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.