I'm good at sharing my life story with strangers...

Which is why within a few hours of being in Tanzania I had met 2 Germans, a French woman and several East Africans. They knew all about my exciting flight adventure and I knew a lot about their lives as well.

Even in the midst of all the flight craziness...I still had some remarkable luck. On my flight to Switzerland I shared my row with the very charming and amusing Joseph who offered me his shoulder to sleep on and ended up sleeping on mine. In Zurich when my boarding pass wouldn't scan and I was nowhere to be found in the system, two ladies let me get on my flight anyway. On my flight to Dar Es Salem, I shared my row with Hussien who helped me practice my Swahili and got me somewhat caught up on Tanzanian culture. And in Dar Es Salem when I thought I was about to freak out because I was alone in a foreign country, I met two said Germans who let me share my life story with them.

Tanzania is an incredible country, I think all the volunteers would agree that we are amazed every day. We are amazed by our placements, the people there are so friendly and their English is incredible. We are amazed by the people in our community, Tanzanians are very laid back and everyone is very welcoming. We are amazed by the beauty around us, the views of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the mango and avocado trees, the rich brown dirt.

I've only been in Moshi for a week but in some ways it feels like a lifetime, the community is so welcoming and I feel very comfortable. The hardest thing has been learning the language and getting used to cultural norms. For example, greetings are very important  and there are several ways you can greet someone: Shikamoo, Habari, Jambo, Mambo....etc. There are certain greetings for elders and ones that are less formal. Sometimes it feels as if everything is swimming around in my head. You think you'll be able to answer the most basic question and yet when you are greeted you freeze. However, everyone you meet is very accommodating and helps you practice your Swahili.

At my placement, Step-Up Learning Center, I work with 3-4 year olds. I am amazed by the English they speak and their eagerness to learn. Schools and classes are very different in Tanzania though, like the people, everything is laid back. I never know what to expect. Some days I go in and only teach for 10 minutes out of the 3 and a half hours I am there. Other days, I teach for the majority of the time. We play games, sing songs, and do a lot of repetition. One of my favorite things is that all the students call me teacher. When I walk in "Good Morning Teacher," When I ask a question, "Yes Teacher," etc. I can hear the chanting in my head. One of the hardest things to see is corporal punishment, it is not uncommon for a teacher to hit the child with a ruler or their hand. Although I was prepared for a lot worse, it still shocks me when  I see it. Most of the volunteers are  trying to work with their placements to implement time outs and other punishments as opposed to hitting. (9 out of 13 of the people that live with me are at schools. )

My home, Karanga house, is beautiful. Every morning I have a view of Kilimanjaro off the balcony. I am usually awakened by the sounds of dogs, monkeys and sometimes a rooster. There are flowers and plants everywhere, sometimes when I walk around our back yard, I feel like I'm in a rain forest. We have avocado trees and mango trees so they are incorporated into almost every meal. Kaka Primo (brother Primo) our chef makes amazing soups: leek pumpkin, banana. We've had banana fritters, chicken, spicy pasta, guacamole, green beans and peppers...and the list goes on and on. Today we told Primo that we'd like to try mango fritters or pineapple fritters so we'll probably have them at a meal tomorrow. Don't ever come to Tanzania if you want to enjoy American fruit...I'll never look at a mango, pineapple or banana the same way again.


This weekend six of us went on a safari and again, being amazed was something we all agreed on. We saw thousands of zebras, wart hogs, impalas and wildebeests. We also saw several lions, hippos, rhinos, flamingos, elephants and giraffes. One of the coolest things was when we were at the bottom of our crater on the first day of the safari and the lions would come up to the jeeps and sleep in their shade. I was less than 20 feet away from several female lions, about 15 feet away from a mama and baby elephant and less than 100 away from many of the other animals. 



On the way back from the Safari we stopped at a Maasai village. The Maasai are a semi nomadic tribe in Tanzania that go back and forth between 2 villages every six months. They do not eat any plants, nor do they do any farming. They have a steady diet of milk, meat and blood. The Maasai, like many other tribes, make beautiful jewelry and painting. After meeting the Maasai, visiting with them inside their homes and dancing with them, we did some shopping. Although there are several people in the tribe with various artistic abilities, any profit from their craft is shared for the good of the tribe.


Well friends, I hope this gives you some insight into my life in Moshi...I will try to post once or twice a week to keep you all updated.

Tutaonana baadaye na nawapenda. (See you later, I love you all)