Mtwara

Mtwara!! So my friend and I decided to extend with the UN WFP (world food program) here in Mtwara and we are really pumped. I got into the University of Detroit Mercy for their MCD (Masters in Community Development) and I asked to defer until second semester and they agreed!! So I signed a contract with WFP to work until December on their cash transfer pilot project. We are living in town now which is crazy different from the village, I mean electricity and water!! It has been hard not having the same community that living in a village brings but it is really nice to be doing bigger programs and learning more about international development. We use our bikes to get everywhere and we are getting in “beach body” shape because we living about 10mins from the beach! Our area of town is legit surrounded by the ocean and we can even take a small boat with our bikes to get to white sand beaches that go on for as long as you can see!! Work is crazy for now because we are trying to get 2200 people on the same page when the only reliable form of communication is word of mouth but it is fun! We go out to the villages often and we are close to being fully functional. Our program pairs nutritional lessons with a cash incentive. At first I thought that this program wasn’t very sustainable but now that I am in it I am really for it. We are giving the education on how to have a nutritious meal with things that can be locally grown and how being healthier affects your child that you are breastfeeding (the program is for pregnant women and people breastfeeding). We are then pairing the education with money that they can then go buy the food that will help them become more healthy. We are allowing them to make the decision to buy the food and invest in their child’s nutrition or to use the money for other things, either way its their choice and we are hoping they chose to change their diets in thus experiencing behavior change. Behavior change is something that i have been working on for the past two years and it is not a simple thing. People, no matter where they come from get set in their ways, think about all of the studies that come out that you don’t listen to, I mean really do you drink 8 glasses of water a day? I am happy and I am pumped to see the program get off of the ground! Hope all is well with everyone back home  I got to get back to work!

Moving on up

Getting ready to move was super super crazy! I had to figure out what to do with all of my things that I could not take and then try to figure out how to fit the rest into bags! If you have any experience with tz you know that traveling can be stressful. I was able to fit all of my things into a big backpack, a big duffel, a smaller backpack and a Rubbermaid container. I was surprised that I was able to fit it all but in the end this was WAY too much haha. I first had to take a bus from milo to njombe, from there I put all of my things at the stand for the next bus and took that bus to Iringa. I spent a few nights in Iringa hanging out with friends and saying bye then jumped on a bus to Dar. The bus from Dar left at 7am but I had to get there at like 6:15am because I was traveling with 2 other friends and all together we had 19 bags!! We got to the standi and starting trying to get all the bags in and it created a scene because normally you are only allowed 1 maybe 2 bags per person. To be able to shove all of the bags in and get seats we had to have a game plan so one person fought her way in and saved seats and then us 2 were running back and forth trying to make sure our bags were not getting stolen and more importantly that our bags were getting onto the bus to dar. We were maybe in hour out when our bus starting having problems and we were forced to stop and wait for another bus, this was a HUGE problem because what were the odds that they just had another bus sitting around that could take us to dar? We sat around and then climbed into the drivers seat and took pictures and then sat some more and then out of nowhere a bus pulled up to take us to Dar. This was when crazy when to crazy, you see even though your ticket says you will sit in A1, if you are late you are not sitting there haha. We had one person legit shove her way onto the bus to secure 3 seats in a row. While she was doing that me and my other friend ran one at a time with bags to the new bus to make sure our bags didn’t get lost or left behind. This took some time and a lot of passing things up through the window but in the end, we had 3 seats and all of our bags were on the bus!! Crazy life that we live huh? Anywho it was all worth it because once in dar there is AMAZING food everywhere and plenty of friends to share good conversations with!

Sorry for the wait, but im movin up

6-1-2012 Vil life is just so different than life in the states and its hard to explain but I will try in this blog. Imagine if there were no cars and we had to walk around instead of driving and to add to that there is no electricity so there is no reason to be in your house. There isn’t too much light in the house so cutting your veggies and other things is easier outside. So imagine that everyone is outside all the time so you get to talk to everyone every day. But since you talk to everyone every day you know all of their business, so there isn’t any such thing as a secret. Also there isn’t any “work” in the vil so everyone is in the farm most of the day. Not many people have money so going to town is not a normal event. I have some older friends that have never even been to town (only place with electricity or a post office). Also since you have been in the vil your whole life you know everyone and anyone. I can ask my counterpart who someone is and no matter who it is she will know them. This closeness helps in time of need like when a funeral happens. When someone dies the whole community chips in with work and also some money, it is a common rule that everyone gives 200sh or more. Women help cook and make sure that guests are fed and the men dig the grave. Its cool to see how the vil comes together in times of need, something that doesn’t/wouldn’t happen in the states. I always surprise my villagers when I tell them that I can’t name everyone on my block. Another thing about the vil is that there is dirt everywhere, it takes awhile to get used to the fact that you have to scrub your feet all of the time because you walk on dirt to get anywhere. In the States you never walk on dirt, its all cement. In the states it is cold but its not the same, we don’t really just hangout in the cold, we are always indoors which is heated by electricity while here it is just as cold inside or even colder. Many differences but all in all it both are very nice places to live, Hope all is well and sorry this is so late! Amy

Great blog that i stole and also a youtube video

Great blog below about peace corps, couldnt have said it better myself!!

http://waidsworld.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/the-real-peace-corps/

Funny video about peace corps TOO TRUE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koUWaAr-itY

ZINDUKA

Zinduka soccer
So I just received the honor to attend a grassroots zinduka soccer seminar with 9 other volunteers and 30 counterparts. I chose to bring my friend Joel who helped me with the WAD (World AIDS Day) event, he also helped me start the health club in the primary school so it seemed like a great choice. I had to bring 2 counterparts so I let Joel choose the second so I ended up with Joel and Vitalis. This seminar is designed to teach us to be master coaches but really it taught on how to be a role model. The grassroots program has an age target of 10-19 with 10 lessons. The lessons should be done in 3 months and each child should go through the program once. Each lesson involves different topics but they are all HIV/AIDS related. An example of a lesson is that there is a goal and two lines of people about 30ft out. One line of kids is HIV and the other line is a striker line. For the first round the striker line is abstaining from sex so you blow the whistle and after the kid reaches about half way you blow it again and the kid in the HIV line tries to catch him before he reaches the goal (representing their life goals). The second round the striker line has to dribble 1 ball representing one sexual partner, a few kids gets caught by HIV. In the 3rd round the striker line has to dribble 2 or 3 balls representing multiple partners where they all pretty much get caught. This lesson, like all of the lessons is very visual and I am SO PUMPED to have learned it!! Of course you have to know your audience and adjust accordingly but all in all these are great games to get kids out of the classroom but really learning. Also the most important thing about this project is that it opens up conversation with safe people who have time to hear them out. My counterparts are expected to be role models and always there for the kids and their questions which I really think can foster a safe environment which will help to dispel myths and bring out real information.

update

Life in milo is going great, im just working at the CTC (Care and Treatment Clinic) and getting ready for my preschool to open. I had about 63 kids last year but most of them have moved on to the primary school so im going to be looking at a MUCH smaller class, which is good for all parties. I hope that it goes well and that we will be able to get the kids doing good work. As of now my COS (Close of Service) date is Aug 17th but in May but I have a COS conference where I will find out the exact date which could range from july to aug. I haven’t yet found a good 3rd year extension opportunity, World Vision doesn’t have any openings, but I am still on the look-out. I hope that it all works out.
The other day was pretty busy with the CTC, I was doing file paper work and whatnot just helping out when I saw that a guy had a CD4 count of 2!!! To start ARVs you have to have below a 300 because at that time your body is at serious risk of infection, your immune system is down. For someone to have a 2 they must be super sick. I then had a woman come in and while I was trying to find her file the other staff was talking about TB, I was half listening and then the women went to get up leaning forward and coughing on me at the same time, I turned and asked the staff who had TB and what do you know the woman who coughed on me does! Haha figures huh?
I was talking with my counterpart and a friend by all of the shops about just random things, getting in on all of the good gossip and who was pregnant with whom when she directed the convo to me. She gave me a good motherly talk about how I need to make sure not to get pregnant because my parents will be disappointed and that I need to finish my masters first. She said that all the guys in the village are liars and I need to make sure that if I want a boyfriend in Tanzania he couldn’t be married. Why you may ask? “Because his wife will find out and tell the wizards and get a potion and put it in your drink and you will be poisoned”. Some other advice is not to accept an opened drink from a man, are you thinking date rape? NOPE “love potion” from the wizard could be in there!! Gotta love the cross of cultures.
I was talking to another peace corps volunteer about how a villager broke her leg and I then said in Swahili “well, there are a lot of wizards and bad luck”. My friend gave the Swahili word of agreement and I walked outside where I realized that what I said was super Tanzanian and came back in said “OMG did you hear what I just said? What will happen when I get back to the states and blame things on bad luck and wizards?” haha
For new years I was in Mbeya staying with a lot of volunteers at lake Malawi enjoying the sun and a few hikes. We went to a waterfall with a lagoon at the bottom and it was soooo pretty on the hike and at the waterfall. In the movies they make standing under a waterfall look so cool and fun BUT in reality the water kinda hurts lol, its coming down pretty fast and its not like a shower head at all! We had a lot of fun and it was cool to meet people from all around. I then went to Mbeya town and stayed with a bunch of people at a friend’s apartment (he is a pcv but teaches at the university so has a nice apartment on campus). We bought a lot of voucher for our internet sticks and watched football all night!! The next day we just relaxed and went to bed kinda early bc the Michigan game was on at 4am. Glenn and I got up around 3:15 so that we had enough time to find a good website to watch and we ate cereal and cold milk (first time in country, it cost a pretty penny) and drank a few beers as the Wolverines kicked butt!!!! I can’t wait for next football season where I can see a football game at a normal hour on a bigger than 8 inch screen!

World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is December 1st every year and Peace Corps offers grants for volunteers to have events, this year my sitemate (close peace corps person) Tim and I both wrote grants for 500,000tsh (max that you can get) and decided to have a joint event for the whole Ward. Since our community is a farming one we decided to have the party on a Sunday (the 4th) when no one goes to the farm. We put together a great team and got to planning. We decided to have a few main events, which included free HIV testing, a baba cookoff (with women judges) and soccer games. By having free testing by an outside source more people would be willing to test, a baba cookoff was to show that men can cook too and to have a gender equality portion to the event and the soccer games was to guarantee that they young people came out. We also put together secondary school students who would do a few HIV raps and a play about the effects of HIV on the community.
On the day of the event we had to finish building the covered stage area and get all of the supplies to the appointed places, which was harder than you would think. We had testing in the clinic, cooking in the primary school, the stage at the fields and we had to get the supplies from Tim’s house (which was down the hill). We had music blaring, condom demos, HIV videos and testing all day while the men were cooking. We had fun games which included a contest to see how fast you could go with a spoon in your mouth with an egg on it (super funny), we also had men running round with tied kangas on to see how far they could go without them falling. We had many speeches, singing groups, drummers, theatre, free HIV pamphlets, magazines and an awesome Q&A session. The people involved were super thrilled and eager to answer and get involved which was great. To round off the day we had 2 soccer games going with all of the teams from the ward, followed by a championship game. Of course my village won!!!!! We then had everyone meet back up at the stage to announce all of the winners for the day (cooks, soccer games and how many people that tested). The head food tester (all were women) gave a great speech on how her husband helps her at home and had a lot of jokes about how some of the cooks put too little or too much salt. All in all it was just a GREAT experience where a lot of information was given and questions/myths were addressed. 94 people tested that day, 7 positive (they were referred to the CTC clinic in Milo). The district nurses worked the whole time they were there and didn’t even have time to eat because the line was so long at all times. I am super happy with the turn out and all of the work was super worth it!!!!
TANZANIA BILA YA UKIMWI INAWEZAKANA!!!! (Tanzania without HIV it is possible)

Random convos and food stories

Scene: My counterpart Tekra just realized that my friend Tala, who came to visit, was leaving the next morning.
Tekra: OH NO I didn’t bring her a gift!
Me: Its fine she is American she doesn’t need a gift, she would be mad if you gave her a chicken
Tekra: Why!
Me: Because it will poop and pee all over on the bus
Tekra: I will put it in a bag
Me: She still won’t want it
Tekra: What if I cook it first
Me: Well, if you cook it and put it in a hot pot then maybe she will want it

Scene: In the CTC clinic with the workers (convo was in English well, special English)
Workers: We are testing so many people today
Me: Good, its good to know your status
Worker: Do you need to test
Me: If you want me to I will, but I know my status is negative
Worker: You use a condom? You haven’t had naked sexual with anyone?
Me: Naked sexual? No, I haven’t been having any naked sexual

Random food stories: I went with some friends to go get rice and beans for dinner when we were in Iringa but we realized that I needed to meet someone back at the hotel in 10minutes so I told them to just bring me back food. Well, when they came back they had rice and beans in a plastic bag haha. This is totally normal here, you eat with your hands so it is no biggie to just put your food in a plastic bag or newspaper. Erin was here visiting from Germany in June and when we were on the bus, a lady came on to sell fried chicken out of a bucket, I thought “wow I want some” and apparently Erin thought it was the weirdest thing ever ha. If food isn’t sold hot in a plasic bag or wrapped in newspaper how can you trust that it was just cooked?? Think about it
On the bus to somewhere far you are stuck in a small place for a LONG time and so you get hungry, but have no fear!!! Buses stop to get more and more people along the way, but what is awesome is that you can buy food out of the widow! The food is generic; roasted corn, juice, hard boiled eggs, chips, peanuts, cookies, (in Iringa) yogurt, fruit (depends on the season), red bulls and even sometimes you can get French fries. The bus to Dar stops once for 15 minutes at a rest stop and you can get the above mentioned but also meat, French fries with egg, samosas, a full buffet (rice, uglai, meat, veggies, potatoes). The thing with all of this food is that if it is tainted with anything, you still have another 4-5 hours left on the bus so you better not get diarrhea!!
The other day I saw kids outside throwing rocks at the ground and trying to catch things and I asked them what they were doing and they replied that they were catching grasshoppers. They had different techniques that included rocks, sticks, and bottles. It was super funny to watch but after a while I wondered what they were going to do with the catch. Turns out they stick them on a bike spoke and shish-kabob them on the fire! I thought that this was super cool and asked for some when they were done and let me tell you, it was tasty!!! I told my mother this story the other day and she was horrified and I just laughed because I didn’t, for one minute, think that it was gross.

I recently wrote a grant and after many revisions it has been passed on to Washington DC and put on the Peace Corps website. The grant is for a water tank for my village that will be able to serve the hospital as well as the village. A PCPP (Peace Corps Participatory Program) is a grant you write through the Peace Corps who then pass it on to the headquarters; if it is passed it then goes on the website for people to donate. The risk with this grant is that you may not get the money raised or you may not get the money raised in the timeframe of your service. It is my hope and prayer that we may get this money raised in a timely fashion so that we may start building! In case you are interested my proposal is here below:
“Milo is a promising hardworking village with an unfortunate water shortage. The water tank that is being used now is gravity fed with a large source but the tank is too small for the villagers to get water daily. This problem is further exemplified with the fact that Milo has a hospital that services all of the surrounding villages. The hospital is not exempt from the water shortage which puts many people in stress. This project will build a holding tank that is 60,000L which can service 3,000 people. The whole community is involved in this project by donating not only the work to build but also their village resources including rocks and aggregate that will be needed.
With the work of building this tank, new trades will be learned as in how to build and repair the tank. The district is sending their water engineer and also their masonry technician to make sure that the villagers understand what is happening and how to make repairs. After the tank is finished the village will be able to more easily receive water and also have the skill set to make repairs to that tank.”
In the grant itself there is a breakdown of number of people effected by the new tank, schedule of work, budget and many other interesting things about the project. If you are interested in seeing the whole grant email me your name, address and email so I can forward it to Washington and you will be sent the whole grant. Also if you are interested in donating go to the link below.


https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=621-224

Amadeus, also known as simba (lion) because of his “big
fierce mouth”, is one of my best friends here in Tanzania. He is always there
wanting attention sitting next to me with his head on my lap or laying on top
of my feet. He loves to play fetch and run after chickens and ducks BUT there
is one problem. Amadeus runs after people too lol, children and people are
super scared of him and they run away so of course he runs after them. He also
runs after cars, motorcycles and bikes if they pass his way. And God forbid
someone walks by my house! I watched the dog whisperer and found that I need to
get his energy down by walking him more so I take him for long walks everyday
where he makes a horrible sound because all he does is choke himself the whole
time trying to run! What to do next? Well I got him neutered, this was not an
easy decision because come on, we are in the VILLAGE. To get ready I took him
to a neighboring village through the woods so he would be happy and bought him
some big fish. This made him happy but when it came time to tie him to the tree
he wasn’t exactly the happiest dog in the world. It took 5 guys to get him into
position and then I left because I couldn’t watch (how will I ever have kids?).
It didn’t take too long and he is healing nicely in the house and I have kept a
fire going so he is warm and I have been feeding him like a king! I hope this
procedure will calm him because having him run away all the time terrorizing
the village is going to get himself killed!!
Random story time:
·
I was reading a sesame street book to the
preschoolers (trying to translate) and when I talked about Oscar eating trash
one boy started yelling “He eats soap”? so of course I stopped and said yes he
eats soap so he then said “He eats soap and doesn’t get sick”? … This boy spent
the rest of the day whispering to the others that Oscar eats soap and doesn’t
get sick lol
·
I have been helping my friend sell things in her
shop because one day I hope to be able to sell all by myself! It is great, you
sit there and talk with people, get free food and have to do basic math for
change and what not. Yesterday I was behind the counter and someone came in and
was so surprised that I can do the math for change, I told the guy that I have
a university degree and I can do math but he said the translations must be very
hard to do in math. Well so far I am able so I hope he is wrong.
·
My favorite family here is the Kilwale family.
The dad was an amazing man with great English so we talked all the time. He had
cancer and when he got super sick I went to see him every day because he loved
to speak English. Over the next 6 or 7 months I grew super close to the family
and I feel like I am part of it now. Mzee Kilwale has 15 children and out of
the 15 I know 12 extremely well and of course I know 24 of his grandchildren
that scream my name when I walk towards the house. I am also good friends with
his brother and sister and know pretty well another 2 siblings. Sadly Mzee
passed away in July but I still make a point to go visit Mama Kiwale and all of
the children and grandchildren. They are so kind and I love walking up to the
house feeling like a celebrity because I have kids everywhere chanting my name
rushing up to me for a hug. The relationships that I am making here are amazing
and are helping me to grow as a person in ways I didn’t know was even possible!

9-25-11
As of right now at the preschool we have 2 teachers who are working the preschool everyday but one is about to go to school starting in January. The teacher that is going to start school is one of my closest friends and I am the one saving up to send her to school (by the way her name is Jen). Jen has been helping me with things around my house for many months now, like laundry and such and she also stays at my house when I am gone to watch/feed Amadeus. She is really trusted by a lot of villagers and so I am really lucky that I became friends with her. She went to high school all the way to senior year before becoming pregnant and getting kicked out. She has always told me that she wanted to go back to school and I told her that I would help. As of now I am paying her to clean at my house and also to teach and I thought that she would be able to use that money to send herself to school but turns out she is paying her sisters school fees as well as trying to put a real roof over her family’s head. I went to see her house for the first time not too long ago and I was shocked. They have no glass in their windows, no steel roof, no true cooking area, and that was just from the outside. As you may know it gets VERY cold here especially at night and since her windows are open (there is some old corn husks put in for insulation) it probably gets very cold. So her spending the money to try and make the family house better is a-ok with me.
School fees are actually really cheap but it will take some payments for me to be able to cover everything. She is going to check out some schools this coming month and we will see what the bill comes up to. Since she was kicked out of the nearby school she will have to board plus normal fees and uniform and such. I am thinking that it shouldn’t be more than 60,000tsh which is like 40ish dollars. I hope all goes to plan because as you should know, education is a gateway that leads to only positive things.
I have been here now, in my vil for over a year and it is starting to seem as though I am leaving tomorrow and I need to get moving! So I have made a list of things that I still want to do in the vil and assigned a month for those activites. In October I am pushing SODIS which is an amazing way to disinfect water without boiling, you simply use the sun (www.SODIS.ch). There is a HUGE problem with people here and not boiling their water and being super sick. Even things like typhoid can be found at our hospital. As for November I plan on doing better chicken keeping practices along with better book keeping. My fellow peace corps volunteer is coming to run a seminar along with my village “vet”. I hope it goes well!! Also in October and November I plan on finishing up my 2 grants, one for the water tank and the other for a World AIDS Day party/ testing day. In December, Tim (sitemate/ closest neighbor) and I are planning a big party for World AIDS Day which will be held in his village and we are going to invite the whole ward (surrounding villages). The day will have entertainment (music, drummers, dancers), a film on HIV, a baba cook-off (showing the men can cook too!), and most importantly FREE HIV TESTING!!! The testing will be done by an outside organization, so no one should be worried that their status will be the talk of the town, which seems to be a universal concern. The party will also have speakers on HIV and condom stations and other information available! I hope this goes as well as I think it will go!! That brings us to January where I plan on doing either jamming (we have a lot of seasonal fruit) or more information on SODIS. If anyone has any other ideas let me know because I am pretty blank after those months lol
Well that is about it I will end this with some random stories.
1) A 3rd grader from the nearby school came up to me the other day telling me all about how mad he is because his little brother (in my preschool) knows English better than he does. He claims that Octovian (preschooler) is purposely not helping him with his homework lol. But after talking to him for a while I found out that the real problem is that he doesn’t have an English book for class, I asked how much the book was and the answer was 3,000tsh (less than 2 dollars). I told him I would talk to the head teacher to see if we can get him a book so he didn’t have to ask his little brother anymore. Octovian is very bright and I hope he is able to do well in school because he comes from a VERY poor family, well that’s not entirely true. His family has a lot of cows and a small shop where they sell produce BUT for some reason they children don’t reap any of the benefits (priorities?).
2) The other day I was sitting at the secondary school Catholic club graduation. To my right was a very smelly man and on my left was a great smelling man and the mixture was interesting. I was sitting there and thinking about how funny the party was when I realized that the DJ was talking about me and I was expected to get up and say something. Well needless to say I wow’ed them with my “My name is Amy, I’m from Milo, I am a Peace Corps Volunteer dealing with many activities”, yep SUPER high expectations lol. But the reason why I thought this party was so funny was because the DJ would play music, at a deafening volume, after each little speech and all the students would get up at do a few dance moves, the leader would pick a certain step and all the students did the same thing and then they would sit down. For hours and hours this goes on while me and the others at the high table watch, funny? I think so!
3) The last 2 times that I went to Tim’s village I have cut through the woods because its faster and each time I have ran into men asking for my number. Both times I started with saying no that I don’t know them and that I was late but in the end both times I ended up giving them my number. Days after the encounter I have gotten texts asking for marriage! Needless to say those numbers have been put on my ignore list!!
4) I went to a neighboring village that doesn’t get to see a lot of foreigners and man oh man was I the talk of the town. But the thing was, no one would actually come up to me, they all just stared a safe distance away. After most of the day was over I was sitting having a soda with the head of the village when a little old lady came in to greet me and to tell me “I am not scared of you” which I responded “that’s good”, she then said “everyone is scared and just waiting outside, but im not scared and I came in”. She then got up without another word and left lol, yep that’s my life!!

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.

“We Americans think you have to accomplish everything quickly. We’re the country of thirty-minute power lunches and two-minute football drills. Our leaders thought their “shock and awe” campaign could end the war in Iraq before it even started. HajI Ali taught me to share three cups of tea, to slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects. He taught me that I had more to learn from the people I work with than I could ever hope to teach them.”
Greg Mortenson
“What we are trying to do may be just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop” Mother Teresa

These are two quotes from the book Three Cups of Tea, a book on “One man’s mission to promote peace, one school at a time.” He went into Pakistan as a simple passer-byer trying to climb K2 and left changed forever. People like Mortenson and also Paul Farmer (Mountains beyond mountains, another GREAT book) have given up the “normal” American lifestyle and has dedicated their lives for the world’s less fortunate. I am deeply moved by these men and by others that do the same. To give up the “American dream” filled with large coffees, Ipad2s, the biggest baddest cars and faster fast food is, in my opinion, the bravest thing in the world. After being here for almost 9 months I find myself fighting to be more like the Farmers and the Mortensons but man oh man it is a struggle. I constantly crave what America has to offer and it drives me crazy that I cant just eat my rice and beans and ignore the March Madness. Before doing my international travel I really didn’t understand American culture and even after Bolivia and Kenya I still had only a small idea of what American culture really was. But being here for so long has really taught me thing or two. I was recently talking to my friend Mama Sara when we started to talk about funerals in America and she was just appalled that you had to pay for it! Here in the vil, when someone dies the whole vil comes together and brings supplies and digs the grave and makes a lot of food for the family. The next day all of the shops are closed and everyone heads over to the church for the funeral followed by everyone going to the house of the family and sharing a meal. I started to really think about how much money runs life in the US and how it affects relationships. If you are late in the US, there is just no way you are going to stop and greet someone or even acknowledge their presence, I mean if you are late for work you could be fired!!! But here I am constantly late because I have to greet so many people on the way and simply greeting while walking will not do for the elders, I have to walk over to them and “greet them properly” with a handshake. Could you imagine that in the states? People taking an extra 15-20 minutes to ask about someone’s family, house, work but not just asking but actually listening to the reply? Don’t get me wrong, I love how fast things are in the states I mean you can be eating food after 3 minutes in the microwave! But do we take it too far? Here, I know all my neighbors and almost everyone in my village, but in the states I can only name maybe 25% of my block where I have lived my whole life. After reflecting on this for a long time I have come to realize that in the states, going to my neighbors house to just talk really didn’t fit into my too busy schedule but is that really true? I know I thought I was super busy but is that a good excuse for not making relationships? I really enjoy just slowing down and making real relationships, apposed to the “whats up” relationship where you say “sup” but don’t actually expect an answer from the person. Sorry about all the random thoughts going on here but I have found myself with a lot of time to think here and these are the types of things that go through my head. ALSO I am nowhere near perfect with this whole impersonal quality when it comes to American culture, I mean I am currently typing out a blog on my laptop with my internet phone right here and my ipod blaring in my ears haha, baby steps baby steps.

Vil life has been going well: the preschool is up a running, health club is going well, Big Brothers Big Sisters is in the works, English classes are full of dedicated people, the garden that we built at the mission is HUGE and growing very well and the Bible college classes (health and English) are also going really well. I would say my one main difficulty is the water project that I want to get started ASAP but am having trouble trying to figure out how to do that. I have contacted the District water engineer which just got me nowhere and talking to peace corps so far hasn’t gotten me any closer to figuring things out. But do not fear, I am planning a trip to Dar to go to the peace corps office and sit down and figure things out! On another note I am finally eating from my garden which is nice and Amadeus is growing like a weed! I am in the works of planning a Kilimanjaro climb in June and I am hoping to hike over the Livingstone mountains to Lake Malawi soon so lots on the plate for hiking!

One last thing CONGRATS to the Lady Flyers bball team for winning the GLVC conference and going to the NCAA tournament! You guys are awesome and didn’t give up when things weren’t going your way. To the seniors, I love you guys like family and I wish you guys the best and you ALL had great careers and I am honored to have played with you!!!

That’s about it! Love and miss yall!!! AND a HUGE THANK YOU to the Carbaugh and Turpel families who sent me amazing packages!! I am truly blessed to have the support of so many people as I am here and I also want to say a big thank you to EVERYONE especially God who is always there for you! HAPPY LENT and remember “with the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” James 3:9-10 What you say can help or hurt someone, try to encourage someone and or say something nice to someone everyday this lent, because like Mother Teresa said even the smallest drops makes a difference in the ocean.
Amy

Busy life

2-21-10
So I have been busy busy trying to make a full schedule for the next month or two and I have found that it will be a busy next few months! My villagers want to learn English and has been asking since the day that I got here so that is starting March 1st and the middle school health club mixed with a pseudo-Big Brothers Big Sisters is set to start March 3rd. The plan is to have the English class once a week on Tuesday (after my English and health classes that I teach at the bible college), then every Wednesday have a health club meeting. The local secondary school (where my sitemate lives) and I will meet once a month (on the 3rd Saturday) with our health clubs to try out Big Brothers Big Sisters. Our plan is to have topics for discussion, ie goal setting, then just give time for the kids to form relationships and have fun. Lewis University Athletics has also written letters to the kids with some good advice for goal setting (BIG THANK YOU). So that puts me and teaching preschool M-F, teaching health and English to the Bible college T&TR, teaching English to the villagers T and running the health club on Wednesdays. BUSY BUSY!!
This past weekend has been one of the most relaxing, fun and just down right American weekends that I have had in awhile! A group of us from the Njombe area got into cars of some expats in the area and drove down to a lake house for a birthday party. The expats here are a group of close knit people who have really embraced us as friends which is awesome because you can always have more friends! So at the lake house we were able to go out on the jet ski and kneeboard and ski behind it all awhile eating AMAZING food! They bbq’d a goat and 5 marinated chickens on top of many side dishes! The party went late into the night and just was a good ole time. The next morning at the expats house there was coffee and an amazing flat screen tv with a great satellite. I know, it cant get any better right? It can! We then had the opportunity for a hot shower and an amazing breakfast, which included fried eggs, bacon, sausage and toast! I know I know AMAZING!! After our great breakfast it was back out on the water for it was a beautiful day full of sunlight and more great food!…. Times like these are such a blessing for me and I am so happy I was able to go! Getting back to the village today and getting down to work! LOVE AND MISS YALL!

random thoughs

1-26-2011
I am currently laying in my bed at 7:17pm, which is my normal crawl into bed time. You may think wow why go to bed so early? The answer is simple, there is no electricity. Why sit up all night in the dark? Its not that I go to bed at 7, I just go into my bed and read or maybe even write a letter. I have been in Milo trying to get work done for 5-6 months and it is slowly getting easier. In Milo I find that the people are motivated and some are truly educated (hospital staff), so if I ask my health related questions they know the answers but they just don’t do them. This poses a really tough situation because I need to figure out how to motivate behavior change. I am open to any suggestions. Changing subjects, today at preschool I asked Alex(2yrs) where his grandma was and his response “kule” makes me laugh because it sounds like “kuuuulllllleeee” depending on how far she was, the longer the “ule” the further (same with pale).This becomes a problem when trying to ask for directions because they just point and say pale or kule which just means in that direction, needless to say I get lost a lot.
* Ive found that ducks are way better parents than chickens. They protect their ducklings and stand up to threats, they also sport an awesome mo-hawk when they are really mad. Chickens are super stupid and just run in zig zags when they are scared leaving their chicks running after them.
*I LOVE my puppy so much and I am already sad that I need to find him a new home for when I leave. I see people beating dogs all of the time and I really don’t want my Amadeus ending up with a mean family. I have been thinking if it has been a good idea that I took him in the first place because I love him so much.
*My vil has a large forest area and from the hospital road you can see an open pasture on the next hill and the sun hits it just right so it looks like the Twilight baseball field.
*How to make ugali: take corn off the cob and let it dry, take it to the machine and grind it up to a flour, dry the flour, boil water and place a few spoon fulls of the flour in it, after that boils stir super fast and get all of the clumps out, take a bowl and put a little bit of water in it, put the ugali in that bowl and flip it around so it’s a big ball, EAT…… Yep pretty much paste.
*The preschool is going good but I have realized that I am SO not cut out for it! I can not stand the kids lol,,, Yes they are cute but they don’t listen to me and run around and leave the classroom to go play and I just want to pull my hair out! They listen to anyone Tanzanian but me? NOPE
* I have a young mother helping me with chores around the house, her name is Jen and she was kicked out of high school for being pregnant. It may seem lame that I cant do it all by myself but it really is a lot of work when there is legit no machines or anything to help lol .. I have work and then I am trying to visit people and start more work only to come home and go get water, was dishes, cook on an open flame, wash clothes by hand, sweep and mop (don’t want bugs), and do the same outside because ciafu has made its sole mission to attack my house! It is just a lot of work and I suck at washing clothes so having her is going to make life A LOT easier.

Busy life

12-30-10
Life has been crazy as most of you already know. Thanksgiving was really nice because there was a lot of us PCVs together under one roof cooking all day and just having a good unwind. I was able to talk to my family and even my gma. The next day wasn’t so good when I found out my gma was in the hospital and it wasn’t looking good. Its crazy to think that my gma is gone now, she was a HUGE part in my life, she helped me in every way possible and I don’t know it is just crazy (still don’t believe it). When I got home from Thanksgiving I talked with my mom and she and some family figured out how I could get home for the funeral and I was gone the next day. Many many hours of travel later I was home in the snow! I was so nice to be home for the memorial and a good family lunch where we caught up and talked highly of gma Flo. I was in the states for awhile and I enjoyed every second, I even got to see baby Brianna the day she was born! Congrats to the Nagorski family! Anywho the trip was short and I found myself back in Dar sweating uncontrollably, I jumped on the first bus to Moro and was off to IST (In Service Training)… IST was nice because I was with my whole class (39 of us) and all of our counterparts (people from our vil’s that we plan on doing projects with). I was only there a few days but it seems as though my counterpart got a lot out of it and is super ready for work!.. I left moro with a large group and went to Dar for a few days where I swear it was America! It is so crazy that Tanzania has 2 extremes! We drank frozen drinks, ate cheese sticks, went swimming in awesome pools, went to the mall and even went to the movies! I forgot to mention, this whole time my new site-mate (PCV that lives closest to me) was babysitting my puppy Amadeus aka Ami….From Dar we went to Mafia Island for a nice x-mas BUUUUT it was not that way!! The boat there made me accept the fat that I would die, seriously I came to terms that I would die lol… it was a horrible boat in big ocean waves for 4-5 hours were I was practically drowning in the waves that were crashing into us in the boat. We finally got to the island but had to jump down into a smaller boat to get to land, this was just like getting onto the boat where everyone is impatient and it was just crazy, needless to say a mama pushed me and I fell into the small boat banging up my leg! When we finally got onto land we went to our hotel (its dark by now) and turns out they have no rooms and they only reserved 2 for the next day when they were saposta reserve 5!! We then begged a hotel owner to let us stay at his hotel for half price (we are poor) and he finally agreed, it felt good to get a bed finally but we all woke up with bed bugs! …The next day we went on a wild goose chase to find a hotel in our price range and ended up in the ghetto so I decided right there I was willing to throw a few more dollars out. Tala, Trudy and I went to the other side of the island (nice side) and told the guy at the gate that we wanted to just look and would be out ASAP but he said we still had to pat the 30,000tsh to get in the gates! We argued that we are volunteers and that we are residents and should pay the Tanzanian fee (2,000tsh) but they decided that we make American wages living in Tz so we were turned away. Needless to say we were on the boat the next morning back to Dar! … The remainder of the break was nice and relaxing full of Glee and Modern family and also some hot coco with marshmallows… When I got back to my vil they were super happy to see me and I was happy to get Amadeus back, turns out though that he was being trained in tribal so I had to learn too lol … Now im just trying to get motivated to write out a schedule and to seriously start work b/c I only have a year and a half left and I need to get moving!… Oh I forget I got 4 packages on top of all the stuff I brought back from America THANK YOU NAGORSKI FAMILY, KELLY, COLLEEN, AND OF COURSE GRANDMA!! … I was/am the envoy of peace corps members right now with the amount of American goodies I have! …Anywho it’s the rainy season and my clothes are not drying lol, should’ve thought of that b4 washing all of them! … Ami is too small for his collar and everyone laughs really hard when I carry him, they call him an American dog and are waiting to see what tricks he can do (did I mention I don’t know how to train a dog?). I bought a modum so I can get internet anywhere, but since I left Dar I hasn’t worked but I am trying to fix it so I can be online more often and even better to skype! … feel free to write letters and send anything your heart desires but PLEASE remember to write PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER on my package or I am stuck spending money I don’t have :/ Missing everyone and hope your new year is GREAT!!! ….

10/07/2010

Man oh man, I’ve been a busy bee these past few weeks! The Priest at the Anglican church and I have been having some really good conversations about what this village needs and we have some really good ideas on how to address those issues. Here once a child turns about 2 they are left home alone when the parents go out to the farm, that means that they do not get fed all day long. After talking with a lot of the hospital staff I have really seen that this is a main component to why the children are underweight at the weighing days. Another big issue is education where the kids are not ready for school, think about it in America before your child goes to school they can count and say their ABCs and maybe even add a little, here is not that way. Parents are at the farm all day and when they get back they need to go get water, cook, clean and do many more chores and after all of that they aren’t about to teach their kids anything. It is not good! What is a good solution? Well start a nursery school!!!! At the church there is also a bible school where there is extra classrooms, there is a large yard, there is a kitchen!! YES we are starting a nursery school here in Milo!!! We plan on feeding the kids and also teaching some basics and just giving them a safe place to go! …. I am super excited and I really hope it all works out! Besides all of that I have been doing nothing too special…. I asked a little girl to help me build a fence for my garden and I have never felt so useless in my life! She is 12 or 13 and she was doing 97% of the work and I was just standing there useless. We first had to go borrow a panga (machete) and go out to the woods and find wood for the frame, she was climbing and yelling down commands to me, which I totally didn’t understand so she had to climb down and do everything! She then said we needed rope, me being the American I am thought about how much money that rope will cost me, she then crawled under some brush and came out with a long vine and told me that was the rope! She then peeled tree bark with her teeth and said that “bark is the strong rope”…. YEA that was how the weekend went lol … I have been thinking a lot lately about how the heck I got here! How many small choices in life led to this moment where I am sitting under a mosquito net? Those questions often lead me to think, If I was in the states, what would I be doing? Ask any Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) how dangerous that questions is! That is the first sign that you will be sad ASAP! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my village and I am doing some good work but man oh man I miss everyone! I got a package from dev and a letter from Erin not too long ago when I was in Njombe and my friend here Jill said “How cute you still have friends” … She went on to say how she stopped getting letters long ago but how your PC friends start to become family because truly, no one can relate to you like they can…. I hope that my PC little family stays close but man I know I will be checking scores of the Lewis basketball/volleyball/soccer/softball and of course some swimming games/meets supporting my friends the way that they are supporting me …. I spent the past 4 years making a connection to a Lewis community and my friends and family from home are my rock and no amount of malaria or giardia or even sand fleas can change that! In other words I might be thousands of miles away but everyone back home, if you need anything I will be there for you! ………… Random thing also, I talked to Courtney the other day and the roosters were doing their normal “cock-a-doodle-doing” and to tell you the truth I didn’t even notice but all of sudden she just says “Amy, is that really a rooster” lol I didn’t even know how to answers besides saying “duh, I live in a village dude”.. I then talked to Resha and I told her my little helper girl went to go get me water (seen as a childs chore) and she says “Amy you have maids?” haha these little moments make me so happy to share my experiences with people back in the states…. Oh man I love my family and friends!!! …. Please keep me in your prayers, and keep your fingers crossed for the nursery school to get started (maybe even next month)!!!!
AMY

9/21/2010

Have you ever read a book in candle light while eating peas and drinking a warm beer? Well that is my night tonight. Today was pretty typical for my time here so far, I woke up at around 7 and finished my book that ive been reading (the white massai) and then rolled over and climbed out of my mosquito net. I then lit my kerosen small burner and started to boil water to make coffee then cracked open some eggs and cut up an onion and made myself a little omlette. I journaled and read my daily prayer book and started to clean up a bit. I swept my house and reorganized my potatoes because I have sooooooo many (gifts). I then got dressed and packed my work bag and was out of the house around 930am yet on my way out an old woman that was bit by a dog not too long ago stopped by and wanted to have oil and so I got her some and then also gave her a few eggs because I have alot any way. She then asked if I was a doctor and I said no but she lifted up her shirt and on her stomach is a huge tumor thing that is in need of attention bc it is open (ew). I told her to go to the hospital and I think she agreed but to tell you the truth she talks too fast and I didnt understand her, I could have promised her my first born child for all I know.I then walked to the hospital but stopping to greet everyone and I also dropped my phone off at the "duka" so they could charge it with their generator. At the hospital I translated some of the book that I am using right now and I made signs for the CTC clinic (where people go to get ARVs and also to get tested). I made some really good posters but forgot tape so I left and talked with some people on the road then went back to my house. At my house I made easy mac lol and read some of my new book. I returned to the hospital about an hour later but before getting there I sat and chatted with some store owners along the way. At the hospital I hung up the posters that I made and talked to some people before going back to the main part of town and just sat and talked with people and simply worked on my lacking language skills. I sat there for a long time before going home to cook dinner. I sarted my charcoal jiko and started to peel peas and soon realized I had no water so I asked a neighbor kid to get me some and in return I gave him gum (great deal). I was about half way done peeling when a woman I saw at the hospital came in my gate and told me she heard about me and that she is HIV positive and she is just starting ARVs, she then gave me A LOT more peas and sat down and helped me peel the rest of my peas. We talked about how I plan on starting a club for people living with HIV and that she is more than welcome and if she had any other questions feel free to ask. I then gave her a few eggs and a few plastic bags and she was off! I finished cooking the peas and read some more and here I am!!!.... FUN DAYS!!! .... On friday I watched baby weighing which was actually really sad because when a baby was underweight the mother was yelled at and not given any advice or anything so I think I will start meeting with the women whose babies are underweight and help them with nutrition and help them to plant a perma-garden (which is a way to make a garden that controls water and has high yields in little space). I also want to have a health club at the elementary school where we will plant a perma-garden and learn about nutrition and HIV/AIDS and of couse play soccer after the meeting (how else do you get kids to show up?). On top of that of course I want to work with the tree group that already exists here. I just want to introduce them to the Moringa tree because it is seriously AMAZING, look into it because it is such a sign and gift from God! It is so useful and can grow anywhere and fast!! Oh I forgot, at lunch I also put up my pictures on thewalls so that my house feels more like home!.... All in all I try to stay busy so that I feel useful here, it is hard because I see a lot of needs but my language is just not good enough to do anything yet, I can understand the jist of what people are saying but I can not hold up a conversation on nutrition AT ALL... I cant wait until I can actually do good work and not just the little things! But I have 2 years to do things so I just need to calm down lol... Missing everyone back home, especially when I have to take freezing bucket showers or im walking a bucket of water to my house! But I believe that this is where God wants me to be right now and I thankful for all of the prayers and if anyone needs any prayers their way feel free to let me know! ...... Also I have found some good TZ music, look up Mr Blue - Tuko Pamoja and also Mama Ntilie ... both good songs! .. Until next time!
AMY

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