tzed

One of my favorite memories of Tanzania is this one time in Iringa a while back. It was probably about 8 months ago. I was walkin down the street with my friend Kate. This is her pictured here. We were walking past the market, when along came an old homeless guy. This old homeless guy was different though. This guy didn't beg for money, he didn't want food, he wasn't even looking for small talk with a foriegner. This old guy just really really wanted to punch a white person. He walked right up to us, cold cocked Kate on the shoulder, turned around, and walked back to his spot near the market. No words spoken. Just a punch-n-run. The best part about this story though, is that it took us a couple minutes to even realize that this was strange or funny. She kind of just rubbed her shoulder and we kept on walking. Then later realized, hey, Kate just got punched on the shoulder by an old homeless guy for no reason. It was pretty funny. Maybe the old guy was getting out years aingst in that punch. Or maybe he had a vengence against foriegners. Or maybe he just confused Kate with some other young woman he was upset at. Or maybe he was just crazy a little. Who knows..

My first blog in 2009 Dec 9, 2009

So i guess its pretty clear that Im not the best updater of my blog. I just never can think of how to summarize all of the crazy things that go on here in TZ! (also i make a lot of spelling mistakes and don't want you all to make fun of me!) So ill post some pics from facebook. That first pic is me and my dog! Her name is Nami which means "with me" in Swahili.. She was still a puppy back then, now she's a year old and a huge rhodesian ridgeback (african lion dog) and also a huge pain in the butt, but really really reaaallyy cute! I'm carryin her on my back like how all the mamas carry their kids on their backs. the next pic is from a night when barden and em came to visit me at my house in my family room. we cooked dinner for the kids next door, who basically are my brothers and sisters by now. Thats barden, nuru, elisha, brown, emilie, dorcas, me, and joshua. out of time here now, but will post more pics sooner than later! wohlers is coming to visit in a couple weeks!! very excited!

long time no blog

Geneseo kitten- mimi siyo mlevi!!!! napenda kusherekea tu :) Una miaka mingapi?? Wasalimia wote. Au wewe na bibi wa AKPhi mkitaka kunisaidia, nipo, na nitapanga shughuli nyingi katika kituo cha afya, hospitalini, shuleni, na yatima. Kitu chechote kitaweza kusaidia! Asanteni :)

So i have furniture now!!!! that is exciting. Also, yesterday there was a funeral for a member of parliament, but it was at MY little village. The president of tz came! i took pics of him. i have a camera now finally!!.. just takes forever to dl onto comp. i went to a funeral for my neighbors mother the other day, it was really sad. all the women sit inside to cry, and some women sing as loud as they can so that ppl cant hear that they are crying. and the men all stand outside. i also went to a send off party, which is the day before the wedding.. theres lots of good food, and dancing, that was fun. the bride to be, walks around all sad and dramatic, and then goes into the 'audience' until she finds her husband who is sitting with everyone, n then she brings him up to the front with her. emilie and barden bought their tickets and theyre planning their visit for me! i cant wait for that!.. lots of planning lately. weve been having lots of meetings with diff important ppl lately, its been kind of hectic.... im really bad at blogging.. so maybe ill just post a picture!
this is us watching the elections. they were showing it at the local hospital. YAAYYYY OBAMA!!!!! also- if anyone has any interest in helping to fund different projects i will be starting in africa, PLEASE email me. I will be working with aids education, trying to build a water pump, so ppl dont have to hike down a mnt with babies on their backs and 20liter buckets on their heads, orphans, and general education in schools! Thanks everyone!!!! MISS YOU ALLL!!!!

I brush my teeth with a cap full of water.

Hellooooooo everybody!!!... I miss America! How's it doing????... Who is "Geneseo kitten" who knows Swahili on my comments!?... Uwasalimie bibi wa Alpha Kappa Phi, na rafiki wote. Nimefurahi ulijibu Blog yangu!!! Ulijifunza Kiswahili wapi?? Sijui kabisa bado. Lakini, nimefurahi mambo New York ni sawa. Nipo sawa hapa Tanzania, ninapenda nchi. Imependeza kabisa!!!!! Karibu Tanzania!!!!!! SO MY SISTER HAD A BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jack Joseph Ezziden! 6lbs 12oz! .. He is beautiful! i just saw his pictures... im a little sad that i cant see him in real life... He looks like the cutest baby ive ever seen though! Everyone at the internet cafe here were crowded around his pic congratulating me. The word for neice and nephew in swahili is the same as child... so to say, my son is mtoto wangu.. or to say my nephew is mtoto wangu.... so ill have to diferentiate!.. haha.. but the word for aunt is mama mdogo!.. so i am mama mdogo (literally- small mom) and susie is mama mkubwa (literally- big mom) im so excited!!!!!!... here in tanzania, everythings been going good... i have been moving kind of slow bc i hurt my ankle, but im doing better now. i get furniture on the 7th finally!.. and ive been painting my house a lot n stuff... i have a camera at the post office right now!.. but i cant get it until later, they're being weird about getting our packages.... what else..... im making plans to go to zanzibar maybe for new years eve!!.. so that will be awesome!... i make the best toast. its better than at home. i need to learn more quick easy recipes for food... that idea doesnt really exist here. i cant wait to show everyone what ugali is.... look it up online... EVERY tanzanian eats it, pretty much every night for dinner... its kind of gross, but you get used to it!.. i actually dont mind it anymore. all i want is my package with easy squeeze cheese!!!!!!! ok, thats all... love/miss everyone! if anyone has any encouraging advice, help, ideas on what projects to start here in tanzania to promote better health an aids awareness, shoot! i would love to start some kind of org to be the liazon bw americans and kids, or ppl with hiv here in mbeya. BYYYE!!! :)

MMMMMMMbeya

So I made it to site! I've been living in my house for a week a half now. I got placed in Mbeya Region! It is soooooo beautiful here. It is really lush and mountainous, and rivers everywhere, and farms and gardens everywhere. My house is right next to the primary school, and its split into 2 apts, so i have a neighbor that has been feeding me and taking care of me! haha.. It was pretty much empty when i moved in, actually, it still is pretty much empty.... i have to buy furniture still. But i have a bed at least! My village is called Iyawaya. The bigger town that is closest is Inyala, like a 20 or 30 minute walk. And then the city (Mbeya City) is a 30 minute drive from Inyala on a daladala. (which is this van thing that piles as many ppl in as possible) Mbeya City is awesome.. thats where I am right now, to use internet. Its really nice here, and they have pretty much any food or anything I could want to buy. And theres this Canadian girl who lives in the City, has an awesome house, owns an orphanage, and is friends with a lot of Peace Corps ppl, so we can stay over at her house if we want to. In my village so far, its been kind of random day to day. I'm not supposed to be working for the first three months, in order to get settled and buy stuff for the house and get to know my villagers, map the village for the health centers and schools and stuff. So its a little strange not having a schedule or anything, like we have for the past 3 months of training. I've been getting close with my neighbors, and the teachers at the school i live near. Its a little hard with the language, obv... but i'll def learn faster this way. I think im going to try to find a swahili tutor at the secondary school. (All of the classes are taught in English at the secondary schools) For now though, im going to focus on figuring out how to cook and clean.. haha... I've never even lived alone in America, so doing it in Africa is funny. I don't have electricity again, but I don't really mind using a lantern and candles! And in order to get water i have to climb down this mountain to this river, under the roots of this tree, fill my bucket, and then carry it back up the mnt! ... kinda hard.. the students always try doing it for me, but im trying to get used to doing it for myself too. And then I boil it and filter it or bleach it. I haven't gotten sick at all or anything since Ive been here either! Ok times about to run out. Miss everyone!!!!!

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I'm currently in Mafinga. we just got off the bus, and are staying here overnight before we get to Mafinga, the village that this volunteer lives in! Kikwete the pres is supposed to be speaking, so we might see him at some point. we stayed in morogoro the last 2 nights, and had a lot of fun!... we got to shop at a real grocery store!.. i got to eat ice cream, and bought doritoes and a twix!.... so much fun!... and we went to this bar and got pizza for dinner!!!... the other night we all did kareoke and hung out at this other bar, and the next morning i had only the 3rd hangover ive ever had in my life! So anyways... now that were done in class, i havent been learning swahili every day, and it feels weird.. we are spending this week shadowing a volunteer, Ross, so im really excited to see how he lives, and his work and everything.... and then after a week of shadowing, we go to dar es salaam, where im going to try to buy a new digital camera, and where we hear our site announcements!!... i still dont know yet where they\'re going to place me for the next 2 years, so im really excited to find out where, and which other volunteers ill be around... then we move back to our home stays in kilosa for 3 more days. im making my family a story book about them in swahili, and im going to give it to them as a thank you gift... im really going to miss my family a lot... then we all 46 move in to the place in ilonga, for 3 days, and then we get dropped off for our site!.. im def scared.. but it will be so much fun to have my own house, and scope out the new village.. (em that was for you :)).. alright,,, thas all for now!... miss everyone!!