Noise in Arusha - Leah

Where I am staying it is very loud.  There are a lot of 'houses' all right together.  There is a door about 3 feet from my bedroom window (check out blog on housing).  The house I am staying in and all the houses in this area have the tv AND stereos going all day long.  They start at about 6am most days and don't go off until about 10.  They are all very loud and it is almost as if they are competing for master volume.

There are a lot of kids also.  Kids don't tend to be consoled very much. Babies cry at all hours and keep crying.  Even when talking kids tend to talk really loud and yell a lot.  Even the adults yell a lot.  I don't think they are being mean, I think that is just how they are.
There are chickens that roam the area and the roosters start crowing about 4am.  Right outside my window is some sort of water supply.  People start using it very early (not good if you have to go to the bathroom in the morning anyway).  This morning it was raining really hard and all of a sudden there was a cat screeching!  I have no idea what happened but I think it may have fallen off the roof.  It screeched again and I am pretty sure it was ok.

The school I teach at is in the middle of no where.  It is so quiet - the only noise other than us is the birds.  I love being out there for so many reasons but the quiet is definitely one of them.  Gives me time to reboot!

In the US we are so accustomed to space and the ability to get quiet when you need it.  There is really no place here to get to quiet in the house.  Their idea of privacy is not ours and there is very little of it.

Lots of open QUIET spaces!

Driving (or riding) in Arusha - Leah

This city is nuts to drive in.  There are 2 official lanes of traffic on the road with up to 6 lanes of vehicles.  One morning I swear that there was only 1 inch between the mirror of the car that I was in and the van next to me.  If the car ahead of you is going to slow, you just pull into the oncoming lanes and go around them.

How many lanes are there?

There are these little vw van type busses that run all over the place.  They pop in and out of traffic and are constantly honking.  There are so many of them since so few people actually own cars.  There is a pretty constant line of them coming and going from and to the same places.  They are all competing for fares so are always bumping into and out of traffic.

The VW Busses.  There are really only 2 lanes of traffic here also.

There are a ton of motorcycles!  These are a lot cheaper than taxi's and since they weave in and out of cars in both lanes they are a lot faster. I have seen people as young as a newborn on a mom's back to very old on these. I have seen 3 grown adults on one motorcycle.  The motorcycles are very protected.  If you do end up hurting someone on a motorcycle it is likely that your car will be mobbed by other cyclists and you will be beat up.

Motorcyclists can pick whatever lane they want to drive in.

A group of motorcyclists hanging out waiting for riders.

One day when we left the house there was no movement of the traffic.  We pulled in and just sat there.  What became interesting was as we sat there we had both lanes full of people going the same way.  I figured when whatever it was cleared that we would all just be sitting but actually people all feel so entitled on the road that they just pushed in.  It was crazy!

On top of the cars and motorcycles there are bikes, walkers and these carts that are used to transport things.  These carts are rented by the people and they walk miles and miles delivering whatever needs delivered.  This is very hard work and pays very little.  This is the type of job that someone that didn't pass their 7th grade exams would do.  These carts can be very heavy.  I have seen some guys actually with such a heavy load that they can pick up their feet going down hill and just ride.  They also cut in and out wherever they please.

Back side of one of these carts

Front side - very heavy.

These carts haul furniture, hay, sticks, sugar cane, and whatever else needs moved from one place to another.

Women carry everything on their heads.  These buckets are very heavy. They walk along the sides of the road also.

The other thing to always be aware of is the animals.  There are animals everywhere.  The Massai people take their goats, sheep, and cows and let them graze on the sides of the road.  Many times I have seen animals spooked and jump out into traffic.  

One thing that amazes me, with all this traffic and all these different types of road traffic, there are actually very few accidents.  I have only seen 3 accidents total since I have been here and one was a motorcycle that lost control (no other traffic involved).

I will not be driving in Arusha!

Mount Kilimanjaro Weekend - Leah

So the clouds never cleared enough to see the 'Roof of Africa' but we had an amazing weekend!  James (our official tour guide, bus driver, chaeffeur, babysitter, big brother, coordinator) picked us up and first thing decided we needed lunch before hitting the road.  He took us to a really nice area in Arusha we hadn't seen yet.  He was very surprised that we hadn't been there.  I reminded him that honestly other than the grocery store and church twice that we had only been on the road to the office, then school then back home.  Lunch was wonderful.  It was a buffet type.  Had a lot of different African dishes and lots of fresh fruit.  Elizabeth did a great job of trying new things.  We had a lot of fun.

After lunch we headed to Moshi.  It is a direct shot down highway 002 to get  there but James made a turn off and took us to some beautiful areas.  I couldn't get over how much green there was.  He went way down into a valley and I was afraid that our car wouldn't make it back up.

When we got to Moshi we went to our hotel.  We stayed at the Uhuru Lutheren Conference Center.  It was beautiful.  Amazing green gardens, beautiful flowers, and very clean (that is something that is hard for me here, there is a lot of dirt and litter).  Our room had 2 beds, each with mosquito netting, a tv with an English station and a shower with HOT water!!!  It was a very luxurious win for us.  

E found a playground to play on.

Amazing flowers

E liked her mosquito netting!

Splits on the wall.

We wern't told that our room slept 3!

The view off our balcony - Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background but too cloudy to really see it.

Veg time on the balcony

Yes, that is a field of corn.  Lots of corn around here.

We went to dinner at the Bamboo BBQ.  It was great to eat something different.  I haven't posted much about food but dinner is pretty much the same thing most nights.  

One of the salads we had - so good!!!

Elizabeth and James

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Drinking Ginger tea (looks like beer, but it isn't)

The next morning we had a nice breakfast and went off exploring.  We found a guide that took us to one of the entrances to the Mountain and we walked to a waterfall. On the drive back form the waterfall we almost didn't make it up one of the hills.  

Walking a path to the falls.

At the water falls with our guide.

Information about the park, the tour guide cut the sign off.

At the entrance to the climb!

Bananas everywhere!

On the way home James drove us through Moshi proper.  It is a pretty big city.  He showed us the old train station and we go to see some of the sites.  We headed home after that and stopped along side the road for some fresh vegetables.  

All the vegetables are always arranged so nicely.

This weekend was just what the doctor ordered.  Was a great break from the day to day waiting and sitting around.  Can't wait for our next outing.

Education in Tanzania - Leah

Education is in Tanzania is very different than in the US.  Everyone is entitled to a "free education" until 7th grade.  At 7th grade there is a national test that you have to pass in order to go onto more school.   Many students do not pass this test and there is no retest so that would be the end of their education.
One reason that students do not pass is that many areas do no value education..  Many of the small villages farther from the cities have education that is very sub par.  They either don't have good teachers or students have to miss a lot of school to take care of family or household duties.
The other reason that many don't pass the test is that even in the cities the 'free' schools are awful. Some of them have 70 students in a class and are falling down around students.  The teachers at these schools also are not of the highest caliber, but even those that are can be overwhelmed.
Most people who have the means send their kids to a private school.  Private schools can be either really good or adequate.  Most kids that go to private school can pass the 7th grade tests.
If people do not pass the test there is very little for them to actually do.  Most families cannot afford to have kids at home waiting for marriage so many of the girls from rural areas become House Girls.  These are girls that work in homes of people in exchange for a home and food. Sometimes they get a small stipend, but many times don't.  These girls are in charge of cleaning, childcare and cooking.  They work very hard from early morning to late night.  There are many stories of some of these girls coming back to their villages pregnant and end up being shunned by the tribe.  Boys who do not pass end up often pulling big carts of merchandise from place to place.  It is very exhausting work and pays very little.
The school I am teaching at is a private school but costs much less than most.  The students mostly live at the school during the week since it is in the middle of nowhere. When I first started teaching I was in the newer building (the one currently being built). It has dirt floors, only some windows, plastic lawn furniture and no desks. There is no electricity (ie no computer and projector).  I was told we could have electricity, then found out it costs about $10 for 2 hours to run the generator.  Have to use it sparingly. The white board is very old and is pealing into layers.  It has rusty edges and they have attached it to the stone wall with nails through it.

Elizabeth and Irene in front of the new building

My first classroom

Elizabeth and Irene in the window with Mt. Meru in the background

This week I am in the older building that has a real floor and windows (at least the ones that are not broken). The white board is painted onto a concrete wall with some paint that was acquired by Hope 2 Others. This classroom has desks and plastic lawn furniture also.  The chairs have to be stacked to actually reach the desks and to make a full chair as many of them are missing legs or arms.

Whiteboard paint on walls

Chairs stacked to make one full chair

The students I have in the class are amazing.  They all have notebooks (most of which have been used before this class for something) and pens. That is it. There are no computers and no books except for the ones I had gotten donated.   Each night they pass the books around and take home different ones to read whatever they can get through.  There are 3 students actually from the school.  They are very bright and want careers in medicine.  The school is out this week so they actually have to get themselves to the school everyday on their own.  One of these students has to walk 10K each way to come to my classes.  He is Massai and thankfully his family supports his getting an education because he is very bright.  There are 7 students that have graduated from school and want medicine careers (several of theses are family members of the New Life Band that supports the school) The final student is actually the schools biology instructor.  He has talked to me and really sees a future for himself in the Lab.  They are all very attentive and can answer most of my questions.  They are also very quiet. I am working very hard to get them to come out of their shells a bit.

Labeling parts of the Urinary System

Actually taking notes (I am not use to that)

Jackson walks over 10K each way everyday to attend school.  (He is finally making eye contact and saying hello and goodbye every day)

Taking a break from the classroom

One challenge I have had is that our students come to our classes having seen a red blood cell somewhere. They have heard the work hematocrit, they have a basic understanding of a vaccination.  These students do not so I will be talking and realize that they have no idea what I am talking about.  I sometimes will be talking and realize I need to take a few step backward to work them up to where I am at.  Sometimes that can be hard because it has been so long since I have actually taken the classes and I have never actually taught them so that I have to figure out how to explain it.

Another challenge is trying to get lab equipment. I had a lot donated before I came and thought I would have most of what I needed.  When I got here I realized that I needed a few things so I have them ordered.  I have to order from Dar es Salaam and have them shipped her which shouldn't be bad, however when we placed the order for about 16 things only 4 of them were in and of the 4, two were not what I had ordered.  I can't teach phlebotomy which is a skill that they really want because I do not have tourniquets or sharps containers.  We did do some capillary sticks.  We didn't have any tubes to collect in so we just did direct smears.  They did great!  I had them try 2 each and most of them got at least 2 decent ones.  They are now in a box to stain and use next week when we have class in the office in the city and have electricity.

Capillary punctures (note our Pringles can as our sharps disposal - do not try this at home)

One great thing about being out at the school is that we are right by cell towers so my phone works great and my internet is really fast!