Entries since 9/22

 9/23

Currently in transit to Zurich…long long day, but I thought I would write something quickly.  So far so good…

Staging went very well. I arrived in Philadelphia after being stared at and taking a train from Kent , negotiating the NYC subway with my backpack and two bags. Little side track here… I actually put my bags down when I got to the subway turn style and mentally prepared for the task at hand. Needless to say I made it through, but it was a little hairy at times!  After I arrived at the hotel we registered, signed some paperwork and then proceeded to meet from 2-6:30. Our meeting was well organized and covered basically what we should expect and the core goals of Peace Corps. At the end of the meeting we had to pick groups leaders for our voyage today. After a considerable pause I volunteered myself as leader of group 6! Woop, woop! Big doings. Actually, not really I just had to collect money, make sure no one was missing and no one left bags in the hotel.  After the meeting a bunch of us met up and went out for hand drawn noodles in China town, which were actually delicious, and a few beers at a bar. This morning we left for the airport at 9:30am, arrived at about 1:00, played a sweet game of Catch Phrase while sitting in the airport, checked in (checked bags weighed 33 lbs and 32 lbs… way under the 80lbs limit) and took off for Zurich around 7:00pm.

Lucked out on the plane because I got a middle row seat on the isle with an empty seat  next to it! Think it belongs to one of the volunteers who did not arrive at staging…..Everyone is still super nice and I feel I am making friends. Our group of 39 ranges in ages from 21 to hmmm not exactly sure, but probably near 60. It is surprising to think people have left their (adult) children, husbands and fiancés at home.

Spirits are high amongst all of us. Everyone, including myself, seems eager to get to Tanzania and get the lay of the land.  I think people in general are very happy to be amongst people who are in the same mindset as themselves.

For those of you who are wondering buffalo wings and a miller lite was my last meal in the states!

Till later,

Carly


9/28ish

Greetings from Tanzania!! We arrived on Friday night at 8:15 to Nyrere Airport in Dar and were greeted by Andrea and Mama Salome, the country director for PC Tanzania and the PC safety and security advisor. After collecting our bags we were escorted to a truck where we placed our bags and hopped on to two buses and headed for the Msimbazi Center in Dar. The ride from the airport was a sight. Even though it was dark we could see many Dala Dalas  (public buses) and people along the side of the roads, on the roads, walking, well-orchestrated chaos is the only way I can put it. After a 20 minute drive and 10 car horns later, we reached the center. After a brief sack, bananas, bottled water, cookies and a peanut butter sandwich we were shown to our rooms.  After brushing my teeth with bottled water and negotiating my mosquito net ( it takes some work!) I slept for about three hours due to the 7 hour time difference.

The next morning we woke up to a breakfast in the dinning hall of chapati (a cross between a crepe and a pancake and now one of my favorite foods!), hard boiled eggs, bread, muffins, tea and instant coffee. After breakfast we had a meeting followed by “chai”, which includes tea and a small snack and another meeting before lunch. After lunch, which usually consists of rice, meat sauce, collard greens and small slightly fried potatoes here, we had another meeting followed by some shots and another snack!! After snack we all got to hang out under a covered area that has seating. To spare you the repeat, the past three days here have consisted of eating, meetings, shots, socializing and sleeping.

Our meetings during the day have consisted mainly of things we should expect, how our pre-service training (PST) will run, outside projects for us to do, security talk given by people from the US Embassy, a short briefing on Tanzanian customs, dress and religions.

During our down time we have been playing ultimate Frisbee, soccer, cards and learning some Kiswahili.


 10/2
Sokoni!

Today we finally left the compound and travel with our CBT groups (Community Based Training) to Morogoro. We were planning on taking the Dala Dala, but it was too crowed, so we walked the 15 minutes to town. The walk was a little bit scary because in Tanzania they drive on the left side of the road and people walk on the left side with traffic, so you have to constantly be aware of other cars or piki piki (motorcycles).



Mambo!  10/3


Today I officially moved in with my host family!! My house is located very close to the CCT where we had been staying the last couple of days.  I was pretty nervous to meet my host family, but then quickly realized that 38 other people were going through the exact same experience at the same time. It is also comforting to know that another PCT, Mike, is my next door neighbor. My Baba, Gabriel, is a teacher is at Kila Kala Secondary School and my Mama is a nurse at the local hospital. I have two dada Jackie and Violet and one kaka Gabriel.  Another woman and man who work at the school also live in the house with their daughter, Gladness, whom I call Tumbo (belly). They were all very welcoming! When I arrived at the house I was greeted by my moma’s sister Nerehma. She showed me to my room and helped me to hang my mosquito net. After I settled in my kaka and I went on a walk to Kilakala school.  There I met about five boys who live and study at the school. It was nice to practice the little Swahili I know, i.e. how to say my name, where I am from, what I am doing in Tanzania and the food I like.  So once I exhausted my Swahili I sat up on a wall with them and started talking about the US and Tanzania. Many of their questions were serious and about things they had heard about America. During the first week of training as trainees were are constantly reminded that we are ambassadors for the US, so today was very rewarding because I officially feel like I was helping bridge a gap.  Another topic of conversation was my religious beliefs. (Note: It is very common in Tanzania to ask someone what religion they are and if they are married or single. This is something we as Americans might file under invasion of privacy, but let me assure you they are very open topics in Tanzania.) I found it hard to express my beliefs to them and to explain that I do not go to church and wouldn’t consider myself a practitioner of any religion. This honestly astounded the boys I was talking to and prompted them to ask me to attend church with them on Saturday.  The also told me to stop by anytime I wanted so I can practice my Kiswahili and they can practice their English….definitely thinking of taking them up on this offer! Gabriel and I walked home from the school and had dinner with the family. Before dinner my Baba also asked me what religion I was. This time I responded that I was Roman Catholic because I really did not feel like causing any unnecessary confusion. About ten minutes after that conversation with my Baba, my kaka put in a Christian concert DVD in to the player.  I thought the gesture was very nice.  I know that it was to comfort me… nothing reminds me more of home than Wazungus singing about Jesus.  Dinner was pretty standard, rice, meat with sauce, plain spaghetti, bananas and collard greens. (Okay…side note about the food here. It really is not bad. Everything is made with spices and tastes really really good.)  After dinner my kakas and I exchanged pictures of our families. Then, My Mama, who was on safari (trip), arrived home. She greeted me with a big hug and the normal “soft landing” Tanzanian greeting. (Note: the “soft landing” greetings consists of about 3 to x number of greetings before real conversation beings… ex: How are you? What is the news of home? What is the news of school? How are your children?...etc.)
My room is located off of the kitchen and nicer than I had anticipated. I have a double sized bed, a chair and not a whole lot of space in my room.  

10/5

Kiswahili lessons are fun….

On Monday our CBT group started Kiswahili classes with Kondo our LCF (Language and Culture Facilitator… yes another acronym).  The past couple days have been relatively the same so here is a summary of what my days for the next couple of weeks will consist of:

6:00am                  Wake up
6:01am                   Negotiate my mosquito net
6:30 am ish           Bucket Bath
6:45-7:15am         Breakfast at home
7:30am                   Walk to Morogoro Secondary School with Mike
8:00 am                  Swahili class (we usually start the day by “hammering” grammer) *
10:00 am               Chai time!!!
10:30 am          More Swahili
12:00ish           Lunch (Chakula cha mchana)
1:00 pm          Swahili time again!
4:00pm ish           Freetime (usually consists of hanging out with my brother or going                                                   to town)
6:00 pm           Time I should be in the house by because the sun is setting
8:00 pm                 Dinner with the fam
9:30 pm ish          Bed time

*One of my favorite parts of the day is the first half and hour of Swahili class. During this time my fellow PCTs and I talk about our awkward experiences at home and get a chance to ask Kondo about cultural issues we may have encountered.

The only time this schedule will not hold true will be on days we meet as a group at CCT. CCT will usually take place on Fridays and will mainly used as a day to go over how to teach in Tanzanian schools and personal health and safety.

So far things are as I expected them to be. Homesickness comes in waves, usually when I am frustrated with the language, and I constantly feel like I am on an emotional roller coaster. The highs usually last a while, but the lows come at inopportune moments. Surprisingly, I have not once felt homesick while at home with my host family. In fact, I have found their family dynamic similar to most American families apart from the fact that they only speak Swahili to one another.