In Sunny Tanzania...and that's a good thing

After a 30 hour bus ride (no less than 30 hours.....) through the centre of Tanzania, we arrived in Dar es Salaam hot and very tired. The drive was less the exciting - which i'm grateful for. We have spent the first days here just coping with the heat and are to head to zanzibar island tomorrow. The tempurature must be about 35 here. we're excited to get to the island but have heard that the power is still out after the power station blew up a week or so ago. not sure how it will affect us yet but it looks like we'll spend christmas eve in the dark. hopefully santa can find his way to the island!!! it's a good thing the sun shines for 12 hours a day here. many hotels have generators that run on fuel but because we're staying at budget places, they may not. we'll see..... Adventure? yes!! The other problem is that a tanker bringing fuel to the island didn't make it yesterday....this meant no fuel for generators, or vehicles to get around the island. i'm really, really hoping everything works out. we're going to risk it and head over. if anything....maybe we'll get some deals. Apparently tourists are leaving because they are having trouble dealing with the heat and, presumably, the dark. since we're used to it, at aleast a little bit, we think we can manage. we may not stay the entire time on the island but we'll wait and see.

Wishing you all the best christmas and hope to write again in 2010!

Oh...and thanks to mom and dad for the christmas picture in the comments! man you're techno-savy....

Merry Christmas to all...

This is my last entry before I hope on a bus in Kigali and hop off 30 FREAKING HOURS LATER in Dar Es Salaam. We then will take a ferry to the exotic and tropical Zanzibar Island.  So excited… Of course I’m doubly excited because wearing a bathing suit is going to be awesome with my newly acquired bed bug bites…and this time, it’s not a suspicious. I saw the little bugger that did this to me. I “bopped” my bed and hope that deals with it.  Now with that out of the way….

I wanted to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas. I am giving my computer a holiday and may not have regular or great internet access. I think we all deserve a break from the blog to spend time with our friends and families.... I’ve been slowly opening Christmas gifts that have been sent. Mmmmm Almond Rocca. So good! I also got Uno from Aimey this morning. We played Uno non-stop in Peru and Bolivia this summer. We loved it so much that we even joked that, because we were in South America, it would be great if we could get Dos. Ha ha…Get it? Spanish? And then, sure as I’m typing to you right now, we found Dos at a street vendor stall! And for less than a Starbucks coffee. What a deal! Of course, we opened it and found that it was a dud. Not only were there no words but I’m pretty sure it was just a pirated copy of Uno….

We loved playing it so much we even found this Bolivian tourist attraction. You’ve heard of the huge Easter egg in Vegerville? Well….this was even better….Thanks for the Uno Aimey! And Merry Christmas everyone.

Two Months for the Price of One

I'm brutal. I know. I promised to sell you a month if you donated to CUSO-VSO. I've been trying in earnest to find out who has donated in my name to the organization. Unfortunately, after many, many emails and not replies from the fundraising coordinator at CUSO-VSO I'll admit, I gave up. I'm upset that those of you who donated in good faith deserve to be acknowledged. So, since CUSO-VSO will not respond to me, if you have donated PLEASE email me. I want to give you credit and a big fat THANK YOU for your support! Support comes in many forms too. While some of you can donate money to a good organization, so many more of you have given me your support with great emails, some with cards and photos of family in the mail, some with packages with treats from home and all of you for reading this little blog and being interested in this adventure. 

There is someone out there who has also done all of this...my friend Ang. Okay...and her husband Eric, too. (But who are we kidding Eric? It wasn't you that sat in the hot tub with me for HOURS....just kidding!)  I was going to thank them in November because this is also Ang's birthday but somehow November came and went. Here we are, officially at the half-way point of December and I'm finally getting around to it. 

I met Ang in my first year of teaching and we've been at the same two schools since then. She's been not only a support in my professional career (remember Wednesday School?) but also become a great friend. She called me today and I realize how much I miss sitting in the hot tub with a glass of wine until our fingers are wrinkly. Eric even got on the phone and attempted to say "beer" in Kinyarwanda. But the funniest story about me coming here happened, surprise, in the hot tub. I met Ang's mom that day and we were all enjoying a soak in the summer sun. Aimey and Ang were plotting how to keep me in Calgary. We were talking about what things you could and couldn't get in Rwanda. I'd heard somewhere, I told them, that you can't buy tampons in Rwanda. I ask them to if they would mail them to me. Ang and Aimey were adamant. They would never mail me tampons and so I'd just HAVE to come home. Ang's mom looked at me across the hot tub and said "Don't worry, Anna. I'll send you tampons!" (Incidently, you CAN buy them here....)

So again, thanks Ang and Eric. Your support means a lot. And don't worry, Eric. I'll order the beer.

If anyone else has sent money in my name, please, please let me know! And send me your best mug shot!

Ah the Mixed Tape....and the sweet sound of a Bird Song

Sometimes, living in a foreign country, in a small town, with no television to watch or malls to shop at, gives us volunteers plenty of time to do things we wouldn’t ordinarily have time, nay, desire to do. For example, I tend to make playlists in I-Tunes. Okay, I do love my computer. I never understood how people could have relationships with a piece of metal but I sort of get it now – and this is coming from a once self-professed luddite. I guess that since moving here my computer is my contact with home and so I love it like I would love my family if they were sitting here in front of me. (Although, if they were sitting here in front of me they’d probably be pretty pissed that they flew all the way to Rwanda and I’m sitting here typing on the bloody computer.) Okay….where was I? Oh yeah…I-Tunes. So I go through all 1504 songs in I-Tunes and I find things they have in common. You can do this too! Really…it’s fun….Most recently I made a play list called Body Parts. Included was Both Hands by Ani Difranco, Bubbly Toes by Jack Johnson, Ankle Tattoo by David Francey…you get the idea.

 

Stop here to let me answer the question I can hear clearly in your head “She’s gone all the way to Africa and this is how she spends her time?” Yes…er…no….sort of….not really….okay look – it gets dark at 6pm, I don’t like being out alone at dark, I have no t.v., I love to read but not even Oprah can spend this much time reading. I just need a distraction and while Ang has recorded the first season of Lost for me and I love it and am on episode 13, it does sometimes remind me of here and I get a bit scared of the invisible monsters and polar bears. Plus the music is scary. So, I have to find other ways to distract myself.

 

And since Christmas is right around the corner and I’ve spent almost four months listening to Jason talk about birds and looking at his pictures on the Internet, I thought I owed him a big thank you for helping me distinguish between a Grey Crowned Crane and a Pied Crow. What better way to thank someone when you are a volunteer sans amafaranga (money), thank a mix tape…..er…mixed CD.

 

I’ll be honest, I’ve spent hours (only sometimes. And, yes I know this makes me sound pathetic) putting together the perfect CD for someone. I know they get listened to as ambient noise and then discarded a few days later. They aren’t, like, fancy, gifts or anything. But I do put in a lot of effort into them. Partly because the art of the mix tape is slowly being lost. I used to spend hours taping Red Hot Chili Peppers and U2 and Peral Jamonto tapes in Grade 8 and would time things just right, hit pause so you didn’t hear the click, carefully label my tapes in volumes and put them on a shelf. But this effort isn’t needed now with I-Tunes. Something’s got to give. We can't just throw a few songs together, hit “Burn Disc” and walk away. Can we? Hasn’t there got to be more to it than that? I think so… so I give themed CDs. I know I’m not the only one, either….

 

So, I put in the same effort in a CD for Jason. It’s entitled Bird Songs and, as you’ll see, the titles – for the most part – I thought had to do with birds. I was wrong. Evidently not even The Byrids, themselves, know anything about Byrds. It was nice to know that my effort did not go unnoticed. Below are Jason’s impressions of the CD. Verbatim. 

 Man. We need a life here in Kibungo.

 

 

The Doves Return (Aine Minogue) – 6.9

Strangely evasive. The only migratory dove that could ‘return’ in the part of the world from which the music of this song implies it is from (Ireland), is the Turtle Dove. However, it is such a rare occurrence in Ireland, that they would ideally need to provide detailed field notes and photographic evidence if they expect their record to be accepted: How many doves? Where? Dates?

 

Flying (Blue Rodeo) – 6.5 

Quite good. Very few tips on how to achieve it, however.

 

Mr. Tambourine Man (The Byrds) – 7.8 

Very good, but, rather disappointingly, not actually about the Tambourine Dove.

 

The Wild Goose (The Cottars) – 7.0

The mark would be higher but they don’t specify which of the 38 species of wild goose they are referring to.

 

Red-winged Blackbird (David Francey) – 9.2 

This is really very good. He doesn’t try to impersonate or describe the bird, he just associates it with significant events. And coincidence is very  important.

 

Blackbird (Evan Rachel Wood) – 8.0 

Good singing, however, it doesn’t quite reach the quality of the Beatles original. Did you know that the root notes of the first 8 chords are actually based on one variation of the song of the Blackbird?

 

Flying Upside-down(Griffin House) – 7.3

Feedback sandwich – well done for trying, but nothing natural can fly upside down. Not even a hoverfly, the most capable flying creature alive. But well done for trying.

 

Tailspin (The Jayhawks)– 5.2

Sorry the mark is so low, but tailspins are only capable in man-made flying machines.

 

Owl Waltz (Seabear) – 8.4

This is a really good effort. Quite a pretty song, with some bird sound effects at the end. Unfortunately 2 of  the 4 species sampled aren’t actually owls. You’d think they’d get this checked, wouldn’t you?

 

Bare Branches (Spirit of the West) – 6.0

I really fail to see the connection. I hope this is not an attempt to imply that birds are responsible for damage to arboreal property.

 

Bird Cage (The Wallflowers) – 7.3 Quite good. But they need to underline that these contraptions are clearly not a good idea in general.

 

The Singing Bird (Sinead O’Connor) – 7.4

Well sung, as always, although the haircut was always a problem. You’d think that somebody who has a ‘singing bird’ might go to the trouble to find out what species it is, wouldn’t you? Did you know that over 30% of bird ‘pets’ for sale are actually taken from the wild, and the pet industry has led to the decline of at least 9 species worldwide, and the likely extinction in the wild of 2 in the very near future?

Some random thoughts because I can't just post photos, you know...

I think I’ve done well today. I finally got organized to send y’all some photos of work. It’s a slow time (like I’ve said before) because the kids are on holidays. But work continues and it’s really good. I have so many ideas for the new year and head teachers that are right there with me wanting to do some good things at their schools. Friday I head to Zanzibar for Christmas. It’s sort of like Canada at Christmas except instead of waking up to a blanket of white snow with bright blue sky, it will be blanket of white sand and bright blue ocean. Ahhh….oh except did I mention? The power station on the island apparently blew up and there’ll be no power for three weeks – just about the time I’m slated to return to Rwanda. Oooops. So I guess I’m blogging it up now while I have power in Kibungo. And maybe now I’ll take this time to wish you all a Merry Christmas since my phone and internet may not work sans electricity. I’m hoping it’s all a rumor…..

Things here are still funny as ever. Okay – but if you haven’t figured this out yet – I look for the funny things when I’m having one of those glum days. Today, though, I’m thinking I’d like to stay in Africa forever……(no this is not a promise or a resignation of my job…). Things here just make me laugh:

- I ate a great Omlette Special at the shop across the street from work. This is the same store that when Jason asked, jokingly, if he could buy icing sugar in Kibungo I said “Yes, in the shop with the Omelettes across from work.” And he said “Really?” and I said “Yes. They sell water, tomato paste, wrapping paper and icing sugar. And that’s it.” (EDIT: Jason went into that store and asked the lady for icing sugar. She said they didn't carry it. He said "Yes, you do." Pointing to the shelf behind her and to the box of...well...icing sugar.)

- I watch English music videos at said shop and was a bit disturbed to see Kate Winslet singing in a video. Someone PLEASE tell me that this is not the case but just one of those crazy things I’ve seen in Rwanda.

- Walking to buy “Super Glue” today (which, incidently, in Kinyarwanda is still called super glue) some of the kids shouted “How are you, Anna!?!?!” To which I replied “Fine thank you!” Encouraged by willingness to engaged them they continued with their English practice by asking “What is your name?” I could only laugh.

- I was given a hard time (rare in Kibungo) this morning. It bothered me for a minute until I realized that I was being harassed by a man in a jacket with Minnie Mouse on the back. ‘Nuff said.

Pictures: Head Teacher Training in November

This training was done a while ago. Thanks to Jason for the photos. The focus of the workshop was to discuss teacher evaluation and providing feedback to teachers. It was delivered to Head Teachers (School Directors) 

Directors were given cards with all possible reasons why we evaluate teachers. Then they were to rank them from 1 to 6. The top was the one that was to be the most important reason to evaluate. 

Answers varied and this eventually lead to a heated debate about whether we are here to teach the curriculum first or the children first. 

One of the teachers from my focus schools explaining his VERY important point -- "We cannot fire a teacher before we have helped them improve."

This is what should be in a good lesson. I guess me throwing on a video might not count...

Getting teacher input.

Discussing the difference between constructive and negative feedback. 

Typical Rwandan Schools

This is the Director / Head Teacher of the school in his office. Because this part of the school is new, it is bright. There are also four chairs with cushions and a table for a meeting area. There is a lockable storage cabinet next to his desk. Some schools have power. I have been to one school that has a computer in the head teacher's office. This school doesn't have either. 

Here is a toilet. These are very nice ones made of brick. Many schools have mud pit latrines. This one has "sinks" but there are no pipes attached and therefore, no water.

This is the inside of the toilet. Many schools employ a program where the students rotate turns cleaning the latrine. There are staff washrooms too. These are the same but they are just in different buildings. 

This is the outside of a student toilet. The teachers' toilets have locks on the doors. 

These are taps for hand washing. They are old cooking oil cans attached to a frame with a foot pedal attached by a string. When  child presses the food pedal down, the string pulls and water pours down. Some schools have soap. Some schools have a problem in that the tops for the bottles go missing during the day and then these don't work. 

This is the playground. This school is lucky because it has a volleyball net. In the background is the older part of the school. The doors are on the other side. 

This is the new part of the school. It houses the upper primary students. The Director / Head Teachers

This is the front of the older part of the school. There are no proper windows and so the children will get wet when it rains. They are also very dark. In some schools the older part of the classrooms have dirt floors. 

Me and the head teacher!

Right now, students are on holidays. When they return I will try to photograph a typical classroom with students. 

Monday morning

Daniella and Tobi setting out to bike to Kigali today. Don't forget to check out their website:

www.weltperrad.de

Then I was off to hold a half day follow up workshop in a school. The topic last time was English Planning and the curriculum. Today's focus was to share ideas and also to create visuals for teachers to hang in their classroom. 

An icebreaker: My Suitcase! This is a good way to introduce yourself and then "pack your suitcase." It always gets a laugh when someone is going to Kampala with a cat in their suitcase. 

Creating rice sacks....We use ricesacks for visuals in the schools because they are much more durable than paper. These sheets are 1/4 of a rice sack. I then seal the edges with a candle so they don't fray. You can use permanent marker to create your poster. This poster is a visual for the staffroom to remind English teachers that they need to be teaching all four English Language Skills.

The finished product!

Myself with a teacher and a director.

An impromptu Christmas dinner

So, my parents sent me a package of Christmas decorations a while back and I got them last week. I was a bit sad because I wasn’t having a Kibungo Christmas dinner and didn’t think I should take them all the way to Zanzibar. So after hearing that a few visitors planned to come to K-town, I hosted an impromptu Christmas dinner last night. Ulyses – a Canadian I met on a bus – came for a visit, Christine stopped over and a couch surfing couple from German cycled their way in from Tanzania to spend the night in Kibungo. They have been cycle around the world for a year to raise money for a hospital in Tanzania. So far they’ve been through most of Europe, a lot of Asia and then flew from Pakistan to Dar Es Salaam to cycle through Africa. They hope to be home next June. They are totally interesting and, if you speak German, you can follow them on their website. If you don’t speak German there is a Google English translation.

Their website is www.weltperrad.de

Jason brought “cupcakes” from St. Joseph’s with homemade chocolate sauce, Christine found strawberries in Kigali. Ulyses helped me carry the food from the market and Toby and Daniela enthralled us with their travel stories. We made a great lentil stew, had Waraji with Fanta, Mutzig and Primus. Great desserts. We even had Christmas carols by the crackling fire and Santa Clause found his way and put gifts under the tree!!

Now if only I could find some snow…..

Daniela and Toby will stay until tomorrow when they will head off early to try to make it to Kigali to stay with Dmitri and Arian. Then they head up north to Uganda before flying to West Africa to cycle back up to Europe. 

Putting my guests to work. Daniela on potatoes and Toby on beer. 

They have an advent calendar that they've been cycling with. 

After explaining that mom tried to find crackers with funny hats but couldn't, Jason made a home made one out of a napkin.

Christmas dessert on Christmas plates.

Christmas tree, gifts and a crackling fire.

Opening gifts!

Christine needed a mirror for her new house.

The set table....

....filled with people.

Taking a group photo, Rwandan style.

Below: things got straightened out.

Birthday Pictures

Last weekend while in Kigali, we celebrated a hat trick of birthdays at New Cactus. Yummy!

Diane wearing her first birthday hat ever.

Tri-birthday bash

Ulyses and me!

Pictures of me roughing it.

Arriving... on foot sans White Land Rover.

Enjoying the ahhhh....warm water.

Whoops. Sorry. How'd that get in there? Is that Calgary? In the winter? With snow? Yup, sure is! Is that a nativity scene, too? And where is Baby Jesus?

Mmmm...what to eat...

Poolside under lights.

Muzungu translated is "white man" though, I'm not sure this is exactly what it means.

Dinner. Somehow this keronsene stove made food that was so much better. 

Dinner over looking the pool.

The first Christmas decorations I've seen.

An early Merry Christmas!