Library Fundraiser!!!

After spending several months at Kibiti Secondary and seeing what kinds of things the school really needs, Duffie and I decided to start a project to build the school a library. In July the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training conducted an inspection of the school and the outcome was staggering. The ratio of textbooks for students was 80 to 1. The school is lacking in critical resources for the students to get an adequate education. The biggest need is for textbooks and reference books that are current and relevant. We have a team of bright, intelligent students that want to help with this project and we are excited to work with them to create this library for the school. Check out our fundraising website to learn more!!! www.firstgiving.com/kibiti

English Club

Duffie and I have started an English Club at Kibiti Secondary School and we are excited to see how it turns out! Duffie is in charge of leading English Conversation Groups and I will be helping students to write a school publication.

Tanzania vs. Morocco

On October 10, 2010 Tanzania's football team (Taifa Stars) competed with Moroccos national team to qualify for Africa's Cup of Nations. The match was played at the Tanzania National Stadium in Dar es Salaam. Unfortunately , the Taifa Stars did not do so well and Morocco won the match 1 - 0.

Kaole Ruins

The Kaole Ruins are the remains of a 13th century mosque several kilometres south of Bagamoyo.

When the mulsims came to pray they would direct their faces towards the "Qibla" which faces "Al Qaaba" in Mecca.

The steps led to a platform where the "muathin" would sing the call to prayer.

The well was called, Kisima cha maajabu, which means "The Magic Well." The water in the well even to this day never dries and remains at the same level regardless of how much water is drawn from it. Additionally, the water is surprisingly fresh despite its close proximity to the Indian Ocean, Bahari ya Hindi. After drawing the water from the well it would be stored in the stone structure below.

Besides the mosque - Kaole also houses 22 thirteenth century graves. Some of the original Arabic inscriptions can still be seen today.

Lay Down Your Heart

The first weekend of November I spent visiting Bagamoyo, a small town along the coast of Tanzania. The name Bagamoyo is derived from the word Bwagamoyo which means "Lay Down Your Heart" in Swahili. The picturesque town is full of historical sites and remnants of the slave trade with the Middle East. The pillars of the old slave market are still standing today:

Today, rather than a slave market the beach is a busy fish market:

The fishermen sell their catch to the local women at an auction on the beach. The women bring buckets to the auction to carry the fish back to the market to sell:

You can find all kinds of fish and other sea creatures being fried in the market:

Some young boys decided to bypass the whole system of fishermen -->auction -->market and catch their own fish using their mosquito nets:

Home Sweet Home

Here is a photographic tour of my apartment at Kibiti Secondary School:




The sitting room and back porch. Sometimes in the mornings there are monkeys playing in the trees just outside.


Next is the kitchen. We use a gas stove that has only had one gas leak so far! But it is much more user friendly than the charcoal and kerosene stoves that most people use.
My bedroom - no bed is complete without a mosquito net! On the other side is a closet tall enough to hang my floor length dresses .

And finally last but certainly not least is the bathroom complete with bucket shower:

In America the winning class gets a case of soda and a pizza party, In Tanzania they get a case of soda and... a GOAT?!

In September, Form IV held their graduation ceremony. During the event different classes in the school were recognized for winning various inter-class competitions within the school. Competitions ranged from different football matches to poetry and debate. The winners of each competition were presented with a live goat on stage for their enjoyment later. The goats were so sad. This one was trying to get away!

Welcome to Tanzania, Here's Your Bucket!

"Welcome to Tanzania! Here's your bucket!" Our field director, Ashley told us this when we arrived to our orientation in Dar es Salaam back in June. We were told our bucket would probably be the most useful and essential item during our year in Tanzania. It wasn't until we left the relatively easy city life we experienced during orientation and arrived at our site that we learned how true this really was.

Our first full day in Kibiti began with two girls and two buckets. The water taps in our house exclusively were supposed to work during the hours that the water was turned on for the school (6-7am, 2-3 pm and 6-7 pm) but when we turned the taps nothing came out so we took our buckets, hoped we were dressed with adequate modesty for the early hour and joined the crowd of house-girls and wives at the water tap. One woman smiled at us, grabbed our buckets and moved us to the front of the line. We felt a little guilty but also didn't want to be late for the first day of school so didn't protest. A few minutes later, buckets full to the brim, we each took a handle and prepared to carry them back to our house. The buckets moved maybe two inches, sloshing precious water over the sides. As we gauged the distance back to our house and up our front steps wondering how in the world this water would make it home, the kind woman laughed and grabbed my bucket and carried it with graceful ease back to our house. Meanwhile, Duffie and I shared the burden of the second bucket. Slowly and awkwardly w carried it back to our house only stopping to rest a few times on the way. Needless to say I definitely have a new appreciation for the strength and time people use to get water.

My New Home

From July 2010 until May 2011 I will be teaching English at Kibiti Secondary School (Now called Kibiti High School). The school is a government all boys boarding school housing approximately 700 boys and around 25 teachers. Although the school is named Kibiti after the town a few kilometres away, it is actually located in the village of Kinynya (which means small tomato in Swahili). Both Kibiti and Kinyanya are located in the Rufiji district in the coastal region of Tanzania about two hours south of Dar es Salaam by using the local buses.

Karibu Mjusi (Welcome Lizard)

Expecting to arrive to an apartment infested with mice and cockroaches Duffie and I arrived at Kibiti Secondary School armed with cans of RAID and HATARI (means Danger in Swahili). As we unpacked we kept a watchful eye out for any unwelcome inhabitants in our new home. Several hours later, our first "visitor" emerged from behind the bookcase. A lizard at least six inches long crawled up the wall nearly bringing Duffie to tears. Knowing that they really were not harmful, but getting caught up in the mentality of defending our new home against any nonhuman living creature I tried to drive the lizard out with the broom. With impeccable timing the second master, Mr. Bassa, was just going past our door on his way home from school - probably drawn in part by the screaming. Slightly confused at why the new American girls were afraid of a lizard, he allowed himself to be recruited and heroically "shifted" the lizard outside of our home. The only casualty of the event was the lizard's tail which will grow back soon enough. We later felt slightly guilty about our inhospitable attitude towards a creature that will probably eat the insects that we really do not in our house so we decided to welcome the next lizard and try not to cause another scene.