number of electron orbitals correlated with a specific element, or the synapse mechanism through which neurons communicate, but here are a few lessons on resource management that Tanzanians follow (and many Americans don’t) that are vital for a sustainable world :

• Recycle: By this, I do not mean take your plastics and cans to the nearby recycling center. Over 80% of Americans claim to do this anyway. But what I mean is too improvise and re-use. Here, when we go to anywhere and buy a coffee or a soda, we always receive the coffee in a glass mug and the soda in a good old fashioned glass soda bottle. The soda you can either: drink it there and leave the bottle, or if you take it home, the worker will not let you buy another later until you bring the bottle back. The restaurant saves all the empty bottles, and cannot get new soda shipments unless they swap the old for new. With the exception of nice restaurants, back home I can honestly say that (other than rootbeer) I have never received a soda that was not in a cardboard cup or plastic bottle. These containers then get thrown in the recycling bin at my house, but the trash in many others. The glass bottles were just one example. The other is how often Tanzanians improvise. We have come across many neat things such as curtains made of bottle caps, shoes made out of tires, to the ‘Khonga’ which is a cheap, square, and often beautiful, piece of cloth that women use as clothes, baby carriers, hot pads, mops, practically anything.

• Limited Waste: From my first point, you can expect that here very little is thrown away. Back in my apartment with my lovely roommates, we threw out a whole bag of trash about every other day. Here, Michael and I have used the same small grocery bag for our trash in the last month (it still is not full). Paper towels are none-existent here and a waste of money back home (sorry Dad!).  Our food is completely made from scratch so there are no cereal boxes or pre-packaged dinner boxes to throw away. After making dinner, we only have vegetable peels which can be composted. No food packaging, no junk mail and circulars, and no plastic anything (other than water bottles which we don’t buy)! AWESOME for us and the earth!

• Water Management:  Wow. I do not even know where to begin with the difference in water consumption. Granted, the vast majority of African families do not have running water to waste but the way they conserve their water is amazing. Even the richest of Tanzanians we have come across have never seen a dish washer, let alone a clothes washer. Everything is done by hand and with the minimum amount of water. And they definitely wear their clothes until they’re physically dirty and do not wear them once and throw them in the dirty clothes pile. Furthermore, we shower using a bucket of water and a cup. We use the cup to pour water over our bodies, and this is no more than about 3 liters for one bathing. We do not have gallons of water coming out of a shower head each minute we wash.  I am not saying that when I return home I will not get a nice hot shower, but I will definitely remember the difference and never stay longer than 5 minutes and turn the water off  (not leave it running) while I am waiting for the hair conditioner to do its job or if I’m shaving my legs. There is no excuse for a whole country of 307,000,000 to all have continuously running water in their daily showers while half of the world’s population has to make the daily decision of whether they will bathe, drink, or wash their clothes with their water rations.

• Energy Conservation: This is probably the most important and beneficial skill we could learn from the Tanzanians. I will admit my dependency to my car back in the states. I would drive to places I could probably walk too and definitely ride my bike. Practically everyone in Tanzania takes a bus when going between major cities and rides their bike or walks to the local market when they need food. Something else I didn’t think about until I was here is the difference in common appliances. Teachers, here, are decently paid in comparison to the rest of the population and have a fairly easy time finding a job. Their housing is considered middle class and luxurious. That said, Michael and I (who are teachers) do not own a fridge, a microwave, clothes dryer, or any other energy gobbling device. Basically, dry your clothes outside and not in a dryer, or ride your bike to work, or take a bus more often, don’t let the shower run just to make sure you have hot water. Simple things add up. Tanzania does not have to wage a war against other countries to maintain their energy wasting lifestyles, so why does the U.S.? These are all things we know are good for the world but for some (like myself) it takes witnessing the conservation of another culture to learn the lesson.

My main goal with this blog is not to say Americans are wasteful and stupid and Tanzanians got it down. As a matter of fact, Tanzanians are conservative with these resources because they have no choice. They can’t afford to live any other way; they do not do it to save the world and our future generations. However, Americans have the availability to waste and the education to know its consequences, but many still do. I had to actually live within another society to fully understand these differences and I know I will carry these lessons back with me when I return (if I return). I hope this may convince small changes in your daily lives or to install appreciation at the very least. I have learned a lot, and one of the Peace Corps missions is for its volunteers to teach their fellow Americans about the culture and lifestyles they have experienced. So here is some of my take. . . I am sure more is too come.  We love and miss you all. Happy Holidays!

Starting from Scratch

        As of November 24th Michael and I officially became Peace Corps Volunteers, after 2 months of training. We were sworn-in at the U.S. Embassy by the U.S. Ambassador Lenheardt (and I even gave a speech!) and had a wonderful Turkey day meal later at the Ambassador's home. It was definitley a treat to gorge on food we haven't had in a while such stuffing, gravy, BROCCOLI, and corn pudding, followed by brownies, apple and pumkin pie, and icecream. Of course, we both suffered afterwards but we would eat more if given another chance.  : ) I was also able to talk to all of my family that coagulated in Cinncinati, OH. The next day, our new Mkuu (headmaster), Michael and I boarded a 10 hr bus ride (that was actually very uneventful in comparison to our last) to arrive at our new home for the next two years.
       Our home is actually very big with 4 bedrooms, a courtyard, and a bathroom and two more rooms outside in the courtyard. However, since we are only two people (with absolutely no use for 4 rooms) the house was split down the middle. So, another teacher and her family use the front door to get to the first two rooms while we use the door to the courtyard to get to other two rooms and sitting room. Their is a thin wall that was placed to divide the living spaces but since our fellow teacher has an infant, Mike and I feel as though we have also inhereted the sounds of a crying baby through all hours of the day. We have no complaints, though, because the family is extremely helpful and kind and I have a huge soft spot for Tanzanian children.  The view of our house is AMAZING. We are on a hill so we can see the town below and the random mountain/hills that pop out of the savannah in the distance. The scenary so so typical africa and I love it. Our town is also full of Masai and members of other tribes. The inside of our house is completely baren except for a bed, two chairs, and a plastic table. It will take a lot of time and money to make our house into a home, but that is part of the fun. Tonight and last night, we cooked and ate our experimental dinners on the floor.
        We have also met up with another volunteer, Kieth, who lives about an hour away, and with a German anthropologist who studies a small tribe outside our area. According to him (he lives with the tribe about 30 Km away) large African animals can be found right outside of our town. We will most likely never see an animal walking around but it is still neat to think that they are so close.  As of right now, we have nothing to do but explore and meet our new neighbors. School does not start until the middle of January so we have ample time to fully adapt into the Tanzanian lifestyle. We do have electrcity and internet (a portable modem) so I should be able to write more interesting blogs about culture and lifestyles instead of our daily activities. Miss you love you.

Our First trip out of Morogoro

       We only have about 2 more weeks left of training and on Thanksgiving day we will actually be shipped off to our site. For all who is anxious to know, Mike and I just found out that will be living in Kibaya, Tanzania for the next two years! This is a beautiful area with traditional African or "Lion King" landscapes, which includes sporadic trees, red sand, and big boulders. It is in the middle of the Masai steppe where most of the Masai tribe live.. so we definitely look forward to a tribal cultural exchange. We haven't actually seen it yet (or our house) but we are definitely looking forward to it. Since we are moving on Thanksgiving day that does mean that we will not be able to celebrate it but we will have a feast the day before at the US Ambassador's house. We are all looking forward to that although it will most likely be a mix of emotion with excitement for finally move to our sites and loneliness because we all have become very close and will be soon scattered across this huge country.
        We did just return from our shadow assignment in Njombe. This is when they ship a group of us out to live with a volunteer that is already out doing their work. We actually had our first interesting Tanzanian bus experience to get down there. The distance from Morogoro to Njombe is slightly more than the distance from State College, Pa to Washington D.C. (I might be wrong). However, the bus ride going there took over 13 hours! When I was driving to CA two years ago this amount of time got us from Philadelphia to Arkansas. It took this long because our bus broke down about 6 times and had a hit and run with a parked truck. To make up time, our driver also went at warp speeds around cliffs (no guard rails) and cut of other trucks and buses on blind turns. After hours of patience, a full barf bag, and a soiled shirt later (with Michael laughing at me the whole time) we finally made it to Njombe. . in one piece. Seeing everything in writing makes it sound horrible, and it was, but the whole time we maintained a positive attitude and made jokes about the situation. We try to take everything as an experience, and this is certainly one to remember. We were told that this is not usual for bus rides in Tanzania, so we will just have to see what the future brings ;). Also the tons of monkeys along the road and beautiful mountains were definitely worth it. We (there was 5 of us) had a lot of fun the rest of the week and cooked awesome food from scratch. Michael and Ezra also roasted some termite queens for dessert (their choice). Njombe is actually an area full of pine trees and forests and the variety of trees here amazes me. The return trip was safe (except around the cliffs) and uneventful.
            We are completely done teaching for now until we are at our own sites and in our new schools. Even though we arrive to our new home after Thanksgiving, we do not start teaching until January. That gives us plenty of time to make lesson plans, to make our first new house together our 'home', and to get to know our villagers. Pictures will be coming shortly : )
       

My first blog :)

Hellooooooo!

Michael and I have been here in Morogoro Tanzania for a little over a month. Pole sana (very sorry) for the lonnngg delay in keeping all of you updated. We have been busy busy and I just haven't had time to sit down and write. So far, Tanzania has filled our eyes with beauty. Everyday I walk to class and am amazed by the site of the mountains. Mike and I were walking to a fundi to get clothes made and came face to face with about 7 cute black faced, long tailed monkeys. Sorry Penn state, but these wondering monkeys put the friendly squirrels to shame. We miss you all. . as well as broccoli, soup, ice cubes, and Layla. I will try to continue to update this more regularly.

We are teachers . . .kind of. Only interning, but the students are wonderful and come to class even though the teachers probably won't show up. This hits the nail of appreciation hard core. You never realize how lucky we are in the states with 'forced' education and multiple oppurtunities to screw up. If you screw up here. . minimal future. Screw up in the states. . the government or family will take care of you. Sorry to leave at that note but my internet will be cut of in one minute.

Byebye!