Springtime for Jenna and Tanzania
Habari za leo? (How are you today?)
I think I've failed to mention that it's spring in Tanzania right now. Trees sport new leaves and blossoms, butterflies and flowers are everywhere, and everything is lush and green. Last night I was speaking with someone outside, and I realized the air was full of the most wonderful smell. Everywhere, people are preparing land and planting crops. Almost all of the trees here are unfamiliar, which is not surprising given the extreme difference in climate. Speaking of which, several people have apologized to me for the cold, while we're wearing sandals, t-shirts, and the occasional long-sleeve shirt. They're shocked when I tell them that it's 0 degrees at home!
We're supposed to be in the "short rains" season, but there has actually been a lot of rain. I've assumed that this is related to global warning. North of us, this has led to some serious flooding and displacement; here in Tanzania it's a good thing. There had been a serious drought before and, since the electricity is all hydroelectric, a power shortage as well. The mornings usually start out hazy or cloudy, burning off by late morning. Rains tend to come either in the afternoon or overnight, the afternoon ones not lasting to long. The sun is up pretty much from 6 to 6 (or 0 - 12 in traditional time-telling).
All males, except the Maasai, seem to wear Western clothing, whereas women are split between traditional and Western clothing, some wearing a combination. (As in many non-English speaking countries, t-shirts often say some nonsensical things. For example, on an old businesswoman, "Bank of Dad.") We volunteers were told that women don't wear pants here, but we have actually seen a small but real minority, some even wearing very tight jeans. The women I've spoken to in my placement laughed at the instructions we were given. Schoolchildren's uniforms are all Western. (Uniform, book, and notebook costs lead to a 50-something % enrollment in school.)
On a walk yesterday, my friend and I were joined by an 18-year-old named Jacqueline who wanted to practice her English, and the other day I ended up guiding a 10-year-old through the long process of filling up that day's page of his calendar with the day's events. Students start learning English at 7 or 8, and 8th through 13th grades are taught entirely in English, but somehow a lot of the students don't seem to have learned as much as you would expect. (I have spoken with some English teachers, and their low proficiency is one clue.) Nevertheless, we find it quite easy to get along in English with a few Swahili words thrown in.
Many small children, if not greeting us with "Mzungu" (white person), shout out "Good Morning" regardless of time of day or "How are you?" If we ask them how they are, we realize that they don't know what it means. If we answer them in Swahili, they often get very shy and don't want to answer us. It's very cute! Older children (from about 7 or 8 on) rarely call us mzungu and often say "Shikamoo," the greeting for someone older than you, thus acknowledging us as people rather than novelties.
And that's all the news for today.
Serena (good-bye in Maa)
-Jenna
I think I've failed to mention that it's spring in Tanzania right now. Trees sport new leaves and blossoms, butterflies and flowers are everywhere, and everything is lush and green. Last night I was speaking with someone outside, and I realized the air was full of the most wonderful smell. Everywhere, people are preparing land and planting crops. Almost all of the trees here are unfamiliar, which is not surprising given the extreme difference in climate. Speaking of which, several people have apologized to me for the cold, while we're wearing sandals, t-shirts, and the occasional long-sleeve shirt. They're shocked when I tell them that it's 0 degrees at home!
We're supposed to be in the "short rains" season, but there has actually been a lot of rain. I've assumed that this is related to global warning. North of us, this has led to some serious flooding and displacement; here in Tanzania it's a good thing. There had been a serious drought before and, since the electricity is all hydroelectric, a power shortage as well. The mornings usually start out hazy or cloudy, burning off by late morning. Rains tend to come either in the afternoon or overnight, the afternoon ones not lasting to long. The sun is up pretty much from 6 to 6 (or 0 - 12 in traditional time-telling).
All males, except the Maasai, seem to wear Western clothing, whereas women are split between traditional and Western clothing, some wearing a combination. (As in many non-English speaking countries, t-shirts often say some nonsensical things. For example, on an old businesswoman, "Bank of Dad.") We volunteers were told that women don't wear pants here, but we have actually seen a small but real minority, some even wearing very tight jeans. The women I've spoken to in my placement laughed at the instructions we were given. Schoolchildren's uniforms are all Western. (Uniform, book, and notebook costs lead to a 50-something % enrollment in school.)
On a walk yesterday, my friend and I were joined by an 18-year-old named Jacqueline who wanted to practice her English, and the other day I ended up guiding a 10-year-old through the long process of filling up that day's page of his calendar with the day's events. Students start learning English at 7 or 8, and 8th through 13th grades are taught entirely in English, but somehow a lot of the students don't seem to have learned as much as you would expect. (I have spoken with some English teachers, and their low proficiency is one clue.) Nevertheless, we find it quite easy to get along in English with a few Swahili words thrown in.
Many small children, if not greeting us with "Mzungu" (white person), shout out "Good Morning" regardless of time of day or "How are you?" If we ask them how they are, we realize that they don't know what it means. If we answer them in Swahili, they often get very shy and don't want to answer us. It's very cute! Older children (from about 7 or 8 on) rarely call us mzungu and often say "Shikamoo," the greeting for someone older than you, thus acknowledging us as people rather than novelties.
And that's all the news for today.
Serena (good-bye in Maa)
-Jenna
posted by Jenna @ 6:21 AM
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