The Rain in Tanzania

Mvua inanyesha Morogoro. The rains have come to Morogoro. This morning I set out on my walk to school under a cloudy sky, but no rain. It looked promising that I would make the 2 mile walk without getting very much wet. I had my rain jacket on as a precaution. However, about half-way to my destination it started to down poor and in a couple of minutes I was completely soaked through. Instead of dealing with wet clothes all day I decided to return home and try again later. The rain did not stop, and since this is still training and I am not on my own yet, a Peace Corps vehicle picked me up for my last day of school at Uluguru Secondary.

I think I will enjoy teaching in Tanzania, but I am glad that the internship teaching portion of training is over. A current Peace Corps volunteer was supposed to observe me teach last week, but my class schedule was written down incorrectly. The observer came after I had finished teaching my last class, and so in order to create an opportunity to be observed I was told that the next day I would have to teach a Form I math class. I didn’t find out what subject I should teach them until the morning of. Fortunately unit conversion of S.I. length units is not immensely difficult to teach, but I did come across some hurdles during the lecture. I asked my students to solve an equation for ‘X’ and got a lot of blank stares. After my lecture the Peace Corps volunteer told me that the math nomenclature in Tanzania is a little different than what I am used to. Instead of “solve the equation for ‘X’,” they say something like “make ‘X’ the subject of the equation.” I have a lot to learn about special Tanzanian English.

My day improved after school when I went to Uluguru’s netball and football (soccer) matches that were played against another secondary school in Morogoro that is also hosting Peace Corps trainees. Netball is a sport similar to basketball that the girls play, while the boys play football. I rode my bike to the game, and was really proud of myself when I could ask for directions in Kiswahili. It seemed like most of Uluguru’s student body had come to the games and was recognizable in their lime green school uniforms. Although Uluguru lost both match-ups, what we lacked in athletic ability we made up for in spirit. Uluguru students had even formed a small drum corps including one student who blew on a horn that resembled a plastic funnel. It was exciting to see that school spirit here is very similar to that of high schools in the U.S.

I guess the other big news in Tanzania is that the United States has elected as its 44th president a man of Eastern African descent. Whether I agree with Obama’s political policies or not, I must say it has been fascinating to witness the election of the first black president of the U.S. while living in Africa. The people of Tanzania generally have a good impression of America and recognize that President Bush has contributed much foreign aid to Africa during his terms. But I think there are still a lot of misconceptions about America. In America we know that the majority of Americans are not racist, and now with the election of Obama, Africa and the rest of the world know that too. As I watched this election from abroad I was proud to be a citizen of a country where anyone regardless of gender or race has the opportunity to run for president, where elections are held peacefully, where a losing candidate concedes graciously, and where a current president steps down willingly. I am glad the world was watching. Obama may be hard-pressed to live up to all the expectations the world has placed on him, but from my viewpoint in Eastern Africa I see that at least for today, Obama has succeeded in inspiring many many people around me.

That’s about all for now from Tanzania. Next week I take my final Kiswahili language proficiency exam, and then get to shadow a current Peace Corps health volunteer for a few days in Njombe. Then after that it is not long before I find out where I will be teaching and living for the next two years! I am incredibly excited and nervous. In less than a month from now I will be living on my own in Tanzania. Am I ready? I may be living on strictly beans and rice for a few weeks, but I’ll survive. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.