Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Randomness is my life!

So one of my closest friends (Cammie) told me a while ago that my life is random....suprisingly this random lifestyle has followed me half way across the world! So here is a little update on my life:

Well a week ago I was my house was robbed! Yes, it's true and I was kinda pissed. I didn't even know until I went to start cooking dinner and my freaking bowl of veggies were gone! I thought maybe i put them somewhere else in the house (i mean because no one keeps their food in the kitchen..haha) and discovered that about 40,000 Tsh were also missing. Before you freak out thats about 40 dollars, but here that can buy a whole lot! Anywho, I called my headmaster and he comes over and calls the police. They look at me and say Karibu Tanzania (Welcome to TZ) laugh and leave. Later that evening, 3am to be exact the police starts bamming on my door and yelling in Swahilli. Needless to say I was freaked out because 1) My swahilli is coming along slowly and I had no idea all of what they were saying 2)I go to bed about 9pm and 3)who the hell comes over at 3am anyways?!?!? They solved the case, two boys that live next door to me stole it because they hadn't ate in 4 days and they were starving.... who could be mad at them anymore??? I know I wasnt because they didnt take anything really important and I mean they were starving... Although they did get beat by the police because their is a harsh penalty for theft here....most likely resulting in death...sad.

The same day I was robbed I met this prison guard guy on a motorcycle that was helping me translate what the officers were saying. He seemed pretty nice and he would come over and help me buy things in town and find items that I needed. So the other day he strolls by on his pikipiki (motorcyle) and proceeded to convince me to be his 2nd wife... No he is not Muslim but his rationale was that since the world population was 4 women for every one guy he wanted to share his love so that no woman would go to bed at night lonely...haha, I told him how honorable but I refuse to be a second wife. He told me that he would knocked down his first wife and we can trade places... haha, tempting but I told him that I believe one man, one woman....that's all. He basically said that American women are greedy and need to learn how to share....haha

Funny pick up line that I heard:

Random Guy: You should marry me.
Me: Why?
Random Guy: So you can become a real black person....haha

Yesterday, I was washing my sheets and cleaning up because I had some visitors for the holiday season! I was throwing out some trash and next thing I know I look outside and kids are going through my trash and eating any and everything that is "edible". Needless to say I was shocked and saddend because I know there are starving kids in Africa, but seeing it up-close and personal is hard.... I mean hard! They were eating molded and rotten food and I couldn't bear to watch. I had some left over spaghetti that I made, so I gave it to them...they devored it in like 3 seconds... I mean I know I am not supposed to feed them, but I couldnt just look away..could you? (if you say yes, you dont have a heart) I am a lil nervous about the consequences of that though... because i know they are going to start coming over and asking for food....ugh, i think this is the hardest part about being here.... Yea, the "Feed the Children" commericals are real.....

It doesnt feel like christmas... Christmas time is my favorite holiday of the season. Not because of the commercialism of the day but because people pretend to be nice, happy and caring and everything seems to be right! There's family, freinds, snow and christmas treats! This is my first christmas away and its kinda sad really... I love the snow and christmas movies, songs (Dominique you must play "This Christmas" a ridiculous number of times for me !) and general holiday cheer... I think I may go home for next christmas. They played a few christmas songs on the radio yesterday and I was so happy! I do have a small tree and christmas lights ( I couldnt resist) and one of the other volunteers brought his charlie brown christmas cd (Momma I know you would love it!) We were going to concot a Charlie Brown Christmas tree but that would bring more bugs...and I have said before there are many residing in my house as is! haha, I hope everyone has a great holiday season!!!! Luv you all

And someone watch "A christmas story" for me.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Little trip to Mgori

So I was freaking out last week, I dont really know why I was so lonely and was about to go insane and not being able to buy a pineapple last week( because of some Muslim Holiday) was about to send me over the edge. I started tearying up and got all depressed... I thought about going home then and there! I kid you not it was sad.... so I ventured to another volunteers site for a bit to try to regain my sanity. She lives in this little itty bitty village called Mgori and it is so different from my site. The are only a few people there and everyone seems so nice, I even got an Muslim name because my name is too hard to say for Tanzanians.... So my new name in Swahilli is Asha... kinda cut huh? We did so many things while we were there.... like we went on this little hike to see these "so-called" ancient drawings and when we got to the top, I feel like I was in the Lion King movie, the part where the dad holds up Simba and the "Circle of Life" song comes on... needless to say it was an amazing veiw! We also tried sugar cane, it was a very interesting thing to try, cuz if you never had it it's basically this branch-like thing that you chew on to get all the tasty sugary substance. It was difficult to eat though because I thought my teeth were going to crack in half... needless to say this was a once in a lifetime experience. Never Again, but it was cool to try once, I love my pearly whites too much! Also we made a pineapple upside down cake using a charcoal jiko. It was so exciting I had no idea that you can bake on it. It's so crazy that I am starting to have the most crazy food cravings...I've never realized how much dairy products we as Americans consume, until I came here and there are no dairy products in site... I NEED CHEESE!!! haha, what I would give for a nice cold glass of milk and some chedder cheese. It's ridiculous some of the food cravings I have.... screw all this healthy good for you crap, I want my processed, artifically flavored, tastey food that I so enjoy...haha, They say all Peace Corps Volunteers conversations revolve around food, sex and poop! I dont know about the the latter, but everytime I see another volunteer we end up talking about all the delicious fooods in the US...it's sad really. But I guess it'll be there when I go back...haha.

Sorry back to my adventures in Mgori. Most of the people in the village are Muslim so we ended up going to Mosque with one of the Volunteers Mommas ( In Tanzania there are different kinds of mommas to get...it's a good thing to have many. Now I have a carrot momma, a tailor momma and a green pepper and tomato momma). It was such an exciting experience, I got all dressed up, rocking the head wrap and the kitenge around the waist. Side note: the kitenge - like a big piece of fabric that has many different purposes (i.e head wrap, waist wrap, used to carry babies (or made into a purse), used to make clothes and to filter water). Any ways, it's was an Awesome experience to go to the Mosque, and I think the Muslim religion is very interesting, although I dont know if I could convert? Also we ended up challenging these two guys to a game of pool ( and if you know me my talents for pool are practically non-existent) and it seemed as if all the males in the village came to watch. It was sad... there were like atleast 30 men watching the other volunteer and I playing pool. It was so embarrassing because needless to say we lost (2-1) but I was later told that we were the first women to ever play pool on that table. It's so weird because the guys play all hours of the day, while the women work. I admire the women here so much, they are really what Alicia Keys talks about in her song ( Superwoman).

So now I am back in town and things are good again. I am going to get a dress made today and go on another ventur to find a water filter ( Mine broke en route to Singida). I hate that i can't find one and the shop that said she would get one for me, I cant find....ARGH... Sometimes things here are so frustrating! Like yesterday I went to the Police station to get the name of the commanding officer and it took like an hour because they had to know where I was from, why I was here (apparently I am not American... I can't be!) and why didnt I have a man escort me to the Police station because I am encapable of being understood. I mean I know my swahilli is barely there but UGH!!! And today I had to go to the immigration office and they were telling me that I am not an American and that I need something to prove that I was ( the copy of my passport wasn't cutting it for them!) I even tried to use the example of Barack Obama and they still didnt believe there were black people in the US! This country pisses me off sometimes.... but I guess everyone goes through it, I just need to suck it up! Well, I guess this is enough randomness venting for now... I'm sure this isnt the most exciting thing to read...haha

Sidenote... I am so sad to learn that one of the people in our class left already. I talked to her before we got here and it was shocking that she decided to go back home... I guess for each it's own. Wish her much luck back in the US! (And eat many good foods for me!!!)

Happy holidays to all! And send me some MAIL!!! I'm Lonely here!!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Picture time!

I guess it's about time for some pics... These are kinda old (from training) but I guess it's better than never! haha...I'm on African time (that's my excuse and I am sticking to it!)
These are random and in no order whatsoever...hope you enjoy!


Me and my host momma and sister at the swearing in ceremony.

Me and my host brother! ( I am so happy that he is moving here for school...yay! (don't worry grandma he is only 16 :-)


Graduation Ceremony with two other volunteers that I talked to before training.

Election day.... We just found out that Barack won... peep the drinks on the table... who cares that it was only 7 am by that time....we were gone...haha. These are my two homies from my group...they are a mess!



this pic is from Mkumi safari that we went on... I put it up just for Kita... I know how much she likes twigas.






This is a pic of my house.... BAdd Imageallin!!! haha


Oh yeah send me some mail!!! My new address is :

PO BOX 288
Singida, Tanzania


Hanging out in Moshi with some other volunteers!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Life in the desert

Training is finally over!! Thank God! Not that I disliked training but I am glad to get away from being treated like a child and like I am incompetent! So I moved to my site I think three days ago and I am beginning to like it. It took 14 hours on a crammed bus to get here, but I was really grateful because it wasn't hot that day. We arrived in the evening and my headmaster suggested that it would be better that I stay in a hotel that night. So that was my last night of a nice warm shower... I moved into my house that next morning and what a pig sty it was. I was glad that I was replacing another volunteer and didnt have to start from scratch, but this place had so much crap in it and looked like it hadn't been cleaned for months.... So I started sweeping the layers of dust from the house and I came across the biggest lizard I ever seen! I started freaking out, I know lizards dont bite but I dont want them(yes i said them because I have found atleast 10 so far taking up residence) living in the house. A student comes over to see what the fuss was about and I tried to tell him to take it outside, so he beats it with a broom and it's all over. Not what I had in mind but Tanzanians don't let stuff go... it's either dead or alive...only one way out!



So the town I live in is quite nice! I can walk from my house to town in about 20mins. I have everything I need here: internet, post office, western item selling shop, and major sokoni (market for produce and other items). I live at the school and compared to other volunteers the mass quantity of lizards and the largest cockroaches that I ever saw in my life who randomly appear are mere child's play to other volunteers that battle scorpions and other scary creatures at their homes. I dont have any direct neigbors but if I walk to the other side of the school there are some wives of a few of the teachers that live near by. I went to visit them yesterday to get out and about and it was very akward because I dont know swahili and they dont know english... we could have a basic conversation and after that it would be over and we would just look at each other. I have met a few cool people here thus far, like the teacher that shows me around and the owner of the internet cafe that I usually go to. People for the most part are nice and decent except for the people in the sokoni that try to charge you 5 times the normal price since you arent Tanzanian.... freaking BS!!! I dont understand...it irritates me so much! Anyways, I met some of the students and they are suprised that I am American and that I am my age. Everyone thinks I am about 15 or 16 and that I am from a different part of Africa...haha

Things are good. I have gotten my PO Box number let me know if you want it! I hope everyone had a good thanksgiving and will be enjoying the christmas season! Love you all!