Tanzanian Safari

Jobs People Have

2008-07-14T18:41:00.001-07:00

We read a nonfiction story about jobs people have. The kids really like it. Then we did some brainstorming about other jobs that were not in the book. The kids then had to decide on what job they would like to have. We had a lot of teachers, drivers and nurses. We had a few doctors, a few pilots, and one businessman! This is out of approximately 50 students.

Amon, Nielson, and Patrick working hard on the assignment.

This student wrote I want to be a pastor so I can help people.

Standard 2 Reading

2008-07-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

I brought some really great nonfiction stories that we read and I used them to teach about

table of contents, glossary and index.

I also taught about what every story needs. These are a few of the signs I put

up in their classroom so they can refer back to them. We did attempt to

write a story together using the 1, 2, 3 chart. That was fun and while I was

hoping they might be able to write their own stories I wasn't there long enough

for us to be able to do that. They needed more practice together before they

could attempt to write their own.

The kids really enjoyed the signs we put up in their room and helped me to

decide where the best place for each one would be.

Standard 3 Spelling

2008-07-14T17:30:00.001-07:00

While teaching spelling in Class 3, I thought it would be fun to play a few spelling games. The kids really enjoyed playing games to practice spelling their words. It got pretty loud at times but I didn't get any complaints from other classrooms so I think we were ok!

Nursery School

2008-07-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

The nursery school is in town. My bus would always go there in the morning and come back in the afternoon. One day I hopped off the bus to get a few pics of the adorable kids as they were waiting for everyone to arrive and class to begin.

This is Teacher Zena. She is really great and I found out that her son is

in Std. 3. I didn't know that until the last week I was there! All along

I had had him in my spelling class. I also had Teacher Margaret's twin girls

in my spelling class.

Waiting for all their classmates to arrive before going into the

classrooms. There are 4 classes at nursery school: toddlers, beginners,

intermediate, and preparatory.

This is my friend Sandra. She would often sit with me on the bus

in the mornings. I think she had just fallen down and was crying

before I took this picture. She is just so cute though I couldn't

resist and had to take an in the moment picture.

A few nursery girls.

Shakey

2008-07-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

This is what I like to call the "shakey" song. I really am not sure what they are saying but it's super cute!

Elephant Elephant

2008-07-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

Class 1 singing the elephant song.

"Elephant elephant. Yes yes yes. Come to the bus. No no no.

Why why why? Because I'm too big, because I'm too big..."

Class 1

2008-07-11T13:56:00.000-07:00

On occasion, when I wasn't teaching or preparing for class, I liked to head into the other classes to observe. One of my favorite classes to visit was Class 1. They are so adorable and there are so many of them. Especially when the two sections are combined into one classroom for the day (or a few days). They sing songs that I love to hear and really enjoy when I come in to visit (students and teachers both).

Look closely at the board and remember this is math for class 1.

Do you see it? Multiplication and Division! And they can do it. I know because

I corrected their exercise books:)

Sharpening pencils. Most of the classes have small razors they use

to sharpen their pencils...no pencil sharpeners on the walls in these

classrooms. These kids are too young to have razors so their teachers

Joyce and Josephine have to sharpen pencils. I don't know how many

times a day there are kids lined up for their pencil to be sharpened.

This day the two sections of standard 1 were combined in one

classroom. There were lots of kids in there!

Working hard to complete the morning math assignment.

If you look closely you can see the groups she has made to find

the answers to the problems.

Making Chapati

2008-07-05T00:58:00.000-07:00

Destinee and me rolling the dough.

Working intently.

Mabo showed us how to make the chapati. They were

excellent! We ate them warm with tea.

Where I've Been Working

2008-07-03T02:07:00.000-07:00

The center of the classrooms. The building is currently

in a U shape.

Here is a view as you drive into the schoolyard. The main

building has classrooms for standards 4-7.

Classrooms for the standard 2 classes.

Across the yard are the classrooms for standard 1 and 3.

Where I've Been Staying

2008-06-30T07:10:00.000-07:00

The high security gate with really pretty flowers.

Our kitchen.

The living room and dining room behind.

My bedroom, complete with mosquito net!

Our lovely home.

I've been living in this house for 4 weeks. It is owned by Selian Hospital. Usually people who come to work at Selian live here but since I know Mark and Linda I was fortunate enough to be able to stay here. I've been living with Jono and Destinee, a young couple from New Zealand (we like to call them the Kiwis!), since I moved in. Also for these last two weeks another young couple from the states, Zac and Hannah, have moved in until their house is finished. They are here for 3 years and will be working with the Younglife program in the international schools.

Riding the Bus

2008-06-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

Loading the bus in the afternoon.

We can get many kids on one bus. This adorable

girl is named Frida, she is one of my students.

Zawadi. My favorite bus driver. He even waits for me

in the morning if I don't quite get to the bus on time!

Frida, Matt and Antony.

Me with Josephine. She is one of the cooks at the school.

My morning seat partners most days. Sandra and Carol.

They get off at the nursery school so we only have a

short drive together.

In Africa there is not a capacity number for how many

children can be on a bus!

Computers!

2008-06-26T11:27:00.001-07:00

When our group was here they brought over some computers for St. Margaret's. Matt and I have been working with the teachers to teach them how to run the programs and such. What we have come to find out though is some of the teachers know much more than we do! Especially with Microsoft Excel.

The best day though was the day that we finally were able to hand each of the teachers a computer and bag to take home so they can do lesson plans and exams. They were so excited and grateful. I think it will be really great for them to have the use of a computer. Now we just need to get internet at the school.....

Muddy Roads

2008-06-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

I strongly dislike muddy roads. I can handle my 20 minute walk to the bus in the morning when the road is dry, but when it's muddy...ick! It's actually quite amazing I haven't fallen down again. Lately it has been raining overnight and even a little bit still in the morning. So I walk down the road holding my umbrella, and carefully carefully watch my stop. Pole pole (slowly) I go. This past Monday was really bad. I was late for the bus because it took me so long to get down the road. I'm not sure how long they waited but thank goodness they did. I even said that day to Doreen when I finally got to the bus, "today I don't like Africa!" haha.

Sports and Games on Fridays!

2008-06-22T03:00:00.001-07:00

We brought out the new frisbees for the kids. Here

George and Patrick are showing them off.

Buddies.

Lovely ladies from Std. 1 just hanging out and looking cute.

Here we have the official soccer game happening.

It was Northfield vs. St. Margaret's. I'm not sure who won.

Playing some sort of game they made up.

New bubbles too! Pretty sure we used them all up

that afternoon.

Week One

2008-06-22T02:11:00.000-07:00

After saying goodbye to the group, I moved into a house in Ilboru that is owned by Selian. It took a couple of days to adjust to a quieter lifestyle without 16 other people always around. It's a complicated feeling when you're family leaves you in a foreign country after having spent two weeks touring with them. However, I was able to adjust within a few days and I'm doing great now.

My first day at St. Margaret's Mama Tesha came to pick me up at 7 in the morning. We headed to the nursery school, which is always the first stop, and then on to Kisongo to the primary school. I'm very thankful to have a fellow American and Minnesota by the name of Matt at St. Margaret's at the same time. It's nice to have someone who always understands what you're saying! We didn't do too much the first day, just kind of got acquinted with the teachers and students. We discussed what each of us would be teaching. I am teaching Standard 2 reading and Standard 3 spelling. That afternoon we went back into town to run a few errands (or so we thought) but ended up staying at the nursery school the entire afternoon. At 3:40 when the buses arrived I boarded the bus I would be riding to head back to my house. Doreen (one of the teachers and a good friend of mine) is on the same bus which is great so she walked me back to my gate.

Tuesday I woke up at 6, left the house by 6:40 and walked down the dirt road to the paved road to meet the bus by 7. As I walked down the street for the first time alone, I was greeted by many people along the road, laughed at the chickens running all over, and thought to myself this is something new! I made it to the bus on time which was my first triumph and then settled in for the ride to Kisongo. After making the routine bus stops, we go to the nursery school to drop some kids and pick up a few more. We probably wait about 15-20 minutes there and then drive out to the primary school. All in all it takes at least an hour to get to the school everyday. It's quite the commute!

I went to my first class that day and quickly realized that Tanzanian students do not fit the stereotype I had given them. They are not perfect students! They're kids! They like to talk and they like to fiddle with things by their desks. So I had to change my teaching mindset back to what it would be in the states. I even had to get on some on the kids!

As the week continued and I started actually teaching I came to a fast realization that everything I had been taught in school, all of those awesome teaching strategies, had to be thrown out the window. Due to the lack of resources the teaching is pretty basic. While I would love to try and implement some of the strategies I have used, it would be incredibly difficult because they really have very little past the chalkboard, their exercise books, and a pen or pencil. The teacher teaches the lesson and writes notes on the chalkboard as they go. When they finish, the students copy the notes from the chalkboard into their excercise books and then copy the homework. I have never had to write an entire lesson out on a chalkboard. The other problem I have encountered is that I'm too short to reach the top of the board! So I have to jump to reach the top if I'm erasing something!

To wrap up my first week I have to tell a funny story. That Thursday I was walking down the road to meet the bus. I was almost to the end of the road, seriously, so close...I slipped on a wet spot, lost my balance, tried very hard to catch myself, but continued to fall until I was on the ground on my knees! A lady passing by grabbed the back of my skirt and yanked me up. A few of my students were walking nearby and one came over and said "sorry teacher, sorry teacher." That was cute. When I got to the end of the road I told Doreen what happened. We were examiniing my knees to find they had been scaped pretty badly and one was bleeding. Lucky for me I had a small first aid kit in my backpack and was able to clean my wounds. I kind of felt like a small child running down the street and then boom! they're flat on their face. However, I'm not a small child and I certainly wasn't running...those of you who know me well know that I don't run!

St. Margaret's Program

2008-06-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

Blessing the new dining hall at St. Margaret's.

It's still under construction but it now has a roof! The

children were able to enter and have their lunch in there

for the first time that day. Kidogo kidogo (little by little)

and it will get done so they can eat their lunch there everyday

instead of outside in the sun.

The Education Song is one of our favorites! "Education is the key to the life,

education is the key to the life. No working, no working without the education..."

Standard V and VI children singing and dancing for us.

Here are the young ones doing traditional Ngoma

(singing and dancing). They were really funny and super cute.

What a treat!

These two were so gosh darn funny. We were all laughing so hard!

Ah, the fashion show. The children dress us as people from

around the world. This is quite comical too. These two are

from Rome...notice the Pope's red tennis shoes! My dad thought

that was hilarious!

Selian Hospital

2008-06-19T08:42:00.001-07:00

Here is the new Selian Hospital. We had the opportunity to

tour it and it's incredible. They have come a long way since the last

time I saw it in '06. Soon they should be ready to open their doors

and start taking patients.

Nice hospital bed!

This is the center courtyard. All of those rooms will look out

over the beautiful couryard.

The hospital chapel with amazing stainglass windows.

Tarangire

2008-06-17T11:18:00.001-07:00

A male impala.

Baboon with her young baby.

Road block! Baboons everywhere.

We almost passed by this elephant because it was hiding

behind a large bush. He was not too happy to see us and trumpeted.

at us.

Following the trumpet, he almost charged us which was

really cool and quite scary at the same time. It allowed for

this really close shot though!

While we were hunting for simba Charlie decided to turn around.

Obviously that didn't work out so well for them...they got stuck!

And there were some angry elephant not too far away. Lucky for

them our rover came to the rescue and pushed them out. Daudi actually

did all the work but Sarah, Tommy, and myself were cheering him on!

This was a really fun safari! Over our three days we stayed at the Ngorogoro Sopa Lodge which was absolutely incredible. The showers there were amazing! Best shower I've ever had in Tanzania, hands down! We also spent a night at the Tarangire Safari Lodge which is always an experience because we stay in bandas. Basically it's a delux tent with a bathroom attached. Our group of 7 had a fun, relaxing few days though and enjoyed the company of each other and our new friends Charlie and Daudi!

Lake Manyara

2008-06-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

Finally we see my favorite animals, twiga! And

extra special is the two-headed twiga....

Daudi's passengers (the rover that followed the other one).

A nice pic with Lake Manyara in the background.

This was my first trip to Lake Manyara and I really enjoyed it.

It was kind of like driving through a jungle and there were little

streams all over which were really pretty.

We watched this elephant for awhile and he came and passed

directly behind us. Really cool!

These guys were following the first but stopped because some

other rovers came up behind us and blocked the path of the leader.

Daudi said that they follow exact path the head male makes unless

something gets in the way.

Hippo Pond!

You forget just how big they actually are until they

decide to stand up and switch location. Wow, they're huge!

Ngorogoro Crater

2008-06-16T09:54:00.001-07:00

Our sweet land rover next to a very large fig tree.

Charlie and Daudi, our fabulous drivers, preparing

a picnic lunch for us on the rim of the crater. Complete

with PB&Js...an extra special treat!

Sarah and I on our way into the crater. Always one of

my favorite parts.

This tembo was spotted before we even had our picnic.

It was quite close to us.

Love the pundamalea (zebra).

A baby hyiena taking a nap under a nice rock.

Ngorogoro is one of the best places to go on safari. We saw elephants, zebras, wildebeasts, cape buffalo, hyienas, ostrich, hippos, and many birds. Sadly this time we did not encounter any simba (lion). Apparently they didn't feel like gracing us with their presence...even though their are 5 prides with about 15 lions in each! Maybe next time:)

Flying North

2008-06-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

The trip north is always an adventure. We fly in a 12 passenger plane. Personally, I think it's a blast but others get a bit frightened by such a small plane. It was beautiful day though and the view of God's creation was amazing from above! We landed in the Ngorogoro Crater and as we approached the landing strip there were zebras right where we needed to land. Watching them run was the coolest thing. We had to scare them off the strip and then come around again to land. But we landed safely and continued on for our 3 days of safari.

A traditional Massai boma (family village).

Watoto (children) at Kilolo

2008-06-14T07:04:00.001-07:00

The children are always my favorite part!

These lovely ladies are my friends Rusy and Mwaneisha.

I have pictures of them from my first trip to Kilolo in

2004, my second in 2006, and now my third!

Many children carry their younger siblings
on their backs.

So adorable!

Pics from Iringa

2008-06-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

Waiting for our transportation to arrive.

Dad, Mom, myself and Elise at Tumaini University.

A warm welcome to a preaching point at Kilolo Parish.

The main parish at Kilolo.

Internet...really?!?

2008-06-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

Wow! So I thought this blog thing would be awesome. Turns out it's a pretty hard thing to do if you don't have internet access. While there is internet here in Arusha it often is quite slow and takes a few days to get turned on (as is my case). But now that I have it, I hope to update this more frequently.

I'm just about half way through my trip already. The first two weeks were really great with our group of 17. We spent time in Iringa visiting Tumaini University and Kilolo Parish while staying at the new and very lovely Lutheran Center. Tumaini is growing and growing and such a beautiful campus. My good friend Sarah was along on this trip and imagine our shock when we found out one of our college professors was teaching at Tumaini. We tracked her down and had a great time catching up. How incredible to be reunited with someone from Augie and have the location be Iringa, TZ!

Kilolo was an experience as always. The two hour ride up the mountain on a very bumpy rode (you have no idea if you've never experienced African rodes...seriously) was not so great but the welcome was one for the books! This was my third time at Kilolo and I'm always amazed to see the growth. And of course the people are very hospitable and grateful for everything we have provided for them. A truly humbling experience it was.