30's not so bad...

Here's what I did during the week of my 30th birthday!

Map THIS!!!   

...don't forget South Sudan

The World Map Project... a Peace Corps Classic

 We moved walls... here is our new blank dirty canvas. The primary school is near the first wall we picked but those young whipper snappers with all their energy can be some what of a disturbance (imagine that). 

The Headmaster and I shifted the World Map Project to a wall on the other side of the secondary school campus.  This area is covered in shade most of the day making it a popular hang out during break time. A better choice indeed!

First things first, we cleaned the wall and then slapped on a fresh coat of white. It took about 4 liters to cover the entire wall. 

Here is my apprentice/ cousin/ small father, Jonson, up on the ladder.

We finish up the White Wall on Friday and let it dry over the weekend.

and then we did some math...

Total area for the map: 252 cm x 504 cm. 

Since we are using the grid method to aid our drawing efforts, each grid square will be 9cm x 9cm. 

We used a meter stick to measure the map area and started to paint the ocean blue as our map base. This was a excellent suggestion from the World Map Project Book, we won't have to worry about painting the water around all those tiny islands later on!

All the students are excited to help out. 

They wouldn't let me paint for more than a few minutes at a time.

Last touches of blue on Monday afternoon.

... So Fresh and So Clean!

We got back to work on Wednesday by drawing the GRID lines. 

We used white chalk to draw the lines so they can be easily erased later on after drawing. 

Our grid is made up of 28 rows and 56 columns, with a total of 1,568 squares.

Coming Soon... Drawing and Painting THE WORLD MAP!!!

Yum a Liberry... Even tastier than a strawberry!

So as we wait for the library structure to be completed we are in process of requesting book donations, creating a floor plan for the furniture and organizing our current inventory. 

There are so many NGO's that give used books but most of them send in Sea Containers. 

With 10,000- 25,000 books inside they can be very difficult to manage at customs and with transport to the village. We have decided to avoid the hassle and focus on small donors and maintaining the books we do have.

Here we are making a plan to organize our current room that houses the few beat up books we have.

Each student was given a different course subject and tasked to write down the author, title, publisher and quantity of books in the book room.

We had a lot of work, but about 10 students volunteered to help.

...and it got worse before it got better... YIKES! 

Starting to get things in order... Mwalimu (Teacher) Shabani was a great leader for this task! Bravo!

Much Better and ready to get moved to the NEW Library when it is finished.

Here is the current state of the new library... 

and a peak inside!

Next set of tasks: follow up with small scale book donors and the Tanzanian Library Board Services for librarian training.

Cheers to YOU Anna!

What do most girls ask for for their birthday 9th birthday???

I’m guessing an I-pod upgrade, a better cell phone plan with more txt messages, her own bathroom, fashionable clothing…  and I’m sure this list would be updated on an hourly basis.

But not my Anna Ndizi (banana in Swahili)  she gave away her 9th birthday to help others.  That’s right, my fantastic and incredibly selfless NINE year old niece chose to ask family and friends to make donations to my Peace Corps projects instead of receiving presents.

In honor of Anna’s 9th Birthday and generous donation, here’s what we are planning:

The World Map Project     www.theworldmapproject.com
Barbara Jo White (Dominican Republic '87-'89) created The World Map Project while serving in the Peace Corps.

Our blank canvas. We chose this wall at the school because it gets the most foot traffic and this wing is closest to the neighboring primary school. The plan is to assign numbers to all the countries after painting. On the left side of the map we will write the country names in English and on the right side in Kiswahili. This will give all the students at the secondary school and primary access to it.

The Form 4 students will finish NECTA exams next week (13/10) and then we can get started. First a fresh coat of white for the whole wall. Then we will measure the 2.52 meter by 5.4 meter space for the map. That entire section will be painted blue and then the grid drawing will begin.  After that painting and labels…

photo taken from the WMP website.  We hope ours will be this GREAT!

 

Book Donations for the new library

The construction of the secondary school library began in January.  The ceiling beams and large rocks for the floor are the latest update to our progress.  If all goes well the library will open in December 2011.  The biggest problem we face for the future library is the lack of quality books.  The few books we have are outdated and in poor condition. We only have one book (three copies) on the English required reading list from the ministry of education. This year, my form 4 students, 72 in all, shared one English to Kiswahili dictionary.  Can you imagine trying to study physics or chemistry in a foreign language without a dictionary to help translate?

Anna’s birthday money will go towards buying books, dictionaries, and study guides from local publishers. I will work with my  headmaster to form a small committee of students and teachers to create a wish list and to find book dealers who can give us a discount for buying in bulk. To round out our libraries book selection, I am in contact with the Tanzania Library Services Board and several local NGO’s that coordinate overseas book donations.  Last but not least I am reading Libraries for All, a great book on how to set up and manage a library. Once the building is complete and we have books I look forward to holding training sessions for those students who want to work as librarians.

HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY ANNA + I LOVE YOU!  I am so Proud of YOU!  and Thank You to everyone who made a donation to Anna.

and some Stevie Wonder just for the b-day girl:'Cause we all know in our minds
That there ought to be a time
That we can set aside
To show just how much we love you
And I'm sure you will agree
It couldn't fit more perfectly
Than to have a world party on the day you came to be

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday

I wish I could do that...

When I returned back to site from a successful MSC (mid service conference) I found my house was glowing! I had solar power installed while I was off in Dar sharing best practices with my fellow PCVs.

This is LIFE changing (because I have power) in just the past few days I...

• Typed & sent applications to the embassy via email giving two secondary students a chance to attend a leadership conference in America.
• Gave three friends basic computer lessons.
• Uploaded American music to my friends phone
• Typed and emailed my application to be a facilitator at the next PST
• Studied Swahili at night
• Watched a few episodes of Glee

MOST IMPORTANTLY

• I made an online donation to support my friends primary school renovation project.
  
  

Yes, even on my $170/month budget I was able to give. I support this community's effort to finish work on their dilapidated primary school. I hope you can read on below, how the whole village will be positively affected by a donation.

What your money will DO:
1. Complete construction on existing structures to allow needed expansion of school classrooms.

2. Construct school library that would be available to all community members for continue education.


3. Through construction phase of project create skill building training sessions for out of school youth. (i.e. carpenter skills, cement laying skills, brick building and laying skills)

4. Through Primary School Renovation Committee train members (including women) project management and financial book keeping skills.

5. Build/Strengthen Collaboration efforts between community groups both formal and informal.

Thinking about getting me a 30th birthday gift or Christmas present...

Instead please make a donation

HOW CAN YOU HELP THIS COMMUNITY?

click the link below____________

Primary School Renovation Project 

MAMA! made it to Africa...

 and she is already planning her trip to return next year!
Here is a glimpse at our Safi Safari experience

(Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and Serengeti)
and time in my village (Tanga Region).  

Out of all the amazing places my mom saw in Tanzania-
she voted my village TOP on her list. 

It's the people, they are amazing!

 

link to website here:

Hoopoe Safaris!

Our Guide Freddy. If you are thinking about a safari... Freddy is The Man!

WOW! Sorry Disney Land- THIS is the HAPPIEST place on Earth!

and then we made it to my house in the village... 

After an 8 hour bus ride from Moshi with several people piled on our laps 

Mama was ready for her first bucket bath!

My Church Family- The Sunday Morning Party Posse!

Mama Singo and Mama Mati

Mama Mati getting her grind on~ Coconut is a must if you're making rice!

 The Final Product from Mama Singo- SO TASTY!

Last but not least, two shots from behind my families house.

My favorite place in my village, its magical!

 

Martha my favorite Mama "in the know" She seems to have the gossip before it even happens.

Yes, we need another Fork!

This a great story from back in December when I went on my first date in Tanzania. 

Eric took me out in Morogoro to a nice restaurant near the bus stand. I was happy with his choice, the place had nice vibe- traditional Tanzanian food and live music. It was almost 8pm, we were both hungry so we quickly ordered french fries cooked with fried eggs (chipsi mayai).  Within five minutes our food was ready. We received our hot greasy plates but only Eric’s came to the table with a fork. He called the waiter back over and asked for another utensil. 

A few minutes passed and I looked over at the kitchen area. I noticed a bunch of the wait staff were in a heated discussion and pointing at me. I didn’t think too much of it since I was the only white person around. Its quite normal to be elevated to celebrity status while in public. Then all the sudden the cook came out from the back kitchen and over to our table.

In Kiswahili he asked,  "You want Fork?"
Eric replied "Yes, we need another fork"
that was when the cook simply stated,  “I am fork... You see, my name is Fork.”

We all had a good laugh as we simultaneously realized the mistake and the irony of this man named Fork working in a restaurant.

P.S. I also met a man named Onion on Easter Sunday…

Me and Onion!

So you think you can climb the mountain???.... ha ha ha

 44 students from the secondary school, 2 teachers and even ME ----->
Together WE successfully climbed up the Western side of the Usambara Mountains!
Last week I was ecstatic and shouting from my tin roof top that I was invited to attend the mock student Parliament session…  only later I found out this meant I had to climb the mountain behind my house to get there.  I thought sure I’m capable of this… I mean if it was that difficult of a climb- they wouldn’t have asked me right??? 
All the village elders were shocked, and everyone’s reaction was the same,
“YOU CAN???…. HA HA HA!!!”

I get this a lot… everyday in fact, about each and everything I attempt to do. Friends, family, local acquaintances in the village all challenge me with the:
“YOU CAN???”

I’ll admit I get frustrated by their lack of confidence in me, but in the end I know it’s good for me.  These “you can?” convos ends up lighting a fire under my ass, triggering my ego into full force and giving me the drive to CLIMB that Damn Mountain!
ENJOY…

On our way to the path…
Students carried buckets filled with food and water to enjoy at the top. It looks like a little hill… right?

The crossing of the river… always fun~
My friends love it when I piggy back them across!
I'll be sure to hear a few “you can(s)???”

I love TZ’s communal culture!
The other teachers and students were always offering to carry my backpack and help me through out our journey.

View of the Pare Mountain Range

At the base where we met before the climb… most of the students had ripped off various parts of their uniforms by this point. This is by far the most skin I have ever seen in this country.

Getting up there with some cotton candy clouds~

This is my hood.

We made it~ SAFI SANA! Everyone looking so Smart!

 Our captive audience: secondary students from the mountain school.

Reviewing notes before the session officially started.

Madam Speaker!

The young man standing is my cousin, Jonson from my village… but I call him “Tate mfupi” ( short father in my local language)  He is one of the privileged few that I’ve piggybacked across the river!

Moody preachin’ it… he always has “interesting” questions during Health Club meetings.



These kids rocked it~ I’m so proud of them!

Future members of Parliament!

  “Wrap it up B… we Got a Dance Party to start!”

My new best buddy~  Athumani, a Form 6 leaver teaching while he waits for his test results, ready to move on to University level studies. He organized the trip and made sure I made it up!  This was his announcement of the 10 minute Dance PARTY before heading home.

Stepin it out Kiduku Style!

 So you think we can dance?

Heading home… don’t be fooled, "the path" wasn’t at this easy the whole way….
this was the only place I felt safe enough to have my camera out during the descent.

Last chance to grab the view!