It has been so long since I last posted on my blog, I was seriously considering scrapping the whole online journal bit. Fortunately, after being on hiatus for about three weeks, electricity came back at site. Good thing too, word on the street was that if electricity didn't come back students would not be able to return because the water we get must be pumped up 80m from the little river at the bottom of the valley. Apparently our electric bill hadn't been paid...ever. Eight million shillings is a decent chunk of change, and somehow, it has been paid, although I'm still fuzzy on the details. The point is, I can type these long entries at school and not have to waste significant cash using an internet cafe machine just to chapa sentensi.
New education volunteers arrived at their sites late November. Mbeya region received six Peace Corps teachers this time around, which means two sites are brand new. Lucky Anita is in a safi-as-hell (so I hear) site right outside of Mbeya Town. Hopefully we'll be organizing a science fair to get female student excited about learning physics and computers. Rock girls empowerment! All I have planned so far is an egg drop contest and a water floom. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears.
I spent the 10-14th of December helping Deborah of Olive Branch for Children deliver contracts to Montesorri school teachers out in the boonies of Mbarali region of Mbeya. The region is the poorest, driest spot I've seen since getting to Africa (haven't been to Dodoma folks). It's also been hit hard by HIV/AIDS. Our 180km bicycle trek over 3 days was inspiring, tranquil, and enlightening all punctuated by meetings with village leaders and impromptu health consultations with wagonjwa. There was an elderly woman who had broken her left femur at the neck of the proximal end. In the US she would probably have hip replacement surgery and get a fine piece of titanium and ceramic. In her case, that's not a likely option. We did the best we could to recommend building parallel bars and later crutches, to help her get off her feet and rehabilitated to some degree. May she find the strength and luck to walk again.
Although the rides were long, they put us out near the edge of human settlement. Any further and we would have been in one of Tanzania's national parks with lions, hyenas, hippos, etc. It also put us in the Wasukuma village of Mwika where we barged in welcomely on a pagan celebration. The cow had alread been slaughter and the were beginning to cook when we arrived. We stayed for a soda and did a little leaping when the appropriate time came (video). It was an amazing experience and even though, on the way home, we were delayed by a flat tire and almost struck by lightning (it was less than 100m away) I'm so glad to have been part of it. On the lightning note, a little girl was killed by it in a nearby village just a few days prior, so it was with somber paranoia that we watched the storm pass.
Vacation is beginning to drag on, and I cannot wait for the arrival of my first guest from home, my father, who'll be staying with me in Dar for a few days. Finally someone from home get's a taste (if only a smidgen) of my life here. Mid Service Conference comes early January. That's right, it has been over one year since I started teaching at Kayuki Girl's Secondary. Basically a lot of health appointments, I'll be excited to see some of the folks who potea'd since training. I'll also get to see Aaron Snow, an old pal from grade-school who transfered to the DDS (Deep Dirty South), after Peace Corps Kenya bailed. It should be somehow fun.
That's all for now. New Year's resolution: be a better blogger.
