markets and pineapples.

kale, anne, and i walked to town today to hit up the market. it was quiet interesting. rotten what not thrown everywhere. you could buy rice from a burlap sack. barter for your vegetables.

upon our return anne and i took up the art of balancing fruit on our head.

we're still perfecting the balance without hands.

slang.

i have picked up on several words and phrases that many speak here in African / British slang. they often make me laugh.
here are a few:
______________________________________________

will you tick my paper? = will you check my paper?

please go put on your swimming costume = please go put on your swimming suit/trunks

off you go! = go get started!

i left a note in your pigeon hole = i left a note in your mail box

you need a full stop at the end of every sentence = you need a period at the end of every setence.

please, may i use the toilet? = may i please use the restroom?

orphanage.

i hiked an hour to an orphanage today. i was able to play with 30 children between the ages of 1 and 2. children were beating one another with sticks and pushing each other over onto the ground. it became quite obvious that even at a young age it's every man for himself in this place. these children are so defensive as a result of learning how to get what they need in a building where food is slim and housing compacted.

i removed dirt chunks from their mouths. taught them ring-around-the-rosie. held them when tears streamed down their face. and had to turn around to shed tears of my own when i saw them being beaten with a shoe for having done something wrong.

my swahili is not fluent enough to have made any conversation with them. but perhaps the smiles, hugs, and kisses were a greater glimpse of love to them, even without words.

Lord let these children know Your love in their lifetime.

play dough and other class activities.

we are currently working on a science unit and doing a wide variety of experiments. creating things. making things explode. figuring out what a procedure is. today we made play dough. it was quite messy but the kids were quite amazed.

roof-top view.

sitting on the roof-top of our house gives the best view of our neighborhood.

you can faintly see mt. kilimanjaro on a clear day, just beyond the treeline.

there is another level to the roof-top - but this is the hand made ladder i am afraid to climb to get there. due to my previous injury record i'm not willing to try.

things i must get used to.

in numbered order, because it's more fun::

1. unreliable electricity. it often will go out - and with it goes our water source which is accessed by use of an electric pump.

2. the howling of dogs and crowing of roosters between the hours of 3 and 6 a.m.

3. tea / coffee / snack break. every morning at 10:15 all of the teachers are allotted 25 minutes of non-contact time with students. teachers gather in the staff room to consume an African treat and sip on a hot drink. you may ding the bell if you have an announcement for all to hear. laughter is shared before class resumes for the remainder of the day.

4. ensuring that all students wear a hat to the playground. due to the direct sunlight, all students are required to wear a hat when outdoors.

5. teaching the specials. classroom teachers are in charge of teaching art, swimming, p.e., and part of library.

6. students calling me by my first name and being asked phrases in a thick British accent, such as: "Savannah, may i use the toilet?" (the words bathroom and restroom are not used here.)

7. students not wearing shoes in the classroom (due to the dirt and dust it would carry in on our concrete floor).

all such things are part of the adventure!

the first day of school

today was my first full day of school in Tanzania. i joined a P 3/4 (primary third and fourth grade combined) class of 22 energetic children from around the world.

school starts at 7:30 - and ends at 1:05. students just ran for lunch and from there have 'clubs' in the afternoon. each student is required to join a club such as drama, swimming, karate, cricket, etc., which is part of their schooling opportunity.

it is somewhat hard for the students to understand me because i have a strong American accent, i've been told. the majority of the students in the class are from Tanzania, Canada, Sweden, and England, although the majoirty of them speak pretty clear English.

we did multiplication and division. read books. created a volcano with mud and watched it explode. they also managed to yank me into the special education classroom where i did a bit of teaching for the morning.

i'm not so certain what i will do with all of my time. being done with school at 1:05 each day leaves many hours remaining. there is an orphanage about a 30 minute walk away - and my roommate Anne and i are planning to take up baby holding several afternoons in the week.

as my monday concludes and yours begins, may it be well to you as it has been to me.