Teaching in Tanzania

So yes, I am teaching again, and it is going really well. I am enjoying the kids for the most part, but try to stick with either the little little ones (2-4) or the older ones (10-15) as the middle ones have a limited knowledge of English and don't always know what I am saying. Since the preferred methods of discipline are big threats ("you are doomed") and beatings with a stick, I am REALLY not into disciplining here, even less so than I ever was at home or in England.

I am also enjoying working with the teachers to help them out - I guess I do have some teaching knowledge to make things easier and more interesting for everyone - just fresh ideas maybe from what they have. The teachers here basically come out of high school, do two year diploma (I have no idea if they actually learn pedagogy) and that's it. So they might be like 21 or so when they start. Bizarre.

I am teaching English (hard to remember grammar concepts!!), French (really fun!) and Science (hard to do with limited, and I mean limited, resources).

The school is private, so families pay about $300 US a year per kid, which is a LOT here. Yet, there are no lights, no books, scarce pencils, "rubbers" (out of the gutter), and few posters to look at. The Director is looking to build a new modern school outside of the city. More on that later.

The classrooms are "lit" through natural light and each one seats about 20 kids. To get to many of the classrooms, you have to walk through another one, interrupting that lesson.

Surprisingly (or due to discpln strats) the kids at my school are quite well behaved. Like home, you can tell which ones are acting up b/c they are bored.

Teaching French is funny b/c I have to explain/support in English, which is still their foreign language! And I forget, when I say something like "cuisiner means to cook" and they look at me blankly. OOh, what is the Swahili work for cook? OH yeah, well, chakula is food, something like that.

I am taking Kiswahili lessons here, and trying but since the school and my home life is in English it is not working as well as I had hoped. I know the common greetings, which will impress the average Tanzanian, but when it comes to much more, I scrounge for my little dictionary, like a true Mzungu.

Mzungu is the Kiswahili word for foreigner - I think I wrote about it before. I get called that about 20 times a day. It's as if you were walking down the street at home, saw someone Black or from China, and shouted out "Hey Blackperson! Hey Chinalady!" Quite bizarre but totally normal here.

The best is when little kids, soooo adorable (my suitcase IS big enough...), say Mzungu! wave hysterically, and when you say hi and wave back, they LOVE it!! They laugh and cheer! It is really cute. And if you shake their hand, they nearly swoon.

There are Maasai wandering everywhere. They wear old bits of tire for shoes, very resourceful. i really wish I had brought a copy of The White Maasai to share with the other volunteer women here. I might be able to find it in the store here yet. I am glad I read it though even though that crazy woman was, well crazy!

Many people in the house are lovely. There are of course a few who have still come to Africa with hair straighteners, tons of makeup, etc. Not sure what their plans are, and not to say, sure, you can put in some effort, but it is really not necessary. We are already spectacles in our "white" and foreigness. Makeup just makes it more flashy. I have not worn makeup since I got here! HOw liberating!

Also, we tend to go to bed around 10 pm and up at 6am!! Can you believe it - me up everyday at 6am??

Also, I have become a bit of a yoga teacher, leading classes twice a week for 30 min at 615am. Its really nice and good for me to get up and do yoga with others. I will hvae to maintain it when I get home.

I have also been running a few times, but it is hard - between the higher altitude, the smoggy (unfiltered exhaust here) air, and the incessant dust it is a bit of a push on the body, but worth it.

We eat a ToN of carbs here - rice, pasta, WHITE bread (YUCK) but that is the menu at the house. We do go out sometimes, but on a budget eating at home is preferable.

Ok, this is long and I just wanted to catch you up on some of the daily deets you may have been craving.
Once a teacher, always a teacher - a wise woman once said to me.