and now for the weekly rundown…..
i finally uncovered the mystery of the white v. yellow yolk egg mystery on tuesday. I was talking with Madame Eva (always pronounced Weva). She said that there are local and artificial eggs. the local eggs are from hens and they have yellow yolks because they are fed green leaves. the artificial eggs are from chickens and they have white yolks. I was curious about this because in dar we were given one hard boiled egg for breakfast and the yolks were so so white. But there is also a dish here called chipsi mayai. it starts with chips - fried potatoes - and then they break two eggs over it. So its basically a french fry omelet. But the eggs are always so yellow.
eva loves my black and white dress. only she can say it so adorably and while giggling. she told me i was cute and that she was admiring my dress.
so the tailor gave my kiting the ‘x’. apparently she decided the pattern was too big. So, on tuesday, eva sent a student (during the school day) to go to the tailor to pick up 3 new choices for me to choose from. So, tuesday after break, i was going to try to teach a class and eva asked me if i was going to teach and when i said yes she said but i have sent the student. my immediate natural reaction was ‘well, of course, i will just stay here and not teach then!’. only in tanzania. so the student eventually made it back with the black plastic bag of 3 choices for me. but i would use ‘me’ lightly. the decision turned into a whole staff room decision, headed up by daniella and nicessee. at first they picked out a yellow one. well good thing it takes a lot to make anyone awkward here because there are not many ways to say that yellow would look good for them but not for me and my skin and hair. as soon as i mentioned it they all got very animated and i heard lots of ‘ohhhh no’ and ‘yeahhhh’. haha so we went the other fabric. it was supposed to be done on friday but eva was not at school because she was cooking for the get together… more on that later.
small things that you make take for granted …. that we dont have at school
electricity. oddly enough, friday was the first day that i really noticed that we didn't have it and that it would have been helpful. there was a huge rain storm so it was dark and there was a glare on the blackboard. so i could only write on a small section of the board.
pens! teachers are always borrowing pens. we have to sign an attendance book each morning and a pen is hard to come by. if the book is anywhere near me, i just keep my pen out because i know they will be asking me for it. also for students pens double as a ruler. so…
rulers. there are few rulers but they are a hot commodity. they are always being passed or thrown around during my class. they make margins on every page and a line down the middle to make two columns to write in. they also underline words and make the axes for graphing with a ruler or the side of the pen every time. i am positive that my hand-drawn lines on the board give them the creeps every day.
eraser. students use pens here and i have only seen maybe 3 pencils total. so the eraser i am talking about is for the chalk board. it is a production each and every day. students are constantly coming and going for the eraser. it is shared between rooms. so when i am close to filling up the board a student will leave the room to take it from another room. then another student will come in the room and take it from me. its an ongoing serious daily battle. also, while speaking about erasing… students usually do it for their teachers. for me it is probably a 50-50 split between me erasing and a student erasing. also, students take a long time to copy the work down and if you begin to erase something before they are done you will think that you just killed their puppy. the madame’s i get then are serious.
windows- meaning glass coverings of the openings in the wall. normally i love that we have no windows. there are bars but no glass. this is perfect because it keeps it nice and cool and the wind is always rushing through. but friday, with the big rain, the rain was coming in through one side of the classroom. by that time, i had already called it quits on trying to teach, but all the students had to get up and move their desks as far as they could towards the opposite wall.
this is a just because picture. part of my time wasting business after school.
so everyday i walk into the classroom (well most everyday… they are a little more relaxed with me), the students will stand and say “ …… (something i dont understand)…. better academic performance. good morning madame”. so i finally asked stream c what they are saying at the beginning. so typical. “ Discipline is the source of better academic performance. good morning madame”
amber has kept yolo in action here but nick introduced us to yolito this week. you only live in tanzania once. we've definitely been getting some mileage out of that.
so wednesday morning, mahumi and i definitely went mud bogging. in mahumis 2wd toyota wish. the road was some kind of a mess from the previous nights downpour. there was a series of drives, reverses, drives, and lows. the winning combination was running into a bush on the right hand side of the road and then launching across the other side of the road, nearly perpendicular. it was pretty legit and mahumi did some impressive work. i called him a professional and he got the biggest kick out of it. i got the typical high pitched ah.
im still trying to figure out this whole timetable thing. i got rejected twice on tuesday but i really understand why. the students are tired in the afternoons and also any free time that they have is normally still spent learning. teachers give them exercise books with notes to copy. so one students usually writes them on the board for the rest of the students to copy down. they are seriously so self motivated. but i guess you have to be.
tuesday, the discipline master practically herded two boys into the staff room. they were made to squat down, shuffling/ hopping wherever the stick told them to go. it was seriously just like watching cattle and a whip on the road. so dumb.
one boy was brought into the workroom wednesday morning. i dont know what he did or did not do but they were trying to get him to give 3 names of people from his stream. he didn’t give any and he got 3 beatings from 3 different teachers. 6 on the butt and 3 on the hand. mahumi also brought in another boy this morning to show the teachers one of my students ear. he had been holding a handkerchief over it but when he removed it all the teachers looked, made some disgusted noises, and got closer to examine it. i couldn't see it and mahumi explained what happened in swahili but i asked him on the way home that afternoon and he said that he was working with some corrugated tin and it fell on him and i think took a good chunk out of his ear.
wednesday was a busy day for the environment. students were everywhere with hoes. they were breaking up the dirt by the building and paths and around the trees. in so many ways, it is just such a tough life for children/ young adults here. the three of us talked about it at dinner the night before, and we just cannot even imagine it. i count my blessings and my privileges each and every day. students were also digging holes along the path. later as much of form 1 was outside during the day, i learned why. the environment master was having them to plant ‘flowers’ (just green bushes). however, he had created a little map with all the holes that were dug and the name of the student who planted in that hole. he told me that all students whose flower does not make it/ grow/ survive would be beaten. It was both extremely sad but also neat to see how much effort the students were putting into the work. and man, did they do some great work! i guess now would be a good time to say that ‘planting’ consisted of going to a bush that was already there, breaking a tiny branch off it, and sticking it into a hole. In my less that expert opinion, the chances are already stacked against them. regardless, they were taking such care and pride to make it the best they could. they were fetching water and sticks to make a little protective cage around it. i thought the best i could do for them was to whip out the camera, take endless pictures, and tell each and every one of them that i thought they did a great job.
thursday they called an afternoon parade. the main purpose was to call a form 2 boy to the front and make an example of him. apparently on wednesday many students were late to school and they were called into the staff room to be punished but someone of them escaped. this was one of the ones who escaped and they went on and on about making him an example and how all students need to be on time. i was expecting a mass beating but he only got 3 AND a 3 week suspension from school. ombeni is the second discipline master and i definitely gave my opinion that i thought that 3 weeks was a really long time and that it was sad that he would not be able to learn for 3 weeks. no shame.
titles here are so important. it is apparent throughout their culture. unfortunately, teachers fall towards the bottom of that ranking. regardless, even at school the teachers are very proud of any title that can throw at you. discipline master, senior academic master, social chairman, school matron, etc. well in the staff room i always sit beside ombeni. he is the second or assistant discipline master. well one day, he turned to me and said ‘ ummmmmmm…… kassie. i will be leaving. even me, i am not interested in separating myself from the teachers but i am the assistant discipline master so i will go.” mmmmmkay. whatever. hasta la vista. basically this just meant that now he and the discipline master will share an office and not sit with the teachers.
i havent really wrote much about it here but there are elements of this culture that are definitely very mocking. again it is very much based on ranking and title and comes from the top - down. this is maybe a somewhat gentle attempt at saying that teachers are frequently mocking the students and of course making them do every little thing for them. the mocking, i believe, is similar to the stick in that it can be used as a power trip for the teachers. however, i think it is potentially even more degrading and hurtful. now this is obviously from an outsides perspective so it may not be the same for the students but i just dont see how it cant get into their heads and make them think less of themselves. it is so sad. they will say how students are not smart or ready to learn and have a student right there saying ‘students like this one’. students are always called ‘you’ or ‘wewe’ or just told to ‘njoo’ (come) with the head gesture. they have to kneel down in front of them and the girls always do a little awkward curtsey. teachers make students move their exercise books for them, do personal errands, and we are always served at break by a few female students.
speaking of being served by the students at break, i get special treatment here and i really dont like it. they are sure to always give me a mug that has a handle on it- most all of them dont. so the students are told to go take a mug from another teacher to give to me if they run out of mugs with handles. i am always served at my seat when other teachers go to get their sometimes. i just hate that they are treating me this way because i am white. and i am from america. in no way do i think i am better than then. i mean i came here to live with them, like them, not to be treated differently or specially. i know it is strictly out of respect and from a good place in their heart but sometimes it does get a little awkward.
friday was another crazy eventful day! friday morning i went to stream b. it was a very dark, cloudy day. even on the drive, mahumi said it has not decided if it wants to rain or not. well, it was a decent class. we finished up quadratic and i felt good about their understanding. i began polynomial functions and just got to the very basics. i could tell i was starting to lose them and i had been in there for my time when all of the sudden the bottom just dropped out. it was honestly amazing. and i was stuck in the classroom and not the workroom! for a little while i was walking around helping students with any individual questions they had. then the rain coming in the class through the windows and everyone on the right side of the room got up and shifted their desk or chair as far to the left and the other crowd of 30 students could allow. that was the end of any math productivity and the beginning of a good time with the kiddos. i enjoyed watching the rain. and their terrified/ ducking reaction to any thunder was great. It didn't take long until we had a muddy river cutting its way through the path in front of us. i wandered in the class and out on the porch. students kept directing me toward a dry seat and asking me where my sweater was. they were all freezing! they get cold so easily here. the longer i was around, the braver they got. i had two girls come stand directly beside me- like touching me. and every single thing i did, one of the girls did. it was pretty hilarious. she touched my toes and was asking about the last remaining bits of my nail polish. students are obsessed with watches and are constantly asking for my watch. there were so many other random questions… some about america. about how the ocean waves work. oh and some the day before about menstration and dna and the offspring of someone who is tall and a dwarf. i was told i was tall like adam and eve. and then…. the question about touching my hair. once i gave one girl the okay, i immediately had 10 hands on my head. they were telling me how soft it was. the girls were motioning that they wanted some on their heads. they braided my pony tail and lost it when i took it out of the pony tail for them. i could tell they were trying to braid my hair like their but lets just say that it didn't work out the same way. they were also constantly tucking my whispies/ fly aways behind my ears. anyways, the rain eventually died down and i made my treacherous trek through the slippery mud back to the work room. i about lost it about 10 times and i am sure that their day/ week/ month/ year/ life would have been made if i would have. for once, i definitely did not hate to disappoint. i think i was one of four teachers that actually taught friday. and no teacher went back to the classroom after the break. one student even same to ask sebastian to teach civics and he straight up told him no because of the rain. he said he would go to class on monday. anyways, i was planning on just going home and then to the school get together that evening. that was until nicessee approached me about going to togas house to welcome his ‘new’ 6 month old baby. there really is no saying no here so of course i went. that required quite the trek again on scary slippery roads and surprising nicessee that i could indeed jump over the gutters along the road. but alas we made it. we got welcomed into the house tanzanian style with sodas (still disturbing to them that i will not drink soda) and lunch. lunch was rice, ugali, mchicha, chicken (so scary), and bananas. eating here is quite the scene. and utensils are definitely optional. you pretty much have to eat ugali with your hands but, yes, even rice gets the hand treatment. you basically grab a handful, roll it around in your hands, and just try to get as many grains in your mouth as you can. anyways, i got to play with ana, the new baby, and she was just as awed by the mzungu that was holding her as everyone else i pass. even though they woke her up from her nap, she was still so incredibly happy and pleasant. it was a very nice afternoon. they gave the wife some money to buy clothes or anything the baby needs and then i got to say a prayer for the baby/ family. it still is highly disturbing how the women are treated here. Toga’s wife worked constantly, getting us drinks, preparing lunch, washing our hands, cleaning up after us, and never sitting down once or having a conversation. Mahumi picked us up and i eventually made it home for a few hours before he picked nick amber and i up to head to my school get together. it was well done, and interesting and fun as always. we got some food and ate mostly in the dark. we had no clue what it was but we know there was some plantains, cabbage (that eva cooked especially for me), chicken, and some stew with probably potatoes and meat in it. yolito. another fun night out on the town for us party animals.
Me and Madame Eva
Me, Nick, Mahumi (headmaster), DEO, Luzoya (second headmaster)
Me and baby Ana
The timetable for fridays school get together. we found it pretty hilarious but typical. and even more typical that we were not even close to those times. Mahumi picked us up at about 7:15 and we were eating after 9.
we have all been so exhausted this week and i cannot even tell you how much we have been looking forward to this weekend and doing nothing. its so great. ready to recharge some batteries!
power was out friday and saturday in the morning, until i mentioned something about if i was at home i would check the box to see if any switches had flipped. i was looking up at the box when nick came over and flipped one and bam electricity. thanks to the simple fix, you now have a blog post!
oh and speaking of house issues, our front door is stuck. nick and i tried our handiness but theres no budging there. i got out the swiss army knife and even the machete and the grass cutter we had in the storage room. i got the plate off the door- already interesting. crazy twisted screws and cardboard between the door and the plate. then a little mechanism like we had never seen. so it was a no go. oh well. at least we have the back door/ courtyard/ gate we can go through. this is africa (TIA).
but no worries about the bat shit. our caulking job last week was a beast. it is so nice!
fyi. lentils tonight! i am pumped. we had vegetable stew and beans for the last four meals. and i think inception is the movie that is showing this weekend. also, i am in the process of trying to document the meals we have. so soon enough you too can have any 1 of our 6 (i think) delicious meals!
laslty, we hope to make it to the serengeti next weekend! we are so excited. and apparently we are only about 2 hours away. who'd a thunk? me, living two hours from the serengeti! Also, feel free to send me emails! i love hearing from everyone at home!!!
