Tanzanian Schools and Transportation

Our basic routine here at Camp Lanoche is: wake up around 7:30, get water from the huge tanks in the yard (collected daily by the kids who must walk to a tiny stream about a half hour away), wash with the water, help make chapatis and various other foods like beans or ugali for breakfast, eat breakfast at around 11am, go to the neighbors yard to collect oranges with the kids, spend some time filling the base of the deck with dirt, eat lunch at around 2:30 all the way to around 4, Hang around, and finally eat dinner at 8:30 and sleep.

Only Katie, the girl staying here from the UK has managed to get out of that cycle. She has begun working at a local franciscan school during the day. The stories she tells us are crazy! It is routine for teachers to pull ears or cheeks and make the kids feel stupid in front of their peers. Katie told one story of a little first grade girl who clearly wasn't understanding the lesson being taught. The teacher made her stand in the front of the room and quizzed her - at the end she asked the girl if she was stupid and sent her back to her desk.

Yesterday we accompanied Asma, Abdul, Emy, and Victor back to their Adventist Boarding school (they have been on break) and we witnessed much the same treatment. Kids walked the hallways looking scared and when teachers addressed them, they looked at the floor and used mumbled responses. Little victor, who at home runs around crazily and says funny things, instantly changed his personality. Suddenly, he barely said anything and his eyes were peeled open extremely wide. It would be interesting to actually work at one of these Tanzanian schools for a year or so.

On the way back, we had the experience of riding both a dala dala and a motorcycle. Dala dalas are the tanzanian equivalent of the matatus in Kenya. Though they look similar on first glance, they are in fact very different breeds of public transportation. Dala dalas have vaulted roofs with hand holds for people who are standing. THey are therefore much more spacious, not to mention much better maintained. The matatu's in Kenya refuse to move until they are completely filled ith bodies, whereas dala dalas are often much emptier and roomy. The motorcycle we rode right after getting off the dala dala. It brought a whole new perspective to the dirt road we'd walked numerous times over the past few days.

Tonight we plan on going hunting with Johnson and his tattooed friends. We will have to stay up all night and dress in really warm clothing, but this is one of those purely african experiences. Where else can you hunt impala after midnight?

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Part of trip: Kenya/Tanzania

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