Polepole...'slowly, slowly'

Polepole - pronounced "po-lay-po-lay"

It has been a few days since arriving here in Bulima, Tanzania. After a long two days of flying (including a not-so-friendly-to-the-stomach flight from Kenya in a tiny plane), it was a comfort to get to the Lion of Judah Academy where I’d be spending the next few weeks.

It is great to finally be able to report my safe arrival. I found out that the power company sometimes switches off the power to the village when people are using ‘too much.’ This makes using a computer even more complicated, but I am finally sitting in front of this beautiful piece of technology to ease my withdrawal of all things internet. [I won't mention the power outage that just temporary haulted my post or the fact that the internet goes so...polepole.]

Yesterday (Friday), I was able to take a look at the math curriculum that the school uses. It’s all in Swahili, which is extremely helpful but since they teach students in English from a very young age, they also have some textbooks that are in English that the students primarily use. I was able to talk with the teacher who has been responsible for teaching two of the three classes I will teach while I’m here to get an idea of what I should cover. I’ll be teaching math to Classes 3, 5 and 6 (roughly the same in American ‘grades’).

All that to say, I’m still a bit nervous about starting teaching here in such a new environment. I can already tell that it won’t be hard to maintain their attention, being a white person. They are intrigued. They call me ‘Madame’ and want to know where I come from. They stare at me until I smile and then they say ‘Good Morning’ or whatever time it is. As all children, they are extremely charming, even when they snap their fingers at me and say "Teacher!" to get my attention.

So…in regards to the title of this post. Polepole. This is how my luggage seems to be making it to Africa. SLOWLY, SLOWLY. It was exciting, almost thrilling to see the first four (out of six) bags come off the luggage rack when we reached Nairobi, Kenya as I chided myself a being even a little bit skeptical that they wouldn’t all make it. I learned quickly, however, that a little skepticism wasn’t uncalled for.

I arrived in Nairobi Tuesday, July 8 at 11:00 p.m. The baggage people said the next flight from Brussels (where my bag was) to Nairobi (where I won’t be until August) would be Friday, July 11. We told the baggage people we weren’t staying in Nairobi; they said they will try to get the bags to Mwanza, which is still a good drive from where we are now. We got a message from them on Thursday saying that the bags would ‘arrive’ on July 11. We think this means they’re in Nairobi now though we don’t really know because the baggage people, who work 8:00-5:00 every day, don’t really appreciate phone calls as they never seem to answer them.

Of the two missing bags, only one of them is mine. The other is a box of supplies for the school. The situation is somewhat comical to me, only having two pairs of socks, two shirts and a pair of jeans along with me in my carry-on. I’ve already made a list of everything I remember being in my bag and if I have to, I think I can claim it all with my travel insurance policy. But it would be more comforting to receive my bag and have all my own stuff.

I was really homesick the first night I was here and extremely tired. I slept for over 12 hours that night/morning and feel like I’m slowly having more energy and feeling accustomed to meal times and waking up here, etc. I have to get used to the many roosters crowing, the ‘guard’ dogs barking and wailing at each other and the little footsteps past my window at early morning hours.

On Geography

Inspite of my love for maps, I'm only really good at geography if I've experienced a place, and even then my ability to describe locations can be sketchy. I'm heading out to Tanzania in just over a week and in describing this country's location to people who ask, I can only remember a few things: it's in the eastern part, south of Kenya and the equator. To help out a little bit, I consulted this map. (It's one of the purple ones on the right, south of the 'horn' shape.)

For my travels, I'll be flying from Newark, NJ to Brussels, then to Nairobi, Kenya. I'll stay overnight there and leave in the morning for a short flight (in a little plane) to Mwanza, Tanzania, which is on the coast of Lake Victoria. From there, I think it's less than a 2 hour drive to the village where I'll be teaching. Here's another map that helps locate these places.

When I arrive in Bulima, I'll be working with The Lion of Judah Academy (http://www.lionofjudah.info/) to teach math and possibly some science. The school has many needs and I could find myself doing any number of things there to occupy my time, but I hope to be of help in the instruction of the children, working with various grades.

Stay tuned to this blog for updates from Tanzania!

what do you do when a heat wave comes?

you stay indoors and catch up on blogging.

i finally uploaded pictures from my camera...the urgency of seeing pictures of my neices when they visited last weekend was what drove me to do it. i miss them tons!

Here is the Jeffers family in full, riding the NYC transit: Katie (with Baby 3 in belly), Samantha, Andrew and Hannah (making friends from her stroller).

Hannah. She was hilarious riding the subway. She waved at everyone, made friends everywhere and made lots of funny faces like this one.

This is Samantha, now four and a half years old. When I said goodbye, we were both really sad. She said, "I'll always remember you" or something to that effect.

I guess saying goodbye is sort of like dying??

She's not afraid of posing. I think this picture is so GORGEOUS.

I really do wonder if there are any kids cuter than my neices! I probably won't think so until I have my own. There's something about them being related to you that makes them more precious than anyone else's kids...

heading back to l'abri

one more week until my 'mid-winter recess' and i cannot wait! i have planned my bus trip up to southborough, massachusetts and look forward to being in a quiet place, removed from the normal daily routines. i'm going to bring a couple books i've been meaning to read on my own since my last trip to l'abri and look forward to listening to lectures when i arrive there. i hope i meet some cool people to befriend like the last times i've been. i'm looking forward to being there for many reasons...and hopefully i'll have a minute to blog about it when i'm back. i know i should be heading south to some place warm and tropical, but north i go!

this is where i'm going...

latest news with me: i'm going back to tanzania to teach for about a month this summer. my school year will end, i will have about a week of preparations and relaxing, then it's off to africa i go. i'm really excited. i may get to see some of the students i tutored four years ago in order for them to get into theological college. they're graduating this summer and i think i'll be there for the ceremony, which makes me really happy.

good 'ol Alice

I don't remember ever reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as a kid. Before starting to read it this week, I didn't remember much about the story from seeing the movie, either. I was bored one day in my classroom, so I grabbed it off the shelf. It looked short enough to hold my interest for about the amount of time I thought I had to offer a book.

Anybody read this book lately?

My favorite character, I think, is the Queen of Hearts who is obsessed with decapitating people. I don't know why she's my favorite, but I find her the most endearing. Or perhaps it's that I love how everyone has become used to her yelling "Off with their heads!" that it's comical, instead of scary.

to celebrate my completion of grad school...

i left my last grad class ever early...to sing (and try to play guitar in below freezing temperatures) at a tree lighting ceremony at a local women's shelter. it was fun. 'feliz navidad' now has a new place in my heart.

this is me and christy after the production.

the James family enjoying hot cider!

out with the old and in with the new

my bed's warranty pamphlet said:
"The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your sleep."
based on my sleep last night, my quality of life will be drastically improving in the very near future.
so, watch out guys.

my old bed.

my beautiful new bed.

(it makes me smile just looking at it!)

"my" park

I spent a little time walking around Prospect Park last weekend.
It was so gorgeous and the Gingko trees were amazingly golden...I had to go.
And, of course, I have some pictures to show for it.

Camping in Taconic State Park (a while ago)

When I was in Yellowstone over the summer, I met an employee at the Old Faithful Lodge. When I mentioned I was from New York, he said, "Oh, you have one of the most beautiful states in the Union!" Needless to say, this man was much older than me. I haven't ever heard someone call the U.S. the "union." Nonetheless, I think he was right.

I chaperoned a three-day trip upstate to Taconic State Park with my 6th graders in mid-October. The weather was a little damp and chilly, but not too unbearable. The scenery made up for it by far. I had about 30 minutes to myself over the three days, but those 30 minutes were filled with wide-eyed enjoyment of the colorful scenery and the peaceful woods.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I shared the holiday with friends in Ditmas Park yesterday. We had a feast including turkey, two types of stuffing, green bean casserole, biscuits, sweet potato souffle, baked vegetables, acorn squash and more that I am probably not remembering. I topped all that off with (my) homemade pumpkin pie and a cup of tea along with a game of 'Scene It?'. It was really nice. I wish I had taken more pictures, but here are just a few...

Some of the people just hanging out after dinner.

Kathy and me (and the back of Asher's head).

This is Asher, Kathy's youngest.

Australia or BUST!

I just finished reading this book and the descriptions of Australia have completely intrigued me. I have been talking of saving money for a trip this coming summer. I have a couple friends I could visit, but I have this desire to spend months on end discovering all that this country has to offer. I heartily recommend this book, not just for travelers, but for people who love random facts like I have discovered I do (at least about this far-off country). It's a fast read and also thoroughly enjoyable. (Enjoy it Kathy!)

some pictures from visiting family in florida

this is Hannah. almost 1 year old. she has such gorgeous eyes and dimples.

4 year old princess samantha. she loves dressing up these days.

me and my silly sisters. fun times.

(picture courtesy of brother-in-law andrew)

a first for everything

This is my friend Dawn. She's great. She is leaving Brooklyn in December for the 'greener' pastures of Columbus, Ohio.

She's moving to be near her family and her new neice/nephew, for which I envy her, but she's the first good friend I've had here who is moving away. I wonder if this is a trend that I will have to get used to if I continue living here.

I will be very, very sad to say goodbye to Dawn but will find comfort knowing that the same God who brought her friendship to me will go with her to Ohio and sustain her there and also be with me as I miss her here.

pictures to come

I was in Florida last weekend to visit my (now) 4 year old neice, Samantha. We celebrated her birthday a couple times and it was so much fun seeing her, along with her 11 month old little sister Hannah.

What broke my heart, though, was leaving Samantha. She screamed, she cried, she bit her stuffed animal...she was really upset. I was a wreck for a while afterward, even after talking to her on the phone about 30 minutes after leaving her and hearing her definitely not crying anymore.

She's growing up. She's bonding more with me, with people. She's realizing that saying 'goodbye' means that it will be a while before she sees me again. She's experiencing actual sadness instead of just being fussy. It hurts me to know that she'll have to grow up to understand pain. I wish I could shield her from it.

unreasonable expectations

I am stressed by my school and I'm only blogging for the therapeutic advantage of it.

Today, I am asked if I have my emergency lesson plans stocked up in case of any future 'unplanned' absences. I say, "No." I am asked, "Do you know what they are going to be?" which basically means, "You should have them done by now...why haven't you spent all waking hours making sure these stupid lesson plans are done?"

Probably because I spend all my waking hours doing my freaking job. Based on my schedule (and the schedules of all other teachers at our school), it seems like we must appear like super-heroes who can accomplish all preparation that a teacher needs to accomplish in one 40 minute period, which you sometimes have and sometimes don't. I have no 'prep' periods two days of my week. When I do have a prep (like today), I'm assigned to cover a group of students during my prep instead. At least I got two lesson plans done while I did that, but still.

I read once somewhere that as a teacher, I shouldn't talk too much to my non-teacher friends about school and everything. The book said they would be bored and probably wouldn't care too much. I sometimes think they're wrong because I think my friends are nice. But, then again, I've never really asked them. They probably are all bored.

I know that being a teacher isn't a job you can always 'leave at work.' I know it comes home with me. I am FINE with it coming home with me, but I am not fine with home being the only place where I ever have any time to do work. Shouldn't schools allow teachers time within the school day to be more successful instead of putting useless things into their schedules?

If you read this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you respond...well, then that means that book I once read is entirely wrong.

i miss this

Sometimes I think that I was made to live somewhere like Tahiti.

a multiple choice quiz

I'm taking a poll. When you think about online dating, you think:

a) It is a last resort and I will only bring myself to do it when I've exhausted all other 'resources'.
b) It is the only way to meet people these days.
c) I think it's great.
d) I don't think about online dating.
e) It is scary.
f) None of the above. (Please explain.)

more love for my neices

This is gorgeous Hannah. I love her arm wrinkles. She's 8 months now.

This is me and Samantha. She's doing her "shy and mysterious" pose.

I know, I need to figure out how to rotate these pictures before posting them, but you (whoever you are) are lucky I am even blogging at this very moment.

In Yellowstone!

This was my favorite part of being in Yellowstone: stopping to play in the creek alongside the road, collecting pebbles and feeling the smooth rocks under my feet. Reminded me of many summers spent playing in creeks with my family on vacation.