As this week wraps up, I head to a church festival in the small town of Lugeye to witness hours full of singing and dancing. However, some interesting things have happened in the past few days… The Serengeti!! Unfortunately my photos aren’t loading onto my blog at the moment so I will have to try and paint the best picture I can. We (Chris, Ashley, Jessica, the two Sweds, and I) all woke up at 5:30am - before the sun rose - on Wednesday and loaded up the car with supplies. We all piled into the car and drove down the [View Full Entry]

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The rest of last week was actually quite jam packed. Teaching has kept me quite busy. I finished up units with my students and tested them all on Friday. For my beginners I had them take a test on the Alphabet. They all did perfectly, which is a nice pat on the back for myself. If my students succeed, then I succeed. My intermediates had a Spelling Bee on the calendar months. Three girls stood out and won right away (they could spell all of the months). Though the other students wanted a few more tries. After an hour, Anna, a [View Full Entry]

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This last week and a half has been a rollercoaster of experiences and emotions. On Monday we went into town to do some shopping and run some errands. My love for the city of Mwanza grows every time I visit. The streets are always busy and the colors always bright. Because there were six of us wageni, we stood out like sore thumbs, especially me with my blonde hair. However, we were able to buy lots of fabric to have skirts and kangas (wrap around cloths) made. I admit I go a bit crazy in the fabric shops with so many [View Full Entry]

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What a week! So much has happened. First of all, I’m determined to become a member of the Kitongo Choir. I love to watch them dance and I have began to practice with them in the evenings. The other volunteers and I are the token “wageni” or foreigners. We pretty much just get laughed at, but I think I’m starting to get the rhythm. I got to see my first JBFC soccer (or football) practice! Ashley, Chris’ assistant, has started a JBFC soccer team which will play in a Mwanza league. The girls are super excited and practice with Ashley and [View Full Entry]

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On Tuesday my fellow volunteers and I visited the Kitongo Public Primary School which is about a 10 minute walk from JBFC. The school is made up of crumbling buildings that serve over 500 students. As we roamed around looking for the head master we gathered an entourage of Tanzanian children, holding our hands and examining our arm hair. When we finally found him we introduced ourselves and asked if we could observe some of the classes. In broken English he insisted on taking us on a tour of the school. My eyes grew wider in each classroom due to the [View Full Entry]

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Things are starting to fall into place here at JBFC. On Monday we went into Mwanza, which is a small town of about 1.5 million people. The bustling streets reminded me of my experience in Ghana last year, though spiced with Indian undertones and Middle Eastern flavor. Although Tanzania is a bit more conservative in general than most West African countries, the people always greet me with smiles and the cultures is rich. After picking up some groceries and other odds and ends, we all (me, Chris, and two other volunteers) went to a hotel on the shores of Lake Victoria. [View Full Entry]

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Hello All, Thank you for tuning into my latest blog. I finally made it to Tanzania!! Though my trip was quite the soap opera. After a bit of a tearful goodbye with my family and some unexpected baggage issues at O’Hare, I was finally on my way. My dreams were becoming realized as I found my gate and began to survey everyone who would be on my flight from Chicago to New York. There were some interesting characters: a nice married couple, a couple with their first child (always fun to watch), and the usual businessmen and leisurely travelers. But my [View Full Entry]

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It is day 3 here at JBFC and I’m already feeling quite at home. I’m still getting over jet-lag but I’m finally starting to acclimatize. JBFC is essentially a farm in rural Tanzania, a half hour off the beaten path from the nearest city of Mwanza. We have pigs, cows, chickens, goats, and bulls, complete with a vegetable garden and banana trees. However, my first impression of JBFC was quite the experience. As we pulled up to the houses a group of adorable girls flooded the area then shifted from our car to a rock by the house that I was [View Full Entry]

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Tarkoitus oli kirjoittaa pidempi blogipaivitys, mutta jostain syysta tietokone ei suostunut avaamaan word-tiedostoa. Eilen kiersin hoitamassa kaikenlaisia asioita mm. hakemassa bussilipun, hoitamassa vammaisten naisten ryhman uuden tilauksen ennakkomaksua, kavin hyvastelemassa porukkaa Shivyawatassa, Green Hopessa ja Kivulinissa. Kavin Maimunan kanssa yhdella hotellilla, missa oli Kivulini koulutus. Suurin osa luuli jo, etta olin lahtenyt. Illalla sitten viela tapasin taraab-ryhmani, he esittelevat Omarylle (joka koordinoi vakivallan vastaisia ryhmia)oppimiaansa asioita ja lopuksi laulettiin j [View Full Entry]

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I can’t believe there are only two more weeks until I embark on my exciting adventure. After months of preparation and apprehension it’s finally happening. The time for speculation and wondering is over. I’m going to get to see and experience Tanzania for myself and I can’t wait!!! But this time I’m the teacher, not the student. I don’t have the safety net of coming back to the U.S. and starting the next semester. This is real life…when did that happen? I will be living with a vastly different perspective than I have on previous adventures. An [View Full Entry]

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