EST (Early Service Training)

January 23, 2014

Blah blah blah... Sorry about the long time between posts... Blah. 

So.... From the 13th to the 17th of this month all of my class (all of the education volunteers who came to Tanzania with me) was in Dar es Salaam for what they call Early Service Training (EST). And, it just so happened that the class above me (the health/environment volunteers who arrived in October of 2012) were also in Dar for their Mid-Service Conference (MSC). So there were about 80 volunteers at the same hostel/compound for a good chunk of the week. It was really fun to meet up again with my class even though I had seen most of them during our December break. And it was cool to meet some new people too from the other class. I already knew some who live in my area, but many I had never met before.

This was the first time PC Tanzania has had two trainings simultaneously at the same place. I'm sure it was hectic for them logistically but I think we all got a lot out of it. The health and environment volunteers have a much different experience than we Eds do. A lot of what they do for their primary projects is what we do for our secondary projects (teaching being our primary job). Being around them during training helped us to share ideas and make friends with people who could potentially show us the ropes when it comes to digging wells or starting a sustainable garden or promoting HIV/AIDS awareness.

Along with sharing ideas with the other volunteers, we had sessions every day about different topics. We learned how to apply for grants, how to send in the formal quarterly volunteer report, how to bring hands-on activities into the classroom with a very limited budget, and various other things.

Along with learning new tools for teaching and helping our communities, we had a chance to talk about our concerns and hopes. It was really nice to hear other volunteers bringing up concerns that I had. Things like trouble integrating into the communities and language skills. Site can be so isolating that it is easy to forget that there are forty of us going through the same things, not to mention the other classes at various stages in their service who have been where we are.

Towards the end of the week we had counterparts come to attend some sessions. Each volunteer in my class asked someone from their school to come. I asked a Swahili/Geography teacher to come. He has become a good friend of mine at school and just around site. They attended different sessions for most of the time. I'm not sure exactly what Peace Corps was telling them... I think just stuff about volunteers, how to handle the weird stuff Americans do... I don't know. But we also had some sessions together. We had a session where we rotated from topic to topic and discussed things like corporal punishment and integrating into our school communities. We shared ideas about how to handle these kinds of things. It was really cool to get the perspectives of some of the Tanzanian teachers. Having such different backgrounds from us, they often came up with ideas I never would have thought of.

Here's a picture of me and my counterpart!

And some of the other counterparts...

After all of the sessions and after the counterparts had gone, a couple volunteers in my class planned a "Prom" for Friday night before we all went back to site on Saturday. They rented out a portion of a rooftop bar in downtown Dar. Most of the volunteers from both classes went. It was so fun and different to be out with such a big group of Americans. There were probably about 60 of us up there. There was a DJ, a fish tank, hookah, air conditioning... I even had sushi. Woah.

I forgot how nice it was to go out with a big group of friends and not care about anything. It was a huge blast and a definitely a great psychological outlet. 

I think this is the only picture I got from up there...

So that was exciting. Now I'm back at site. Feeling rejuvenated. And restocked with new tools for what will hopefully be a successful year! (It's weird to think that this will be my only full school year here)

Update: 6 Months

January 4, 2014

Hooooo man! It's been 6 gosh-darn months since I got to this country in July (ok I'm a couple days early.. whatever). Oh how the time has flown. Here goes another quarterly update on life here.

"My Job"
Lately my job has been a little less defined since I have had the past month off of school for December break, but during October and November I was teaching 26 forty-minute periods each week. I taught Form I Math and Form III Physics and it was good for the most part. It was really nice to get better acquainted with the students and teachers at the school along with gaining some more experience in the classroom and  writing my first tests. I will get to teach the same students as they move up to Form II and Form IV this coming year, which I think will help a lot. They are starting to get used to me and I'm certainly getting more comfortable with them but I am still trying to figure out what works for the classes and I hope to hone in on what works for individual students' learning styles. I have heard from other volunteers that after holidays, the students (and sometimes the teachers even) don't show up for a few days or even a couple weeks after school is to open. I don't think there will be much I can do about that, so I'm preparing myself for that delay. Hopefully it does not cause any major disturbances, other than cutting off precious classroom time. I started making my scheme of work for this term and I feel that I have a much better idea of what is realistic now that I have taught for the few months that I have.

"Life"
Life here has its ups and downs. It's easy to get upset about stupid stuff and just brood over it for hours (or days...), but I'm finding good strategies to get past the lows. Guitar helps a ton just as it always did in the states. Also, watching a movie or TV show, cooking some familiar food, calling another volunteer or reading a book can take the mind off things and put everything back in perspective.
The good news is, everyday life here seems less like survival like in my previous Update and more like actual life. Chores still take forever; I still don't have a shower; I still cook on the floor; but I am becoming accustomed to the simplicity of things.
Along with that, I have gotten a lot more comfortable with the transportation system here. It's wild, but now that I'm used to it, at least it isn't terrifying. I have had a chance to see 5 or 6 other volunteers' sites and have been exploring the country more with the time off of school and it is all becoming much less intimidating and much more fun! I got a chance to go on safari, spent Christmas with other volunteers, and spent NYE on the beautiful island of Zanzibar! All of which were tons of fun and gave me much needed transportation experience (not to mention loads of new friends).
I feel I have also become closer with my village over the last three months. One of the students at my school invited me in with him to his mother's little restaurant where there was a constant flow of locals coming in and out to eat. I talked with a lot of them the handful of times I've gone in since and they have all been very welcoming and patient with me as I do my best to understand them and respond in turn. Later on during the break I helped this student set up a solar system in his house and taught him to do it along the way. His mother ensures me that this will enable him to study more at night. Hopefully he will take advantage of that!

"Back Home"
This "quarter" if you will, is a pretty tough one being so far from family for the holidays (and my birthday coming up in a few days). But the volunteers who have been here for longer know how that goes and have really set the bar high for next year's holiday season. I spent Thanksgiving, Christmas and NYE surrounded by so many wonderful people in the same situation that I'm in and for that I am grateful and though I miss everyone back home very much, I was in good company. That said, I was able to talk on the phone with much of my extended family over Thanksgiving and Christmas and it was so good to hear all of your voices again!
Over the past three months I Skyped for the first time since getting here with one lucky friend (you know who you are!), I got a smartphone delivered from the states, and I got many many letters from you all! Hopefully it was the first of many Skype dates with family and friends. The phone should help me keep in touch with you all (Whatsapp, iMessage, Facetime, Skype, facebook...). And the letters are lovely little two week time capsules from your lives.

So much Christmas love!

2 Biggest Challenges Right Now:

- Creating a relationship with my community

- Finishing Oliver Twist...

 

Well there ya go guys! I'll get up a post on my NYE soon! It was wild. Stay tuned. Here are some pictures.

 

 

Some pictures I took in Iringa on the way back from Zanzibar.

 

Dar Es Salaam has Subway and it was everything I remembered it to be...

 

Stonetown on Zanzibar.

 

Street food in Stonetown. They call them Zanzibar pizza.

 

Ferry from the mainland to the island.



Sunset in Stonetown.