Last week was amazing! So busy and overwhelming, but I loved every moment. It's crazy how many new things I learn every single day here. When I think about a day at home compared to each day here, its remarkable how much I learn every day. we planted our permagarden at the primary school in Kilulu last Tuesday. That was my favorite day. The day before, we had a meeting with the teachers to discuss our approach and how the kids could help. We were a little worried because we were having to come up with a lot of the materials ourselves. So we asked the teachers to relay the message to the kids. We knew we were going to need a lot of water, manure, and some seedlings to transplant. After, we were all feeling a bit stressed, as our language skills are still limiting, but also really excited to teach these kids about sustainable farming.
The next morning we gathered outside the primary school with the teachers. The students all stood in their lines. They all wear white button down shirts and navy shorts for the boys and long skirts for the girls. My fellow trainees and I get a chance to give an energetic "Mambo!" to the kids and introduce ourselves. As we were waiting for all the kids to gather in front of the school, it is unbelievable the amount of materials they have brought with them. Every kid had something in his/her hand. Everyone had either brought a bucket of water, or a baggie of manure to school with them that day. And there were so many transplants, we couldn't even use them all! It was awesome! They were all so excited, and they really came through for the garden. After the students dispersed to their classrooms, we got to explain the concept of the garden to the fifth grade class, who would e primarily helping us. Of course Big Boy was there for a bulk of the translation. We explained why we were here in Tanzania, and why this garden was going to be a sustainable source of food/income/learning experience for all of them. When, Big Boy was finished with the explanation, I was chosen as the representative for our CBT to say a few words directly to the class. I'm not gonna lie...considering I've been here about 5 weeks, my Swahili's pretty good :) So I tell the kids that we are really excited to be workingwith them today and thanked them so much for all of their enthusiasm. But one point I wanted to emphasize to them was that we weren't making this garden for them. We wanted to help them make this garden for themselves. I wanted them to understand this was their garden, they own it, and they can take care of it and benefit from it, so that when we leave, it will continue to grow. They were all very excited and before we headed over to the land, they all stood up and sang a song for us in Swahili. They love to sing here, and a lot of the learning exercises involve songs. I didn't know what the song meant at the time, but later I found out it was actually an AIDS awareness song that they had learned.
So we head to the plot of land we had chosen for the garden. All the kids grab their manure baggies, transplants, and buckets. We put some watoto to work clearing the area of all the weeds. This didn't take long because every kid anted to get their hands on a jembe and get to work. Once the area was clear, we measured where the berms of the garden would be as well as the swale and the beds. We wold be planting in the berms and the beds of the garden. Part of what we learned for permaculture is the technique of "double digging." Double digging involves loosening the top soil of the entire area, and then going back and digging the beds and berms where you will be planting again. While we dig, we mix in manure and pieces of charcoal with the soil. This technique allows for more oxygen and nutrients within the soil, and it allows roots to go deeper within the earth. All of these factors allow for bigger stronger plants which produce more food. Hence, the necessity for the double dig. However, double digging is hard work. Especially when dealing with soil that's as hard as rock. But these kids were born and raised in Kilulu and they don't mess around. A few of the older boys jumped in with their jembes and that garden was double dug in no time flat. Its also worth mentioning that they did all of this digging in their school shoes and uniforms, which I'm sure are some of the nicest clothes they have. I definitely did a lot of digging myself, but it was important for the kids to make this garden themselves and learn these techniques. After we were done with the digging and mixing of the soil, we began to plant. In the beds, we planted corn, beans, cow peas, tomatoes, and mchicha, which is like an African spinach. In the berms, we planted lemongrass, aloe vera, sweet potatoe greens, which are incredibly nutritional, as well as a couple of banana and papaya trees. It was really amazing to see the progress of the garden throughout the day. All of the children from the school would filter back and forth throughout the day, and everyone had their hands in the dirt. It was quite a site to see them all in their white shirts and blue shorts lining the berms on their knees with theirhands in the soil. I think they all had a really good time and they learned a lot. Later, we asked a few of the kids if the volunteers who lived in Kilulu last year were different, and they quickly said yes. We asked "Why?" And they said, "They didn't teach us permagardening." It was a great day, and the kids have since built a fence around the garden all on their own so that the kukus(chickens) don't get in there to eat everything. Things are already sprouting! Can't wait to come back and visit next year and eat some of the food from the garden. That would be so cool.
The next day, we had a training day at MATI with the rest of the trainees. This day was a stressful one for us all because we had our mid-training Kiswahili written tests and oral interviews. Rahema was my interviewer and she was very nice and I really wasn't too stressed out about it, but I guess I don't get easily stressed. The night before the interview, I had my Mama explain to me the steps of cooking chapati. Big Boy told us we should know how to explain at least one recipe in Swahili, and I figured chapati was something I would like to know how to make for my self anyway. No sense in learning how to make ugali. Blegh! So Mama was very patient with me and helped me memorizee the words for the mixing and the rolling, etc. For the interview, I definitely made sure I worked chapati into the conversation and then mentioned "Oh would you like me to tell you how to make chapati? Oh ok." She was quite impressed and responded with a "Safi sana Cameroon." We got our results this week and I was one of six trainees to score an Intermediate High level. Asante sana Mama. She and Baba were ery proud.
After the interview, I had a meeting with Ellegard. Ellegard is the Associate Peace Corps Director for the Environmental sector, and he will basically be my boss once I'm sworn in as a Volunteer. He decides site placement, so had some questions about preferences. I'm so excited to find out where my volunteer site will be for the next two years, but as of right now I have no idea. I told him that I have no agenda. There isn't one project in particular that I'm looking to achieve here in Africa. I want to just go live some where and assess the needs of that village and see how I can help. I'm easy, put me anywhere! I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing, but I guess I'll find out soon enough. He said that I had the right attitude, and that an open mind is a really good thing to have. It's not a good idea to get your heart set on a certain project, and try to force it onto a village that isn't interested. It's important to listen to the villagers to find out what they need. So that made me feel a lot better about my state of mind.
After the long anticipated oral interview, we finally had a vacation weekend! Last weekend we all got to go to Pangana as a group. We stayed at a nice bungalow hotel that is actually owned by a previous PCV and her husband. It was really nice to get away for a bit. I love my family, but this away time was necessary. This place was beautiful. I shared a bungalow with my friend, Jen. There was a shower in our room! As a group, we pretty much filled up the whole place, so it waslike our own private resort for the weekend. There was a pool an bar. THE FOOD WAS AMAZING. For breakfast, there was granola, and milk, and cheese, and fruits....oh my god. Oh, and did I mention it's on the beach too? Ya, we had our own private strip of beach. I spent all day in the Indian Ocean. I went swimming and kayaking twice. It was awesome. We also got to play some beach volleyball. This is why I refused to sit in front of a computer for two hours on Sunday, so I'm sorry, but life was calling!
So needless to say, we were all pretty sad to leave after a couple of days, but I was also excited to see my family again. And it seemed like they were very excited to see me too. Mama said she wants me to teach her how to swim. Unfortunately, that weekend wasn't quite as much fun for my friend, Becca, who had a nasty spider bite on her hand. Her hand turned into a balloon and she had to go into town to the Tanga Regional Hospital, after which she forwarned us to never get sick in Tanzania. They weren't able to do much more for her than give her a couple of incredibly painful shots in the buttocks, so she had to go into Dar to be looked at. She's still there, but is doing a lot better, and hopefully will be returning to Kilulu later today. We miss her immensely!....We still don't know exactly what bit her, but I make a point to tuck my mosquito net in thoroughly now before bedtime.
This week, the training has gotten more intense. We've been at MATI almost everyday. We had a training session of soil erosion, as well as starting tree nurseries and tree grafting. It sounds like a tree nursery would be a great first project to try. Often they can be used as income generating projects for different groups like women or OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children).
We had another coulple of village meetings this week. The first was with a number of village leaders. We split the group between men and women. We drew up a seasonal calendar, which included the rainy season, harvest season, season of lowest income,etc. They also drew up community maps of Kilulu, to map out things like waater sources, farms, schools, etc. And then we asked some daily activity questions to each group, including which diseases are most frequent here, what opportunities are there for women, etc. The purpose of the meeting was to find out more about our village and come up with a village analysis and project assessment. This is something we will have to do at our volunteer site as an exercise to find suitable projects to focus on. One area of interest in Kilulu is the lack of medical resources and health education that is here. During our permagarden, we had a chance to talk with the head master of the school about the health education there, which was a good indicator ofthe poor quality of knowledge the kids are getting. When asked about HIV/AIDS education, she said that they make sure to teach the kids not to share food at school because they may get infected. Not only is the edcation lacking, but there is only one health center on the outskirts of Kilulu, so many people aren't being tested. Previously, the villagers had given us an eestimation of 32 infected people, but I really don't know how reiable that statement can be. We also had a meeting with the out of school youth of Kilulu, during which we asked about HIV/AIDS. They said that in the past there have been mobile testing centers that come through the village, but even then people don't get tested because they just don't want to know. They think that if they are sick, they will die sooner if they know that they have AIDS. Also there is the stigma and discrimination that comes along with those affected by AIDS.
All of our discussions of integration have included the incredibly strong collective attitude that is present in Tanzania. America is so opposite in its individualism and solitary livelihood, and in Tanzania, the community is the whole. Your village is your family, and your responsibility. Everyone helps each other out, no questions asked. Yet, when it comes to getting themselves tested, and protecting the rest of the community from illness, this just doesn't happen. At the end of our meeting with the village youth Paul, one of the trainees, introduced this concept of how remarkable the sense of community is here and how things aren't that way in America. And then he asked them why they take care of each other in so many other respects, yet they don't get tested and potentially foster more sickness within the community. I think he made a really good point and that his question was really effective ingetting them to think about taking better care of each other in more ways than one.
Yesterday was another MATI day, and an exciting one too. Next week we get to go shadow current volunteers for a few days and i found out that I will be travelling all the way down to the Southern Highlands, to the Njombe region. We are all being pretty well spread out. I'm staying with Greta, a current health volunteer living down there. I am so excited! It will definitely be a long, bumpy, all day (and night) bus ride, but I've heard its beautiful and I can't wait to go see another part of the country. After we get back, we find out our sites, and then there's just one more week until swearing in! I can't believe how quickly that came.
Thanks so much to all of you for the many letters and packages I got at MATI yesterday. I felt very popular, and it was so good to hear stories and get updates from home. I really appreciate it and it means a lot to me. Thank you so so much!! Mom, Baba Mgumi loves his harmonica!
Guess what?! I have a phone! Amazing! My number is : 788819368. I think if you want to call me, you dial 255 788819368 (I think). Calling cards are a great cheap way to call an you can get them online. Or I've heard that you can call or text through Skype and texting me in Tanzania with Skype is actually cheaper than texting me in America. Reception sucks sometimes, but hopefully I can hear some familiar voices again soon. Once again here's my address as well if you missed it:
Cameron Bradley
P.O. Box 9123
Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania
**You can mail me here for the next 3 weeks, and as soon as I know my new address I will post it!
I think that's all I got for now. I'm not sure where I'll be next Sunday so don't know if I'll be able to post, but keep checking! If not, hopefully I'll be able to update the week after. Hope all is well at home!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Mimi si Mzungu! Ninaitwa Camerooon!
"Mzungu", meaning "white person" or "foreigner", is a word that I've come to know all to well. Every morning walking to school is like my own personal parade. Just smile and wave, smile and wave. Greetings are a huge deal in Tanzania and will often go on for a number of minutes. Hi, how are you? I'm great how's your morning? oh good? how's your house today? Great! How are you feeling today? Good! etc etc. And for many of the greetings the responses are "Safi! Poa! Freshi!" These all translate to "Cool! Clean! Fresh!" which I find ironic since I've never been around so many people who couldn't be further from fresh and clean... So it takes me a bit longer to get to school. But I'm hearing mzungu less and less as the children know my name and at least attempt to say it. Everyone seems to have a hard time with it, and usually I'll end up with Kim, or Karen, or Kemlen. So, I've simply began introducing myself as Cameroon, so they know what I'm saying. Even Big Boy addresses me as Cameroon now in class.
Kiswahili class is going really well. We have our mid-training OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) on Friday and I'm kind of nervous. I've been here for about a month and as of right now my language skills should be equivalent to two semesters of language back home. I can't believe how quickly its going.
Every day at school we have a break for chai and we go to the neighboring mud hut, where the Mama sells chai and chapati for about 200 shillings. We've dubbed it our "chai-bucks", and now we're noticing more and more of the small mud huts around town. I told my group, "Man there's a chai-bucks on every corner of this village. This is just rediculous!"
I'm not sure that I ever gave a recap of my Tanzanian family members. I have a much better understanding of the language now, and thus have a better understanding of which children are actually living with me. There's Mama Mwanaidi and Baba Mgumi. Baba is a farmer. Mama has 5 kids, and the first couple of days Dada Asha was around, but I guess she and her children were only visiting. There is one older Kaka Njema, who doesn't live with us. And then actually living in the house is Dada Mainda, who is 14 years old and she works as a seamstress. And then there's Kaka Dula, who is 11 years old, and he goes to school. And finally my little Dada Edith, or Eddie, as I like to call her. She is about 3 and a half years old and rediculously adorable. Eddie and I always "help" Mama cook dinner after school.
My pie baking skills came in handy the other day as I was helping Mama make "chapati", which is basically a glorified African tortilla, consisting of wheat flour, coconut water, and tons of oil. I helped role out the dough and fry it, and tried to explain apple pie in my broken Swahili. I don't know if they got it, but they were impressed with my rolling skills. I also made use of my braiding skills the other day. I braided Mainda's hair for her into what was as close to corn rows as she was going to get from me. While the braids were pretty good, I lent Mainda my small mirror to take a look and she responded with a "good try." When I came home later, Mama had redone them and they were smaller and much better. What can I say, my braiding skills are not quite up to par with these ladies.
The other day after school, the group tried to get together to play some cards and relax. Normally after school, I go straight home to help cook, or do some other chores. We didn't realize how much of an ordeal our "playday" was going to be. I feel like I'm 11 years old again. My Mama had many questions about where I'd be going, when I'd be back, who was going to be there? She had to walk me over to Paul's house to meet everyone, which is literally a stone throw away, and she made sure that I'd be returning before dark. Meanwhile as my Mama is holding my hand to cross the road, there are mobs of 5 year old kids running around the village with machetes. I don't know who or where these parents are, but for the most part kids take care of themselves around here as soon as they are able to walk it seems like. Yet, Kilulu needs to hold a village meeting if the 5 white kids wanna play some cards.
We actually did get to attend a village meeting this week for class. We had to give ourselves a short introduction in Kiswahili, and then we got to ask some questions to learn more about the history and community of Kilulu. We opened the meeting with an energetic "Kilulu Ju!!", which is kind of like a rally call for the village. There were about 20 village leaders, and they were mostly all old men. I didn't get really nervous until my Mama walked into the meeting. But I introduced myself and talked about why I had come to Tanzania, and thanked them all for being at the meeting that day. It was a really good exercise to be able to practice the language as well as learning more about how Kilulu functions, how many kids attend/don't attend school, what crops are grown here, what diseases are prevalent, how many people have AIDS, etc. We learned that there is no official record when or how the village was established, there are no health centers in Kilulu, there is an estimated 32 people infected with AIDS, there are a number of crops grown here, and that a good amount of the girls who actually do attend the primary school don't go on to secondary school.
During the meeting we were able to present an idea we came up with. Each training group is required to make a permagarden at their villages to practice and learn more about the process. We decided that we wanted to do ours at the local primary school in Kilulu and have the kids take it on as a learning project and then after we leave the school could maintain it and take ownership of the garden. Hopefully it will serve as a good food source for the kids at school, as well as a way to educate the younger generation about sustainable farming techniques, which they can then pass on to their parents. The village leaders were very supportive of the idea and said that the school and the kids would be very excited about the project. We start working on Tuesday and I can't wait! I'm really excited, but we'll see how efficiently we can manage all of these watoto (children) in Swahili.
After the the meeting we had a chance to converse with some of the village leaders for a bit. Luckily my Mama was there to support me throughout my conversations. She said I spoke very well, and that she was happy that we did such a great job at the meeting. I'm trying to talk to one of the village leaders, but he talks so fast that I have a hard time understanding. Every time he finishes a statement, I look to my Mama for the "Cameron translation" and I understand her perfectly every time. Mama knows that she needs to speak to me as if I were a 5 year old who's a bit slow, and then I'll know what you're saying. Apparently, this man had asked me how old I was, which of course was immediately followed by the question of whether or not I was married. Before the Mama translation I didn't realize what he was asking and I said yes, at which point my Mama quickly corrected me.
We also got to take a trip to Tanga this week. Tanga is the nearest major city, so it was definintely a culture shock within itself to travel there from our quaint little village. We had to board a cramped daladala to get there. We got to exchange some money, hunt for cell phones, and get what was as close to an American meal as we were going to find. Walking around, I knew I was coming up on a bank when I saw the men in uniform with massive shotguns pacing the building. We found a couple phone shops, where there were literally only 5 phones in the shop and they were all locked behind glass cases. There was a man with a gun outside the phone shop as well. I came upon a solar power phone and decided that given the available amenities and the local environment, a solar powered phone would be great investment. However, there was only one to be found in all of Tanga. So I'm holding out until next week when they will get some more in the store. We stopped to get some food and I saw the word PIZZA on the menu and decided to take my chances and gamble on a Tanzanian pizza. What I ate would probably be considered closer to a shepherd's pie than anything else. There were peas on the pizza, the marinara sauce was replaced by mashed potatoes, and don't even get me started on the sorry excuse for cheese that topped off this "pizza". It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but you know what, it was something different for a change.
Another thing I noticed more of in Tanga were the men holding hands. Women and men can't touch in public. Some women can't even show their faces in public. Homosexuality is illegal. Yet, if two men are walking down the street and talking, it isn't uncommon for them to be holding hands for the duration of the conversation. I'm still trying to get used to all that. All throughout training, the Peace Corps staff has referred to poor conduct or appearance as "notorious behavior". They always say "notorious" when they're talking about behavior that is disrespectful, permiscuous, etc. So now, whenever something slightly questionable happens, we all start singing "Notorious!" My kanga blew up the other day and my bare naked knee was exposed for all the world to see! "No-No-Notorious!" Becca and I had a gin and juice at the "bar" last weekend....because well, we needed it....Notorious! But really though, I haven't been acting seriously notorious. I promise.
On Friday we went to MATI and met up with the rest of the trainees for a day of class there. I heard some interesting stories from the other villages. Apparently, one of the trainee's Mamas is an actual witch doctor, who exorcises spirits and such. He got to attend some event with chanting, and he said she started foaming at the mouth. It sounded intense, but really interesting. However I'm glad that my Mama isn't a witch doctor.
Yesterday was our Sports and Games Day! We went to the village of Lusanga to meet the rest of our group. I got to play volleyball, frisbee, and some soccer with what seemed like a hundred watoto. It was really fun, and a nice break from what turned out to be a very busy week for me. Before the games started, there was a group of 3 boys and 1 girl who did some dancing to welcome us. They were amazing, jumping around, flipping, doing the splits, stacking chairs and doing handstands. There were a few guys playing the drums for them the whole time they were jumping around. After they were done, we all got in the circle and tried to do some dancing, which we of course failed in comparison, but we still had a lot of fun.
I think that's all I got for this week. I hope that everyone back at home is doing well and having a great summer! I miss you all and hopefully I'll get to talk to you soon. I got my first letter from home this week and it made my day. I was so happy! Thank you CJ! I can't wait to come back next week with some new tales to tell!
Kiswahili class is going really well. We have our mid-training OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) on Friday and I'm kind of nervous. I've been here for about a month and as of right now my language skills should be equivalent to two semesters of language back home. I can't believe how quickly its going.
Every day at school we have a break for chai and we go to the neighboring mud hut, where the Mama sells chai and chapati for about 200 shillings. We've dubbed it our "chai-bucks", and now we're noticing more and more of the small mud huts around town. I told my group, "Man there's a chai-bucks on every corner of this village. This is just rediculous!"
I'm not sure that I ever gave a recap of my Tanzanian family members. I have a much better understanding of the language now, and thus have a better understanding of which children are actually living with me. There's Mama Mwanaidi and Baba Mgumi. Baba is a farmer. Mama has 5 kids, and the first couple of days Dada Asha was around, but I guess she and her children were only visiting. There is one older Kaka Njema, who doesn't live with us. And then actually living in the house is Dada Mainda, who is 14 years old and she works as a seamstress. And then there's Kaka Dula, who is 11 years old, and he goes to school. And finally my little Dada Edith, or Eddie, as I like to call her. She is about 3 and a half years old and rediculously adorable. Eddie and I always "help" Mama cook dinner after school.
My pie baking skills came in handy the other day as I was helping Mama make "chapati", which is basically a glorified African tortilla, consisting of wheat flour, coconut water, and tons of oil. I helped role out the dough and fry it, and tried to explain apple pie in my broken Swahili. I don't know if they got it, but they were impressed with my rolling skills. I also made use of my braiding skills the other day. I braided Mainda's hair for her into what was as close to corn rows as she was going to get from me. While the braids were pretty good, I lent Mainda my small mirror to take a look and she responded with a "good try." When I came home later, Mama had redone them and they were smaller and much better. What can I say, my braiding skills are not quite up to par with these ladies.
The other day after school, the group tried to get together to play some cards and relax. Normally after school, I go straight home to help cook, or do some other chores. We didn't realize how much of an ordeal our "playday" was going to be. I feel like I'm 11 years old again. My Mama had many questions about where I'd be going, when I'd be back, who was going to be there? She had to walk me over to Paul's house to meet everyone, which is literally a stone throw away, and she made sure that I'd be returning before dark. Meanwhile as my Mama is holding my hand to cross the road, there are mobs of 5 year old kids running around the village with machetes. I don't know who or where these parents are, but for the most part kids take care of themselves around here as soon as they are able to walk it seems like. Yet, Kilulu needs to hold a village meeting if the 5 white kids wanna play some cards.
We actually did get to attend a village meeting this week for class. We had to give ourselves a short introduction in Kiswahili, and then we got to ask some questions to learn more about the history and community of Kilulu. We opened the meeting with an energetic "Kilulu Ju!!", which is kind of like a rally call for the village. There were about 20 village leaders, and they were mostly all old men. I didn't get really nervous until my Mama walked into the meeting. But I introduced myself and talked about why I had come to Tanzania, and thanked them all for being at the meeting that day. It was a really good exercise to be able to practice the language as well as learning more about how Kilulu functions, how many kids attend/don't attend school, what crops are grown here, what diseases are prevalent, how many people have AIDS, etc. We learned that there is no official record when or how the village was established, there are no health centers in Kilulu, there is an estimated 32 people infected with AIDS, there are a number of crops grown here, and that a good amount of the girls who actually do attend the primary school don't go on to secondary school.
During the meeting we were able to present an idea we came up with. Each training group is required to make a permagarden at their villages to practice and learn more about the process. We decided that we wanted to do ours at the local primary school in Kilulu and have the kids take it on as a learning project and then after we leave the school could maintain it and take ownership of the garden. Hopefully it will serve as a good food source for the kids at school, as well as a way to educate the younger generation about sustainable farming techniques, which they can then pass on to their parents. The village leaders were very supportive of the idea and said that the school and the kids would be very excited about the project. We start working on Tuesday and I can't wait! I'm really excited, but we'll see how efficiently we can manage all of these watoto (children) in Swahili.
After the the meeting we had a chance to converse with some of the village leaders for a bit. Luckily my Mama was there to support me throughout my conversations. She said I spoke very well, and that she was happy that we did such a great job at the meeting. I'm trying to talk to one of the village leaders, but he talks so fast that I have a hard time understanding. Every time he finishes a statement, I look to my Mama for the "Cameron translation" and I understand her perfectly every time. Mama knows that she needs to speak to me as if I were a 5 year old who's a bit slow, and then I'll know what you're saying. Apparently, this man had asked me how old I was, which of course was immediately followed by the question of whether or not I was married. Before the Mama translation I didn't realize what he was asking and I said yes, at which point my Mama quickly corrected me.
We also got to take a trip to Tanga this week. Tanga is the nearest major city, so it was definintely a culture shock within itself to travel there from our quaint little village. We had to board a cramped daladala to get there. We got to exchange some money, hunt for cell phones, and get what was as close to an American meal as we were going to find. Walking around, I knew I was coming up on a bank when I saw the men in uniform with massive shotguns pacing the building. We found a couple phone shops, where there were literally only 5 phones in the shop and they were all locked behind glass cases. There was a man with a gun outside the phone shop as well. I came upon a solar power phone and decided that given the available amenities and the local environment, a solar powered phone would be great investment. However, there was only one to be found in all of Tanga. So I'm holding out until next week when they will get some more in the store. We stopped to get some food and I saw the word PIZZA on the menu and decided to take my chances and gamble on a Tanzanian pizza. What I ate would probably be considered closer to a shepherd's pie than anything else. There were peas on the pizza, the marinara sauce was replaced by mashed potatoes, and don't even get me started on the sorry excuse for cheese that topped off this "pizza". It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but you know what, it was something different for a change.
Another thing I noticed more of in Tanga were the men holding hands. Women and men can't touch in public. Some women can't even show their faces in public. Homosexuality is illegal. Yet, if two men are walking down the street and talking, it isn't uncommon for them to be holding hands for the duration of the conversation. I'm still trying to get used to all that. All throughout training, the Peace Corps staff has referred to poor conduct or appearance as "notorious behavior". They always say "notorious" when they're talking about behavior that is disrespectful, permiscuous, etc. So now, whenever something slightly questionable happens, we all start singing "Notorious!" My kanga blew up the other day and my bare naked knee was exposed for all the world to see! "No-No-Notorious!" Becca and I had a gin and juice at the "bar" last weekend....because well, we needed it....Notorious! But really though, I haven't been acting seriously notorious. I promise.
On Friday we went to MATI and met up with the rest of the trainees for a day of class there. I heard some interesting stories from the other villages. Apparently, one of the trainee's Mamas is an actual witch doctor, who exorcises spirits and such. He got to attend some event with chanting, and he said she started foaming at the mouth. It sounded intense, but really interesting. However I'm glad that my Mama isn't a witch doctor.
Yesterday was our Sports and Games Day! We went to the village of Lusanga to meet the rest of our group. I got to play volleyball, frisbee, and some soccer with what seemed like a hundred watoto. It was really fun, and a nice break from what turned out to be a very busy week for me. Before the games started, there was a group of 3 boys and 1 girl who did some dancing to welcome us. They were amazing, jumping around, flipping, doing the splits, stacking chairs and doing handstands. There were a few guys playing the drums for them the whole time they were jumping around. After they were done, we all got in the circle and tried to do some dancing, which we of course failed in comparison, but we still had a lot of fun.
I think that's all I got for this week. I hope that everyone back at home is doing well and having a great summer! I miss you all and hopefully I'll get to talk to you soon. I got my first letter from home this week and it made my day. I was so happy! Thank you CJ! I can't wait to come back next week with some new tales to tell!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Happy 4th of July!
Well, its the fourth of July and I'm at the beach with my friends, BBQing, sipping on ice cold beers and waiting for fireworks......wait a minute...nervermind.
I started my morning by sweeping and mopping the floor. Then, I went with my Mama to the watering hole to get some water. Its about a 20 minute walk uphill. As she's scooping, she's pointing at the frogs floating in the murky water and telling we the word in Swahili, which I can't remember. I got home and took a bucket bath before walking the hour walk to get to this computer. As my Mama's pouring some water in my bucket, I notice the dead mouse floating in the water bucket she's pouring from. She looks at me and asks if the temperature is good. I tell her , oh that's great I can't wait to get "clean." It only took me 45 more minutes after waiting for this computer to upload before I could start this post. I am definitely missing the states today and wishing I was on a beach somewhere, but I am oh so far away.
The other night I was helping cook dinner. I take a seat in the back yard next to my Dada Mainda. She has a bucket of boiling water. She pulls out a chicken without a head, places it in the bucket, and begins to de-feather the bird. After she's plucked all the feathers, she uses a small knife to clean the feet. Then, my Baba comes at the bird with his knife to start to butcher it...and I mean butcher it. Luckily, thus far my main role in this preparation has been to hold the torch so they can see what they're doing. My brother comes to help out by pulling one end of the wing, while my Baba proceeds to hack it in two. He cuts the whole bird up as I sit with my flashlight trying not to gets splattered with chicken guts. Finally he gets to the innards. He pulls them out and shows me the intestines, the heart, kidneys...I don't even know what...and I just smile and nod. In my head I'm wondering how am I going to get out of eating this thing. Then my Baba tells me that this chicken was actually the rooster that was waking me up everyday at 4 in the morning which made me feel a little better, but I'm still glad I wasn't home for the actual execution. The chicken wasn't served until the following night. At dinner, I try to get away with eating as little as possible, but there is no wasting in the household. As we're sitting on the floor in the darkness, I can hear my family eating the chicken meat along with the crunching of the bones. Sorry no. Nope. I am not eating my chicken bone. The cat can have mine. I go to bed and am thankful that I got through the meal. Little did I know that there would be another piece of chicken waiting for me for breakfast. Keep in mind there is no refrigerator anywhere nearby. Needless, to say, I have definitely gotten sick since being here, but I'm finally feeling better. I heard the other day that one of the girls in a different CBT group caught malaria and was in the hospital for a day, but is doing fine now. Malaria is everywhere. A lot of people in my village are sick with it. My neighbor's mom has it.
My Swahili classes are going well. Our teacher's name is Vivian, but we call him "Big Boy." Whenever we are speaking broken Swahili he stops us and says we're speaking Chinese. Apparently Swahili is spoken differently in different countries, and Kenyan Swahili is a lot like broken Swahili. He told us that "Swahili was born in Tanzania, it got sick in Uganda, and it died in Kenya." He's pretty awesome and I'm learning a lot from him. I'm able to speak with my family more and more everyday.
Yesterday, we went to MATI, the main Peace Corps Training Center in Muheza. We had our first introduction to "permagardening," which is a gardening technique that we will use during homestay and eventually at our volunteer site. Farming is a huge way of life here, so we are learning how to most effectively use the land to increase crop yields, so that eventually we'll be able to set up a permagarden at our site that will help the community to become more sustainable, generate income, and provide more food for more people within the area. We learned about which crops have the best nutrients, which ones grow best where, how to use the water most effectively, etc. It was really cool and I can't wait to start my garden. I do have blisters all over my hands from swinging my jembe, or hoe, all day yesterday.
Not much else new thus far. I'm getting more used to my new home. The kids demand a song and dance from me every night. My Mama has taught me to wash my clothes by hand, how to light the stove, and how to iron. The iron looks ancient and you literally have to load it with hot charcoal to iron things.
I miss you all soooo much! We've gotten mail twice now since I got here, and I haven't gotten anything yet :( but here's my address again just in case:
Cameron Bradley, PCT
P.O. Box 9123
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
I would LOVE to get letters!
Also, everyone please send me emails or post on this site to talk to me, because a lot of times these computers are too slow to let me get on facebook to talk to you. So please email me!...even just so I have your address. I'm at cameronmbrad@gmail.com. But honestly, snail mail would be a great way to talk to me! I'm hoping to get a phone within the next two weeks, so I'm excited about that.
I hope that everyone has a nice relaxing Fourth of July. Eat lots of smores for me!! I will miss the fireworks, but honestly, the sky out here at night is like nothing I've ever seen before. The stars are amazing. I love you all! Until next time!
Kwaheri!
I started my morning by sweeping and mopping the floor. Then, I went with my Mama to the watering hole to get some water. Its about a 20 minute walk uphill. As she's scooping, she's pointing at the frogs floating in the murky water and telling we the word in Swahili, which I can't remember. I got home and took a bucket bath before walking the hour walk to get to this computer. As my Mama's pouring some water in my bucket, I notice the dead mouse floating in the water bucket she's pouring from. She looks at me and asks if the temperature is good. I tell her , oh that's great I can't wait to get "clean." It only took me 45 more minutes after waiting for this computer to upload before I could start this post. I am definitely missing the states today and wishing I was on a beach somewhere, but I am oh so far away.
The other night I was helping cook dinner. I take a seat in the back yard next to my Dada Mainda. She has a bucket of boiling water. She pulls out a chicken without a head, places it in the bucket, and begins to de-feather the bird. After she's plucked all the feathers, she uses a small knife to clean the feet. Then, my Baba comes at the bird with his knife to start to butcher it...and I mean butcher it. Luckily, thus far my main role in this preparation has been to hold the torch so they can see what they're doing. My brother comes to help out by pulling one end of the wing, while my Baba proceeds to hack it in two. He cuts the whole bird up as I sit with my flashlight trying not to gets splattered with chicken guts. Finally he gets to the innards. He pulls them out and shows me the intestines, the heart, kidneys...I don't even know what...and I just smile and nod. In my head I'm wondering how am I going to get out of eating this thing. Then my Baba tells me that this chicken was actually the rooster that was waking me up everyday at 4 in the morning which made me feel a little better, but I'm still glad I wasn't home for the actual execution. The chicken wasn't served until the following night. At dinner, I try to get away with eating as little as possible, but there is no wasting in the household. As we're sitting on the floor in the darkness, I can hear my family eating the chicken meat along with the crunching of the bones. Sorry no. Nope. I am not eating my chicken bone. The cat can have mine. I go to bed and am thankful that I got through the meal. Little did I know that there would be another piece of chicken waiting for me for breakfast. Keep in mind there is no refrigerator anywhere nearby. Needless, to say, I have definitely gotten sick since being here, but I'm finally feeling better. I heard the other day that one of the girls in a different CBT group caught malaria and was in the hospital for a day, but is doing fine now. Malaria is everywhere. A lot of people in my village are sick with it. My neighbor's mom has it.
My Swahili classes are going well. Our teacher's name is Vivian, but we call him "Big Boy." Whenever we are speaking broken Swahili he stops us and says we're speaking Chinese. Apparently Swahili is spoken differently in different countries, and Kenyan Swahili is a lot like broken Swahili. He told us that "Swahili was born in Tanzania, it got sick in Uganda, and it died in Kenya." He's pretty awesome and I'm learning a lot from him. I'm able to speak with my family more and more everyday.
Yesterday, we went to MATI, the main Peace Corps Training Center in Muheza. We had our first introduction to "permagardening," which is a gardening technique that we will use during homestay and eventually at our volunteer site. Farming is a huge way of life here, so we are learning how to most effectively use the land to increase crop yields, so that eventually we'll be able to set up a permagarden at our site that will help the community to become more sustainable, generate income, and provide more food for more people within the area. We learned about which crops have the best nutrients, which ones grow best where, how to use the water most effectively, etc. It was really cool and I can't wait to start my garden. I do have blisters all over my hands from swinging my jembe, or hoe, all day yesterday.
Not much else new thus far. I'm getting more used to my new home. The kids demand a song and dance from me every night. My Mama has taught me to wash my clothes by hand, how to light the stove, and how to iron. The iron looks ancient and you literally have to load it with hot charcoal to iron things.
I miss you all soooo much! We've gotten mail twice now since I got here, and I haven't gotten anything yet :( but here's my address again just in case:
Cameron Bradley, PCT
P.O. Box 9123
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
I would LOVE to get letters!
Also, everyone please send me emails or post on this site to talk to me, because a lot of times these computers are too slow to let me get on facebook to talk to you. So please email me!...even just so I have your address. I'm at cameronmbrad@gmail.com. But honestly, snail mail would be a great way to talk to me! I'm hoping to get a phone within the next two weeks, so I'm excited about that.
I hope that everyone has a nice relaxing Fourth of July. Eat lots of smores for me!! I will miss the fireworks, but honestly, the sky out here at night is like nothing I've ever seen before. The stars are amazing. I love you all! Until next time!
Kwaheri!
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