Aaron's Peace Corps Adventure in Tanzania

closed blog

2006-06-24T05:41:00.000-05:00

Blog is closed, no more updates from me.

Merry Christmas

2005-12-29T02:15:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I had a good one. Kathryn and Andrew came up from Mwanza via the fast ferry and we all spent a few days together. It was alot of fun. We cooked lots of food and exchanged gifts. Jodi and I are in town today doing some shopping. I think we are going to get together and do something for New Years. I should have pics posted later today. Not much else new going on. Happy New Years.

The Big Move

2005-12-17T09:23:00.000-05:00

Well I'm now an Official Peace Corps Volunteer. So much has happened since my last post. I've been very lazy on updating the blog hopefully I'll update more often. We were sworn in as Volunteers at Forest Hills Secondary School by the U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania Michael Retzer sp?? on November 29th. After that I along with the other Lake Victoria Region Volunteers stayed in Dar es Salaam and went to Zanzibar for a few days. Zanzibar was amazing. The sand is so white and the water is beautiful. I went snorkeling for the first time. I loved it. I saw many varieties of tropical fish, coral, starfish, seaslugs, etc... The seafood was also very good. We left Dar es Salaam on December 8th and arrived here in Bukoba on December 11th. The ride was long and bumpy mostly on dirt roads. Once we arrived in Mwanza we took a Fastboat for 4 hours to Bukoba. Bukoba is a beautiful town. I can view the lake from my front yard. The temperatures are very pleasant here. Not alot of rain so far although I'm told it should be raining everyday. I will start teaching after Christmas and I'm pretty nervous about it. Hello to everyone. I miss you. I know I keep saying I will post pictures soon. Well I'm going to say it again. I will post pictures soon.

Peace.

DalaDala Story (Borrowed from fellow trainee Alex Murch

2005-11-02T07:50:00.000-05:00

On any given day, a person living on the outskirts of Morogoro, Tanzania might decide to go into town. Transportation options include: walking on a road alongside the finest drivers that the third world has to offer; bicycling on that road; waiting for a taxi or; jumping on a mjini-bound mini-bus known in Swahili as a “daladala.” Walking and biking can be grouped into a category called “bad ideas.” Taking a taxi is expensive and would not make one look as though he was trying to integrate into the community. At the crossroads of safety, economy and caste stands the daladala. For a mere 150-200 shillings ($0.15-$0.20) one can make the journey alongside one’s neighbors.

For my money, the 1500-2000 shillings required for a taxi are far-better spent on ten trips in the most “culturally intimate” setting imaginable. To go into town, I need only walk out to the main road and wait. Before long, a 15-passenger Nissan van with a red stripe across its front comes rolling along. There is usually a teenager hanging out the window of the van’s sliding door whistling at potential customers. As it pulls to the side of the road, the daladala honks it’s horn relentlessly so as to warn pedestrians and bicyclists of their impending death. The daladala screeches to a stop, shuts off to conserve fuel and its door is opened by the teenage hustler.

The daladala steward jumps out and begins calculating the impossible. If I have 15 seats and 20 passengers already, how can I fit another 7 people in here. Easy… I’ll let them figure it out. Hopefully I can close the door. In rare cases, the daladala steward shifts (kicks) smaller passengers out of the front seats and ushers in the new passengers. (Those who were displaced take their new standing positions once the newcomers are onboard.) New passengers get up on the sidestep of the daladala and find whatever free space, in whatever configuration they can.

Having taken about 30 of these trips so far, I have seen only one instance of what Americans would call “room” on the daladala. The other 29 consisted of more discomfort, stench and sheer awkwardness than I ever thought myself capable of getting comfortable with. One remarkable trip consisted of me, my American friend and a whopping 30 other people (driver and two children included, not that this fact diminishes the reality of the experience). All along, the daladala hustler was actively seeking additional riders from his perch, leaning out the door with one hand on the roof and only his toes in contact with the sidestep. In front of him, also on the sidestep, stood three grown men… luckily, I’d managed to get a seat that time. I am rarely so fortunate.

Earlier, I mentioned that a daladala ride can be as cheap as 150 shillings… this is the price for any trip that does not go to or from the center of town. For a 50 shilling savings, I can walk just outside of town (for the return trip home) and get on a completely full daladala that is ready to go. It is easier to do this than to go to the daladala stand, find the right one and then wait for it to be full enough to generate a profit. Leaving from just outside of town requires that I stand up inside (and twice so far, outside) the daladala for the 5 kilometer ride. Going over two “aggressive” speedbumps and picking up additional passengers along the way are unavoidable and the trip usually takes about 15 minutes.

Even though they make more than most teachers here, daladala drivers are not above the role of “fundi”(repair person) when their rides break down. After all, it is difficult to keep a vehicle running when it wants nothing more than to die on the side of the road. For this reason, patrons can determine whether or not it is worth it to stay on the daladala when the driver gets his tools (3-5 various-sized wrenches) out from under the seat and sets to work. It is a calculation of how far a walk it is to town and what method the driver-turned-fundi is employing to fix the problem. My time limited is 2 km and a repetitious banging sound on the vehicle’s inner workings. After that I revert to the first transportation method, hoping to grab the next daladala that drives by.

Happy Halloween

2005-10-31T05:29:00.000-05:00

So an update spanning last Wednesday to Today. Last Wednesday I woke up at 3 a.m. and both of my eyes were swollen shut. I woke up again 3 hours later and they were fine. All day Wednesday and Thursday I had cold chills, body aches, intestinal problems, and stomach cramps. The PC Medical Officer thought I had malaria so she had a driver take me to the local hospital here in Morogoro. Luckily I did not have malaria and I am now fully recovered. The doctors think it was just a virus. Friday night I ate pizza at Dragonairres and watched Star Wars 3 on the projection screen. On Saturday sadly we found out that one of our friends was being sent back to America. Yesterday I washed clothes and cooked ugali, chicken, and spinach. We were supposed to spend one more week here teaching but apparently we will have no students all week because of testing so we will just spend it concentrating on Kiswahili language classes I assume. The presidential elections that were supposed to take place yesterday have been postponed until December 18th because one of the Vice Presidential candidates died last week. Nothing more to write now. I miss you all.

2005-10-25T05:48:00.000-05:00

So I don't have much time nor much to write about before I have to be back in class. Sunday I went to the first communion of two different girls. It was alot of fun. It was basically just a big outside dinner with lots of music. I also learned how to cook chipati and kuku on Sunday. Last night I learned how to cook ugali. Teaching is going ok. I'm still not very comfortable in front of the class. We have our pre-test for Swahili comprehension this weekend. It's similar to the final test at the end so that we can see how we are doing so far. I'm worried that I'm not going to do very well on it. There is just so much to know. Well I hope everyone is doing great. More to come later.

Fire on the Mountain

2005-10-16T08:09:00.000-05:00

These first 3 weeks have been so busy that they all seem to be a blur. I'll try to update you all on what all has happened. It's been very hectic at times, very little free time, and lots of studying and preparation for teaching. I teach my first class tomorrow, I think, I want get into why it's "I think" on here. The mountain that my school is located in has been burning off and on now for a week. The people here burn it every year for various reasons depending on who you ask. Some say it's to bring rain. Some say it's to flush out animals for hunting. Still others say it's for preparing the land for planting. All that I know is is that the mountain is home to 50 plant an animal species that can't be found anywhere else in the world and will soon become extinct without conservation.

Driving here is chaotic but exciting. There aren't really lanes that people use you just drive on your side of the road when you have to. There are bicycles everywhere and people walking and speeding automobiles. Most of the autos are daladalas, minivans made for 16 that they cram 30+ people into. I've even seen people hanging on to the top speeding down the road at 50 m.p.h.

I had a great hamburger at a restaurant the other night. It was so freaking good you can't even imagine. Especially after having rice at least 7 times this week and fish 6 nights for supper. I'm sick of fish. Other than the lack of variety the food is really good. I'll just be glad when I can cook for myself at my own place. There is plenty of variety here most people just don't cook it.

The area that I'm staying in is really pretty. We have monkeys all over the school campus that I work on. The other day some kids tried to sale me a monkey that they had caught and were carrying it around in a plastic bag. They said that it's parents had died and the other monkeys were beating it up. I think they just caught it trying to make some money off of the mzungus (white people) .

I start teaching tomorrow. My first class has 78 students and the room only has 36 chairs and thats pushing the limits already. Then one day this week I'm only scheduled for 13 students go figure. Ok well I hope everyone is doing well. I love and miss you all. Drop me an email sometime. Also I'm working on trying to get some photos uploaded I'll be sending out a link in email soon.

Tanzania

2005-09-25T10:15:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am alive and well in Morogoro, Tanzania. Miss you all. It is so amazing here I could never explain the beauty and friendliness of this country. I'll post pictures when I can.

Packed and ready to Go!

2005-09-18T03:47:00.000-05:00

Just finished packing at 4:45 a.m. I hope I can carry it all. This week has been so busy visiting friends and family. I'll miss all of you very much. This will probably be the last update until I get to Tanzania so I don't know how long that will be. Anyone who wants to send letters can start now it will take 2 or 3 weeks for them to get their and costs $0.80. I'll add information for care packages later on when I see what I need if anyone wants to send anything it will definately be greatly appreciated.

2 Weeks to go

2005-09-04T01:51:00.000-05:00

Well my departure date is quickly approaching. One more day of work on Monday and then lots of stuff to do before I leave on the 19th and lots of people to see. I'll be out of town from Alhamisi to Jumapili (Thursday through Sunday) this week. Just thought I'd throw in a little Kiswahili for the heck of it. Well it's late and I worked 12 hours today so I think I'll hit the sack.

Staging Packet

2005-08-23T21:10:00.000-05:00

I received my staging packet yesterday. I was so relieved to have gotten it. I will be flying out of the tri-cities at 5:45 a.m. on Monday, September 19th. That will probably greatly reduce the number of people that come see me off. But anyone who wants to get up before the crack of dawn is welcome to come and give me one last hug goodbye before I go. I will be working until September 3rd then I'll be trying to hang out with everyone as much as I can before I go. So if you have free time give me a call.

Packing

2005-08-18T14:43:00.000-05:00

I packed up all of my stuff today and it looks like it will all barely fit into my Kelty pack and one rolling duffel. I will be under the weight limit of 80 pounds but over the limit on total inches. I'm hoping they aren't strict on the inches. I still have to buy toiletries and stuff like that but I'm hoping I'll be able to put that in various side pockets and my carry on. Hope everyone is doing great.

My Way-to-Long Packing List I may cut stuff out when I pack

2005-08-13T22:28:00.000-05:00

Clothing

• 5 Pairs of Colombia Casual Pants hopefully nice enough to wear when teaching
• 5 Polo Shirts, 2 Button down Short Sleeve Shirts
• 5 T-Shirts
• 1 Pair Hiking Boots
• 1 Pair Running Shoes
• Tie, Jacket, Pants for formal occasions.
• Keens Shoes, I wanted chacos but could not find any that fit correctly.
• A pair of nicer shoes to wear for formal functions.
• Probably 20 pair of underwear and maybe 10 pair of socks.
• Sleepwear
• Rain Jacket
• 2 Hats
• Possibly a fleece.
• Cheap Sunglasses
• 2 Bandanas
• 2 Pair Shorts
• 1 Pair Swimming Trunks

Gear and other non-clothing items

• Gerber Headlamp
• Gerber Multi-tool
• Short-wave Radio
• Digital Camera (small), possibly a digital SLR or I may bring my film SLR which would be much cheaper if broken or stolen.
• Laptop (undecided)
• Kitchen Knife, sharpener, and vegetable peeler.
• Map of the U.S.
• Rechargeable Batteries with charger
• Extra AAA and AA batteries
• 2 Combination Locks
• Sewing Kit
• Photos of family and friends
• 1 or 2 Nalgene water bottles
• Money Belt
• Wallet
• Travelers Checks
• Credit Card
• Watch with extra battery
• Duct Tape and Scotch Tape
• Scissors
• Journals
• Plastic Document/File Folder
• Address Book
• Ink Pens and Pencils
• Notebook
• Caribiner
• Travel Pillow
• 18 Passport-sized Photos
• Zip-lock bags and Tupperware containers
• Ball inflating Needle and deflated balls of some kind
• Swahili language books and Tanzania travel books
• PC Paperwork and Books
• Sleeping Bag, Sleeping Pad, and very small tent.
• Travel Alarm Clock

Toiletries

• 2 Toothbrushes
• 2 Toothpastes
• Shampoo and Conditioner
• Soap
• Antibacterial Hand wash
• Shaving Gel
• Razor with replacement blades
• Deodorant
• Hair Trimmer
• Sunscreen
• Handheld Mirror
• Comb
• Mini Tissue packs
• Tweezers
• Q-Tips
• 1 or 2 rolls of toilet paper
• Fingernail Clippers
• Chap stick
• Advil

Flag of the United Republic of Tanzania

2005-08-05T23:07:00.000-05:00

What the colors mean
Black: the People
Green: the Land
Blue: the Adjoining Sea
Golden: the Mineral Wealth

Where in the World is Tanzania

2005-08-01T23:25:00.000-05:00

Since so many people have asked me where Tanzania is I thought I would put up a map showing where Tanzania is located in Africa. Some wonderful information can be found on the Lonely Planet Website.

What I will be doing in Tanzania

2005-07-25T18:11:00.000-05:00

Direct from the Peace Corps Assignment Booklet:

Program: Education
Job Title: Secondary School Information Communication Technology Educator
Dates of Service: September 2005 - December 2007

I really do not completely know what I will be doing other than that I will be teaching computer skills of some kind.

Passing the Time

2005-07-22T23:50:00.000-05:00

The waiting to leave for Tanzania is killing me. I need a job. Not so much for the money but to pass the time although the money will also be nice to use for travels during my vacation time in Africa. If anyone knows of a job opening let me know. I've applied at a couple of places but I haven't had any response other than an interview with RGIS Inventory Specialists but it was the same day that I had my wisdom teeth removed so I couldn't go. Although I will have intense language training in Swahili once I get to Tanzania I am using some spare time now to learn as much as I can. So far I can count to 100 and say some greetings.

2005-07-22T23:25:00.000-05:00

Why The Peace Corps?

Many people have asked me why I joined the Peace Corps? This is a difficult question to answer. There is no one reason why I chose this path in life. I could have chosen the typical “American Dream” of a 9 to 5 job, a wife and kids, and a mortgage. That’s just not what I want out of life at this time. I want to do my part to help others while at the same time helping myself. I feel that the Peace Corps will forever change my life as it has for countless others. The Peace Corps also provides many benefits after service such as a no cost MBA at Northern Arizona State University which I plan to take advantage of after my time with the Peace Corps.

Peace Corps: My Application Process

2005-07-20T02:15:00.000-05:00

I began my Peace Corps application in December of 2004 after reading about an old friend that had joined The Peace Corps. I finally completed the application and essays on January 23rd, 2005 and submitted the application. I had my interview in Atlanta at The Peace Corps regional office on February 25th, 2005 and was nominated on the same day for an Information Technology assignment in Africa. The interview was very casual and my interviewer was great. The health portion of the application process has proven to be much more difficult than I had anticipated. I received my medical kit from the Washington D.C. Peace Corps office on March 3rd, 2005. I completed my physical and dental exams during March and mailed my health packet back in on April 19th, 2005. After receiving my medical packet Peace Corps determined that they needed more health information from me. In May I had to have a cholesterol screening, thyroid studies exam, and fasting blood sugar monitoring. I still have to have all four of my wisdom teeth cut out before final clearance but hopefully other than that everything is done. The Peace Corps application process has been difficult at times and has cost me $2000.00 in medical and dental costs but I would still recommend it to anyone who is considering joining.