Blogs from Lushoto, East, Tanzania, Africa - page 4

Dear Blog Readers, Again thank you for your generosity with the school library project. Some books have started arriving and it is so exciting. More are coming so we hear! But, back to our village which is probably very typical of many villages in many locations in many countries. Each morning as the new day begins, according to the resident rooster, we hear the sounds of daily activity. Families brush their teeth outside while talking to neighbors or workers. Yesterday's bright sun has given way to an overcast sky with the look of rain. The newly planted green crops tomatoes, peppers, lettuce are beginning to fill in the brown patches of tilled soil where the potatoes were last month. Birds are doing their spring thing and we already have 2 mocking chat nests....one in the outdoor ... read more

Dear Blog Readers, And if you can read this you know who to thank...a teacher. How can you teach or learn without books! The library project has the OK and smiles of the headmaster and teachers, so begin to collect and send BOOKS...any type, subject. I think if everyone reading this blog would send whatever would fit into a bubble mailer or small box marked SCHOOL SUPPLIES to the following address Mtumbi Secondary School P.O. Box 131 Lushoto, Tanga, Tanzania East Africa we would have enough to put a book in every students hands. The teachers wanted classroom reference books in all subjects Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) all being taught without a lab, History, but also fiction and non=fiction, magazines like Scientific American, National Geographic, etc., Sports, dictionaries, anything. These students are like our high schools, ... read more

Dear Banks Blog Followers, Well, the power has been restored to Lushoto so I will do what I set off to do today, along with shopping and mailing. We both had our first real teaching experience this week and what an eye opener. It would take a long time to really describe. But, picture a classroom with only wooden desks, blackboad, and chalk...that's it. Oh, and 80 eager to learn students jammed into benches 4 per bench. Dave is teaching Biology with no books and I have English...with NO books. OK, send some, any paperbacks you can and it's best to use an envelope mailer rather than a box. I will have more details as I can get them. Our PO Box is 277 Lushoto, TZ and we thank you in advance. We are quite comfortable ... read more

Dear Friends of the Blog, It is getting to be spring time in Melindi and the fruit trees are just starting to bloom. The air is warm and the sky is blue, except at night when it is so black as a backdrop to starry nights and a new moon...the same one you are looking at. It reminds us of some Sierra skies when we were camping as there is no artificial light. We came to our banking=post office town to do some shopping for staples and to attend a Peace Corps permaculture workshop to be given tomorrow at the primary school. The theory is to have people living with AIDS plant a garden next to their home where they can grow fresh veggies. This will improve their quality of life through good nutrition and gives ... read more

Easter provided us with the opportunity to get away for the 4 day break, but with distance and travel time here a big consideration we were never going to travel that far. We decided to go with 2 other teachers, Louise and Lauren, to the Usambara Mountains which are about half way between Arusha and Dar Es Salaam which is on the coast. We planned to do some hiking and relaxing in the mountains which by all accounts were a really beautiful region of Tanzania. The only way to get there is by bus and you have many options to choose from. We decided to go with a more reputable bus company and even opted for the luxury bus as compared to the ordinary bus, which would still have been a big step up from ... read more