Karibuni!

Karibuni! (Welcome All!)

We’ve been in Tanzania for about 10 amazing days and we’d like to share with you some of the highlights.

Living Arrangements

We are happy to report that the living arrangements for us are better than we expected. We were prepared for pretty austere conditions, but found that we have our own room in a house dedicated to the volunteers. It has a (semi-reliable) hot shower, a flushing toilet, and some weak electricity. We were also prepared to spend the first week using that flushing toilet in one way or another, but fortunately the local food is pretty agreeable.

The little village we live in is called Tengeru. The village itself is approximately 15km east of Arusha, sprawling back into the banana groves in the foothills of giant Mount Meru , its razor sharp peak towering 15,000ft into the sky. The 2,200 people in Tengeru are predominantly of the Meru tribe and though most are Christian, we still hear the Muslim call to prayer on Saturdays. The biggest surprise for us was that the weather wasn’t warm and sunny like we expected to find near the equator. Rather for the first few days it has been very cold, drizzly, and mostly cloudy and we have had to rely on the cold weather gear we brought expressly for our Kilimanjaro expedition.

Cast of Characters

Lema – He is the head coordinator for the volunteer program in Tengeru. He picked us up from the airport in his bright red Range Rover with a giant sticker of Barrack Obama’s face on the back windshield next to letters spelling out “YES WE CAN!” He’s young, enterprising, and is very perceptive.

Mama Gladness – Lema’s mother and the matriarch of the volunteer program. She lives in a small farm down the road from the volunteer house. Mama is a very giving person, with an infectious laugh and a warm smile. She takes care of Lema’s younger brothers and she also has taken in four orphans off the street. Every time we visit we each get four kisses on the cheek and sometimes even “love punches” to the shoulder. We’ve decided that her “spirit animal” is a dolphin.

Siza – so named because he was born by Caesarian section, Siza is Lema’s 24 year old younger brother. He lives at Mama’s farm and assists with the volunteer program and is in charge of the tree nursery in the village. He’s exceptionally friendly with a clever sense of humor. He really wants to learn Spanish. Despite our prodding, he insists that he needs to get a real job, then a four-wheeler, then a Range Rover, then some cows, and then he’ll be ready to start looking for a girlfriend.

Babu – 21 year old athletic young man who lives and works at the volunteer house. He has a mountain bike that he rides everywhere and only really speaks when spoken to. He’s very polite, very nice, and has a good work ethic. Babu has very dark skin and reminds us of Bagira the panther from The Jungle Book. Maybe that’s his spirit animal.

Kerri – is a 5’1” tall, 32-year-old volunteer from Gloucester , Massachusetts , although you’d never know it by her (non) accent. A professional special-ed teacher back home, Kerri teaches with us at the local primary school. She’s the most introverted of the volunteers, but very friendly. The three of us walk ¾ of a mile up the hill through the banana groves to school every day.

Jodi – is a 5’11” tall, 27-year-old girl from southern California and volunteers with the HIV/AIDS program here. She has a lion’s mane of curly blonde hair and is a bundle of energy. She “challenges people not to like her,” and has a loud but very engaging personality. She thinks that all the solicitors in Arusha actually like her for her, and tells beggars in the street, “Sorry, I only have big bills.”

Kathleen – at 22, she’s the youngest volunteer in the program but has the most volunteer experience among us. She studied philosophy in her home state of New Hampshire , and volunteered in India and Rwanda before coming here to work with the HIV/AIDs program. She has very short pixie black hair, bright blue eyes, a slight lisp, and a very cute face. Siza has a huge crush on her (don’t tell anybody!).

First Impressions

Initially we were very happy with the accommodations and happy with the group of volunteers in the house. We arrived five days before we were to start our teaching assignment, and there was little for us to do during those first few days. We were both eager to get out and immerse ourselves in the village. It was fun and novel at first, but as the long days wore on we felt as though the extent of our ability to help was saying “Jambo” to people in the street and kicking a soccer ball with the kids. Our contribution seemed trivial and superficial at best.

Furthermore, we are complete standouts in this environment. As soon as we leave the volunteer house, for example, there is nowhere for us to hide from the incessant calls of “Mzungu! Mzungu!” Though meant to be endearing, the calls are typically followed by “give me money,” or “buy this, buy this!” which gets very tiresome very quickly. An interesting phenomenon happens in the streets of Tanzania , which we have dubbed “The Mzungu Shuffle.” It starts with “Mzungu! Mzungu! Buy this buy this!” and it continues until you feel bad enough to pay for something you really don’t want or need. Then, almost immediately the tune changes to “Mzungu! Mzungu! Give me [what you just bought]! Give me!” until you feel bad enough to give it to them, and then the shuffle begins again.

On the whole, our first impression was that this was going to be a long and uncomfortable experience. To top it off, we were sick with a cold for the first weekend and that drained us of even more energy and motivation. We were not happy Mzungus.

Volunteer Teaching

As soon as we got through our first day of teaching, our attitude about the program changed. It was the purpose and focus that we’d been looking for in the last few days, and it was an incredible experience from the start. The school’s headmaster initially wanted to split us up, but because the different age-groups had English at different times of day, we were both able to teach the same class together. That has really made all the difference in the world. We’ve been teaming up to write simple songs (in English and Swahili) about various topics such as grammar and nutrition and then teaching 60+ children per class through music. It really has been a wonderful and fun way for them to learn, and it’s really great to hear the children singing the songs together (in English!) during recess.

The school itself consists of two long cinder-block buildings with no electricity. Sometimes it’s hard to mark papers in the teachers’ room, which can get very dark on cloudy days. Some classes have up to 90 students per teacher. There is only one textbook per class. The students’ notebooks are on the verge of disintegration and some children don’t have notebooks at all. At recess, the children make a game of kicking stones around lines in the dirt, or throwing a ball of tape back and forth.

Our host teachers speak a little English and are very nice. They help keep the class organized and translate key portions of the lessons. Mama Foya is the 6^th grade teacher and is by far our favorite. Mama Helena is the 4^th grade teacher, and though nice-enough, she’s already swiped our egg-shaker and asked for gifts. We brought her a small bag of cashew nuts as a gift one morning and she roared back with “Lililililililili!” which we discovered was, in fact, a joyful noise usually reserved for special occasions like weddings or child birth.

The children are absolutely adorable. Boys and girls all have crew cuts, although some girls wear braided corn-rows. Often the only way to tell the boys from the girls is whether they are wearing trousers or a skirt with their uniform black sweaters. They are curious, shy, and very well behaved. They are initially reserved but will ignite with enthusiasm with the slightest encouragement. We love hearing them sing our songs at the top of their lungs every morning.

Second Impressions

After our first day of teaching we realized we needed some more school supplies. We asked Siza if he would take us to the Tengeru market and help protect us from the Mzungu Shuffle. He happily agreed, but asked us if we might help him water the trees in his nursery for a few hours. We obliged, and it turned out to be one of our best afternoons yet. Siza, it turns out, is a terrific guy and has quickly become our best local friend in Tanzania . After school we’ve been meeting up with him to help at the nursery. He introduces us to all the passers-by, keeps us out of trouble, and has become our defacto local guide. In return, we provide him some manual labor at the nursery, teach him English and Spanish, and help him talk to Kathleen without giving away his secret crush. Siza is a big reason why our experience has changed dramatically for the better. With our new daily routine centered around teaching in the mornings, working at the nursery in the afternoons, occasionally playing soccer or hiking before dinner, and then spending evenings with the other volunteers, we are thrilled about the next few weeks.

Rob and Em at the nursery.

Our new friend Siza.


Em teaching the Hokey Pokey.

Rob milking a cow at Mama's house.

Rob teaching Mondo how to play the guitar.

Em and Siza fishing in Lake Duluti. Em caught 2 fish!

Rob playing tickle monster with the 1st graders.

Em walking with the students during the Farmers Fair field trip.

Rob and Em out to dinner with the rest of the volunteers for Jodi's birthday.