{weekly highlights june 18-22}

june 18-22

this week was another great week with the kids (photos to come once i can track down an internet connection good enough) with a lot of great afternoons as well.

i'm very excited to say that over a few afternoons a group of us started and completed laying the concrete floors for 2 classrooms at a local pre and primary school.  after this work, i have a serious appreciation for cement trucks and anyone who has made a career out of manual labor - it is tough work! we carried buckets of dirt, rocks, and water to a mixing machine, once mixed with the concrete powder, we shovelled the cement from the machine into buckets to carry to the floor area. very tough work and i'm almost embarrassed to admit how proud i felt admiring the finished product!  especially since (hopefully thanks to our help) this is actually the first time this school has ever completed a project ahead of schedule.  

after we finished the work each afternoon, as if we weren't tired enough, most of us ran the 2 miles home as it is always much faster to do that than to wait on a ride.      

there is a famous musical family living in bagamoyo called the zawose family, and one afternoon they invited us to their house for tea and to show us their instruments as well as some traditional african dancing.  later that night they actually put on a real performance for us at a bar closeby - full costumes and everything.  i have some amazing pictures and videos which i cannot wait to share.  i have never seen people move their bodies the way they dance here - it's very impressive!  i don't think i was blessed with hips that move the way theirs do...but i'm definitely trying!

and finally a few of us have gotten to know some of the local artists down at the market in town.  when they offered to teach us to paint, we could not turn that down! we spent an afternoon learning to paint the traditional masai warriors with knives and oil based paints.  very cool - and surprisingly pretty easy and quick to paint these!  photos of these to come as well.  

i often catch myself wondering what my co-workers are up to these days.  it's crazy to think of you guys working so hard on your computers every day and here i am laying concrete in africa...there are definitely some things i miss these days from home, but i am definitely VERY happy to have this chance to spend my time in such unique ways!

{paradise in africa}

june 15-17, 2012

 

six other girls and i decided to make a weekend trip to zanzibar this past weekend. i thought i'd visited a lot of beautiful beaches in my lifetime, but i can honestly say zanzibar has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. i kept pinching myself to make sure i wasn't dreaming.

we all finished work by about 11 am on friday morning and rented a dala dala to drive us to the ferry in dar es salaam. first class seats on the ferry are only $40, so since the ride is SUPPOSED to be only an hour and a half (and they advertised that they also had free wi-fi on the boat) we decided this option was much cheaper and faster than flying. but, as seems to be the case so often here, our ferry left at 3 pm and, thanks to an engine failure, did not reach zanzibar until about 6 pm (the wifi also didn't work). the usual response when things go wrong here though is always "hakuna matata." rather than getting upset, I've already gotten used to it and am pretty sure once i get back to work i won't even understand what it means to have a deadline. and you guys thought I was laid back before...

back to zanzibar - we enjoyed a delicious dinner in stone town on friday night and then a car picked us up ton drive us the 2 hours to our hotel on the northern part of the island. due to some miscommunication, we couldn't stay at the hotel where we thought we had rooms reserved, but again, hakuna matata, and we walked next door to the paradise beach hotel and i negotiated a rate of $40 a night for the weekend. though Zanzibar is definitely paradise, the paradise beach hotel is not. but for $40 a night split 4 ways (with a surprisingly delicious free breakfast and an amazing view), we couldn't exactly complain...

saturday we spent the day soaking up the sun on the very white beach, eating delicious food (lots of octopus and other freshly caught that day seafood), talking to the locals, and swimming in the clear blue Indian ocean. seriously heaven on earth.

sunday we enjoyed a beautiful drive back to stone town, a quick stop through the spice market, meat market, and fruit market, another amazing lunch of swordfish, and we caught our 315 ferry back to dar. unfortunately, the ferry ride back to dar is always much worse than the ride zanzibar, and not even 20 minutes into the trip i started throwing up from the seasickness. a miserable 2 hours later we made it to dar, hopped in our dala dala and got back to the house in bagamoyo by 730 pm.

It was such a beautiful, fun, cheap, heavenly weekend and I cannot wait to get back there again!

{watoto wadogo}

here are a few pictures of some of the kids i teach. they're adorable and absolutely LOVE to take photos. they always say "mwalimu, mimi, mimi" and then laugh hysterically when they see the photo i've just taken of them. it's the cutest thing.  there are 2 classes at this school, which is just one large cement structure with 3 rooms and open windows, one of about 20 3-4 year olds, the other about 30 5-6 year olds. 

what i've really enjoyed the most about these kids though is just how happy they are ALL the time; well, except for today - the kids all seemed to have a serious case of the mondays. i don't think I've said "acha!" (enough/stop) or "hapana!" (no) so many times in one day. no matter the country or school, it seems most children have similar ideas and behaviors (some of the boys were hitting each other constantly with sticks). though despite the fact that these kids really have nothing, most of the time they are so happy - delightful, fun, loving, excited, the list goes on. they all usually come to school in dirty, ripped or ill-fitting uniforms and carry tiny backpacks, that are also ripped or have broken zippers, with a small pencil and maybe a piece of dirty paper. my class sits on the dusty cement floor and the room has only a small chalkboard. i've been able to take in construction paper and crayons as well as some childrens books and they get so excited to see this stuff.

the kids get porridge at 1030 every morning, which we help cook in a large metal pot over a fire, stirring the porridge with a large wooden spoon which resembles a canoe ore. they drink the porridge out of plastic cups which we attempt to wash (with the bad water) in buckets outside.  i'm never sure if the kids ever have anything else to eat besides the porridge before coming to school. 

during recess, we play outside under a tree in the dirt and sand and the kids love to sing songs, play games, draw pictures in the dirt and sand with sticks, and play tag.

public schooling in tanzania is so very different than in the states. one of the strangest things is that the classes for public primary school are all taught in swahili (except for english class), but there are no real books available in swahili. also, once you get to certain levels of secondary school (which is not compulsory), the classes are then all taught in english and the tests are given in english.  it's very difficult for those who grew up in public schooling to do well with this.

but anyway, there really is nothing better than when i walk up to the school house in the morning and at least 10 children come running toward me and grab my hands to walk with me the rest of the way.  i usually have about 8 of them walk with me home too.  definitely makes my day every day!

 (some of my kids in their classroom)

 (group shot outside the schoolhouse)

 (friday fun at the beach!)

 (beach day)

 (the view walking back to school from the beach)

 (best friends)

 

(posing)

 

(making kites out of the trash in front of the school)

 

(waving to the cows passing through)

 

(loved her almost as much as she loved books)

 

(will miss these kids so much!)

{day 3 - june 11, 2012}

monday, june 11, 2012

after a delicious breakfast - the food here is actually amazing! - we met with our volunteer placement leaders to prepare for our first day of work.  i will spend most mornings at a pre-school about a 10 minute walk from my house and will work with 3-4 year olds.  In my free afternoons, i'm going to try to spend time in the orphanage as well as the HIV clinic.

a typical breakfast - peanut butter toast, eggs, and pineapple!

 my morning tea - kiliminjaro tea is the best!

we also had our first swahili lesson (we have lessons 3 times a week) with mwahleemu (teacher) christine.  it has actually been a lot easier trying to learn the language while immersed in the culture.  the people here are so nice and friendly and want to help us learn swahili as well we can, and in exchange we help them with their english.  i can (i think, at least) already have a fairly long surface level conversation in swahili with a local.  it definitely takes a lot of practice and patience, though!

finally a local doctor from the town came to speak to us about the medical conditions here in bagamoyo and tanzania.  in addition to teaching us about malaria (about 1 child dies every 5 minutes in tanzania from malaria) and cholera (which i honestly thought didn't really exist anymore, but it does here), we spent a good part of the afternoon discussing HIV, which infects approximately 10% of the population here in bagamoyo.  there are so many contributing factors, the most disturbing of which is the fact that female circumcision still occurs in this country, despite being illegal.  16% of the female population here is circumcised, and since it is illegal, this is done with dirty equipment, in dirty environments, and if there is a complication, the girl will not be taken to the hospital for fear of getting caught. i cannot even begin to imagine what these poor women go through here (though it is typically the older women doing this to the younger ones).  it was a very educational afternoon, and one that has definitely affected me quite a bit.

will try to post more soon - it takes about 5 minutes to load one picture at the internet cafe here, so this is a slow process...

xo from tanzani!      

{days 1&2 - june 9 &10, 2012}

so many people told me this trip would change my life.  while i did believe them, i honestly wasn't quite sure how or what to expect.  after only 3 full days here, i can already tell this is going to be one of the most interesting, rewarding, and challenging experiences of my life.  you can't come to a city or country like this and not be affected in some way.  i'll try my best to briefly recap what i can... 

 saturday, june 9, 2012
after a dala dala picked a group of us up in dar es salaam on saturday morning, we made the drive to bagamoyo.  it's about a 50 mile drive, and took roughly 3.5 hours due to the crazy traffic and road conditions.  needless to say it was a very interesting drive full of mostly dirt roads, motorcycles (or "pikipikis") - which you do not have to have a license or insurance to drive here, tuk-tuks, people selling anything you can imagine on the side of the road, many homes (which look like run-down shacks), and TONS of animals grazing on the side of the road in the grass among trash, old tires, cars, and people.  as soon as we got into the bagamoyo city limits our bus was pulled over by the police.  when white people are visible in a vehicle, the police typically pull the vans over to do a thorough check to see if there is any way they can write a ticket and demand immediate payment.  after only 3 days here, it has become very obvious most people in tanzania assume all white people have money.

 the dala dala

around lunchtime we finally arrived at our living quarters in bagamoyo.  there are about 40 volunteers in total here now, and we are living in 3 different houses that are all within a 5 minute walk.  all houses are guarded 24 hours a day, and while i do feel very safe here during the day, we are warned to have men with us if out after sunset.  i'm in the main house (where we have all meals and activities), and share a room with 3 other girls.  we sleep in bunk beds (with mattresses and pillows that, though i'm definitely NOT complaining, leave much to be desired) with mosquito nets, and share a bathroom with 8 people in total.  my house, while EXTREMELY nice for bagamoyo standards, makes me so so so thankful for what i have at home.

our bedroom

we were lucky to have some free time after lunch and many of us made the 15 minute walk to the beach for the afternoon.  the beach was quiet, yet still bustling with many of the local children, and of course the goats.  it's absolutely beautiful here and i'm so thankful that i can spend what free time i do have at the beach!

paradise!

typical afternoon goats

sunday, june 10, 2012

after introductions and administrative type things this morning, we spent the afternoon visiting 2 historical sites in bagamoyo.  the first was an old mosque and grave site with all structures made from dead coral.

some of the staff dancing an african welcome dance for us

 a photo of some of the graves


we saw some amazing baobab trees here as well that are over 500 years old, and also some trees housing red ants...

baobab tree

then it was on to the roman catholic museum which also has a room with the history of the east african slave trade.  very sobering stuff...


 

  

{iad->dar}

bye, mom!

it was a long 26 hours, but i made it!  thanks to a combination of ambien and dramamine, i managed to sleep most of the first two flights, but also slept through all of the meal services.  i was very thankful my mom had packed all of the food that she had! 

my final flight was through addis ababa, ethiopia.  it was definitely an interesting airport, and not one i'm sure i want to travel through again.  

i made it to dar es salaam at about 2:30 am saturday morning and then had to get my cta stamp from the immigration office.  i was told to come prepared with copies of my cpa license, copies of my passport, passport photos, a copy of my resume, as well as other forms, and $200.  of course, once in tanzania, all they wanted was the $200.  someone just grabbed my passport and my money and magically, an hour later, i was given my cta certificate.  

i was a bit fearful my luggage wouldn't make it as i ended up having to check 2 bags, so i was pleasantly surprised to see them waiting for me in baggage claim.  then i hopped in a cab about 3:30 am and arrived at my amazing hotel about 4 am.  not what i was expecting in africa! 

after a quick nap at the hotel, i met some of the rest of the group, and our van picked us up at 9am to take us the 50 miles to bagamoyo. 

{kwaheri}

june 7, 2012

today is officially departure day!  my mom is kind enough to drive me to dc for my flight.  she has also packed me enough food to feed a family of 5. 

here's the flight itinerary:
5:55 pm - 8:05 am: DC to Frankfurt
11:40 am - 9:10 pm: Frankfurt to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (with a short stop in Sudan)
10:45 pm - 2:15 am: Addis Ababa to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania 

yes, it will be a LONG trip.  i can be kind of cheap sometimes, and i could not beat the price i got on this plane ticket...even if it will take me 26 hours to get to africa.  i'm hoping the trip is "poa kichizi kama ndizi" (cool like a crazy banana). 

so, kwaheri (goodbye) for now.  see you soon, africa!

{preparing for the trip}

june 4-6, 2012

most of the past 3 days have been spent running last minute errands, doing laundry, and mentally preparing myself for the trip.  i've also been eating salad and broccoli for just about every meal as i know i will be seriously missing it for the next 2 months.  if only i could trade salad for malaria pills (the medicine is already making me sick to my stomach and giving me crazy dreams).  

as i'm packing for activities ranging from a night at the embassy (more on that later) to climbing mt. kiliminjaro, and for temperatures ranging from below 0 to 85 degrees (or higher), deciding what to bring has been a bit of a challenge.  but, i've got everything packed, and i'm pleased to admit that almost EVERYTHING fits into my pack.  job well done, meg.  

 

 i promise i am not taking a lot of stuff.  my day pack (the bag on the left), is practically empty and only has a towel and the 18 luna bars i'm taking.  and the bag on the right just has the essentials - book, swahili lessons, and passport.  

and because my mom is afraid i'm going to freeze to death climbing the mountain (it gets below 0 up there), i tried on almost all of the layers i'm going to be wearing.  5 layers on the top, 3 layers on the bottom, and i couldn't even bear to put on the rest of my stuff because i practically overheated.  let's hope i feel that warm 19,000 feet up.    

 

i've been planning this trip for months and talking about it for longer, so i think i am FINALLY ready to go.  bring it on, africa!

{lang turns 2!}

june 2-3, 2012

my nephew, langdon, who we lovingly call either lango or lang, turned 2 on may 29.  since the family wasn't there on the actual day, we celebrated this past weekend in lexington.

lexington is a quaint little town in the mountains of virginia, about an hour southwest of charlottesville.  i absolutely LOVE visiting here - the scenery is beautiful and there is just enough to do to keep entertained.  my sister and brother-in-law have a beautiful house with a beautiful view of the mountains, and it is so easy to relax here (and not do your hair or put on makeup as you'll probably notice in the photos).  

 first stop was lunch at frank's.  i made the mistake of teaching lang to make funny faces in photos, and this was all he did for a while...

   since lindsay, matt, and evie were in tucson and couldn't be there with us, we opened presents over skype (you may be able to see linz and evie in the computer in the photo above).

and then we celebrated with stop sign cake!  

i have to admit (brag?) that my gift turned out to be lang's favorite because it has a "wa-wa" (windshield wiper) that actually moves. 

the rest of the weekend we spent a lot of time riding in the polaris, sitting in all of the different cars and turning on the windshield wipers, walking to the mailbox, walking to the stop sign and feeding it berries, picking dandelions, pushing the bubble lawn mower, reading books, and saying "okay!" and "of course."  

it was such a great weekend in virginia with family, and i'm so excited that i'll get to meet my second nephew during my next visit to lexington in september! 

and so my other sister doesn't feel left out, i'll end with a recent photo of the berkmans.  we missed you guys and can't wait to see you in september!

{the neverending drive from nyc to va}

june 1, 2012

 thanks to too much fun had the night before, my morning may have started a little bit later than originally anticipated...however, that extra time in bed was probably the best idea i had all day.  

somehow my roommate and i still managed to have everything out of the apartment, and i had my rental car packed, by 10:15 am.  

 

 sweet, empty, 229 e. 13th street

  the schedule for the day was set - cleaning service would arrive at 10 am (with 2 people and all necessary supplies) and be done by noon, and the super had the painters starting at 12:30.  i was planning to leave town at 11, drive the 6.5 hours home to va, meet my dad at the richmond airport to drop off the rental car, and then drive to my sister's house in lexington, va. 

      naturally, because it is nyc, nothing went as planned.  rather than freaking out when only one person showed up to clean the apartment over an hour late with no cleaning supplies, i tracked some down and decided to spend an hour perusing the union square farmers market one last time. 

after an hour, i made sure the super was ok with the ghetto cleaning service, realized the painters had already started to paint a still dirty apartment, and decided that was my cue to hit the road.  one last stop to drop a few more boxes in the storage unit and i'd be on my way.  

i left long island city at 1 pm.  thanks to lane closures, road construction, road construction on the detour alternate routes, and ridiculous traffic, by 4pm, i hadn't even gone 50 miles.  

and then, close to baltimore, i hit this:

i really timed my drive home perfectly - tornadoes had touched down in virginia and maryland, the baltimore, national, and dulles airports were grounded, and i was still on the road (with no phone battery for the last 3 hours of the trip).   

needless to say, it was a long day, and the longest 9.5 hour drive i've ever had from nyc to richmond. i made it safely though, and was rewarded for my efforts with a hug from my dad and a cozy night's sleep in my old room at my parent's house.      

     

{farewell for the summer}

my last day in new york was quite possibly the most beautiful day to date of the spring.  it was a busy day full of some early morning shopping on 5th avenue (there's always time for that), last minute appointments, picking up the rental car in jersey city for the drive home (i finally rode the path train for the first time), final packing, and one last happy hour with pwc friends. 

may 31, 2012 - first stop - mad46 on top of the roosevelt hotel (thanks, becky!)

then it was on to wilfie and nell to catch up with the fdd guys...

who then forced me to go to bounce, and that's when the photos stop.  i am officially too old for that place.

thanks to you all - it was definitely a great last night in the city!   

{foster this}

my second-to-last night in nyc was spent seeing one of my favorite bands with some of my favorite people in central park.  the atl crew is still going strong - and continuing to grow!  sarah and her husband, peter (both fellow pwc'ers), just moved up from atl and we are SO HAPPY they're here!  

foster the people - central park - may 30, 2012

  

nikki, ashley, and i secured spots in the beer line before susan, matt, sarah, and peter met us.

 

in my opinion "warrant" is the best song on the album, and susan and i may have gotten a little excited when they played it.  do yourself a favor and have a listen: 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nt4Lujk9NE

the weather, company, and music just made this one of the most fun and perfect nights - though if you ask anybody, i think i've said that about every day lately.   

 we ended the night with a delicious meal (thanks, guys!) at mxco - where susan, ashley and i had one of our very first meals together after we all moved up to nyc.  

i will miss this crew so much this summer and cannot wait until our reunion in october!