Category Archives: Uncategorized
Uji
By District Mandate all the Secondary Schools in Ngara district must now provide uji (a thin, slightly sweet corn porridge) to students during “tea break” in the late morning. Most students do not eat all day, so this mandate was … Continue reading
Teaching High School
In Tanzania it’s easy to forget that you are teaching the equivalent of High School students. While I haven’t spent much time around teenagers in High School since I was a teenager in High School, I have clear recollections about … Continue reading
Illness
I have been lucky enough in Tanzania – so far (knock on wood!) to avoid any serious illness or injury. A few scrapes, and a couple of the most minor colds I have ever had totaled the extent of me … Continue reading
Learning and Teaching Language
I have never felt that talented when it comes to learning language. I took Spanish in Middle School, and then in High School for a year and a half, before I switched to Latin which I took for two years. … Continue reading
Reflections on my first semester and some thoughts for prospective volunteers
As my second semester of teaching begins, I thought I would take a few minutes to reflect on teaching and my life in Tanzania over the course of the first semester, specifically with an eye for people who are considering … Continue reading
Being a tourist
After spending three months in Ngara, a place I now think of as home, it was odd to again feel like a tourist. Of course, I not only felt like a tourist, but in every sense of the word was … Continue reading
The Rwandan Genocide Memorial
While I made a short visit to Rwanda last semester, it was so short that we didn’t have the time to do anything “cultural.” My latest visit was a little longer, and as a result I had the time to … Continue reading
Lines
In most circumstances Tanzanians refuse to form proper lines (or queues if you want to be British about it) , Americans form lines at just about every opportunity, and in some rare circumstances Tanzanians are induced into making lines, but … Continue reading
Personal Space
One of the things you quickly realize in Tanzania is that Tanzanians have a different idea of personal space than Americans. Nowhere is this more readily apparent than on public transportation. Americans in major metropolitan areas crowd onto public transportation … Continue reading
Records
As an American who grew up in the middle of the development and spread of technology, I cannot remember a time in America when records were not digitalized. While I have lived through a time that has seen many things … Continue reading