Monday, May 11, 2009
Garden Update
My garden is growing well. It is starting to get dry here, so I may have to start watering it by hand. I have harvested my corn and plan to grind it into flour at the mill at our school. My bamia (okra) plants have been growing like crazy. I have to cook bamia a couple times a week just to keep up with my garden. I got one pumpkin out of my garden and made some delicious pumpkin bread. There are other pumpkin blossoms, so hopefully there will be more pumpkins to come. As usual I have been enjoying the matembere leaves, cassava leaves, and pumpkin leaves from my garden as well.
Monday, April 27, 2009
The First Day of School
From my experience in America, on the first day of school everyone arrives full of exciting stories of the summer and anticipation for the new school year, showing off their new back-to-school outfits, and carrying backpacks full of fresh school supplies. No one wants to miss that first day of reunion with friends, or the chance to verify that they really want to take the classes on their schedule. As we opened school this month at Songea Girls, I found out that there is no such thing as the first day of school in Tanzania.
School officially opened on April 6. Even now after three weeks, not all of my students have reported. It sure makes it difficult for a teacher to get started when her students slowly trickle into school over the course of a month. I didn’t bother teaching at all the first week. When a little over half of my form VI students had arrived I started teaching them the second week. Finally I got going with my form V students who are new to the school. On Friday still only 15 out of the 35 physics students on my roster had reported to school. Maybe after this weekend most of them will have arrived.
School officially opened on April 6. Even now after three weeks, not all of my students have reported. It sure makes it difficult for a teacher to get started when her students slowly trickle into school over the course of a month. I didn’t bother teaching at all the first week. When a little over half of my form VI students had arrived I started teaching them the second week. Finally I got going with my form V students who are new to the school. On Friday still only 15 out of the 35 physics students on my roster had reported to school. Maybe after this weekend most of them will have arrived.
Songea Girls Basketball Club
Although not all of the students have arrived yet, the sports teams are in full swing at Songea Girls. We have basketball, volleyball, and netball teams (netball is a little like basketball but without dribbling and ironically the hoops do not have nets). I am one of the coaches for the basketball team. Most of the girls have not had a chance to play basketball before coming to Songea Girls, so it is kind of like coaching a freshman high school team. But I have been impressed with how quickly some of the players are improving. There is a big difference between the Form VI girls who have just one more year of experience than the Form V girls.
I am also impressed with how well they play despite the condition of the basketball court and the equipment. Our basketball court is outdoors on a concrete slab that is covered with cracks and potholes. Many of the girls, even the best players, play wearing shoes without laces. I’ve been getting blisters even in my comfortable running shoes, but they never complain about sore feet.
We have been playing a lot of scrimmages recently to gear up for the Bonanza tournament this week, which is organized by the Songea Basketball Association. I can’t believe there is such a thing. Apparently there is even an indoor basketball court in Songea where we will be playing. I’ll get to see it tomorrow for our first game. I’m told there will be two other women’s teams in the tournament including one which is put together by the Songea police department.
Last night we scrimmaged against a men’s team that I think will be in the tournament. I arrived prepared to referee the game as I had done for a couple other scrimmages last week, but my fellow coach told me I should play with the girls. We are entering the Bonanza tournament as a club team, not a school team, so even teachers can play! I had a lot of fun playing with the girls last night. We tied with the guys in the first quarter, pulled out 4 points ahead in the second, lost a bit of ground in the third, but then finished pretty well. The players and students who were watching the game were going crazy with excitement that our girls were competitive with a men’s team. At first I was reluctant to play yesterday because I did not want to take the spot of student players, but in hindsight I am glad I played. First of all it was a lot of fun. But also the guys would have stolen the ball every time and the game would have been a blowout if I hadn’t been point guard. I didn’t shoot a lot, mostly I just brought the ball up the court and the girls were able to do the rest. The confidence and enthusiasm the players gained from being able to stick with a men’s team was worth me taking up space. So I may play in some of the tournament games this week as well. It will definitely be interesting.
Recently one of my favorite moments of each day occurs as I walk home after basketball practice in the evenings, tired but satisfied, and glimpse the sunset beyond my house over the Ruvuma valley. I truly live in a beautiful place.
I am also impressed with how well they play despite the condition of the basketball court and the equipment. Our basketball court is outdoors on a concrete slab that is covered with cracks and potholes. Many of the girls, even the best players, play wearing shoes without laces. I’ve been getting blisters even in my comfortable running shoes, but they never complain about sore feet.
We have been playing a lot of scrimmages recently to gear up for the Bonanza tournament this week, which is organized by the Songea Basketball Association. I can’t believe there is such a thing. Apparently there is even an indoor basketball court in Songea where we will be playing. I’ll get to see it tomorrow for our first game. I’m told there will be two other women’s teams in the tournament including one which is put together by the Songea police department.
Last night we scrimmaged against a men’s team that I think will be in the tournament. I arrived prepared to referee the game as I had done for a couple other scrimmages last week, but my fellow coach told me I should play with the girls. We are entering the Bonanza tournament as a club team, not a school team, so even teachers can play! I had a lot of fun playing with the girls last night. We tied with the guys in the first quarter, pulled out 4 points ahead in the second, lost a bit of ground in the third, but then finished pretty well. The players and students who were watching the game were going crazy with excitement that our girls were competitive with a men’s team. At first I was reluctant to play yesterday because I did not want to take the spot of student players, but in hindsight I am glad I played. First of all it was a lot of fun. But also the guys would have stolen the ball every time and the game would have been a blowout if I hadn’t been point guard. I didn’t shoot a lot, mostly I just brought the ball up the court and the girls were able to do the rest. The confidence and enthusiasm the players gained from being able to stick with a men’s team was worth me taking up space. So I may play in some of the tournament games this week as well. It will definitely be interesting.
Recently one of my favorite moments of each day occurs as I walk home after basketball practice in the evenings, tired but satisfied, and glimpse the sunset beyond my house over the Ruvuma valley. I truly live in a beautiful place.
Easter
Since I didn’t start teaching right away I had the opportunity that first week, which was the week before Easter, to spend time with friends. Peter, the PCV from my training group who is also a UPS alumnus, came to visit me in Songea for a few days. We had a great time roaming around Songea and discovering new places that I had not yet come across. We stumbled across a sort of neglected museum on the outskirts of Songea that commemorated the Tanzanian warriors who fought against the Germans in the Maji Maji Rebellion at the turn of the 20th century. Peter and I also hiked up Mt. Kipera, which overlooks Songea. I am really lucky to have such beautiful mountains surrounding Songea to explore. For most of our journey we followed a faint foot path, but every once in a while we would lose the trail and have to blaze our way through grasses as tall as us. Here in Songea we are approaching the end of the rainy season, so the grasses are as tall as they will be any time all year and are just starting to take on a golden hue.
After a couple of days in Songea, for Easter Peter, Mateo and I headed up to the orphanage (where we had also spent Christmas). The journey to the orphanage was amazingly fast. After leaving Songea at 6:30 am, we arrived before 1 pm, just in time for lunch. The travel home, on the other hand, took over 11 hours. It was wonderful to relax with friends up there and play with the orphans. On Saturday afternoon we watched a football (soccer) match of orphans against villager kids. And then later that evening had a dance party with the orphans. I don’t know where they learn it, but some of those rural African orphans can really cut a rug!
On Easter we took the orphans to Fox Farms, a nearby resort, where the orphans mixed it up with the kids of expatriates in a candy hunt and balloon fight. In the afternoon the kids went back to the orphanage and the PCVs, besides Tally who was sick all day L, played an awesome game of croquet at the resort. The four teams consisted of Peter and Jenny, Eric and me, Marysunny and Meredith, and Jenna and Jess. Mateo and Christine were judges. Special Fox Farms rules are that if you swear while on the croquet course you must roll down a grassy hill as punishment. Fox Farms also provided us with some terrible wine that they didn’t want. So Mateo and Christine dolled out glasses of wine as punishment for bad shots or other arbitrary misdemeanors. Eric and I became the most hated team because we liked to knock everyone else’s ball off the course every chance we got. Mostly Eric knocked his own ball off the course as well. I wasn’t very popular when I knocked Meredith’s ball over the edge of the course and lost it. But luckily Peter found it for me. Eric and I were one stroke away from winning, but Meredith made an amazing shot and knocked Eric’s ball off the course. Then Peter made an amazing shot to win, but Eric and I got second place.
Back at Jenny and Geoff’s house we relaxed, ate good food, played darts and a couple of games of Settler’s of Catan (both of which I won of course J). It was hard to leave the next day. Not just emotionally, but practicality wise as well. Five of hired a taxi to pick us up at the orphanage the next morning. The unpaved roads were pretty muddy, and our taxi had bald tires and no four wheel drive. About 15 minutes after leaving the orphanage we got stuck on a muddy hill. I didn’t think we would make it out of there in that taxi. Some villagers helped push the car, and after over an hour we finally made it up the hill. Miraculously we didn’t get stuck anywhere else after that. Jenna, Marysunny and I took a small coaster for the next leg of our journey. The conductor tried to charge us 6000 shillings for the fare, but Marysunny was sitting in the front seat and was able to grab an old book of ticket receipts. She found that the fare was only 5000. The other Tanzanian passengers cracked up when the conductor got caught. Jenna told the conductor, “Sisi ni wajanja” (we are too clever), and the bus erupted in laughter all over again.
After a couple of days in Songea, for Easter Peter, Mateo and I headed up to the orphanage (where we had also spent Christmas). The journey to the orphanage was amazingly fast. After leaving Songea at 6:30 am, we arrived before 1 pm, just in time for lunch. The travel home, on the other hand, took over 11 hours. It was wonderful to relax with friends up there and play with the orphans. On Saturday afternoon we watched a football (soccer) match of orphans against villager kids. And then later that evening had a dance party with the orphans. I don’t know where they learn it, but some of those rural African orphans can really cut a rug!
On Easter we took the orphans to Fox Farms, a nearby resort, where the orphans mixed it up with the kids of expatriates in a candy hunt and balloon fight. In the afternoon the kids went back to the orphanage and the PCVs, besides Tally who was sick all day L, played an awesome game of croquet at the resort. The four teams consisted of Peter and Jenny, Eric and me, Marysunny and Meredith, and Jenna and Jess. Mateo and Christine were judges. Special Fox Farms rules are that if you swear while on the croquet course you must roll down a grassy hill as punishment. Fox Farms also provided us with some terrible wine that they didn’t want. So Mateo and Christine dolled out glasses of wine as punishment for bad shots or other arbitrary misdemeanors. Eric and I became the most hated team because we liked to knock everyone else’s ball off the course every chance we got. Mostly Eric knocked his own ball off the course as well. I wasn’t very popular when I knocked Meredith’s ball over the edge of the course and lost it. But luckily Peter found it for me. Eric and I were one stroke away from winning, but Meredith made an amazing shot and knocked Eric’s ball off the course. Then Peter made an amazing shot to win, but Eric and I got second place.
Back at Jenny and Geoff’s house we relaxed, ate good food, played darts and a couple of games of Settler’s of Catan (both of which I won of course J). It was hard to leave the next day. Not just emotionally, but practicality wise as well. Five of hired a taxi to pick us up at the orphanage the next morning. The unpaved roads were pretty muddy, and our taxi had bald tires and no four wheel drive. About 15 minutes after leaving the orphanage we got stuck on a muddy hill. I didn’t think we would make it out of there in that taxi. Some villagers helped push the car, and after over an hour we finally made it up the hill. Miraculously we didn’t get stuck anywhere else after that. Jenna, Marysunny and I took a small coaster for the next leg of our journey. The conductor tried to charge us 6000 shillings for the fare, but Marysunny was sitting in the front seat and was able to grab an old book of ticket receipts. She found that the fare was only 5000. The other Tanzanian passengers cracked up when the conductor got caught. Jenna told the conductor, “Sisi ni wajanja” (we are too clever), and the bus erupted in laughter all over again.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
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