Just over a week left in Rau
We are heading into our final days at CCS Rau. Life outside of here is going to be very different. Having a bed and every meal provided for us has been a real treat after travelling for so long. We are in planning mode once again for our next steps and we are in the middle of figuring out how to get to Cape Town from here. So far we know that we are flying to Dar Es Salaam on Sunday Sept 2, then on to Johannesburg the same day. We will have an overnight there and head to Cape Town on the 3rd of Spetember. Not sure yet if it will be by rail or flying. Cheapest option remains to be seen, so we will keep you posted. We are both looking forward to getting back on the road, but it will be hard to leave the friends that we have made here. Saying goodbye to the kids and women at Kilimehewa will be hard. Gladly I don’t have to do that yet.
We got our new passports, which is a big relief. They are so freaking thick that our money belts are going to be a lot more uncomfortable to wear. I am already not a fan of the money belt, but I guess it serves its purpose. There is no chance of running out of pages with our new passports, so getting visa stamps will again be a thrilling experience!
I had a nice long chat this morning with Morag, who waited up til 12:15 a.m. on a work night to call me here in Tanzania at 7:15 a.m. It was nice to hear the news from home and chat with my pal. Sometimes I feel so far away from everyone all the way over here in Africa or wherever.
Placement this morning went well, the seemingly endless pronoun reviews seem to be paying off with the beginners, and the advanced kids seem to be having fun reasoning things out in English. Our topic today “Why are there so many vehicle accidents in Tanzania?”. I have decided that if I ever was to pursue a career in teaching, it would have to be with older kids. They are so much more interesting, and it is fun to see the ideas that they come up with. Interesting to hear the things that these kids come up with. Culturally, economically, etc they are so different from kids at home. When asked what they would do with a pile of money, all but one said that they would pay for their own education and the education of their families. The other one had an itemized account of the food she would buy in addition to paying for education and books. When asked what is most important to them, “getting a good education so I can have a better life” was the answer. Today a group of kids asked me to check over their grammar practice that they had done yesterday after school. Another question was “what is your favorite holiday and why?”. One boy who lives alone (he is 17) said that his favorite holiday is “every Sunday, because it is time to pray and spend time with God”, a girl said “Christmas because we celebrate Jesus’ birthday”. Me, cynic that I am, expected that one would get snickers from the class… nope… many of them had the same or similar answer. So kids are crazy serious about school, have strong belief systems, and don’t have a shred of materialism. They don’t have the opportunity that other kids have, to sit in front of the tv and get steeped in media. The stuff that matters seems to be the stuff that matters. That being said, some of the girls met Chris at our conversation class earlier this week, and since they learned that he is my “mchumbwa” or fiancee, they giggle every time they see me. Today after class one of the girls told me to say hello to Christopher, and ran away giggling, back to the group of girls who were all in stitches. Teenagers. Strage thing is that some of them will likely be married in a year or two. People get married a lot earlier here. They all find it fascinating that I am 34 and have no babies. It just doesn’t compute here.
Anyhow, that is all I have for now. Must get ready for tutoring the ladies this afternoon.
I hope that all is well at home. I miss everyone and hope to hear from you soon!
xoxo
Paula
August 23 2007 11:05 am | Tanzania
August 24th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Lovely update Paula, Well its been six worry free weeks for us.Happy to hear you had a nice chat with Morag bet she would love to be going with you to Johannesburg. Enjoy the next part of your journey.
Love you
August 24th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
Six weeks went by fast . Good you made freinds. You will have great memories to tell your own kids some day.Just keep us up to date of your trip .I really enjoy each and every entry. love you dad xxxx