Public Transportation Makes Me Cranky

So, I live about a 10 minute daladala ride from Tukuyu. It took me 45 minutes today to get to Tukuyu. Argh. And during that 45 minutes, I had to argue with the driver about the price of the fare (he tried to charge me 1000 Ts /=, the fare is 500/=...and it's weird, even as I was arguing with him, I felt ridiculous - I was arguing about less than 50 cents. But it's the principle of it.), fend off people asking me for money (because, I'm a mzungu, I must be rich), fend off men hitting on me, and try to pretend not to be totally miserable. But after 45 minutes, I reached my destination. I am dreading going back...

Other than that, things are going well. I spent last weekend at Matema Beach (Lake Malawi) with Theo, Kate, Deb, and 5 of the kids from the Olive Branch. The Olive Branch is an NGO that takes care of orphans. I am not calling it an orphange, because it is not. There are a total of 14 kids, and they're much more like a family than an orphanage. All the kids were great. Many of them had never been to a beach before, so it was really fun to watch them swim and play in the sand...and get to be kids. Not to mention, it was really fun to be on Lake Nyasa with my friends and get to go swimming and WEAR PANTS! It was really gorgeous. Unfortunately my replacement camera broke, so there are no pictures. You'll have to take my word for it. Good news is that I should be getting my camera (the one that was stolen was found!) back in February.

Things are going really well at site. I am making some friends, and learning some Swahili. I had about a half hour argument (mind you, mostly in Swahili - some English words thrown in) yesterday with two of the teachers about how they thought I was damned to hell because I didn't think drinking beer was wrong, if done in moderation. They insisted that I never drank again becaue the bible says you shouldnt. I tried to explain that I don't think the bible should be interpretted totally literally and that you need to find the message behind the words. So, I thought the bible meant that you shouldn't drink in excess and since I don't, hamna shida. But they disagreed thoroughly, so I brought up the example of how the bible says that the sun moves across the earth. And this is obviously untrue. The sun is stationary, and the earth moves. At which point they told me I was being to scientific, and that I should never ever have even 1 beer. I changed the subject. But, no harm done...they made me dinner last night!

I hear that the snow has finally arrived back in the states! That's fun. I hope everyone is staying warm and having a great holiday season!

Home Sweet Home

So, after a 15 hour bus ride on Thanksgiving, I have arrived safely at my site. I live within the school compound, at my all-girls boarding school. Everyone, so far, has been super nice. They've fed me when I've had no food (or when I've been too incompetent to light my charcoal jiko- you'll be glad to know that i've bought hot plates), they've given me gifts of a plunger and a trash basket (very important household items), and they've really just been super nice. My house is cute: three rooms and an outside kitchen, and has electricity and running water most of the time. Within the school grounds are tons of banana and mango trees, cows, chickens, pigs, pumpkins. I also live in the mountains, so the view from my house is amazing. I look out and see green farm land that eventually becomes green mountains and when a storms coming, I can watch it travel over the mountains. It's really very quaint. And, for those who worry, it's very safe. I have lots of neighbors, a big wall around the school, and a night watchman.

Last Friday, was my first day at the school, and the last day that the students were at the school before their break. It was nice because I got to briefly meet the students and introduce myself at the morning assembly. Some of the students showed me around the compound after classes and then at night, there was a talent show. That was really fun to watch. Students dance, sang, prayed. All sorts of things. Then they invited me to give a speech. AHH. PS- the English proficiency at my school is pretty low from what I've gathered. So this speech was in Kiswahili. My speech went something like this : "I am very happy to be here. You have welcomed me nicely. I hope you have a good rest time. And I will be happy to teach you when you come back" But imagine that with tons of grammatical mistakes. Nice Katie, great first impression! That's ok, I tried. I am going to learn Swahili very quickly, because no one speaks English. Which is good.

So, I've already gotten my assignment for next year. I will be teach form 3 (junior) physics and math. I will be the headmistress of form 1B and the headmistress of one of the dorms. I have no idea what those responsibilities entail. I guess, I'll find out. Right now, since classes don't start again until January, I am just hanging out, getting to know the other teachers, making my house a home, trying to learn how to cook, and playing games with the little kids around the school.

That's about all that has been on. I still do not have my mailing address, but email me if you want it: catherineannmartin1@gmail.com. I am not going to post it publicly on here, under the advice of the Peace Corps. But I'd be more than happy to send it to people. Miss you all!

The Big Day

So it's finally come! Swearing-in is tomorrow...I am going to wear the amazing dress that my TZ mama sewed for me. Its a tradition style dress with zebras on it. It rocks.

We had a ton of tests and our OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) this last week. I got advanced-low on my OPI. You need Intermediate-mid to "pass", so I was excited about that. They're allowing me to go to my site, so I am assuming I passed all of the tests.

I had to say goodbye to my host family this morning and it was so sad. I will miss them quite a bit. Last night we had a Tanzanian-style farewell party for all the volunteers in my CBT (interned with me). Mama gave me a kanga which says "Hongera Mwanagnu", which mean congradulations daughter. That was very nice of her. I gave them their goodbye gifts and I think everyone like them, especially the boys. I gave them a soccer ball. I thought they were going to break everything in the house.

Thanksgiving, I will be taking a 15 hour bus ride to my site, with my mkuu (headmaster). That'll be a bit uncomfortable. Besides that, everything going really well. I am really excited to be done training.

I am sorry for the short post. I don't have a ton to say. But I wanted to post something before I left. Who knows when I'll have internet again.

If you want my new address, email me or facebook me, or call me, or something. I am not going to post it on here. The Peace Corps recommends not doing so, so I won't. Miss and love you all!

From Moro to Moshi and everywhere in-between

Hey everyone,
Site visits have pretty much come to an end. After an 8 hour bus ride on a sweltering bus, I am sitting in an air-conditioned internet cafe in Dar. Life is good. Except I'm in Dar. But AC is kicking ass right now. So I travelled to a town about an hour from Mt. Kilimanjaro to visit a volunteer up there. Mwanga is really pretty area up near Mt. Kilimanjaro. It's gorgeous. Our host was a fabulous cook and we ate some ravioli, some pumpkin pie, some pudding, some rattitoui. And got to see Mt. Kilimanjaro.

The most exciting part of the whole trip was that I was talking to a teacher at my host's school and he was from the area in Mbeya where I am heading in 10 DAYS! He says that it is very similar to the Kilimanjaro area, which is awesome. But besides that good news and some great food: we had a super eventful 5 days.

We arrived at the site last Wednesday night. Getting there from Moro consisted of a 7 hour bus ride to the base of a mountain. And then a 45 minute daladala ride up the mountain. When we arrived, we met our host's neighbors "babu" and "bibi" who are really nice, cooked some food, and went to bed. The next day was Thursday, so our host had school. We went to school with her and watched her teacher - three Form 1 Math classes on surface area. Exciting stuff. The students are great and wanted us to teach them songs. We taught them the chicken dance, and since they knew Old Mc.Donald and the Hokey Pokey, we let them "teach" those songs to us. After that, they all wanted pictures with us, so we used our host's camera to get millions of pictures with all the students.

Thursday night was quite an adventure. We went to bed at the normal time. It is the beginning of the short rainy season here, so things are coming to life. Around 4 in the morning we hear this crazy buzzing around us. I look around, and no lie - there's about 400 kumbekumbe flying around our heads. I'm not sure what they're called in English but they're like flying termites. And they were EVERYWHERE! We had left the outside light on, whcih they were attracted to, and apparently the back door isn't kumbekumbe proof so they just came right in. So we found brooms and books and flyswatters and started swatting away. We also turned off the porch and house lights, turned on the choo light (about 10 feet away) and opened the door, hoping they'd leave. About and hour later, problem solved. But it was too late to go back to bed. We made some chocolate pudding for breakfast and sat around like zombies until we had to go to school.

Friday was similiar to Thursday, except that I was pretty sick and skipped all but one class. No biggie, I have a cough, running noise, all those fun things. I'll survive. No worries.

Saturday, we took a bus into Moshi, the city right at the base of Kilimanjaro. It was kind of crazy how touristy it was. I haven't seen that many wazungu in one area for a long time. It was strange atmosphere. We met up with a ton of people there, went to dinner. A lot of people went to a club afterwards, but since I still felt kind of like death, I stayed in and went to bed. I hear the club was a mini Las-Vegas with slots, and bubble machines, and fog machines and basically every cheesy-awesome effect you can get. I'm not too upset I missed it. The next morning, I had a VANILLA milkshake and pizza for breakfast (Mom and Dad, aren't you glad you taught me such great nutrtion?) And then we headed back to our host's house.

This is were things got a little not-as-great. My camera was stolen when I was gone :(. Which means that someone got into our host's house when she was gone. Hmm. It really weird because the only things missing are my camera (not the memory card that was in the camera or the bag that the camera was in-weird huh?), 10000 TS /= (less than 10 dollars) and our host's battery charger...but my camera didn't have rechargeable batteries. Nothing else: including 40,000/= in my backpack, our host's IPOD right next to her battery charger, her passport or money. ODD. Today, our host spoke with the mkuu at her school and babu and bibi. I hear in a small village, things have a way of showing up. So I haven't totally written my camera off yet. Mungu akipenda.

So yea, thats about it. Everything else is stellar. Apparently people have had some trouble calling me from America. Sorry. Keep trying, I'd love to hear from you in the next 9 days when I have guaranteed cell service...who knows if my site will!

Love and miss you all!

Off To Kilimanjaro

Hello Everyone!
How's everyone holding up. I'm assuming it is getting colder and colder back in the states. It is getting hotter and hotter in Tanzania. The last few days have been terribly hot. Hard to sleep hot. So when you want to complain about the cold weather, just think of me.

But don't feel too bad. I get to go on a little vacation to shadow another volunteers on Wednesday. When Brian did his site visits, he visited the site where he'd actually be living. For us, this is not the case. Which definitely has it's ups and downs. For me, the up is that I am going to the region of Kilimanjaro! About an hour away from the actual mountain to visit a volunteer who seems super nice and is going to escort us to see Mt.Kili. I am so excited to go see how education volunteers live, to eat some "American" food, to see Mt.Kilimanjaro. It'll be great.

So training is essentially done. Written Swahili test tomorrow, shadow from Wednesday to Sunday, Dar for a few days, back to Morogoro and then a few more days of wrap-off before we ship off to our sites. I can't believe how quickly time has passed. Today we had a farewell party at the school that I've been interning at. The teachers there are so nice and have been so helpful. It was sad to say goodbye. Many of them are fantastic teachers and, here in Tanzanian, that is saying a lot. I give them so much credit for their teaching under the conditions here. Kudos. I realize teaching anywhere must be really hard(and have gained a new respect for all my teachers), but teachers here have so little to work with and the students are struggling against a system that is plaqued by teachers who don't really care, no resources, corporal punishment and a HUGE language barrier. At the school I was interning at, these things weren't as glaringly obvious as many other volunteers have described. I learned so much in such a short time from the teachers and students. It's sad to say goodbye but it's exciting to move on to my own school.

Speaking of moving on, many of you have asked about mailing address. It will change once I move to site: I will keep you posted about what my address is. I wouldn't send anything else to the address I'm at now since I will be moving in 16 days. Yes, that's right. 16 days until swearing in! 16 days until I am a real PCV. Crazy huh?

Anyways, hope everyone is holding up back home. Love and miss you! Also, I am trying to upload photos onto Facebook. We'll see how well that works out on this crazy slow internet...

Happy Halloween/Site Announcements.

Dun Dun Dun. So here it is: Where I'll be staying for the next two years:

So, yes. I got my site announcement today! November 26 (I think) I am headed off to the Mbeya region of southwestern Tanzania! I will be about an hour from the Malawi boarder and an hour from Lake Malawi. Apparently the region is relatively cool (YAY) and has some nice mountains surrounding it with tons of fruit, especially bananas! I am going to be teaching at an all girls, boarding school. My house will be located on school property. From what I've been told, it'll be pretty small. One bedroom, a tiny sitting room, a tiny tiny kitchen, and a bathroom. But there is running water and electricity :) This is all hear-say. I'll be relatively close to some of the other PCTs that I am with, so I'm pretty excited about that. One of the is also a physics teacher, so I am hoping to be able to use him as a resource so that I can more successfully teach physics.

Also, there's a little airport in Mbeya, so when everyone comes to visits because, everyone's coming to visit (:, right?), they won't have far to travel from the airport to my modest accomodations.

Everything else is going great. This week will be my last week of teaching until I move to site. It's crazy the change that I've seen in my classes in just 2 weeks of teaching. Many of them have come out of their shells a bit already. I'm excited to have classes for 2 years. It'll be freat to see the kids change in that amount of time.

Then next week we have site visits. Unfortunately we won't be going to our sites, just some random sites. Otherwise, it would be a full day of travel. I'm looking forward to that. After site visits, we head to Dar for a while. Head back to our homestays, take some tests, go back to Dar and then get sworn-in (granted we pass all our tests!) Then off to sites. We're really only half-way done with training, but pretty much all the training is done.

I gave everyone in my family some tootsie rolls today for Halloween and explained how we give away candy on Halloween. They went bezerk over them. They were so excited. It was awesome. Before I left for training this morning, my little sister ran out after me to give me a big hug. It was so cute. I'll miss her when I head out to my site.

I miss you all a ton and hope that everyone is happy and healthy. Give me a call sometime!

And this is to Zach's mom: Thanks for reading the blog! Everyone loves Zach.

Ninafundisha sasa

So today is Wednesday. I started teaching last Tuesday. I teach 9 periods a week, for the next two week. Tuesdays, I teach 3 40 minute classes of Form 1 physics and then on Wednesdays I get to teach the same three classes for 80 minutes each. Its crazy. My classes are going amazingly well so far. I learn the subject the weekend before I teach it and then just have at it. It works really well.

Yesterday was our 1/2 way through training mark. It was celebrated by a safari at Mikumi National park. We got to see twiga (giraffes), tembo(elephants), simba (think Lion King), and a whole bunch of awesome animals. We stayed at a nice little motel and went to a swiss place for dinner and paid way too much for the food. I ordered a cheeseburger. In cheeseburger standards, it was pretty bad. Little and not enough cheese and not very good, but in Tanzania standards, it was pretty much the best food i've ever eaten. The only bad thing about the trip is that I'm an idiot and left my headlamp at the hotel. So now I am headlampless, and that was pretty much my most prized possession here. It's a bummer not to have it. I am dreading the next time that the electricity goes out at home.

So in 5 days, it is Halloween. What that means for me: SITE ANNOUNCEMENTS. In 5 days, they'll tell us where we are going to live! Where we'll be teaching. What other local language we may have to learn and all of that jazz. I am so excited. I'll keep you posted on that. Next week or the week after (depends on who you ask), we will be going on site visits to. We'll go spend 5 days with a PCV somewhere in Tanzania...unfortunately, not at the sites we'll be going to, for logic reasons that I don't really understand. It'll be fun to go shadow a teacher at their school and see how they live.

So PS to any friends who are reading this: my parents apparently have an awesome calling plan and you should go over to their house and call me from their phone. That is if you want to talk to me. So that's about it. My time is running short. Give me a call - I would LOVE to hear from you...my numbers posted a few blog entries down, go find it!

Still in TZ

So iI don't have too much to update, but I'm at a computer, so i though i'd write something. I'm still loving Tanzania and my host family. Training is getting a little bit tedious but we're almost halfway done. Next weekend is actuall our halfway mark, and we are taking an overnight trip to Mikumi national Park and going on a safari! I'm pretty amped about that.

So next week I begin teaching for real. FOR REAL. Oh my God... It's actually a lot less scary than I thought it would be. As tedious and sometimes frustrating as training can be, the Peace Corps really does prep you for your assignment. We've done microteaching, observations, had classes on teaching. Besides getting over the nerves of standing up and talking in front of a class, I'm pretty much as prepared as possible. Kudos Peace Corps Tanzania Training Staff.

Other things that are going well:
-bucket baths
-kiswahili
-laundry - If there are any crazy nervous invitees reading this...every...here's a bit of advice: make sure to wash all your clothes a few times before you come over here. Soap is harsh and makes your clothes bleed. Which is fine, except you waste a ton of water.
-host family
-riding daladalas
-a bunch of other things.

Ps- I have a bunch of letters written to a bunch of people but am having a lot of trouble getting to a posta when it's open. Sorry.

So that's about it. Life is going well. Call me. Write me. Email me. I'd love to hear some news from the states.

Love you!

Kate

Yes, I go by Kate now. In Swahili Keti (which is the pronunciation of Katie) means chair. Awesome name. Just call me Kate.

Greetings from Morogoro

Greetings from Morogoro, Tanzania. Sorry for the lack of updates but the internet cafe in my village has been down. So, obviously, I have arrived safely in Tanzania. My training group consists of 40 people, ranging in age from 22 to about 60ish. They are all super nice and we get along great.

We spent the first week in Dar es Salaam at a Christian hostel. Since Dar is a dangerous city (especially to 40 wazungu that don't speak a lick of English), we were confined to stay within the hostel. We got a whole bunch of immunizations, had tons of safety and security classes, and were jet-lagged like crazy. It was a bit of a trying week.

However, last Wednesday we packed up and drove four hours inland to the region of Morogoro, where we were dropped off with our host families. My host family is amazing. I have 2 kaka (brothers), a dada (sister), a mama, and a baba (father) who is only around on weekends. Most of the time we have electricity and we have running water every afternoon. I'm roughing it hard core. My kaka both speak pretty good English, so they help me with kiswahili. Mama doesn't speak a lot of English so she forces me to learn it quickly. It's a pretty good situation. Adding to the awesomeness of Morogoro is that its right at the base of Mt.Uluguru, so we have a fantastic view. We are allowed to walk around freely (as long as we're home before dark) and can start interacting with Tanzanians. It's fantastic. I love it.

Classes are going great! So far, it has been a lot of kiswahili, but we started technical classes today. We talked about lesson planning and recieved the syllabus. Good news: I will be able to teach the Physics syllabus, despite my lack of physics education. I'll be fine! It was encouraging to see the syllabus.

I've had a few "cross-cultural encounters" so far. One, I asked whether I should bathe in the evening or in the morning. But, really, that was a silly question. Who in the world doesn't bathe two times a day! That's just ridiculous. So yea, I'm much cleaner now than I ever was in America. Two, maji ya kunywa and maji ya kunya are different. The first is water to drink and the second means water to poo. Three guesses about which one I asked for...Whoops. Everyone laughed. It's ok. My family is super patient with me!

So that's about it. I did get a phone, in case you'd like to call me. My number is country code (255) then 0684599642. Keep in mind the 7 hour time difference!

I love you all like crazy and miss you tons! I hope everything is going well back in the states!

Baadaye!

The Final Countdown

So here it is: the last post before I ship off to Tanzania.

I leave the day after tomorrow. My bags are all packed (76 pounds! Still have 4 pounds to spare- Score!) 40 hours of Rosetta Stone Swahili lessons are completed. Paperwork is filled out. Many farewells are said. Goodbyes are horrible. I teared up more than I expected. I'm going to post some of the photos from my good-bye party and the weekend after camping trip because they make me smile.

The family (minus the brother) at the party. It would be a perfect picture if Dan was in it.

Friends, at the Upper Falls in New Hampshire. A great weekend with a great group of people.

You know how parents always say "if your friends all jumped off a cliff, would you too?" Apparently.

Friendsies.

Sister, cousins, aunt and uncle. Amazing family.

I don't have too much more to say. I guess just good-bye to everyone. Everyone has been so great these last few weeks. I will miss everyone so much. You guys are all amazing and I wish everyone the best of luck between now and the next time that I see you (in over 2 years!) Stay in touch! Post comments, email me, write me letters! I love you all.

I don't know when the next time I'll be able to update this will be, so until then kwa heri.

Quick Tanzania Facts

So I've decided to tell you all a little bit about Tanzania. Mainly because I was looking it up out of interest, but I think other people will enjoy knowing about the country in which I will live for the next 27 months.

Tanzania recieved independence from Great Britain in the early 1960's and in 1964 Tanganyika merged with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania (Tanzania). The capital of Tanzania is Dar es Salaam (Swahili translation: City of Peace). Jakaya Kikwete is the president, and has been since 2005. Election is Tanzania are held every five years, and presidents can be elected for up to two terms.



This is the flag of Tanzania. The green stripe represents the natural vegetation in Tanzania, the yellow stripes represent the rich mineral deposits, the black stripe represents the native kiswahili culture, and the blue represents the Indian Ocean.

Tanzania is in eastern Africa. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean, Kenya, Mozambique and Zambia (as well as a few other countries). It is the 38th largest country in the world with a total area of 947,300 sq kilometers (about twice the size of California). The USA is the 9th largest with 9,826,675 sq kilometers. Tanzania is the home of Mt.Kilamanjaro - the highest point in all of Africa, Lake Victoria (the 2nd largest freshwater lake in the world), and Lake Tangyika (the second deepest freshwater lake in the world).



The two official languages in Tanzania are Swahili (of Kiswahili) and English. On the mainland, 30% of people are Christians, 35% Muslim, and 35% with indigenous beliefs. A 2007, CIA survey estimates that about 6.2% of adults are living with HIV/AIDS. This is the 12th highest percentage in the world. America is the 68th ranked at 0.6%.

The climate in Tanzania varies considerably depending on which part of the country you are in. Temperatures can range anywhere between 10 C (around 20 degrees Farenheit) in the northern highlands between June and October to somewhere in the low 30's C (about 90 Farenheit) on the coast between December and March (Ohhh this should be fun to pack for!) There are two rainy seasons from March to May and from November to December.



Sources:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tz.html
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Tanzania-CLIMATE.html
http://www.africatravelguide.com/tanzania-climate-geography
http://tanzaniatouristboard.com/about_tanzania/weather_and_climate

So that's it. 10 Days. I am READY TO GO!

Countdowns

Warning: This is an "I can't sleep and have nothing better to do" post. It may not be interesting, because I am really bored. But, as I was laying in bed, I was thinking about the time that has passed.

It' been almost 2 months since Brian left for Niger. Anyone that has been around me in these last 2 months knows that I miss him like crazy. But, also, that his leaving is helping to prepare me for my own departure: watching him pack, saying good-bye, but especially getting news from him. I've gotten a few letters, have been able to call him a few times, and have seen a few pictures of him posted on Facebook. From all I can gather, he is having the time of his life. It's also been about 2 months since Scotty left for Guinea. I hear from her less often, and in less detail, but she also seems to be having an amazing time. Seeing them have such a fulfilling first few months is making me all the more ready to begin my own Peace Corps experience.

It's been about a month since I recieved my invitation. In that month, I've been "busy" trying to get things in order: my finances, my travel arrangements, my passport issue (more to come on that later), my packing, my Swahili. I've, so far, put in about 30 hours on Rosetta Stone and can get my basic needs across in Swahili. That's a good start, and I'm sure I will build on it when I arrive. In the last month, I've moved out of my apartment, stopped working at the lab, started studying Physics, and starting spending a lot more time with my family (I am increasingly realizing how much I will miss them), and started shopping/packing.

It's been a little over 2 weeks since the passport fiasco. I have not heard back from the Peace Corps, saying that I messed up again. It took about a week and a half for them to tell me I messed up the first time, so I'm assuming everythings OK there. Thank God.

And most exciting: there's about 2 and a half weeks until I leave for Staging. And then, 2 weeks from today, I will be arriving in Tanzania. I am preparing for a trying 2 weeks. I need to finish packing and shopping. I need to learn Physics. I need to say good-bye. Thus far, I've said good-bye to Brian and Scotty (I'm counting their leaving as good-byes), my bird, and Tyrone(my roommate's dog). Those three good-byes were hard. I can't imagine how difficult it will be to say good-bye to my family. Brian was so strong when he left: I hope I can muster up half that much strength.

All that being said, can you tell the I am getting nervous? I am so excited, but am also beginning to realize the depth of this experience. I know I am strong, and that I can do this, and that I will enjoy it. I know this is what I want. I just need to take the plunge. To put it into an analogy that probably only my family will understand: I am that 10 year old girl at the Upper Falls, wanting to jump off that little cliff more than anything. And when I get to the edge the cliff, I get really nervous. And then once I jump, and come back up from the water, I realize that I'm still alive and am so happy that I jumped. And I loved it. And anyone that knows me now, knows I like jumping off of tall things, or doing bungee-jumping slingshots in FL, or jumping out of airplanes, or ziplining/rappelling. This is the same thing. Now that I'm on the edge of the cliff, I just need to let go and jump. And from there, everything will work itself out.

So maybe I can sleep now.

Of all the things that can go wrong.

So, my PC application process was not the smoothest process of all, but I managed. I got through it. I was pretty sure all the application headaches were behind me, and I just had to look forward to headaches caused by African heat, dehydration, and malaria. I was prepared for those headaches.

But no. Not quite yet. Passport Application DENIED. DUN Dun dun... and why? Because I sent them the same passport photographs that I used for my personal passport, 5 months ago. You're not supposed to do that. I didn't get that memo. I sent my passport information in last Thursday, I am found this out today. At around 1:00 pm. While I was at work. I am leaving for Tanzania 5 weeks from today and my passport application was denied. Great!

But, ok. I can handle this. I am going to be a Peace Corps volunteer. There will be much more complicated/frustrating situations in the next 2 year than this. So I am talking to the man from the PC that is telling me this. I am obviously concerned, and am listening to him closely. He's giving me the instructions: I need to mail three photos (one for my Visa, because passport and visa photos need to match) to such and such an address, in an envelope, with my name and country of service written on the back, and they need to recieve it by 10am tomorrow. WAIT. WHAT!?! It's 1pm today. I need to finish work, get new photos taken, and make sure that they are in Washington DC in 21 hours. Oh man. Headache.

So FedEx is obviously the way this is going to happen. So I get my 3 2"x2" photographs taken at CVS, then rush over to FedEx with my envelope that contains the photographs, and pounce at the woman at the counter:
Her: "Can I help you" (or something very generic like that)
Me: "YES! I need this envelope to reach Washington DC by 10 am tomorrow. It's really, really, really important. Is that possible? I'm so sorry. I just found out today that this needed to be there tomorrow" And I'm pretty sure I started talking faster and more high pitched as my dialog went on.

But good news. $57 later (for 3 2" photos to be mailed), the kind woman assured me that it would be there in time. Crisis averted. Hopefully. I'll find out tomorrow when I check the tracking number...

Lessons learned:
1-Spend the $7 to get new photos taken at CVS.
2-The passport agency is ridiculous.
3-FedEx is really expensive.
4-My parents are awesome.

But for the good news. Which pretty much made my day good. I got another from Brian. He sent me a memory card with photos of Niger. He looks like he's have a great time, so that was really encouraging and exciting. Pretty soon we'll be under the same African sky. Just really far apart, still.

Shopping

My mother took me shopping today to start getting stuff that I'll need. Headlamp(which I've already broken and need to exchange...), rainjacket, flashlight, luggage, watch, binoculars(in case I see a giraffe or something like that), some good sandals...and the list goes on.

It was really difficult to shop. It's hard to imagine what I'll need for 27 months in Africa. The PC gives you a packing list, but I'm doubting the necessity of everything on it (what do you think, do I really need a plastic egg carton?) Plus it is hard to jugge what I should bring with me and what I should buy in Tanzania. I'm guessing clothing won't be too hard or expensive to find but what about shoes. Do I really want to bring a pair of hiking/walking shoes, a pair of nice sandals, two pairs of professional shoes, and a pair of dressy shoes. That 5 pairs of shoes...and I only get two bags of a combined total of 80 pounds. I don't want to use it all up on shoes!

Two bags. 80 pounds. For 27 months. It crazy that I'll have to condense my life into 2 checked luggage bags...

Aspirations

So I've finished my aspiration statement and resume, and emailed the to the Peace Corps. I thought it would be cool to post my aspiration statement, so that I can go back and look at it while I'm in Tanzania and see if I am fulfilling my aspirations. Each letter is a specific question that I had to answer. These were the questions:

A-The professional attributes that you plan to use, and what aspirations you hope to fulfill during your PC service
B-Strategies for working effectively with country partners to meet needs
C-Strategies for adapting to new culure
D-Skills and knowledge you hope to gain during pre-service training to best serve your community and project
E- How PC will influence your personal and professional aspiration after your service ends.

So this is what I had:

A: I am an energetic, organized, hard-working, and self-motivated individual. I hope to utilize these attributes to provide an effective and enjoyable learning environment for students. I hope to design an interesting and engaging lesson plan and to use my creativity to enhance student’s interest in physics by using a variety of educational approaches, to accommodate student’s interests and educational needs. I hope that these attributes, and also through my respectful and personable nature and my commitment to serve the community, I will be able gain the trust and confidence of the community I will be serving. If I can gain the trust, confidence, and enthusiasm of my local counterparts, I really hope that I will be able to make a difference that will endure even after I am gone.

B: I hope to develop positive, professional relationships with both local teachers and with community members. These relationships with help me to assess the needs and desires of the community and the school, and will allow me to most effectively serve the community. To build these relationships, I plan to work hard to obtain a good understand of Tanzanian culture and language. Doing so will allow me to become fully integrated into the community, so that I can behave professionally and appropriately, within the context of Tanzanian culture.

C: I realize that adapting to a new culture will be very difficult and is also an integral aspect of being an effective Peace Corps volunteer. During this transition, I will need to keep and open-mind and be patient. To fully adapt to Tanzanian culture may take a while and will be full of challenges. Through each challenge, I will try to stay positive and will try to look at it from an objective point of view. Hopefully, this will enable me to take each day and each challenge in stride; so that each challenge will teach me something and help me become more adapted to Tanzanian culture. Through observation of Tanzanian behavior, I hope to pinpoint any aspects of my own behavior that may not be appropriate in Tanzania. Once I can pinpoint these behaviors, I will work hard to alter them.

D: During pre-service training, I hope to develop a better working knowledge of Kiswahil and of Tanzanian culture, so that I can behave appropriately and communicate effectively when my service begins. Further, I hope to learn more about the Tanzanian school structure and strengthen skills relevant to teaching in Tanzania; including designing effective lesson plans and organizing out-of-class activities. Also, I hope that pre-service training will serve as a transitional stepping stone from being emerged in American culture to being emerged in Tanzanian culture. During pre-service training, I hope to adjust to life without the conveniences that I am accustomed to. I will need to learn simple tasks such as doing laundry without a washing machine, preparing food without an oven, and getting around without a car. I hope to learn these skills during pre-service training so that I can be more adapted once pre-service training ends.

E: I think my Peace Corps service will be tremendously influential to me, both personally and professionally. Most notable, I think I will learn a lot about myself during my 2-year service: I will learn more about what my strengths and weaknesses are and I will learn more about how I, personally, deal with adversity. I think that this self-knowledge will help me decided what course of action, whether it be going graduate school or beginning a career, I want pursue when I return. Additionally, I think I will gain skills and knowledge during my service that will be personally, socially, and professionally beneficial when I return.

Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork

I have officially accepted my invitation to go to Tanzania (big surprise there, huh?). Now I am swamped with paperwork, and essays to write, and resumes to reorganize. I have completed most of the "official paperwork". I have sent my visa application and my passport application (I get a new official, Peace Corps passport) into the Peace Corps.

I am currently in the process of writing my "Aspiration Statement" and Resume. At first, I was having a great deal of difficulty writing my resume. I felt relatively unqualified to teach physics. However, as I began writing it, I realized that I'm not nearly as unqualified as I thought I was. I have been a TA for classes at UMass, I have worked in a labe for 2.5 years, giving students background information on the goals of the lab, I have prepared, and successfully given, a 45-minute lecture for my senior honor's thesis, and I have take 4 physics classes. I am by no means an expert in physics, but I have a solid base to work from. Plus...I really just need to be a chapter ahead of my students, right? As for the "aspiration statement", I'm stuck. Knowing that everything will be so different, and that in order to make a real difference I am going to need input, support, and trust from the community that I am serving in, how can I really know "what aspirations I hope to fulfill". Generalize. I'll just be very general.

Besides giving me paperwork to fill out, the Peace Corps provides invitees with a subscription to Rosetta Stone. So I have been dutifully working hard through Swahili lessons. Peace Corps asks that you spend at least 40-hours working through Rosetta Stone before your departure. However, I really want to finish the entire course before I leave...which I am estimating is a good 60-80 hours. I still am in disbelief that I will be fluent in Swahili soon.

The Beginning

I have never blogged before, so bear with me as I figure out how to use a blog and how to say what I want to say. I will try to keep this blog updated as much as possible about my Peace Corps experience. However, I can not guarantee frequent updates.

To begin, I applied to the Peace Corps about a year ago now, and was nominated to teach in Sub-Saharan Africa last November, with my expected departure date being November 2009. The last year has been hectic: I've been busy finishing up at UMass Amherst, getting medical/dental clearance for the Peace Corps- breaking my ankle in March really put a damper on my medical clearance, and of course waiting. I've come to realize just how important patience can be.

I just recieved my invitation to serve, earlier today (August 5). I will be going to Tanzania on September 23, 2009 (2 months before I expected!) as a Secondary School Physics Teacher. I'm so excited to face the challenges that this assignment has in store: I was a biology major, so I will need to master a new topic, while mastering a new language: Swahili. I was on top of the world when I recieved my invitation and immediately drove home to tell my parents, bought a Swahili dictionary and a "Physics for Dummies" book. Too bad that don't have a "Physics in Swahili for Dummies" book, but I will make due. Then I settled down to read the 104-page packet that I need to read before I can accept my invitation. As I said, I was thrilled when I recieved the invitation to Tanzania. After reading the packet, learning more about the country, the culture, and my particular assignment, I could not be more happy with my assignment. Everything that I read, just made me more and more excited.

The next few weeks, I am sure, will fly by in a daze. I still need to move out of my old apartment, get everything that I need, pack, and of course study. I thought that I was ready to be done with studying once I graduated, but I am looking forward to learning Swahili and reading about physics so much. I never thought that I could get this excited about physics.