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.