Jambo!

Hello, good morning! Jambo!
We finished our conference and it went so well! Everyone wanted it to go for 5 days not just two! They were very willing to try things and have some fun. It was great!

Today we are going to the Maasae village. I am not sure what to expect, but Iknow they are going to show us basket weaving and a dance. We are going to eat there traditional food, which is like beans and rice, so it's not too bad, at least you can always eat rice! We have our big farewell dinner tomorrow night and on Tuesday morning we are going on Safari! I think I am going to go with the other group that is staying for the first week, so going to Zanzibar and down the west coast! So hopefully it will be fun! after that I am not sure exactly what I will be doing though! Have a great day, I heard the weather is supposed to be wonderful!
Love to all!

Day one down of conference!

Hello all!
today was our first day of our conference. I was a little nervous just because their schools oporate much differenty than our, but it went very well. They all had fun and participated. Which I was worried about. I didn't know if Tanzanians would thing playing could still be learning.They would have some challenges though because their classes are so massive! They are at least in the 40's some into the 50's and 100's! It's is crazy to think og teaching that many kids at once! And little kids too!

Yesterday we some of us went on a hike with Mark Hillman. We climbed part of mt. Meru which is the second highest peak in Tanzania. The went to a huge 200 ft. waterfall which is the water source for Arusha, the town we are staying in. Mark thought it would be about 4-5 hours, but it was about 8 hours! It was great, we went through all these little villages, we sang songs with some little 11-12 year old girls, but then they asked for money. They thought we should pay them for teaching them a song and showing them how to do cartwheels! You would take apicture of the little kids and show them it, and they would run away because many of them have never seen themself before! it was amazing and beautiful to see the way people still live. We also walked by the shell of a lutheran church, no windows or doors yet, and the furniture was wooden planks, but they were having choir practice and it was beautiful! They were singing with out any music, piano, or instruments, but all we could do is stand there an listen! It was awe inspiring! We also had alittle old lady chase us with a stick saying we needed to pay to go through her village. She was shaking her stick at use and I am pretty sure she was cursing at us in Swahili. It was funny though. these kids would also run around chopping grass and brush on the paths, so 7 or 8 year olds were running around with mashetes. I didn't spell that right, but the big long knives.) The women here have amazing balance. They can walk, even run with big bundles on there head. I should start doing that, I think it would help my posture! All the little kids would practice the English they knew on us, so they would keep saying how are you? or Good Morning, when itwas 5 in the evening! It was very cute though. Sorry that was random thoughts, but it was been great!

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th! I don't know if I will get on here much in the next week because we are busy!!! But Megan have a super birthday! Much love to all!

What the story is for today!

Today was a great day! The group that met with Theo yesterday went on student verification visits today and those of us that did that yesterday met with Theo today. We also went to a school, what a stark contrast compared to the school we came from. The walls are bare, there is no colors, no maps, no computers, no internet, no books (text books or reading books) and lots of kids. I was in a class 4. They were learning about maps, but without a map in the classroom. There were forty kids, the teacher really did have a great relationship with his students, but there is just so many of them. The school was run by Mama Tesha as Taryn had said yesterday, I am guessing she gave background information about the school, so I am not going to do that again.

We also discussed with Theo (the head mistress at PHF) the downfalls of Tanzanian education. The huge positive though is there are teachers who are hungry to learn, so hopefully we will be able to give them things they can take back with them, and if not implement them, at least start thinking about different ways to teacher their students. They mainly use lectures now, the teacher talks and the students copy! It was interesting though because as much as we talked about areas of improvement they can make, it also made us much more aware of our shortcomings in the US in education! So much for us to learn from each other! I am excited to see what the rest of this experience has in store for us!

That part was copied from the blog at www.phfteachers.blogspot.com you should check that out some people can tell you what has been going on much more eliquently than I can.

But I did forget to put in that we went to rugby game tonight. It was a great night and Tanzania won! We alos played some frisbee with some little kids that were there. Not many of us knew muchabout rugby, but Mark plays rugby here so he was filling us in. I decided that was a sport I really didn't need to try, it looked painful. I am feeling better but still not great, but what you would expect when you are traveling here! Have a super day!

What we have been doing!

Yesterday was an interesting day. PHR has to go out and find all the students that they are accepting into the school to make sure theyhave not lied on their entrance. sounds easy enough, but these kids often do not have a "home" or family. So they drive out to the location they are supposed to be at and start asking if anyone knows where they can find that child. If someone says they know them, the person will get in the car and lead us to the location they know of, then you get out and ask again, they may say they have moved or are out doing something right now. So you go track them down. After you find them you have them take you back to where they live and they talk with the family, relatives, neighbors, anyone who can help varify the story. Then if they are poor enough, and the story is true, they will get an exceptance letter there on the spot. So yesterday we go to ride only as they did this. Two of the teachers from the PHF where with us, they are local Tanzanians, so they speak both English and Swahili very well. We were out in a village, it was interesting and amazing to see where these people lived and what their life looked like. I think they were as interested in seeing us as we were in seeing them. TOday we are going to a school, and to a rubgy game tonight. I was not feeling too well last night, so hopefully it gets better today, nothing serious though! So don't worry mom! :-)

I made it!

Hello, I tried to post yesterday but it didn't go through, hopefully it will this time. We went out to the school sight today, it was quite interesting. It was much bigger than i had imagined. Tomorrow I am going with when they are varifying student statues which will be intereing, they will be out in the villages when not many white people have been before! Also my plans have changed a little for after the part with the Peace House. I am going to go with a couple of other people from here. I don't think I am going to climb Kilimanjaro, which I know some people will be happy about! But I think we are going to go chimpanzee tracking and to Zanzibar. It should be good! Hope all is well. I am going to bed, I have quite gotten myself switched to the new time!

Today is the day!

Well it's finally here. I am heading to the airport in a couple of hours and my journey begins! Thanks for all the support and well wishes I have recieved from family and friends. I am sure this will be a very memorable, rewarding trip! I know we will have some internet axcess as the hotel we are at, so hopefully I can have some updates at least for the first half, then after that it might get a little harder! See you in a month!

One week and counting!

Well it's getting to the end! Less than a week to go! I am getting a little nervous, but very excited! I have been trying to get all the last minute things done...shopping, organizing, cleaning, running a half marathon! Yup I am running Grandma's half marathon this weekend. It should be fun, hopefully not quite as hot as it has been this week. Mark is running the full. Megan, Matt, Kathy, and Jeff are going to be coming to cheer us on! So will my friend's Andrea and Matt. You can also check out the blog we are going to be keeping as a group of teachers at www.phfteachers.blogspot.com :-)

It's finished!

Well the school year has come to a close! The kids are done, but we are here until the end of the week! My trip is coming up very quickly, two weeks from tomorrow! I have so much going on between then and now that it does not seem like it could possibly be only 2 weeks! I am playing in a volleyball tournament this weekend, watching my niece and nephew for two days next week, I have Grandma's half marathon the next weekend, working at a volleyball camp, and then I leave! I hope everything is going well with you!