The last few weeks at school went smoothly. I managed to grade my students exams in record time and calculated the grades to find out which students made A's and B's for the year. I had a chai party for those 9 lucky girls at my house. The party included brownies, doughnuts and cake served with hot tea. We took pictures, looked through magazines and chatted about the customs and culture of the US. At the end of the night, the students didn't want to leave. They told me the chai party was the best thing a teacher has ever done for them. Talk about making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Thanksgiving was spent at the Ambassadors house along with about 100 other peace corps volunteers, after a long bus ride from mtwara to dar in which our bus ran off the road and hit some trees. No one was injured, but I did decide to splurge on the plane ticket to fly back down to site.

My last week in Mtwara was spent with my girl Jessica. I had moved all my stuff to her house before thanksgiving. We spent the week visiting some of our favorite places and people in Mtwara and catching up on movies.

For the first week in December I was in Dar with many other volunteers, doing our COS (close of service) stuff- medical exams, filling out paper work, and meeting with our directors. It felt great to finally be done and out of the watchful eye of Peace Corps, but at the same time it felt a little scary to be standing on my own while I was out of the states. For the past two years, Peace Corps was always there if i had a problem or got sick, etc., but now I have to take care of and be responsible for myself. yikes!

Charles' birthday was the 4th of december and i threw a surprise dinner for him with some other volunteers at this super yummy indian restaurant. After finishing our COS stuff, Charles and I headed to Arusha to visit our homestay families one more time. Uganda was next on our list. We ended up staying in the capital, Kampala, with a family friend of Charles', Aunt Judy. She put us up in her house for a week, fed us well, and let us watch cable. It was an awesome, relaxing week. From there we headed back to Tanzania via Bukoba and Kigoma. We kinda got stuck in Kigoma because the boat to Zambia decided not to run for a week, thus causing us to ride the train to Dodoma and the bus to Morogoro. On Xmas day we caught the bus to Lusaka, Zambia. We spent a couple days in Zambia, mostly hanging out at the mall and watching movies. Then we headed to Victoria Falls, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. I visited the falls on foot and then later via ultralite. Totally awesome to see it from the air. I got pics I hope to put up on snapfish soon. Tired of riding on crammed buses and trains, we opted to fly from Livingston, Zambia to Jo'burg, South Africa. Well, that and the fact that the tickets were pretty cheap. =)

There really wasn't much we wanted to do in Jo'burg except get our visa for India. We celebrated New Years here, rode around town in local transportation (Apartheid has been abolished since early 1990s, but still I found that I was the only white person on the buses we rode and in some areas where we went), and visited the Apartheid Museum. Tomorrow we return to the Indian Embassy to submit our applications for visas. We are hoping they can give us our passports back either tomorrow or Tuesday so we can then travel to Lesotho to visit more family friends of Charles'. If not, then it looks like we will be in Jo'burg till the 10th, when we fly out to India.

I'm getting super excited about India. Charles and I are meeting up with Vicki and Charlie (also Peace Corps Volunteers with us in Tanzania) there. I have been looking through my guide book, focusing mainly on the kinds of Indian food I will be eating...ah, my tastebuds can hardly contain themselves!

that's all for now

grace and peace--heidi

“To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.” --Yann Martel, The Life of Pi

“Hindus, in their capacity for love, are indeed hairless Christians, just as Muslims, in the way they see God in everything, are bearded Hindus, and Christians, in their devotion to God, are hat-wearing Muslims.”

--Yann Martel, The Life of Pi

“…moral sense, which strikes one as more important than an intellectual understanding of things; an alignment of the universe along moral lines, not intellectual ones; a realization that the founding principal of existence is what we call love, which works itself out sometimes not clearly, not cleanly, not immediately, nonetheless ineluctably. An intellect confounded yet a trusting sense of presence and of ultimate purpose.”

--Yann Martel, The Life of Pi

“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence, were something weak and helpless. These people walk right by a widow deformed by leprosy begging for a few paisa, walk by children dressed in rags living in the streets, and they think, “Business as usual.” But if they perceive a slight against God, it is a different story. Their faces go red, their chests heave mightily, they sputter angry words. The degree of their indignation is astonishing. Their resolve is frightening. These people fail to realize that it is on the inside that God must be defended, not on the outside. They should direct their anger at themselves. For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart. Meanwhile, the lot of widows and homeless children is very hard, and it is to their defense, not God’s, that the self-righteous should rush.” --Yann Martel, The Life of Pi

“Things didn’t turn out the way they were supposed to, but what can you do? You must take life the way it comes at you and make the best of it.” --Yann Martel, The Life of Pi

“Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?” --Yann Martel, The Life of Pi

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” --Buddah

“Better to get hurt by the truth that comforted with a lie.” --Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

****************************************************************************

Well, as you can tell from the quotes above, I have read The Life of Pi. Things have been going well over the last few months. I have been reading. Some books have been lighthearted, others more serious: The Life of Pi, The Queen of the Big Time, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, The Kite Runner, The Namesake, Midnights Children, and Interpreter of Maladies. Lately I have been trying to read books/novels about India, either set in India or of Indians making a life abroad trying to hold on to their culture while at the same time embracing another. I think it has helped me understand the culture a little better, and is somehow preparing me for my journey there in January. Yes, I am still planning on traveling once I finish my Peace Corps contract in December. Charles and I will work our way down to South Africa overland, starting in Uganda where we plan to raft the Nile and visit a family friend of his that lives there. Next we will pass back through Tanzania and visited some places we haven’t been yet (we will probably be in Tanzania around xmas eve) followed by a visit to Victoria Falls on the Zambian side and then the Zimbabwean side. We will probably do a few things in Zimbabwe before heading to Lesotho (Charles has more family friends there) and South Africa. We fly out of Johannesburg together on January 10th, 2006 and into Kochi, India. In India we will meet up with two other volunteers from our group, Charlie and Vicki (Vicki’s parents are from India and her mom has recently moved back there. Vicki plans on living there with her mom for about a year), and travel with them for about 6 weeks. I fly out of Delhi February 28th to Dubai, have a 1 week layover in Dubai (might do a desert safari and ride a camel!) and they finally back home around March 7th.

School is going well. The students continue to write their pen pals at Charleston County School of the Arts. Now we are at the end of the term, and I think we all are getting a bit lazy. I already have my final exam composed, however, so I’m already on top of that. Mostly, my students would rather ask me about “Mr. Charles” than to do mathematics. I think they have figured out they can get me off topic by mentioning him. The students I taught last year have finished their national exams and have already left. I’m going to miss those darling angels. A few of them will call me or send me a text message. Those are always nice to get.

I did a bit of traveling during September and October. Midterm break was in September and I went to Songea and Njombe. The guys in Songea hosted a “September Fest” (similar to October Fest in Germany, but with homemade wine instead of beer). That was a good time and I get to see a lot of volunteers. The first week in October was our COS (close of service) conference in Arusha. All of us still here from the group I came over with (42 out of 67) had a nice week together.

Lately, my days have been filled with packing (my Babu here is helping move the majority of my things down to Jessica’s on Saturday), figuring how I’m going to get all my stuff shipped home and spending as much time with the Innocents and volunteers as possible. Jessica recently returned after being away for 6 weeks doing mostly work-related stuff. She’s leaving again to do a training on Tuesday so we have seen each other everyday this week! She and I, along with another PCV that COSd last year, Colleen, are planning to through hike the Appalachian Trial, starting March 2006. We have been reading books like crazy and searching the internet for gear. If any of you have hiked any part of it we welcome advice, tips, etc.

The Innocents officially got married on October 19th. I attended as a friend and as the photographer. I felt really honored to have gotten to share that moment with them. The US ambassador to Tanzania has invited all Peace Corps volunteers and staff to Thanksgiving lunch at his house! How exciting is that?! We get to eat turkey and dressing, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, etc. A culinary heaven for me! I will also get to see Charles which excites me more that all the good food. Speaking of culinary, I continue to bake. Brownies are a weekly thing, but lately I have also baked a carrot cake and a banana cake. On Saturday my oven will move to Jessica’s so I will have to start baking over charcoal. Ever tried the fruit custard apple? The first time I had it was here on Zanzibar with my parents and Jenny. I loved it immediately but had a hard time finding it elsewhere. Back in June I had some again in Dodoma and made it my mission to search it out whenever I was in the market. Well, I popped by the market on Wednesday to buy bananas and to look for guava when what do you think I found…CUSTARD APPLE! Yay! Tasty. I’m definitely gonna miss all the fruit from here. Yeah, yeah, they have it in the states but it is way expensive and just doesn’t taste as good.

Oh, I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this…there is ice cream now in Mtwara! It is proper ice cream made in Dar es Salaam by a company called Azam. It gets shipped down from Dar and is sold here at the “azam ice cream parlor” behind the bus stand. There are also guys on bikes that ride around selling it. Yous guys have ice cream trucks in the states; here, we have ice cream bikes. Every time I see one I still think of this one Friday afternoon when Jenny, Sonny and I were sitting on the porch of apartment 3B at 21 Thomas Street. We heard the ice cream truck, ran down and Sonny bought us all ice cream. Good times! Jessica is lucky because sometimes the guys ride by her house! My favorite is the “super ball cone”- an ice cream cone topped with 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream that has been dipped in chocolate. A close second is the “boom boom”- an ice cream Popsicle that is super creamy with half of it chocolate and the other half vanilla.

Other than those events, I have been very reflective lately. Trying to understand my time here and the influences it has had on my life. The quotes above speak of a lot that I have learned and am still trying to learn. Being with Charles has also had a huge impact on me. He’s teaching me to chill out and not stress things so much. It still blows my mind at how he always seems to keep his cool. He also helps me see things from perspectives that are different from my own. It frustrates me at times because I want to be right, but I’m learning that life isn’t about being right or wrong, it’s about what is best for the situation. Aiight, I think that somehow sums up the past 3 months. I will try to be better at updating, but I make no promises.

Oh, while I don’t want to say “don’t send me any more mail,” if you do plan on sending some, you might not want to send it later than November 18 as it takes about 2 weeks to get here and I am leaving Mtwara around December 2nd. Jessica will still be around after I leave so if something does come she can pick it up for me and get it to me somehow.

Grace and Peace--heidi

The danger of an adventure is worth a thousand days of ease and comfort.

Paulo Coelho, Veronica Decides to Die

My summer adventures started June 4th when I boarded the bus at 5.30 in the morning for Masasi. I arrived in Masasi around 10 and boarded another bus going to Tunduru. My final destination was Songea. The distance between Mtwara and Songea is about 700 kilometers (430 miles); to travel this distance by bus can easily take 2 days. This fact, however, did not deter me in the least. Sometimes loves makes us do crazy things. In my mind, spending time with Charles was well worth the many hours I would spend sitting on a bus.

I arrived in Tunduru around 3, bought a ticket to Songea for the next day and checked into a guesthouse. There is a bar beside the guesthouse. The lady running it, Rukia, remembered me from when I passed through in March, and she invited me to sit down and have a chat. Another lady, Mama James, who runs a small restaurant beside the bar, joined us a little later on. We talked about life in general and then more specifically what I was doing in Tanzania. I explained to them that I was a volunteer teaching in Mtwara. That was all well and good, but they really wanted to know why I kept going to Songea. When I told them that I had a special guy there, they loved it. I don’t know what it is here, but everyone loves hearing stories about love. Not only that, the fact that you have a significant other lets you get away with things you otherwise wouldn’t: my teachers used to harass me all the time about all the travel I would do during weekends and breaks, but now that Charles is in the picture they expect me to travel.

The next morning I boarded the bus to Songea around 6 and finally arrived around 4. Charles was waiting for me at the stand. We went to Babu’s house (Babu is an older gentleman from The Netherlands who has been living in Songea for over 30 years. He has a nice house equipped with tv, vcr, dvd player and more movies than a small video rental store. We volunteers tend to stay with him whenever we are in town. He takes care of us and we take care of him. ) and he immediately offered me the use of his hot shower. I graciously accepted (I hadn’t had a hot shower in I don’t know how long, plus I was filthy dirty from the bus ride). Later on, Charles and I met up with another American, Alfie, for dinner.

On the 6th we did some shopping in town and then headed out to Charles’ school. This was my first time there so Charles gave me a little tour and introduced me to various teachers and people in the community, most importantly, Mr. Chingila, a cute little grandfatherly man who is Charles’ cook and looks after things when Charles is not around. We enjoyed Mr. Chingila’s culinary creations for breakfast the next day, and he packed us a picnic for lunch since we had decided to climb a small mountain near Charles’ school. The hiking was good and the view from the top was amazing. We stayed to watch the sunset and then made our way back down. Darkness found us without a flashlight and we ended up getting slightly lost. We traipsed all through fields with plants taller than me and over people farms, but eventually we made it back to Charles’ house unharmed.

On the 8th we headed back into town to Babu’s for a surprise early birthday party Charles had organized for me! Vicki (my closest girl here), Maria (a volunteer from the Philippians), Alfie and Babu were there. We had pizza and spaghetti for dinner with a devil’s food cake with peanut butter icing for dessert. I stayed up late talking and catching up with Vicki before going to sleep for a few hours until my bus left for Dar.

The next leg of my journey takes place in Zanzibar. I met up with a few volunteers (Jimmy, Jessica, Mike, Sean and Bram) and we headed out to the beach for a few days of fun in the sun. On the 14th I went back into Stonetown and met up with Charlie and Charles. We did some exploring of the town, found the most amazing soft serve ice cream place (I think I ended up going there about 4 times while I was on Zanzibar), and played video games. Back at Charlie’s we did a lot of cooking and talking. Zanzibar was the place to be around that time. Many volunteers kept arriving to replace others that had left, and I got to catch up with many of my friends. Good times!

I left Zanzibar on the night boat on the 18th and arrived in Dar early on the morning of the 19th. I headed for the bus stand and got on a bus for Dodoma. Once in Dodoma I met up with Stefanie and Jimmy, my travel companions to Mahale National Park. Our travel plans didn’t seem very promising after Jimmy informed me that he was able to only secure 3rd class tickets for the 1107 kilometer (678 mile), ~25 hour train trip from Dodoma to Kigoma, but we got up early on June 19th, ready to see what our journey held in store. Fortunately, we were able to upgrade to a 2nd class sleeping car once we reached Tabora around midnight that night; we had a pretty decent nights sleep. We stayed in Kigoma long enough to get information about Mahale National Park (what time boats leave to go there, park fees, etc.), which wasn’t much, and to buy tickets for the boat. We ran into Kurt, another Peace Corps Volunteer, and his friend, Rue, who was visiting from the states, while buying tickets. They would be traveling on the same boat as we, but they were going all the way down the lake and splurged on 1st class tickets. We took the cheap route and purchased 3rd class tickets, figuring “hey, we can always chill in our friends’ 1st class compartment.” The boat left at 6pm that evening, and the ride wasn’t actually that bad. We mainly hung out on deck and talked. It got pretty chilly around midnight and we all piled into Kurt and Rue’s room. They climbed into their beds for a decent nights sleep and jimmy, stefanie and I tried to get a few hours sleep on the floor. Around 3am a boat from Mahale National Park met up with our boat and we made the transfer. We arrived at the part at 5 am, 3 hours before the park opened, but they had a room available for us to rest/sleep in until then. The next morning we paid park fees (we were able to get a residents discount, yes!) and took another boat to the place where we would be staying. Those next three days we spent time hiking around the park looking for chimpanzees. We were only able to see them on the second day, but they were amazing. They look so old, like they are from another time. We were also able to get very close to them. One walked right by me; it was close enough to touch me! Simply breath-taking! We also saw some Colobus monkeys (one almost peed on me!), warthogs and baboons. The baboons hung out at our camp and got a bit rowdy at times. They would start grunting and fighting and running all over the place, including on top of our roofs. It was a little frightening at times, but it was quite unique to be in such close communion with nature.

The boat/train return trip back to Dodoma was even more uncomfortable than the previous one. At one point I recall wanting to just lay down in the floor of the train and cry, but I kept myself together and later learned that good things really do come to those who wait. We arrived in Dodoma at 3am on June 28th after a 33 hour train ride, cold, tired and miserable. We had been texting another volunteer, Denise, about meeting up once we arrived in Dodoma. She was there and was staying at a NGO that volunteers are quite friendly with. She told us to call whenever we got in and she would get up and let us in. We took a taxi there (it was pretty far out of the city), and Denise let us in. I was SO glad we decided to stay there instead of just going to a hotel near the train station. This place was simply amazing! We had our own room with a bathroom with hot water. I took a hot shower as soon as we got there. It was amazing! The next day we spent just being lazy. All of the meals were excellent and they had satellite tv. We basically sat around eating and watching movies all day. After dinner another volunteer, Dan, showed up. He had just returned from the states for his brothers wedding. I was so excited to see him; he is the closest thing I have to a brother here in Tanzania. We did a lot of catching up and storytelling. I had planned on heading out the next morning to the bus stand with jimmy, but opted to just stay at the NGO a little bit longer.

I finally left on june 30th (my bday!) with denise on the bus to Dar. She was going there for vacation and I was going to get off at Morogoro and then start working my way down to Songea and finally back to Mtwara. But the thought of spending my whole birthday on a bus and then not having anyone to hang with that night was quite depressing to me. I decided to just go with denise to dar. We had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in dar and then met up with some other volunteers. They took me out for bday drinks. It was a great day.

The next day I was on a bus to Songea. I stayed with our Babu there for a few nights, watching movies and hanging out with some other volunteers. Lately, my main attraction to Songea has been Charles; however, he wasn’t there this time because he was doing some traveling of his own. It felt weird being in the town without him there. I finally made it back to Mtwara on july 5th. It was good to get home, unpack, and rest a bit. I also got to catch up with Jessica.

Now, before I was even home a week, I get this crazy notion that I want to see charles again before the new semester started, and I wanted to surprise him. I left Mtwara on the 15th for another 2 day journey to Songea. Before I arrived in Songea I had been texting Charles and subtly asking him questions so I could figure out where he would be, in town or at his school. However, that method did not help me pin point his location. Once I arrived, I talked to some guys at the bus stand but they had not seen him that day and Babu had not seen him since early that morning. I decided to just go to his site at school. I got on a dala dala (local public transportation) and headed off to his school. On the way there, the dala dala passed charles on the road! I yelled for the driver to stop and let me off. He did but he also charged me the full fare! Unbelievable! I was not happy about that, but charles was worth it. =) So I’m out of the dala and working my way back to where I saw charles. The only problem was that I didn’t see him! I resort to asking random people on the street if they have seen this guy go by carrying a box (he was carrying a fairly big box as if he had just come from the post office with a package). No one had seen him. I passed these Maasai mamas that I knew from previous times in Songea and who also knew charles and asked them if they had seen him. They hadn’t but assured me that if they did see him they would tell him I was looking for him. I guess they could tell I was getting flustered. I went by the internet café, no charles; by the market, no charles again. I finally went back to the dala stand thinking that maybe he was going home with his package. The conductors at the dala stand were surprised to see me again since I had just left on one of their dalas. I explained to them what was going on. They took sympathy on me and told me that if they saw him they would tell him to wait for me there. They encouraged me, in the meantime, to keep looking for him around that area. I turned and walked away to continue my search and it was then that I saw him walking towards me. He had this surprised grin on his face that said “I can’t believe she did this!” It was classic! We sat down at this little café and I explained how it all came about. He passed the Maasai mamas right after I did and they told him that a white girl was looking for him. He said that for a second he thought “what if it’s heidi?!” but then he rationalized that thought away. It was a good surprise and a good weekend. We met up with some other volunteers from Mtwara region who were in Songea for vacation and made lots of desserts and watched movies.

I’m back in Mtwara now and all is going well. I started teaching last week. Classes are moving along fine. I visited Sean last weekend for his birthday. The Japanese missionaries in Lindi invited us over for a party (it was also one of their son’s birthdays) one night and the other night the missionaries from North Carolina, the martins, invited us over for dinner. I saw sean and the martins this past weekend because they came to Mtwara for a visit. I’m looking forward to aug 11th because that is when charles will leave Songea to come visit me here!!! Yay!

I hope all of you are well. Drop me a line sometime and let me know what’s up with you.

Grace and peace—heidi

“The search for lost things is hindered by routine habits and that is why it is so difficult to find them.”

--Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude

With that quote by Marquez in mind, I will not try to go back and account for lost time. I would like to say that I have been super busy and productive, which would be an excellent explanation of why I have not updated this online journal in three months. However, that is not exactly the case. Suffice it to say that school duties, traveling, visiting with friends and the on-again off-again working of my computer have all contributed to my absence.

I have just finished grading exams and averaging students’ grades for the term. The results could be depressing if I let them, but I am quite happy with the fact that there are five students from my classes that have made A’s. With this term under wraps it is only natural that I fix my gaze upon vacation and travel. I have plans to visit Zanzibar around early to mid June and afterwards to go to Mahale National Park to hike and see wildlife, namely chimpanzees. I keep hearing from more and more volunteers that they will be on Zanzibar at that time; it will be good to see them again.

I talked with my parents earlier this week. It is hard to believe that it has already been a year since they visited with Jenny. It’s even harder to believe that I have only a half of a year left in this amazing country.

The Innocents are doing well. Mrs. Innocent is expecting a baby (I think she is about 4-5 months along). Hopefully I will get to see the little one before I leave. Mr. Innocents continues to stay busy teaching here and at a private school in town, and running two businesses on the side: selling fried cassava and managing a tailoring shop. They have become some of my closest friends here in Tanzania. We have lived through a lot together. I think it may be harder to leave them than it was to leave my family and friends back home because I really will not know when I will see them again.

With all of the volunteers around here this year every weekend seems to be a party. We second years have been busy trying to teach the first years how to cook the delightful dishes they have come to love and expect at every gathering: homemade pizza, chimichengas, brownies, sangria, etc., so that they will be able to fend for themselves once we have gone. I hate to brag, but I do believe I have perfected my brownie recipe. I can make those bad boys with my eyes closed. Mrs. Crocker and the Doughboy better look out! I have since (starting today) moved on to bread pudding (made some for breakfast…yum-o!).

On another note, I have (completely unexpectedly) struck up a romantic interest here in Tanzania. He is another Peace Corps Volunteer, and lives in the lovely town of Songea. A town which is 700 kilometers, or a 2-day bus ride on a bumpy, dirty road, from Mtwara. Still, we manage to keep in touch through letters, emails, texts, occasional phone calls and very rare visits. And, if things continue to progress, I wouldn’t be surprised if you get to meet him once we return stateside.

I hope all of you are well. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, letters, emails, and packages. They make my days even better!

Grace and Peace—heidi

HeidiRHawkins@yahoo.com

P.O. Box 1052, Mtwara, Tanzania, East Africa

+255.748.434344

“A warrior of the Light needs both patience and speed. The two worst strategic mistakes to make are acting prematurely and letting an opportunity slip. To avoid this, the warrior treats each situation as if it were unique and never resorts to formulae, recipes, or other people’s opinions.” Paulo Coelho, Warrior of the Light

Well, hello! I know it is been a long time since you have heard from me, but since my computer has been in disrepair I have not wanted to sit at the internet café and type this thing up each week. But the good news is that miraculously my computer started working again! Who knows how long it will continue to work (I hope forever); but right now it is working and I am happy! So now on to what has been going on here…

Things are going well at school. My counterpart, Mr. Inocent, has malaria a few weeks ago and was very sick. But he is better now and back to his ‘ole talkative self again. I have been pretty busy at school as of late working on a few activities. I believe I told you about the tea party I had for my A and B students. That went over very well. Mr. Inocent and I also create a club of sorts to respond to some pen pal letters we received for a school in Charleston, SC. They have written their letters and drawn pictures, and I took some pictures of them and the school campus. I am mailing that package to Charleston today! I am so proud of my girls and I really hope the students in Chas will keep up the correspondence. March 8th is International Women’s Day. Mr. Inocent and I plan on organizing a school wide assembly where we highlight the life and work of Wangari Muta Maathai. She was the winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, the first African woman to be given that honor, being recognized for her Green Belt Movement that encourages planting trees to stop soil erosion and provide wood for fuel. After our assembly we then plan on going out and planting trees around the school campus. I have also been working on a couple of applications. One application was for me; I am interested in participating in the training of the new volunteers, especially in the area of problem solving and critical thinking. I wrote that, typed it up and sent it in this past weekend. Another application I am working on is a nomination for the International Visitor Grant Program. This program is run on behalf of the US Mission by the Office of Public Affairs. This program brings about 5,000 participants to the US from all over the world each year to meet and confer with their professional counterparts and to experience the US and its institutions firsthand. The visitors, who are selected by American embassies overseas, are current or potential leaders in government, politics, economics and business, the media, education, labor relations, the arts, and other fields. They participate in diverse projects that present numerous interactions and discussion topics in a lively and stimulating learning experience. Visitors also receive grants for all of their expenses and receive cultural allowances and health insurance. I definitely believe that my counterpart, Mr. Inocent, would be an excellent participant in this program. I am working on the nominating application for him. I am sending in a draft today to our office for revision and then the final one is due Friday, March 4. I really hope he gets selected! It would be such an honor for him and could quite possibly be the chance of a lifetime.

In other school news, classes are moving right along. Visual aids are fun and the students love them so I have been using them heavily. I have also created a poster in each of my classes to track student participation. The thought of getting a sticker by their name has inspired them to answer/ask questions more often. Most afternoons I can be found power walking to the airport and back, then doing pilates/yoga at home. Very strengthening and relaxing. After that I usually shower then head over to Mr. Inocent’s to visit and have dinner with him and his wife. A couple weeks ago the school slaughtered a couple of their goats and sold the meat. We bought some and prepared many yummy goat dishes that week. Last week the different grades had sports competitions everyday in football (soccer) and netball. The overall winners were the form IV’s (my students from last year! They are brilliant!). Today the floor ball players have a competition in town, and of course I will be there as team photographer.J

Interaction with other volunteers in my region has been quite frequent. Jessica lives in town. We have become pretty close. I usually stay with her at least one night during the weekend. Since there are so many new volunteers down here this year it seems like there is always someone coming in for the weekend. So I have been hanging out with the newbies a lot too. February 12th we all (I think there were about 13 of us) headed out to Tandahimba for a belated Mardi Gras party. It was good fun! There was a ton of food and even King Cake! Then we turned Brian’s courtyard into a disco and had a bit of a dance party. I was queen of the floor!J Last weekend a volunteer that finished up in December but who was still traveling around Africa was in town. We all stayed at Jessica’s and made pizza with 3 different kinds of cheese. I think it was the best pizza I have had in Tanzania! Then on Saturday we went swimming at the pool at the Boma (a super nice hotel about 12 kilometers from Mtwara). This weekend our boss was in town. He came to my school for a visit. He observed me teaching and we talked about how I was doing here and what kind of secondary projects I was working. It was a good visit. He even gave me blueberry muffin mix, spaghetti and Kraft macaroni and cheese! Awesome! On Saturday a few of us met up at Jessica’s and made what we call here “mbekurritos”, they are named after the village of the volunteer who created them and are kind of like chimichengas (nowadays, whenever I think of the work chimichengas I think of the answering maching message from the movie Meet the Fockers and it makes me smileJ, giggle even). On Sunday I went to the farm with Babu. My first trip there since the new year. It was quite relaxing. I read a book most of the day, taking a break only to chat with Babu and to eat a delicious meal.

That catches you up on just about everything. I can’t believe that tomorrow is March already! Next weekend will be partyfull! We are having a school staff party Friday night (we got a new headmistress by the way so it’s kind of a welcome party for her), Saturday is Babu’s birthday so we are having a bar-b-que with him, and on Sunday I am hosting a party for the student teachers who are interning here. I will be baking up a storm! I love it!

Take care and drop me a word or two if you get a chance (I covet handwritten lettersJ)so I can know what going on with all of you.

Grace and peace—heidi

HAPPY BIRTHDAY:

Mikey C March 18

Irfan K March 20

Nikki C Marck 21

“Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not really losing it. You’re just passing it on to someone else.” Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet In Heaven

Yes, I know it has been a while since I have written. I actually typed up a new entry last week but then it got lost in cyberspace somewhere and I was so frustrated that I did not want to type it up again. So I will start now. My, time is flying by. I can’t believe it is February already. Only 10 more months to go, yet I have so much still that I want to accomplish. The scarcity of time is forcing me to make the most of each and every moment because I know it might be the only moment I have to do the task given.

School is going well. I have been teaching now for 2 weeks. The first week we worked on problem solving. The students did really well. They worked together in groups, and were actually excited about learning and solving the problems.

My computer is not working. It sounds like it is working but nothing appears on the screen. Even when I hook it up to an external monitor, nothing. A VSO IT volunteer took it last week and looked at it, but he could not help it. So this week I, armed with information from Dell’s website, will attempt an operation. Or, maybe I will wait until another time since I tried to save Dell’s information to a disk and it wouldn’t fix. Bah! Che! (sounds of disgust in the local tribal language). Since my computer has not been working, ie I am unable to watch movies, I have been visiting my neighbors constantly and reading books at an alarming rate; which is not a bad thing. Books I have read since returning to Tanzania: The Dirty Girls Social Club, The 5 People You Meet In Heaven, The Incredible Journey, Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure, The Kitchen God’s Wife, Warrior of the Light and The God Particle. All have been very enjoyable.

I received a package in the mail from a class from Charleston County School of the Arts. They wrote letters, sent pictures, pencils, a book, and their school newspapers. I talked with my counterpart, Mr. Inocent, and he thought it would be a good idea to organize a group of students that were interested in writing back to the students from CCSOA. We have done just that! They have had a week to read the letter and look at the things sent, and I think that by next week they will be able to start their own letters, pictures, cards, etc. I told them to write in English and Swahili so that the other students could understand them but also see what their language is like. They seem very excited about this endeavor.

I was having a bit of a bat problem because there was a hole in my ceiling board caused by a leaky roof. One evening I returned home to find 3 bats spread out all over my house: one in the kitchen, one in the living room and one in my bedroom! After about 20 minutes of chasing said bats around the house with a yard stick, I finally got all of them out. My guard, who should be protecting my house by not letting the bats in =), (and who has been named Barney by Lee because I don’t know his name) laughed the whole time. That weekend, while I was in town, I told the missionaries about the problem. They equipped me with an old mosquito net and a staple gun. Upon returning home, I climbed my ladder (2 pieces of furniture stacked on top of each other) and stapled the netting over the hole. Since then I have had no problems! Yay!

The missionaries left the next week for some meeting and a quick vacation. Therefore, I was the lucky recipient of all the perishables in their fridge, namely meat and eggs. That next week was my week of protein. They also gave me some leftover spaghetti sauce. I bought a packet of spaghetti noodles and took the sauce and noodles over to my counterparts house to show them a typical American spaghetti dinner, and how we eat it with a fork and spoon. Yes, they have spaghetti noodles here, but they prepare it a bit differently. Of course they cook the noodles as usual, but instead of adding sauce, they add oil and sugar, and they eat with their hands instead of with a fork and spoon. So it is a sweet greasy mess to eat. But it tastes good. Eating here is fun b/c you actually get to play with your food!

Last night I had a tea party for my students from last year that earned an A or B in my mathematics class. I had mentioned that I was going to do this to my counterpart and he wanted to get involved, too. There were 18 of my students and 4 of his. He had a lot of things prepared to tell the girls. He wrote inspirational quotes on the board, encouraged them to always to their best and to help others as much as they could. I was very touched by his speech. I also said a few words, basically about how they might not always get rewards such as parties, etc. every time they earn a good grade or do something worthwhile, but I encouraged to still continue to strive to do their best, because in the end they will get a reward. So, we ate brownies and fried dough balls, and drank tea with milk. We danced to some American and Tanzanian songs until 10PM. Then we called it a night. It was a success in my book!

Next Saturday I am off to visit a new volunteer. We are having a bit of a get together at his house. I should make it to town that Friday, though to check my mail, email, etc. If anything crazy happens this coming week I will let you know. If not, then you will hear from me in a few weeks.

I love you all. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, emails, cards, letters and packages. They keep me upbeat and encouraged. You add special meaning to my life!

Grace and peace—heidi

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Rocky D. Feb 10

Densie H. Feb 15

Nannie H. Feb 16

Rich L. Feb 18

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY LOVING, WONDERFUL PARENTS Feb 14

Well, I am back in Tanzania. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t make it because my plane was late leaving Greenville-Spartanburg Airport. When I arrived in Detroit they were about to close the door to the plane so I power-walked it to the gate. Fortunately, I made it on the plane, as did my baggage, without any problems. I arrived in Dar January 2nd, and spent a week there for our Mid Service Conference (MSC). We had some health check ups; turns out I am perfectly healthy. Amazing, isn’t it. To have lived in Africa for 15 months and not have any kind of foreign parasite feeding off my body. I am a bit disappointed! Come on! I am in Africa and have nothing to show for it while in the good ole US of A I have relatives who have gotten bit by a rabid cat and shot in the head with pellet gun (both relatives are doing fine by the way). =) We also had two days of meetings; surprisingly they were not as boring as our meetings usually are. We used the US embassy here as our venue, a very nice place. Plus they gave us huge cookies during our breaks! (they reminded me of the big cookies that Hardees used to sell)

The week in Dar was great. I got to reconnect with my fellow PCV’s, tell some friends who were leaving goodbye, watch movies, swim, go to the water park, get a massage and continue eating almost as well as I did in the states. I have also been doing a lot of thinking about what I want to do after I finish my service here. I had thought about taking the Foreign Service exam. I bought a study manual and researched it online. The main attraction of the Foreign Service is that I would get to travel. However, after much thinking and hearing pleas from my family to stay as close to home as possible, I have decided against the Foreign Service for now. I really don’t want to turn around after I have finished my two years here and have to work two years in another foreign country. I know I have another 11 months to think about this and my mind could change 1,000 times during that time, but as of now I think I’ll be heading towards the South Carolina Lowcountry to pursue a passion I have for baking and pastry. I am also thinking about hiking the Appalachian Trail (after hearing about a former math professors’ experience), but I still need to do more research on that. Anyone else interested in that hike, parts of it or all of it?

Saturday (January 8) night I texted to driver of my school car to let him know Sean (a pcv in Lindi) and I would be arriving the next day, and to ask if he could pick me up. Well, he said the school car was broken, so we had just decided to take a taxi. I also texted my counterpart, Mr. Inocent, to let him know we were coming. When we arrived at the airport I was surprised to see Mr. Inocent there waiting for us. He grabbed my luggage out of my hands and started walking towards what I thought was a taxi. Sean and I followed him. After we had passed all of the taxis, I turned to Sean and asked “Do you think Mr. Inocent wants us to walk to my house?” I was hoping the answer was no because the backpack which I was carrying weighed 45 pounds, and I had two other bags besides that one. Plus, Sean also had a suitcase and 3 other bags. But then I saw it…the bicycle! Mr. Inocent strapped my huge backpack and Sean’s suitcase on the back of his bike, Mrs. Inocent placed my other larger bag on her head, I put on my small backpack, Sean grabbed his bags and we set off walking towards my school. What a site we were! We had lunch with the Inocents, I did a little unpacking and Sean did a little napping, then we headed into town. A couple of new volunteers were staying in town so we spend the night with them. There are 11 new volunteers in the Mtwara area, and I am meeting them little by little.

Monday, since I was in town, I did some email and then visited Babu and the Dulls (missionaries here who take very good care of me). I got a lift home from the Dulls and proceeded the unpacking and cleaning process. I had been away from my house for 6.5 weeks, but it was a lot cleaner than I thought it would be. One of my ceiling boards was (still is) falling down because of a leaky roof, but other than that things were fine. So, I am in the kitchen unpacking my foodstuffs and I see this black strip that looks like a piece of black duct tape in the corner by the wall where I keep my bottles of filtered water. I remember thinking where would a piece of black duct tape come from and then I moved the water bottles to get a better look at what it was. Imagine my shock and surprise when I realize that the black piece of duct tape was actually the wing of a dead bat. That’s correct people; there was a dead bat in my kitchen! I guess it had gotten in through the hole in the ceiling board, and then couldn’t get out. Just when I was thinking that I had experienced all the shocks and surprises of being a Peace Corps volunteer, something like this happens and you know that there will always be something new happening in your life.

I am slowly getting used to life back in Mtwara. It is nice to have some time to regroup before school starts. The school is supposed to open on January 17th but most of the students will not be here by then and those that are here will have to clean the school first, ie. pick up trash, slash the grass, sweep and mop the doors, etc. So I am guessing I will probably not start teaching till around January 24. My headmistress got transferred to Moshi, so we don’t have a headmistress here, either. A few teachers have also left. Hopefully we will get some new ones.

I hope you all are having a great new year. Keep me posted as to what’s going on in your lives. It was great getting to see so many of you while I was home for the holidays. So many special moments and special memories. I love you all and think of you often.

Grace and peace—heidi

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Jakeb Jan 3

Jenny Jan 14

Derrick Jan 15

“Usually the threat of death makes people a lot more aware of their lives.” Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

There has been a threat of death in my life recently. Actually, here in Africa, the threat of death is something that people are forced to deal with everyday. Malnutrition, malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB, cholera, etc. seem to be lurking around every corner. But this threat that I speak of affected someone closer to me, my grandfather.

I am happy to report that he is on the road to recovery. Prayers were and still are prayed; miracles abound. However, I must admit, I was scared and worried at first. If you have ever been thousands of miles away from a loved one when an emergency strikes you will know how I was feeling.

Paulo is correct. Death did make me a lot more aware of my life. I have done a lot of questioning, thinking and soul searching over the past few days and weeks, and here is just a bit of what I have come up with: Life is for the living, so live it. Not passively or recklessly, but purposefully and actively. Somehow, someway, make each day count. Not just for yourself, but for others as well. Have no regrets.

______________________________________________________________________

The weeks here are just flying by, which is fortunate because my excitement over coming home grows stronger everyday. School is winding down. The students have started their exams. I have finished grading exams for one of my classes. The average was around a 30, but I did have 4 A’s and 2 B’s! Can’t let bad grades get me down. Some impacts you just can’t measure. Those are the ones I really want to cultivate.

Exams finish up Wednesday, and then it’s Thanksgiving! The missionaries here in Mtwara have invited we PCV’s and some other missionaries from Lindi over for Dinner. It is sure to be a momentous culinary occasion. There is even going to be homemade ice cream! Holla!

Speaking of the missionaries, I went boating with them this week. We did a bit of snorkelling. I saw some beautiful coral and some interesting schools of fish. We also did some fishing. Caught a huge grouper! And I have pictures! My dad will be so proud.

Speaking of Lindi, we volunteers got together there last weekend to celebrate Andy’s birthday. We had a nice afternoon at the beach followed by a wonderful birthday meal: potato salad, tomato salad, pasta salad, grilled pork, fish kebabs and cornbread muffins, finished with not one, not two but three desserts: heidi’s homemade brownies, banana cake with a hint of white frosting and caramel popcorn.

Well, that’s about all the excitement for now. I hope all is well with all of you. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for my grandfather, my family and myself. We covet them.

Grace and peace—heidi

“Life gives us what we need when we need it. Receiving what it gives us is a whole other thing”—Pam Houston

I have decided to recount the highlights of this week with bullets instead of giving a day by day description. Enjoy.

· I did end up going swimming with the Tanzanian-Indian. The pool at the hotel is right by the Indian Ocean. What a gorgeous view! Tez doesn’t really know how to swim so we basically stood around in the pool and chatted. Then he started talking about how boring Mtwara was, and that started to bore me. I decided it was time for him to take me home. =) I mean, Mtwara is boring, but there’s no point in just sitting around and talking about how boring it is. I could be running, reading, writing letter, etc. instead. But maybe we will go out to eat or something in the future.

· Colleen and Jessica stayed at my house Friday and Saturday nights. They stood in awe as they observed my well-stocked pantry (thanks mom!). We watched many movies, ate lots of junk food and chatted about various things. Girls weekend was a success.

· I was supposed to have gone to a teacher’s wedding on Saturday but since I had visitors I was unable to go. I cannot tell you how thankful I was. If you have never been to an Tanzanian wedding then you have no idea about how long and boring they can be. The day after the wedding I asked a teacher how long he stayed: he was there from 7pm until 3am! Yikes!

· I am continuing with my running. Yesterday I ran for 45 mintues!

· Fred, a second year volunteer, stayed with me Tuesday night as it was his last night in Mtwara (he was heading to Dar and the back home to the states). We got a lift with some expats to what could possibly be the nicest restaurant in Mtwara, and had a delightful dinner. I ordered seared fish with soy and ginger. Exquisite!

· The past few days have been filled with questions like “How do you feel about the results of the election”; “Did you vote for Bush or Kerry?”; “What do you think will happen in Iraq?”; “Do you think Osama is alive?” So, you will understand that I am too tired to comment on them now.

· On Sunday, one of the math teachers is moving to Dar so we are throwing her a surprise party tonight (Friday). A couple of teachers came over to my house yesterday and baked a cake (yellow with pineapple flavouring), and I taught them how to make brownies. Today, I melted some caramel and drizzled it over the brownies. Later on we will somehow ice the cake. I’ll let you know how the desserts turned out.

· I have been invited to spend Saturday with the missionaries in town. Who knows what we will do, but it is always nice to visit with them. They have a boat so maybe we will go out in it. Kim is a great cook. Maybe we will cook or go out to eat. Either way, I know I will eat well. =) (I know what you are thinking: “It sounds like she eats well all the time.” But it is just not true! There are no Outback’s, Cheesecake Factories, Monterrey’s, Kaminsky’s, Mustard Seed’s, etc. here!)

· Friday I received a letter from Dan! Dan is another volunteer here. We lived close together during training, so we walked to and from training together everyday. We have also done a bit of travelling together, and he was my dive buddy when we were getting scuba certified. Dan reminds me of a shorter version of my cousin Kegan; and like Kegan and I, Dan and I have a brother/sister type relationship. Well, I have been writing Dan letters for about a year now, and the letter I received today was his first letter to me! Hopefully that explains why I was so excited about said letter.

· Also on Friday, I taught my last class for the year! Next week is exam review and then the following week is exams.

· Next week there will be a Deep South get together in Lindi. We will be celebrating Andy’s birthday. Sean has promised to buy pork for us, and he texted me yesterday about a chocolate cake with chocolate peanut butter icing he had just made. Hopefully he will make another for the party. I have promised to bring a box of goodies from the infamous pantry. It is sure to be a success.

· I am not sure why, but I am sooooo excited about coming home! It’s not that life is really all that hard here. Of course, I’m not saving the world, but I like to think I am at least making a difference. But all the little differences between here and the states build up over time, and I have found that I have reached the point where I am ready for a refreshing taste of home. I think the promise of spending time with family and friends, cold weather, the Christmas season, and unprecedented culinary experiences beckon me as well. =)

· Clues that let you know you are in Africa: The electricity has been going off in the evenings and staying off all night! I have not had running water for 3 days. There are cows roaming through my yard. I found a scorpion in my house. (I was shaking the sand out of my running shoes and it looked like a scorpion came out of them as well. I don’t think that is possible, however, because I had just been wearing them for about 30 minutes while I was running. I think the scorpion was on the shoe mat and came running from there. Needless to say, I was shocked, and have since checked my shoes first before putting them on.)

Grace and peace--heidi

Happy Birthday…

Ryan W. November 6

Shannon D. November 13

the seesaw

a case of problem solving in action: imagine, if you will, a child outside with a seesaw but no one to seesaw with him. An American child, spoiled brats that they can be, might run to mommy crying b/c there is no one to seesaw with him; but not a Tanzanian (of course it is rare to see a Tanzanian child alone b/c there are just tons of children everywhere and they always seem to travel in groups). As I was returning from my walk one day, I noticed a boy piling rocks on one seat of the seesaw in order to counterbalance his weight on the other side. Amazing! I’m sure he didn’t realize it, but he was using physics and mathematics to solve a real world problem. He then proceeded to enjoy himself on the seesaw.

What’s been going on this week? On Saturday October 23 I celebrated the halfway mark. An NGO, ISHI, which promotes hiv/aids awareness came to my school and the students performed skits and songs for a competition they were having. Later that day I went to town to watch the girls play soccer (we won!). Then I went to the kitchen party. I am still not sure what goes on at kitchen parties in Tanzania because I ended up missing this one. It was supposed to start at 5pm. I was going to leaving at 6:30pm to go to an expat dinner. I figured an hour and a half would be a good chunk of time to spend at the kitchen party. Well, the party didn’t start until 7pm. By that time, I had already left. I wasn’t too disappointed. =) The expat dinner, on the other hand, was amazing. There were 5 main entrees of which we were to choose 2. I chose thai fish skewers and calamari Provencal. To accompany the entrees we had baked pumpkin, grilled eggplant, potato salad, pasta salad and peanut sauce. All of that was topped with a fruit salad and brownies for dessert. Yum!

On Sunday morning I headed into town to do email; however, after arriving at the internet place I read a notice saying the electricity would be off from 9am to 3pm. I really wanted to do email and I really did not want to walk 1 hour and 20 minutes back to my house after I had just left, so I decided to text the missionaries and see what they were up to. I ended up going to church with them. Then we went to lunch at this new hotel that just opened up in Mtwara called the Southern Cross. It is located on the Indian Ocean right beside some cliffs. The view is absolutely gorgeous. I could not believe I was in Mtwara. The electricity returned, and I spent a lovely hour on the WWW. I started walking the long road home but was intercepted by a young man (about my age), who I had seen in the internet café, driving a car. He asked me if I would like a lift, and of course I said yes. As it turns out, he just finished university in Dar and is working in Mtwara for a cashew nut company, doing computer programming. His name I cannot remember (he is Tanzanian/Indian and has an Indian name), but he goes by Tez for short. He is extremely bored with Mtwara life, and was shocked to learn that I spend weeks at a time in my village without going to town.

The week has passed quite smoothly. On Monday I started a new journal. My third one since coming to Tanzania. On Tuesday I received 3 packages from mom full of goodies. On Wednesday I got a call from Tez inviting me to go swimming on Sunday. He said he would call Saturday to confirm and to arrange a time to pick me up. Wow, this is a first for me in Tanzania: having a guy pick me up at my house and take me somewhere fun! That didn’t even happen very often in the states. =)

Oh, on Saturday I started running. Not sure why, but my legs were just tired of walking. They only wanted to run. I have found some really cool trails around my school that I didn’t even know were there. The scenery is beautiful. As it turns out, my school is on a ridge, so there are trails that go around the ridge and also trails that go down into the valley. I went down in the valley today and it was a killer going back up the hill. I might avoid that route till I build up my tolerance for steep hills. =)

My headmistress finally returned on Thursday after an extensive amount of traveling. I had a little chat with her that day, filling her in on what I had been doing at school, asking her about getting started on a grant for desks and chairs for our new building, informing her the dates I would be away for xmas vacation, etc. I also asked her if she had talked to anyone from Peace Corps lately. She said no. So I think my superior’s reference to my HOS saying that I have not been around was a lie. How unprofessional. No worries. It’s just two tears in a bucket.

This weekend I expect to host two visitors, both of which are second year volunteers and are girls. I think we will have some nice girls nights sitting around chatting, cooking, baking, watching movies, etc. On the evening of the 30th I have a wedding to go to. I am dreading it. Any kind of ceremony in Tanzania takes forever, and it’s not like I can just quietly slip out unnoticed. Sunday is swimming, and Monday starts a new week.

Remember to vote on Tuesday!

Grace and peace—heidi

HAPPY BIRTHDAY…

PaPa November 2

Ryan November 6

The only death you die is the one you die every day by not living.

—Norman Vaughan

It is never too late to be what you might have been.

—George Eliot

Things have been running smoothly since I last wrote on Friday October 15. After I did email I was able to get a lift to my village from a local business man, Mr. Limo. He owns a motel/restaurant/bar in town and in Mangamba, my village. He is also a close friend of Babu’s. We usually stop at his restaurant on Sunday evening when returning from the farm. That night I curled up in my bed with my dinner: an array of junk food graciously provided in past packages, and watched movies. Mom even called that night; we had a pleasant chat.

On Saturday I pretty much just bummed around and then played volleyball with my girls. Fred was supposed to arrive on the plane Saturday but he missed it. He arrived on Sunday morning and we sat around and chatted a bit. Then, he got a text from Jessica, another volunteer who happened to be in Mtwara town, saying that she had a secured a lift to Masasi in my school car. She wanted to know if he wanted to join her. Well, of course he did! You don’t pass up free rides here. Especially when it is in a nice landrover! (the public transportation just sux here—there are a few exceptions but not enough to mention). Well, I decided to take advantage of this lift, too, and be a bit of a rebel (remember, I was not supposed to be traveling b/c of my boss). Sunday night was spent in Masasi with all of the deep south volunteers save one. We played “Sorry” (which I won!) and cards, made pizza from scratch, and watched movies. Good times (especially since this was probably the last time I would see some of the second year volunteers before they left country).

This week at school has been normal except for the visits from a Finnish guy every afternoon for a couple of hours to teach the students floor ball (it’s like hockey but with out the ice and skates). So I have been going everyday to watch and play. I have actually noticed that some of my students who have seen me there playing have become more active in my class. Not sure why, but perhaps they think: “Hey, Miss Heidi plays sports with us. She’s cool! Maybe this math stuff she is trying to teach us is cool, too. I think I’ll pay more attention in class.” I have also been teaching the school typist, Stella, and a few other teachers how to use the computer during the evenings. Stella has the most difficulty with operating the mouse, but I have noticed improvement over the past week, and I am sure she will only get better. She is especially good at “paint,” and I continue to have her use it as it required more developed mouse skills.

Right now, the Muslims are observing Ramadan. This means that from sunup to sundown they can neither eat nor drink anything, this includes water. On Wednesday, after my evening walk, I passed by the house where 3 of our teachers live, one of whom is Muslim. I just wanted to say “hello” but she insisted that I break fast with her. We ate stewed cassava (sort of like stewed potatoes) and drank a lemon flavored uji (made from flour and is a more liquid type cream of wheat).

It rained like crazy on Thursday, and unfortunately, my house is leaking again. I say, never a dull moment here! =)

My Saturday will be occupied in the morning by a visit to the school from some people from ISHI (an NGO that focuses on teaching about HIV/AIDS), followed by a “kitchen party” in the afternoon. Now, I am not really sure what a kitchen party is, nor have I ever been to one; but based on the males that chuckle whenever said “kitchen party” is mentioned, I gather that it might be a bit risqué. I am guessing that it is comparable to a Tanzanian cross between a wedding shower and a bachelorette party, seeing as the party is for a female teacher who will be getting married next Saturday. I will keep you informed! Oh, I almost forgot! This Saturday just happens to be the half-way mark! 13 ½ months down, 13 ½ months left to go. How quickly time flies. Even more amazing is that I hear the second year goes by even faster. No puedo creerlo!

Stay tuned next week for more exciting adventures from the land of safaris and Kilimanjaro.

Grace and peace—heidi

P.S.

Happy Birthday to:

Oliva Trevillian (sp?) October 26

Tasha Layton October 27

Happy Wedding to Traci and Alan October 23

“It is we who nourish the Soul of the World, and the world we live in will be either better or worse, depending on whether we become better or worse. And that’s where the power of love comes in. Because when we love, we always become better than we are.” Paulo Coelho,The Alchemist

What?! It has been another week already?! I can hardly believe it. Around this time last year I was attempting to climb Mt. Meru in one day, going on safari for the first time, finishing up my time at the internship school, and about to learn where I would be living for the next two years of my life.

This weekend I was supposed to go to Masasi for a get together with other volunteers from my region. Unfortunately, my boss would not give me permission to leave site. He wrote:

“Heidi, According to your HOS [Head of School], you've been away plenty from your site in the past. I think it is prime time that you begin to concentrate your efforts at Mtwara Girls and only Mtwara Girls. Make sense?

Imagine my shock at reading this. First of all, my HOS is rarely ever at school. She is usually traveling to Dar, Arusha (her family lives there), or some other place in Tanzania where there is undoubtedly a HOS meeting (I think Tanzania would win for the country with the most HOS meetings). So, I am not convinced that my HOS can accurately report on my presence at school. Secondly, I guess attending all my classes (or leaving assignments when I know I will not be able to attend), visiting teachers, watching and participating in games with my students, tutoring village children in English, teaching the computer to the school staff, visiting my students during their prep time in the evening to see if they have questions, etc. do not constitute as efforts concentrated at my site. After reading this, I allowed myself to get upset briefly, but only briefly. I am a responsible adult. I know the effort and time I put in at my school. I can see my impact in my student’s eyes. It is disturbing, thought, that the majority of the people in administrative positions share his same outlook when it comes to ranking volunteer efforts. Admin looks for activities and numbers: quantity; but I chose to be a volunteer based on quality, and quality cannot be measured as easily. There is no way I could put a number on the people I cross paths with each week. They are a face; they are a name.

So, this weekend I am in Mtwara. But, as I have discovered, everything works out in the end. Another volunteer from my region, who was also supposed to be at the get together but couldn’t make it, will be flying into Mtwara on Saturday. So we will get to hang out then.

This week has been great. My students have been awesome in class. They continue to amaze me with their knowledge and questions. They actually want me to facilitate them as they derive the formulas we are using in class! The other day, a student was working a problem on the board for the class and I noticed she was teaching just like me. What an honor to have a student mimic me! My girls are also very talented in the game of volley ball. I went with them to town this week and watched them beat another school 3-0. Yay for Mtwara Girls!

One last note: My friend Rich was privileged to be selected as a Peace Corps cyber volunteer. You can read more about him and his life in Tanzania by following this link: http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/cybervol/2004-5/Lupinsky_bio.html

Grace and peace—heidi

To handle yourself use your head, to handle others use your heart.

My disposition has improved greatly since my last entry. I think just the act of typing it up and sending it out, knowing that others were reading and sharing in my struggles helped. I read this week that “people are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.” I find that to be true, and I am so thankful for you all: my bridges.

Not too much to report on for this week: Classes are going on as normal. I have finally caught up on all the sleep I missed during my travels. Walks to the airport are great. The children brighten my day. They love to run up to me and give me high 5’s (piga tano!!). I have been reading and letter writing.

I received the birth announcement for Landon Paul Whitaker this week. Very exciting! He is so precious! I also received my absentee ballot for the upcoming November 2nd election, which I promptly filled out and sent on its way. Hopefully it gets back to the states in time.

There are plans in the works for a get together at Colleen’s in Masasi next weekend, so if you don’t hear from me that’s why. As for this weekend, I don’t have a clue. Will probably hang out at home Friday night or go visit a teacher. Saturday I will head into town, and maybe I will go to the farm on Sunday with Babu.

I am still amazed by the fact that I will be back home in 2 months. That means only 8 more entries to read until we see each other face to face!

Grace and peace—heidi

Sending Birthday Wishes to:

Papa October 5th

Kegan October 15th

And Anniversary Wishes to:

Lee and Kristi Whitaker October 18th

One of the things I love about the natural world is they way it gives you what’s good for you even if you don’t know it at the time.

Greetings to all! It has been a while since I sent out an email. I hope you all are doing well. I am still trying to get myself organized and settled by into life in Mtwara after my many travels. Believe me, I will respond to all of you who have sent me emails; just give me some more time. =)

As far as what has been going on in my life, let me start back on September 4, 2004, when I sent my last email. That Friday I went into town, did email, bought a new mattress for my bed, picked up 7 packages (thanks to mom and jenny), met 2 other volunteers in town (Sean from Lindi and Andy from Masasi) and shared a taxi with them to my house. We spent the rest of the night talking, unpacking packages, eating the contents of my packages (thank you, thank you, thank you! The packages rocked. Yay for beef jerky, oreos, chips, trail mix, magazines, pictures, cereal, new shoes, new flavors of poptarts, etc) and preparing for travel the next day to Dar and then to Njombe for the HIV/AIDS conference.

On Saturday Sean, Andy and I headed to Dar with our counterparts (a teacher from each of our schools that we work closely with). The counterparts did their own thing, and we fabulous three took of to do some shopping around dar. At the end of the night we had dinner at this lovely out doors restaurant called “garden bistro”. At around 10:30 or 11 they crank up the music and the bar starts hopping. Tons of great music, people and dancing. We would have stayed longer, but we were tired and had to get up early the next morning. We left but with plans to return again some day.

Sunday we caught the 6am bus to Njombe and arrived there around 4 pm. It was cold and rainy, but that did not dampen our spirits. Even though I had seen a lot of my friends at the party the week before, it was great to see them again. Vicki and I decided to share a room even though everyone could have had their own room. I brought a box of goodies with me from my many packages, so we ended up staying up late, chatting and snacking.

Monday-Friday: the conference went very well. The sessions during the day were actually quite interesting (unlike our training back in June). I learned a lot about HIV/AIDS and about teaching it to students and other teachers. The conference really got me motivated to do more health related things with my school. I just hope my schedule and my counterparts schedule allows. The nights were great as well. Each night we ended up staying up later and later. Vicki and my room ended up being the official hanging out place. Thanks to Andy, we had an awesome new cd to listen to: Black-eyed Peas. It is my new favorite cd, with ‘Shut Up’ being my new favorite song, with “hey ya” by outkast a close second. We listened to it every morning to help us get moving. Friday night was our last night, and since the next day was our 1 year anniversary of being in Tanzania we decided to have a bit of a party/disco. We went to a hotel in Njombe called “The Chani” for the festivities. All of the new environmental volunteers were there, so we got to meet them. One girl was from KY and another guy was from Charlotte. We had fun talking about the south.

Saturday morning we said our goodbyes. I was traveling with Sean, Vicki, Charles, Natalia (a second year volunteer who helped lead the conference) to Songea. We decided to spend that night at the Chani. The Chani has a tv and vcr so we spent all day Saturday sitting watching movies, reading magazines, and eating really good food. It was awesome!

Sunday we headed to Songea: home of Vicki, Charles and Mark (2nd year volunteer). We had lunch with some other expats, toured Mark’s school, and had a relaxing evening.

Monday, 6 of us (Sean, Mark, Jeremy-2nd year, Colleen-2nd year, Chika-japanese volunteer and me) headed to Liuli (a small village on the coast of Lake Nyasa (AKA Lake Malawi), about a 9 hour bus ride Southwest of Songea) to work with Habitat for Humanity. Liuli is my favorite place in Tanzania. If I could move my site there, I would. It is beautiful. The lake is huge so it looks like the ocean, and the coast is very hilly and mountainous. The water is crystal clear and you can see all kinds of colored fish. It is unspoiled; there is no electricity, no cell phone coverage and only 1 land line, which is at the post office. The people were great as well. Very friendly and positive. During the days we worked on houses. We did something called ‘pointing’ and also helped make cement floors and plaster walls. Our afternoons were filled with swimming in the lake and reading. On Friday we returned to Mark’s in Songea. I met up with Vicki and we went over to her Babu’s house (like my Babu here in Mtwara, Vicki’s Babu is an expat who has been living in Songea for about 20 years) to make Mark a birthday cake (it was his bday that day). This was not your typical bday cake, and after I describe it, you will probably think it sounds gross but it was actually quite tasty. We started out with a recipe for cornbread and added a lot of chili sauce because Mark loves chili sauce on everything. For the “frosting” we made homemade peanut butter, extra sweet, and then spelled out ‘happy birthday mark’ with little red chilies. We went back to Mark’s with Babu and the cake. Mark loved the cake and everyone agreed that it was quite tasty. Everyone but Vicki, Babu and me went out to eat afterwards. We just stayed at Mark’s and talked with Babu.

Saturday, September 18th, Vicki took me around Songea and gave me a tour of the town. She took me to her favorite restaurant, we arranged bus tickets for the nest day and we also did a bit of shopping. I got 2 pairs of jeans and a pair of reef flip flops. We also bought Mark and vintage t-shirt for his birthday. Then we rested up for the big party. [some background: most of us were on our midterm breaks, but it happened that we all did not have the same midterm break. So we arranged for 2 weeks of working with habitat for humanity so as to accommodate for most people. Then we decided to have a party on the Saturday of the weekend in between so we could all hang out with each other.] Charles, Jimmy, Avi and Rich arrived with 3 packages that my mom had sent for the occasion. We decided to eat half of the stuff that night and take the rest with us to Lilui to eat during week 2 of habitat. (yes, I went both weeks to habitat, but don’t tell anyone!=) I was only supposed to go one week, namely, the second week). The party was a big hit. Mom, everyone loves you and told me 1000000 times to tell you thank you.

So, we had another great week of habitat, this time with a group ranging from 15-19 people. Jimmy and I had both brought our rubik’s cube and started teaching everyone how to solve it. We decided that everyone in our peace corps group should be able to solve the cube by our end of service. =) Our last night in Liuli we had a bonfire on the beach and played charades. Friday morning we unwillingly boarded the bus back to Songea. No one wanted to leave. Saturday (Sept. 25) rich and I were going to go to vicki’s site, about an hour bus ride away, but the bus left early, and we missed it. So, we stayed in Songea and enjoyed our last day together.

Sunday I boarded a bus to Dar with Charles, Rich, Avi and Marignay. At the bus stand in Dar we ran into 3 other PCV’s and decided to go out to eat together. My parents called that night. It was good to talk to them. Monday morning I flew back to Mtwara and returned to school just as the school car was going to town. I got a lift to the post office and picked up some more packages. =)

This week I have been trying to catch up on sleep and trying to get used to life in Mtwara. It has been a difficult week. After spending 3 weeks with some of my closest friends, I find myself alone. On top of that, I have been grading my midterms and grading the Form II mock exams. My student’s exam average was around a 35 and over 70% of the Form II’s failed the mock exam. If that isn’t depressing, I don’t know what is. Needless to say, I am struggling. Thoughts of “am I really making a difference here?,” “is Peace Corps being effective by putting volunteers in secondary schools?”, “is there another sector I could be working in to make a bigger impact?” plague my thoughts. But, as my AP US History teacher used to say “this too shall pass.” =) I will continue to search for the treasure that each day holds, and I encourage you to search for the same. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers, and know that you are in mine.

Grace and peace—heidi

P.S. I have started an online journal and I plan on posting my updates there instead of sending out mass emails. Here is a link to it:

Jenny- those pictures are awesome! What kind of printer do you have?

Mom- I ended up leaving my new platypus on the plane on the way to dar. =( anyway you could send me another? I would also like some more blank cds. Oh, and tell dad not to renew the chase credit card.

Pam- thank you for the card and the altoids gum. It made my day.