For the last week of the program we went to Boulders Beach. The beach is about an hour train ride away from where I live in Cape Town and it's where the penguins live. We stayed in these beautiful hotel rooms and spent the week talking about what we learned on the program and what we were going to do with everything we've learned. It was such a great way to end the trip and get to see everyone in the program outside of the house before everyone flew home. We spent every day on the beach and journaled and played with the penguins.
Now I'm one of the last people at the house. Rivka and I are staying for an extra week and plan to enjoy the beach, visit the Holocaust memorial, look at museums and visit food places that we love in our neighborhood.
Lots of love and i'll write more soon. Cheers.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Canyoning
Last Sunday I went Canyoning. Canyoning or abseiling, as they call it in South Africa, is where you repel down a mountain. It's what people do after they rock climb up a mountain.
We got up at 6:30 and drove about and hour away to an area called Paarl (wine country). We drove up this windy road, geared up (got in the cutest harnesses with bright orange helmets) and drove to the top of a 450 meter mountain. The people taking us up were great. There were 4 of them, Brett, Cas and two whose names I have forgotten. They fed us breakfast when we were getting geared up and talked us through all of the safety procedures.
We had five abseil sites. The first was about 20 meters and pretty easy, although we landed in about 4 feet of water. The second one was even more fun, about 30 meters down and half way through you started going underneath a waterfall. The last two were the best. The second to last was 50 meters up, which is pretty scary and is was a little slippery, but exhilarating when you got to the bottom. The last one was flat and you could jump off the wall a little bit and get down faster. When we weren't abseiling we were climbing down rocks and walking through little rivers. It was exhausting, but so much fun. We had lunch at the middle of the mountain and beers when we got back to the bottom. We got home around 9 and had been on the mountain almost the whole day.
Lots of love to all of you and sorry I haven't written in so long.
We got up at 6:30 and drove about and hour away to an area called Paarl (wine country). We drove up this windy road, geared up (got in the cutest harnesses with bright orange helmets) and drove to the top of a 450 meter mountain. The people taking us up were great. There were 4 of them, Brett, Cas and two whose names I have forgotten. They fed us breakfast when we were getting geared up and talked us through all of the safety procedures.
We had five abseil sites. The first was about 20 meters and pretty easy, although we landed in about 4 feet of water. The second one was even more fun, about 30 meters down and half way through you started going underneath a waterfall. The last two were the best. The second to last was 50 meters up, which is pretty scary and is was a little slippery, but exhilarating when you got to the bottom. The last one was flat and you could jump off the wall a little bit and get down faster. When we weren't abseiling we were climbing down rocks and walking through little rivers. It was exhausting, but so much fun. We had lunch at the middle of the mountain and beers when we got back to the bottom. We got home around 9 and had been on the mountain almost the whole day.
Lots of love to all of you and sorry I haven't written in so long.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Community Engagement
For the last month I have been volunteering at the Direction Action Center for Peace and Memory (DACPM or DAC for short), an organization run by ex-combatants who were part ending the apartheid. I work with a man named Yazir Henri who has done some speaking around the United States and started the organization so that he could be a part of rewriting the history of the people who he fought with for freedom. I work with three other students, Ashley, Martin and Rebecca. I am there four days a week and we have been working on organizing a conference in March.
The conference focuses on the idea of masculinity and how years of violence perpetuates cycles of violence within communities in South Africa. I have been doing a lot of work inviting speakers and getting down the basics of what the format for the conference will be. I am also working on getting the text put together for the DAC website. This is exciting to do because I am able to learn about all of the different program that the DAC does.
The conference focuses on the idea of masculinity and how years of violence perpetuates cycles of violence within communities in South Africa. I have been doing a lot of work inviting speakers and getting down the basics of what the format for the conference will be. I am also working on getting the text put together for the DAC website. This is exciting to do because I am able to learn about all of the different program that the DAC does.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Port Elizabeth
Last week was great. On Thursday morning my whole class drove to the airport at 6:45 am and jumped onto a plane to head to the Eastern Cape. There is another University of Washington program in Port Elizabeth. They stay in one big apartment complex, with 2 bedrooms (2 people to a room), a kitchen, bathroom, living space with a TV and a porch. The first day we were there we had a BBQ with the two groups. Each apartment group paired up with students from Cape Town and we all cooked specific dishes. My group made appetizers. We ate and sat around and got to know one another until late into the night. The next day we went to the Steve Biko Foundation. It was a long drive there, we got lost on the way and were pretty late to our meeting. We went to the foundation, Steve Biko's grave and then went to his house. We ate dinner at his house and talked about memorialization and how to pay respect and give acknowledgment to important figures in history. That night we all went out to the clubs around Port Elizabeth in a huge group and around 5 in the morning went swimming in the Indian Ocean. On Saturday, the third, we had a session with Erwin (our traveling artist on the program). We talked about going to the Steve Biko Foundation, did creative exercises and acted out different areas like the Ave, war, prison, a hero's grave and some others. Then we talked about freedom and what freedom tastes, smells and feels like. It was a good way to get to know the other group. We flew out on Sunday afternoon and it was sad to leave because it was so much fun and nice to get to see students from the UW again.
The weather was pretty miserable in Port Elizabeth. It was raining for the first two days, sort of sunny on the third day and then rainy again. We were excited to come back to Cape Town to get back to the sun and when we landed it was pouring rain and it's still pouring. It's funny because we're all so used to Seattle, but have gotten so accustomed to the sun that the rain is horrible.
We're all recuperating today and trying to get back the hours of sleep that we lost while we were away. This week at school we're focusing on museums and looking at how the space constructs the history of South Africa.
Right now there is a group of high school students from Isilimela (a school in Langa in the townships) who are here to bake cookies for a bake sale for the Hands for a Bridge program. The students are sining Justin Timberlake right now, it's pretty amazing. The Hands for a Bridge program brings students from Roosevelt High School in Seattle to Cape Town to meet students from Isilimela and Belleville for two weeks. The students from Roosevelt will be coming on the 16th of this month.
Hope all is well in the states and lots of love from Cape Town.
The weather was pretty miserable in Port Elizabeth. It was raining for the first two days, sort of sunny on the third day and then rainy again. We were excited to come back to Cape Town to get back to the sun and when we landed it was pouring rain and it's still pouring. It's funny because we're all so used to Seattle, but have gotten so accustomed to the sun that the rain is horrible.
We're all recuperating today and trying to get back the hours of sleep that we lost while we were away. This week at school we're focusing on museums and looking at how the space constructs the history of South Africa.
Right now there is a group of high school students from Isilimela (a school in Langa in the townships) who are here to bake cookies for a bake sale for the Hands for a Bridge program. The students are sining Justin Timberlake right now, it's pretty amazing. The Hands for a Bridge program brings students from Roosevelt High School in Seattle to Cape Town to meet students from Isilimela and Belleville for two weeks. The students from Roosevelt will be coming on the 16th of this month.
Hope all is well in the states and lots of love from Cape Town.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Black Outs
We had a our first night time black out last night. There have been a few daytime black outs where they cut out power to certain neighborhoods for 2-3 hour periods. In some of the farther out regions they can have their power cut for the whole day. Last night we were all sitting around getting ready to go out and the power flickered a few times and then just went out. Apparently the power throughout all of Cape Town went out at the same time. So we stayed in, lit candles, had our friends over and hung out in the dark. It was a pretty fun night. The power came back on around 2 in the morning.
It can definitely be challenging to be without power. The restaurants can only serve cold food, the grocery store runs on a generator and we're not supposed to open our fridge because we'll let the cold out. The power outages have been in the papers a lot and I am pretty sure they're also being published in newspapers in the states.
But, I'm safe and happy and I hope all of you are doing well.
It can definitely be challenging to be without power. The restaurants can only serve cold food, the grocery store runs on a generator and we're not supposed to open our fridge because we'll let the cold out. The power outages have been in the papers a lot and I am pretty sure they're also being published in newspapers in the states.
But, I'm safe and happy and I hope all of you are doing well.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Horse Races
I had an amazing weekend. We went to the horse races on Saturday after we went shopping the day before to find dresses that would work for the occasion. The theme was plum, patterns and metallic. I had a black dress with silver stripes and lots of jewelry, including feathers in my hair. We got picked up by my friend Tim and Tessa, Mallory and I all went to the races and met up with his friends. We started with gin and tonics at noon because the goal of the races is to drink and place bets. There were so many outrageous dresses. It was amazing. The people who dress up for the contests have some of the craziest outfits I have ever seen. There was a woman who had a multicolored chiffon dress with a gold jumpsuit underneath held together with gold rings and a huge matching hat. She made it into the newspaper the next day. We headed home in the evening and went to a few after party BBQs because the crowds were so big at the event. It made me think of a little less ritzy Kentucky Derby, which only makes me want to see the one in Kentucky.
School has been going really well and my community engagement project is fantastic. I am really happy here and still love my roommates.
Lots of love to all!
School has been going really well and my community engagement project is fantastic. I am really happy here and still love my roommates.
Lots of love to all!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Horse Races
Today I'm going to the horse races. They are a huge deal here in South Africa and resemble the Kentucky Derby. Tessa (my roommate), Mallory and I are all going with some of our friends from here. We went dress shopping on Long Street, and although we are not all completely themed - the theme is plum, metallic and patterns - I think we all look pretty stunning.
I will try to post some pictures up from the races if I can. It is really expensive to put pictures up because it it slow and uses lots of megabytes. The internet here is pretty inexpensive when do anything that is megabyte intensive.
We finished our third week of school yesterday and I am pretty surprised. The time has been going by so quickly. We are going to Port Elizabeth in two weeks. AND we are MEETING Archbishop Desmond Tutu THIS FRIDAY!!!! One of the volunteers from the program we worked with the first week, the DAC, has worked since our first week here to make sure that we get to meet him. Our house got a personal invitation from his personal assistant. We will meet him after he does service at St. George's Cathedral.
Our house situation is going really well. I am having a wonderful time with everyone and have made really great friends. Tessa is my roommate, we share a room, and she is fantastic. We spend a lot of time together and laugh pretty much all the time. She's a crazy work out girl who drags me to the gym and makes sure I do all the fun stuff here. Mallory is another girl I spend a lot of time with. She is in a sorority at the UW and studies psychology. Alena and Mary are roommates and they are amazing. Mary is sarcastic, flippant and fantastic because she always has a good way of making people laugh and doing it through her sarcasm. Alena is super laid back and always brings a sense of calm to the group. I will slowly but surely try to fill you in on people as the group goes.
The way we can fit so many people in this house is that is a hostile when we are not here, but the house was designed for our CHID program. It is sort of two houses joined together. I live in the side of the house with two bathrooms, a kitchen, the living room, the front door and the jacuzzi. There are 5 bedrooms on this side of the house. Then you walk through our kitchen and walk to the patio. That is where is other part of the house starts. They have a bigger kitchen, one bathroom and 4 bedrooms. It's a great set up for all of us.
Food here is great. I have been eating out a lot, but we have two grocery stores within 5 minutes from our house, one that is right around the corner. We have lots of good food places in the area that we go to, but we also try to venture out and try new food throughout the city. We ask the boys we've been hanging out with all the time where they recommend and have already gone to an amazing steak house that cost $15 US dollars for steak and drinks. Money here definitely goes farther.
Thanks for all your responses back to my posts. It is great to know that all of you are reading this.
Lots of love!
I will try to post some pictures up from the races if I can. It is really expensive to put pictures up because it it slow and uses lots of megabytes. The internet here is pretty inexpensive when do anything that is megabyte intensive.
We finished our third week of school yesterday and I am pretty surprised. The time has been going by so quickly. We are going to Port Elizabeth in two weeks. AND we are MEETING Archbishop Desmond Tutu THIS FRIDAY!!!! One of the volunteers from the program we worked with the first week, the DAC, has worked since our first week here to make sure that we get to meet him. Our house got a personal invitation from his personal assistant. We will meet him after he does service at St. George's Cathedral.
Our house situation is going really well. I am having a wonderful time with everyone and have made really great friends. Tessa is my roommate, we share a room, and she is fantastic. We spend a lot of time together and laugh pretty much all the time. She's a crazy work out girl who drags me to the gym and makes sure I do all the fun stuff here. Mallory is another girl I spend a lot of time with. She is in a sorority at the UW and studies psychology. Alena and Mary are roommates and they are amazing. Mary is sarcastic, flippant and fantastic because she always has a good way of making people laugh and doing it through her sarcasm. Alena is super laid back and always brings a sense of calm to the group. I will slowly but surely try to fill you in on people as the group goes.
The way we can fit so many people in this house is that is a hostile when we are not here, but the house was designed for our CHID program. It is sort of two houses joined together. I live in the side of the house with two bathrooms, a kitchen, the living room, the front door and the jacuzzi. There are 5 bedrooms on this side of the house. Then you walk through our kitchen and walk to the patio. That is where is other part of the house starts. They have a bigger kitchen, one bathroom and 4 bedrooms. It's a great set up for all of us.
Food here is great. I have been eating out a lot, but we have two grocery stores within 5 minutes from our house, one that is right around the corner. We have lots of good food places in the area that we go to, but we also try to venture out and try new food throughout the city. We ask the boys we've been hanging out with all the time where they recommend and have already gone to an amazing steak house that cost $15 US dollars for steak and drinks. Money here definitely goes farther.
Thanks for all your responses back to my posts. It is great to know that all of you are reading this.
Lots of love!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Week 3
I have been in Cape Town now for almost three weeks and am starting my third week of school.
Last week we spent some time looking at the history of the Apartheid, primarily by looking at the monuments set up during the time period. In particular we focused on Cecil Rhodes, who was a major part of the colonizing movement in Africa during the 1800s and wanted to own all the land from Cape Town to Cairo. We also visited the sites where some of the students will have their community engagement projects. Lovelife, which is an organization for youth that incorporates sports and HIV/AIDS education. We also went to a school in Langa, a township in the Cape Flats, where some students will be working with a program called hands for a bridge that brings students from Roosevelt High School to Cape Town.
I am going to be working with the Direct Action Center for Peace and Memory and I will be helping put together the text for their website and also help to plan an event in March that focuses on Domestic Violence in the context of masculinity. I am very excited.
We also had a lot of birthday parties so far this trip. Suzanne's was last Monday and we all went out to Mexican food and then ran around Observatory, where I live, going to the local bars. For Ashley's birthday on Friday we had a huge house soccer game and then a big BBQ at home.
On Sunday we went to a township called Guguletu and went to a huge party. Every Sunday many of the mid-20s people in the township come together and eat and dance. We were brought my a waitress we know from a cafe up the street. It was a great day.
My studies are going well and I will update you all soon.
Lots of love!
Last week we spent some time looking at the history of the Apartheid, primarily by looking at the monuments set up during the time period. In particular we focused on Cecil Rhodes, who was a major part of the colonizing movement in Africa during the 1800s and wanted to own all the land from Cape Town to Cairo. We also visited the sites where some of the students will have their community engagement projects. Lovelife, which is an organization for youth that incorporates sports and HIV/AIDS education. We also went to a school in Langa, a township in the Cape Flats, where some students will be working with a program called hands for a bridge that brings students from Roosevelt High School to Cape Town.
I am going to be working with the Direct Action Center for Peace and Memory and I will be helping put together the text for their website and also help to plan an event in March that focuses on Domestic Violence in the context of masculinity. I am very excited.
We also had a lot of birthday parties so far this trip. Suzanne's was last Monday and we all went out to Mexican food and then ran around Observatory, where I live, going to the local bars. For Ashley's birthday on Friday we had a huge house soccer game and then a big BBQ at home.
On Sunday we went to a township called Guguletu and went to a huge party. Every Sunday many of the mid-20s people in the township come together and eat and dance. We were brought my a waitress we know from a cafe up the street. It was a great day.
My studies are going well and I will update you all soon.
Lots of love!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Week 2
It's been a good last two weeks. I just found out the organization that I am going to be working with and it is the Direct Action Center for Peace and Memory. This is the group that we worked with the first week and I will helping to organize an event in March meant to facilitate a dialogue about violence, peace and memory. I'm really excited.
Right now we are having a pizza party at our house and playing Catch Phrase with the entire 18 person house and our teacher Ron.
Love you all.
Right now we are having a pizza party at our house and playing Catch Phrase with the entire 18 person house and our teacher Ron.
Love you all.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Cape Town
I have safely arrived in Cape Town. There are 14 people from the program already here and it starts on the 7th. Our house is absolutely beautiful. There are nine rooms, so two people to a room. We have an upstairs, a jacuzzi, a huge patio with a barbecue, two kitchens and a roof that we can lie out and tan on. So far we have gone to the beach, lounged around the house, found a gym and gone grocery shopping. It has been pretty laid back.
I'll update you all when the program starts and I know more about what I will be doing in Cape Town.
Lots of love to you all.
I'll update you all when the program starts and I know more about what I will be doing in Cape Town.
Lots of love to you all.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Back in the USA
I arrived home safely on Sunday afternoon and have been trying to sleep off the jetlag as of late. I will be posting up lots of photos soon. It was really hard to leave, I became very close with the students and it was a challenge to leave all of them. I am adjusting well.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Teachers at Tumaini
Teacher Patrick is leaving on Monday to go to college. I am really sad. He lives here too and keeps me company. He is a sweet, skinny, short boy of 23, who is very religious. He is an amazing genuine person and all the kids love him. He teaches Physics and Chemistry.
Teacher Phoibe will be going to college around the same time I will be leaving. She is 22 and it is really nice to have someone my own age to talk with about her life in Tanzania, boys, her friends, all that gossipy stuff. She is always willing and wants to take me around and show me places and exciting things and has introduced me to all of her friends. She teaches Geography.
Teacher Kamili is a quiet man in his late 20s early 30s. He is not married and can’t get married until he starts getting paid more. He is really devoted to the Ark Project, the kids and teaching. All the kids call him Baba (dad) and really respect him. He teaches Math, Kiswahili, History and Civics. He does it all and also is very involved in discipline at school and making sure that everything runs smoothly here.
Teacher Lornah is a new addition to staff and she is amazing. She is a mid-40s Kenyan woman with three kids who she raised all by herself because her husband was paralyzed in a work accident. She is bringing a lot of order to this school. She helped us draft our school rules, enforce punishments and bring a new level of discipline to the students. She also has gotten a completely English campus. The students only speak to us in English, they must bring all their problems to us in English. It is amazing how well it is working and how much better the kids English is already getting. It’s really exciting.
Teacher Phoibe will be going to college around the same time I will be leaving. She is 22 and it is really nice to have someone my own age to talk with about her life in Tanzania, boys, her friends, all that gossipy stuff. She is always willing and wants to take me around and show me places and exciting things and has introduced me to all of her friends. She teaches Geography.
Teacher Kamili is a quiet man in his late 20s early 30s. He is not married and can’t get married until he starts getting paid more. He is really devoted to the Ark Project, the kids and teaching. All the kids call him Baba (dad) and really respect him. He teaches Math, Kiswahili, History and Civics. He does it all and also is very involved in discipline at school and making sure that everything runs smoothly here.
Teacher Lornah is a new addition to staff and she is amazing. She is a mid-40s Kenyan woman with three kids who she raised all by herself because her husband was paralyzed in a work accident. She is bringing a lot of order to this school. She helped us draft our school rules, enforce punishments and bring a new level of discipline to the students. She also has gotten a completely English campus. The students only speak to us in English, they must bring all their problems to us in English. It is amazing how well it is working and how much better the kids English is already getting. It’s really exciting.
My African Birthday
Sorry it’s been so long since I wrote last. I have been very busy at school lately and by the time I am done with teaching and preparing for the next day I am too tired to ride the dalla dalla to the internet café.
I had my birthday in Africa. It was amazing. I woke up on the 2nd at 5:30 a.m. and sat in bed and began to hear my students get up. The next thing I knew I heard a knock on my door and when I went to open it I saw all of my boarder students outside with a big sign reading “Happy Birthday Sister Ema we love you” with hearts, stars and a picture of the house I live in drawn on it. I went back inside and showered and got ready and came outside to sit with Teacher Patrick. I was told that today I was to be like a baby and do nothing all day. That lasted for about an hour until I realized that all I wanted to do was know what was happening so I begged Lornah and Phoibe to let me get involved. Lornah showed me around. She brought me to the kitchen to see the students cooking pilau, which is rice with cinnamon, onions, tomatoes, cumin, garlic and stewed meat. Pilau is served with pili pili, a spicy pepper sauce and a nice cooling salad made with grated carrots, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers with a vinegar tasting sauce. The boys were in the nursery school setting up music and arranging desks. They were all singing and laughing. I spent a few hours watching students cook and preparing the order of events for the day.
At 12:45 p.m. the event started. I walked with Teacher Phoibe into the nursery school and all the 75 students started singing Happy Birthday. I was led to a couch covered in a sheet and coated in flowers. The table in front of me had love written on it and was covered in flowers. The silverware had pink and white flowers attached to them, the glasses had flowers and I put a flower in my hair. Two students prayed: Yassin (Muslim) and Samuel (Christian). Then Lornah gave a brief speech about why we were here and that the students shouldn’t asked my age. A student, Lusajo, did a drama in English where he talked on the phone with someone in America in a silly accent telling him all about my party and how pretty I was and how the American on the phone should come immediately to the party because we were all waiting for him. Then we ate, the food was amazing. Then Mama Neema showed up with cake and we had a very sugary cake, which we cut into 1 inch sized pieces so everybody could get some. A student Neema and Teacher Kamili both gaves speeches about me and thanked me for being here. Then it was time for gifts. The day scholars bought me a beautiful pink and yellow kangha with pretty flowers. The cook bought me another beautiful blue kangha. A kangha is a wrap around fabric that you can have sewn into anything. The boarders sang two songs with choreographed moves and gave me a beaded bracelet, the color of the Tanzanian flag. One girl student gave me a beautiful beaded necklace. Teacher Lornah crocheted me a bag. Teacher Phoibe gave me a beautiful pink scarf. Then it was my turn. I stood up, thanked everyone, I was pretty choked up and amazed that I didn’t start crying with happiness. Then I got to give out t-shirts to the best scholars as my little gift to the students after all they did for me. We ended with a dance and I was lucky enough to get to start the dance to much applause from the students. I dragged students up one by one to get them to start dancing and I even danced with Teacher Kamili. I supervised the dance for the rest of the night. I was blissfully happy.
I have a little less than two weeks here and I am starting to get excited to come home. I am really excited for a shower and seeing everyone in Seattle.
I had my birthday in Africa. It was amazing. I woke up on the 2nd at 5:30 a.m. and sat in bed and began to hear my students get up. The next thing I knew I heard a knock on my door and when I went to open it I saw all of my boarder students outside with a big sign reading “Happy Birthday Sister Ema we love you” with hearts, stars and a picture of the house I live in drawn on it. I went back inside and showered and got ready and came outside to sit with Teacher Patrick. I was told that today I was to be like a baby and do nothing all day. That lasted for about an hour until I realized that all I wanted to do was know what was happening so I begged Lornah and Phoibe to let me get involved. Lornah showed me around. She brought me to the kitchen to see the students cooking pilau, which is rice with cinnamon, onions, tomatoes, cumin, garlic and stewed meat. Pilau is served with pili pili, a spicy pepper sauce and a nice cooling salad made with grated carrots, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers with a vinegar tasting sauce. The boys were in the nursery school setting up music and arranging desks. They were all singing and laughing. I spent a few hours watching students cook and preparing the order of events for the day.
At 12:45 p.m. the event started. I walked with Teacher Phoibe into the nursery school and all the 75 students started singing Happy Birthday. I was led to a couch covered in a sheet and coated in flowers. The table in front of me had love written on it and was covered in flowers. The silverware had pink and white flowers attached to them, the glasses had flowers and I put a flower in my hair. Two students prayed: Yassin (Muslim) and Samuel (Christian). Then Lornah gave a brief speech about why we were here and that the students shouldn’t asked my age. A student, Lusajo, did a drama in English where he talked on the phone with someone in America in a silly accent telling him all about my party and how pretty I was and how the American on the phone should come immediately to the party because we were all waiting for him. Then we ate, the food was amazing. Then Mama Neema showed up with cake and we had a very sugary cake, which we cut into 1 inch sized pieces so everybody could get some. A student Neema and Teacher Kamili both gaves speeches about me and thanked me for being here. Then it was time for gifts. The day scholars bought me a beautiful pink and yellow kangha with pretty flowers. The cook bought me another beautiful blue kangha. A kangha is a wrap around fabric that you can have sewn into anything. The boarders sang two songs with choreographed moves and gave me a beaded bracelet, the color of the Tanzanian flag. One girl student gave me a beautiful beaded necklace. Teacher Lornah crocheted me a bag. Teacher Phoibe gave me a beautiful pink scarf. Then it was my turn. I stood up, thanked everyone, I was pretty choked up and amazed that I didn’t start crying with happiness. Then I got to give out t-shirts to the best scholars as my little gift to the students after all they did for me. We ended with a dance and I was lucky enough to get to start the dance to much applause from the students. I dragged students up one by one to get them to start dancing and I even danced with Teacher Kamili. I supervised the dance for the rest of the night. I was blissfully happy.
I have a little less than two weeks here and I am starting to get excited to come home. I am really excited for a shower and seeing everyone in Seattle.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Don't Worry Be Happy
Don't be sad I'm not coming home for another month. I know that I am needed here and that I am really helping the kids. I love being in Africa and it has not been hard for me to adapt. I do not miss the food back home and while I would love a realy shower and I very happy with my bucket. I understand that it all seems a little strange and that maybe you might be worried about me staying longer, but I really love being here.
The kids have started calling me Mama Ema and coming to me whenever they need anything. I was not really a part of camp, I spent all of my time prepping for school to start, writing rules and working on the organization of the school. By Wednesday that week I had almost every boarder from school (about 10) come up to me and say how much they missed me and how sad they were that I wasn't a part of camp. I had to promise them that I would spend their lunches and dinners with them and that I would come and speak English with them. Fadhil said that he was very sad I had left him and that he wanted more English lessons. He felt like his English was getting worse without me there.
We have a new teacher. Here name is Lornah. She has been teaching for 28 years and she is amazing. She is really excited about getting the infrastructure of this school put together and making sure that the kids are getting the best education. I love working with her, she is incredibly committed. Two of our teachers are leaving at the end of August so we are also looking for replacements. The two teachers are going to University so they can't teach and go to school.
I love you all and am really happy that you are reading these posts. Your messages mean a lot to me.
The kids have started calling me Mama Ema and coming to me whenever they need anything. I was not really a part of camp, I spent all of my time prepping for school to start, writing rules and working on the organization of the school. By Wednesday that week I had almost every boarder from school (about 10) come up to me and say how much they missed me and how sad they were that I wasn't a part of camp. I had to promise them that I would spend their lunches and dinners with them and that I would come and speak English with them. Fadhil said that he was very sad I had left him and that he wanted more English lessons. He felt like his English was getting worse without me there.
We have a new teacher. Here name is Lornah. She has been teaching for 28 years and she is amazing. She is really excited about getting the infrastructure of this school put together and making sure that the kids are getting the best education. I love working with her, she is incredibly committed. Two of our teachers are leaving at the end of August so we are also looking for replacements. The two teachers are going to University so they can't teach and go to school.
I love you all and am really happy that you are reading these posts. Your messages mean a lot to me.
Back at school
Things are great here. I am really happy to be staying longer. I am helping to create a budget at school for the boarders, teachers and for the genreal running of the school. I am spending the next three weeks doing remedial, remedial English (starting with the ABC's). It's going to be fun. Learning nouns, tenses, all the basics so that they kids can really start speaking. It is too hard teaching biology in English when they don't understand anything you are saying. So we're starting from the beginning.
I am getting much better at getting around town without help. I can ride the dalla dalla alone and I am even starting to pick up some Kiswahili. I am much better at understanding what is being said and very bad at saying anything, but the kids love when I speak with them.
I am getting much better at getting around town without help. I can ride the dalla dalla alone and I am even starting to pick up some Kiswahili. I am much better at understanding what is being said and very bad at saying anything, but the kids love when I speak with them.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
I have been in Africa for a month now and absolutely loving it. I moved yesterday into a guest house that is attached to the school. I don’t live in the dormitory with the students, which gives me a little more personal space and time away from the kids to plan lessons. I have a sitting room with a couch, a separate bedroom and a bathroom. It’s wonderful.
I have some exciting news. I will be staying in Africa another month. I was a little shocked to find this out. Rhoi changed my plane ticket and was planning to change it so I came back the first week in August, but she couldn’t get a seat on the plane until August 25th and without hesitating she put me on that plane. At first I couldn’t figure out what I was going to do. I had to go back and work and pay rent, but Mama Rhoi told the students and they were so happy that I couldn’t change the ticket back. And not only could I not change the ticket for the kids, but they had already given away my old seat and there was no way to get it back. So another month in Tanzania, this gives me the chance to work with the older students doing reading comprehension on “Is It Possible”, “Mine Boy” and “Things Fall Apart.” The students are very happy to have me here to teach them more English and the other teachers want my help planning lessons and preparing for the next term.
We are getting a new English teacher named Lorna. She is wonderful. She is from Kenya and has been in Tanzania teaching for around 20 years. She likes to make visual aids and sing songs to help teach the students. I think I will learn a lot from her. I am also hoping that we can work together and plant more vegetables behind school and also get the kids involved in community clean up. We are thinking of ways to make Boko more green and get the kids to start picking up and getting the community to clean up trash.
We are having CAMP this week at school. Camp is a time for underprivileged youth and youth who have lost their parents to AIDS to come together and play and learn. The kids are focusing on leadership and HIV/AIDS and how to be leaders in their community. There are about 35 kids here and this morning we all got up at 5:30 a.m. and went running. We are supposed to exercise together every morning. I am not actually a part of camp because I didn’t plan it and I don’t speak Swahili, so I can’t really join in the fun. I am planning to study Swahili, go to the internet café and maybe try to go into town a few times this week while the kids are in camp.
I have some exciting news. I will be staying in Africa another month. I was a little shocked to find this out. Rhoi changed my plane ticket and was planning to change it so I came back the first week in August, but she couldn’t get a seat on the plane until August 25th and without hesitating she put me on that plane. At first I couldn’t figure out what I was going to do. I had to go back and work and pay rent, but Mama Rhoi told the students and they were so happy that I couldn’t change the ticket back. And not only could I not change the ticket for the kids, but they had already given away my old seat and there was no way to get it back. So another month in Tanzania, this gives me the chance to work with the older students doing reading comprehension on “Is It Possible”, “Mine Boy” and “Things Fall Apart.” The students are very happy to have me here to teach them more English and the other teachers want my help planning lessons and preparing for the next term.
We are getting a new English teacher named Lorna. She is wonderful. She is from Kenya and has been in Tanzania teaching for around 20 years. She likes to make visual aids and sing songs to help teach the students. I think I will learn a lot from her. I am also hoping that we can work together and plant more vegetables behind school and also get the kids involved in community clean up. We are thinking of ways to make Boko more green and get the kids to start picking up and getting the community to clean up trash.
We are having CAMP this week at school. Camp is a time for underprivileged youth and youth who have lost their parents to AIDS to come together and play and learn. The kids are focusing on leadership and HIV/AIDS and how to be leaders in their community. There are about 35 kids here and this morning we all got up at 5:30 a.m. and went running. We are supposed to exercise together every morning. I am not actually a part of camp because I didn’t plan it and I don’t speak Swahili, so I can’t really join in the fun. I am planning to study Swahili, go to the internet café and maybe try to go into town a few times this week while the kids are in camp.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Kitchen
I realized that I haven't explained the way that we cook here. We don't have a stove or burners. We put three rocks together and start a fire underneath them. The kids wash the plates in buckets and we only have 3 knives to do all our chopping. I have really been getting into cooking here. I love spending time with the kids and whenever I am there they will all try to speak in English. Even the kids that don't speak English in class. Last night when I was walking back from the village with the kids they all started telling me how much they love me. Neema, one of the girls who lives at the school, told me two days ago that she was so sad that I wasn't there cooking with her. She was so happy when I dropped by the kitchen. I am so happy that I get to brighten the kids lives and let them know that someone cares about them.
HIV/AIDS Training
Wendy Arnold came to Tumaini school this week. She started a peer education program for AIDS in Los Angeles in 1982 and has been teaching ever since. She is amazing. She is 60 or so and the most energetic woman I have ever met in my whole life. She never stops and she is so full of vibrance and energy that she lights up the room. I love being around her and she gets me jazzed to do this kind of work in my life. She has already asked me if I would want to go around the world with her teaching. I am so happy that I got to be in Boko while she is here.
We had the training for the students for the last two days and today we started the teacher training. The teacher training is exciting because this means that teachers all around the Dar es Salaam area will be able to teach their students about HIV/AIDS and have the real facts instead of the myths. You would be amazed at some of the questions the kids ask. They all are very unsure about condoms and constantly worried that condoms don't really work. They think they have holes or that the US sends Africa ones that don't work. They feel hopeless about AIDS and so many kids said that even though they know about AIDS they know their friends aren't using protection.
We had the training for the students for the last two days and today we started the teacher training. The teacher training is exciting because this means that teachers all around the Dar es Salaam area will be able to teach their students about HIV/AIDS and have the real facts instead of the myths. You would be amazed at some of the questions the kids ask. They all are very unsure about condoms and constantly worried that condoms don't really work. They think they have holes or that the US sends Africa ones that don't work. They feel hopeless about AIDS and so many kids said that even though they know about AIDS they know their friends aren't using protection.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Cooking
I am learning how to cook the food here. On Sunday I went to Mama Neema's house and her daughters taught me how to cook fried fish with curry paste, coconut tomato cream sauce with potatoes and cooked spinach. It was amazing. I am writing down all the ingredients. They told me whenever I want to come over and learn to cook they will teach me.
I am also cooking with the students. They have been preparing new kinds of food for me so I don't get bored with ugali and beans. The first new meal was eggplant with tomatoes and okra. Today we had potatoes with tomatoes and peppers. Everything is very simple to cook, but the flavors are amazing.
I am also cooking with the students. They have been preparing new kinds of food for me so I don't get bored with ugali and beans. The first new meal was eggplant with tomatoes and okra. Today we had potatoes with tomatoes and peppers. Everything is very simple to cook, but the flavors are amazing.
I'm a teacher!
I am a mwalimu (teacher in Swahili). This work I am working with the senior 1-senior 3 (oor freshman, sophomore, and juniors in American high schools). I am teaching remedial english and I love it. I get to assign homework, grade for a few hours every day and plan my lessons before class. My students are already getting more comfortable with me. I was able to get a student, who another English teacher has never heard speak in English, to talk in class and now he is teaching me Swahili while I help him improve his English.
I have been spending a lot of time with the kids while they cook. When I am around they try to speak English and there are always at least 10 students around the cooking pot when I am there. I am also picking up a little cooking this way. Fadhil is teaching me how to cook for the students. He is a wonderful boy who came from a farming town very far away. His mother sold her land to pay for him to take the bus to school. He lives on campus, like me.
I am having the students write lots of essays. Although I think I am being mean that other teachers tell me that the kids really like me and they like the way that I teach. Teacher Hassan keeps telling me that I should change my major and be a teacher because I am a natural. Today, while I was helping cook, Hassan asked the students if they loved teacher Ema and they all yelled yes! It was a really great feeling. Being here is amazing and the kids I get to spend time with are some of the most amazing, hard working, loving kids I have ever met.
I have been spending a lot of time with the kids while they cook. When I am around they try to speak English and there are always at least 10 students around the cooking pot when I am there. I am also picking up a little cooking this way. Fadhil is teaching me how to cook for the students. He is a wonderful boy who came from a farming town very far away. His mother sold her land to pay for him to take the bus to school. He lives on campus, like me.
I am having the students write lots of essays. Although I think I am being mean that other teachers tell me that the kids really like me and they like the way that I teach. Teacher Hassan keeps telling me that I should change my major and be a teacher because I am a natural. Today, while I was helping cook, Hassan asked the students if they loved teacher Ema and they all yelled yes! It was a really great feeling. Being here is amazing and the kids I get to spend time with are some of the most amazing, hard working, loving kids I have ever met.
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