Zambia and Projects

I hate how I always start my blog entries like this…but here we go
again. Sorry it's been, like, a long time since I updated this thing.
But I am now!

First up, a big waterfall and bridge jumping. Until last month, I'd
been in Tanzania for a whole year, but never set foot in another
African country. That' just silly. So when our "summer break" in June
finally arrived, five friends and I jumped on a train in Mbeya headed
toward Zambia. The train was quite the experience – let's just say
I'll never complain about Amtrak being a couple hours late again. The
train we were getting on started off in Dar es Salaam, out on the
coast. By the time it arrived in Mbeya, it was already around six
hours behind. Three of the six of us travellers started off in Dar, so
we got some warning about the lateness but still ended up sitting
around the Mbeya train station for a few hours. It was actually an
interesting place. With its grand architecture and big clocks
everywhere, I'm pretty sure it was built by the Germans. It was weird;
it felt like walking into Europe, except a 1940's Europe that hasn't
seen much maintenance since then.

After a long wait the train finally arrived. Though not even close to
the madness that are Tanzanian buses, it was still crowded with people
and all types of baggage (though I didn't see any live animals, a big
difference from buses). Our friends were excited to see us and our
supplies of food, water, and of course wine, though it meant they'd be
a bit more crowded. We rented out a second class compartment, which
basically consisted of two sets of triple decker bunk beds and a tiny
table all squished in the space of a minivan. That along with the 8
hour delay at the border with Zambia (who knows why…) meant we all got
to know each other pretty well! It wasn't bad though – there was a
dining car and sometimes showers, so we were well fed and cleanish by
the time we arrived. Most of the people who work on the train are
Zambian so don't speak Swahili (but do speak really good English), so
we all had a couple awkward moments when we said "Habari za jioni?"
("How's the evening?") and they said "What..?" I think my favorite
part about the train was its lack of safety standards. That means a
few doors were missing and all the windows opened wide enough to stick
the top half of your body out. Sticking your head out the window and
watching the African landscape fly by was awesome. And yes, dogs also
like doing that but that does not diminish the experience okay?

So, right, we finally reached the end of the line. We were headed to
Livingstone, and the world wonder Victoria Falls, which is all the way
down on the border with Zimbabwe. The train dropped us at
Kapiri-Mposhi, a couple hours outside of Zambia's capital, Lusaka.
After a quick bus ride we got into Lusaka and headed to a backpackers
for the night. Lusaka is in many ways a modern city with grocery
stores, shopping malls and fast food joints. We spent a day doing
things we thought were amazing but you probably don't. We got donuts
and pizza, wondered around grocery stores for literally hours, and got
complicated coffee drinks for as much money as we make in a day. Then
off to Livingstone, another 8 hour or so journey. We had heard
hitchhiking was easy in Zambia, so a few of us went for it! It was
really fun – we met interesting people – a woman working for USAID, a
safari tour operator, and an Irish guy working at a fishing operation,
to name a few.

K, finally, Livingstone and Victoria Falls. We stayed at a backpackers
again. It was strange being back in that culture, meeting fellow
travellers from all over the world. Victoria Falls is crazy. I like to
think I know my waterfalls pretty well, but this one was in a
different league than any other I've seen. In June the water level is
really high and I believe at that time of year it is the largest
waterfall in the world (measured by flow…cubic meters per second). I
don't have internet as I write this though, so I might be lying. I'm
also pretty sure it is the largest in the world as measured by width.
It's a mile wide. It is a wall of water one mile wide. That's, like,
difficult to comprehend. Because of the spray, there's nowhere on the
ground you can actually see the whole thing. Speaking of the spray,
it's crazy. Victoria Falls is a little strange; the Zambezi River
spreads out and falls into this giant crack which funnels all the
water back together at the bottom. Just look up a picture, it'll make
more sense. Anyway, during the high water season you can't go to the
bottom of the crack because it's full of water, so you see the falls
from the other side of the crack instead. Even there though, it's
raining all the time from the spray, and more intense than any normal
rain. We all got completely soaked in a matter of seconds.

So besides seeing the falls, we jumped off a bridge. There's an
awesome giant bridge over the river next to the falls and you can
bungee jump off the middle of it. Now, Emily and I didn't actually
bungee jump, but did this thing where you jump off and freefall for a
while and then get caught by the arc of a rope you are attached to.
You don't end up upside down but you still have to walk off the edge
of a bridge with the ground 300 feet below you and freefall for like
3.5 seconds (I calculated it). I feel badass. Emily and I did it
together, which meant we had to walk off at exactly the same time. I'm
fairly sure if she wasn't there I would have chickened out. It was
scary. My palms are sweating remembering it. Heights are SO SCARY.

That was Zambia and Victoria falls! It was a really fun trip. There
are a couple more stories that aren't blog-appropriate, so just ask
me! What's next? Ahh, projects. I've got a few projects in the works
including a Boys Conference, a book drive for my school's library, and
working with a group promoting "hands on" science.

I'm planning a Boys Conference with a few other volunteers who live
around the Mbeya region. Boys and Girls Conferences are really popular
for Peace Corps Volunteers. Basically a few volunteers work with local
counterparts (usually other teachers at their schools) to design a
weekend full of sessions usually relating to family planning,
HIV/AIDS, girls empowerment, career possibilities, etc. Ours will be
centered on issues related to gender equality, HIV/AIDS and careers,
particularly in science. Figuring out the complicated application
process for grants like these is a little tricky, but a good skill to
have I guess. We're in the approval process but hope to have the
conference over the weekend of October 5-6.
I've also just sent in the initial application for a grant to buy
textbooks for my school library. I'm excited about this one because a
lack of textbooks is a major concern at the school and something my
students ask me about all the time. There are only a few current
textbooks in the library now, so it'll be really good to get enough so
that even if students don't have their own textbooks, at least they
have consistent access to ones. This will be a PCPP (Peace Corps
Partnership Program) grant. That's a fancy way of saying it goes up on
their website and anyone can donate money. And by anyone, I mean my
friends and family. And by that, I mean YOU. It's not up yet but it
will be soon. Get ready.

What else? I'm also now on the Shika na Mikono ("Grab with your
Hands") committee, which tries to promote the use of hands on science
activities in the classroom using cheap, locally available resources.
We're working on a manual that was started a few years ago by
volunteers and also going to new volunteers' trainings to show them
some cool science labs. Hopefully we'll also be working with the
Tanzania Ministry of Education to get the word out beyond the Peace
Corps community. We'll see!

K, that's it for now. Thanks for reading and expect to hear from me
again soon, this time pointing you towards a website where you can
donate to help kids in Africa. How great is that? So great.

Neighbors, School, and Exploring

So I'm heading back into school after a "Spring Break" of sorts for Easter and I've done some cool stuff, so here we go, blog updated.

First off, neighbors. In the last couple of months I've discovered I'm surrounded by a bunch of ex-pat neighbors, all with interesting stories. There's the family of white Zimbabweans who moved here a few years ago and run a big avocado farm right next to my school that exports to the UK. Their house is only a mile or two away and is completely nice and western - much nicer than any home I've lived in in America. It was exciting to go visit and eat good food and feel like I was back in the states for a couple hours, but also a little strange knowing that even as I attempt to live in a relatively simple way - no refrigerator, doing laundry by hand, bucket baths, etc etc, there's this family living a very western life so close.

I also met a woman working at the avocado farm and her sister who both live around here. They are daughters of missionaries (maybe from South Africa?) but were born and raised in Namibia. They tell stories of growing up with pet monkeys, fighting off snakes and hyenas, and dealing with the awkward situation of a baboon with a crush on their dad. All I had was "my dog is pretty good at catching Frisbees." What a way to grow up.

Then there is my neighbor only maybe a third of a mile away from Germany who I didn't know existed until a month or two ago. Claudia has lived all over Africa and is now working for a women's empowerment group through the Morovian Church. Its fun to go over to her house to eat excellent home made (of course) baked goods and drool over her washing machine and cheese. Roberto from Switzerland is living right next to her for the next 3 months or so. He's here on sabbatical from his job as a science teacher at a high school and he's going to be working on a solar light project and helping me teach physics at my school. I'm really excited to have another physics teacher, especially one with a bunch of real experience. So yeah, those are my cool international neighbors. It's fun to hear all the crazy mix of languages and accents when we get together. I feel pretty worldly.

School is basically going well - I've been keeping pretty busy with teaching. The last two topics I've taught are electromagnetism and current electricity, two topics I knew very little about before two months ago, so I've had my work cut out trying to learn about them and teach them! I've also been working with students on the science club. We finally got student leaders elected so I'm hoping they start to take the lead and I can back off some. Also thinking about trying to get a grant for computers for my school and/or start a book drive of some sort for textbooks in the next month or two so let me know if you know anything about computer companies giving out free monies and don't be surprised if me or someone I know asks you for money!

Now a quick rant about some of the things that make Tanzania's school system a failing one - corporal punishment, teacher truancy and general lack of dedication (at my school it's no exaggeration to say it is uncommon to see a teacher actually in the classroom), and a focus on rules and rote memorization above critical thinking. It's hard to see how big improvements can be made without major changes in attitudes towards the value of education by everyone from the national education leaders to individual teachers. Tanzania needs to show a real drive for improvement in education (and in a larger sense for development in general) if it wants progress. The problem of course is that drive often doesn't exist in schools today which leads students - future teachers - to follow the same listless path, a relentless cycle. Though I must say I can see a real drive in many of my students and I think they and others like them have a real opportunity to bring big changes to Tanzania. Anyway, just my perspective/rant.

K, what else? Freddy, my shy 17 year old neighbor kid comes over every other day or so to hang out, take pictures with my camera and do odd jobs for school fee money. For like $15, Freddy bought, delivered, and cut up approximately 1 room full of firewood so I've been having nice big fires in my fireplace as the weather starts to get colder. He really likes school and always brings math or physics questions and loves writing out problems on my blackboard. Anyway, I assumed he was a hella nerd at school. He goes to the local O-level school nearby and I said I'd meet up with him to watch their school play soccer against Rungwe (where I teach). Much to my surprise, not only is he on the team, he's by far the best player. All the ladies were swooning. Boy did I peg him wrong. However, Rungwe still won 4-0. Gotta represent.

So for my Spring Break I had some folks over to my site and then went exploring nearby. Roberto (Swiss physics teacher) brought a little guidebook for this area of Tanzania. I had no idea it existed and still have no idea who wrote it - its super detailed. Anyway, it changed my life and I've been trying to find all the cool stuff it mentions around my site. I went to God's Bridge, a natural bridge over a big river caused  by some volcanic something something. We went to Kaparogwe Falls, one of the most impressive falls I've ever seen. You walk into this cave big cave area under a huge rock outcropping and look out on beautiful views of the rolling green hills. It would be an awesome place even left at that. But no, there's more, a giant sheet of water pours over the outcropping so you are literally standing behind the waterfall. So cool. What else? Masoko Lake, a super clean, deep and beautiful lake fairly close to my site where you can swim and take in the impressive views of mountains all around it. Next to Ndulilo Falls, again near my site. No one seemed to know where it was except children and there wasn't any real trail there so we hired the kids to show us the way (payment in peanuts, of course). It's a cool waterfall with a strange short volcanic tunnel running next to the falls from the top to the bottom. It was fun to hang out with the kids as well, though a little frightening to see a 6 year old carrying his 3 year old sister down the side of a cliff. Oh boy. Next weekend hopefully to Ngozi Crater, a huge volcanic crater near my site. Oh yeah, I live in a volcanically active area, if you hadn't figured that out. Check my Facebook for pictures. I'll hopefully add some more soon.

Travel!

Yeah yeah, it's been a long time, my bad. My computer broke, but that's not really an excuse as it happened like a week ago.

So lets see, what's happened? I've done a lot of traveling, a lot of vacationing on beaches, and even a little productive work for Peace Corps.

First up, Thanksgiving. Since I have a really nice house for Peace Corps standards (aka running water, electricity, and a fireplace), I had a little gathering of volunteers to eat, drink, and be merry together for Thanksgiving. We felt positively American eating macaroni and cheese and pie (albeit mango not apple). We felt positively Tanzanian when we bought a couple chickens, brought them home still alive on public transportation, killed 'em, and ate 'em. The killing process involved hanging them by their feet to a tree and cutting their heads off with a kitchen knife. I think I screamed throughout the ordeal more than the chickens. Though chickens squawk, not scream. Just saying. Anyway, by the time it was done I was covered in chicken blood and knew I was finally a man. 

While we're on the subject of chickens, I'll mention that I spent a significant part of both Christmas day and Boxing day chasing around a rouge chicken named Freddy given to us as a gift. Chickens would make excellent capture the flag players - they are so quick on their feet. I truly enjoyed eating that chicken. 

What next? I went to Peace Corps In-Service-Training, a two week conference for volunteers after they've spent a few weeks by themselves at their site. Everyone brings a "counterpart," a Tanzanian from the community (or school in the case of Education volunteers) that is interested in being involved in any projects you do. We had sessions ranging from ways to put on AIDS awareness events to how to start a permagarden to the impact of corporal punishment in schools. It was great to see everyone and hear stories about how they are settling in at their sites. (Well, almost everyone - of the original 47 volunteers in our class, we're down to 41. Six went home, either for medical reasons or because, well, they wanted to go home.)

By the time the training was done, school was out so I was on vacation! I went up to Moshi, a touristy and fancy town in northern Tanzania, and stayed with a friend who has views of Mt. Kilimanjaro from her house. We were only there for a couple days, but we did get to walk up to the gate of the park and sneak in for a couple minutes. To actually spend a day in the park is expensive, $60 aka over a week of pay, so we didn't really go into the park. I'm sure I'll be back though! 

Next, to Tanga, a beach town on the northern coast of Tanzania. It was HOT, but we got to swim in a pool and the ocean, and eat hamburgers for a dollar, so all was well. We stayed in an old German colonial era mansion converted into a hostel. It didn't have running water, but I got a giant room on the corner of the second floor with giant windows with a view of the water all for three bucks. What a deal!

After Tanga, we got on a plane (yes, you read the right, I flew on a plane!) to Pemba, the northern most island in the Spice Islands archipelago (which, for those interested for some reason, also included Zanzibar and Mafia Islands). There's a scuba resort there that gives a great (like, really great) deal to Peace Corps volunteers, so a bunch of us took advantage of it and got our scuba license. It was crazy awesome. The water was super blue and clear and beautiful and the coral reefs were incredible. We dived down to around 60 feet and saw some awesome fish and stuff. Its hard to describe, its just a whole different world down there. I highly recommend it. So come visit me and I'll show you some awesome scuba diving, for cheap!

Let's see, next up, Christmas. After heading back from Pemba to my house I went back to Tukuyu, my closest town, for Christmas. My closest Peace Corps neighbor, Hannah, lives there in another nice house and she had a gathering for Christmas. Just like Thanksgiving, we cooked a bunch of food and killed a chicken. Stupid Freddy. And we got a Christmas tree! Tukuyu is cold enough that it has quite a few evergreen trees so we went out in the afternoon of Christmas Eve with a saw looking for a tree to cut down. As we walked down a street we happened to see a kid up in a tree cutting down, you guessed it, Christmas trees. Christmas trees don't seem too popular here, but apparently somebody wanted some. We asked the kid to cut us one, and boom, we had a tree. Easy peasy. 

After Christmas, of course, is New Years. I spent New Years on Matema Beach on Lake Malawi. I've been there once before, but this time a couple other guys and I decided to hike in from the mountains northeast of the lake instead of just taking a bus in. It was a really cool trip. We spent the first day hiking through Ruaha National Park. It was really beautiful but we ended up basically just walking along a road the whole time, so it was more like being bad at hitchhiking and less like really hiking. The second day was  much more interesting. We started off hiking through a these little tiny villages (or rather groups of five or six houses near each other) way up in the mountains. We were up at around 10,000 feet so it was fairly cold. Around every corner we'd get groups of kids on the side of the road staring at us - you got the idea they didn't get a lot of international visitors. Then finally, we got off the road. We finally stopped climbing up and headed down towards the lake. Even when we were way up in the mountains we could see the lake in the distance. To get there, we walked on a tiny trail through the rain for about six hours. It was really muddy and steep and its a minor miracle we all made it down without any major injuries. We were all exhausted by the end of it for sure. Though I shouldn't complain - our sixteen year old guide we hired promptly turned around and headed back up the mountain when he'd delivered us to the lake. It was quite a day - starting shivering in the wet and cold way up in the mountains and ending getting sunburnt swimming in 80 degree water. 

And there we go. You are caught up in the life-o'-Willie. Hongera sana. Look it up.