Hello!
We have had a whirlwind first few days! We are finally adjusting to the time difference and have been getting better sleep. Sleep here is hard to come by...there are howling dogs, goats, crowing roosters at three in the morning, and 30 volunteers coming in and out of the house (and the bedroom) at all hours of the day. Earplugs have been by far our most essential item here, but besides the small annoyances, Tanzania has been super fun so far.
To catch you up on the past few days:
All of the volunteers have been SO friendly. The volunteers that have been here for awhile know what it’s like to be new, so a few of them showed us around town and helped us get settled. I assume we’ll do the same when a new round of volunteers comes in while we are here as well. On our first day, we went to a beautiful swimming pool, got chicken and “chips” with a group of people, and checked out the internet café. Walking everywhere was helpful to get the lay of the land, as well as see what Arusha is all about.
Saturday we took a trip to Moshi, the city that serves as the gateway to Mount Kilimanjaro. The first day we went on a tour of a coffee plantation which turned out to be quite a hike, but was beautiful and super interesting, considering the tour was at a Tanzanian family’s house in Moshi.
On Sunday in Moshi we did a hike to a waterfall and literally climbed on the grassy cliffs at the base of Kilimanjaro (If anyone asks, we basically climbed it). Then we took a looong bus ride back to Arusha and proceeded to sleep for 9+ hours, our first good sleep here.
Interesting things we’ve learned about Africa thus far:
1) It is hot. And dusty. Like brown boogers dusty. But it gets cooler at night and is more enjoyable then.
2) There are bugs everywhere. Not too many scary ones yet, but they are everywhere.
3) Everyone is SO nice. The people here are very friendly and helpful.
4) The women actually carry things on their heads—bananas, bags of rice; it’s amazing. The women work so hard; the mamas in our house get here at five in the morning, clean up our dishes from the previous night, make us breakfast, clean the entire house on their hands and knees, and then begin working on the next two meals. I can't tell you how much we appreciate their help and are amazed at their strength.
5) Daladalas are the form of transportation we use every day, when we are not walking. They are small buses meant to fit 16 people, that are consistently packed with 20-30 people each ride. They are smelly, bumpy, and somewhat dangerous, but all part of the experience.
Our first few days here were a bit hard; getting to know everyone and managing sharing a bedroom with strangers, but it has all been a part of the experience.
Our first day at our placement was yesterday and it was very difficult. The school is really great. It is about a 45 minute walk, and only one dala stop away, but we will likely walk every morning. The school has four classrooms: a little class, a medium class, an autism class, and a pre-vocational class. Things are very different at this school compared to the special education schools in the states, which is to be expected. It was hard seeing the children playing by themselves on the floor with the same blocks all day long, while the teachers sat in the corner not engaging them. We have to remember however, that these children are very fortunate to even be in a school, not to mention a special school for them, so anything is better than the alternative. Many of the children come from awful home situations, which is also difficult to see. I felt so overwhelmed the first day, but have been brainstorming with other volunteers and we are taking small steps to improving the classrooms and the school.
We finally have internet so should be in touch a bit more. We also have African cell phones which you could buy calling cards for and call us with. We also can send and receive texts. Phone calls are a bit more expensive for us, so we'd love it if you called us. But if you get a call from a weird number--answer it!
Scottie's number: 1 255 768 334781
Laura's number: 1 255 769 233144
Our first few days here were a bit hard; getting to know everyone and managing sharing a bedroom with strangers, but it has all been a part of the experience.
Our first day at our placement was yesterday and it was very difficult. The school is really great. It is about a 45 minute walk, and only one dala stop away, but we will likely walk every morning. The school has four classrooms: a little class, a medium class, an autism class, and a pre-vocational class. Things are very different at this school compared to the special education schools in the states, which is to be expected. It was hard seeing the children playing by themselves on the floor with the same blocks all day long, while the teachers sat in the corner not engaging them. We have to remember however, that these children are very fortunate to even be in a school, not to mention a special school for them, so anything is better than the alternative. Many of the children come from awful home situations, which is also difficult to see. I felt so overwhelmed the first day, but have been brainstorming with other volunteers and we are taking small steps to improving the classrooms and the school.
We finally have internet so should be in touch a bit more. We also have African cell phones which you could buy calling cards for and call us with. We also can send and receive texts. Phone calls are a bit more expensive for us, so we'd love it if you called us. But if you get a call from a weird number--answer it!
Scottie's number: 1 255 768 334781
Laura's number: 1 255 769 233144
This weekend: SAFARI! So so excited! Did you know you spend the night in a tent with the hyenas and warthogs? A bit crazy/scary, but SO cool. I will post pictures as soon as we have them.
We will keep you updated on our adventures. We miss you all!
(Also, Scottie is sad that the Packers lost, but maybe a little glad that he missed it.)
(Also, Scottie is sad that the Packers lost, but maybe a little glad that he missed it.)
Scottie and I in front of the Mount Kilimanjaro gate
The daladala with a flat tire quickly being fixed
Laura and Scottie
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