Migration of the White Butterflies
Over the Hump
We have surpassed the half way point of our service now and I've heard it's all down hill from here. RPCVs have said the second year goes much quicker than the first and I'm beginning to realize that since we've been "over the hump" for three months now. In the past year, I've often had the "Peace Corps Days" when I dreamed I was back home with friends and family doing what I was doing before we left for the PC. It's happening more often now that I can see the end. I never realized how much I miss my own culture until I've been away from it for so long. The one thing I really miss doing is watching movies. Entertainment, in the way of movies, is really an American cultural pastime and I keep reading about new movies that have opened while we've been gone and can't wait to see them when I return.
White Butterflies
For a few days thousands of white butterflies migrated through the town. They were coming from the north and continuing in the same direction to the south. The butterflies stopped at flowers along their way and you could see them along ways away. The birds were quite happy to have them around and we were happy too to see such a sight.
Hail storm
On Friday, I got up at 7 am to get ready for class at 7:40 am. On Fridays my lesson isn't paid attention to like the other days because there are only two periods on Friday (the two that I teach) then there's religion then two exams. After class I rushed home to help mzee cook sambusas (meat pockets) as my good friend Shangaluka wanted to learn how to cook them and our mzee in an expert. We spent four hours and made about 40 sambusas from scratch. We dine on them with sodas and beer for lunch then took naps. At around 4 pm it started to get cool so I walked outside to find the mountains to the north and east leaching dark clouds upon our town. Russ quickly joined me after I told him he had to see for himself the impending storm. The winds picked up and small branches started to fall from our mango trees and the natural tall grass bent over 90 degrees. For sure we thought the electricity would go at any moment, but to our surprise it remained on. It was like any typical "flash flood" here except that the rain water and air temperature was very cold. As we filled out buckets on our porch from our gutter we heard the hail begin to pound on our aluminum roof. The sound got so loud that we scared each other in the house. Hail in Kiswahili is "mawe ya mvua" or "rain rocks." This was my first hail sighting in Africa and after it continued for a few minutes we couldn't help but to think of all the crops people have planted and hoped they were not destroyed. Our crops did fine - there were just a few holes in the leaves of our plants but the wind did more damage than the hail. Not only did it hail, but it also flooded like we've never seen before. The water was half way up one of our steps near the back door, but it never got any higher.
After the storm passed we could hear the "river" so we went to look at it. 99.9% of the time it is a dry "river" which really acts more like a huge drainage ditch from the mountain. It was raging and many people were watching it. Apparently when the rains had just started, a primary school boy tried to cross it and got swept away. They found his body a mile down the river. Also, the heavy rains took away all the work that the town did to rebuild the bridge that was destroyed by heavy rains a few months earlier. It was a somber mood in town that weekend.
Valentine's Day
For Valentine's Day, I got up early to make heart shaped pancakes for Russ and I then we both went to work like normal. After returning from work, and relaxing for a few hours, Russ asked if I was "ready." "Ready for what?" I asked, and he just smiled. We picked up Sajigwa and Shangaluka, parents of the twins, then went to a local hotel (the only place in town that serves decent food). We dined with another couple, Caroline and Gasper, the cook and manager of the hotel, and our friends, to make it a triple date for Valentine's Day. Russ told Caroline how to make mashed potatoes so we had comfort food from home (new and interesting to the Tanzanians) and a meat and banana stew, a typical Tanzanian meal from the north. She got the mashed potatoes spot on and Russ and I gobbled it up. This triple date with the Tanzanians for Valentine's Day was a first for them but they seemed to enjoy themselves. The power kept going out so we ate by candlelight. Valentine's Day is just starting to be recognized here. I heard if you asked anybody ten years ago about Valentine's Day they would have no clue what you were talking about.
Teaching
Teaching is going really well for me. My students did pretty well on their first exam. The average in both classes was around 55, which is a "C." There was one 100% and some cheating. How did I know there was cheating? Well, I made two different exams and on a few students' sheets the question and answer of a question on the other exam was written. I asked them why they cheated and it was because they said they didn't understand the material. I told them to ask me for help outside of class if they needed it. A week and a half went by and I gave my students a quiz. The quiz consisted of questions directly from their homework, I just changed the numbers. Most did really well, yet some are falling behind. I didn't say anything to those I though needed help. They came to me and asked for extra help! So I said they are welcome to ask questions if I'm in the office or they can do more problems from the book and I'll correct them. Since I had extra copies of the first exam, I have them the exam they didn't do on exam day. They didn't get it perfectly but they got a higher score than their first attempt. I really do enjoy teaching and am seriously thinking about pursuing it when I return home. I had to come to Africa and teach those who have nothing to learn than in teaching, I have everything.
We have surpassed the half way point of our service now and I've heard it's all down hill from here. RPCVs have said the second year goes much quicker than the first and I'm beginning to realize that since we've been "over the hump" for three months now. In the past year, I've often had the "Peace Corps Days" when I dreamed I was back home with friends and family doing what I was doing before we left for the PC. It's happening more often now that I can see the end. I never realized how much I miss my own culture until I've been away from it for so long. The one thing I really miss doing is watching movies. Entertainment, in the way of movies, is really an American cultural pastime and I keep reading about new movies that have opened while we've been gone and can't wait to see them when I return.
White Butterflies
For a few days thousands of white butterflies migrated through the town. They were coming from the north and continuing in the same direction to the south. The butterflies stopped at flowers along their way and you could see them along ways away. The birds were quite happy to have them around and we were happy too to see such a sight.
Hail storm
On Friday, I got up at 7 am to get ready for class at 7:40 am. On Fridays my lesson isn't paid attention to like the other days because there are only two periods on Friday (the two that I teach) then there's religion then two exams. After class I rushed home to help mzee cook sambusas (meat pockets) as my good friend Shangaluka wanted to learn how to cook them and our mzee in an expert. We spent four hours and made about 40 sambusas from scratch. We dine on them with sodas and beer for lunch then took naps. At around 4 pm it started to get cool so I walked outside to find the mountains to the north and east leaching dark clouds upon our town. Russ quickly joined me after I told him he had to see for himself the impending storm. The winds picked up and small branches started to fall from our mango trees and the natural tall grass bent over 90 degrees. For sure we thought the electricity would go at any moment, but to our surprise it remained on. It was like any typical "flash flood" here except that the rain water and air temperature was very cold. As we filled out buckets on our porch from our gutter we heard the hail begin to pound on our aluminum roof. The sound got so loud that we scared each other in the house. Hail in Kiswahili is "mawe ya mvua" or "rain rocks." This was my first hail sighting in Africa and after it continued for a few minutes we couldn't help but to think of all the crops people have planted and hoped they were not destroyed. Our crops did fine - there were just a few holes in the leaves of our plants but the wind did more damage than the hail. Not only did it hail, but it also flooded like we've never seen before. The water was half way up one of our steps near the back door, but it never got any higher.
After the storm passed we could hear the "river" so we went to look at it. 99.9% of the time it is a dry "river" which really acts more like a huge drainage ditch from the mountain. It was raging and many people were watching it. Apparently when the rains had just started, a primary school boy tried to cross it and got swept away. They found his body a mile down the river. Also, the heavy rains took away all the work that the town did to rebuild the bridge that was destroyed by heavy rains a few months earlier. It was a somber mood in town that weekend.
Valentine's Day
For Valentine's Day, I got up early to make heart shaped pancakes for Russ and I then we both went to work like normal. After returning from work, and relaxing for a few hours, Russ asked if I was "ready." "Ready for what?" I asked, and he just smiled. We picked up Sajigwa and Shangaluka, parents of the twins, then went to a local hotel (the only place in town that serves decent food). We dined with another couple, Caroline and Gasper, the cook and manager of the hotel, and our friends, to make it a triple date for Valentine's Day. Russ told Caroline how to make mashed potatoes so we had comfort food from home (new and interesting to the Tanzanians) and a meat and banana stew, a typical Tanzanian meal from the north. She got the mashed potatoes spot on and Russ and I gobbled it up. This triple date with the Tanzanians for Valentine's Day was a first for them but they seemed to enjoy themselves. The power kept going out so we ate by candlelight. Valentine's Day is just starting to be recognized here. I heard if you asked anybody ten years ago about Valentine's Day they would have no clue what you were talking about.
Teaching
Teaching is going really well for me. My students did pretty well on their first exam. The average in both classes was around 55, which is a "C." There was one 100% and some cheating. How did I know there was cheating? Well, I made two different exams and on a few students' sheets the question and answer of a question on the other exam was written. I asked them why they cheated and it was because they said they didn't understand the material. I told them to ask me for help outside of class if they needed it. A week and a half went by and I gave my students a quiz. The quiz consisted of questions directly from their homework, I just changed the numbers. Most did really well, yet some are falling behind. I didn't say anything to those I though needed help. They came to me and asked for extra help! So I said they are welcome to ask questions if I'm in the office or they can do more problems from the book and I'll correct them. Since I had extra copies of the first exam, I have them the exam they didn't do on exam day. They didn't get it perfectly but they got a higher score than their first attempt. I really do enjoy teaching and am seriously thinking about pursuing it when I return home. I had to come to Africa and teach those who have nothing to learn than in teaching, I have everything.
posted by lisa at
10:33
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