See it all to believe it all

Sorry I have not posted my last blog until now. Just the whirlwind of all the goodbyes and coming home I have finally came to settle down and write about my last week at Peace House

Football Kids

My last weeks at Peace House were sad and busy. Chris and I wanted to get the football performance for the kids finalized because they were to perform in a week. We both have really enjoyed teaching the kids football for the past month and a half and they have really improved. They are all very excited to practice and scrimmage each week. The game actually occurred when I was home and Chris emailed me saying that it was a blast. The kids got free footballs and t-shirts at the game and the performance at the half time went great. Chris said that they were all so happy and proud of themselves. The game was filmed by The Discovery Channel and Travel Channel. I hope to catch the game sometime here I just have to figure out when!

Watching Planet Earth

            I also spent my last week painting a volunteer house but it was more fun hanging out with the kids after class in the library. We finally got a T.V. set up in the library with a DVD player and we watched Planet Earth and National Geographic DVD’s. The kids loved it and were so interested in all that they were learning about the world and other cultures. Also on Saturdays the kids get to watch a movie as well. The movies are usually those filmed all around the world not just Hollywood films. It was a Nigerian film in English but it was still hard to understand. I just enjoyed the style of film and made sure to laugh when the other students were laughing, otherwise they would ask me why I did not think it was funny.

The Dissection

            I was able to be apart of the student’s first dissection of a Rabbit. Ben, a new volunteer lead the dissection and the kids really enjoyed it. They were so thrilled because they have only been able to see the parts in a book and now they were able to see and be a little hands on.  The kids don’t get grossed out by much and we caught a few kids just touching the parts with there bare hands then putting them back in there pockets. I guess our culture worries more about little things like that then theirs. We made sure that all the kids cleaned up well after the dissection and wash their hands thoroughly before they touched anything else.

Sad goodbye to Arnold

            Time came for the goodbyes and it was very tough for everyone. There was a final meal celebration for Julien and I. All of the kids were very sad to say goodbye and few wrote us some very nice letters that we will always keep around. Along the way I have met some very great people. The staff was great, the volunteer coordinators Tyler and Karina were so helpful and became great friends to me, the kids were so amazing and I know I am going to stay in touch with. Lastly the friends that I have gotten so close with and lived with the last three months: Simon, Chris, and Julien. I planned this trip alone and these are the people that I got to really know and I will never forget. I had a great experience and I hope if anyone is to have this opportunity, they should take it! Feel free to contact me.

Also thanks to all of those who have made my trip to Peace House possible! I hope to share more photos of the trip with everyone.

Farewell

Chase

Bye Arusha

Zanzibarrrrr

Stone Town

           This past week the students at Peace House had national testing, so it was a great time for Chris, Julien, Simon, and I to take a little vacation to a new part of Africa. We went to beautiful island called Zanzibar just off the coast of Tanzania. The island has a long history being used as a trading post of spices and slaves by the Sultan of Oman. Sending the people from the main land to be slaves in Arabic countries. After being colonized by Germany and later Britain, Zanzibar became independent in 1960 joining Tanganyika. Zanzibar and Tanganyika together make up todays Tanzania. Our trip took a few days of harsh traveling, very little planning, swimming, and lots of fun.

sleeping on bus

            To get to Zanzibar we could either fly, or take a bus and ferry. We all agreed that rather than spending a couple hundred dollars to fly to Zanzibar, we would rather spend 20,000 shillings (13 dollars) on a bus trip. By taking the bus we knew that we would save some money and also experience something new by traveling like the locals travel. What we were told was going to be an 8 hour bus ride turned out to be a 13 hour trip with smells, and sights that I never knew existed. And they were not the good types of smells, and sights. They were the ones that you wished you were asleep for. When you are stuck on a bus for 13 hours with no AC and no bathrooms and one stop for lunch, you can only imagine what you would come out looking like. This only made the anticipation for the island grow.  We were getting more and more excited to go swimming and relax on the beaches. That night we missed the last ferry so we stayed in a YMCA hostel and got up early for the morning ferry.

            The view from the ferry into Zanzibar is very beautiful. The sight of the old buildings, old boats, and white sand beaches was amazing.  Once we got off the boat we headed north with a taxi to Nungui and Kendwa. We were only planning on staying on the north coast for three nights but because it was so beautiful we extended our stay to five nights. Here we shared a small room but we did not care. We spent all of our days out on the beach either reading, swimming, or playing volleyball. It was my first time swimming in the Indian Ocean and it was pretty sweet. The water was so buoyant that I could lay in it with out even paddling and just float. I could swim out super far and with little effort and relax in the water. The price of the food at the hotel was expensive so we explored through the streets to find a few local restaurants that would sell fresh catch of the day for a couple of dollars. Here I enjoyed some octopus, calamari, prawn, tuna, and kingfish. It was cheap, local, and very delicious. Way better than spending ten dollars on a pizza or burger. Every night we got to see some amazing sunsets. One night I was floating in the water watching the sunset and it was so cool to see the gradient of the oranges and pinks all the way to the darkness where I could see all the stars in the sky. It was an image that I have stuck in my head and did not need a camera to remember it.

me doing flip into ocean at sunset

walking through Stone Town

Stone Town market

Next we went to stone town for a night and a day. Stone Town is the main port of Zanzibar with tons of old buildings jammed closely with tight roads and alley ways. Because the roads are so tight people drive mopeds around so we had to be careful of a speeding driver every once in awhile. Here we walked around to see the old buildings made by the Sultan of Oman, and the old slave trade buildings. We did not spend our money on a tour guide we just walked around and got lost on our own. I think that’s the best way to learn about a place. You find the best things when you don’t know where you are going. We found a huge local market where they sold all of there clothes, food, and spices.  It was super cool to see the market but kind of gross to see how they would handle the food.  At nighttime we went to the local fish market. Here they had tons of stands selling the fish that they caught during the day and they would cook it in front of you. I was able to buy a skewer of octopus, some lobster, and shrimp for only a few dollars and was set for the night. I also got to enjoy some fresh sugar cane juice. All of it was made right in front of me and was very tasty. That night we began our journey home starting with a night ferry.  We slept on a slow rocking boat back to the main port in Dar es Salaam where we were to take our bus ride back.

Stone Town fish market

We did not get much sleep on the ferry. I got a stomachache half way through and it lasted me the rest of the journey home. During my stay in Zanzibar I felt that I was not able to fully relax because I knew that I would have to take that long bus back to Peace House.  The bus back to Arusha was the same as the bus to Dar the only difference was that I knew what to expect. It did not help the situation. Once we got back to Peace House I fell asleep and slept for twelve hours.  It was a great trip and experience full of ups, and a few downs. I am excited to spend my last couple of weeks here with the kids at Peace House.

The group at the beach in Kendwa ( Chris, Julien, Simon, Me)

Braza Braza Braza! (Brother Brother Brother)

           The past two weeks have been very fun with all of the students. I have been spending more time with the students after classes, in clubs, and during free time. Once the students feel comfortable with you they have millions of questions to ask about you. They will run up to me saying “braza braza braza!” or “Mr. Chase, Mr. Chase!”  When they say braza they mean to say brother, but it just comes out as braza. It is fun to hear because it shows that they have a respect for me, and also that they have an interest in me. When I hear them say it, it is hard not to put a smile on my face.

My Form 1 class

            In computer class the students often struggle understanding my English. It is tough for them because of the different terminology of the computer, and probably because I end up talking too fast. So to help the students understand I like to write on the white board first, then I show how to do it on the computer projector. After I show the class how to do a task on the computer projector the students then have many questions. I have found it very useful to individually teach a student in each row the material after I have explained it. Once the student understands I then have that student teach the person next to them what they just learned. My belief is that once you can teach what you have learned is when you really understand it and are able to remember it. I have seen more improvement from the students with this method, and they feel an accomplishment once they teach their classmates too. It keeps everyone involved, and the students brighten up once they get it.

Joseph, Form 1 Student

            For clubs I have been doing rugby on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I help with commerce club on Mondays. In commerce club we just started talking about the stock market. We have the kids playing a simulator stock exchange where the kids get to virtually trade stock. At first the students did not know what companies to put their money into not understanding how many companies are out there. First they could only think of Coke and Toyota, but once we helped show them different companies just with products in the room it began to click. They all started to say many companies that they know about from watching soccer on T.V., clothes they know, shoes, cars, and electronics. They are beginning to understand the idea of stocks and how to buy and sell them.

            Rugby this past couple of weeks has turned into American Football training for the kids. This is because next month Tanzania is having the first American Football game it has ever had. It will be played here in Arusha. It is going to be played between two Universities and it is supposed to have a very big turn out of people and television stations like ESPN and Discovery Channel. Our Peace House students have been asked to put on a little simulation during the half time of the game. So, Chris and I have been trying teaching the students the game of American Football by practicing throwing, catching, and scrimmaging. They are starting to learn and they seem to really enjoy playing with us. We also have showed them some NFL highlights and they were so amazed by it. It seemed like they could have watched those videos for hours and hours. The game will be played a couple of days after I leave so I will not be able to see the students perform, but if the ESPN thing is true I may be able to see it at home depending on when they air it.

            Other than that not many new things have occurred. I could continue writing about lots of other stuff but I will save that for next time. The students are all have government testing in two weeks so I will be going to the island of Zanzibar for those days. From what I have seen on Google images it is supposed to be beautiful. I will take lots of pictures of it. I have also failed to show you guys pictures of where I am so here they are!!!

Front of School

Volunteer Houses, I live in far left

Peace House sheep outside school

Me at farm with corn growing

Me in nice part of Arusha town

Back of School with classes on left and right, library is in middle

Student dorms

This last weekend I went onto a Safari with Chris, Julian, Simon, and three other new volunteers. We went on a five day four night safari to Tarangire, lake Manyara, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro crater. We got to know are safari guide through some friends that we had met in town a few weeks earlier and got a very good deal.  We spent each night in tents so some animals got very close

Elephant Family

The first day at Trangire was very nice for our start. We got to see tons of elephants a few feet from our truck, which was pretty amazing. It was hard to keep from touching the elephants but it was against the rules. We also got to see giraffe, gazelle, antelope, mongoose, warthog, and monkey.

Great Rift Valley

The next day we drove to Lake Manyara located in the Great Rift Valley. The vertical walls of the valley were huge and my favorite part of the long drive. The park here is a mix of jungle and flat land so we got to see lots of chimpanzees and blue monkeys in the jungle and zebra, giraffe, and antelope in the flat grass lands. Here were saw our first lions, it was a male and a female resting under a tree. It is so cool to see these animals in the wild.  Later in the day Chris and I would stare into the eyes of the chimpanzees even though it may not have been the smartest thing to do. It is seen as a challenge when you stare into the eyes of a wild animal. Some of the chimps would get very scared when you looked into their eyes, but the bigger chimpanzees would get very mad. It was good entertainment for a while.

Ngorongoro Crater

The next day was a long drive to the Serengeti. First we had to drive through the Ngorongoro crater, which had another crazy view. Driving to Serengeti we got to see the last of the great migration. It is the travel of thousands of wildebeest across the plains of the Serengeti towards Kenya in search of more grass to eat. During the day we did not see much but at nighttime it got very intense.  Before dinner even ended we had a family of elephants in our campsite.  These things were huge and many times we were warned that they were dangerous. When we were heading to bed Chris and I had some bull elephants next to our tent. We could also hear the yulps of hyenas and we could see their little eyes shining out in the grass. All night we would wake up to the sounds of elephants farting and the occasional growel. The craziest part of the night was around 3 am when we woke up to roar of a lion and then the roar of an elephant as it soon ran past our tent. I thought for sure that we were going to get trampled because I could feel the ground shake as the elephant ran. It was so scary but I loved it. The next morning we went on an early morning game drive to see the sunrise over the plains. We did not see any hunts that day but we got to see some leopards with the cubs in a tree eating a antelope leg. We also got to see a pride of lions laying on the rocks and some cape buffalo.

Sunrise in Serengeti

Fighting Hippo

At night we drove to the rim of the crater for our last night camping. This night was not as crazy but we still had zebra and cape buffalo grazing out side of our tent. We could feel them pulling up the grass next to our tents. I forgot my sleeping bag in the car that night so I spent most of the night cold and awake listening to the constant rip and chew of the animals.  That morning we got up early again to drive into the crater to see the sunrise and some animals. It was hard to soak it all in because every view was amazing. I made sure to take lots of pictures, and also I took some video. This last day we got to see some black rhino, more lions, elephants, hippos, hyenas, wildebeest, and my favorite the cheetah. We actually got to see two cheetahs hunt for a small gazelle. We spent a few hours watching before they made their move. They spent lots of time stalking it and creeping forward before they attacked. They did not get a kill but it was still very cool to watch. I got it recorded on my camera.

The trip was amazing. I got to see all of the big 5, which are lion, leopard, cape buffalo, elephant, and rhino.  The views were just as cool as seeing all of the animals. I got lots of pictures and cant wait to share them all with friends and family. When I got back I got to tell all of the students about all of the animals and scenes. They were all very excited to hear about all the stories. You can tell that the people of Tanzania are very proud of their parks.

            Other than the Safari I have been hard at work with the students and computer class. It is fun to see the students get better with the computer each week. We have gone over basic uses, and the Microsoft programs. Now I have gained more respect for all of the substitute teachers out there. It’s hard to keep all of the students on task when there are games and Internet on the computers. They know that they are not supposed to but some still do. It just proves that wherever you go kids are kids. They like to push to see how far they can bend the rules. I am the same way.

Chris and I got a scare before the safari. We both came down with symptoms of malaria. I had the body aches, chills, and I was lethargic. The symptoms lasted about a day and a half until they went away. We concluded that we got some food poisoning from some food we had gotten in town earlier in the week. I got over the sickness but now I am more care full with the food that I eat because it was a horrible feeling.

Hope all is well back home

Rainy Season

            The past two weeks I have been busy teaching in the classroom, doing some farm work, reading some books, enjoying the great weather, exploring Arusha town, playing rugby, and planning a safari. I feel like I am building up a good base to experience the most here in Africa.

            The work in the classroom has gotten better over the past couple of weeks. Some kids are very advanced and some are still very behind. I have learned some teaching techniques from other teachers on how to get the students to understand and apply the new computer knowledge. I found it useful to prepare and place posters around the computer lab with pictures of basic computer functions.

students after match

After work in the class each day there are clubs that the students play in. I have been playing rugby with some of the students. We play at a nice sports complex called Tanzania Game Trackers just a few minutes from the school. It has a fitness center, bar/restaurant, and rugby field. People have said it is the nicest field in east Africa. It has been lot of fun spending time with the students here and playing rugby. I have been able to pick up on the rules and I am able to play in the matches on the weekends vs. other schools in Tanzania.

Peace House has a goal of becoming self-sustainable in the future. On campus there are a few large farms and gardens that produce the food for the students, staff, and volunteers. We have been preparing the farms these past few weeks just before the rainy season so we have a productive crop. Each week the students have to work for a few hours on campus. So after we finished weeding we started our planting just before the rains.

dust cloud

The first few weeks I was here it was very dry and dusty. There was one dust storm that came through last week. It was pretty cool to see the big cloud of dust and dirt fly through the air. You could taste the dust in the air even in the house. This last week the rainy season officially started. We get a few large storms each day that last for an hour or so. Everything is begging to green up and the sky is so clear, but now its hard not to track mud everywhere I go. I have been caught in a storm unprepared. It was after a rugby practice we were riding back in the back of an open transport truck and heavy rains started coming down on us. I thought it was pretty cool to be in it but all the other kids did not like it and were trying to hide behind me to stay warm and dry.

after rain

rain storm

            

week 3

This week I finally got to get into the classroom with the kids and teach. Right now I am teaching the basics of computers. The kids have no prior knowledge about computers so for many of them this is there first year using them. I have been teaching how to use Microsoft Word, and Microsoft PowerPoint. I have learned to talk slow and let the kids have time to learn some things on their own. Some of the most basic uses of the computer are still very confusing to the kids. Lots of the students struggle with using the mouse. They struggle with how it interacts with the screen and also what the left and right clicks do. It has made me realize how lucky all of us are. My whole life I have been able to use a computer at home and at school. You can see in the class that the kids want to learn so bad and are excited to show me some of the things they have done on the computer when they do it on their own. I look forward to seeing their progress throughout my time here.

Kilimanjaro Marathon

Last Sunday Chris, Simon, and I traveled to Moshi, Tanzania to check out the city and also see the Kilimanjaro Marathon. It was super cool to see the city and be directly at the base of the tallest mountain in Africa. I never thought a marathon would be a fun event but it was crazy. The beginning and finishing stadium was like a large concert with ground thumping music starting at 6am. We walked around much of the afternoon taking pictures and listening to the music. The city was active and pretty similar to Arusha. In the evening we took an hour bus trip back to Arusha for only a $1.50. It was not the most comfortable bus ride with people shoulder to shoulder but it was cheap so we took it.

Dolla Dolla ride

The food here so far has been the difficult part. Each day the students eat porridge for breakfast. The main courses here are either ugali or rice with occasional beef, a side of beans or kande, with either vegetables or fruit. It is definitely an acquired taste and hopefully my stomach will be able to handle over time. There is a market that we are able to go to buy some snacks but even the snacks have a different taste to them. I also bought some chili sauce to help me take down the tasteless ugali. To get to the market we have to walk to the main road about 5 km where we pick up a Dolla Dolla that takes us into the city. Dolla Dollas are the main way that Tanzanians get around the city besides walking. They are old Toyota vans that are piled with people. Rarely do you have a seat to sit in. We make sure to keep our pockets light with cash and have an eye on each other because pickpockets are common. It is a great way to get around very cheap only paying 300 shillings an equivalent to about 23 cents US. I did receive a wonderful care package from my aunt Sue filled with some treats that have really helped. Nothing tastes better than some homemade cookies.

Some days there is no power at the school so there is no Internet. We often have to walk to this very nice facility called Coffee Lodge. A cool fact is that George Bush stayed here when he visited Tanzania. It is weird not always being able to be plugged in and connected to the Internet all the time. It is almost like withdrawal, it is crazy to think how much we rely on the Internet nowadays. It feels good to get away from it all though.

Sayonara

Also feel free to leave comments and questions. I will try to respond to them in my next post 

Karibu

View off porch of Mt. Meru

Here in Tanzania the national language is Swahili. I have been trying to pick up on it is as much as I can, but its been tough to communicate with the locals. All of it sounds the same to me and once someone tells me what something means in Swahili I seem to forget it a few minutes later. I know I am going to have to practice a lot more to not be considered a wazungu (foreigner). But one word that I have heard a lot is Karibu. It is used to say “your welcome” or “you are welcome”. Most often used as a welcome into a store, school, home, or on the street as a welcome to Tanzania. The people here treat one another with respect or as a family member. It has helped me feel invited and comfortable.

As a volunteer we stay on campus in a very nice volunteer house. We all have our own rooms that are pleasant. There is a kitchen, and a living area with a bookshelf filled with great books to read.  The best part about our house is the porch with an amazing view of Mt. Meru. If we are lucky and it’s clear we can see the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro to the right of it. My housemates are Chris, Julian, and Simon. All are very nice and we live together well so far.

            Every month the students have to take government standardized tests. The have spent all of this week taking the tests and studying. So for this week we have been doing lots of manual labor in the garden and maze field. Much of the work has been planting food and slashing weeds with a jembe that has given me some pretty big blisters to work around. Next week I will be starting my work in the classroom as a tech teacher. I am excited to get to know the kids better and let my hands rest from all of the fieldwork.

Replacing a water tank

            Because the students have had testing they have been busy. The students each day get up at six and are in class all day getting breaks for meals and study time. The students are all very excited to learn and know this is a huge opportunity for them. It is common for the students to wake up at 2 am to study for an hour then go back to bed for a few hours. All the students here know English and are taught in English so they all are excited to see us around campus to practice conversation. In free time the kids love to run, play soccer, volleyball, rugby, and netball. Sometimes we will bring the Frisbee out and the kids love to play with it. The kids here are great and they are going to make time here exciting.

Karibu- your welcome/ you are welcome in Swahili

Wazungu- foreigner in Swahili

Jembe- garden tool with long shaft and blade like a hoe

Maze- corn

Ugali- flowered corn that is mixed and cooked in water until thick mashed potato consistency with no flavor

Kande- beans and maze mix

Once again the Internet has not been working well so it’s been difficult to upload all of the photos I have taken so far. I know it would be nice to have some visuals.

"A whole new world"

“A whole new world” – princess Ariel from Disney’s Little Mermaid. That quote applies to my journey to Tanzania so far. The movie is about a mermaid who has lived underwater her whole life but gets the opportunity to get legs and live on land and gets to experience a whole new world. And that’s how I feel. I feel like a merman who has suddenly been given legs and put into a different way of life with new experiences every day. So far my experience has involved a couple long flights, very little sleep, awkward language barriers, no cell phones, power outages, and great people.

KIA Lodge room

To get to Tanzania I had to take two long flights. Both flights were about eight hours one from Minneapolis to Amsterdam, and the next Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro airport. Amsterdam airport was like a gathering place for everyone around the world. With jet lag in effect my flight from Amsterdam to Kilamonjaro I slept the whole way even though my flight was from 12 pm to 9 pm. So by the time I arrived I was wide-awake. Landing at Kilimanjaro I was very excited. Thanks to the advice given to me by my aunt Sue and uncle Scott I was able to overcome the chaos and confusion of getting a visa at the airport that everyone else had. I also was able to overt staff trying to get me to pay extra for my luggage sneaking past as many others were preyed upon to pay extra. From here I spent a sleepless night at a beautiful hotel with a foggy view of Mt. Kilamonjaro, Africas tallest mountian

The next morning Chris (new friend traveling to Peace House with Me) and I got picked up to go to Peace House. The drive was about an hour and a half to the campus. Along the way we drove through Arusha, one of Tanzania’s largest cities, here I really got to see why Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The best way I could describe it would be the Minnesota State Fair. People are everywhere waiting around, selling food, and doing just about anything to make a few cents. There is also lots of trash. But here there are no garbage trucks to pick up trash. It all goes onto the ground or into the open sewage. When someone decides to clean up they will throw it into a creek or more commonly burn it.  As you can imagine it smells very bad, especially mixed with the fumes from the hundreds of large trucks and motorbikes that are coughing out clouds of smoke.

Just past Arusha on an elevated area is Peace House. It is a very beautiful campus filled surrounded by large trees farmland and an amazing view of Mt. Meru. Here I will be spending my three months in a nice volunteer house with Chris Boll, and Julian (last name I need to find out). I am very excited for this trip and I know that these merman legs will soon feel normal.

PS I will try to post weekly and try add pictures here and on facebook but its hard to upload here with very bad internet and unreliable power.