After school on Wednesday I was taking an oversized knife that I use for peeling my mid-morning mango out of my backpack. I almost dropped my knife and chopped off one of my toes when a lizardy-creature jumped out of my backpack with it!
(There must be something very lizard-friendly in my backpack....because I caught a different one trying to get into my backpack at school the following day....and almost knocked out a small child when it startled me.)
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Shadows
Yesterday at dinner someone asked me why I thought almost no one wears watches in Tanzania. I thought it was because everyone here seems to own at least one phone, usually two, and sometimes three.
However, it turns out that everyone here knows how to tell time based on their shadow. The daylight hours here fluctuate by no more than five minutes in a year, and are almost always 12 hours long.
I am on a mission to learn how to use this nifty, new, natural, clock and will report back once I have become an expert shadow-reader.
However, it turns out that everyone here knows how to tell time based on their shadow. The daylight hours here fluctuate by no more than five minutes in a year, and are almost always 12 hours long.
I am on a mission to learn how to use this nifty, new, natural, clock and will report back once I have become an expert shadow-reader.
Sunscreen
Coppertone Sport is my brand of sport, and I have been religiously applying sunscreen thanks to their new, Continuous, clear, no-rub, ultra sweatproof, breatheable, 50 SPF bottles. However, supplies are running low, and an instinct to conserve these precious bottles combined with an inability to refuse kids who want to play soccer under the full blast of the mid-day sun, has led to my first significant sunburn. It has also reminded me, that I am going to need to obtain more bottles.
The thought occurred to me, the other day….that I am just about the only white person (that I have seen) here in Tanga. The chances of me finding a bottle of sunscreen, I wagered are probably slim to none.
So….If I were a bottle of sunscreen in Tanzania, where would I be? Where all the silly, white, mzungu, tourists are that are willing to spend a fortune to buy a small bottle of sunscreen, of course!
Lucky for me, my host father was in Dar es Salam this week….so I gave him a call…..and he was easily able to locate and purchase a new bottle of 50+ SPF sunscreen for me.
I must say….the phone conversation trying to explain what sunscreen is….and how it’s rated etc. was rather hilarious……..until he read me the price of the small bottles……a whopping $24.
The thought occurred to me, the other day….that I am just about the only white person (that I have seen) here in Tanga. The chances of me finding a bottle of sunscreen, I wagered are probably slim to none.
So….If I were a bottle of sunscreen in Tanzania, where would I be? Where all the silly, white, mzungu, tourists are that are willing to spend a fortune to buy a small bottle of sunscreen, of course!
Lucky for me, my host father was in Dar es Salam this week….so I gave him a call…..and he was easily able to locate and purchase a new bottle of 50+ SPF sunscreen for me.
I must say….the phone conversation trying to explain what sunscreen is….and how it’s rated etc. was rather hilarious……..until he read me the price of the small bottles……a whopping $24.
Breaking Into My New Home
This week my host mom, Victoria, is the teacher on-duty. She must go to school very early in the morning and gets back a little later every day this week. I have decided to walk myself to and from school each day, and definitely look forward to my 10 minute daily adventure.
Today, when I got home at 2 o’clock, I banged on the gates to our house so that the helper or my host brother would come unlock the door and let me in. No answer. I called, and called….but still no answer. Finally, with sweat dripping down my whole body and exhaustion from the anticipation of my afternoon nap setting in….I decided I had I was just going to have to let myself in. So, naturally, I hopped the fence (very grateful that Victoria’s fence doesn’t have shards of glass or barbed wire to keep intruders from doing such a thing). I was a little indignant from having stood outside for 15 minutes trying to get someone to come open the gate, that I marched straight to my room, and took a shower without informing the helper or my host brother that I was home.
While getting dressed, I heard someone else knocking at the door. And knocking, and knocking….I knew no one could hear them besides myself….and the knocks were getting more and more impatient. I threw on some clothes and ran to the gate to open in….but as I was opening the gate to let them in, I realized I had no clue who was on the other side of the gate and didn’t have the language skills to ask them to state their business. Instead….I just stammmered….in Kiswahili……”Welcome….you are here……who?....” as two forty-ish year old men with bicycles and a couple bags entered our home.
Realizing that I might have just let in a bunch of robbers or something….I quickly skipped off to find the helper so she could tell me if they were friends or foes. Of course, I had to first explain why I was home and how I got in….and then ask if she knew them. But being that she only speaks kiswahili….it was mostly just an exchange of hand signals, body language and tone of voice. But in any case, she seemed to be expecting them.
An hour or so later when my host brother and I were heading to the beach for an afternoon swim, I asked about the men from earlier, and why they were here. He said, “Oh, they are here to install the electric bell so we can hear when people are waiting at the gate to come inside….”
Today, when I got home at 2 o’clock, I banged on the gates to our house so that the helper or my host brother would come unlock the door and let me in. No answer. I called, and called….but still no answer. Finally, with sweat dripping down my whole body and exhaustion from the anticipation of my afternoon nap setting in….I decided I had I was just going to have to let myself in. So, naturally, I hopped the fence (very grateful that Victoria’s fence doesn’t have shards of glass or barbed wire to keep intruders from doing such a thing). I was a little indignant from having stood outside for 15 minutes trying to get someone to come open the gate, that I marched straight to my room, and took a shower without informing the helper or my host brother that I was home.
While getting dressed, I heard someone else knocking at the door. And knocking, and knocking….I knew no one could hear them besides myself….and the knocks were getting more and more impatient. I threw on some clothes and ran to the gate to open in….but as I was opening the gate to let them in, I realized I had no clue who was on the other side of the gate and didn’t have the language skills to ask them to state their business. Instead….I just stammmered….in Kiswahili……”Welcome….you are here……who?....” as two forty-ish year old men with bicycles and a couple bags entered our home.
Realizing that I might have just let in a bunch of robbers or something….I quickly skipped off to find the helper so she could tell me if they were friends or foes. Of course, I had to first explain why I was home and how I got in….and then ask if she knew them. But being that she only speaks kiswahili….it was mostly just an exchange of hand signals, body language and tone of voice. But in any case, she seemed to be expecting them.
An hour or so later when my host brother and I were heading to the beach for an afternoon swim, I asked about the men from earlier, and why they were here. He said, “Oh, they are here to install the electric bell so we can hear when people are waiting at the gate to come inside….”
Friday, February 26, 2010
My New Friend
The first grade teacher has been absent for a long time now due to a family illness. I am often asked to go correct math problems in that class, and see many of those students that are struggling later in the afternoon when they come for extra help.
One of the kids in this class made herself known to me very early on with her friendly and engaging nature. Unfortunately for her, this meant that I took note when some days her math problems were 100% correct, and some days they were 100% wrong.
On one of the days where the problems were 100% wrong, I sent her to one of the teachers, because I felt that I didn’t have the language ability to help her. Her teacher took one look at the problems in her work book and started yelling at her. She also got a nice love pat, which made her cry and made me cringe with guilt for having sent her to the teacher. If this girl was going to get help, I decided I would have to do it myself.
Knowing that this student was most likely cheating, and also most likely did not know how to do simple math I decided I’d work through a few problems with her one-on-one. I quickly learned that my friend did not know how to read or write numbers. So if I had her count two plus two by holding up my fingers for her to count….she could count out the numbers, but would get stuck when she had to write down the answer. She would then look desperately at her peers for someone to trace the number for her in the air, and she would write it down.
To test how much this student actually knew, I had her write out the numbers 1 through 10. I expected this to be a difficult task for someone who can’t write the number four on command, but she did it in less than 30 seconds, without any problems. However, when I asked her where the number 9 was….she pointed to the number 5!
Back to the basics….I ripped up some pieces of paper and made her a set of number flashcards….. This student knows one, two, and three without any problems (reading, writing, holding up the appropriate number of fingers, etc.)……but the rest of them she does not know how to read or write.
I really wasn’t sure what to do next, but I decided to try and help her by having her count out the number of fingers that a particular number is associated with. For example, I showed her the number four, then held up four of my fingers, and said, “How many fingers is this?” She didn’t know how many fingers it was by sight, but she counted out all of my fingers and was able to tell me that I was holding up four fingers – no great shakes…..but okay, it’s a start.
When I showed her the flashcard for five, and said how many fingers….she put up five of her own fingers before I had a chance to hold up mine for her to count……she counted all five of her fingers and successfully told me that the flashcard said five. I thought it was odd that a girl that couldn’t read or write numbers somehow knew to hold up five fingers when she saw the number in written form, so I decided to test her with the number seven. Again….she put up seven of her own fingers, and got to work counting….producing the correct answer.
While I’m no expert, this seemed like some sort of learning disability to me, so I took her to see Halifa (who is also studying learning disabilities and special ed). I had him watch us play a flashcard game, where I would show her 5, 7, 4, 6 etc….and each time she held up the correct number of fingers and got to work counting. Halifa agreed that there is some sort of issue…..especially that when he asked her to just tell him what a particular number was without using her fingers, she gave him a very sad look and just started randomly guessing at numbers.
Since Halifa agreed that there was a problem and allowed me to work with her some more, I have spent an hour every day playing flashcard games with my friend, trying to get her to use her counting tools to read numbers rather than blindly guessing. So far, here’s what she’s been able to do….
1: 100%
2: 100%
3: 100 %
4: Counts by hand, can guess at it about 75% of the time without counting….usually mistakes with five or seven.
5: Counts by hand, usually mistakes with seven, but no longer mistakes with six
6: No longer counts by hand, but sometimes mixes up her syllables and calls it “tisa” instead of “sita,” which unfortunately for her is the number 9 in Swahili.
7: Always counts out by hand, otherwise wildly guesses
8: Sometimes holds up nine fingers instead of eight…..but is getting better
9: Sometimes holds up eight fingers instead of nine….but is getting better
10: Used to hold up all her fingers and count every time……now she just thinks, holds up her hands, says “All ten!”
What is even more strange….is that this student can now identify almost every card correct (with counting, of course) when I give her one card at a time. However, if I put all of the cards out and say “Where is the number 4?” She starts handing me seven, nine, eight, or any other number (except 1, 2, or 3…..which she has no problem identifying).
I think this student has had this problem for a long time….because she is well practiced in the art of cheating. She is constantly looking to read my body language when producing an answer, or for the help of a fellow student who is standing nearby. Because of this, I have started separating her from the rest of the group, and refusing to acknowledge her answer as either correct or incorrect, until she taps me on the shoulder and tells me with authority what the number is……it’s like a “Final Answer?” sort of check, and has proven to be quite successful. When I ask her to find me a certain number in a group of cards, she frequently reaches for the wrong card, but then counts it out to herself and corrects her mistake by picking a different card and verifying the number. While it’s definitely not ideal, I’m happy that she is at least using the tools she has to start identifying numbers…..maybe over time….she’ll be able to progress to reading them all by sight.
Since I’ve been working with this student, I have also been identifying other students who are struggling in math and I am beginning to write down their names. When there are 50 – 80 kids in a class, it is no wonder the teacher doesn’t have time to work with these kids individually. I asked Halifa if he wanted me to pull a few kids out of class next week to see if I could help them get back on track….and he’s agreed to let me try and help a few more individuals next week. I guess we’ll see how it goes!
One of the kids in this class made herself known to me very early on with her friendly and engaging nature. Unfortunately for her, this meant that I took note when some days her math problems were 100% correct, and some days they were 100% wrong.
On one of the days where the problems were 100% wrong, I sent her to one of the teachers, because I felt that I didn’t have the language ability to help her. Her teacher took one look at the problems in her work book and started yelling at her. She also got a nice love pat, which made her cry and made me cringe with guilt for having sent her to the teacher. If this girl was going to get help, I decided I would have to do it myself.
Knowing that this student was most likely cheating, and also most likely did not know how to do simple math I decided I’d work through a few problems with her one-on-one. I quickly learned that my friend did not know how to read or write numbers. So if I had her count two plus two by holding up my fingers for her to count….she could count out the numbers, but would get stuck when she had to write down the answer. She would then look desperately at her peers for someone to trace the number for her in the air, and she would write it down.
To test how much this student actually knew, I had her write out the numbers 1 through 10. I expected this to be a difficult task for someone who can’t write the number four on command, but she did it in less than 30 seconds, without any problems. However, when I asked her where the number 9 was….she pointed to the number 5!
Back to the basics….I ripped up some pieces of paper and made her a set of number flashcards….. This student knows one, two, and three without any problems (reading, writing, holding up the appropriate number of fingers, etc.)……but the rest of them she does not know how to read or write.
I really wasn’t sure what to do next, but I decided to try and help her by having her count out the number of fingers that a particular number is associated with. For example, I showed her the number four, then held up four of my fingers, and said, “How many fingers is this?” She didn’t know how many fingers it was by sight, but she counted out all of my fingers and was able to tell me that I was holding up four fingers – no great shakes…..but okay, it’s a start.
When I showed her the flashcard for five, and said how many fingers….she put up five of her own fingers before I had a chance to hold up mine for her to count……she counted all five of her fingers and successfully told me that the flashcard said five. I thought it was odd that a girl that couldn’t read or write numbers somehow knew to hold up five fingers when she saw the number in written form, so I decided to test her with the number seven. Again….she put up seven of her own fingers, and got to work counting….producing the correct answer.
While I’m no expert, this seemed like some sort of learning disability to me, so I took her to see Halifa (who is also studying learning disabilities and special ed). I had him watch us play a flashcard game, where I would show her 5, 7, 4, 6 etc….and each time she held up the correct number of fingers and got to work counting. Halifa agreed that there is some sort of issue…..especially that when he asked her to just tell him what a particular number was without using her fingers, she gave him a very sad look and just started randomly guessing at numbers.
Since Halifa agreed that there was a problem and allowed me to work with her some more, I have spent an hour every day playing flashcard games with my friend, trying to get her to use her counting tools to read numbers rather than blindly guessing. So far, here’s what she’s been able to do….
1: 100%
2: 100%
3: 100 %
4: Counts by hand, can guess at it about 75% of the time without counting….usually mistakes with five or seven.
5: Counts by hand, usually mistakes with seven, but no longer mistakes with six
6: No longer counts by hand, but sometimes mixes up her syllables and calls it “tisa” instead of “sita,” which unfortunately for her is the number 9 in Swahili.
7: Always counts out by hand, otherwise wildly guesses
8: Sometimes holds up nine fingers instead of eight…..but is getting better
9: Sometimes holds up eight fingers instead of nine….but is getting better
10: Used to hold up all her fingers and count every time……now she just thinks, holds up her hands, says “All ten!”
What is even more strange….is that this student can now identify almost every card correct (with counting, of course) when I give her one card at a time. However, if I put all of the cards out and say “Where is the number 4?” She starts handing me seven, nine, eight, or any other number (except 1, 2, or 3…..which she has no problem identifying).
I think this student has had this problem for a long time….because she is well practiced in the art of cheating. She is constantly looking to read my body language when producing an answer, or for the help of a fellow student who is standing nearby. Because of this, I have started separating her from the rest of the group, and refusing to acknowledge her answer as either correct or incorrect, until she taps me on the shoulder and tells me with authority what the number is……it’s like a “Final Answer?” sort of check, and has proven to be quite successful. When I ask her to find me a certain number in a group of cards, she frequently reaches for the wrong card, but then counts it out to herself and corrects her mistake by picking a different card and verifying the number. While it’s definitely not ideal, I’m happy that she is at least using the tools she has to start identifying numbers…..maybe over time….she’ll be able to progress to reading them all by sight.
Since I’ve been working with this student, I have also been identifying other students who are struggling in math and I am beginning to write down their names. When there are 50 – 80 kids in a class, it is no wonder the teacher doesn’t have time to work with these kids individually. I asked Halifa if he wanted me to pull a few kids out of class next week to see if I could help them get back on track….and he’s agreed to let me try and help a few more individuals next week. I guess we’ll see how it goes!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sports Update
The big soccer field at Chumbageni Primary School is usually empty during the school day (with the exception of the occasional grazing goat).
However, after last Friday when I took the Kindergarten class out to run some soccer drills, every other class has caught on and is constantly asking me to bring them soccer balls and set up inter-grade matches. The playground has come alive at recess, and students who usually go home during the break are now staying at school.
So far, the kids have complained that there are too many people on the field, and that six soccer balls aren’t enough (we have recently been converting basketballs to compensate). To address their concerns, the teachers are considering adjusting the school schedule to allow grades 4 through 7 to come play soccer for 40 minutes once a week on top of their daily recess time.
I am also working to get a basketball program up and running….or at least to obtain the resources necessary to start a program. Today I went with the school head, Halifa, to a local welder and asked them to make us two basketball hoops. For the equivalent of about $8, they have agreed to make us two rings, which we will pick up tomorrow and hang in the new Kindergarten classroom that is under construction. I’m not quite sure how it will all turn out….but we’re on a mission to get a mini-court up and running soon!
However, after last Friday when I took the Kindergarten class out to run some soccer drills, every other class has caught on and is constantly asking me to bring them soccer balls and set up inter-grade matches. The playground has come alive at recess, and students who usually go home during the break are now staying at school.
So far, the kids have complained that there are too many people on the field, and that six soccer balls aren’t enough (we have recently been converting basketballs to compensate). To address their concerns, the teachers are considering adjusting the school schedule to allow grades 4 through 7 to come play soccer for 40 minutes once a week on top of their daily recess time.
I am also working to get a basketball program up and running….or at least to obtain the resources necessary to start a program. Today I went with the school head, Halifa, to a local welder and asked them to make us two basketball hoops. For the equivalent of about $8, they have agreed to make us two rings, which we will pick up tomorrow and hang in the new Kindergarten classroom that is under construction. I’m not quite sure how it will all turn out….but we’re on a mission to get a mini-court up and running soon!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Porridge for the Orphans
The Somers Park School is currently paying to serve ugi (porridge) to the orphans every morning. Here is my current understanding of how the program works:
One of the mom’s in the local community is hired to make huge batches of porridge every morning. It seems like it includes water, flour, corn meal, salt, pepper, and sugar (maybe milk?)….but I’m not exactly sure. The orphans are served first, around 9 or 10am. After that, the remaining ugi is sold to any child who wants to purchase a cup for 50 TZ shillings (about four cents). This money helps perpetuate the program and fills the bellies of many of the children at school here for a seemingly reasonable price.
In order to serve the ugi, there are over 100 colorful, plastic cups that are stored in a big plastic trash bin. A group of students comes through and then when they are finished, they wash their cup in a soapy bath and then rinse it in clean water for the next round of students to use. Almost every student gets 2 cups: one filled to the brim with ugi, the other is empty and seems to be the actual drinking cup that the kids use to pour small amounts of ugi into it to drink. The ugi is very hot, and I think the kids do this so that it cools off faster or something. I could be completely wrong about this, so I need to do some more research.
The most important question, of course, is how does it taste? I was at first hesitant to try the ugi for health reasons. However, it seems that the ugi is at least brought to a boil….and my host mom says it’s okay for me to eat…..so I figured, what the heck….I’ll try it.
The verdict: It actually tastes okay…there are some clumps in it which give it a distinctive texture….and the taste is a little like cornbread….a little sweet, a little salty….and of course a hint of corn flavor. It is very filling and I am considering making this a mid-morning snack almost every day!
A drawback: This morning the mom who comes to make the ugi didn’t show up. That meant no ugi. I don’t know if or when the orphans get other food in the day, but the process is definitely dependent on this woman showing up in the morning…
One of the mom’s in the local community is hired to make huge batches of porridge every morning. It seems like it includes water, flour, corn meal, salt, pepper, and sugar (maybe milk?)….but I’m not exactly sure. The orphans are served first, around 9 or 10am. After that, the remaining ugi is sold to any child who wants to purchase a cup for 50 TZ shillings (about four cents). This money helps perpetuate the program and fills the bellies of many of the children at school here for a seemingly reasonable price.
In order to serve the ugi, there are over 100 colorful, plastic cups that are stored in a big plastic trash bin. A group of students comes through and then when they are finished, they wash their cup in a soapy bath and then rinse it in clean water for the next round of students to use. Almost every student gets 2 cups: one filled to the brim with ugi, the other is empty and seems to be the actual drinking cup that the kids use to pour small amounts of ugi into it to drink. The ugi is very hot, and I think the kids do this so that it cools off faster or something. I could be completely wrong about this, so I need to do some more research.
The most important question, of course, is how does it taste? I was at first hesitant to try the ugi for health reasons. However, it seems that the ugi is at least brought to a boil….and my host mom says it’s okay for me to eat…..so I figured, what the heck….I’ll try it.
The verdict: It actually tastes okay…there are some clumps in it which give it a distinctive texture….and the taste is a little like cornbread….a little sweet, a little salty….and of course a hint of corn flavor. It is very filling and I am considering making this a mid-morning snack almost every day!
A drawback: This morning the mom who comes to make the ugi didn’t show up. That meant no ugi. I don’t know if or when the orphans get other food in the day, but the process is definitely dependent on this woman showing up in the morning…
Showers and Water
I have a shower in my very big bathroom. When I first got here, I was very conscious about conserving water and would take a short shower once a day or maybe every other day.
As it turns out, I am expected to take a minimum of THREE showers a day. My host mom keeps telling me that not taking a shower will make me tired (although I don’t really understand why). But the people here are by and large very keen on cleanliness, and showers are a definite must.
Interestingly, however, there have been some significant water issues lately. Tanga is a coastal city, and according to my host father has not had water shortages in years. However, since I’ve been here, the water stops working at least once a day for a good couple of hours. This is so unusual that my host father doesn’t have an extra water tank installed at his Tanga home…..but he is now beginning to reconsider.
As it turns out, I am expected to take a minimum of THREE showers a day. My host mom keeps telling me that not taking a shower will make me tired (although I don’t really understand why). But the people here are by and large very keen on cleanliness, and showers are a definite must.
Interestingly, however, there have been some significant water issues lately. Tanga is a coastal city, and according to my host father has not had water shortages in years. However, since I’ve been here, the water stops working at least once a day for a good couple of hours. This is so unusual that my host father doesn’t have an extra water tank installed at his Tanga home…..but he is now beginning to reconsider.
Laundry
So far, I have come across no washing machines or driers in Tanzania. Just buckets, soap, and clothes lines.
Currently, the deal I have with my host-mom is that she washes all of my clothes, and I am responsible for washing my “underpants.” I’m currently feeling a little guilty about this set up….but I also feel completely incompetent at washing my clothes by hand…..so hopefully we’ll find some time for me to really learn how to do it.
Almost everything comes out completely wrinkled (and also very stiff and starchy) so everything must also be ironed.
Overall, a very labor-intensive process….and feels kind of strange having access to so much technology (computers, modems, cell phones, PS2s) but having absolutely no washers or dryers as far as I’ve been able to gather.
Currently, the deal I have with my host-mom is that she washes all of my clothes, and I am responsible for washing my “underpants.” I’m currently feeling a little guilty about this set up….but I also feel completely incompetent at washing my clothes by hand…..so hopefully we’ll find some time for me to really learn how to do it.
Almost everything comes out completely wrinkled (and also very stiff and starchy) so everything must also be ironed.
Overall, a very labor-intensive process….and feels kind of strange having access to so much technology (computers, modems, cell phones, PS2s) but having absolutely no washers or dryers as far as I’ve been able to gather.
My Cool Kindle
My uncle and his family gave me a Kindle as an awesome present for my trip to Africa. This has allowed me to travel without the weight of books, and gives me access to almost any reading materials I could ever want.
Currently, I am reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett and also receive Time magazine once a week to keep up with the news a bit. I had to pay to download books internationally, but it was only a small one-time fee. Overall, I give the Kindle an A+!
Currently, I am reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett and also receive Time magazine once a week to keep up with the news a bit. I had to pay to download books internationally, but it was only a small one-time fee. Overall, I give the Kindle an A+!
An Empty House (Mostly)
Yesterday we put my sister Suzie on a bus to Arusha to return to her college studies. We also put my cousin Phineas who has been staying with us on a bus to Dar es Salam to start high school in 2 weeks. My older brother James went off for a few days to visit a friend, and my host dad is leaving tomorrow for the rest of the week.
That leaves me, my brother Chief, my host-mom, the helper, and her daughter. I guess that’s a lot of people, but compared to the crowd I’ve become used to the house is feeling pretty empty.
That leaves me, my brother Chief, my host-mom, the helper, and her daughter. I guess that’s a lot of people, but compared to the crowd I’ve become used to the house is feeling pretty empty.
A Little Laziness
Two nights ago I was too lazy to set up my mosquito net. I didn’t think there were any bugs in my room, but the non-stop scratching ever since then proves otherwise.
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