One Month

Tomorrow, Nov. 1, will be my one-month mark here in Dar. In some ways it's come fast, in other ways... well, not so much. To be quite honest, it's like, it's only been a month? But in the next moment I can think, I've been here a month! Strange. It really is. I'm excited to reach this milestone, however, because things can only start to get regular from here. Of course I'll still be going through all the normal ups and downs of transitioning and living abroad (although the transition never really ends), but at least I feel like I'm on my way to living life here.

One major aspect of that will be moving into the second house next Saturday. (God willing.) There are still a ton of items that are nonexistent in the house that qualify it as "unfurnished" or "unliveable," but Erin and the girls and I are praying and planning to push through all that this week. We still need things like a water filter, light bulbs, screens fixed, fuses fixed... just to name a few. Oh, I could go on, but it's unfortunate and not interesting, so I will move along.

This week was our first week back to school since our last day on Oct. 13. Midterm break was long, but good. Unfortunately, the break has sort of mashed my transitions into living/teaching here. Two weeks of school and I was starting to get into the groove (as best as can be expected), but then almost two weeks off put that into a slump. Now, after all that time off, I'm starting adjusting all over again. I'm excited to get a real routine going. I told myself I'd give myself a month before I started a true exercise routine, so I'm actually happy that time is coming up. My posture has actually gotten worse (and I was Slumps McGee before I left), so I'm in need of some yoga stat.

I'm teaching all four grade levels now (9-12), so the curriculum is starting to flow. Should be in full swing by the end of next week. My grade 9 students are quite squirrely, but fun. Last week was my first week with them. Kudos to Heather (English, 6-8) for teaching them up until the break. Lifesaver. One of the best parts of Haven of Peace Academy (HOPAC) is that I am free (and encouraged) to take on anything I want. So far I've mulled over doing a student publication (journalism), a creative writing club (but a lot more "cool" sounding haha), a drama club/student play, a speech and debate club, and... wait for it... a volleyball club. Athletics, I know. Who knew?! This is the place where I can really build my school involvements for my resume and try things that I might not otherwise try--or have the opportunity to try--back in the States. For the creative writing club, I've already envisioned like a poetry reading night (but more than just poetry) where a few student musicians can provide music and the art department (along with the photography club) can showcase student artwork. Can you say interdepartmental? :) I'm excited.

So far I've reached out via email to about four nonprofits in Dar. I really hope to volunteer my time and become involved in a women's issues project (maybe health related) while here. I want to take a step out of my "education" box and learn and experience a different cause that I can be passionate about. I think it would be especially good for me depending on what I eventually earn my master's degree in. (Right now leaning toward international comparative education... or something similar/internationally skewed.) I haven't heard back from any of them yet, so I might just have to go do some door-to-door cold calls. One problem, however, is that almost all addresses in Dar are P.O. boxes, so it's quite difficult to actually know where the offices are. One I found just down the street from me; I discovered it on a walk one day and memorized it's name and Googled it when I got home. Magdala does microcredit stuff for women and women with disabilities. Although I haven't reached out to it yet, Camfed Tanzania is also not too far from where I live on this side of Dar. (Location is SO important, as I have to consider time as well as transportation costs.) My dream job is to work for Camfed. (Its U.S.A. office is in San Francisco; yay West Coast representin'!) It's my favorite nonprofit and I hope that maybe it's "a God thing" that the Camfed Tanzania office is fairly nearby (aka location: commutable). Need to pick a day and find a friend who will go with me on these cold calls. Prayers for volunteer opportunities please!

Yesterday morning, Saturday, I went with Marie to William's village. William is the head of janitorial at HOPAC. Marie drove the bajaj with only a little help from her friend and bajaj driving teacher Abedy. I was so proud of her! Those bumpy dirt roads can be monstrous to manuvre, I can imagine. We got there after about 30 to 45 minutes (we took a little bit longer route so she could practice her driving) and it was a great ride. It felt AMAZING to get out and see more rural aka off the main street people and villages. It felt like I was up by Tengeru and Nkoaranga (by Arusha) again. I felt like I was REALLY in Africa. Loved it. We arrived at a little church and were greeted by William and about four little kids. Marie and William (a great English-Swahili translator, btw) read the kids Jesus' story of the shepherds and the lost lamb. Then we rocked our crayons and colored lambs that Marie had printed out. She had even brought little cotton balls to stretch out and glue to parts of the lambs to make them soft. :) She's so awesome. After that we tried to sing a little, but the language barrier made it more amusing (confusing? LOL) than successful.

We went outside and played a catepillar race game with two lines/teams. (Basically they had to stand in a single-file line and have their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. They then had to jump together toward the finish line without letting go of their teammates' shoulders.) They picked their own team names: Njano (yellow) and Simba (lion). They were so still, quiet and attentive during instructions, but once the race started they were all energy, giggles and smiles. It was adorable and completely awesome. As we did race after race between the two lines/teams, more and more kids from the village started coming over. I think by the end of the morning we had about 15 kids there. (Remember, there were only three when we first arrived.) I look forward to ministering to those little kids in William's rural village every Saturday morning. It's a fun and rewarding time to just show Love.

Friday night I found myself at the first wYLdlife meet-up of the school year. wYLdlife is the middle school youth group put on by YoungLife, a Christian missions agency that focuses on youth. Each "club" (what the youth group is called) has a theme, and the theme for this first gathering was Dala-dala. Dala-dalas are like small city buses that people get jam packed into. It's insane and totally Africa. The kids painted a mural of a dala-dala on the side of a wall at the Larmeys (the home where it's held) and we sang silly dala-dala-themed songs, i.e. "Swing Low, Sweet Dala-Dala." Some lyrics included "I went to Mwenge and what did I see? A goat and a chicken sitting next to me." LOL In fact, we had an empty dala-dala come and we packed all the middle schoolers in there, along with a goat (who jumped out quickly) and a chicken. When they exited, we counted 44 kids we had packed in there. (This particular dala-dala was about a little bigger than a 15-passenger van.) Hahaha It was hilarious. One leader said he put his face up to the open side window of the dala-dala and could feel the heat radiating out of it. Haha

The highlight of the entertainment for the night had to be the skit in which two senior boys pretended to be dala-dala drivers. The short version of it goes like this: The dala-dala driver complains and explains how he works so hard. Long hours, no breaks, tons of heat. Because he gets so hot driving with all those people and sweating in the sun, deodorant just doesn't cut it. What to do? He found a solution: peanut butter. [He proceeds to slop TZ peanut butter all over both armpits; he's wearing a sleeveless shirt.] His next problem is, because he sweats so much, he can never style his hair right. What to do? Well, he found a solution to that too: orange jam. [He proceeds to style a bunch of orange jam into his hair.] One of the drawbacks of being a dala-dala driver is not being able to stop for lunch. Well, being on the go all day, he just brings a chapati (like a thicker tortilla). But you never eat a chapati plain. He's got a solution! [He proceeds to wipe the chapati under his armpits really good to get a lot of the peanut butter. Then he wipes it all over his head to get the orange jam. He folds his chapati in half and takes a few good bites out of it.] Delicious. But of course if you eat a chapati you're going to be thirsty. No problem, he figured out how to handle that. You see, you keep a sponge tucked into your shirt at the nape of your neck, so that it collects all your sweat. [He proceeds to take the sponge from behind his neck and squeeze it's liquid into his mouth.] THE END. The skit was SO gross and SO awesome. Best. Thing. Ever! Oh, middle school youth group ministry, how I do love thee.

Looking forward to school tomorrow. Should go work on a "Jane Eyre" activity now. I have a meeting to go to tonight at another house on the compound. The meeting's for PEACH (Partnership for the Encouragement and Advancement of Comfortable Housing). LOL Lots of moving stuff going on (not just me and my house), so it's about that stuff. Today is Election day in TZ, so we have all laid low. Marie made an abundant and delicious lunch for everyone today. What a blessing.

Until next time, please keep me in your prayers. Prayers for a good move to the new house and support for housing issues; prayers for my health (the tummyache lasted about 9 days, but has since ceased); prayers for adjusting to life in Dar and emotions that come with it. Praise for Skype! And THANK YOU to everyone who has emailed me. Your contact means so much.

Lots of love,

L

PS: Happy Halloween! Hope someone carved a pumpkin for me. ;)

Photo Post: Fabrics!

The Wednesday and Friday of midterm break took me to Kariakoo and the downtown fabric market. Here are my purchases!

Don't know what I'll use this for yet. Maybe a skirt. Or curtains for the living room. The print is horizontal.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this fabric. It's my favorite. I'll have it made into a dress.

I'm going to keep this khanga as a khanga, which means I'll use it as a wrap skirt and different ways.



Another print for a khanga!




I want to try to figure out how to make this work as a bedspread/bed covering.



This fabric is actually quite burgundy, a deeper purple than in the photo. This is to line my curtains...

My curtain fabric!!!!! LOVE. Haven't seen the print anywhere else. Only in one duka (shop) in all of Dar so far.



An upclose photo of my curtain fabric print. The "white" is actually washed out gold from the flash.



I decided my room's color scheme will be purple, orange and gold. Maybe some reds, but probably not.

L

Photo Post: Road to School

Here are four photos from the roof of the first house. It's the road I walk to school.

 



 Bagamoyo Road and Silver Sands Road make a Y here. In this photo the Y is upside down. You can see the green roofs of the school's buildings

  




 I walk in the dirt on the sides of the road every day. Bajaj drivers sometimes drive on the dirt although not usually on this road.

  
 



The people you see huddled around are waiting for the dala-dala or they are motorcycle drivers waiting to give someone a lift. You can see a guy rolling a tire, and there is a hut where a guy sells fruit.

  



You can see the white guard house at the school's entrance just above the second dala-dala from the right. PS: Notice the people crammed into the dalas.

 
And here are two photos of the second house.

The house Erin and I will be moving into soon.

Here you can see the front door, the corner windows to the downstairs dining room, the upstairs living room window, and the upstairs extra dining room (?) window (far right). To the right is a single carport area.

Go Cherish Inspire

Last night I met up with six women who had just seen "Eat Pray Love" at the movies. I had been invited to see it, too, but declined with the arrangement that I would meet up with them afterward to join them for dinner. I have absolutely no desire to see that film. In fact, many who know me back home know that I've been badmouthing that movie for awhile. My reasoning is solid, too. (Don't get me started!) To have gone to see it for the sake of getting out of the house would have been totally hypocritical. And, probably painful. So, I met up with them once the credits rolled.

At dinner, at an incredible nice Italian restaurant called Ristorante Bella Napoli over near Oysterbay, Dyan suggested we each come up with three words and three locations of our own; a personalized "Eat Pray Love." It was a great idea as I was new to the group and most of the other girls had only met once or twice before. We all took a few minutes to ponder our words and worldly places. Finally, I came up with mine: "Go Cherish Inspire."

I'm sure I could have come up with a stronger verb than "go" (that's the editor in me), but there is some reasoning behind it. Sometimes when I feel hesitant about something, whether it's doing something or thinking something, a little voice inside me says "just go," kind of like "just do it." Maybe it's sort of like a forced spontaneity coaxing me. I don't know. I certainly associate this kind of "go" with "adventure."  Anyway, I chose "go" and matched it with Costa Rica, although there are several places I could have picked. Since we've met, Dave and I have always talked about going to Costa Rica. He's talked about retiring there. Well, I don't know yet about retirement, but I would love to "go" and use my Spanish (which is coming out quite well here in the land of Swahili) and do a zipline across the rainforest and just live life in Central America for a little while. Vacation or not, I don't know, but that is what I thought of last night.

Surrounded by some well-traveled ladies, I felt a little lame choosing a domestic location for my second word "cherish." But, in my heart it means a lot, so it's OK. I would go back East to Maine with my dad and cherish my time with him touring places special to him and learning about my paternal family history. In June 2009, I was blessed with the opportunity to tour Nebraska, home to half of my maternal heritage. I got to see where my grandmother grew up, where my great-grandmother lived, and where my great-great grandparents are buried. To see the resting place of my great-great grandfather, where I get my Irish from and who came straight from Ireland to the States (and to Nebraska), was a deeply moving experience for me. I hope to someday share an experience like that with my dad and his lineage. I've been to New England many times before, but to go as an adult would really be incredible and much more valuable to me now.

Lastly, my word "inspire" brings me to the present day experience in Tanzania. I've always loved the word and it is one of the reasons I am here in-country today. I was inspired in 2007 after my first visit here, and I have returned because I hope to use my skills, my gifts and my life to inspire my students and those who know me or will meet me. I also believe God will be imparting on me many inspirational experiences that will help me grow closer to Him while I'm here and even after I leave.

So, as lame as "Eat Pray Love" is to me, I guess I indirectly benefitted from it after all, for today I reflect on "Go Cherish Inspire" and am excited for what new words might arise during my time and contemplations here.

L

The First Two Weeks

As I sit here home alone on a Saturday afternoon, having occupied myself for most of the day (it's now about 4:15 p.m.), I guess I should take some time to write about my first two weeks here in Dar es Salaam. I meant to write after the first week, but I really wasn't "all there" yet, so now another week has passed and here I am.

The first few days in-country were quite a blur. Literally. I was very dizzy for the first, I'd say, four days because of dehydration. So, I didn't do that much, but what I did do I was kind of just a zombie. A quiet zombie. I arrived the morning of Friday, Oct. 1, and went from the airport to the school, Haven of Peace Academy. We were in a lot of traffic and I was ill by the time we arrived at school. After sitting for awhile and drinking water, I got a tour around and met a lot of staff and sat and spoke with the secondary vice principal for awhile before going "home" to the staff compound across the street. There I was greeted by Kate and I think I took a nap after that. Anyway, not really interesting details other than I later met my housemates Crystal, Marie and Erin. (Actually, I had met Erin and Crystal at school earlier that day.) That next day, Saturday, I don't remember much, other than my sleep was way out of whack and I was dizzy. Attempted to eat. Had been invited over to the Larmey's (via Dyan), whose children go to HOPAC and whose parents lead YoungLife Africa. We had tacos and I had a nice time, but I was still really out of it and extremely quiet. Mute. Sunday I slept alot and managed to go out with Crystal and Marie to a restaurant after they returned from church. We went to T Square and that's where I had mishkaki for the first time. Yum. I was still out of it and not much company. But, I was glad to get out of the house, despite still having the dizzies.

Monday through the rest of that first week I had only grade 10. We're doing short stories from "Stories of Ourselves." The students are great. Impressive vocabularies so far. I have 22 grade 10 students. By the end of the week, I was really wrapping my head around the IGCSE (International General Certificate Secondary Education) curriculum and also the Cambridge A and AS level curriculum (which I teach for grades 11 and 12). Here's what I'll be teaching this year:

Grade 9 & Grade 10: "Death of a Salesman" (Arthur Miller play, a review for them), "Stories of Ourselves" (10 short stories), "Songs of Ourselves" (14 poems), "Romeo and Juliet" (Shakespeare play, a review for them), and other English language items that are yet to be determined.

Grade 11: "Jane Eyre" (Charlotte Bronte novel), "Songs of Ourselves" (29 poems), "A Streetcar Named Desire" (Tennessee Williams play), and "The Importance of Being Earnest" (Oscar Wilde play).

Grade 12: "The Tempest" (Shakespeare play); "Prufrock and Other Observations (4)," "The Waste Land," and "The Hollow Men" (T.S. Eliot poems); and "Hard Times" (Charles Dickens novel).

So, there is a lot I'll be covering teaching four grade levels. The way the system is set up is that the grade 9 curriculum carries over to grade 10 for whatever they didn't do in grade 9. I'm not sure what my predecessor did that now allows me to basically teach the same thing to both of those grade levels (less to grade 9 should I choose), but yay. Of the texts I'll be teaching, I have only previously read one: "Romeo and Juliet." Such is the drawback for not being an English major and now being an English teacher. I just today finished "Jane Eyre" and am enjoying reading "The Tempest." I am dreading all poetry. I have 22 grade 10 students, six grade 11 students and a lone grade 12 student. She is really passionate about English and literature, so that makes it fun. I don't know how many grade 9 students I have as I haven't taken them on yet (after break), but I think I'll have about 24. That'll be about 53 students total. A small load of students for sure, but a huge course load.

So, that about brings me to this week. Monday, my second at the school, brought me my grade 11 class. (I had taken on my grade 12 student the previous Thursday.) We had a short week at school because Thursday was a public holiday and the staff's professional development session for Friday was cancelled. We have next week off for midterm break and I resume my classes on Oct. 25. I'm at school from 7:15/7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Students are there until 2:05 p.m.

Places I've been outside school vary. I've walked down to the tailor, gone to T Square (restaurant; with Marie), gone to Shopper's (grocery store and mini mall; with Heather and Jen), gone to Mlimani City Mall twice (in an attempt to get a SIM card for my phone; once with Marie, once with Heather), gone to Shoprite (grocery at Mlimani), gone to Engen (mini-mart) and the ATM there. Erin and I went out for Italian food aka pizza on Thursday night at a place called Saverio's. It was delicious! Yayyy. A little taste of home. It was like a thin-crust brick-fired pizza. Yum.

Food has been OK here so far. I need to start eating better, that's for sure. Ramen, chapati and spaghetti aren't gonna cut it for long. Considering I have zero cooking skills, I'm cutting myself a (big) break for starting slowly.

No new news about moving into the second house. It'll be just Erin and me, and I don't know anything else really right now other than we should make some progress on it before she leaves for a few days next Wednesday. I'm not in a hurry because the house I'm in now is so warm. Duh, it's all settled in already. The new one is like a dungeon. We're working from scratch. Seriously. Ground up. I'm looking forward to buying materials at the market, though, to furnish the house. Crazy.

My Swahili is OK as far as basic greetings. I wrote down key phrases on directions and stuff and am starting to learn my numbers. You really have to work at learning the language here because we're all surrounded at school and at the compound by English speakers. I will make the effort. At the outdoor street market in Tegeta yesterday I had to humble myself to take out my little notebook to make sure I knew what I was saying. But, once I see it and say it enough I will learn.

What I miss most so far is TV and food. How American. Haha Of course, I miss people too. There have been moments of panic, more like feeling trapped, but those seem to pass after about two hours. Try to avoid that feeling every day, so I don't want to write too much about it now. :)  Skyping has helped a ton as far as feeling connected. Emailing (and Facebook, I daresay), too.

Love to you all,

L

Skype ID: RememberTZ

There Is Time

I just finished getting ready for the day. Today is not a usual day because it's Nyerere Day, a public holiday for which we have school off in honor of Tanzania's first president. As I showered and dressed, there was no schedule calling me to do it all in a timely manner. My day is totally open. So, I took my time. Slowly washed my hair (a must anyway because of the water pressure, although I believe I have the shower with the best in the house), slowly got dressed, slowly did my makeup for the day and brushed out my wet hair. Done. And, it's amazing what not using a two-in-one shampoo/conditioner will do (my first hair wash here; this shower I made the switch).

It's amazing how in California we are all so busy and we always hear ourselves and others say there's just not enough time. Here, there is time. And, for the most part, rightfully so. Everything takes longer in Africa. A trip to the airport 30 to 40 miles away? Three and a half hours round trip. Traffic. Making spaghetti? Awhile, for you must make the sauce from scratch. Downloading a program from the internet? I don't know because I've yet to actually complete a download. Estimated time to download the iTunes program looked to be about three hours. (I will try again!)

Today, I have a lot of time on my hands, which I usually don't do well with, especially when I'm alone. There are only two other girls around the compound, and a young married couple, because everyone else has either gone away for the break (back to school Oct. 25) or went to a conference for a few days across town. I have committed myself to taking this down time, or quiet time, and appreciating it. Loving it for whatever it may hold for me. True, yesterday I made a list of things to do over break so that I could stay occupied and not end up homesick or a worrywort. But today, the first day of this 11-day break, I am pledging to myself that I will accept the solitude God gives me and rejoice in the companionship He provides. Yesterday one of my housemates mentioned a "silent retreat" she and some other girls went on to Bagamoyo a few years ago. They didn't talk to each other during the daytime and consciously chose to be "alone" during those few days. A silent retreat. Hmm. Instead of looking at being alone here as "abandonment," I hope to remember my housemate's story and see it as an opportunity for a silent retreat with God.

As for the rest of today, it's only 10:30 a.m. now and Heather has accepted my invitation to go with me to Mlimani City Mall, where I can finally get a SIM card and a Tanzanian phone number. That will certainly help me connect here! We'll also get lunch while we're out, so that should be fun. A stop at the grocery store (Shoprite) or the convienence store (Engen) is also on the agenda for the ride back. We'll take a bajaj ("buh-jah-gee" or "buh-jahg") and zip around. A bajaj is a three-wheel car that's pretty much like a golf cart on steroids and my favorite mode of transportation here. I've yet to get on one of the Dar dala-dalas. They're much bigger than the ones near Arusha where I was before.

As I type this I'm outside on the upstairs balcony of the first house. There is a cool breeze and I'm looking out past the palm trees and rooftops looking at the blue radiance that is the Indian Ocean. There's a plan to go to the beach with Heather once or twice over break. Should be good.

Will write more later. Still need to write about my first 10 days here! Oh, I'll get around to it. There is time.

L

PS: Here are two views of a bajaj... Man do they zip around traffic!

Real Diversity

In Orange County, when principals and interview panels have asked me about my "experience with diversity," they really wanted to know if I've worked with Mexican, Vietnamese or Korean students. In my classroom here, diversity has a much more expansive meaning. Here is a rundown of the countries my students represent--and this isn't all of them. There will be about 24 more students I'll meet in a couple weeks when I take on grade 9.

IT'S A SMALL WORLD (In My Classroom)
Tanzania (6)
United States (2)
Scotland (2)
The Netherlands (2)
Germany (2)
South Africa (2)
Denmark (2)
Nigeria
Ireland
Japan
Kenya
Switzerland
England
Ethiopia
Inda
Uzbekistan
South Korea

If you're keeping track, that's 17 countries. And, yes, they ALL speak English, among other languages. We have an (annual) International Day event on Nov. 12. I'm sure looking forward to it!

L

Time Zones & Chatting 'Live'

If you want to touch base with me while I'm in Tanzania, here are the two sections when you can reach me "live":

6 a.m. to 2 p.m. PST (California) 
and
8 p.m. to 1 a.m. PST

I'm on and off the computer throughout these times. Reach me on Skype at RememberTZ! It's probably best to set times to meet since I'm not usually signed on unless I'm meeting someone. (Have to save "luku" = electricity!)

L

Photo Post: Where I Live

Gramma, me, Poppy and Elena @ LAX 9/29/10.

Dave and I @ LAX 9/29/10.

Elena, Dad, me and Mom @ LAX 9/29/10.

My room in the first house (Tembo House).

My room in the first house.

My room in the first house is a room off the hallway. Notice the bar where I draw my curtains.

View out my window (through the screen). The sun rises over the Indian Ocean and shines through my window every morning.

First house, where I live with Marie, Crystal, Erin and Kate. My room is upstairs middle.

First house living room from front door.



First house dining area from stairs.

First house kitchen.



My awesome keys to my classroom/office.

Some Tidbits

The best news I can share this morning is that I've had my third consecutive night of sleeping until 6 a.m.! Getting my sleep adjusted is a huge step toward "normalcy," whatever that might be!

My students are really interesting. They come from all over and are fairly well traveled. I've only spent time with my 22 grade 10 students, but they seem to be good listeners and good workers. They've done a lot of writing these past few days (worksheets, woo!), so I look forward to more interesting/diverse lessons where I can see their unique spirits come out more.

A new grade 11 boy joined the school on Thursday. We were told about him at staff meeting on Wednesday. I saw him walking the hallway with some boys and then noticed a huddled group of girls watching him and TOTALLY checking him out/rating him. They knew he was the new guy. Hahahaha it was hilarious. Girls will be girls wherever you are. Hahaha

I'm teaching grade 10 some short stories right now and I started Shakespeare's "The Tempest" today with my one lone grade 12 girl. She actually is one of the Muslim students at the school. She's REALLY into English/reading/writing, so her energy is fantastic. Next week I'll start with grade 11 (less than 10 students ) on "Jane Eyre," which I am reading for the first time and absolutely LOVE.

The house is great. The girls, the space, the amenities. Each room has it's own bathroom! Sink and shower! It is amazing. My room isn't really a room, it's more like a upstairs den off the hallway. But I don't mind at all. It's got two curtains I can pull closed for privacy, but I never do that except to get dressed in the morning. I am using Marie's bathroom since she's closet to me and, tahdah!, has the best water pressure. What I love about the showers here are that they are silent. It just feels like a waterfall b/c there's no noise. Cooking (by others) at the house has been good. I made myself my own lunch twice this week after being shown how to make something. I put a frozen chapti (tortilla-esque bread) on a skillet, flipped when ready, then put cheese and chopped veggies (courtesey of Kate) on it and ate it like a taco. DELISH.

I get along with all the girls. They're all very nice and extremely supportive.

Erin - K-12 art teacher; bedroom across the way from me; she's been here since August. Came from Texas but has been to some other African countries before. This is her first year.

Marie - K-12 special ed teacher; godsend in sharing her bathroom with me; one of my two main ambassadors for the house/life in Dar; she worked in Alaska for three years but is from Minnesota. This is her second year.

Crystal - Grade 3 teacher; my other main ambassador for, um, everything. Her bedroom is down the hall. She owns a little van that Marie drove to go get my lost luggage from the airport. She's from Kalamazoo, Michagan. This is her second year.

Kate - Science teacher (9-12?); she's busy with online classes for a degree (Bible?) but she is nice and very animated. Her bedroom is the only one downstairs. This is her fifth year here--yeah, an expert!

I don't know what I'll be doing over the end-of-term break we have next week (Oct. 14-24). Well, moving into the other house with Erin, I guess. Duh. I haven't seen the inside, or really looked at the outside really, but Erin has. We are going to make a list this weekend about items we'll need for our house and put it up in the staff lounge incase anyone wants to donate or have a best offer. :)

I haven't inquired about a student newspaper yet. With four grade levels to prepare for ("preps"), I'm just trying to get a handle on the curriculum/UK/exam standards for now. I am excited (and nervous) to see what this first weekend brings. I like the week so far because I love school, so I hope I don't have too much time (aka worry time) on my hands during this weekend. I'll have some homework from my grade 10 to grade, so that will be fun. We'll hopefully go to a restaurant. We went to a chill one and had beef skewers (YUMMM) on last Sunday. It's a place called T Square. IDK LOL

I will be writing more this weekend, more about my first seven days in-country. Should be interesting to divulge.

Keep praying for me, for everything.

L

Here I Am

It's about 10:15 Monday night and I keep thinking I should update this blog incase anyone was checking it. :)  So, here I am. But, I'm only stopping by to let everyone know that I'm still really tired and kinda out of it from jetlag and other adjustments, or lack thereof. I am doing good, but definitely take it day by day, and sometimes even hour by hour (like when I've been waking up mindlessly at 4 or 5 a.m.). The sun rises over the Indian Ocean and shines through my window every day at 6 a.m. So, yes, I have an ocean view from my room.

Lots to write, but honestly too exhausted. So lame, but true.

Please keep me and my health in your prayers. I need them very much. Asante sana (Thank you very much)

Love to all,

L