Well sheesh guys. That's 9 months. One third of my time in Tanzania (27 months) has gone by. One fourth of my time as a PCV (24 months) has passed. There's a new class of trainees that just came down to visit their sites last week just like I did in August. Here goes another quarterly update!
"My Job"
So my primary job hasn't really changed much since last time. Still teaching math and physics. But since January, I have taken on some new responsibilities. I am now on a committee called Shika na Mikono (hold with hands) which is a group of education PCVs who helps promote the use of teaching aids and hands-on activities in science and math classrooms. This means I will be spending some time away from my school doing teacher trainings, science fairs, and other conferences to spread ideas about science/math education. You can read more about that in my previous post.
At school, I have been continuing to teach as usual. My students took an interschool test a couple weeks ago which took away a week of teaching. Today was a holiday, so we have a four day week this week. The next week leads into Easter weekend so it will be a 3 day week. The following week is our mid-term break and that will bring us right up to May. Then it'll be a couple weeks of teaching, finals, and then our month-long June break (that 12 month Update is right around the corner). The school year is moving fast, and I'm starting to feel the pressure of getting these kids ready for their exams in October and November.
Along with my regular periods, I think I might need to take on a few more. The only other teacher who was teaching physics has been placed at a different school, which means I am the only person at my school "qualified" to teach physics. If I don't start teaching other forms (besides my Form IV students) they will not learn physics at all and they will have a lot of catching up to do next year. I'm not sure if it is true but I heard that out of all the graduates of all teacher training colleges in Tanzania this year, there were zero new physics teachers. Hopefully I can help get some of my students to want to be science educators here. They desperately need them!
"Life"
Life is pretty good these days. I am pretty well settled into my routine at school. I still procrastinate laundry day as long as possible, but cooking and bathing and other day to day chores don't take any thought. I had some house guests (other volunteers) this past week who got bored while I was at school and cleaned my house for me. That was pretty great, but we will have to wait and see how long it lasts. Knowing myself, probably not long.
A couple weeks ago my house got broken into and some things were stollen, including my computer and the battery for my solar setup. I had most of the important files on my laptop backed up, but it's still an inconvenience and definitely a little unsettling to know that there are people in my community who would do that to someone who is trying to help them. I got a new stronger latch and lock for my door and so far it has lasted one three-day weekend away. Hopefully the new hardware deters any other thieves. I reported the event to both the Peace Corps safety and security officer and also to the local police. They are optimistic that they will be able to find my things, but I'm trying to keep myself more realistic. We will see...
In other news, the student who I taught about setting up solar has been at work. He set it up at his family's restaurant and shop in the village and this past weekend he set it up at my teacher friend's house also. He is gaining some good experience and I am confident that he can easily turn that into a profit-making venture if he wants/needs to.
"Back Home"
I haven't heard a ton from home lately other than my weekly talks with my parents, but as I become more accustomed to things here, I have found more ways to keep in touch that don't require the 2 week delay that snail mail seems to have. I have a smart phone and can keep in touch via WhatsApp, Skype, FaceTime and other apps, which have come in handy a lot already. If you are interested in chatting, let me know!
I'm feeling a bit out of the loop on many of my friends' lives which is bound to happen being as far away as I am. I do appreciate every update I get though! It's going to be a long period of catch-up when I come home, so whatever can reduce that will be really helpful. That's all I have to say about that.
2 Biggest challenges right now
- Figuring out what I can do to make the biggest impact in my time here.
- Motivating myself to start studying more Swahili.
Here are some pictures of things that I've seen.
A shot from where we stayed during the Shika na Mikono training
Stormy skies coming towards my house
My old whimpy latches.
My 24-month service calendar
Sunflowers by my house.
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