I'm Here!
Hamjambo! (Hello, everyone)
After an exhausting trip, I made it to the CCS home base a couple of days ago. I'm almost unpacked, and today I went to my placement for the first time. The food is quite good, the beds are very comfortable, the power is only on at certain times of day, and the showers are often cold, have very little water pressure, and involve a bucket. Our compound is surrounded by a ten foot wall topped by electrified barbed wire and is guarded around the clock.
I've had the opportunity to go into Tengeru village, where we are located, a few times already. All of the roads and path are dirt, and it seems that everyone calls out a greeting we pass by. These range from "karibu" (welcome) to "hujambo" (hello) to "mzungu" (white person), this especially from small children who are likely to follow up by holding our hands or hugging us. The village is full of small houses, small fields, chickens, goats, dogs, laundry lines, and piles of garbage. Across the paved road is the commercial center with quite a few small shops. Tomorrow is market day, and we'll be visiting then.
60% of Tanzanian 6-person families live on less than $2 a day, and a men's buzzcut and shave costs 50 cents. Some of the women in my placement can't send their kids to high school because of school fees and supply costs. Most people here get malaria on a regular basis. I'll pass along more information of this sort as I learn it.
My time is about to run out on this computer, but I will attempt to post again in a more organized way in a few days.
I hope everyone is doing great!
-Jenna
After an exhausting trip, I made it to the CCS home base a couple of days ago. I'm almost unpacked, and today I went to my placement for the first time. The food is quite good, the beds are very comfortable, the power is only on at certain times of day, and the showers are often cold, have very little water pressure, and involve a bucket. Our compound is surrounded by a ten foot wall topped by electrified barbed wire and is guarded around the clock.
I've had the opportunity to go into Tengeru village, where we are located, a few times already. All of the roads and path are dirt, and it seems that everyone calls out a greeting we pass by. These range from "karibu" (welcome) to "hujambo" (hello) to "mzungu" (white person), this especially from small children who are likely to follow up by holding our hands or hugging us. The village is full of small houses, small fields, chickens, goats, dogs, laundry lines, and piles of garbage. Across the paved road is the commercial center with quite a few small shops. Tomorrow is market day, and we'll be visiting then.
60% of Tanzanian 6-person families live on less than $2 a day, and a men's buzzcut and shave costs 50 cents. Some of the women in my placement can't send their kids to high school because of school fees and supply costs. Most people here get malaria on a regular basis. I'll pass along more information of this sort as I learn it.
My time is about to run out on this computer, but I will attempt to post again in a more organized way in a few days.
I hope everyone is doing great!
-Jenna
posted by Jenna @ 7:57 AM
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