I’m finding a serious lack of time to get all my work done, including writing here, in the time spans that I assign for it. Things that I feel like I should be able to get through in a productive day require a week to accomplish, and while maybe this is just a streak of misunderstanding the volume of work in my commitments, I’m troubled by the vastness of the gap between what I think I have time for and what I don’t. I suppose I’m not being fair in considering my work for school part of the list of things to check off. It’s what I do each day and usually a good, effective day’s work requires more work on following days. I’m lacking the common sense to realize that if I get by one week and not have the time for everything, doing those things plus an additional pile of work isn’t likely to happen the next week. My admiration for my high school teachers is only increasing as I realize just how much time they spent in order to offer the level of education they did. It’s really quite amazing.
So anyway, the news worth knowing isn’t too great. I have reduced the feline population in my house to 4 but it did not occur quite like I expected. The first cat to go was actually Chichi, as she had just become too high maintenance for my situation. The opportunity we found to send her on was sudden and well timed as the kittens were eating on their own but also drinking mom’s milk. There was, however, a slight failure in the execution of the plan. My friend, and fellow PCV, was taking her to a friend near his site but needed to make a pit stop first. While attending other matters, the cat escaped. While not really a huge problem, the amusing fact is that the place he was at is about a 20 minute walk from the school I accepted her from. She found her way back and I can say the volunteer and teachers there were not terribly thrilled. The next weekend, Andrew came back with orders for two more kittens and so now I’ve reduced my population from 7 to 4, with plans to reduce to two….males! Felix and Magellan are the brothers I have left who will be staying and the two girls will in time head to new homes.
On the academic front, lecture is continuing. My form 6 class is continuing to forge ahead and I’m happy to say we’re looking slightly ahead of my new schedule! Which at this point, is very welcome news as we’re still a month or two behind where we realistically should be. I am entering material that did not make much sense to me in college so my preparation is slow and meticulous. I always heard teaching a subject was the last step in learning it and I am being converted as I am learning far better than I ever did in my college physics class. Labs are a challenge, due to the combination of unfamiliarity with the subject significantly ahead of teaching it and the lack of experience of working out of a lab environment where everything you need is waiting for you. But we’re making our way. Another struggle is balancing teaching as best I can and teaching how the kids expect me to. I realize that the system here is different, and their approach to learning material has been drilled into them over the last 10 or so years, but is it really that hard to change gears? And, if you can’t, how do you expect to function in a world where most problems need unique solutions. It’s interesting to see the difficulties some people have with outside of the box thinking. We went through two tailors who could not decompose a jacket and skirt and make it into a long sleeve shirt before finally succeeding. Each tailor’s excuse was that it was too much work in the head. Kazi kubwa! So they wanted extra money, but preferred we go buy an entirely new cloth so they could follow the step by step process they’ve learned. Instilling creative thinking is a goal of mine but I feel as though I’m not doing the best job. I’ll have to work on that.
I’ve hit a minor bump in the Swahili process. I had a good three weeks of solid daily Swahili practice, but lately I’ve been sacrificing it when higher priorities take longer. But I have had more good moments where I feel like I’m comprehending more lately, so I want to build on the momentum and try to keep up the learning.
In outside projects, I’m approaching a finished product on my latest transit proposal. Although, anyone who knows me in this context knows it’s never done as I’ve been toying with the same basic idea for around 5 years now. I do feel like this is a better version of what I’ve had before. More practical and certainly more affordable, while still offering much of the opportunities of my other iterations. Seeing the effects of the oil spill in the gulf (admittedly through the lenses of my pro-multimodalist sources of news and analysis) makes it seem as though the dangers of a purely fossil fuel powered society are currently in the spotlight. While it’s easy for the largest cities in America to approach mass transit as a solution to congestion and increasing density, smaller urban centers see them as unjustifiable costs. However, that inherently perpetuates the current problem that only two years ago was becoming a national nightmare before the recession distracted people from it. We need to look at solutions to the problems in communities of all sizes. I think people often see transit enthusiast as anti-car but the reality is a car is a central part (and one I really enjoy!) of life in America. But what if we had an America where not every of-age person required one and people could live an effective lifestyle sharing one vehicle per household? It requires a lot of investment for sure, but I wonder if people could live the lives they want with that. That’s still way better than what people get here in Tanzania.
To continue my pattern of useless discussion, I want to point out the Royals are 9-5 since the Hillman era ended and the Yost era began. I looked back on my last post regarding the Royals and it was actually the game Hillman had been fired before but it wasn’t announced until afterwards. I’m not sure what the difference is now, but this team definitely seems more capable. It’s the same team but it absolutely is not, which brings hope for the future! Just like Billy’s .348 average :)
Well, this post has already fallen into the took-way-longer-than-anticipated category. I have a long list of things I could do today, and only lack the urgency because I have another day of weekend left. We’ll see if I can make it a productive day. Only two more weeks till my next break, which these days feels like a blink of an eye. Hope you have a good weekend!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Picture Post Number 2!!!
Welcome to Picture Blog Post Number Two!
I'll start you off with some wildlife. This was taken off my back porch, although the tree he's sitting in has since had some trouble as you will see later!
We went on a walk to see hot springs one weekend while in Mbeya town. This was the walk to the property, complete with a little piece of home!
But turns out this was the hot springs. It was about as warm as a hot bath, not that you could fit in it to take one.
The land we were on is a stone quarry and these massive blocks lay everywhere. They simply cut them out of the wall as it is all stone!
We were then taken to the Bat Caves, profiled as the second billing but they made up for everything the hot puddle lacked! I don't have good pictures of inside it, just this approach and the following of the hole in the top.
Inside there were holes in the floor that went down for well beyond the light of our flashlights which was quite intimidating but we were with people who knew the landscape well and all survived.
Back at home, this was the morning after a Kumbi Kumbi attack, which is a 4 winged termite (I'm told) that comes out this time of year. They died attacking my front porch light. Chichi was quite content however as she really enjoys these snacks!
Next is our hike to Kaparogwe Falls, just southwest of Tukuyu. It was sold as a nice waterfall....which is a ridiculous understatement. First you walk through farms along a footpath and cross this creek.
Then you walk up a hill and around a corner and it all of a sudden is visible. A massive waterfall that you can walk back underneath. This is the view from in the indention in the rock behind the falls about halfway down it's fall.
And my favorite the whole falls. Now to give you an idea of just how big it is, if you can zoom in at all, Katie and Linda are sitting behind the falls in the indention, and they aren't very tall (relatively of course :P)
I'll start you off with some wildlife. This was taken off my back porch, although the tree he's sitting in has since had some trouble as you will see later!
We went on a walk to see hot springs one weekend while in Mbeya town. This was the walk to the property, complete with a little piece of home! But turns out this was the hot springs. It was about as warm as a hot bath, not that you could fit in it to take one.
But the view was gorgeous, this is Mbeya region after all!
The land we were on is a stone quarry and these massive blocks lay everywhere. They simply cut them out of the wall as it is all stone!
We were then taken to the Bat Caves, profiled as the second billing but they made up for everything the hot puddle lacked! I don't have good pictures of inside it, just this approach and the following of the hole in the top.Inside there were holes in the floor that went down for well beyond the light of our flashlights which was quite intimidating but we were with people who knew the landscape well and all survived.
Back at home, this was the morning after a Kumbi Kumbi attack, which is a 4 winged termite (I'm told) that comes out this time of year. They died attacking my front porch light. Chichi was quite content however as she really enjoys these snacks!Next is our hike to Kaparogwe Falls, just southwest of Tukuyu. It was sold as a nice waterfall....which is a ridiculous understatement. First you walk through farms along a footpath and cross this creek.Then you walk up a hill and around a corner and it all of a sudden is visible. A massive waterfall that you can walk back underneath. This is the view from in the indention in the rock behind the falls about halfway down it's fall.Looking out from underneath.
And my favorite the whole falls. Now to give you an idea of just how big it is, if you can zoom in at all, Katie and Linda are sitting behind the falls in the indention, and they aren't very tall (relatively of course :P)Next Stop: Matema Beach! This relatively quiet resort is on the northern shores of Lake Malawi. It is absolutely gorgeous and a wonderful mix of real Tanzania and resortiness. It was a nice break from school and everything else but it wasn't out of Tanzania at all.
It's pretty cool because from the right vantage point, as far north as Tukuyu and Mt. Rungwe, you can see these mountains and the lake shore on a clear day.
It was a relaxing weekend full of kiti moto, volley ball, and beach campfires, which it's advisable not to step in barefoot as Theo learned.
During my In Service Training in Iringa, Chichi gave birth to six kittens. This is them maybe 2-3 weeks old.
It's pretty cool because from the right vantage point, as far north as Tukuyu and Mt. Rungwe, you can see these mountains and the lake shore on a clear day.
It was a relaxing weekend full of kiti moto, volley ball, and beach campfires, which it's advisable not to step in barefoot as Theo learned.
During my In Service Training in Iringa, Chichi gave birth to six kittens. This is them maybe 2-3 weeks old. 
The rainy season caused some of the soil near my house to weaken and problems happened. We got it down without causing too much damage but it could have been much worse!
Recently, we've been doing a better job visiting each other. Granted it helps when Katie's school is having a dance with Theo's school and they provide free (and direct!) transportation!
Our path turned much denser when we started to actually climb the mountain.
After about an hour, we finally reached the the rim of the caldera. The picture doesn't do it justice but it was quite a drop on both sides of the narrow path!
This is the clearest picture we got of the lake. It's quite a ways below the overlook but still way above the surrounding countryside.
This is Katie, Tristan, and I at the top. Tulishinda!
Finally, this was our trip to Ngozi Crater. Hiking began at the highway through generally open plains until we reached what looked like a little path headed under a small group of trees. It became a legitimate jungle and this was one of the more open spots.
Our path turned much denser when we started to actually climb the mountain.
After about an hour, we finally reached the the rim of the caldera. The picture doesn't do it justice but it was quite a drop on both sides of the narrow path!
This is the clearest picture we got of the lake. It's quite a ways below the overlook but still way above the surrounding countryside.
This is Katie, Tristan, and I at the top. Tulishinda!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Taking into consideration that my comments here are really just a microcosm of my current emotions, but also considering the fact that I’m more inclined to write when I am trying to wrestle through things in my head, I’m frustrated. I tend to only want to write when I feel like what I have to say is something worth listening to, although I’m making the rather brash assumption what I deem worthy is what others need/want to hear. So, my point in all this drivel is that I’m going to try to stop saying anything “meaningful” and start saying….something.
So the last two days have been somewhat unusual in terms of my life so far as a Tanzanian teacher. I have been invigilating (fancy British English – I think – term for proctoring) exams. And today I acquired 5 rulers, two erasers, and very nearly two ripped up tests during the exam. I saw every way of cheating I could have imagined possible and then some more. I’m pretty sure one girl had some notes in her shirt and then when she needed them pulled her arms inside like she was cold and kinda stretched out her sweater so she could read between her shirt and her sweater. What can I do for that one? So I feel the need to give her props on her creative ingenuity that massively outshone the girl who turned around to compare tests with her friend.
But my frustrations of late have to do with more than that, as I’m still struggling through the material and being a good, effective teacher isn’t quite the process I thought it would be. It’s humbling to say the least. I consider myself someone who thinks through problems logically and I feel like one of my greatest strengths is the ability to break a problem down and see it in parts. I thought if I introduced ideas the this way with a focus on the atoms building up to the molecule it would be clear and digestible the first time through. Oh, what little do I know. The funny thing is, I keep coming back to the problem of the parent, where because I said so is what you want to say because you know you’re right and because right now, you just can’t think of a really solid explanation. But that wont fly, and you’re expected to have reasons and explanations on the spot. Partially I brought this on myself, as I encouraged students to ask questions and press for the why. But now the stereotypical Tanzanian give the students notes to copy approach seems really nice.
It’s a struggle, battling between this idea of who you want to be to these people and the parts of your life you didn’t imagine sacrificing for it. I would consider my situation one of constant flux where I’m on a teeter-totter walking from one seat to the other constantly on the ground, and never in the middle balancing. I think I’ve expressed my discontent before but like what I said when I started, this is a little bit of self-therapy. Honestly, I’m not upset with the students (ok my students, I am upset with the testing students) or the administration or any of that. As a matter of fact, my relations with my peer walimu are only improving J. I’m upset with myself because I’m pretty sure I know what I need to do to get stuff done and I just can’t sometimes. I find it amusing how much of the personal growth you’re supposed to get in college, I can see happening to me here. I don’t know that it didn’t happen in Ithaca, but this sort of second go-round is nice. Theo, another volunteer in my area, and I were chatting over lunch one day about how we find ourselves surrounded by textbooks writing our lesson plans and we realize this is what we should have been doing for the last 4 years. Sadly, it takes having someone else depend on me to get myself adequately motivated, and like I said before, I still can’t make myself do it all the times I need to. And I’m spent….
On to more interesting things. We left Seattle and moved to the heartland in terms of weather. After that freaky week-long rain (which was apparently about a third of its usual length) we’re now seeing crystal clear mornings with increasing clouds during the afternoon and a return to cloudless skies in the evening. For some reason, Rungwe looks much more ominous without the clouds. There’s one particular view of it in town where every time I see it from that angle I realize it’s a pretty large mountain and it’s a volcano on top of that. Dormant for a long time of course but it’s fun to imagine myself as a young Pierce Brosnan in Dante’s Peak 2: African Killer saving people in the final minutes before the eruption.
Lately, I’ve been helping type exams. It’s strange how copying something from hand written to a screen in front of you can be way more soporific than reading news articles on that same screen. I suppose there’s the subject matter but it’s surprising how quickly I find myself nodding off when typing
I still have seven felines in my house. One option to get rid of a kitten fell through and I’m waiting for my others to as well, it only seems appropriate. Chichi brought in a mouse earlier, she looked rather pleased with herself but the kitten that took it just growled at anyone else who came close so I’m not sure we’re promoting good family values in this house.
I also got the box of books sent from the youth group at church this week. Let me rephrase, the 3 boxes of books and 1 box of signs are now taking up my living room. I will be sending a more formal thank you but the Peace Corps Volunteer book network appreciates your gifts! Books are passed around here like gossip so they will get good use.
In other news, the Royals have been awful. Zack’s in line for the win right now but we haven’t given the ball to the bullpen yet. Check that. They just put Tejeda in for Greinke. Let the fun begin! This internet is both a blessing and a curse. It allows me the freedom to write when I want to (not that I do as much as I should) but it also allows me to monitor severe weather outbreaks during the evenings in Kansas which translates to 2 am here. So, there are some downsides :P Not that I could do anything to change that, I mean it’s really out of my control. I HAVE to watch.
I welcome questions in the comments sections, or through email if you want to know something but I just haven’t touched on it. I lose sight of the fact that me living in Africa seems mysterious and far away because it’s all so normal now, but if you have questions about culture, lifestyle, or anything in particular, I’ll be happy to narrate excessively for you. Ok, back to a good mood! Partially due to talking it out, and partially due to a double play by the Royals where they’ve had runs scored against them so far this year.
So the last two days have been somewhat unusual in terms of my life so far as a Tanzanian teacher. I have been invigilating (fancy British English – I think – term for proctoring) exams. And today I acquired 5 rulers, two erasers, and very nearly two ripped up tests during the exam. I saw every way of cheating I could have imagined possible and then some more. I’m pretty sure one girl had some notes in her shirt and then when she needed them pulled her arms inside like she was cold and kinda stretched out her sweater so she could read between her shirt and her sweater. What can I do for that one? So I feel the need to give her props on her creative ingenuity that massively outshone the girl who turned around to compare tests with her friend.
But my frustrations of late have to do with more than that, as I’m still struggling through the material and being a good, effective teacher isn’t quite the process I thought it would be. It’s humbling to say the least. I consider myself someone who thinks through problems logically and I feel like one of my greatest strengths is the ability to break a problem down and see it in parts. I thought if I introduced ideas the this way with a focus on the atoms building up to the molecule it would be clear and digestible the first time through. Oh, what little do I know. The funny thing is, I keep coming back to the problem of the parent, where because I said so is what you want to say because you know you’re right and because right now, you just can’t think of a really solid explanation. But that wont fly, and you’re expected to have reasons and explanations on the spot. Partially I brought this on myself, as I encouraged students to ask questions and press for the why. But now the stereotypical Tanzanian give the students notes to copy approach seems really nice.
It’s a struggle, battling between this idea of who you want to be to these people and the parts of your life you didn’t imagine sacrificing for it. I would consider my situation one of constant flux where I’m on a teeter-totter walking from one seat to the other constantly on the ground, and never in the middle balancing. I think I’ve expressed my discontent before but like what I said when I started, this is a little bit of self-therapy. Honestly, I’m not upset with the students (ok my students, I am upset with the testing students) or the administration or any of that. As a matter of fact, my relations with my peer walimu are only improving J. I’m upset with myself because I’m pretty sure I know what I need to do to get stuff done and I just can’t sometimes. I find it amusing how much of the personal growth you’re supposed to get in college, I can see happening to me here. I don’t know that it didn’t happen in Ithaca, but this sort of second go-round is nice. Theo, another volunteer in my area, and I were chatting over lunch one day about how we find ourselves surrounded by textbooks writing our lesson plans and we realize this is what we should have been doing for the last 4 years. Sadly, it takes having someone else depend on me to get myself adequately motivated, and like I said before, I still can’t make myself do it all the times I need to. And I’m spent….
On to more interesting things. We left Seattle and moved to the heartland in terms of weather. After that freaky week-long rain (which was apparently about a third of its usual length) we’re now seeing crystal clear mornings with increasing clouds during the afternoon and a return to cloudless skies in the evening. For some reason, Rungwe looks much more ominous without the clouds. There’s one particular view of it in town where every time I see it from that angle I realize it’s a pretty large mountain and it’s a volcano on top of that. Dormant for a long time of course but it’s fun to imagine myself as a young Pierce Brosnan in Dante’s Peak 2: African Killer saving people in the final minutes before the eruption.
Lately, I’ve been helping type exams. It’s strange how copying something from hand written to a screen in front of you can be way more soporific than reading news articles on that same screen. I suppose there’s the subject matter but it’s surprising how quickly I find myself nodding off when typing
I still have seven felines in my house. One option to get rid of a kitten fell through and I’m waiting for my others to as well, it only seems appropriate. Chichi brought in a mouse earlier, she looked rather pleased with herself but the kitten that took it just growled at anyone else who came close so I’m not sure we’re promoting good family values in this house.
I also got the box of books sent from the youth group at church this week. Let me rephrase, the 3 boxes of books and 1 box of signs are now taking up my living room. I will be sending a more formal thank you but the Peace Corps Volunteer book network appreciates your gifts! Books are passed around here like gossip so they will get good use.
In other news, the Royals have been awful. Zack’s in line for the win right now but we haven’t given the ball to the bullpen yet. Check that. They just put Tejeda in for Greinke. Let the fun begin! This internet is both a blessing and a curse. It allows me the freedom to write when I want to (not that I do as much as I should) but it also allows me to monitor severe weather outbreaks during the evenings in Kansas which translates to 2 am here. So, there are some downsides :P Not that I could do anything to change that, I mean it’s really out of my control. I HAVE to watch.
I welcome questions in the comments sections, or through email if you want to know something but I just haven’t touched on it. I lose sight of the fact that me living in Africa seems mysterious and far away because it’s all so normal now, but if you have questions about culture, lifestyle, or anything in particular, I’ll be happy to narrate excessively for you. Ok, back to a good mood! Partially due to talking it out, and partially due to a double play by the Royals where they’ve had runs scored against them so far this year.
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