Powerless Week

Greetings!

Battery Powered Fan...Wonderful during power cuts!

Candle light has become a part of my everyday life...

As I stated in my last post we had had power for about two weeks without any cuts (at least when I was home...they may have still been occurring while I was at school)  so I was nervous as to what the week would bring....my gut feeling was right or maybe I just jinxed myself. This past week the power cuts have been terrible!!! No power Monday came back around 22.30 and was on until morning; Tuesday no power when we got home from school and was still out when we left for school Wednesday morning; Wednesday night it was on when we got home but cut around 23.00 and was still out Thursday morning when we left for school; Thursday it came back around 18.30 and we had it all night and it was still on when we left for school Friday morning; No power when we got home Friday morning but it came back around 23.30 and was on until 11 on Saturday morning and was in and out all day yesterday. I try to not get frustrated when the power goes out because I know that I can survive without it but it sure makes life a lot more comfortable when we do have it! I think my biggest frustration this week was when it was out during the night because then it messed with my sleep schedule....difficulty sleeping because of all of the noises outside of my window and waking up when the power cut or came back due to the noise changes...needless to say I have survived the week and I think part of the reason it was a bit easier was because I was at school during the day and thankfully we have generator there!!! The positive side of the power cuts is my roomie and I got to have some awesome talks, cooking by candle light and lots of reading time. The crazy thing about the power cuts is they usually occur with the less rain that we receive. Over the past few weeks it has rained... A LOT!! and there has been a lot of flooding so hopefully the power cuts will improve with all of the rain...

As I begin to prepare to go home in just 4 short weeks I think about how the transition is going to be a difficult one in ways. I am leaving a world that is so different than the world I was raised in but a world that has become my new home. The United States economy is having difficulties and I used to think it was terrible seeing the toll it was taken on people (and I still think this) but then I move to Tanzania and my eyes were opened a bit more. Yes things are rough back home in the states but things are much rougher here. Seeing people struggle on a daily basis can be quite difficult at times and I am not sure if it is something I will ever get use to. Living in Tanzania has changed me and my outlook on life. A few weeks ago I was having a conversation with a friend and the question came up..."what are 5 things you can not live with out...." What a tough question to answer. As I thought about my answer I began to realize how my answer today would have been different from my answer 4 months ago. I realized that the things I can not live without are simply things. My response was : my water bottle, my cell phone or computer to communicate with people back home and here, music and headphones, my support system (family and friends), my faith in God....

I still remember the crazy looks and questions I got as I told me family and friends about the decision I had made to move to Tanzania for a teaching job. I know that some of my family and friends still think this. But on the day of my departure my mom handed me a letter that said a lot of things but there was one part that meant a lot, " I hope you understand that I only want what is best for you. You are a great daughter and even better person and because of that I know that you will go far and do big things in your life." With those 2 sentences I knew that my mom supported me and even though it was extremely hard to watch me walk away to get onto a plane that will take me half way across the world. She let me go. She let me follow my dreams even if it meant only getting to talk to me a couple of times a week and see me once or twice a year for the next few years. So I am following my dreams and couldn't be happier with the decision I have made. Some days are tough and I really miss my friends and family but I just remind myself of the amazing opportunity I have been given!

This weekend has been a very lazy one so far. After a very sleepless week and a stressful week between school and other things going on I have just wanted to do nothing but lounge around all weekend. Today I need to get some things finished for school and go to the market and grocery store but other than that I will be just relaxing.

In a couple of weeks we have a 3 day weekend so I am already looking forward to that and more than likely will be spending the day at the beach. And the week after that I will be heading home for my very short visit.....which is two weeks from the day I fly out of Dar to the day I return to Dar. Which is going to be spent flying to and from the States, flying to Texas for the weekend of Christmas and getting all 4 of my wisdom teeth cut out (which I am really beginning to get nervous about) so my trip home is going to be a whirlwind trip but luckily I will get to see a majority of my family and friends which is all that matters :)

Well I think that is all that I have to update on for now. I hope y'all will have a wonderful Sunday!

Another Week Flies By....

Another week as quickly passed by. It was a short school week as we had Monday and Tuesday off due to Midterm break. My roommate and I took full advantage of this on Monday by heading to the island, Bongoyo. It was a much needed day of relaxation. Unfortunately I thought it would be a good idea to wait to put sunscreen on when I arrived on the island. I will just say that I have learned my lesson. My and the African sun do not quite get along and 30 minutes in the direct sunlight leads to a terrible sunburn on my face and back. From now on I will be putting sunscreen on before I depart from my apartment and reapplying it frequently throughout the day! Other than the sunburn it was a perfect day. The sun was warm, the water was fantastic and the skies were blue....not much more a person could ask for :) On the island you can do hiking and snorkeling....we did not do that this time but I plan on doing some snorkeling during my next trip to the island.

When it came time to return on Wednesday my alarm seemed to go off a bit to early or maybe it was just the fact that I was not ready to wake up at 5.15 again. It felt like the break was far too short especially since our next break is the holiday break. But I still managed to make it through the week which turned out to not be too bad as I am finally getting caught up with everything from being out sick a couple of weeks ago! This week will be a busy week as well as we have parent teacher conferences during the day. These will take place during my planning periods which means there will probably being a few late nights at school to get done what I typically get done during my planning periods. But then it will be the weekend again :) I am learning that during my weekends I am doing less and less around Dar because all I want to do is relax. Hopefully I will get back into a routine soon and start to venture out in Dar some more.

I think it is getting harder to be away from home the closer we get to the holidays. It does not even feel like November (I think because it is hot and not cold) As I see everyone making plans for getting together during Thanksgiving break it makes me a bit sad but then I remind myself that I will be home in about 5 weeks. And as most of you know  I am the count down queen so as it gets closer I will really begin the count down :) On a positive note my roommate and I have decided to make Thanksgiving dinner here in Dar. I am really excited to get to share our American and family traditions with some of our wonderful friends here in Dar! One of my awesome friend  has brought back some items from the States when he was back for a business trip that will be necessary to make the dinner a success and another friend has been working on getting a turkey for the dinner. It is great to have help from them to find the items that are not typically found here. We have decided to do the dinner on a Saturday afternoon since it takes so much time and preparation to make the dinner.....for some reason the schools here do not get Thanksgiving or the day after off....not quite sure why that is.....

Today I have also decided to start a bucket list after being inspired by some fellow friends who have created one. It has been fun thinking of the different goals and dreams that I want to achieve during my life. I think it also gives me something to really work towards during the upcoming years. Hopefully I will continue to add to the list over the years but also will get to cross many items off of the list :)

We also have been have quite good luck when it comes to power rations which makes me a bit nervous for the next week because there always seems to be a bad period after the good period but maybe this time it will be different! Over the past few days it has really been raining a lot which I don't quite care fore except for when I don't have to work and can lounge around or during the night time and I can sleep but I also know that the land and plants really need the rain lately so it is a good thing for that.

I hope everyone will have a wonderful Sunday!

Time is flying by.....

Malaria test #1

The days continue to fly by...I have finally booked my ticket home for Christmas and will be back in NKY on December 16th. I am so ready to see my family and friends....Over the past couple of weeks I have really begun to miss home. I think part of this has to do with the fact that I was quite ill for over a week. In my last post I mentioned that I was not feeling well. It turned out that my ear infection got quite bad and I had to go back to the doctor 4 times and got 3 different sets of medicines before I began to improve. It was a long week and unfortunately I missed a whole week of school. I attempted to go back on Thursday but only lasted about 2 hours before I couldn't do it anymore. I am thankful that I finally got the right medicine and my fever finally stayed down for more than a few hours on Saturday which was a week after the first time I went to the doctor. They originally thought I had malaria but thankfully I did not!

Upon returning back to school I was so far behind. I had planned on getting a lot done the week that I was out but unfortunately I was not able to do anything except throw sub plans together during the week. It is amazing how much it takes to prepare when you are out. I did my best but still fell far behind. This meant that this past week was extra long. I stayed late most nights to get caught up and with the help of some others I managed to get a majority of it caught up and my big project of sending home portfolios was accomplished as well! It feels good to be caught up but as always there is work to be done. I am currently on mid term break which means I have a 4 day weekend!! I had originally planned on going to Zanzibar but with me being sick and behind I didn't think it would be good to be gone for 4 days. Instead my roomie and I have decided to spend tomorrow on Bongoyo Island which is an isolated island. So I am very much looking forward to a day of relaxation under the sun :)

As far as school goes I had a Halloween Party on Halloween in my classroom. It was fun to see the students in their costumes. They got creative and had a good time. We invited their parents to join us at the end of the day and it was good to see all of the parent involvement. Then on Friday we took our first class fieldtrip with the other grade 1. Our original plan was to go to a juice making company here in Dar to learn how they take fruit and make it into juice to tie in with our Science yet. After an hour long bus ride we arrive at the factory but received some bad news. The factory had no power and the generator was not working. Thankfully they offered for us to go to the ice cream making factory. So we got to see how the local company making different ice cream and ice lollies. It was really interesting and we got free ice cream at the end so a win win situation. Following the ice cream factory tour we got to see the juice factory. They explained how the juice is made but we just didn't get to see how the juice was made. And at the end we got free mango juice. So all in all it was a successful trip even though it was not what was previously planned. I must admit that the bus ride coming back was much quieter than going as most of the students were fast asleep!

Other than that the power rations continue. They are not as frequent as they were when I first arrived but are still occurring. Last Saturday and Sunday it went out at around 9am and came back on around 19.00 so that makes it kinda frustrating when there is no power for 10 hours but we learn to pass time but playing games, reading or going out for the day. I think I have adjusted well and now when the power goes out I just deal with it no use getting upset since we have no control. We have also been having some minor water shortage issues which I find to be a bit more frustrating than power outages but we have a stockpile of water and again just deal with it when it occurs :) It is also becoming progressively hotter here in Dar. It is weird to hear that back home it is cold and we are already getting frost when it is about 85-90 degrees here. So coming home for Christmas is going to be a huge shock for me....

I am still loving my washing machine and enjoy being able to once again out my laundry by loads instead of buckets full! And I love being able to just put laundry in push the start button and come back an hour or so later and it is clean! It is amazing the things that I took for granted back home. We finally have warm showers here and there because the water in the tank gets heated by the sun so its kinda like a natural water heater! 

I think that is all I have to update for now! I am making a goal to myself to update my blog at least weekly so look for another post in about a week :)

Hope everyone will have a great Sunday!

Long time again.....

I promised to update more frequently in my last post but it has been almost a month again. I remind myself during the day that I should update my blog but then once I get home I get distracted and another day goes by without an update.

Things continue to go great at school. My students and I are getting to know each other quite well which really helps things go smoother in the classroom. About 3 weeks ago we planted some pumpkin and squash seeds to learn how plants go. Surprising there were sprouts above the ground the next week. The students love to take care of their plants and watching them grow. Some of the students seeds did not grow so I went back and replanted some last week and hopefully there will be some sprouts this week. Other than that I am looking forward to mid term break where we have a couple of days off and then winter break is right around the corner.

Last weekend we had a 3 day week. Some friends and I were going to head to Zanzibar but the weather forecast showed rain all 3 days so we opted not to go. It ended up not raining at all. I think that my roommate and I will head to Zanzibar for midterm break. It is that point in the term where we just need to get away and relax. Last weekend I bought a washing machine!! I was going to hire a maid to do my laundry but I just would rather be able to do it myself so the washing machine seemed like the better choice. I finally got a plumber to come yesterday and install it. It works great and is so quiet! It is nice to just be able to put laundry in the machine and come back an hour later and hang it to dry.

I have been do less school work on the weekends and hanging out with friends instead. It is great to be able to get out and do some things here in Dar. Two weeks ago I met some friends for some Tanzanian style breakfast..... It was cow tongue soup.....all I can say is that I tried it. It is suppose to be put in this broth and eaten that way but the broth was gross! and I tried to just eat the cow tongue but it had a weird texture and I just couldn't get it out of my head that I was eating the tongue of a cow. After the soup tasting..we went to Slipway (a place by the ocean where a lot of expats hang out) There we walked around and then had a nice lunch :) Then we went and saw a movie at the  cinema. That evening a few of us came back to my apartment and we played a Tanzanian card game called Last Card....it is very similar to Uno but you use regular playing cards. It was a lot of fun but I think 2 certain Tanzanians guys were making up some fake rules as the game progressed to help themselves when :)

A week ago I invited some co-workers over and made brinner. Since they showed me a traditional Tanzanian breakfast food I thought it was only fair to show them one of ours. So I made pancakes, hashbrowns, scrambled eggs and fruit salad. They seemed to enjoy it. Then we played some Uno where no fake rules could be made up. It was a lot of fun as usual.

This weekend I have been feeling quite under the weather. I have been feeling sick a bit on Friday and then Friday night and Saturday morning I started to run a fever, body aches, headache...... so I went to the clinic yesterday because they thought I might have malaria....thankfully it turned out to just be a really bad ear infection. I had to get blood taken for the malaria test which is usually just a finger prick but they actually took a couple of tubes of blood to check my blood count and such :( But it was a quick visit and I got an antibiotic, pain meds and ear drops. I started to feel better yesterday afternoon and last night. But my fever is still popping up and my ear is really hurting so I hope to be feeling better in the next day or so. Thankfully I have had my roomie and my friend, Jesse, who have taken care of me while I have been sick! I don't know what I would have done without them this weekend...

Some other great news is the power rations are becoming less frequent. They are still occurring but for shorter periods of time and not as frequently. It is quite nice to remember what it is like to have power for more than 24 hours at a time!

Other than that not a lot has happened. The weather is getting hotter as the hot season approaches. But a plus of the hot season is mango and pineapple season which I was quite excited about. And of course lots and lots of beach time :) I also have started to take Swahili classes and it is kinda difficult because of certain letter combinations and the sounds that go with those letters but hopefully I will learn quickly but for the time being I provide my teacher with some great entertainment as I attempt the sounds :)

I hope everyone will have a great Sunday and I promise to post again in the next week or 2!

It's Been Awhile

So needless to say it has been quite some time almost 3 weeks since I have given an update one here....sorry about that :)

What's new in my life?!? I can officially say that I love teaching and there is no question that this is the career I was meant to have. I have an excellent group of students. All 10 of them have their own personalities and their own way of putting a smile on my face. We are getting to know each other quite well and I think we are all becoming quite the team! I have a wonderful assistant who is there when ever I need her....she is terrific with the students and I would completely lost without her :) I love the school and the staff is very close and friendly.

Teaching still very much consumes my life. I have started staying late several nights at school and still spending lots of time during the evening and at least one day of the weekend preparing lessons and such. The school days fly by as do the weeks. It is hard to believe that we have been in session almost a month so far. I get my first official pay check as a teacher this week so I am excited to finally be getting paid for what I love doing :)

I have started to dedicate one day of my weekend to relaxing or a day where I do no school work. I have been spending lots of time at the beach. Last week I went to an event in Dar called Nyama Choma, which is a big BBQ meat event. It was a lot of fun and I got to try some traditional Tanzanian food. Something else I did was ate my whole meal with my hands which is something new for me. I am so use to using a fork and knife for every thing. I am adjusting. I am looking forward to trying more traditional Tanzanian food in the near future.

I am currently in the process of planning a weekend get away. In 2 weeks we get a 3 day weekend. So I am packing my bag and heading to Zanzibar for the weekend. I am really excited for some much needed relaxation time.

The staff at school have started a football (soccer) team and their first game is this Sunday. I will be there cheering them on. I am looking forward to it.

I am still adjusting to life here. We are entering the hot season so I am nervous as to the heat that will be fastly approaching. I am still amazed by all of the small things that I took for granted back home everyday. I am so thankful that I decided to embark on this journey. I must admit that I am not homesick....There are many things that I miss like just hanging out with my friends, getting in my car and driving some where and of course that one little girl that has such a huge part of my heart. There are many days that I know a Karrlee hug would be great but unfortunately that cannot happen. I get to talk to her at least once a week. She has finally accepted the fact that I am no longer on an airplane and at my new home. She asks to come to my house and then she usually just says "Can you come home now." I received a package from home the other day and there was a piece of artwork from her which made its way right to the bulletin board behind my desk!

 Well I think that is all of the updates for now. I will try to not wait so long before the next update.

What a Week!!

Well I have officially completed my first week of teaching. 2 of the days this past week were orientation days and 3 were with the students. It has been a good week in the classroom. Wednesday morning my alarm went off way too early 5:15 to be exact. Once at school we had a brief school wide assembly and then it was off to my classroom where I met my students and their parents. It was a great way to start the school year. During the first couple of days we have done many "get to know you" activities as well as me doing lots of group and individual assessments. It has been good to get the chance to do the assessments so that I know where my students stand and I can use that information in my planning. The day flies by and usually by the end of the day I cannot find my desk. I hope to get a better organization system into place this week. I have a total of 10 students in my class and they come from all over the world. Even though I have some days where I have several breaks while the students are at single subjects or recess, I still find that the day slips away. So my evenings are filled with planning. I am usually in bed by 7:30ish and asleep by 8 or 8:30 (never thought I would see the day that I was asleep before Karrlee!) Last night I found myself fighting to stay awake until 9:30. Hopefully my body will soon adjust to the early mornings and early nights.

Power has been hard to come by this week. All but 1 night this week the power was out from the time I got home from school (around 4:30) to sometime in the night. I usually wake up at some point in the night and it is back on. I will say that planning by candle light is a bit harder but with limited battery on my computer I am more productive because I limit my use.

Not much else has been happening here. Traffic has been terrible this week which makes the commute to school very long around an hour each way. Hopefully that is something I will get use to as well or maybe learn to use that time wisely.....we shall see. The other day we were stuck in a traffic jam for quite some time when the ice cream man drove by on his bicycle usually we just pass it up but this day we were in need of something so the whole car full of us bought ice cream to help pass the time in the traffic jam :)

First Day=Success

Well we got an extra day off...yesterday due to Eid (the end of Ramadan). I am quite thankful for this as it was nice to sleep in one more day and get things ready for today. We officially had power from 18:00 on Monday to sometime this morning....I was getting spoiled I think! It was hard to believe it was on for that long at one time. Yesterday afternoon I was feeling a bit drowsy from my allergy medicine (my allergies by the way have been going crazy due to all of the dust!) and tried to resist taking a nap but fell asleep reading anyways....this made sleeping last night quite difficult. I was already nervous, anxious, excited for our first day and add not really tired to that= bad combination! I finally fell asleep around 1 or 1:30 and was up every hour and finally got up at 6....thats an early morning after such a long summer holiday!

We had a bit of craziness when it came to getting to school today. There was a bit of confusion as to who all was getting picked up by the driver so a few wrong turns and one very bad traffic jam we arrive at school with a few minutes to spare before orientation started! It was great to finally meet everyone especially the other grade 1 teacher, our assistants, and the primary school coordinator. Everyone at DIA made me feel very welcome and I know this is going to be a great experience. I did feel a bit bad though because my assistant was prepared to help me put my classroom together today but oops! Most of it was already done. I was not prepared to have extra hands this week helping. I guess  it will teach me that I do not always have to have things prepared way in advance :) It did give me some time to get use to the server and look at the curriculum map and such.

The day was also spent filling out lots of paper work. I was so confused and a lot of times  had to ask what specifically they were asking for. Then the NSSF (National Social Security Fund) form was in Swahili luckily there were some people to translate and then they found an example in English! All in all it was a very successful day. I will admit though that at the end of the day today I was sitting my classroom and dazed off.....it is hard to believe that I finally have received my degree and have my own classroom and that it is half way around the world from my home! I was a bit overwhelmed with all the information we were provided with today so still taking it all in. I look forward to returning on Monday and meeting my students on Wednesday!

Tonight has been very uneventful. I have relaxed done some reading and looked through one of the teachers manuals to become more familiar with the curriculum. Tomorrow and Sunday I also plan on relaxing and maybe getting out and exploring some more of Dar.

I think that is all for now :)