HIV/AIDS "If You Focus On the Problem You Can't See the Solution"

I have just returned from the PEPFAR (President’s emergency plan for AIDS Relief) conference in the Mbeya region of Africa, mandatory for all volunteers and our Tanzanian counterparts. The trip over all was a lot of fun to meet up with fellow volunteers and hear how their experience has been going. PEPFAR is using its resources in education and supplying care to those living with HIV/AIDS with counseling and medication for free to those that have tested positive. As far as the conference dealing with PEPFAR it was great to have a forum of discussion with Tanzanian counterparts but it was hard to feel big responsibilities to help with such a wearisome problem, mixed emotions, and many unanswered questions.

For starters the HIV/AIDS epidemic is very trying matter for Tanzania with a country as a whole at about 7% with 1.3 million estimated Tanzanians affected, and this is data from 2005 which to date is expected to be much more prevalent. I had a chance to visit another volunteer’s site where his village had a 30% prevalence of HIV/AIDS. So I am 100% on board with doing what I can while I am here to help out. Many of the funds are being dumped into education. 99% of the population knows about HIV/AIDS, but only about 22% of the at risk population is using condoms, and the vast majority is contracting HIV from sex. Then once they have tested positive for HIV they get free medical attention that would not be available without PEPFAR funds. We had a chance to sit and talk with some Tanzanians that are living with the disease and that was a priceless experience, so very grateful for the medication and a chance to share their experience. So a long story short, Tanzanians are very aware of the disease and how it can be prevented but are not changing their behaviors. So the question I couldn’t keep asking is how can you make the next step and change their behaviors? That’s the billion dollar question…

I have been living in country for 5 months now and have witnessed a country engulfed with poverty, but understand I am still not fully aware of the complexity of the situation. What I do know is 90% of the population are farmers and rely on the weather and God’s will to survive and see the next day. Many go uneducated and get dropped out of the education systems just to return back to being farmers. In a world where water is a luxury; free instant pleasures are priceless! Trying to stop that and tell them they need to wear a condom so they don’t contract a disease that with kill them in a couple of years if untreated and treated for FREE can give you another 10 years, the problem doesn’t conceptualize them to change their behaviors. The answer I see more beneficial is giving more people a positive future to invest their behaviors in. So is dumping all this money $15 million into education and being a broken recorded best directed or better directed in development projects? Could Bush’s PEPFAR and his visiting Africa a big publicity stunt for him and the U.S.? Could they believe that development is the solution but know if resources are directed there it would create a country/continent that would require more precious natural resources and be a threat? I don’t want to imply any of this as facts or even my own opinion but these are the questions that I couldn’t get out of my mind and stressed over. What I know is that I am a teacher and I believe in education so, while here I will continue to be the broken record until a better solution is presented (please feel free to comment I would love to hear opinions/facts/stories).

I am still really enjoying my students and have been impressed with what they come to the classroom with, meager means but a lot of motivation and brilliance. I wish there was more that I could give them, I find my self asking many questions in a Socratic way unrelated to mathematics to get them to talk more about their country and culture. At the end of the day they are the future and the ones who have to make the changes and own the responsibilities of this country.

Duck In Water

It is very comforting to be back in the classroom and be back somewhere I am familiar with and comfortable. Granted there are only screen windows, painted chalk boards, and a beautiful view of the Uluguru mountains from my classroom; I feel like a duck who has finally found some water. The challenges are starting to become more actualized now that the classes have started. For starters the Tanzania school system has a much regimented syllabus for the teachers and tells you how many periods should be taught for each subject, so my joy of authentic hands on learning is being handcuffed to their syllabus. Part of me says to stick to the material and the format but…it sucks and I don’t think I am going to be able to stick to this format of regurgitating material as fast as possible and just so that we can get through the entire syllabus. I am not here to try and mirror the teaching style of Tanzanian teachers but to show them the advantages of alternative pedagogic techniques, but will present a lot of challenges when all I have is chalk board, chalk, and a single text book, and the only reason we have a text book is because we are the “special” school in Tanzania with the top students so our budget allows us to buy some text books. Since the teacher is the only one with a text book ( a few of the students from better means have there own books; two) a teachers perceived job is to right the text book down on the chalk board and the students are then to copy them down in their notes……sorry just had to get that out.

Things are going good starting to get to know more of my neighbors around my school and been getting invited over for dinner and what not…ya I am kind of a big deal around here. I had a young couple who where just married in August over for some American food so I made them spaghetti (I know it’s not “American” but popular in America), they said they really liked it but…they could have been just being good guest. I will see how eager they are to come next time a ask them to come over for dinner.

Next week the new Peace corps education volunteers we are going to an Aids conference in Mbeya which is in the south western region of Tanzania. I am really excited to be doing some traveling around and seeing more of Tanzania and to reunite with some of my fellow peace corps volunteers from my training group, I am sure it will be a good time. Since I am the only one from our training group who hasn’t left our training region Morogoro, I believe I am anticipating it the most.

Well I need to get back to school I have class to get ready for, one last thing before I sign off I am calling Jeff K. out… I got a letter from your Mom yesterday (Thanks a lot Susan it was very nice!), but haven’t heard from you since Christmas! It nice to hear how you all are doing, keep in touch!

School Starts

Vacation IS OVER!

I am starting to get use to the African way, every thing falls in the “gray area”. By gray area I mean if you say “I will be there!” translation “If the planets a-line and if God wants me there I will do my best to be there.” One of my teachers I think put it best the other day, “Everything in Africa will happen soon…but soon rarely comes.” “Mungu akipenda,” if God likes (God must like to be late in Tanzania). It definitely has its down sides with trying to be ambitions here and get things down and organizes things, but when in Rome; do as the Romans. I have a felling that I might have to use this for my benefit.

Well all the students are back from holiday and are reporting this week to school. The school doesn’t feel like a ghost town anymore and it’s starting to feel like a school around here. Students are just reporting this week, which my understanding is mandatory for them to be here but is not enforced…so classes in theory will start next Monday, we will see. While students are reporting this week we teachers are grading exams for the A-Level practice exams. The Math department has the most number of tests because every student has math, and it has been a tedious process. After three days of four of us grading we should wrap things up in the morning. When I say four I mean me and the other teachers if God wants them there. I spent the first day by my self grading for the first four hours, and was the last one there too. It’s been a good experience getting to know some of my teaching staff, and I am getting familiar with the material. The teachers and I had a good laugh about them getting paid for grading and me “volunteering” to do it. The teachers are actually getting paid extra above their salaries to grade these exams and me free labor from America (The irony just occurred to me). Don’t get me wrong, I came to do what ever I can to help there educational system I happy to be doing my part.

I have started opening the computer lab for students two nights a week and it seams to be going well (it gives me time to type my blog) and make my self available for A-level students before their exams. So far the students I think have just come to try and test the new teacher, a student came with a integration problem that took me a couple of hours at home to get worked out and one sleepless night, reminded me of college. Some times the best way to solve a problem is to go to bed and try it in the morning, but it always seams follows me to bed. The computer lab is great because it’s the only air-conditioned building at our school. Right now we have eight working computers and I am hoping to try and get some more working, my knowledge of computers is being challenged. There is another IT specialist at the teachers college in my region I am hoping can help me out with my knowledge gaps.

It is a bit challenging for me because the volunteer before me was a computer teacher and his knowledge of computers was a lot more than I. So teachers are coming to me with problems with their own computers and the lab computers aren’t all working and I am expected to fix them with my magic computer wand. It has been hard to try and replace a volunteer. People expect the same from you good things or bad things and I have to remind them even though we are both Americans we are very different people. But easier said then done, a lot of people have known a lot about America and won’t change their minds. First: All Americans are rich and money is not an issue, All Americans are white, All Americans own a gun, and my favorite All Americans have a magic computer wand I keep mine in my back pocket. For the most part I try and educate them about our culture but I have had conversations with people who had intense denial that there are Muslims living in America.

In short I have gained a lot of respect for foreigners in new and different cultures. When coming to Tanzania it was obvious I was going to have to adjust to cultural differences like the big three: language, religion, and food. But have realize just how deep culture runs!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I don’t know where to begin it has been almost a month since my last entry… Well I am moved into my new house, and it’s starting to feel like home. I got a fresh coat of paint on the walls and my hammock stretched out in my living room, very nice for an afternoon nap or a quiet place to read a book. I just finished reading Green Hills of Africa by Ernest Hemingway, Dad you have to read this book its about big game hunting in Africa (Tanzania and Kenya) and he talks about Elk hunting in the Rocky Mountains it made me home sick but just about anything makes me homesick now a days especially around the holidays.

I have been spending my time doing everything but teaching. Most the students have been on break since I have got here so I don’t start teaching until the second week in January; I am really looking forward to start teaching. It’s still unclear what classes I am teaching it seems that every time I talk to the head of the math department his story changes, the lack/miss communication has been a bit frustrating but from what I have heard from other volunteers that have been in country they say “get use to it.” I got my bike running really good and have been riding that every day around my village and up in the mountains. I busted up the rim the other day and it took me half a day to get it fixed (Dad the vice grips were great advice), a reminder that everything is a little harder hear with lack of resources and that the bike has to last me two years. I have been enjoying cooking a lot at my house everything from pizza to beef stock. I have been getting my bread recipe down and find the hardest part is keeping the ants away while the dough rises.

For Christmas I had another Peace Corps volunteer Nora, a Korean volunteer, and two students from the Netherlands over to my house for beef stroganoff, the power went out that night so we cooked with charcoal and celebrated by candle light, A Christmas I will never forget. We did a white elephant gift exchange and sat around and played liars dice. For my white elephant gift Nora and I went to sabasaba for our gifts. Sabasaba is a huge out door market on Sundays it’s like a giant flea market. The biggest thing people go for is clothing and the majority of it is used clothes from the states. Some of the shirts that you see people wearing are pretty funny considering they probably do understand what they say, like “Dip me in honey and through me to the lesbians” or “Americas Next Miss America” I found some pretty cool shirts for my self. When you ask them the price it is ridiculous so you have to bargain with them, it’s a lot of fun to practice my Swahili and bargain with these guys if you can make them laugh your in, but it is hard being white they perceive you as having a lot of money and always try and rip you off. While we were walking around the auction part of the market a guy came up and was telling me to come see his shirts, which is not that unusual. But what was unusual was he was touching me and grabbing my shirt to follow him, which was annoying. While telling him off and trying to get him to stop with out being physical; his friend came up and bumped into to me and I grabbed his hand as it was already half-way down my front pants pocket going for my money. Both the guys ran away before I could think twice, if I would have cried “THEIF” the men would probably been beaten to death, the Tanzania believe that mob brutality against thieves is more affective then police and the court system. It’s a catch 22 because you want them men to be punished but at what cost, it would be hard to have someone’s death on your shoulders…but no harm they didn’t get anything and got away. I was flustered for a while about the incident and was shook up more than I thought I would be I expected that it would probably happen sometime while I was here and thought I would just be considered with the material loss. Having another guys hand in your pocket feels very evasive.

Now is Tanzania’s short rainy season and the hottest part of the year. So ya I sweat, I sweat a lot here. The good thing about this time of year is that its mango and pineapple season and they are delicious to say the least. I had never eaten fresh mangos like I have here in Tanzania; I try and eat one everyday so good. With most good things there are consequences…possible death. My house is surrounded by mango trees which is great most of the time because they provide great shade and keep my house cool. My neighbor has this HUGE mango tree that is bigger then the cotton would trees in my back yard in the states. This mango tree drops about 200 delicious but deadly mangos from it every day. The mangos are the size of softballs and are pretty heavy and walking out of my house I now keep my eyes up at its branches because I have had a couple of very close calls and there is no way to avoid passing under this massive tree, I have to walk under it every time I leave my house. The second I hear one dropping through the leaves I pull my head in like a frighten turtle and walk a little faster. The only time I feel safe is when I am on my bike and have my helmet on, thinking about wearing it as a permanent fixture but I am sure I would be referred to as the crazy white person on top of the hill, for now I keep my eyes to the heavens(literally).

Some people have been asking about cheap ways to call me and through the volunteer grapevine one of the best ways is through Nobelcom.com which is a calling card that is cheap. Love reading your messages on the leave a little love section! Congratulations to Jeff and Corey on graduating, keep me in touch on your plans. Well my meat loaf and peas and carrots smells about done so I should go, ya I am eating good hear maybe better than at home because I have the time to cook and lots of fresh vegetable(so you don’t have to worry Mom).

New Home

Life as an official volunteer for the Peace Corps isn’t bad… I would now because it was made official last week at our graduation. The graduation was a big festivity the guest of honors where the U.S. ambassador in Tanzania, the head of the Ministry of Education in Tanzania and other respected dignitaries. All of the volunteers’ host families were invited and came to celebrate with a grand feast of Traditional Tanzanian foods, beans and rice. It was a very nice day marking a new chapter, the start of what I really came to Tanzania to do…volunteer of my service, knowledge, and time.

The day after graduation all us volunteers packed up and in nine land cruisers were delivered to our new homes. Some as far as a four day drive from Morogoro and then me a twenty minute ride, well if there is an emergency evacuation you know who will be on the plane first, suckers. I was able to say goodbye to every one and once they were gone our training manager brought me to my new school and my new home, Mzumbe Secondary. The teachers have been great and very friendly, and my head master seems to be a very intelligent and overall nice guy.

I had been really busy around my home this week since I moved in cleaning and painting. The house was very dirty and looked like a college frat house with crazy things painted on the wall. So I decided for me to be able to feel comfortable in my new home it needed a fresh coat of paint, and it gives me something to do before I start teaching which will be the first of the New Year. I hired my home stay family brother as my house help and he has been very happy to be working and making some money, and he has been doing a really good job! He loves the breakfast’s I have been cooking banana pancakes or French toast, ya I am roughing it ;-)

This weekend the other volunteers in my region are having a welcoming party for me so that will be nice to get to know the other volunteers in the region. After I finish painting this week I hope to get my bike running good and do some mountain biking. I want to ride to this village up the mountain from me where another volunteer is living; it will probably be a full day ride. I will keep you all posted! Thinking of you all and wishing I was getting ready for snowboarding season.

I Am Not Leaving Morogoro!

Well… I am staying in Morogoro for the next two years. I herd that the region was getting one volunteer but the rumor was that the school wanted a chemistry teacher, so I counted my self out of staying in Morogoro. I am the only person staying in the region and the other 37 volunteers are moving out next week to their new regions. I was taken by surprise to say the least but I know why they wanted me at the school. A little background:
Thomas a Tanzanian National a mzee (a respected elder) with an infectious smile and laugh is one of two people in charge of placing us education volunteers in the Peace Corps, I guess you would call him my supervisor. Before Thomas worked for Peace Corps Tanzania as an APCD he was a prominent head master at Mzumbe secondary school where he was of the first head masters in Tanzania to ban corporal punishment at his school. Mzumbe secondary school is located next to Mzumbe University in the Uluguru Mountains. Mzumbe secondary in the best secondary private boy’s boarding school in all of Tanzania. They have had the highest test scores on the A level test for form four and form six students for the like the last ten years. Tanzania is on the English system of education where they have “O” and “A” level streams, where A level streams are bound for college and more technical degrees, where O level students are bound for vocational colleges. Some of the brightest students in Tanzania come to Mzumbe Secondary to study with many of them graduating and going to university abroad and most come back to Tanzania and hold very prominent jobs.
I will be one of four volunteers who will be teaching A level and I will be teaching at Mzumbe Secondary school. I was very flattered that Thomas wanted me to be teaching at his old school with lots of prestige. So I have a great school with very bright students. They have a computer lab at the school they hope that I will be able to do some work and classes for students. I couldn’t be happier with my school! But… I am staying in the same area I have been living for the last two months. I won’t get the village experience most the other volunteers get because I am really close to a major town and have electricity and running water, most of the time. I even herd that the volunteer before me left a fridge, ya its amazing I know. I am really close to my host family so I will be able to stop by the house and have dinners with them now and then. Some of the other perks to being in Morogoro I will get to meet all the new volunteers when they do their training in Morogoro, they have two groups a year education volunteers September-November and Environmental/Health volunteers June/July. I am only two hour bus ride to Dar es Salaam and then from there a two hour boat ride to Zanzibar! Morogoro is a centrally located city so a lot of buses go through their and very easy to get to other parts of the country. So if any of you were thinking of coming to visit me we lucked out BIG time.
Other good news is that I am close to internet so I will be able to keep my blog up-to-date with pictures now and then. I got to go; it’s our last night in the big city Dar es Salaam.

The End of Swahili Training!

Mambo!

Today is a mile stone day because I have finished my official language training and took my final test, I think I passed! It is such a relief to be done with this chapter and move on to the next one, it’s a big monkey off my back. Tomorrow we 38 volunteers (yes we last one more) leave to go visit other volunteers that have been in the country for awhile. People are going to some cool places like the Kilimanjaro region, the highlands in the south of Tanzania and Zanzibar. But…I picked the short straw and am going no where; I am staying in the region and going to a volunteer’s site an hour away. I was bummed initially because most the people are getting to see more of the country and I am staying around here, but it’s only a visit and we get our actual sites next week in Dar es Salem the day before Thanksgiving. Then I will finally know where I will be living for the next two years. The volunteer’s site that I am going to visit sounds like it’s a really cool village tucked away in the mountains with waterfalls and cool views, and I heard she makes some killer brownies!

Last weekend I had my worst experience so far in Tanzania! Well let me start by saying I got giardia couple of days after getting to Morogoro, its been manageable up to this point. Once in a while I have the guppy poppies, nothing I can’t deal with right? WRONG! It started innocently enough by joining some people at a local pub that serves pizza on Friday nights. One of the volunteers in our region was finishing his service so there were a bunch of volunteers there and a great chance for us to meet them and a chance for them to see the fresh meat. The pizza was great, wood fired! The conversations were great to hear some of the experiences of other volunteers. The trouble started on the taxi ride home… My stomach was starting to tumble like I pissed my little giardia friends off, and I did! I spent most the following night in the choo, remember no fancy western toilets just a whole me and the horrible smell of sulfur which is reminiscent of giardia. After getting little sleep that night and having quads ache because I was running to the choo all night and squatting over my hole. I learned a valuable lessen, milk products + giardia = a night of the worst diarrhea EVER!

My family is making me a shirt for graduation next week so I went to the tailors to get fitted, a custom made shirt for under five dollars! I should get it by the end of the week so I am excited to see how it turns out. A lot of people are getting close made here because it is so cheep, some are pretty funny because of the language barrio people don’t always get what they were expecting. My brother and sister came too so we are going to have matching outfits, its going to be sweet! Two other families with volunteers and mine are throwing a party of Matt, Sarah, (other volunteers) and myself on the 25^th of November! We are excited for the sending off party, they are having the neighbor The Referee (that’s what we refer to him as because he always wears a referee’s jersey) is the dj and there’s going to be lots of food and drinks it should be great.

Love hearing from you all! I miss: talking with good friends, walks in the park with Keena, Pax and Jeff, the smell of a hockey locker-room and the puck hogs, my family, and definitely elk camp this year!