I've been getting some comments that I haven't updated my blog in while. Alas, this was for a reason. Last week I dropped my computer off of my bed which broke the internet stick that plugs into my usb drive. Finally, after trekking to the mall to get a new one, I have new, faster, but more expensive internet.
I dedicate this post to my lovely friends Anamarie and Kenny, who are engaged to be married! :)
Kenny proposed upon her arrival home in the airport. Yes, I did know about this ahead of time, and it was nearly impossible to keep the secret while she was here!
The rest of our week was lovely. I had some class, but we've had continued missing professors for all but two of our classes. My internship at the nursery has been completely cancelled. I'm not sure what's happening for the school, but I'm worried about the kids. I found out today that I'll be working for a group called "Wonder Welders" which actually has a website you can check out: http://www.wonderwelders.org/. I visit thursday to find out what I'll be doing. It's certainly not what I expected, but I know I'll enjoy it.
This meant that Anamarie and I got another chance to go out and explore the city together. We say a few different areas and attempted to figure out with daladala goes where. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Along with a few others we've taken a few other excursions to find yummy and cheap places to eat. It's been a fun adventure. There's nothing better than exploring a big city with a good friend.
Believe it or not, I actually have had homework. I guess that's why they call it study abroad. We had a take home quiz for Swahili today. I'm feeling a bit frustrated. I feel like I'm far behind everyone else in the class. I remember feeling like this constantly with French. But then I remember I've only been learning for 2 1/2 weeks. Languages really are not my thing which is too bad, because I love learning them!
I will be returning to updating every few days again so I have some more interesting things to say. Until then, I bid you adieu!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
We've got cabin fever
It's driving us insane! I'm so used to just jumping in my car when ever I feel like I'm closed in. But here, it's a big, scary city and there's so much to be wary of!
Unfortunately, my internship has been cancelled for this week. I am so disappointed but apparently the nursery school where I was going to work is having their rent raised and can no longer afford it. The poor kids have no place to go during the day. :(
However it was probably for the best for me because my back was out again all day yesterday. It's hard for me not to panic about being here and if my back can actually handle it, or if it's just adjusting. It's just incredibly frustrating and there's not really a lot I can do about it. Anamarie and I were supposed to go out and do things on the town, but instead we were trapped in my room. I slept a lot in my drugged state and she had to keep herself busy. Worst. Hostess. Ever. I'm so glad she's been here though. She keeps my spirits high and helps me with anything I need. I am so lucky to have a friend like her.
Today we had our first full day of classes. We go to the same classroom for all of our classes so it gets a bit old. As you can see in the picture above, they are wooden fold up seats, which is not so comfortable. Today I had Swahili, African International Relations, our internship class, and a sociology class called Race, Ethnicity, and Gender. I'm also taking an East African History class. I think it'll be a good schedule. I only have once class Friday mornings which means I can take weekend trips if I'd like.
We decided to be adventurous this evening and go out to dinner off campus. We're getting a little tired of the rice and ugali already, so we wanted something new. We ended up going to this awesome Ethiopian place and had an absolute feast! It took three dala dalas to get there and then we took the taxi back, since it was dark outside. If you've ever had Ethiopian food, you've GOT TO! It's so filling and delish.
Tomorrow we're going to attempt to explore more of the city. Hopefully we won't get lost!
Unfortunately, my internship has been cancelled for this week. I am so disappointed but apparently the nursery school where I was going to work is having their rent raised and can no longer afford it. The poor kids have no place to go during the day. :(
However it was probably for the best for me because my back was out again all day yesterday. It's hard for me not to panic about being here and if my back can actually handle it, or if it's just adjusting. It's just incredibly frustrating and there's not really a lot I can do about it. Anamarie and I were supposed to go out and do things on the town, but instead we were trapped in my room. I slept a lot in my drugged state and she had to keep herself busy. Worst. Hostess. Ever. I'm so glad she's been here though. She keeps my spirits high and helps me with anything I need. I am so lucky to have a friend like her.
We decided to be adventurous this evening and go out to dinner off campus. We're getting a little tired of the rice and ugali already, so we wanted something new. We ended up going to this awesome Ethiopian place and had an absolute feast! It took three dala dalas to get there and then we took the taxi back, since it was dark outside. If you've ever had Ethiopian food, you've GOT TO! It's so filling and delish.
Tomorrow we're going to attempt to explore more of the city. Hopefully we won't get lost!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The famous anamarie has arrived!
It's such a joy to have her here! How cool is she for coming all this way to visit?! It actually was the perfect time for her to come. I'm just starting to get a grasp on things here and we took a trip this weekend! Classes start this week, but everything is pretty crazy with "African time". Everything takes longer than it should and it's pretty chaotic. Therefore, we don't actually have a schedule for our classes because the professors haven't actually committed to the course at all. This life takes a large amount of patience when coming from a rushed and orderly American perspective. It really forces you to think outside of the box as well as your comfort zone. People in my program are getting pretty uneasy about it. They keep asking, "when are our classes?!!" and our director responds with, "I'll let you know when I know." It doesn't bother me too much, but it is just different, like so many other things here.
I'm currently sitting on my balcony, where the internet is at its fastest. Anamarie is asleep on my floor and my room mate also is attempting to catch up on her internet life. Oh Millenials... I should go to sleep to be fresh for my first day of school, but I want to update on the past few days before I begin to forget.
My good friend Poly is one of the student leaders for ciee. He is just fantastic and a wonderful hhuman being. He helped me find a good taxi to pick up Anamarie in. Her flight came in at 11 pm so I wanted to make sure we'd be safe. He actually even came with me and stayed with me while we waited for her flight. She arrived, safe and sound, full of life and vigor as usual. It was nice just to see her smiling face in a land that is so far from home. We chatted the whole way home while I heard her stories about Corsica and France and I relayed some of mine from here. When we got back, we simply crashed. Both of us were extremely exhausted. I feel bad because I don't have good accommodations for her here, but that's just me being a silly hostess and I know she's doing just fine.
Anywho, the next morning we rose early and boarded a bus with the rest of my group to a town called Bagomoyo, which is about an hour north of Dar. This town was a huge trade post back in the day and is also the home of the first church and mosque in Eastern Africa. We visited both, which of course was a highlight for me. We also visited a museum about the slave trade in Eastern Africa, which is not often discussed but is very important to this area's history. I recommend doing some research on it if you aren't familiar with the history. It's truly fascinating.
We also toured around visiting various German forts and even a compound where rebel soldiers from Mozambique once were housed during its revolutionary war. We also visited a mosque and a graveyard from a 14th century village that has been preserved all these years. Super cool. The architecture was very interesting because it was a definite mixture between Tanzanian, Arab, and German. I was nerding out because I love history stuff like this, but I think others thought it was pretty boring. I bought a poster at the "first church" which has all of the golden rules from every religion around the word and their scriptures in swahili. I'm very excited to own it. Following another long day, we returned to a very nice hotel where Anamarie and I got to share a room of our own and have girl's night. We watched the only thing on tv, which were Mexican telenovellas dubbed in English. What's pathetic is that we were actually getting into it.
The next day we rose early (they never let us sleep in here) and drove to a gorrrrgeous hotel with a wonderful beach. Now, I'm not usually one for beaaches, but we've been to two since I've been here and I'm in love. I spent the whoooole day in the water. The sand bank was shallow enough that we got walk out a long ways and jump through the waves. There was also a buffet which was, by far, the best buffet I've ever seen. Yeah, I know you're all jealous. Why don't you just hop on a plane to visit? :)
I'm going to head to sleep now and I know I haven't posted the picture website yet, it just takes a long time with African internet. I am working hard on it. But here's one! LOOK HOW TAN I AM IN TEN DAYS!
I'm currently sitting on my balcony, where the internet is at its fastest. Anamarie is asleep on my floor and my room mate also is attempting to catch up on her internet life. Oh Millenials... I should go to sleep to be fresh for my first day of school, but I want to update on the past few days before I begin to forget.
My good friend Poly is one of the student leaders for ciee. He is just fantastic and a wonderful hhuman being. He helped me find a good taxi to pick up Anamarie in. Her flight came in at 11 pm so I wanted to make sure we'd be safe. He actually even came with me and stayed with me while we waited for her flight. She arrived, safe and sound, full of life and vigor as usual. It was nice just to see her smiling face in a land that is so far from home. We chatted the whole way home while I heard her stories about Corsica and France and I relayed some of mine from here. When we got back, we simply crashed. Both of us were extremely exhausted. I feel bad because I don't have good accommodations for her here, but that's just me being a silly hostess and I know she's doing just fine.
Anywho, the next morning we rose early and boarded a bus with the rest of my group to a town called Bagomoyo, which is about an hour north of Dar. This town was a huge trade post back in the day and is also the home of the first church and mosque in Eastern Africa. We visited both, which of course was a highlight for me. We also visited a museum about the slave trade in Eastern Africa, which is not often discussed but is very important to this area's history. I recommend doing some research on it if you aren't familiar with the history. It's truly fascinating.
We also toured around visiting various German forts and even a compound where rebel soldiers from Mozambique once were housed during its revolutionary war. We also visited a mosque and a graveyard from a 14th century village that has been preserved all these years. Super cool. The architecture was very interesting because it was a definite mixture between Tanzanian, Arab, and German. I was nerding out because I love history stuff like this, but I think others thought it was pretty boring. I bought a poster at the "first church" which has all of the golden rules from every religion around the word and their scriptures in swahili. I'm very excited to own it. Following another long day, we returned to a very nice hotel where Anamarie and I got to share a room of our own and have girl's night. We watched the only thing on tv, which were Mexican telenovellas dubbed in English. What's pathetic is that we were actually getting into it.
The next day we rose early (they never let us sleep in here) and drove to a gorrrrgeous hotel with a wonderful beach. Now, I'm not usually one for beaaches, but we've been to two since I've been here and I'm in love. I spent the whoooole day in the water. The sand bank was shallow enough that we got walk out a long ways and jump through the waves. There was also a buffet which was, by far, the best buffet I've ever seen. Yeah, I know you're all jealous. Why don't you just hop on a plane to visit? :)
I'm going to head to sleep now and I know I haven't posted the picture website yet, it just takes a long time with African internet. I am working hard on it. But here's one! LOOK HOW TAN I AM IN TEN DAYS!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
My room mate's clothes blew off the balcony
This is very amusing to watch her. She keeps saying, "how does this happen!?!" I explained to her that when you don't attach your clothes to the string, they can blow away. Oh the joys of privileged white girls washing clothes by hand. We have some fun.
I just did a load of laundry myself. It's interesting...all these small things we barely think about at home have to be the center of our attention here. Planning when and how to do laundry is a complicated task. First, is the water working? That saves you half the time and you can use more water. I won't bore you with the rest of the details, but it's an interesting experience instead of just throwing it in the machine.
Today was an epic day. We left at about 9:30 and went on a tour of the city of Dar. It was nice to get off of campus for a bit of exploring. It's funny that after less than a week, the campus is starting to become familiar. I can't even begin to describe how much we saw today. We didn't get back until 9:30 pm. We saw a collection of nice hotels that we can visit for a bit of home/first world comfort. I bought a tanzanian soccer jersey at a little shop near there. There are wonderful pools and brunch on Sundays! I might have to give into that once in a while. Then we went to a few other shopping areas. None of us are really buying anything since we're spending so much time here. It's hard to explain that to people so instead you just say, "Kesho" which means, "tomorrow". This is sort of the polite way to say, "absolutely not". It's pretty funny.
Next we basically walked all over the city. We say lots of mosques and churches and saw different parts of town that have a variety of cultural and religious historical backgrounds. We went to a fish market where I saw fish I didn't even know existed, like lobsters that are blue and white. Crazy! We had lots of delicious food today and ended with dinner at a good indian restaurant. Everywhere we went there were fruit stands and we tried all kinds of fruit. My favorite one was a custard apple. deeelish! They're all funky looking but yummy on the inside. Seeing how these people live their day to day lives was just fascinating. Some of these fishermen have so much strength and it's incredible that they don't have more injuries. It was also a day that we saw very different class systems. It's pretty incredible to see the vast gap of wealth. We passed by massive hotels and giant embassy houses, then we were amongst fishermen who barely make enough to live.
I'm in the process of uploading all of my pictures to a picasa album. I will post them as soon as they're done!
<3
I just did a load of laundry myself. It's interesting...all these small things we barely think about at home have to be the center of our attention here. Planning when and how to do laundry is a complicated task. First, is the water working? That saves you half the time and you can use more water. I won't bore you with the rest of the details, but it's an interesting experience instead of just throwing it in the machine.
Today was an epic day. We left at about 9:30 and went on a tour of the city of Dar. It was nice to get off of campus for a bit of exploring. It's funny that after less than a week, the campus is starting to become familiar. I can't even begin to describe how much we saw today. We didn't get back until 9:30 pm. We saw a collection of nice hotels that we can visit for a bit of home/first world comfort. I bought a tanzanian soccer jersey at a little shop near there. There are wonderful pools and brunch on Sundays! I might have to give into that once in a while. Then we went to a few other shopping areas. None of us are really buying anything since we're spending so much time here. It's hard to explain that to people so instead you just say, "Kesho" which means, "tomorrow". This is sort of the polite way to say, "absolutely not". It's pretty funny.
Next we basically walked all over the city. We say lots of mosques and churches and saw different parts of town that have a variety of cultural and religious historical backgrounds. We went to a fish market where I saw fish I didn't even know existed, like lobsters that are blue and white. Crazy! We had lots of delicious food today and ended with dinner at a good indian restaurant. Everywhere we went there were fruit stands and we tried all kinds of fruit. My favorite one was a custard apple. deeelish! They're all funky looking but yummy on the inside. Seeing how these people live their day to day lives was just fascinating. Some of these fishermen have so much strength and it's incredible that they don't have more injuries. It was also a day that we saw very different class systems. It's pretty incredible to see the vast gap of wealth. We passed by massive hotels and giant embassy houses, then we were amongst fishermen who barely make enough to live.
I'm in the process of uploading all of my pictures to a picasa album. I will post them as soon as they're done!
<3
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
I'm afraid it happened...
My back went out today. I woke up got dressed, then suddenly I couldn't walk. I think it's because I slipped on some water yesterday. I didn't fall but it jarred things a bit. I had an idea that I wasn't going to tell anyone about my back so no one would worry about me...but that's out the window. I missed going to the American embassy, but it was alright. I think my back needed the rest after needing to get used to everything.
So my day was spent studying swahili and chatting with a few people. Pretty boring so I thought I'd tell you about some other stuff.
The food of Tanzania is really interesting. The main part of the meal is a starch, mainly rice, fries, chipati bread, or a dish called ugali. Ugali is made out of maize and it's almost the texture of play-doh. It's good, just rather bland. You use it to pick up food with your hands and is a staple. Much like other places in the world, you only eat with your right hand. Eating with your left is considered extremely rude. There is a huge Indian influence here so many of the meats are cooked tandoori style and there are lots of curries. One of the most popular dishes is called chips myyai. It's basically fries cooked in eggs. Sounds bizarre but people eat it all the time!
But the fruit, ohhhhh the fruit. It's delicious. I generally don't like tropical fruits, but the mangos and pineapples are so good. There's nothing more refreshing than having that on a hot day. We have fruit salad with most meals and they include other things like cucumber and advacado. Interesting, n'est pas? There is often stewed vegetables or other starches served with it as well. My director said that many people get the Tanzania 25, meaning you gain 25lbs. But with the stairs I'm climbing and the distance I'm walking, there's no way.
Tomorrow we're going on a walking tour of Dar, which should be awesome. My back better be up to it because I don't want to miss it! A few of the girls and I are watching Bridesmaids and eating peanut butter sandwiches. All in all, a great evening.
So my day was spent studying swahili and chatting with a few people. Pretty boring so I thought I'd tell you about some other stuff.
The food of Tanzania is really interesting. The main part of the meal is a starch, mainly rice, fries, chipati bread, or a dish called ugali. Ugali is made out of maize and it's almost the texture of play-doh. It's good, just rather bland. You use it to pick up food with your hands and is a staple. Much like other places in the world, you only eat with your right hand. Eating with your left is considered extremely rude. There is a huge Indian influence here so many of the meats are cooked tandoori style and there are lots of curries. One of the most popular dishes is called chips myyai. It's basically fries cooked in eggs. Sounds bizarre but people eat it all the time!
But the fruit, ohhhhh the fruit. It's delicious. I generally don't like tropical fruits, but the mangos and pineapples are so good. There's nothing more refreshing than having that on a hot day. We have fruit salad with most meals and they include other things like cucumber and advacado. Interesting, n'est pas? There is often stewed vegetables or other starches served with it as well. My director said that many people get the Tanzania 25, meaning you gain 25lbs. But with the stairs I'm climbing and the distance I'm walking, there's no way.
Tomorrow we're going on a walking tour of Dar, which should be awesome. My back better be up to it because I don't want to miss it! A few of the girls and I are watching Bridesmaids and eating peanut butter sandwiches. All in all, a great evening.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Running water!
Yes, we have it today. What a luxury! Flushing toilets, showers....ahh, what a life! We are now on day four of learning swahili and I'm making some progress. Languages are just really not my thing, especially when the pressure is on to learn it. One of my primary concerns is learning it for my internship.
Speaking of which, I visited the site where I'll be working today. One of the directors drove me and three other people across the city to our locations. First we visited a school where two of the ciee students are working. It was a wonderful experience just to tour a school and see all of these smiling faces. We walked into a classroom of about 200 7th graders and they stood at attention and recited together, "Hello! How are you?". It's amazing how something so simple can be so powerful. My heart was warmed and for the first time since being in the hot weather of tanzania, I got chills. It's an odd thing to describe. These kids were just so happy to see us and were incredibly curious about who we were...almost as curious as I am about them. We introduced ourselves in our limited Swahili."My name is Emily. I come from America in the state of California. I am a student." But they were attentive and wonderful. As we drove out of the school compound, they began running after us shouting, "BYE! BYE!!!!!" It was adorable.
Then we drove to my internship, which I will be doing with one other person. She was also my room mate at the hotel and we get along really well. Every Tuesday and Thursday I will leave campus at about 7am to take two daladalas (buses) to a tiny nursery school in a very run-down off the road street of Dar es Salaam. The director let us into a small compound that consisted of a small open area and a fairly large room with a smaller room off the side. About 30 three-six year olds gazed up at us as we walked in, and once again my heart melted. There's no outside place for these kids to play and there is one small fan in the corner of the room that simply moves around the hot air. But here are these adorable children smiling without a care in the world and they are being put into my hands.
We talked a bit with the director about what we would be doing. There is one teacher, named Scholastica. How awesome of a name is that for a teacher? We will basically be free to do what ever we want. This internship will be how ever much we are willing to put into it. For me and my cohort Andrielle, this is a lot. We're so excited and have many plans. Apparently the last CIEE student who worked there raised enough money to do a lot of repairs on the building. It's a lot to live up to, but I'm hoping to be as much of a help as I can. I also want to get my swahili pretty good because it's so hard to communicate with annnyone. These kids will know little or no english, but I'm responsible for teaching them! Ah! I've already started working on a lesson plan with songs and games, but if you know any good websites for teaching resources or perhaps any games or lessons you may know, please let me know! I'm scared but I know I can do it. Plus, I adore kids, so I know this will be fantastic.
Alright, must go study swahili! Love and hugs.
Speaking of which, I visited the site where I'll be working today. One of the directors drove me and three other people across the city to our locations. First we visited a school where two of the ciee students are working. It was a wonderful experience just to tour a school and see all of these smiling faces. We walked into a classroom of about 200 7th graders and they stood at attention and recited together, "Hello! How are you?". It's amazing how something so simple can be so powerful. My heart was warmed and for the first time since being in the hot weather of tanzania, I got chills. It's an odd thing to describe. These kids were just so happy to see us and were incredibly curious about who we were...almost as curious as I am about them. We introduced ourselves in our limited Swahili."My name is Emily. I come from America in the state of California. I am a student." But they were attentive and wonderful. As we drove out of the school compound, they began running after us shouting, "BYE! BYE!!!!!" It was adorable.
Then we drove to my internship, which I will be doing with one other person. She was also my room mate at the hotel and we get along really well. Every Tuesday and Thursday I will leave campus at about 7am to take two daladalas (buses) to a tiny nursery school in a very run-down off the road street of Dar es Salaam. The director let us into a small compound that consisted of a small open area and a fairly large room with a smaller room off the side. About 30 three-six year olds gazed up at us as we walked in, and once again my heart melted. There's no outside place for these kids to play and there is one small fan in the corner of the room that simply moves around the hot air. But here are these adorable children smiling without a care in the world and they are being put into my hands.
We talked a bit with the director about what we would be doing. There is one teacher, named Scholastica. How awesome of a name is that for a teacher? We will basically be free to do what ever we want. This internship will be how ever much we are willing to put into it. For me and my cohort Andrielle, this is a lot. We're so excited and have many plans. Apparently the last CIEE student who worked there raised enough money to do a lot of repairs on the building. It's a lot to live up to, but I'm hoping to be as much of a help as I can. I also want to get my swahili pretty good because it's so hard to communicate with annnyone. These kids will know little or no english, but I'm responsible for teaching them! Ah! I've already started working on a lesson plan with songs and games, but if you know any good websites for teaching resources or perhaps any games or lessons you may know, please let me know! I'm scared but I know I can do it. Plus, I adore kids, so I know this will be fantastic.
Alright, must go study swahili! Love and hugs.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Part 2
I woke up early this morning to have my first bucket shower and when I got to the tap....there was no water. Day 1 one my life in a developing country. I love the experience but not so much the being sweaty 24/7. Sorry if that's too much information. It's so interesting to see how women get ready here. Outside my window I have a balcony and I can just look over the courtyard and people watch. Here is this whole way of life that I have never been introduced to. It's a vastly different day-to-day routine that forces you to think about how other people live their lives. It's so cool!
Anywho, I'll tell you a bit about what I've been doing. Currently we don't have our regular classes. Instead we're just taking crash-course swahili every day for a few hours. It's very exhausting. I get easily overwhelmed with languages but our teacher is very patient and kind. Swahili is an interesting language to learn. There are so many different greetings, it's hard to keep track, but I love the sound of it. I'm excited to be able to communicate more, but I know it'll take time. So yesterday we had that, left our resort, and went to lunch on campus. The campus is gooorrrrgeous. I love it. It's a little run down, but there are millions of trees and all kinds of stuff to explore. We're all in one building and our director's house is across the street.
Gah I have to go get ready. I will keep updating when I can!!!!!!
Anywho, I'll tell you a bit about what I've been doing. Currently we don't have our regular classes. Instead we're just taking crash-course swahili every day for a few hours. It's very exhausting. I get easily overwhelmed with languages but our teacher is very patient and kind. Swahili is an interesting language to learn. There are so many different greetings, it's hard to keep track, but I love the sound of it. I'm excited to be able to communicate more, but I know it'll take time. So yesterday we had that, left our resort, and went to lunch on campus. The campus is gooorrrrgeous. I love it. It's a little run down, but there are millions of trees and all kinds of stuff to explore. We're all in one building and our director's house is across the street.
Gah I have to go get ready. I will keep updating when I can!!!!!!
Good Tired
Jambo!
I'm trying not to fall asleep as I write this but I know some friends and family members would be very upset if I didn't update. I am now sitting in my bed, underneath my mosquito net, in my new room. It's on the 7th floor of a dorm building which means I have a great view and can see the ocean. This also means I have to lug water all the way up here to take a shower and even flush the toilet when the water isn't on. It has its pains and gains. And yes everyone, my back is doing just fine for the moment. Lugging up my luggage 7 floors was not so fun, but I'm actually doing ok.
We've been so busy the past two days. I went to turn on my computer at 9pm last night and fell asleep doing so. I now have unlimited internet and have unpacked. However, I may be moving soon. Since the normal University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) students are in finals, I was paired with one of my study abroad cohorts temporarily. Since it's probably hard on my back to carry things up 7 flights of stairs, I offered to move when the time comes. So it is sad that I can't have someone to ask questions or show me around, but we've been doing a lot of exploring and our student helpers are wonderful.
Yesterday, our activities were quite extraordinary. Prepare to be jealous. We took a small speed boat across the ocean to a small practically deserted island. There were beach huts and hammocks on white sandy beaches with crystal clear water. This is where we had our first swahili lesson. Not bad, aye? We sat on the beach and recited words and tenses while the sea breeze and shade helped to cool us down. Have I mentioned how hot it is here? I'm dying but taking it one day at a time.
You know, I'm so exhausted I think I need to end it there. I will update more tomorrow when I have some free time. Good night everyone!
<3
I'm trying not to fall asleep as I write this but I know some friends and family members would be very upset if I didn't update. I am now sitting in my bed, underneath my mosquito net, in my new room. It's on the 7th floor of a dorm building which means I have a great view and can see the ocean. This also means I have to lug water all the way up here to take a shower and even flush the toilet when the water isn't on. It has its pains and gains. And yes everyone, my back is doing just fine for the moment. Lugging up my luggage 7 floors was not so fun, but I'm actually doing ok.
We've been so busy the past two days. I went to turn on my computer at 9pm last night and fell asleep doing so. I now have unlimited internet and have unpacked. However, I may be moving soon. Since the normal University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) students are in finals, I was paired with one of my study abroad cohorts temporarily. Since it's probably hard on my back to carry things up 7 flights of stairs, I offered to move when the time comes. So it is sad that I can't have someone to ask questions or show me around, but we've been doing a lot of exploring and our student helpers are wonderful.
Yesterday, our activities were quite extraordinary. Prepare to be jealous. We took a small speed boat across the ocean to a small practically deserted island. There were beach huts and hammocks on white sandy beaches with crystal clear water. This is where we had our first swahili lesson. Not bad, aye? We sat on the beach and recited words and tenses while the sea breeze and shade helped to cool us down. Have I mentioned how hot it is here? I'm dying but taking it one day at a time.
You know, I'm so exhausted I think I need to end it there. I will update more tomorrow when I have some free time. Good night everyone!
<3
Friday, January 13, 2012
Day 1
We just finished a long day of orientation. 8:30-5:30 of warnings, bureaucratic logistics, and then awesome tid bits about what my life will be like here!We've been sitting in an air-conditioned conference room at the hotel then sitting outside for our meal breaks. It's insanely hot and humid, which I expected. I will just have to make do, considering I did choose to come here. :) But it's so beautiful here. I love it. It has a wonderful feel and the people are so nice.
I started out the orientation being a bit worried. Everyone seems to have a lot more experience traveling than I do and I think some things will take getting used to. For example, transportation in the city is a bit insane. Daladalas are little crowded mini buses that you have to jump on to in order to get anywhere.I know i'll get used to things in time, but for now it's a lot of work to take it all in. Luckily some other people are just as worried as I am.
We have two directors of the program who are wonderfully helpful and delightful human beings. Ken is the former program director and is from Kenya but has lived the past 7 years in the US. Jenny is the new program director from Chicago and has lived in Tanzania on and off for several years. Then we have three students who help with our confusion and answer any questions we have about student life, one of whom will be living in the dorms with us.I had some more information about my conditions there. We move in on Sunday and are given a few basics. There are showers, but there is often no water running through the pipes, hence the bucket and cup. It turns out that at the beginning of february, our room mates will all be on vacation since the Tanzanian school system is different than ours. It will be strange to experience the campus while they're on break.
Tomorrow we start our crash-course in swahili, which i am especially anxious for. It will be hard to do anything around here with out the language. It seems like we have a wonderful few days lined up where we will tour around and really get a feel for the city. I'm anxious to get to the point where I can be used to my life here, instead of being that strange combination of nervous and excited. We'll see what the future holds!
Love and hugs to you all!
I started out the orientation being a bit worried. Everyone seems to have a lot more experience traveling than I do and I think some things will take getting used to. For example, transportation in the city is a bit insane. Daladalas are little crowded mini buses that you have to jump on to in order to get anywhere.I know i'll get used to things in time, but for now it's a lot of work to take it all in. Luckily some other people are just as worried as I am.
We have two directors of the program who are wonderfully helpful and delightful human beings. Ken is the former program director and is from Kenya but has lived the past 7 years in the US. Jenny is the new program director from Chicago and has lived in Tanzania on and off for several years. Then we have three students who help with our confusion and answer any questions we have about student life, one of whom will be living in the dorms with us.I had some more information about my conditions there. We move in on Sunday and are given a few basics. There are showers, but there is often no water running through the pipes, hence the bucket and cup. It turns out that at the beginning of february, our room mates will all be on vacation since the Tanzanian school system is different than ours. It will be strange to experience the campus while they're on break.
Tomorrow we start our crash-course in swahili, which i am especially anxious for. It will be hard to do anything around here with out the language. It seems like we have a wonderful few days lined up where we will tour around and really get a feel for the city. I'm anxious to get to the point where I can be used to my life here, instead of being that strange combination of nervous and excited. We'll see what the future holds!
Love and hugs to you all!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Toto, I think we're not in Kansas anymore...
Good evening/Good morning to all of you!
I have been in Dar about 6 hours now and am beginning to feel the exhaustion. I'm sitting in my cozy hotel bed at a resort on the coast. Not bad aye? We're here for 3 days while we "adapt" to Tanzanian lifestyles and receive the start of our orientation.
I had a fairly painless journey. I slept most of the 15 hours trip to Dubai and when I arrived at my overnight hotel in the city, I slept some more. It was fabulous. For future reference, if ya'll decide to travel, Emirates is awesome! Definitely one of the best airlines in my book. Everyone is super nice and they gave me a free hotel room and free meals for my stay in Dubai.
I didn't see any of the city, but I figured I would be having enough adventures in Tanzania to last me a while. I arrived about 4pm this afternoon, but didn't get to the hotel until 5:30, along with 3 other of my cohorts in the program. My luggage arrived safe and sounds too! Praise God. As expected, Tanzania is vastly different from my life in California. The sites, the sounds, the smells, the air is all so wonderfully new. There are people everywhere, but everyone seems to be so nice and polite. After I showered, skyped with the rents, and got myself together, a group of us headed over tot he beach side of the resort to touch the Indian Ocean which is incredibly warm! We had dinner at the hotel's restaurant which took FOOOORRRRREVVVVERRRRR. My first meal here was Tandoori Chicken and fries...yup, real classy. As far as I understand, tomorrow we're eating Italian food. o_0 An odd introduction to Tanzanian culture. I'm going to have to get used to the different forms of timing here. Some places use 12hr, some 24hr...but then there's Swahili time, which is especially complicated. Say it's nine o'clock in 12 hr time, in swahili time this would be 3 o'clock. It's the number that's directly opposite on the clock face. Yes, I know it's confusing.
There are so many new things to learn! I hope I can pick up on them quickly. I'm trying to discover a few Swahili words but it's going to take me a while. I'm so excited about everything around me but I'm also anxious to understand and to learn.
I apologize for the rambling. I decided to blurt out as much as possible before I pass out sleeping. I will continue to post as often as i can, but until then I bid you all adieu!
<3
I have been in Dar about 6 hours now and am beginning to feel the exhaustion. I'm sitting in my cozy hotel bed at a resort on the coast. Not bad aye? We're here for 3 days while we "adapt" to Tanzanian lifestyles and receive the start of our orientation.
I had a fairly painless journey. I slept most of the 15 hours trip to Dubai and when I arrived at my overnight hotel in the city, I slept some more. It was fabulous. For future reference, if ya'll decide to travel, Emirates is awesome! Definitely one of the best airlines in my book. Everyone is super nice and they gave me a free hotel room and free meals for my stay in Dubai.
I didn't see any of the city, but I figured I would be having enough adventures in Tanzania to last me a while. I arrived about 4pm this afternoon, but didn't get to the hotel until 5:30, along with 3 other of my cohorts in the program. My luggage arrived safe and sounds too! Praise God. As expected, Tanzania is vastly different from my life in California. The sites, the sounds, the smells, the air is all so wonderfully new. There are people everywhere, but everyone seems to be so nice and polite. After I showered, skyped with the rents, and got myself together, a group of us headed over tot he beach side of the resort to touch the Indian Ocean which is incredibly warm! We had dinner at the hotel's restaurant which took FOOOORRRRREVVVVERRRRR. My first meal here was Tandoori Chicken and fries...yup, real classy. As far as I understand, tomorrow we're eating Italian food. o_0 An odd introduction to Tanzanian culture. I'm going to have to get used to the different forms of timing here. Some places use 12hr, some 24hr...but then there's Swahili time, which is especially complicated. Say it's nine o'clock in 12 hr time, in swahili time this would be 3 o'clock. It's the number that's directly opposite on the clock face. Yes, I know it's confusing.
There are so many new things to learn! I hope I can pick up on them quickly. I'm trying to discover a few Swahili words but it's going to take me a while. I'm so excited about everything around me but I'm also anxious to understand and to learn.
I apologize for the rambling. I decided to blurt out as much as possible before I pass out sleeping. I will continue to post as often as i can, but until then I bid you all adieu!
<3
Monday, January 9, 2012
My address
Hello readers!
I head out tomorrow for the grand adventure. If you would like my address in Dar, here it is!
Emily Pickens-Jones
CIEE Study Center at University of Dar Es Salaam
College of Arts and Social Sciences, Ground Floor Office # 15
PO Box 35817 Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
LOVE TO YOU ALL!
I head out tomorrow for the grand adventure. If you would like my address in Dar, here it is!
Emily Pickens-Jones
CIEE Study Center at University of Dar Es Salaam
College of Arts and Social Sciences, Ground Floor Office # 15
PO Box 35817 Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
LOVE TO YOU ALL!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Tennyson
The denial began to fade away today. Even after moving out of CA House, even after beginning my transition months ago, even after recognizing the relief of leaving some things behind, even after accepting a new chapter of my life, even after being basically packed, I've still been in denial about leaving. Three days left and I haven't fully accepted my departure and I don't think I will until I've been in Dar for several days...or weeks. I was explaining to people today that I feel that I really have no expectations for what my life will be like abroad. Of course I'm excited, thrilled, nervous, scared, and other emotions to add to the roller coaster, but somehow expectations don't seem relevant to this trip. It will be what it will be and I will learn from the many experiences and emotions I will be journeying through. That being said, I did hear today that a bucket and a cup will be provided by my program for bathing...no showers...that should be an interesting experience.
The denial began to fade away today when I began my goodbyes with people I see often in my day-to-day life. Saying "goodbye" to people is a very strange feeling. So much of the time I don't like saying it, but instead I say, "see you sometime". This helps me to process uncertainty while also keeping hope at arm's length. I recognize the importance of saying farewells and encourage the process of grief and acceptance one can go through in the parting of ways, but I also know there is so much room for surprises to come. This is especially true for me since I will be returning to a life that will be familiar, but will also be entirely new. I have been told that studying abroad changes people and I am curious to see how I will be changed and how I may grow. I'm so excited and I am so lucky to be surrounded by beautiful souls who are supportive of me in everything I do. I am so blessed.
My thoughts and goodbye conversations today reminded me of part of a poem by Tennyson:
The denial began to fade away today when I began my goodbyes with people I see often in my day-to-day life. Saying "goodbye" to people is a very strange feeling. So much of the time I don't like saying it, but instead I say, "see you sometime". This helps me to process uncertainty while also keeping hope at arm's length. I recognize the importance of saying farewells and encourage the process of grief and acceptance one can go through in the parting of ways, but I also know there is so much room for surprises to come. This is especially true for me since I will be returning to a life that will be familiar, but will also be entirely new. I have been told that studying abroad changes people and I am curious to see how I will be changed and how I may grow. I'm so excited and I am so lucky to be surrounded by beautiful souls who are supportive of me in everything I do. I am so blessed.
My thoughts and goodbye conversations today reminded me of part of a poem by Tennyson:
"It may be that the gulfs will wash us down: It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles, We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are; Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Calm Before The Storm
Welcome to my blog! Here I will attempt to share as many updates from my travels as I can. I leave next Tuesday, January 10th, and will arrive on January 12th in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania! I really want to be able to post as often as I can, but with limited internet availability and my own laziness, this may not be entirely possible. I will also be setting up an online photo album with pictures. I can't wait to have my adventures and share them with all of you!
P-J out.
P-J out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)