Kwaheri, Kwaheri

Well, this is it...our last week in Africa! Remember when I said back in March that rainy season had arrived? Well, I was wrong. That was just a week-long fluke. Rainy season has actually arrived now, making the 45-minute long walk to school this week nearly impossible. On top of that, it makes the walk to school extremely difficult on half of our students, and turns the school into a mud-pit. Time for spring break? I think so!

The hallway at school. Muddy!



Clare had a wonderful idea awhile back to take the kids from the big class to Shanga, the bead-making factory that employs people with special needs, to show them potential vocational work for their futures. Unfortunately, Shanga was not able to have us visit while Clare was still in Arusha, but Scottie, Hannah, and I were able to take the kids there this past Tuesday. The field trip went amazingly well. Our guide, Andrew was great with the kids, and spoke to them in Kiswahili, so that their attention was captured the entire time. Andrew showed them each of the different areas of work, and had many hands-on activities for the kids to do. Jackson got to use a very scary saw to cut a glass bottle, and a few of the kids had the opportunity to blow glass. One of the workers at Shanga gave us a sign language lesson and all of us got to bead a bracelet and take it home as a souvenir. The best part of the day was when we sat around with all the kids and asked them to tell us something they learned or liked about the trip. So many of the kids said they were surprised to learn that a place like this existed in Arusha, and felt hopeful for their futures because of it. It was such a rewarding feeling and I truly feel that the children and the teachers got a ton out of the experience. Hopefully St. Dymphna's and Shanga will connect in the future for more pre-vocational work together.

Jackson cutting a glass with the saw. I was so proud of him/scared for his fingers!!

Aslamu blowing glass. So cool!

Learning sign language.

Showing off the braclets they beaded.



On Wednesday, Scottie spent time with another volunteer from our program shopping with money that he raised for our school. They managed to buy enough food for the school for an entire quarter as well as many new toys and school supplies. The teachers were very appreciative and I think the supplies will make a big difference for the children at St. Dymphna's.

Thursday was our last day at placement. We've seen quite a few volunteer's last day of placement, so Scottie and I had a pretty good idea of how our last day would go; however we didn't factor the weather into the equation and we ended up having a different day than we expected. Scottie and I arrived to school late, because we had to wait for the rain to stop before we started our hike to school. The school was flooded and covered in mud, and only half of the children were there because the roads were so bad. Instead of separating into the normal classrooms, the students all crowded into one room, and Scottie and I (teacher-less, as usual)  attempted to do some activities that worked for all the different ages and ability levels. We had promised the teachers that we would stay for a special lunch they were making, but ended up having to wait an extra hour for our director to show up for lunch. When she arrived, we did the regular goodbye ceremony, where Scottie was given a traditional African shirt (which we were told he should wear to our wedding) and I a beautiful kanga (whose message reads, "One who feels the pain of her children"). The children sang us songs including the "Kwaheri (goodbye)" song and then we ate lunch together before we said goodbye. While it was a very nice last day, it was perhaps our own fault for having any expectations about how it was going to go. If we've learned anything in Africa, it's that nothing goes according to plan. We were sad to leave, but I feel like I didn't get the closure I was hoping for, especially since we weren't able to say a proper goodbye to some of our favorite little ones. At least it made for a less painful transition home.

Singing "Kwaheri, Kwaheri"

Hugs for Sipora, who tied my kanga on.



Showing off our gifts. Crappy picture courtesy of Teacher Prota.



I truly can't believe three months have already gone by. Each day in Africa seemed to take ages, but each week flew right by. I am grateful to have had this experience at all, and I think Scottie and I have learned a lot of things; some that we expected, and some that we didn't.

Scottie and I have definitely grown closer together on this trip. We learned a lot about each other and ourselves by working together in a new environment, and I can safely say (while we never plan on spending this much time together ever again), we are better for it.

Working in the Tanzanian education system has been enlightening for us as well. Scottie commented that he feels like Tanzanians skipped a few steps along the process of modernization. Many Tanzanians have cell phones and televisions, but few have yet to figure out a way to manage their educational system or bring water to their homes. And while it is easy to judge or criticize, it makes me think about development at home, and the similarities that exist. We live in such an evolved society in the Western world, but still struggle to work together and help those less fortunate than ourselves. Living in Africa has taught us that there are some sad universal truths that exist everywhere, and while I don't know if we are any closer to fixing them, being here has at least made us more aware of them.

Another thing that I am grateful for is that our experience here has come full circle. Initially, being here was extremely difficult for us. There were many moments where I felt hopeless for the children at our school and considered coming home early. I didn't know if there was any way to help our kids or make a difference in Tanzania and I resented this country and our school for the way things were being run. Over time however, and with the various experiences we've had, such as visiting our students' homes, playing with orphans at Cradle of Love, fixing the school's swing set, and making new friends, we've learned to love our experience here and realize the value of it. I know we haven't changed the world, and I don't know if we've even significantly changed the lives of our students or improved our school, but I know we've had some sort of small impact and that has made this trip worthwhile.

I am curious to see how life for us will be different at home. Scottie and I constantly try to predict if we will respond to things differently than we did before we left. I'd like to think I will be a little less stressed about the little things in life, and Scottie hopes he won't take for granted the convenience of having technology available at all times. As always, our life at home won't be very different than it was when we left. Scottie will be going back to his job, and I will be starting a short-term sub position while writing my thesis. I'm sure we'll experience some reverse-culture shock when we get back, but I'm hoping that being here and returning together will lessen it a bit. I think maybe the hardest thing about going home is realizing that the thing that's changed the most while you've been gone is yourself.

Again, we feel so fortunate to have been able to have this experience at all. We know how truly lucky we are to have been able to come to Tanzania, and we've realized how much we take our lives at home for granted. I know that is something we will be more aware of from now on. We've gotten to do so many unique, amazing things in Africa and we've learned a lot through some of the hard moments we've had here as well. Thank you to everyone for supporting us with kind words and encouragement throughout our time here, as well as so many of you for helping us get here in the first place. We can't wait to see you all when we get home and catch up on what we've missed since we've been gone.

Much love from Africa,
Laura and Scottie

Becoming One with Africa's Wildlife

Disclaimer: This is a (very) long one, but a good one.

This past week, Scottie, our friend Hannah, and I took a six-hour-long bus ride to meet Clare and Joe for a mini-vacation. We met them in Lushoto, which is a little bit south of Arusha and located within the Usambara Mountains.

Simply getting on the bus was an ordeal in itself. Hannah, Scottie, and I shared a cab to the bus station at 5:30 in the morning and, loaded up with our giant backpacks, got out of the cab in the dark to try to find the ticket stand we had bought our tickets at earlier in the week. Although we've been to the bus station a few times, it looks remarkably different when it is dark out, and all three of us (pre-coffee) struggled to get our bearings. We walked back and forth amidst the crowd of people hassling us, pulling us towards their buses, and shouting the various names of different cities, attempting to look confident with where we were going. By the time we finally found our man, paid for our bags, and got on our bus, we felt like we had already put in a full day's work. Luckily, Lushoto was beautiful, and made the crazy bus station and long bus ride, worthwhile.

Lushoto is (as the name suggests) lush! The green mountains seem endless and the contrast of the red dirt roads is a beautiful, stark contrast to the perma-brown roads in Arusha. Our first day, we decided to do a day-hike with a guide that Clare and Joe had met earlier in the week. The hike was relatively easy, and mainly took us through different villages and some wooded areas. People in Lushoto rarely see mzungus, so many children and adults came running to get a glimpse at us. The goal of the hike was to reach Irente Viewpoint, which is rock which overlooks the Usambara mountains and the Massai plains. The view was breathtaking, and well worth the hike.

The Irente Viewpoint

Joe got it in his head during a hike earlier in the week, that he wanted us to sleep overnight at Kiguu Hakwewa Hill, an old German World War II bunker, which we nicknamed "The Hut". Hannah wasn't feeling well that night and stayed back in Lushoto, so it was only our guide Yassin, Clare, Joe, Scottie, and I that went up. We brought with us warm clothes, some sleeping bags, ingredients for guacamole, and enough booze for a small army (including some contraband "home brew" that we bought in a village during our hike the previous day). The hike up to the hut was treacherous, especially with our heavy bags, but it was amazing to walk through the Magamba Rainforest and see colobus monkeys swinging from the trees, and some chameleons crawling across the road (wildlife encounters #1 and #2). The view from the top of the hill was impressive; you could see all of Lushoto, the Usambara mountains, the Massai plains, and even the Irente Viewpoint from the day before. We set up camp inside the hut (which we had to break into because the park ranger never showed up); Clare and Yassin began making guacamole, and Scottie and Joe started a small fire. By the time the sunset, we had full stomachs and were comfortable drinking, listening to music, and swapping stories. For the most part, all of us slept well that night, safely inside of our hut as the wind whistled loudly around us. The next morning, all feeling a little wobbly from the "home brew," we made our way back down the mountain through the Rainforest, which was a peaceful and beautiful walk, and a perfect way to end our time in Lushoto.

"The Hut"!

The view from The Hut

From Lushoto, we took a sweaty bus ride to Tanga, which is a port city on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Tanga was pretty quiet when we arrived, so we decided to spend only one day there doing a bicycle tour of The Amboni Caves and the Galanos Sulphur Springs. The bicycling part of our tour was very cool; it was fun to bike through villages and get to see the different buildings and greenery of Tanga. Many of us were a little apprehensive about actually going into the caves, but our tour guide reassured us that there were very few small spaces and that we would be safe. The caves were spectacular. We walked into the giant openings and got to see stalactites, stalagmites, and thousands of sleeping bats. At one point, our guide made us crawl through a very narrow tunnel, which unfortunately, three of us were very uncomfortable doing. It wasn't a long tunnel, but it definitely got my mind thinking about the walls caving in, and after that point, I felt my breathing get a lot shallower. Once we were through the tunnel, the guide had us look up at more bats. Now I wouldn't say I have a particular phobia of bats, but I prefer them where they are; sleeping, way up above me. Our guide however did not hold the same belief as me, and started shining his lantern at the bats in order to make them all swoop around our heads screeching (wildlife encounter #3). I would like to say that I kept my cool during this time, but needless to say, this signified the end of my cave tour, as well as my dignity. Scottie and the rest of the group braved the remainder of the caves and even faced Hannah's fear of giant spiders (wildlife encounter #4). After the caves, we biked to a crocodile-infested river (wildlife encounter #5) and took the world's smallest canoes across in order to see the very smelly and very small sulphur springs. I can't say any of us were very impressed, but at least we conquered yet another scary, only-in-Africa sort of experience. Unfortunately, our tour was not the greatest, but we got a good workout in and managed to find a wonderful lunch before heading to Ushongo--the beach!

Bats!

This is right before I crouched down into the fetal position and started crying

The ride to Ushongo was treacherous and required taking a ferry across the crocodile-infested Pangani river (wildlife encounter #6). We booked "safari tents" at our resort ahead of time, which ended up being unnecessary because it is the off-season and we happened to be the only people at our resort. When we arrived, the sun was just setting and I was feeling a bit skeptical of our safari tent accommodations. The price was right, but I wasn't loving how rustic the banda was, and I timidly checked out the thatched roof for giant moths and bugs. At this moment a bat began flying around our room, swooping past my head as I screamed and ran out of the tent followed by said bat (wildlife encounter #7). Again, I wouldn't say I exactly have a phobia of bats, but after my hellish cave experience the last thing I wanted coming screeching at me as I entered the room I was staying in for the next three nights was a freaking bat. After a proper melt-down (where Scottie was most wonderful and patient), I made my way back to our tent. Joe reassured me that he had spent the last 20 minutes banging all the planks in the tent and saw no other sign of a bat. As he was talking, another bat (wildlife encounter #8) began fluttering around and I again, ran out of the tent hysterical. I'd like to say I'm a pretty outdoorsy type of girl and do my fair amount of camping and roughin' it in the Midwest, but I was at no point excited to be along the coast of Africa in some deserted resort with not one but two bats in my room and I decided  to make sure the manager knew and did something about it. Unfortunately, I failed to remember in this moment that TI(F)A and that the grounds people at our resort are only concerned with keeping monkeys out of the tents. No discount, no moved room, no apology.

Needless to say, the wine flowed that night and I enlisted Scottie and Joe to be on bat patrol and get the bat the hell out of my tent; which they did with glee. Breakfast and the beach the next morning more than made up for the ridiculous night I had and I was feeling much better with our tent the second night we went to bed. That is until I woke up in the middle of the night to the noise of bush babies (small nocturnal monkeys) shrieking right next to and on top of our tent (wildlife encounter #9). For whatever reason, I got it into my head that these monkeys had evolved like in The Planet of the Apes and were intent on figuring out their way into our tent and murdering us. It was a long, hot, scary, sleepless night.

In the morning, Joe reassured me that bush babies are harmless and actually quite adorable (cough) and I had nothing to worry about the night before. Feeling silly, I went to brush my teeth, and happened to see a green mamba slithering away on the path (wildlife encounter #10). Highly poisonous? Yes! We spent the day on the beach playing volleyball and had a wonderful dinner (truly, our resort's saving grace was the food). That night, the bush babies were much quieter, and I mastered nonchalantly shining my flashlight out the window to scare them off while remaining semi-asleep. The next morning it was time to move on to Peponi, a well-established beach resort closer to Tanga, but before we left, was nearly trampled by the resort's horses doing laps around the paths (wildlife encounter #11). Peace out, Ushongo Beach.

When we arrived at Peponi we were immediately thrilled. The friendly staff and owner greeted us and helped us with our bags, and we could already tell what a step up Peponi would be from Ushongo. While walking to our five-person beach banda we were cut off by two large monkeys chasing one another loudly (wildlife encounter #12), one of which was badly bleeding. Not a good start, but to be honest, at this point, I think we all brushed it off like it was nothing. Screeching, bleeding monkeys? Hakuna Mattata! Our beach banda turned out to be wonderful, with a big bathroom, nice beds, a hammock, and even ceiling fans! Because Peponi is located on a rocky beach with is frequently at low tide, they also have a POOL, which was easily the best part. We spent our first day in Peponi swimming and laying by the pool, eating good food, and in general enjoying the proper vacation we feel like we earned after our last few nights. For our last full day in Peponi we took the resort's dhow "Pepi" out snorkeling and got to see loads of fish, sea urchins, and coral. Hannah and I were not particularly keen on the snorkeling, especially after I realized that I was repeatedly being stung by very, very small jellyfish (wildlife encounter #13). Hannah and I spent most of our time on the dhow, but Clare, Joe, and Scottie seemed to really enjoy the snorkeling and all of us enjoyed spending time on the white sand bar that appears during low tide in the middle of the ocean. We spent a bit of time swimming, snorkeling, snacking, and in general avoiding getting completely roasted by the hot, hot sun. Joe and Scottie saw a giant eel (wildlife encounter #14) swimming right alongside the small island, which was very cool, although I think Joe would admit that he practically jumped out of the water when it initially came after him.

Our dhow, "Pepi"

For our last night together, we gave one another "fines," just like we did after the cricket match, which was a fun way to wrap up our three months together. Saying goodbye to Clare and Joe in the morning was difficult; we are going to miss spending time with them and are sad to see our rafikis go, but I know we will meet up in the future for more adventures.

The Group!

All in all, it was kind of a trip of facing our fears. I felt like we had the opportunity to experience the rougher, rustic side of Africa, and was happy we did it in the end. And now on the plus side, when I see geckos, giant millipedes, and wasps crawling around my room, I just think, "Hey, at least it's not a bat."

All craziness aside, Scottie and I both agree that this was one of the best vacations of our lives because of the friends who were here with us. There was a point during this whole three-month-long experience where Scottie and I weren't sure we would ever bond with anyone, or make any lifelong friends. We both feel so happy and fortunate to have done so, and feel like it has made this journey that much better.

Our bus ride home today took three hours longer than we expected and the bus managed to break down and drive through a crazt political mob/celebration all in nine hours' time...certain things in Africa I'm sure we won't miss once we're home. One week left until we're home!
Much Love,
Laura and Scottie

Home Visits

This week Scottie and I visited all the children in our school at their homes. We divided the visits into three different days based on where the children live. Our school "bus" (safari jeep) driver Hassan took us each day along with one of the teachers.

On Monday,we visited all the families who live in a fairly poor area of town behind the supermarket. I had no idea there was such a huge population living behind Shoprite--it's almost like a city in itself. Hassan asked someone to show us the way to each house because finding them would have been impossible without a guide. The area we walked through was extremely windy; once we entered there was no way for us to tell which direction we were heading. The walkways were extremely narrow and on either side of us there were houses built out of mud and metal.

Navigating our way to the home stays

Visiting each of the families that day went really well. Scottie and I slowly figured out a sort of routine at each house, and we pretty much stuck to asking the same few questions. We usually asked who lived at the house, whether or not the child had brothers or sisters, how long they had been at the school, and what changes they had seen in their child since starting the school. All the parents had positive things to say about St. Dymphna, which was good to hear, and most of the families were happy to see us and very welcoming while we were there.

I think by far the hardest thing we encountered on Monday was seeing two of our favorite students, who are brother and sister, in their home. Most of the homes we saw were very similar and consisted of one or two small rooms with either a dirt or cement floor, a few pieces of furniture such as a bed, a china cabinet, and a couch, and walls that were made of either mud, metal, or cinder blocks. Most families decorate their houses with handkerchiefs on the sofa, chairs, and table, and with religious posters on the walls. Almost all the houses we visited were very small. What stood out so much when we visited Jackson and Lucia's house was that there was no furniture whatsoever, just piles of clothes on the floor and hanging on a line stretching across the one room. Both Jackson and Lucia were sweating from being inside the house all day, although they were both very excited to see us. Hassan noticed that outside they had two buckets fulls of guinea pigs, which Jackson told us they kept to eat. It was a humbling and sad visit, but it truly illustrated for us that regardless of how corrupt and frustrating African schools can be, all of our students are lucky and much better off when they are at St. Dymphna's.

Little Lucia in her house



Also on Monday, Hassan was also nice enough to take us to his house, which was a cool experience because he lives on a farm and grows bananas, coffee, avocados, and corn. Again, I was amazed that lush farmland was so close to the busy town where we always spend our time. I felt so fortunate to have someone who was able to show us around, because otherwise, we never would have known that anything different existed beyond the busy, paved streets of town. We even saw a monkey in Hassan's yard!

On Tuesday, we went on only a few home visits, just outside of town and in the Sakina area by where we live. These visits went well, and we were even able to see what a few of our wealthier students' houses looked like--we saw our first refrigerator and a few houses with many rooms. One thing I noticed on Tuesday was how small the students from the "big class" look when we were going on home visits. At school they seem so big, because they always help the children from the "little class" and in general tower over everyone at school. In their homes however, they seemed so little, and reminded me how young and vulnerable our students are! I also got to hold on of our student's baby brothers--so adorable!

My face is never this shiny in America

Wednesday was the longest day of home visits; 21 students in one day! The families we visited  lived mostly near our school, so we were able to get through many in a short time. Two of the children at our school live on a coffee plantation, and we got to walk across much of it to get to their houses. It was a cool experience although I was amazed to realize how far those kids walk to school every day! We got to visit Zainabu at her house, which was great, because we love he so much, and we got to see a few of the older girls who live in Massai huts. I didn't realize that traditional Massai huts were built anywhere, but we were welcomed into many; some traditional, and some more modern, but all amazingly constructed and designed. I can't believe how many people and jobs are done in such a small place, but they definitely seem to make it work. In order to find the houses of a few of our students that live far away, we had to ask for help a lot of times. It was pretty cool though, because we were high up alongside of Mount Meru, figuring out our way to our students' houses by word of mouth only. We had to do a little bit of hiking, but it was totally worth it; especially when little Carol saw us at her house and ran to give us a big hug. It was great.

Obviously, going to so many houses in such a short time, Scottie and I are choka sana (very tired)! We leave on Friday for a trip to Lushoto, Tanga, and Pangani to meet Clare, Joe, and Hannah. Lushoto is supposed to have great mountain hiking and Tanga and Pangani are on the coast, so hopefully we can still come home with a bit of a tan! We are excited to be able to see a little bit more of Tanzania before we leave. When we get back, we'll only have one week left at school!

Oh--also, Scottie took it upon himself to hire someone to fix our second swingset at school. The kids were so excited, they almost don't want to use the old one anymore :)

The swingset all fixed!

We hope all is well with everyone--we are crossing our fingers that the Midwest heat wave keeps up well into April for when we get home.

Loves,
Laura and Scottie

Cricket, Sex Ed, and St. Patty's, Oh My!

This week was a busy one!

On Sunday, Scottie and I went to TGT, a country club just outside of Arusha, to watch our friend Joe play in the Arusha City Cricket Championship. It was both Scottie and my first experience with cricket, and our first time at TGT, so it was definitely an adventure. TGT is a beautiful place; so different compared to the town of Arusha. I think Scottie and I felt like we were at home, sitting under a pop-up tent with a drink in hand watching sports on a perfectly manicured field. Scottie learned a lot about cricket and I was impressed with Joe's "bowling" ability. Joe's team, The Wanderers, won the tournament, which was very exciting and they even had an awards ceremony afterwards. The Wanderers put on their own awards ceremony following the official one, with loads of beer and made-up "fouls" to each teammate for silly or bad behavior throughout the season. The night turned pretty crazy...the team (and I) started drinking out of the championship cup like it was the Stanley cup and the left elbows kept flying up to indicate increasingly ridiculous "fouls" as the night went on. We learned a lot of funny new drinking games (prepare yourselves at home, rafikis!) and seriously had a blast. All in all, the night reminded me a lot of the end of season volleyball awards we used to do in college, which made it all that much more fun.

The signs we made for Joe's cricket match. They're hard to see, but the best one reads, "We're with the ginger!"

On Wednesday, Clare and I planned a sex education lesson for the big class. Considering that the children in the big class are between the ages of 12-23, and their general vulnerability, we thought it would be a good idea to go over the basics of puberty and safe sex with them. Besides, what better way to step outside your comfort zone than to teach sex ed to African teenagers with special needs?
We discussed our lesson beforehand with the teachers and each other so to avoid any awkward moments, and to prepare our visuals. Without the stand-by book or video like we all had in grade school, we had to make our own materials, and I have to say that Clare did an excellent job illustrating all the points we wanted to make. On the day of, we did two sessions; girls and then boys. The girls lesson went really well. Clare and I assumed the stuff we were discussing regarding puberty was pretty much a review for the girls (body changes, hygiene, etc.) but we were surprised to hear all the super basic questions the girls had for us. I was so proud of the girls putting aside their embarrassment to ask us questions, although it was interesting that they had never been talked to about this sort of stuff with their parents or sisters. More horrifying was the girls' lack of knowledge regarding the "consequences of sex". None of the girls knew that sex could lead to pregnancy or STDs and Clare and I both felt better at least explaining to girls the risks involved and how to protect themselves; although we stressed that abstinence is the preferred method of birth control in Tanzania.

The conversation with the boys was a bit trickier. Salma, our teacher and translator extraordinaire, felt it was "bad" to explain to boys the physics of everything, which I feel left the boys feeling somewhat confused on how to handle their body changes as well as keep themselves safe. The lesson with the boys was like an analogy for our lives as teachers in Tanzania: we feel like we've succeeded because of the knowledge we're introducing, but we always feel like they're not quite getting the point, which makes us wonder if it's worth it at all. But I think it is worth it, in the end. I know Clare and I felt better leaving school knowing that these teenagers at least have a better knowledge of how to stay safe and take care of themselves. Sex ed. in Africa--who would've thought?!

I also took the opportunity this week to take some photos of our students. Here are a few of my favorites:

Thursday was Clare's last day at school, and a very emotional one. We have gotten so close to Clare and Joe and we are so sad to see our friends leaving. We have already decided that there will be many meet-ups around the world in the future, and we are planning to meet them for a week near the the mountains and the coast of Tanzania in two weeks. Of course, being their last week in Arusha, we had to send them off properly with a big night out on Friday--with loads of beers, delicious smoked pork, and dancing. Besides, it was St. Patrick's Day weekend, so we figured we had to have a little fun.

Demonstrating how to make St. Patrick's Day hats

Drinks with Clare and Hannah at the "Lively Lady"

Scottie and I are preparing to go on home visits to all 40 of our students' homes this week. I think it is going to be an exhausting, but eye-opening experience. Today we bought 40, 1 kilo bags of sugar to give to each of the families. You should have seen all the people at Shoprite staring at us crazy mzungus!

Looking at our calendars for the the next three weeks, we've realized how much we have left to do in so little time! I think our last few weeks here are going to be good ones!

Love to all,
Laura and Scottie

Cradle of Love

This week, Scottie and I spent a day at "Cradle of Love," an orphanage that was founded by an American women in the 90s, and houses about 55 orphans below the age of three. Cradle was beautiful, with lush gardens, a playset, and tons of space, food, and materials for all the children. We were lucky enough to get to spend the morning there playing with the babies. It was such a change from being at our school, and it was so fun snuggling and loving the little ones all day. We left exhausted, but with happy hearts. Check out our pictures and try not to melt:

Scottie's entourage



This little one was so cute!

Look at those eyes!

Aw.

We went for a walk and picked berries.

Double-fisting the fruit. Cutie.

Noelle. So adorable.

Cutie!

Love of my life, George.



This past week I tried to do more lesson planning so that I was more mentally prepared for the week. Doing this made a big difference on my stress level, and while the activities were usually very basic, the children were typically entertained for a significant amount of time with whatever I brought, since the materials were so novel to them. Our frustrations continue with the staff of the school and our school bus constantly breaking down, but we are doing our best to stay positive and have fun with the kids. We are planning some exciting and interesting lessons and activities for our kids in the next few weeks; we'll keep you posted with how they go! Additionally, we are hoping to continue visiting other schools affiliated with our volunteer program in the upcoming weeks to get a better idea of what schools and orphanages in Tanzania look like.

Only one month left! I can't believe it's going so fast!
Best to everyone at home!
Love,
Laura and Scottie

The Art of Bargaining

One of the things Scottie and I have gotten to practice a lot here is bargaining. Bargaining is an important part of the Tanzanian culture; it is expected when shopping at the local markets.

Scottie and I have visited the Massai market quite a few times since we've been in Africa. Initially, the market was completely overwhelming. The aisles are narrow and each of the 100+ vendors harasses you by saying, "Welcome sister," "free looking," "come inside," and by sometimes physically guiding you into their shops. Typically, the vendors more or less have the same things for sale so you are inclined to pick and choose which ones to go into, but often you feel guilty for passing them up.

Here is how a typical purchase will go:
Me: "How much is this?" (holding item that cannot cost more than $3 at home)
Vendor: "15,000 Tanzanian Shillings (tsh)"
Me: "I will give you 5,000."
Vendor: "5,000?! For this? Dada (sister), this is real bone!"
Me: "I will give you 5,000."
Vendor: "No, no dada. You have to come up. 5,000, I make no profit. You come up."
Me: "Okay, how about 6,000?"
Vendor: "I can maybe do it for 12,000.
Me: "That's too much. 6,000."
Vendor: "Maybe you do it for 11,000."
Me: "Hapana (no). I don't need it then." Starts to walk away
Vendor: "Dada, dada...Okay, I do it for 9,000. This is fair price."
Me: "I'll give you 7,000."
Vendor: "You have to come up!"
Me: "I already came up from 5,000.
Vendor: "Okay, 10,000."
Me: "You went up, not down!:
Vendor: (laughing) "Pole (pronounced pole-ay; means "sorry"). 8,000."
Me. "Okay. 8,000." Hands them a 10,000. "You have change?"
Vendor: "I keep the 2,000 and buy coke?"
Me: "No. I get the change. Asante sana (thank you).

Exhausting, right? This is the way it goes for every item. It takes forever. And of course, there are the inevitable variations...

Sometimes, seeing that you are a mzungu (white person), they will quote you way more than the item is worth. For example, once, a man quoted a shirt being 65,000 shillings, when I knew volunteers who had bought them for 10,000. When someone quotes a price that high, I usually just walk away. They're not worth even beginning the bargaining process with, and it's their loss for assuming I'm just a tourist.

The other funny part is that we get so worked up about paying 1,000 or 2,000 too much for something here, because we don't like feeling like we're being taken advantage of simply because we're white. But really, 1,000-2,000 tsh is less than $2.00 at home, and we are typically already getting items for so much less money than we'd pay for them at home. I think it's more the principle of the matter, but I know it will be a big change to go home and see the big price tags on things and not be able to pay a fraction of the price.

The other day, I took advantage of our private dala ride home from the Snake Park, and took pictures of town out the window as we were driving. The pictures aren't great, but it was one of my only chances to get some shots that give everyone a better idea of what Arusha looks like. Here are some of my favorites. You can see more on facebook.

A woman shucking and selling corn on the side of the road.

I honestly can't imagine how incredibly heavy that bag is on her neck.

Street markets outside of town.

 Women selling fruit and vegetables on the side of the road.

A man pulling a rickshaw full of giant tires. Classic.

Typical living conditions.

A woman walking with her baby on her back.

The seasons in Tanzania are starting to change, and we are now getting a taste of what rainy season will be like in April, when it's in full swing. The temperature has cooled a bit with the increase of rain, and we've had a number of extremely heavy thunderstorms in the last few weeks. Hopefully, the roads will remain walkable and the sun warm enough to dry our clothes on the line; other than that, we'll take some relief from the extreme heat!

Missing you all,

Laura and Scottie

Scottie's Birthday and Snake Park

This week Scottie turned 30 and I wanted to make sure Scottie had a birthday to remember, even though we couldn't celebrate like we might at home.

I woke Scottie up on his birthday morning with cake for breakfast in bed. I gave him an African beer shirt and a homemade card as his gift (it's no ipad, but hey, TIA). At school, the children made cards for Scottie, and we had a small party with dancing and musical chairs. For dinner, Scottie and I went to a really nice restaurant that had delicious food. It was nice to indulge ourselves for a little bit and Scottie loved his (properly cooked!) steak. When we got home, Scottie asked Zaki, the Massai guard who watches our house, to give him a Massai burn. Burns are a tradition in the Massai tribe; they are a circle-shaped brand that are given to the Massai men as a part of coming-of-age. Zaki has one on each of his cheeks. As volunteers, it is sort of a bonding ritual to get a burn from Zaki. Scottie decided to get his on his back, right next to his tattoo. After a few drinks, Scottie asked Zaki to heat up the instrument and like a champ, Scottie was all smiles while receiving his burn. Zaki wanted to give me one afterwards as well, but I said no way! All in all, I think Scottie's birthday in Africa was a memorable one.

Scottie with his new shirt and birthday cake.

Heating up the brander...

EEE. Look at it sizzle!

Branded!

Later this week we are going to go out and celebrate Scottie's birthday at a local bar with some friends. It won't be the same as a birthday party at home, but I hope it will be equally memorable (or not memorable, in Scottie's case?)!

On Wednesday, we went to the "Snake Park" with our friend Kathryn and one of her classes that only consists of four children. Kathryn rented a dala for the day (a reliable one) and we picked up the kids at school and from there drove to the Snake Park. The kids were excited to ride in a dala and drive past the small, Arusha airport. I don't know if any of them have seen an airplane before!

The snake park was super cool! A guide took us around and told us about the snakes in each cage. We got to see cobras, anacondas (along with pictures of one that had swallowed a human whole, ew), and the dreaded black mamba! The park also had turtles, owls, a vulture, a baboon that would shake your hand, crocodiles, and lizards. The children each got to hold a snake and put it around their necks, which was a cool experience for them as well as the teachers. After getting to see all the reptiles, we got a quick tour of the Massai museum, which depicted Massai villages and their people in different stages of life, and at different times of the year. Then--the highlight of the field trip--the kids got to ride a camel! I assumed the camels would be the ones from the petting zoos at home, but these were real, tall African camels! The kids loved riding them and so did us adults. The field trip to the Snake Park was super fun. Kathryn did an amazing job organizing everything and it was a great experience for us to see her students getting so much enjoyment out of something that we might take for granted at home...

Fat Stanley and I checking out the Green Mambas

Scottie with a snake as a tie

30 years old and still acting like a kid!

Camel ride!

This week also marks the halfway point of our trip. It's been interesting looking back on the past six weeks and thinking about how our lives have changed since we've been here. It feels like ages ago we were in Minnesota preparing to start our adventure.
In the last few weeks Scottie and I have reflected a lot on how fortunate we are to be here. We are so lucky to have had the opportunity to come to Africa to volunteer, and every day we feel so grateful to be going through this amazing experience together. Additionally, we have realized how much we take our lives at home for granted, and how good we have it both here and at home. The comforts of home will feel a million times better once we return from this trip.

On the flip side, there are still some thing we are working on while we are here. I especially still struggle to figure out how we can truly help the children at our school. Earlier this week, we met with our director and discussed the priorities of each classroom with her, in hopes of being better able to plan relevant lessons and activities for the children. I think Scottie and I have so many ideas of ways to help the children, but we need help narrowing them down to a few realistic ones. We hope that in the next six weeks we'll be able to make some sort of substantial change in the lives of some or all of our students as well as help to make some improvements to St. Dymphnas.

Interestingly, this week was the first week I felt truly adjusted to our life here in Arusha. I don't know if six weeks is maybe what it takes to fully accept the lifestyle here, or if I finally got over that hanging-on-to-home feeling, but I feel like the next month will go a lot smoother than the last one now that I am accepting our lives here a little more. Arusha is definitely not a glamorous or easy place to live, but I know that I can make the best of it for a little while at least.

We miss you all back home!
Much love,
Laura and Scottie