27
December
2006
After my first few weeks among the Wabena, I can now do the basic greetings (a ritualistic staple for all Bantu languages)Â
Kamwene (This is the first time I’ve seen you today)
Kamwene (Why yes it is, hello)
Nogage (How are you)
Ongo, yuve? (I’m fine and you?)
Ale (Doing well)
Makasi (pronouced Mah-kass) (Sorry you have to work/How’s work)
Kidogo tu (it’s only a little *this is Kiswahili*)
It seems that there’s no Kibena on-line, so I’ll eventually start a dictionary page once I’ve progressed a bit.Â
Language learning aside, let me back up a bit and describe my new site. I live in an area of the southern highlands that seems to resemble northern california: lush green rolling hills and valleys, pine forests, frequently rainy (esp. this time of year) and roughly 65 degrees all the time. In addition there are lemon and avocado trees (both of which I have in my yard), pineapple, coconut, and banana trees, and commercial tea fields everywhere you look. I can’t imagine choosing a better terrain quite frankly. I’m also lucky enough to have no mosquitos, rodents, bats, snakes or roaches (just spiders, beetles and small flies).
My house has three main rooms accessible from the front and a courtyard with four additional rooms (a storage and indoor clothesline room, kitchen, bathroom and shower room). I have no running water or electricity. However, I have two solar flashlights (thanks to Jen Williams for one of them!) for reading and writing after dark. I am also able to collect rainwater from the roof in my courtyard. At least during the rainy season, I shouldn’t need to go anywhere to collect it. However there is a public well on campus (thanks to the previous PCV Ron Dolen) for washing clothes/cleaning and another private well used by the teachers suitable for drinking. Students have to walk down into the steep valley to collect their drinking water – yet another reason to respect these hardworking kids, who also are responsible for the cleaning the school every morning and afternoon, as well as working on the school farm.
At my own home I have begun to clear land for a garden, salvage wood around my house for shelving, along with general cleaning, burning trash from the previous occupants, organizing and making my home an efficient, attractive workplace. The other important part of my job before classes start Jan. 16 is to meet people around the village. So, at least every other day, I stroll around my neighbors home to “piga hodi” (stop by or literally, “hit the request to enter” – piga being an incredibly versatile word) as well as wander around the village (a good 20-30 min. stroll from the school) and chat up anyone friendly. I usually end up being offered a beer, soda or some fruit. I’ve never been great at remembering names, so I try to bring along a book to write them down. I have also found that Tanzanians love to quiz you on your memory. “Do you remember me?” “Ummm., oh yes, from the duka (store) down the street.” “What is my name?” “Uhh.”
It’s best to say, “Yes I remember you but I have forgotten your name,” as it saves a certain amount of awkwardness, at least for my part. Another greeting custom that still feels awkward despite myself is the extended handshaking. I have had entire 5-10 minute conversations in which someone continues to shake my hand, usually changing grips every ten seconds or so.
Another random moment during my first few days worth including for a bit of local color was a late afternoon visit from a man wearing a Saddam Hussein shirt, carrying a bucket of pork for sale. I’ll just let that image speak for itself.
On a final note, I would love to hear from any colleagues with experience in discussing sexual behavior with adolescents. I have a conference on HIV/AIDS in late January, wherein I will be told about all the ways to raise HIV/AIDS (UKIMWI in Kiswahili) awareness at my school and in my village. However, much of what I found is that students know a great deal about the virus, but have little opportunity to ask questions about sex unrelated to disease and pregnancy. It is my hypothesis that a broader discussion about sexual behavior will produce far better behavioral results than a discussion of HIV/AIDS alone. Anyone who knows about some good materials or has done some of this research themselves, please drop me an email.
Best, Dr. Joshua (as I’m usually called in the village now – pronounced Daktari Jeh-shua)
P.S. Check out my new mailing address: P.O. Box 114 Njombe, Tanzania
and new phone number: country code 255, number 075-702-4668
U.S. callers can omit the 0 when dialing
Posted: Village Life
3
December
2006
Finally, I’ve moved from PCT to PCV (which by my calculations is at least a two letter improvement). The swearing-in ceremony was wonderful. I had the opportunity to write a speech for the occasion. Although I delivered the Kiswahili version (translated by Jumapili and Fokas), I’ll give you the English version here (delivered by PCV Jenny Williams).
“Honored guests, Peace Corps Tanzania, family and friends, you are warmly welcomed here today. On behalf of our fellow colleagues, the newly trained Education Volunteers in the class of 2006, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for your presence here today. Through your continual hard work year round and through the love and support you have shown us over the last 10 weeks, we stand before you as fully trained volunteers, anxiously awaiting our impending service.
It is no doubt impossible to capture with a simple turn of phrase the energies and talents of this group of volunteers, our backgrounds, our motivations, or even the scope of our service ahead. We came to Tanzania from all across the United States, from Florida to Maine and from Southern California to Alaska. We came to Tanzania from the towering skyscrapers of New York City and the sleepy backwaters of small town America. For many of us, the chance to come to Tanzania was a dream many years in the making; for others it was a new adventure to an unknown spot on the map.
Moreover, we came to Tanzania for many reasons: for the chance to step outside of the lives we have built in the United States, to live on the other side of the world, to learn a new language. For many of us, self-improvement topped the list. Life in a developing country promised a host of new skills: self-reliance, independence, resolve, strength and the kind of flexibility that allows one to succeed under even the most trying of circumstances.
For some of us, the ethic of service was a moral imperative. Accomplishing somthing of true value, making a real difference in the life of an individual person, working constructively in concert with a new community were ambitions sustained by our core values, be they principally humanistic or spiritual.
And for some of us, we came to Tanzania simply to join the Peace Corps, an organization long known as representing the best that America has to offer the world. An organization that many of us have long hoped to be part of, and that one of us is now joining for the third time. For many of us, it is also important that we are now joining an organization that represents peace. During this time of horrific national and global conflicts, we seek to become the change that we wish to see in the world. For at least one of us, the current spate of overseas wars has claimed the life of a loved one. Doubtless, from the national tragedy of September 11 through the terrible conflicts that continue to ravage the worldm many of us have come to Tanzania simply for Peace.
Of course, we came to Tanzania for a number of reasons that perhaps now seem abstract and distant from the concrete lives we have already begun to build here. We have come to Tanzania for ambitions, for adventure and for ideals. Over the last ten weeks, however, we have found new reasons to stay: to repay the kindness and generosity of our new Tanzania families who have welcomed us into their country, their homes and their hearts; to repay the hard work of our language instructors, who have struggled at our side to share their language and their culture with all of us; to repay the citizenry of the United States, whose hard earned tax dollars have paid for our food, our medicine and the talented support staff here with us today. Moreover, we remain in Tanzania because of our faith and trust that the wonderful people we have so far encountered represent but a small fraction of the people we will have the pleasure to teach and to learn from, to meet and to serve over the course of the next two years. We remain in Tanzania because we now know what our job will be, and we stand before you capable and eager to begin. And although our new homes will be scattered across this country, I know I speak for us all, when I say welcome. Welcome to our schools, our homes and our lives. Thank you very much!”
During swearing-in, the new PCVs also sang two children’s songs: “Twapenda mambo yote ya shule kabisa” (We love everything about school) and “Asanteni baba na mama” (Thank you dad and mom) and recited a poem: “Tanzania ni …”
We also had speeches from our country director, Christine Djondo, the regional commissioner for Morogoro, the deputy ambassador from the U.S. and the Tanzanian minister for Education. We received solar flashlights (which reminds me of an old joke) from the ambassador’s office and wood carvings from the Ministry. I have been adding a number of pictures from swearing-in day so check them out.
As for right now (and the subject of this post), I am somewhere in PCV limbo, hanging out in my banking town (location undisclosed for super-secret security reasons – let’s just say I could tell you but, well …, you know) and waiting to be installed in my new home/site. I’m busy buying home wares, tools, paint, etc. although I have no idea what my house looks like or what furniture/kitchen stuff might already be there. I’m taking no chances. I’m also just looking forward to playing “This Old House” for the first couple weeks (no teaching until mid- to late January) and starting my garden. Fortunately there are a number of (Environ)Mentals around to help me get started.
I have met the academic master at my new school. I am looking forward to also meeting the head of school and second master. I have a sinking feeling that my practice dealing with corporal punishment in Morogoro will come in (unfortunately) handy at my new school. But hey, I’m here for a challenge, right?
As for my updated contact info, I’ll be posting my new stats the next time I’m able to get to town after installation. Depending on conditions, I should be able to get online 2x per month during the rest of my service. However, unlike in Morogoro, I’ll be able to spend as much time as I want online.
Well, that’s all for now, you can start planning your trips to visit me.
Love, JoshÂ
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Posted: Training Diary
