so said a flycatcher (street vendor selling local art to tourists) to Steena as we were walking down the central street of Arusha, ah what a great moment. Steena IS super tall and graceful, and that was a definite compliment on his behalf.
The volunteers' flights are all delayed because of the damn volcanic ash! ugh. they are coming in an influx late tonight, I cant wait to meet everyone.
People are so nice here, it is very refreshing. Greetings to everyone in the room or passerby is a necessity, and which I think Americans tend to overlook (its importance, I mean).
Jena and I are helping to lead a workshop today for hte Tanzanian teaching partners--going over the cirriculum and the program. lunch time, which is mainly beans, rice, spinach, bananas, avocadoes, its NOW! cant wait.
Man i miss you guys! Its a funny feeling being so far away.
Were in a hostel till the end of the week,a dn then starting on Monday we will be living dormitory style for two weeks for orientation. Homestay move ins start the 2nd (i think?). No homestay for Jena, Glady, or me this time, but a house--with a field!! thanks meggles for not letting me forget to pack a frisbee!!!
Cheers!
Emmanuelle
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
here!
Hey friends
made it!! I flew in last night around 9pm, haggled with Customs for a bit, and then got on shuttle to meet my manager and settle in to the hostel we will be staying for the next week.
I'll be working with two other coordinators, both of whom taught with me last summer. Jena is from USC and Glady is Tanzanian. Its gonna be a great time.
--I forgot how fun frigid showers are! Oh well
--Tanzanian breakfast is great. This morning we had bread with butter nad jam, scrambled eggs, and milk tea.
--the weather is nice today--a little humid and just a little rain
--we have today off to run some errands in arusha dn tomorrow I start my coordinator duties--Ill be picking up volunteers at hte bus station and showing them aroudn town for hte most part.
my TZ phone # is 0681051093 if you happen to have a great international phone plan and want to send a text my way
siku njema
Emmanuelle
made it!! I flew in last night around 9pm, haggled with Customs for a bit, and then got on shuttle to meet my manager and settle in to the hostel we will be staying for the next week.
I'll be working with two other coordinators, both of whom taught with me last summer. Jena is from USC and Glady is Tanzanian. Its gonna be a great time.
--I forgot how fun frigid showers are! Oh well
--Tanzanian breakfast is great. This morning we had bread with butter nad jam, scrambled eggs, and milk tea.
--the weather is nice today--a little humid and just a little rain
--we have today off to run some errands in arusha dn tomorrow I start my coordinator duties--Ill be picking up volunteers at hte bus station and showing them aroudn town for hte most part.
my TZ phone # is 0681051093 if you happen to have a great international phone plan and want to send a text my way
siku njema
Emmanuelle
Thursday, May 13, 2010
leaving Tomorrow!
And so I depart for another voyage across the Atlantic!
Trying to get the cat to look at the camera ended up in high levels of frustration for some involved..
I fly into Kilimanjaro airport after a glorious 29 hr flight! Its gonna be great.
Here is a depiction of my surroundings for my 8 week stay: "Ilkiding'a ward is a lush, beautiful area on the slopes of Mt. Meru. The ward alternates between beautiful grassy hills and forests some of which contain colobus monkeys and dik dik gazelles. Parts of the ward have beautiful views of Mt. Meru, Arusha town, and lush ravines and valleys. People in Ilkiding'a mostly belong to the Waarusha tribe, which shares roots with the Masai, and they are very proud of their language and culture, including traditional styles of dancing and dressing. The ward has a very active support group of people with HIV, full of people who have braved stigma in their community to be open about their status. Community Health Workers are also very active in this ward. SIC's last program in Ilkiding'a was in 2006, so there will be fresh faces in the classrooms and in the communities, ready to learn from volunteers"
gazelles and monkeys??! yes please!
I love to hear from all of you, so don't forget to keep me updated!
love,
Emmanuelle
Friday, August 7, 2009
so i have now been back for a couple of weeks. Tanzania was the coolest experience I have ever had. Luckily I get to go back next summer, and this time fo free yay! I got accepted to go back with the same NGO, Support for International Change, as a volunteer coordinator. here are a few pics of what I did..Above the city of Arusha
posters and teaching partners
The class of secondary school girls we had the first week.
Babati and its only paved road. This is my favorite picture
Mama Angel, the sweetest woman alive, with baby Angel on her back. She gave me that blue kanga before I left--it says something about having a safe journey on it in Swahili.
here are two links to my favorite pictures of this summer:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017993&id=1017060098&l=baf5b7038a
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017895&id=1017060098&l=a3b72f6425
love, Emmanuelle
Monday, July 13, 2009
maji maji wa uke!!
and thus ends my lovely stay in rural Babati, TZ. times have been great, and i have had some epic moments that i will not forget. we had three community days thsi last week, where we tested about 300 people a day (hiv tests)-one man i coaxed into getting tested by getting tested with him ended up being positive.
the other day Rachel's homestay dada had an infected cut on her foot--a tiny cut, but she couldnt even walk because of it. they ended up cleaning it with an antibiotic wipe and neosporin, and the next day she was able to walk again. it is crazy how such simple treatment is so necessary yet unavaible to most people here. last week i visited dada lulu (our hiv positive friend from town) in the hospital with Haji. she had malaria and was in the public hospital for 12 days. its just a long room with beds lined up on both sides. no privacy, no space, and no type of machinery you usually find.
a realization i had that came a little too late: the low literacy rate of our town. we printed out about 70 fliers for our testing day behind my house, when really the most effective thing we could have done was just to walk around and megaphone---
things i will miss about Babati:
--the selflessness and generosity. people have nothing yet will bend over backwards to give you everything and treat you like a queen.
--drinking chi with my baba after a long day of walking my ass off teaching and such
--being outside from morning till dusk
--having to avoid random wandering cows and goats while walking around--hhaa
things i wont miss:
--bucket showering! yes, it is environmentally friendly when taking into account the little amount of water used, but its also nice to be able to get all the dust and dirt off your body every day.
--cow stomach in my potato and beef stew. its fuzzy and weird looking and i was just not a fan.
--filthy feet. currently mine are cracked, blistered, cut, and dirty--you only wish you could see these babies.
onward to zanzibar!!
the other day Rachel's homestay dada had an infected cut on her foot--a tiny cut, but she couldnt even walk because of it. they ended up cleaning it with an antibiotic wipe and neosporin, and the next day she was able to walk again. it is crazy how such simple treatment is so necessary yet unavaible to most people here. last week i visited dada lulu (our hiv positive friend from town) in the hospital with Haji. she had malaria and was in the public hospital for 12 days. its just a long room with beds lined up on both sides. no privacy, no space, and no type of machinery you usually find.
a realization i had that came a little too late: the low literacy rate of our town. we printed out about 70 fliers for our testing day behind my house, when really the most effective thing we could have done was just to walk around and megaphone---
things i will miss about Babati:
--the selflessness and generosity. people have nothing yet will bend over backwards to give you everything and treat you like a queen.
--drinking chi with my baba after a long day of walking my ass off teaching and such
--being outside from morning till dusk
--having to avoid random wandering cows and goats while walking around--hhaa
things i wont miss:
--bucket showering! yes, it is environmentally friendly when taking into account the little amount of water used, but its also nice to be able to get all the dust and dirt off your body every day.
--cow stomach in my potato and beef stew. its fuzzy and weird looking and i was just not a fan.
--filthy feet. currently mine are cracked, blistered, cut, and dirty--you only wish you could see these babies.
onward to zanzibar!!
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