Quoted

So far, I have been teaching a little more than preferred by my school in the first two weeks of teaching, but it has helped fulfill this experience so much more already. I am pretty much spearheading a unit on agriculture for the 8th grade students, but they just meet four times a week, so it is not too hard of a transition. I am also helping out in various other classes and even classrooms. After school, I will be working with the swimming groups and also ultimate frisbee. All of these responsibilities will make this time pass by quickly and hopefully put me into a little bit of shape! Today the 10th grade aged students were analyzing quotes about history. I raised my hand and added some insight to the discussion, and my teachers liked it so much, he quoted me on the board and had the students write down what I said. I guess, in a way, that is my first publication! That class is a little bit harder to get through to at that age, and so that quotation hopefully proved to them my relevance in the classroom as a teacher.

My famous quote is, "Selective memory is the reality of history." It sounds pretty boring and not that exciting, because it really is, but it helped make my Monday a good one!

I'm in Africa!

I have been here in Moshi for about two weeks now; and though I have spent some time in town and live among Africa plants, monkeys, and of course the great Mt. Kilimanjaro, it took me until Saturday to really feel like I was in Africa. We took a drive up this bumpy, dirt road towards the mountain to track her run from the morning. As we got onto the dirt road, we saw goats crossing, women balancing bananas on their heads while bringing them down from the mountain, children running in and out of the trees playing, and people among their homes and villages. I didn't want to be the typical tourist with my camera out as we were driving through, but the sites will always be a memory. It really wasn't anything special, but it was a glimpse at their every day lives, which is what I wanted to see when coming here. It is not the life that the majority of us would choose, but it is theirs, and one that I'm assuming they enjoy. I also saw more of that on Sunday when I went along and did "The Hash" which is an obstacle course/trail that has a different route each week. This one took us up in the hills in and around villages and farms. I walked right through tomatoes being grown next to goats who were tied up to trees among the roaming chickens, and I also walked around the back of homes where I saw how their septic system with the lack of electricity worked (if you catch my drift). Everyone was so helpful if we got a little lost on the trail, and the children were very eager to welcome us. It was a good weekend of exploration and a great insight of life for Moshi residents.

I also spent a great deal of my time on Sunday afternoon watching the monkeys in my front yard. They are so adorable, though they eat our mangoes. I named one of them Horatio. It just seemed fitting.

Dirty Feet Forever

I have learned that it is impossible to have clean feet while I am here. There is constantly dirt on the balls of my feet and my heels, even after a scrub in the shower. What’s cool about it is that everyone here has dirty feet, so I fit right in! I’m being serious though. It’s like red dirt plus lots of other stuff that just stays on your foot! Getting the dirty feet is worth it though. For example, yesterday my roommate, Heather, and I went to the market for fresh fruits and vegetables. (She is from England and just calls it all veg) We got tomatoes, avocados, mangoes, green peppers, and such. It was not the cleanest walk and experience of my life, but the food is excellent, so I’m okay with getting dirty feet in the process.

There are these cute little three-wheeled cars called tuk-tuks that are like taxis, but are really like motorized open buggies. They are quite fun actually. I get nice pictures of the African women walking with bananas and linens balancing on their heads while riding in them.

I forgot to mention some of the perks to this duplex as well. Though I am sitting here with no power at the moment because we have to take our electricity card to get recharged, we have a cleaning lady and a gardener.  Our cleaning lady also does our laundry. She has to though because it is hand washed and then hung to dry outside and if you don’t iron your clothes, these things called mango flies get on them and then get on you and then lay eggs on you….Gross, huh? Her name is Frita though, and she is nice. We have to pay for her, but it is worth it of course. Our gardeners water the plants, including cacti, in our front yard. My neighbor also has a banana tree that we get to eat from! We also have guards walking through campus and also at all gates protecting us and everyone else on campus. We do have to turn on our hot water heater a half hour before using the shower in order to have a hot shower. It was nice to finally figure that out after two cold ones, but that’s okay. Overall, they take care of us out here even where some other amenities are a little scarce.

Karibu

Karibu means welcome in Swahili, and that is what I have felt since I got here. All of the staff is very welcoming, and the students are great too. I taught my first two lessons today, Tuesday, and they went all right to say the least. To jump in two days in when they have not quite warmed up to me and don’t know my teaching style apart from Mr. Fitzpatrick’s is a little gutsy. He asked me to though, so I needed to do it! I talked about agriculture with one class and Hitler with another. They can be interesting topics, but with older students, the content needs to be a little challenging as well. I’m finding that I need to work on combining the two. We finally figured out what classes most of my personal work will be in and all of that mumbo jumbo. The schedule is not the same everyday, which I like because it gives more variety. I also have some open times during the day when my teacher is doing his coordinator business, so I can work on all the wonderful work I have to do for UNI. I went to a staff meeting today as well. I was so lost because the lingo at the schools here is so different than back home. On top of discussing it with teachers from all over the world that have different English vocabulary makes it interesting. I feel my 8 weeks in the classroom here will fly by, especially if I am already busy planning.

On another note: The school takes a break at 10:15 everyday for 20 minutes to have a provided snack and refreshment. American schools should be more like that. It’s okay to mix things up and take a load off. I don’t know why I am the one saying this because I usually get flustered when that happens, but I’m okay with it here.

 

8 days down- just 54 more to go!

I learned another Swahili word-Rafiki. It means friend.

Bush Babies

There are also these things called ‘bush babies’ around here. I looked them up online, and this is what they look like. They are a cross between a lemur and who knows what else! I heard them last night and thought they were some type of bird, but turns out they are something entirely different. They are nocturnal animals that call for either a mate or their loved ones to return to their respective trees or bushes before sunrise. Unfortunately for us, they are alarm clocks at 4am. I have still not seen the monkeys that live around me, except for one running across a branch. Once I see them, I will name them.

Get Out

There was a staff BBQ tonight to celebrate someone’s birthday, so everyone attended. It was good to go and meet a bunch of people, including my cooperating teacher, since I was unable to attend the orientation on Friday; but what I found most interesting was the number of people I spoke with who were from various parts of the world. There were Americans among us, but also Norwegians, Danish, English, South African, Australian, Tanzanian and more. I had some interesting conversations with some, and I realized even more why I am here. I loved where I grew up, and am ready to begin my professional life and settle down with a select person in Iowa soon, but we all need to have experiences with people from different countries, backgrounds, and outlooks on life. I know that you do not have to leave the country to see that, but immersing yourself into one’s culture and living and eating the way they do is a life experience we should all be able to take with us. America is great, but the rest of the world is even greater. Get out and see for yourself, even if it’s for a brief amount of time. Have and open mind, and you won’t regret it. I have taken the plunge and gone to a couple of foreign places, and I am a better me for doing so.

On another note, I am writing this while under my mosquito net in my new bedroom/home for the next two months. I got settled here today and am anxiously waiting for my roommate to return tomorrow. There are no fans and it is terribly hot, but it is cozy and I think it will do.

Settling In

Well, I made it safe and sound to the airport, got my Visa and luggage, and found my ride pretty smoothly. The director of my school, Mr. Woods, met me at the airport with a sign with my name on it. It made me feel like a celebrity for a minute. After almost getting in the car on the wrong side (they drive on the opposite side here) we began the journey to Moshi. I stayed in the director’s guest home for the night and had a lovely breakfast with him and his wife this morning. They took me on a quick visit through part of the town, and then I got my key and settled into my duplex. My roommate is gone until tomorrow, so currently it is quiet and I have no Internet. I also have no way of charging my computer because I do not have a surge protector, but that will all fall into place soon enough. The campus is beautiful and all of the people I have met so far are wonderful. Let’s see how day one goes! Hopefully Miss Katie is a hit!