Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa

It's day 4 of my holiday to Cape Town. After being surrounded by friends, locals and children for the past 3 months, I feel rather lonely here (even though I think I needed this break).

Cape Town is sunny, and quite beautiful. My first two days were spent TCB (Elvis speak for "taking care of business"). I've lost about 15 pounds since my arrival, and none of my clothes really fit anymore. So, day one of my vacation was spent in pursuit of pants, tshirts and clean underthings. I would've had some new underwear prior to this trip, but they were stolen. My good friend Lauren actually mailed me undies, but somebody at the Mwanza main post office helped themselves to them, and left the dregs of the packet for me!

Anyway, I wanted to take care of my chores here first, so I could then concentrate on having fun from here on out. I've seen two movies (Babel & Volver), visited the Aquarium (wonderful), taken a wine/food day tour (yummy) and enjoyed many hot showers! Tomorrow I will be taking a full day tour to the southernmost point on the Cape, and Monday I will be going to Robben Island. This is the prison where Nelson Mandela (and other politcal prisoners) was held during apartheid.

Today as we headed out of town, I got my first view of the townships outside of the main city. It was rather shocking and quite a bit depressing. Miles and miles of tin & pieced together wood, all holding the black population of Cape Town. Apartheid may be over, but racial division is not. On Sunday, I've booked a trip to one of the townships with a local organization that pushes the money back into the township. I'll be going to church, and then visiting some local families to talk about their lives & situations. This may prove to be the best (or most touching) part of my trip to SA.

Will update again after my weekend trips.

Where have I been?

My sincere apologies for my blog absence this last month. The internet connections in Mwanza have been sketchy at best, and when I've had a free hour, it's taken the whole time just to access a few emails. I tried to access the blogspot site several times, and after 20 minutes of waiting for it to load, I gave up.

My other excuse was my health (again!). I fell ill in mid-February, this time with a nasty flu and stomach virus that kept me in the village for the better part of a week. It's been frustrating to deal with these nagging health issues, but I think I'm finally on the mend.

In this last month I've finished my teaching time in Mwanza, and feel very melancholy about things. Tanzania initially proved to be more than I thought I could do; now I feel sad that my time there is down to just a few weeks. Like the children in Romania, these kids quickly fall into your heart, your life, and your hopes - and it is very challenging to walk away.

My last few weeks of teaching were wonderful, especially with my beloved standard 3/4 boys. I taught this group of boys more than any other group, and they have shown themselves to be exceptional children, in spite of all the difficulties of living in an orphanage. My last week of teaching I received many letters from the kids, all thanking me and promising they would never forget me. I had quite a few weepy days my last week; again, I want to just pile all the kids in a plane and take them home with me.

Outside of work, I've very much settled in to the village life in Mwanza. It's not always easy (collecting rainwater to bathe with when the water went out!) but it's so rewarding, and infinitely more calming than life at home. When I walk up the dirt road to teach, almost everyone greets you; little kids yell "mzungu" and come up to hold your hand. How often do we greet our neighbors (or strangers) on the streets at home? We are always too busy - hurry to work, hurry home, hurry to soccer practice, get to the store - it's all just a big rush. The slow pace of life has taken some getting used to, but I think it's done me a world of good.

After finishing teaching, I'm off to Cape Town, South Africa for a week's holiday. I will return to Mwanza for a bit more work at another orphanage, and then will leave for Malawi on March 31st. I can't wait to see the babies, but I dread my final goodbye to my friends in Tanzania.

Halycon days again

Well, I'm finally back to rights after suffering that second bout of Malaria. I did catch a case of ringworm from one of the children, but that's nothing that a little cream couldn't fix!

We've now been working at the second orphanage, Watoto, for three weeks now. Watoto is operated more like a large family, and there is a lot of affection both given to and received by the children.

They have 12 nursery (3-5 years) children, and they are a delight to teach and be around. Everyday we arrive is an occasion; 12 excited children racing to hug, kiss and play. My heart nearly bursts with all this love. It is a challenge to teach the little ones, as their English has only just begun, but they are such dedicated little learners (well for 20 minutes or so).

Last week we were all drained, so on Friday afternoon we had a field day instead of classes. We walked them over to the local soccer pitch, and proceeded to teach simon says, red light green light, and jump rope games.

I continue to build good friendships in our local community, and have spent a fair amount of time with two men, Furaha and Nelson. They are both students in their early 20's, and are absolutely solid friends. I've attended their church, and am constantly trying to work on my Swahili with them. I've met the other family members, and have been invited to stay at their home if ever I need a place.

The hospitality in Africa is quite lovely. You get twice as much back as you give. Initially I felt hesitant about meeting locals. Some of it was the language barrier, but you also have trepidation about being asked for money, or marriage. Most of the time this does not happen, and the good friends I've made here will last for the rest of my life. I just wish I could scoop them all up and finance a vacation/learing trip to America for them.

In other news, our compound has been without water for a week. A large main about 5 miles away burst, and they simply are taking their time fixing it. We collect rainwater in buckets, transfer them to water bottles, and each of us is allocated 2-4 bottles a day to wash, do laundry or cook. We flush only 1-2x a day, so that is not very pleasant. Frankly, I'm rather impressed with my ability to go w/o power, water and other creature comforts. This trip really has adjusted many of my ways of thinking - and I'm only 1/3 of the way done.

In other news, I've got a boyfriend. His name is Faryad and he is from Pakistan. He is a manager at the local fisheries here. We met on Christmas and have been dating ever since. His job contract is up in May, and he is heading home then. My commitment in Malawi ends in May as well, so it seems logical to head there before going home. His family lives in the Hunza Valley, under the shadow of K2 (Himilayas). They have a working farm there, and I just think it sounds fabulous.

I've tried again to post photos, but am still struggling with uploading. I will keep at it!

A trip to the hospital, and more...

Sorry it's been so long since the last post. Unfortunately, 10 days ago I was diagnosed with malaria (again!) as well as a stomach parasite. I'd been feeling rundown, and had some internal (aargh) issues. i went to the small Hindu Hospital, and the doctor put me on an IV drip for the day. I had 7 different bags of medicine, and was sent home with 10 pills to take each day. Not exactly how I like to spend my time!

At any rate, I've recovered from my illness, and hope I can avoid a third bout with the pesky malaria. The hospital is small, and somewhat rough around the edges, but we received fine care. Needles and tubes are new, and the nurses did a great job putting the IV in. However, you know you're in Africa when you have geckos and ants running amok in your room. We lost power several times during the 12 hours I was there, so they would simply bring a kerosene lantern in!

We've started teaching at a new orphanage, and it's been a fun change from the more serious schooling that takes place at the Hisani orphanage. The Watoto orphanage is run in a more family friendly manner, and the kids receive (and give) much more affection. So far this week I've taught the little nursery school kids, and standard one. They are delightful and funny, and so excited to learn. When I pulled out my copy of Animalia (a great kids book) they literally screamed with excitement over a new book.

This last Saturday, I had the privilege of going to dinner with a local friend at his families' house. They live across the bay from Mwanza, high up on a rocky hill. We had a delicious, simple meal of Tilapia and rice. After dinner Mboka (my friend), his friend Zach, his brothers and myself all hiked up a bit further to sit on a rock and watch the sunset. I was the only Mzungu (white person) some of the children near his home had seen, and they kept pointing and waving at me. There were wild monkeys in the area as well. It was a spectacular night.

On Sunday my housemate Katie & I attended the local church with our friends Nelson and Furaha. They are local guys in Buswelu (our village) who we've gotten to know through previous volunteers. Church was long (3 hours!) but quite moving with amazing singing. As special guests, we enjoyed a lunch at the reverend's house. Moments like this keep making my trip better & better, and I realize I will have a very hard time leaving my new friends.

I've ordered a photo disc, which should be ready in two days. Next posting will have pictures!

Halfway there!

This weekend marks the halfway point for my volunteer work in Mwanza. I really can't believe how fast the time has gone by. We have now said goodbye to the two volunteers on the previous team, and have welcomed four new volunteers (all women) to the compound.

This week also marks a change in teaching for us. As of Monday,we will be teaching at two orphanages, Hisani & Watoto. The Watoto children do not know much English, so the teaching will be more basic, and focused on language and vocabulary. They are quite lovely children, and I'm really looking forward to the change.

Of course, it is hard to step away from the Hisani children. I've tried to explain to them that each week they will have different teachers, but they don't quite understand why some of us will leave for a week,then come back. As we are the first team to teach at both, the burden falls to us to try and "make it work". Having only rudimentary guidance from our organization, this has been challenging (to say the least). I'm trying to just take a breath, and hope that we can figure out this process.

As in Romania, when the administrative side of things proves problematic, I need to head to the children. They always make you feel better. There are a few older kids at Hisani who I've really started to bond with. Eric is about 12 or so, and is always happy to engage in a game or book with me. He's very bright, and I told him the other day that I know he will be a big success.He replied that he would like that, and will try really hard.

I always try to compliment the children (not superficially) but to remind them that they are special, talented, and beautiful. Unfortunately, the local staff at Hisani are not overly kind or demonstrative with affection. I've seen that the children really need to hear positive comments, and are very happy to receive hugs. I do think it confuses them because only the volunteers seem to show this. I have visited other orphanages, and I know that the leadership does not need to be this way. It's something I will address at the end of my trip.

Joyless is a girl in Standard 3, about 10 years old. She is somewhat solemn and serious. Whenever I see her, I put my arm around her and say "how is lovely Joyless today?" Initially, she somewhat bristled, but the other day when I hugged her, she leaned into me and gave me a big smile. More than teaching Math or English, it is these moments that give me strength and keep me going, especially when other systems are seemingly not working.

Daladalas and more excitement

The daladalas are a continuous source of laughter, frustration and fear for us volunteers in Mwanza. The daladala is a minibus, and besides walking, is the primary source of transportation here. Imagine an old van circa 1980 something. Now imagine that van stripped of all interior parts, save for a dingy upholstered ceiling and three rows of bench seating covered in vinyl.

Now imagine cramming around 32 strangers in the van with you, and that is a typical daladala experience. The roads (well trails almost) are incredibly bumpy, and I have thought I would lose a kidney on more than one occasion. With the average temp being around 82 degrees, you also get the joy of completely sticking to your vinyl seat. When you get out 30 minutes later, your clothes are wet, your nerves raw.

Most of the time it's a great experience. You live like the locals, visit with them, and save money as the daladala is about $0.35. (A taxi would be $5.00) Last week we ended up on the bad daladala, with a driver who is notorious for being drunk. Once we got off the village roads, and got to the highway that leads to town, he drove at breakneck speeds and we came about3 feet away from going head on with a large semi truck. There were two terrified women with babies, and all the passengers were yelling at the driver, who only drove faster. Tom, one of our volunteers, yelled at him to pull over, and we got off on the side of the road. I've never been so glad to escape a vehicle in my life.

In other news this week, I've got a few more local friends, and it's nice to feel like you're more a member of the community, and less of an outsider. I've received my second marriage proposal since coming to Africa. Unfortunately, they seem to come from men who have just met you and have a sign from God, or in a dream, that they should marry you. They seem genuinely surprised when the answer is no!

Happy New Year

A year ago I hadn't even begun to hatch my plan for volunteer work in Africa. Now, I've celebrated a New Year here. Amazing how life can change.

The last week was quite enjoyable, as we finished Christmas celebrations and began to get ready for the New Year. As a treat for the kids, our team took them to Tunza Beach on Saturday. We hired two daladalas, and picked the kids up in the early afternoon for a day at the beach on the shores of Lake Victoria. Even though it was slightly rainy, that did not dampen their enthusiasm for swimming. I've never seen such an excited group of kids in my life.

After swimming, we tried to teach them volleyball (to mediocre success) and then bought all the kids sodas and chips (french fries). It was a fantastic day, and for those who have donated money, you will be happy to know that is one of many things you have helped finance.

New Year's eve found most folks at a party at the Hotel Tilapia, a somewhat posh (by Africa standards) hotel on the shores of the lake. We had a great meal, danced and enjoyed the company of people from every continent, except Antarctica.

I had a unique experience yesterday, being invited to the home of a local girl named Sarah William. She has just finished secondary school, and wants to have English friends. She wrote me a shy letter about 10 days ago, and we finally managed to catch up with each other yesterday. She sent her niece to fetch me, and I walked about a mile with her to Sarah's home. The whole family (minus Dad who was working) turned out to meet and welcome the Mzungu (white person). I looked at about 100 photos of the family, and then was treated to a meal of beef and cooking bananas. It was quite a treat to be taken in at their home, and next weekend I will return the favor by taking Sarah to lunch with me in town.

The amazing experiences continue...