Update on life and the effectiveness of dyer sheets on rats

Well the first week back at site has gone pretty well. I took some time to set up the printer and laptop that was donated to our school by Kent School. I honestly cannot thank them enough for their generosity. The printer and computer will allow us to print our own exams for a reduced cost (to print one page is 700 tsh in town, while to copy is only 50 tsh…. explain that one to me). It will also, hopefully, allow my fellow teachers to learn to type. I selfishly want this because it will mean I won’t have to “help” type the 29 exams come midterm. So far the second reason for accruing the printer and laptop has backfired. Last week I ended up typing all of the A-level midterm exams (about 6 of them) because the other teachers “can’t type with speed”. After lecturing them about being self sufficient and reading them their Miranda rights of typing, I caved.  So, right here and right now, I swear that I will not type any more exams that are not mine. My fellow teachers really need to learn to type and also to not rely on me.  I am also really tired of typing an exam and then being told that I spelt a word wrong or missed a question when in actuality I didn’t, the person who wrote the exam just made a mistake. Also, if I have to type another convoluted or meaningless sentence I might drink water straight from the tap without boiling it.

As I mentioned in my previous post, my site has turned into the North Pole. Okay, well not really, but it is cold enough to see my breath at night. It is also the “dry season” here, so the electricity comes and goes as it pleases because Tanesco (the people with the electricity monopoly in Tanzania, seriously there is only one electric company in the country, ala CL&P) needs to ration the power.  BS. It is backwards that the power goes out around 6:45 pm, right when people are cooking dinner and the sun is going down and does not come back on until probably 3 am or so. Hence every dinner since I have been back has been candlelit. I guess things could be worse, like I could be out of water too and then I would be really screwed, no?

As for some fun news, I will be getting shadowers the second week in August. Part of PST (pre-service training) along with living with and being force fed by complete strangers for two months is to visit an actual PCV, live with them for the week and teach at their school. So I will get one, two, possibly three PCTs for the week of August 7^th- 14^th. They will hang out with me and teach at my school. Hopefully they can put up with the rats that live in my house, but I am pretty sure they will just be happy to not be treated like a 13 year old with a curfew and chores for a week.

Speaking of the rat(s)…..what usually takes place is one of two things: 1. I don’t hear the rat running around in my room and sleep through the night or 2. It wakes me up and I either get out of bed to chase it out of my room or I just ignore it. A few days ago the latter took place. I had a stand off with one the other day at 4 in the morning. The rat woke me up because it ran along the headboard of my bed. (Thankfully, I sleep with a mosquito net, not for the mosquitoes, but so the rats don’t run on me when I am sleeping… yes that has happened before.) The rat proceeded to climb along the window and on to the opposite side of the screen. It was making way too much noise, so I got out of bed with a sneaker and proceeded to hit it through the screen. Eventually the rat jumped out at me, I screamed, and then ran out under the door and I went back to bed.  Mom, thank you for the dryer sheets… I have found since this incident that it takes at least 3 in one area to ward off any rodents. African rats must have built in resistance….

I hope everyone is doing well at home. Things finally feel back to normal, except when a cold fog rolls in off the mountain. If I take a deep breath I could almost swear I am standing on the beach in the late afternoon when the fog rolls in.

All my love from TZ.