Saturday, July 2, 2011

KILI

Just getting back from the Kili climb and also the safari with a bunch of friends including Erin who came from America (well actually Germany but you get it). Any way, when I found out that I was going to serve in PC Tanzania Erin and I started to plan on her visiting and climbing kili but to tell you the truth I didn’t actually think that it would happen. The climb took 4.5 days up and 1.5 down and it wasn’t the easiest thing ever. The day hikes were fun and the sun was mostly sunny (one day had A LOT of wind) but the nights were always super cold. Also once we got to day 4, breathing wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. We would simply wake up and sit up and already be out of breath. The day of the summit, you wake up at 11pm and drink chai and get ready and then we left at 12am. The hike is SUPER slow and you are super thankful because at that slow pace you are super out of breath. My stomach started hurting really bad and felt nauseas but not to the point where I had to stop. We got to the summit just as the sun was coming up and it was AWESOME and BEAUTIFUL. To the left were glaciers, to the right there was a volcano crater and straight ahead there was the sign for the highest point in Africa!! After taking our pictures we started the trip down (shorter route) and it turns out that it was all sand. Going down the sand was supposed to be “fun” but I am not good at going down hill and I was scared of falling so I was super slow. By the time we made it back to the tent we had time for a 2 hour nap before waking up and eating then heading down another 3-4 hours. Sleeping wasn’t easy in the tents so when we were finished we all collapsed onto our hotel beds and didn’t move. We then went on our safari which was super relaxing because you legit just sit in a car all day! We really enjoyed people watching because whole families were all dressed up wearing full out matching safari gear with cool cameras and we all looked like dirty villagers lol. The trip came to an end and Erin and I went to my vil to hang out. The vil loved erin and wanted her to stay forever and she even had to fend off some marriage proposals. The children were all a little freaked seeing 2 white people which was weird because they were super standoffish but hey when you are scared you are scared. The last leg of the trip was coming back to Dar to see her off to the airport and that is where I am right now, in the hotel!!!
I am super pumped hoping that when I get back my water project will be moving forward and I have a great training planned for the end of the month in Iringa so that should be super cool. The following month of Aug I have MSC (mid-service conference) then off to IRELAND!!! Cant believe that Courtney is getting married! CRAZY!

SORRY

So I havent written a blog in a really long time, which is half because I am lazy but mostly because I have fallen into thinking that what I am doing is just mundane. I remember reading pc blogs when I was in America about how their life was so boring even though it seemed pretty awesome to me. So I am sorry and I will try to tell you all about my life just incase you think any of it is interesting.

1) Funerals in my vil:
So my vil has had a lot of deaths which is not cool but it is an interesting cultural exchange. Here when someone dies they ring the bells at 6am 3 times then pause then 3 times pause 3 times over and over for about 2 minutes. This tells the village that there will be a funeral today and you shouldnt go to the farm. Life is pretty normal until 12 when the bells ring again which means go to the church. Before 12 people go and dig the grave site and women are at the house of the deceased cooking and helping the family. When the bells start to ring at 12 everything closes down and everyone goes to the church where there is a short blessing. After the blessing everyone goes out to the gravesite which is right next to the church and there is a lot of singing. When we get out to the gravesite the men put the casket into the ground and the priest says prayers before friends are called forward to throw dirt in. When everyone is settled back the men fill in the dirt. The priest then talks for awhile and people put flowers onto the gravesite. When this is finished the women come forward and pour water over the dirt and cry and people slowly go to the families house. At the house there is a meal for the whole village. People, for the next 3 days, bring money and food and also help cook.

2) Parties in the Vil:
So we have been having a lot of parties lately and they all seem to be about the same. First everyone files in to music and we sit. Once we sit the schedule is told to us then it gets underway. For nurses days we all lined up and sang songs and walked around the village for a good 20/30 minutes to then return and sit down to stare at each other and listen to music for 10minutes. After some music we lit candles while singing the song that is translated to “light the candle, light the candle, light the candle friend”. We then walked to the hospital and walked into the 3 wards with patients, all awhile singing the candle song. This was followed by more music and staring but also drinking a soda. There then was speeches and gift giving followed by more music. We finally ate food and listened to music and the party was over! Fun times!

3)Preschool updates: the kids know all of the animals and things in my English books and they don’t really get the songs that I try to teach them so we are mostly concentrating on Kiswahili and the alphabet that they use. I have one teacher with me now and I hope to have another starting in July. Preschool is pretty cool but it def takes a lot out of me most days because trying to get the kids to listen is impossible some days. Today we marched around outside singing “Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night” then we played tag and just ran around. My old head teacher is getting married in July to the Bishop of the Anglican church so that is exciting for her but stinks for me because I’m busy trying to find replacements! The kids are loving it but I am having a seriously hard time getting them to pay the tutition which is an uphill battle but hopefully will work itself out.

3) Things that happen here that totally would have been crazy in America:
Was playing netball in the field with all of the women when two cows came charging through to try and graze in the field.
Had my health club cancelled all month because the students were required to work in the teachers farms instead of go to class
I ate cow stomach, long story but in the end it isn’t too bad.
I was sitting at a friends house with other volunteers just laying around getting ready for bed and 2 bats came in and none of us moved, we just said “well theres bats in the house”. If I was in the states I probably would have been scared and running trying to get it out but I feel like there is much scarier things now.
Got proposed to at least 10 times last month (no yeses yet!)
I payed 5USD for my hotel room
I poo in a hole
I was at a restaurant over looking the ocean drinking a beer when then I bought a soccer ball and then got my toenails painted, big toe is the American flag and the baby toes are all the Tanzanian flag! all that greatness and I didn’t even have to leave my chair.