My challenges...

I have always considered myself to be a very independent person. I like to think that I can make anything a reality. I have realized that in order to truly be that person, I have to test myself and push the limits. This experience is truly that test. Before I left I stated that I hoped to be completely out of my comfort zone and boy am I ever! The food is very different but fresh and I will learn to love not eating processed, boxed, and microwaved nastiness! We have one computer for about 30 people and the internet is very slow – if you know me at all you’ll know I’m on my computer probably 60% of my day, so being cut off from “media” as my Dad would say, has been a welcome shock to the system. My crackberry can be added to this category. The power goes out A LOT so electricity is hit or miss and I haven’t had a hot shower since I’ve been here. My mom was laughing at the airport because I was talking about going on Safari where we’ll be camping out. The idea of me camping in Africa was one no one ever expected! All of this sounds pretty negative but it isn’t. This is a part of my journey here. I set out to challenge myself and every aspect of this experience is a welcome challenge. Nothing worth doing is easy! I realized my freshman year of college when I left home for the first time that my family is VERY important to me. I love them more than I can possibly say so not being able to share this experience with them is perhaps my biggest challenge. Every second I see or experience something that makes me want to pick up my phone and tell them all about it! I have to actively try to not think about what I might be missing back home or I know the homesickness will kick in. So far, I’ve been in pretty high albeit, exhausted spirits. The veteran volunteers have all said the first week is the hardest between the culture shock, orientation, and the fact that everything is new and different. I feel pretty good about my experience so far so I know that once I get passed this initial week and settle into a routine, I will be elated at the adventure I’m in! I’m starting to get used to sleeping in a mosquito net and so far I haven’t been bit (knock on wood)! When I see the way people here live, how modest their lives and living conditions are, how few resources they have at their disposal, I feel unbelievable blessed. This is a very surreal place… I don’t know how else to describe it.

My first day teaching...

This morning I arrived at Bridge Nursery School for my first day teaching. I have the 4-6 year old class and they are TOO STINKING CUTE!! My name is too difficult for them to pronounce so instead they call me teacha. The woman who runs the school is named Madame Mary and she is truly remarkable. She has been a teacher her whole life in government schools in Tanzania and started Bridge School when she retired. In Tanzania, primary school is taught in Swahili and secondary school is taught in English. Unfortunately, since students typically don’t learn proper English in primary school they are unable to go to secondary school. Bridge Nursery is an English Medium School which means everything is taught in English. This way, the children learn English right from the get-go and have a much better chance of receiving the education they need to succeed. I was blown away by how much English the children speak! They are so eager to learn and excited! Today I helped the kids with basic math (don’t laugh!) and it was so wonderful. Tomorrow were going to work on writing the alphabet and maybe do a little coloring too :)

My first few days...

I don’t even know where to begin! My journey to Tanzania started at 1 PM on Friday June 26th when my mom took me to the airport and I didn’t arrive until 9:00 PM (about 2 PM EST) Sunday June 28th. I had a 2 ½ hour window to make my connection in Amsterdam so of course my plane took off from D.C. 3 ½ hours late. I had to spend Saturday night at an airport hotel in Amsterdam and take the next flight to Kilimanjaro the next morning. It was a very long, lonely night! As soon as I walked in the front door of the CCS homebase I was greeted with a big hug from Mama Lilian, our house “mother”. She is a wonderful woman and really takes good care of her volunteers! My first two observations were that the stars are too numerous to comprehend – truly unbelievable, and the air smells sweet with woodsmoke, even if slightly tainted by gasoline. The sounds here are amazingly different than anything I’m used to – I’m woken every morning by the call of a rooster (around sun-up) and he continues to sing through 7ish. I don’t like him very much. In addition to the rooster, there are pigs, dogs, babies, strange birds, Muslim chanting, and of course the crickets. On my first morning we were broken up into teams and given tasks to complete within the village. My team had to go to a local house (more like a mud hut) and buy sugar cane using only Swahili (God bless the phrase book)! We walked up to the house where a young girl was washing linen in a bucket and asked for sugar – her mom then came right out with a machete and asked us to follow her. It was really intense. Needless to say we got our sugar cane and didn’t lose any limbs. The rest of my days have been filled with Swahili lessons, a trip into town (I can’t understand how these women balance so much on their heads!), and of course my first day at my volunteer placement! I could go on forever but I will dedicate other entries to my first day teaching as well as a lecture we got today on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Tanzania. This weekend, 11 of us are going to Zanzibar! I’m super stoked. We got a bungalow on the beach so were going to celebrate July 4th in style! Next weekend were all going on safari to Ngorogoro Crater and Lake Manyara with a brief stop to visit the Masaai tribe! That’s all for now, leave me messages! I miss everyone so much!

Pre-Departure thoughts and hopes...

I’m sitting on my bed with everything that should be packed splayed out around me in organized chaos. It hasn’t quite sunk in that I’m leaving in less than 4 days. When I started counting down to this moment it was four hundred and something days ago. I was hardly the same person that I am now and I’m certain that six weeks from now I’ll be a different woman than the one sitting here watching “Golden Girls” in a pile of travel sized toiletries. To say that I’m excited isn’t quite the whole truth. I’m elated, nervous, confident and absolutely terrified. I made this decision over a year ago because I wanted to see the world; to travel and collect unique experiences. Now that this adventure is so close, I find myself in a different place. I’ve spent the past year learning where my strengths, weaknesses, and passions lie. I’ve learned that there is no better way to learn than to teach and I know that I will learn more and get more out of this experience than I could have projected. I’ve been told by several people that I can’t change the world – and maybe they’re right. I know I can’t change the whole world and everyone in it, but I hope I can have the opportunity to change someone’s whole world. I hope I can teach a child to write their name or help a child learn to read. I hope I can be a friend to someone who needs a companion or an extra pair of hands where hands are needed. I hope I find myself completely out of my comfort zone and I hope that I will eventually feel at home. I hope to make new friends, new memories, collect new experiences, and come back with a better understanding of how I fit into a global society where different languages create bridges instead of barriers.
I understand and appreciate that I’m about to embark on a once in a lifetime journey and I know without a doubt that I couldn’t do it without all of you. Just by reading this you’re showing immense support and I can’t thank you enough. I hope that you will continue to check into my blog, I will do my best to update it as often as possible. Please feel free to leave me messages or drop me an e-mail at l8egrace@hotmail.com. As excited and ready as I am, I know I will find myself homesick at some point or another and will find great comfort in reading your encouragements!
Asante sana!

My Volunteer Placement!

I depart in just 18 days... it seems unblievable! Today I received my volunteer placement from CCS with details on where I'll be volunteering for my 6 weeks in Tanzania. I couldn't be happier with my assignment. I'll be teaching at Bridge Nursery School just outside of Moshi. My students will be ages 3-5. I've never taught kids that young before so I know it will be a wonderful challenge. Here is the description of the school given to me by CCS...

Mission and Needs of the Partner Program
Bridge Nursery School started in July of 2008. It is an English Medium Nursery School, which is run by a board of directors. The school is situated in Moshi municipality in a shanty town area near the International School of Moshi. It is about three kilometers from the town center. The school has two female teachers and 11 pupils aged from 3 to 5 years old. The subjects taught at the Bridge Nursery School are Mathematics, English, Art, Singing, Stories and Games.

Volunteer Activities/Duties of Caring for Infants and Children
· Teach English and basic mathematics (counting, addition)
· Teach games and songs (singing action songs are great: Hokey Pokey, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, etc)
· Asses the development and progress of students (help create testing procedures)
· Organize projects and activities for the children.
· Work with the teacher to develop pre-school activities and materials that can be used for years to come (using creativity to create things with little supplies and modern equipment)
· Participate in cultural exchange with the children and teacher

Goals of the Partner Program
Long-Term
The long-term goals of this partnership are to provide quality education for the children of Kilimanjaro, to encourage an exchange among teachers in order to gain new teaching and learning methodologies, and to improve students’ and teachers’ facility with the English language.

Short-Term
Each volunteer’s short-term goals may include: establishing relationships with students and teachers, engaging in meaningful cultural exchange, preparing and implementing creative lesson plans for all of the above mentioned subjects, and to provide an opportunity for formal and informal English lessons.

Ideas to Bring with You
· Please begin brainstorming ideas for activities for your placement. Be sure to review the “Activity Bank” section of the Placement Guide you received in your Welcome Packet for suggestions and ideas from previous volunteers and in-country staff.
· The Home-Base has a well-stocked Resource Center with locally purchased supplies and materials such as crayons, paint, paper, and glue that you can use at your placement. Please do not bring supplies with you.
· People will be very interested in learning about you and your life so it would be nice to bring “show and tell” items, such as photos of your family and things representative of your daily life.


Work Attire/Dress Code
· Skirts below the knee for women and loose pants or khakis for men (No shorts or jeans)
· Short sleeves or polo, knitted-type shirts (No thin-strapped/strapless tops)
· Sturdy sandals, tennis shoes or sneakers
· Clean clothing without stains, tears, or that drag on the ground
· Please be sure that all tattoos are covered.


Things to Remember
· Keep a positive, open-mind.
· Interact with children and teachers.
· Be patient, flexible, creative, friendly and respectful.
· Try to observe the routine as much as possible during your first week.
· Take initiative – plan activities in advance and always ask how you can help.

I couldn't be happier with the assignment I've been given!
As always, more to come!