Wow. life here is soo different. sooo different. as is to be expected, but its so good. i really, really love my host family. they are so precious. everyone in africa is family, they really are. you never know if someone is REALLY related because everyone is your brother, sister, mama, baba, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, etc. I call my host parents, who are 68 and 75, bibi and babu, meaning grandmother and grandfather. and the kids i get close to refer to me as auntie lena. our family has 2 "house girls" and a driver, and a few boys who help around the house. that makes it seem as though the family i'm living with is really rich. but thats not the case. its actually incredibly common for families to have hired help like that, especially older people like bibi and babu. they still struggle financially. they give all they have to the school they run and to the people and family friends around them who are in need. they are sooo generous. we dont have running water. we bathe from buckets, and we boil all the water before we use it so as to make it safe. but, i definitely came totally prepared to live in a hut or something of the sort, and i feel like my life is so luxurious in comparison to that. this weekend i went to a nice resort. i didnt event pay to stay there, i only went there to have a drink and hang out at the pool. and it felt WRONG to be there. as though it was just not right to be in such a nice place. it was strange. i was in awe whereas at home it wouldn't have been THAT impressive...although it was really nice, dont get me wrong.
I'm having a hard time getting used to my "white person" fame. its so weird to be walking down the street having people point and yell "white person" or come and touch me. i do not like having a lot of attention on me and it is definitely impossible to avoid it here. everyone is staring at me all the time. and i ALWAYS have to remember that here it is a compliment to be called "white person." my initial reaction is to get angry and cop an attitude, but they say it because it makes them happy to see me and i constantly have to remind myself of that.
i already have some favorite students at the school. they are sooo precious and there are some of them i would love to just sit with for hours and talk (as much as possible) and play around. i also went to a school for 2-7 year olds last week. they were sooooo cute that i just cried as i watched them practice their english and sing their little songs. i couldnt even believe how beautiful that time was. they were the most precious thing i had ever seen. i took a video a really wanted to post, along with some pictures of my time here so far, but the internet is SO slow that i think it will be a problem. that makes me sad because i really want you all to be able to see the things that i am seeing.
i love and miss you all. even though its a lot harder for me to stay in touch with you all as well as i usually do, you all have to know i still think about you just as much and still love you all like crazy!!! :)
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The beginning of my Tanzanian adventure
Wow. So far this journey has been exciting, interesting, unexpected, fun, irritating. let me begin by saying...it is HOT. freaking hot. i spend all day of every day, and night, absolutely COVERED in sweat and the 3 short, sweat-free minutes following a cold shower (from my bucket) are pure heaven. its all so interesting.
the ride from the airport to my temporary housing was a bit...scary...and that might be a bit of an understatement. what you think of as roads...forget about it. what you think of as bad drivers and crazy traffic...forget about it. and im used to GREEK traffic and this is still driving hell on earth. hahaha. but, so fun at the same time. local buses, ooooh local buses. surprisingly, i LOVE them. they are actually vans. and they are forever crowded to the brim with people. my first dala-dala (thats the name of the bus system) experience was on a van for 13...mhm, we were up to 22 people in that van. many, many of which were standing. a couple were poking their bodies out the windows to create more space which in itself is quite scary since there have been times when the van literally rubs up against another van when making turns or pulling out of a "stop." omg, my mom is going to DIE if she reads this! haha.
the attention i get here for being white is ridiculous. im like some kind of god. its so weird. i walk down the street, and its like "oooooh, helloooo; you're so beautiful, etc etc." and the best..."munzugu, munzugu," meaning "white person, white person." but, i dont feel in any type of danger at all. people say alot, but they are sooo nice and kind and everyone always has a huge smile plastered on their face and they are just beautiful, SO beautiful.
my first few days were SO frustrating. the guy working for IFRE in tanzania is a joke. apparently, im one of the only people who has ever been picked up from the airport. i had to pay for SO much my first few days that i was NOT supposed to pay for and we wont even get into that because its ridiculous and theres SO much i could say. i have not even met this joke of a man yet even though he was supposed to spend my whole first week here giving me language and culture lessons. and what have i learned?? diddly squat. another joke. myself, and another girl im here with know of many, many situations in which this man has utterly failed to do his job and we are complaining ALOT to our organization.
anyway, i just got to my official placement yesterday. the family im living with is AWESOME. i dont think an elderly couple could be any more kind and generous and giving than this couple...and they are hilarious on top of it. omg, i am constantly laughing. and they are REALLY loved and respected people in town so there are always a ton of different people hanging out at our house, and it is great. there are up to 12 or 13 of us there at any given. not to mention all the adorable children EVERYWHERE. love them. i also went to check out the school i'll be teaching at. i'll be teaching 14 and 20 year olds and i got to meet a lot of them. i was met with a mix of excitement, incredible shyness, and "you're beautiful" followed by absolute fear to look at me any longer. haha, but they are precious. from what im learning, though, it is going to be incredibly challenging. like...beyond what i could even begin to describe. i have my work cut out for me without a doubt. but its great, and i love it! :)
the ride from the airport to my temporary housing was a bit...scary...and that might be a bit of an understatement. what you think of as roads...forget about it. what you think of as bad drivers and crazy traffic...forget about it. and im used to GREEK traffic and this is still driving hell on earth. hahaha. but, so fun at the same time. local buses, ooooh local buses. surprisingly, i LOVE them. they are actually vans. and they are forever crowded to the brim with people. my first dala-dala (thats the name of the bus system) experience was on a van for 13...mhm, we were up to 22 people in that van. many, many of which were standing. a couple were poking their bodies out the windows to create more space which in itself is quite scary since there have been times when the van literally rubs up against another van when making turns or pulling out of a "stop." omg, my mom is going to DIE if she reads this! haha.
the attention i get here for being white is ridiculous. im like some kind of god. its so weird. i walk down the street, and its like "oooooh, helloooo; you're so beautiful, etc etc." and the best..."munzugu, munzugu," meaning "white person, white person." but, i dont feel in any type of danger at all. people say alot, but they are sooo nice and kind and everyone always has a huge smile plastered on their face and they are just beautiful, SO beautiful.
my first few days were SO frustrating. the guy working for IFRE in tanzania is a joke. apparently, im one of the only people who has ever been picked up from the airport. i had to pay for SO much my first few days that i was NOT supposed to pay for and we wont even get into that because its ridiculous and theres SO much i could say. i have not even met this joke of a man yet even though he was supposed to spend my whole first week here giving me language and culture lessons. and what have i learned?? diddly squat. another joke. myself, and another girl im here with know of many, many situations in which this man has utterly failed to do his job and we are complaining ALOT to our organization.
anyway, i just got to my official placement yesterday. the family im living with is AWESOME. i dont think an elderly couple could be any more kind and generous and giving than this couple...and they are hilarious on top of it. omg, i am constantly laughing. and they are REALLY loved and respected people in town so there are always a ton of different people hanging out at our house, and it is great. there are up to 12 or 13 of us there at any given. not to mention all the adorable children EVERYWHERE. love them. i also went to check out the school i'll be teaching at. i'll be teaching 14 and 20 year olds and i got to meet a lot of them. i was met with a mix of excitement, incredible shyness, and "you're beautiful" followed by absolute fear to look at me any longer. haha, but they are precious. from what im learning, though, it is going to be incredibly challenging. like...beyond what i could even begin to describe. i have my work cut out for me without a doubt. but its great, and i love it! :)
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Traveling misfortunes...the story of my life...
well, i was all set. on my way to africa. riiiight. my travel plans can never go as planned. NEVER. i missed my flight to london, and guess what??!! yay...im stuck in newark for 3 DAYS!!! i don't leave here until monday night and i don't get into tanzania until wednesday morning. SO frustrating. So i'm stuck here in jersey, by myself, with inadequate clothing for the COLD outside. sad times. and im missing part of the cultural immersion program i paid ans digned up for in africa with cultural/swahili language lessons. last night, when it all happened, i was just so frsutrated and in tears. im a bit better with it now, although i really wish i could just get a move on to tanzania. THAT'S where i want to be right now, definitely not stuck in jersey. anyway, i've gotten in touch with my director and he says he WILL be there to pick me up wednesday. i surely hope so.
on a side note, i am going to the Univeristy of Colorado in Boulder for graduate school this fall. i'm excited. i love that place, and my friends who already live out there.
i'll keep you all updated! WISH ME A SAFE JOURNEY!!!...that actually gets me there by wednesday!!
on a side note, i am going to the Univeristy of Colorado in Boulder for graduate school this fall. i'm excited. i love that place, and my friends who already live out there.
i'll keep you all updated! WISH ME A SAFE JOURNEY!!!...that actually gets me there by wednesday!!
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