24
November
2006
Kamwene! So far this greeting is the only word I know in Kibena, the local language used at my new site. Not 2 hours ago I finished taking my final OPI – oral proficiency interview in Kiswahili, and I now realize that it’s time to start over with a new language. Of course, I will be able to use Kiswahili at my site and English is the language of instruction at secondary schools. However, I’ve enjoyed diving into a new language and will try not to slack off just because the end of training draws nigh. In addition, I have learned that the Peace Corps offers a monthly language tutoring stipend until the final three months of service. In a government agency, I can’t very well turn down free money now can I 
?
As far as the final OPI goes, I’m afraid I had another “Me talk pretty” moment. Believe it or nor, I was given the exact same scenario as my mud-term OPI: Give a brief talk to your village on malaria, its effects, method of transmission and treatment. Now I cannot be sure, but I might very well have confused mbu (mosquito) with mboo (penis). In which case, I explained that the dangerous penis comes at night; to protect yourself you need to stay in your home after dark and sleep under a net. I also explained that not every penis will hurt you, only those in which the back is higher up than the head. Either way, you can go to the hospital and find the appropriate medicine. Oh well, pole sana. It still went much more smoothly than last time.
Thanksgiving in Dar was a blast – if unbearably hot. The ambassador put up a great spread. I ate turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc. I also had a chance to meet many of the volunteers currently serving in my region. They seem like a great group, motivated, hard-working, fluent in Kiswahili (not all education volunteers keep up their language skills since they can use English at school), and fun. I was told more than once that the people in the southern highlands work hard and play hard. If my time in Dar was any indication, nakubali (I agree).
Although I was admittedly a bit disappointed at first not to have electricity, running water or an indoor bathroom (especially since I had hoped to use my laptop at home), I am already undergoing a change of heart. There are plenty of posh sites out there, but none as beautiful or lush as my region (so I’m told). And besides, I’m in Tanzania to live and work like a Tanzanian. Although I will be a bit more cut off, I will still be able to get to an internet cafe 1-2 times per month. Anyway, time running out again, much to do, love to you all.
Josh
Posted: Training Diary
21
November
2006
Next week I will be leaving for my new home in the mountainous southern highlands. I would gladly tell you exactly where so you could Google Earth me, but safety and security protocol frowns on such information being posted online. What I can tell you about my new home is that I’ll be living in a cold (that’s right Africa-COLD!), lush region inside the compound of a secondary day school. I will have a three room house, a large walled in garden, well water, pit latrine and no electricity. It has been said that my region contains some of the most beautiful terrain in all of Tanzania. Most of my neighbors are environmental and health volunteers, although I will certainly be able to meet up with my fellow education volunteers in both Njombe and Iringa. For those of you who are familiar with my Myspace page, my nearest neighbor is Jason – credit here goes to Celeste for finding his web page before I got to Tanzania.
My site hosted an education volunteer three years ago, so I have been given some descriptions and suggestions by the previous occupant. The place sounds beautiful and the teaching workload sounds impressive. I will certainly have a great deal to do. I’m sorry that I don’t have more to add right now, but my head is still swimming and I’m getting ready to go out on the town in Dar to celebrate with all the other PCVs here or Thanksgiving. More to come …Â
Posted: Training Diary
19
November
2006
Greetings everyone! Habari za Markekani?
The end of training is right around the corner and excitement is building among the training class here in PC/Tanzania. Right now, we are dispersed across the country; although, tomorrow, we will reconvene in Dar es Salaam for dinner with the country director, Thanksgiving with the U.S. ambassador and (most importantly) Site Announcements!
As for me and my world, I have been shadowing PCV Brenden Dade in the Moshi area along with fellow PCT Ben Little. It’s been a wonderful, relaxing and truly Posh Corps visit: a Western-style toilet, hot-water showers and a spectacular view of Mt. Kilimanjaro from the front porch. I’ll be able to post the pictures after I return to Morogoro. My batteries have definitely been recharged (although I had no idea how much I needed this).
Personal matters aside, I wanted to address a subject that I believe concern a number of Americans when it comes to Africa: Foreign Aid. Our training class had the opportunity to visit several different NGOs (non-governmental organizations) operating in Morogoro. As you might imagine there was a significant range of quality. One so-called NGO amounted to little more than a commercial brick factory. I was reminded of the ”weaving schools” that exploit child labor in East Asia. My own visit was to YDF (Youth Development Fund) which trains young men (and some women) in a variety of skills from carpentry and pottery to life skills and HIV/AIDS education. While ambitious and certainly effective on a small scale, the organization is still in its infancy and needs a great deal more human capital before it could benefit from major contributions.Â
There was also the organization Faraja, an HIV/AIDS organization that may well represent one of the best NGOs in Tanzania if not all of East Africa. Now that HIV/AIDS money is pouring into Africa, there are no shortage of groups selling themselves as NGOs. There are, however, tremendous gaps in their effectiveness and potential. As many of you have written to me about the subject of foreign aid with questions about how to give effectively in East Africa, let me assure you that there are still many wonderful organizations here despite the bad reputation that many NGOs have given the entire field. Once I reach my new site I will begin the process of assessing which groups are for real and which are simply holding their hands out.
Gotta cut it short again, siku njema,
Shujaa
Posted: Training Diary
14
November
2006
A great deal has happened since my last post; I’ll try to hit all the main points in my (again) limited computer-use time frame.
I said my final goodbyes at Kihonda Sekondari Shule last week. I’ve continued to see some of my students around town and have enjoyed talking with them, especially now that I don’t have to grade them anymore.
I had the opportunity to give a short speech to the head of school, Peace Corps representatives, and assembled faculty on our last day. Naturally I chose to discuss the issue of corporal punishment. After thanking the faculty for their hard work and friendship, I reiterated my position that corporal punishment is ineffective. I dealt solely with the question of efficacy, sidestepping any moral issues that might be raised. The only comments that got any kind of shocked reaction were my descriptions of corporal punishment as animalistic (sawa na wanyama). I ended by referencing Mwalimu J. K. Nyerere, Tanzania’s founding father and a teacher (mwalimu). In bring Tanzania out of its imperialist past, Nyerere stressed the need for a focus on “education for self-reliance.” Both teachers and students can be caught in the trap of relying on the stick, I argued. In order to achieve self-reliance, they need to rise above the cycle of violence. When I read the speech to my TZ parents before school, they loved it, so I felt no need to hold back in front of the teachers and my colleagues. Also, as I suspected, this perspective was neither entirely new, nor totally surprising. Nor did they react negatively to me afterwards. For me, the whole exercise was merely practice. It will take a great deal of time and effort to make headway on the issue of corporal punishment at individual schools. While I have no delusions that I achieved anything sustainable during my brief stay at Kihonda, it did give me a place to start. Whatever I have to deal with at site will be the true test.
And, speaking of my new site, I will find out next Tuesday where I will be living for the next two years! I’ve been chomping at the bit for some time and really cannot wait to get started on my work here.
Before site announcement, however, I will be traveling to Moshi (along with fellow trainee Ben – shown in recently added photo) to shadow PCV Brendan Dade. I’m leaving on Thursday and cannot wait to be able to put on a sweater. Brendan can see Mt. Kilimanjaro from his front porch! He is teaching at an A-level (equivalent to community college) school, not far the city (as I seem to remember). So, next update you can look out for some pictures of Kili and some new sites.
Next Monday, Ben and I leave Moshi to meet up with the rest of the trainees in Dar es Salaam for site announcements, a few more activities and Thanksgiving dinner at the ambassador’s house. After that, we return to Morogoro, take our final OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview), tech examination, swear-in as volunteers and leave for site. Everything seems to be flying by at this point. Tomorrow is already our final written Kiswahili test! No worries though, kweli, hamna shida.
On a final note, thanks to my parents, Ariel, Celeste and Brian Hart for the much appreciated mail. If you don’t know what to write, anything from the Daily Show or the Colbert Report would be a good start. Tanzanian humor still evades me a bit.
E.g., When a Masai sees a cow, he says “Hey! That’s my cow!” You can start laughing now.
Personally I’ve been a fan of my colleagues’ attempts at cross cultural humor:
e.g., Mama yake nene sana kiasa kwamba …
(Your mother is very large to the extent that …”
Milima wanampanda.
(Mountains climb her.)
I may have screwed up the indirect object infix on the punchline but you see where I’m going.
There’s also the Ungekuwa mshambaa kama …
(You might be a redneck if …)
Anyway, I’m trying to work up a list. If they get any laughs at site I’ll know I’m on the right track.
Thanks again for your comments and readership. It’s nice to feel connected through this “blog” medium. And, you know, I don’t care what they say, I think this “internet” thing is here to stay.
Siku mwema,
Shujaa
Posted: Training Diary
4
November
2006
First a brief disclaimer, I was almost finished with a rather long post when the power failed at the internet cafe. The generator is now on (with the price doubled) and I am faced with remembering and rewriting. Oh well, Karibu Tanzania.
I am approaching my last full week in Morogoro. I have finished my intern teaching and will be staying at my secondary school only one more week for Kiswahili study. After that, I will spend several days shadowing a current volunteer at a location to be determined. I will then visit Dar es Salaam for a few days before heading to the US ambassador’s residence for Thanksgiving dinner (all PCVs in the country will be in attendance). After that it’s a quick trip back to Morogoro, final oral proficiency interview, swearing-in, and then I’ll be shipped off to site.
As far as the oral proficiency interview goes, I’ve got to brag a little bit now. I received the highest score on my mid-term OPI out of all the other trainees. There are 4 main levels: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced and Superior; each with 4 sublevels of low, middle and high. I scored advanced low (the PC requires a minimum of intermediate mid by the end of training. So, while I know a few are gunning to overtake me – that’s right Jeremy, I know you’ve got your eyes on the prize – I’m hoping to push up as far as possible by the end of training. Language knowledge has already been paying off quite well, from bargaining for prices to having conversations above and beyond the weather, where people are from, and what foods they like to eat. I have also found that Kiswahili has helped a great deal with my teaching.
While all classes are supposed to be instructed in English, students are put at a great disadvantage if they are unable to progress because of a lack of vocabulary. As I told my students in broken Kiswahili, to learn English is good, but to learn science is better. On that note, I covered with my form 3 class (roughly junior year high school): mitosis, meiosis, protein synthesis, natural and sexual selection, cell structure and a bit about human reproduction. This is over 5 class meetings of 80 minutes each. If I had not been able to use enough Kiswahili to explain genes, DNA, adaptations, mutations, codons, and etc. the pace would have been intolerably slow. Even though I pushed the class rather quickly, I was rewarded to see some students continuing to keep up and even ask me questions before school and after class.
I also had a chance this past week to address the entire school during morning parade. Morning parade is the place where students line up, are inspected for cleanliness, respond to the commands attention, at ease, about turn, left and right, this may also be the time where they are beaten for truancy or other misbeahaviors. Since I am interested in making headway against corporal punishment, I have been carefully watching the structure of morning parade. On this particuar occasion, student were being called forward to deliver impromptu speeches in English.
After one of my students argued that condoms were unnecessary as long as students continued to practice abstinence, I felt the need to pipe in. I began my speech in Kiswahili on the necessity of trying to speak English even if it is difficult and even if you feel stupid (obviously giving this message in broken Kiswahili brought the point home). I then switched to English to explain that adolescents given only abstinence education have sex at the same rates as their age-mates given instruction in condom use. The only demonstrable variable between them was the active condom use by those students so instructed. I then emphasized that knowledge of condom use was as important for women as for men, since it takes two to get into trouble (as I put it). I finally added that if the students felt they were adult enough to have sex, they should act like adults and not be embarrased to ask for condoms. I was pleasantly surprised that a number of teachers backed me up on this and thanked me later for my comments. Anyway, sorry I’ve got to cut this short. Mom, Dad and Ariel, thanks for the letters and pictures – my African family loved to see them (as did I). I put up some pictures as well from my safari to Mikumi national park. More to come when I have computer time again.
Peace, Josh
Posted: Training Diary
