Seek First to Understand...

As one of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People written by Stephen Covey states, “Seek first to understand, then be understood.”  While this is a very important skill to learn and have in all aspects of school, business and at home in the U.S., I can really understand its effectiveness living in another country.  Most of my colleagues here at Mzumbe speak English, but the level of English competency widely varies.  For someone who is just getting used to the local language and also the heavy African accents, it’s both challenging and at times frustrating to converse with another Tanzanian, even if they are extremely proficient in English.  That is why this particular Habit came to mind.  As I am speaking with a fellow Tanzanian colleague, there are many times when I can understand what they are speaking, but it’s important to really listen and also clarify and understand their meaning, as well.  I always try to make an effort to try and repeat what they have spoken to me, in an effort to see if I understand what they are saying and meaning.  If I can understand them, then there is dramatically less chance of miscommunication, and then it’s easier for me to communicate my thoughts and ideas to them.  I think this is an important habit, especially as an outsider in a foreign country, because as I try to integrate more into the community I really want to make an effort to have clear communication.  This way, it will a much more rewarding cultural exchange between myself, and others at my school and in my community.  It’s a really unique situation, because even though they may speak my native language, it doesn’t mean that our understanding of the language is the same.  Therefore, it’s always important to “seek first to understand, then be understood.”

First Meal Cooked

Last Saturday I took yet another step towards complete self-sufficiency and cooked my first meal in my new house!  With the help of the Peace Corps Cookbook for Guinea (Thanks to my sister, Jennie for finding it for me!!) I was able to test out some cooking skills I wasn’t sure I really had.  It took a few hours, and of course it wasn’t perfect, but it was a fun experience and hopefully I’ll be able to develop a lot more cooking skills in the year ahead.

For my first meal I cooked the basics: Rice and Beans.  After soaking the beans for most of the day, I cooked them for an hour, and also cooked up some rice (which is quite simple).  Unfortunately, the rice was slightly overcooked, but I can only imagine cooking rice will become a task I will perfect by year's end.  To accompany the rice and beans, I sautéed some vegetables from the market and Voila! Dinner is served.  On another positive and negative note, I cooked WAY too much food, but actually it’s good because with a fridge I am able to store plenty of food, which will be an easy and convenient option for lunchtime.

A successful (but not perfect) first meal… what to cook next?

Culture Shock

While this experience has already been quite exciting and rewarding thus far, unfortunately there are also a few unpleasant challenges that usually occur when living abroad.  One of these interesting phenomena when traveling and living abroad is experiencing culture shock.  This usually occurs a few weeks after arrival, once the euphoria and thrill of arriving in country has worn off.  It’s filled with a lot of mixed emotions, since the reality of being in a foreign country as an outsider hits hard.  Since this is the biggest change I’ve experienced abroad, the effects of culture shock have unfortunately hit me a bit harder than I’ve felt before.  Finally being on my own away from my other volunteers has forced me to confront the challenges I have ahead- including struggling to learn and understand the language and customs, coping with being on my own apart from my new friends, and learning to become comfortable with a lifestyle that is far different from the one I was used to back home.  On top of this, I must also face the challenges that being a first year teacher will bring.

Although culture shock can be quite unpleasant, knowing that it is completely normal and eventually will pass is comforting to know.  I know once I develop more routines and get used to my new surroundings, that the unpleasant feelings will pass.  While it may be difficult now, I know that when I look back upon this time I will realize how much stronger it has made me.

Into My New Home

After a few weeks of orientation and getting adjusted to life in Tanzania, I have finally moved into my new home at Mzumbe.  It took a few weeks for them to prepare it, but last friday morning I arrived to find a freshly painted house that was clean and ready for me to move in!

As I arrived to the school, the headmaster, Mr. Najawa , escorted me to my house.  I entered to find it empty, but shortly after about 30 Mzumbe students came to deliver my new furniture, some kitchenware, food, an electric cooker, a refrigerator and some other household items.  It was a very warm and surprising welcome.

Once I got the furniture arranged, and some last minute cleaning was done, I was able to take in my new surroundings.  The house is quite big (a little too big for one person, but I think that in future years there will be more than one occupant or volunteer here once I leave).  There are three bedrooms, a spacious living room, a toilet room, a shower room, and a nice large kitchen.  Outside my front door is a large porch that overlooks the stunning Uluguru Mountains.  That will be a nice place to sit and read in peace.  I do have some animal guests, as well, with many roosters, chickens and a cat outside in my yard.

It is quite exciting to finally be moving into my new home, however it will be a difficult adjustment at first, as I’m sure there will be many challenges ahead like cooking meals, getting to know my neighbors, household maintenance, pest control(!!) etc.  Hopefully in a few weeks I’ll be much more settled in and comfortable with life at Mzumbe and can solely focus on my task of teaching the students and getting more involved with my community.

(My Front Porch)

(Living Room)

(Kitchen)

(Bedroom)

(View from my front door)

First Week of Teaching

This past week we conducted the Teaching Practicum portion of our orientation.  For this, each day we walked down the road to a nearby secondary school, and each one of us in the WorldTeach group prepared a 40 minute English lesson to teach one of the classes.  It was the first time we had an opportunity to put what we have learned from our orientation sessions into practice.  It was also my first time that I have ever formally taught a lesson to a full class of students before.

Each day was a challenge, but also extremely rewarding as we got to test our newly learned teaching skills, and also prepare us for the many trials as new teachers that we have ahead of us.  For this week, we were partnered up with another volunteer, and individually we presented our lessons to a different level class each day.  As we entered the classroom, the students would quiet down and then rise to greet us with a warm and enthusiastic “Good Morning!”  With each lesson, we faced many ups and downs, and were able to learn from many of our mistakes and also successes teaching in front of a class for the first time.

It was interesting to observe our colleagues teach, and receive feedback about our lessons, but also to get a first glimpse at how a typical Tanzanian secondary school operates.  Each class was filled with at least 40 students (usually upwards of 50).  The classrooms themselves were large, but not in excellent condition by any standards.  Often we found that the students did not have adequate supplies for us to successfully complete our lessons.  Later we learned it’s because they have to pay for all of the supplies themselves, which many of them cannot afford since they already have to pay for tuition to attend the school.  Also with the large classes, what most of us found difficult was to gage the level of their English speaking ability, and the ability to comprehend much of what we were teaching them.  In most classes, there were a few students who were very well learned in English, and also other students who had a much more difficult time understanding our lessons and activities.  All of this was great practice and preparation for us and it provided us with a thorough understanding of what is in store for us when we arrive at our permanent schools.  From what I hear, Mzumbe Secondary School, where I will be placed, has one of the highest reputations of all secondary schools in Tanzania, so it will most likely be a very different experience teaching there.

Despite the challenges of this first week, I had an amazing time teaching the students at our Practicum site.  I gained an enormous amount of confidence as a new teacher.  After winding down orientation, I feel very well prepared and ready to teach at Mzumbe for the next year.

Babu Bill

This morning we had the pleasure of meeting a local 69 year old Peace Corps volunteer based in Morogoro named Bill Ossa.  He referred to himself as “Babu Bill” (Babu means “Grandfather” in Swahili).  After he greeted us good morning, our entire group followed him for a hike up one of the nearby mountains.  Hiking with Babu Bill was a really fun and interesting experience.  The hike itself was pretty demanding, as we had to climb over many rocks and across the streams running down the mountain as we headed up.  There were some really spectacular views as we hiked, and kept our eye out for some wildlife (especially monkeys!).



As we hiked, we got to talk to Babu Bill about life in Morogoro and his experience in the Peace Corps.  He was full of great tips, advice and anecdotes about living in Morogoro and kept us entertained for the whole hike.  His story was really inspiring, and it was comforting to see that if someone like Bill could comfortably and happily live in Tanzania, that any challenge I might face can certainly be overcome.

Today’s hike with Babu Bill was truly extraordinary, as we got to make a new friend and also get to explore a really beautiful part of Morogoro.  I hope it will be the first of many hikes in the Uluguru Mountains and chats with Babu Bill.

Picture: WorldTeach Tanzania Volunteers 2010-2011

Off to Morogoro

Today we departed to Morogoro town, which is located about 120 miles west of Dar es Salaam.  The drive was beautiful, filled with lots of green and scenic African landscape.  We knew we were approaching Morogoro when we could see the breathtaking Uluguru mountains in the distance.  The climate even began to cool as we got closer to our destination, and it was a welcome break from the humid heat of Dar.  It was hard not to be amazed at how incredible this place is, with the mountains rising above the rest of the town.

We got a first glimpse of the town center, which was filled with many shops, markets and lots of people.  It’s certainly a smaller than what we’ve been used to for the past couple of weeks, but very busy and exciting nonetheless.

We arrived at our hostel, located at a teacher’s college just outside of the main Morogoro town.  While it was exciting to move into new surroundings, it was a bit of a reality check in a lot of ways, and prepared us for what we would expect in our own housing for the next year.  Gone were the hot showers, wireless internet, and air conditioning we were used to at our hostel in Dar (luxury accommodations, indeed).  Instead, we arrived to find very basic accommodations that included mosquito net covered beds, a basic bathroom with cold running water and a stall-less shower.  At first it took some getting used to, and hit me a little hard that this would be what our living situation would be for the next year.  However, after some getting used to, you realize that it’s not so bad.  It’s safe, clean, and we have a bed, running water and electricity, which is all you can really ask for considering where we are living.

On another plus side, there are lots of monkeys running around!  Apparently, they’re like squirrels here- always running around in trees, chasing one another, or snacking on whatever food they can find nearby.  I much prefer the monkeys over squirrels, and I can’t imagine I’ll get tired of watching them run about.

It’ll be a fun week in Morogoro, where we can relax, have fun, and get some good teaching practice.

Last Day in Dar

After two busy weeks filled with teacher training, language lessons and many cultural experiences and adjustments, tomorrow we will be leaving Dar Es Salaam and heading to the nearby town of Morogoro, where most of us will be based for the rest of the year.  It was great to get a bit adjusted to Tanzanian culture in a busy city such as Dar, but it will be a welcome change to be in a location that will not only be more like home, but also a lot quieter. 

For the next week in Morogoro we will stay at the local teacher’s college where we will engage in a teachers practicum to practice a few lessons in front of a real class before we head to our individual schools.  It will be a chance to put what we’ve learned into practice, and get a bit of feedback from our peers so that we can sharpen our teaching skills.

I’m looking forward to seeing Morogoro town and getting familiar with it, as I will most likely be traveling there often (it’s only 45 min away from my school).  The other thing I am looking forward to is seeing other parts of the country outside of the capital city.  From what I have seen in brief videos and pictures, Morogoro is a lush, vast landscape filled with beautiful mountains, trails and trees.  I’m sure it will be an awe inspiring place to live, as well as a friendly and laid back cultural lifestyle as well.

That’s all for now from Dar Es Salaam.  Soon I will have a first hand report about Morogoro, as well as more pictures and experiences to share.

4th of July in TZ

To celebrate the U.S. Independence day, we were fortunate to have a very welcome day off from training.  With some friendly connections from one of my fellow volunteers, Meghan, we went on a day-long excursion to the island of Mbudya off the coast of Dar es Salaam to kick back on the beach and hang out with other local Tanzanians.

It was a gorgeous day as we took a small ferry over to the remote island, which was very quiet and peaceful, with only a few other tourists lounging on the beaches when we arrived.  After arrival, we enjoyed some food and drink, lots of sun, and swimming in the crystal blue water of the Indian Ocean.  We also got to meet a lot of other young Tanzanians, most of whom spoke perfect English (although they were more than welcome to practice Swahili with us).

After a great day of fun and sun, we headed back to our hostel for some much needed rest.  Although we weren’t able to be home in the U.S. to celebrate Independence Day with friends, family and fireworks, we were able to bring a little bit of July 4^th celebration to Tanzania with new friends!

World Cup Fever

During our time in Dar Es Salaam, we’ve been fortunate to be here while the World Cup is taking place.  While I’ve never been a big soccer (excuse me, Football) fan back at home, it’s really hard not to get caught up in the excitement here.  What is interesting from an American perspective is that Football is the world’s most popular sport, yet a majority of Americans are pretty apathetic about it.

Just about every night we’ve been able to watch one of the games when we go out.  People here just love the sport, no matter which country’s team is playing.  In crowded bars people are glued to the games, emotionally reacting to every big moment in a game.  What was most interesting was that the last team in the tournament from Africa (Ghana), has pretty much been adopted as “Team Africa.”  With each goal that Ghana scored, people were cheering and screaming happily in the streets.  Unfortunately, they lost in a heartbreaking match with Uruguay last night, and today the whole country of Tanzania (as well as every other African country) was devastated.  Usually Tanzanians are always upbeat and won’t openly express sadness, but today everyone seemed a bit sullen over the tough loss.

After a week of watching some really intense football matches, I’ve found myself caught up in the excitement of the world’s biggest sporting event.  It’ll be a lot of fun to watch the final game next Saturday, as I’m sure all football and non-football fans alike will be coming together to watch the exhilarating ending to the World Cup.

New Experiences

Besides language training and teacher classes, part of our orientation in Dar es Salaam has also included getting familiar with some of the culture and preparation for daily life in Tanzania.  Yesterday, for example, we had a lesson on hand washing our clothes (since this is something we will have to do on a regular basis).  What this involves is filling a large wash basin with water, putting in a few handfuls of local brand of “detergent” (called Oma), and essentially scrubbing your clothes clean.  Once the clothes are washed with soap, you rinse them out with clean water, wring them of excess water and hang them up to dry.  It’s certainly a bit more involved than what I was used to back home, but I guess it never hurts to sharpen up some domestic skills!  One interesting cultural aspect of washing clothes is that apparently it’s rude to hang your underwear out in public view.  So, I guess any guests in my home will have to expect to see home underwear hanging out to dry in the bathroom when they come by!

Other interesting experiences have included using the various forms of local transportation.  Going out and getting to places has been a learning experience in itself, as taking a taxi involves bargaining a price before you even get in the cab.  Usually they will start off with a price that is double what they will accept, so you never want to just get in the taxi without trying to get the price as low as you can.  As a foreigner, it has been a bit daunting at first to try and barter prices, but now that I have some knowledge of basic Swahili phrases and numbers it’s getting easier each time.  If they know that you have some knowledge of Swahili, they’ll take you more seriously when bartering.  Other modes of transportation include minibuses called “daladalas,” which are like small buses that are usually packed to double capacity.  They’re a cheap form of transportation, and they also make for ideal situations to practice some Swahili.  Usually everyone is quick to greet you (which is why Swahili greetings are so important to learn), and it’s not hard to get into a 45 minute conversation with a friendly local, as happened to me today.  The other, and most adventurous form of transportation is a “bajaja,” which is a small, open-aired, three-wheel vehicle that’s almost like a very very powerful golf-cart.  This is a cheap (and fast!) form of transportation if you’re feeling a little more courageous.

Even though washing clothes, local transportation, and many other new cultural experiences have been a bit daunting at first, they’ve gotten easier (and more fun!) as I’ve experienced them more.  As with anything, the more you do try new things, the more comfortable you get with them.

Sunset in Dar

For my first picture post (and I could only get one pic loaded for now), I thought I would put a cool image of the sunset in Dar Es Salaam.  This is from our hotel in Dar.  There is a terrace up on the roof, with a smaller terrace above that provides a spectacular view of the city.  Many of our orientation classes are held on the terrace as well, so not a bad place to learn some Kiswahili and teaching techniques!