Namibia?

Hey all!  I'm heading to Namibia for 2011.  If you're looking for my Namibia blog and got here by mistake, head on over to karenemcgee.blogspot.com .  Otherwise, enjoy reading about my trip to Tanzania in 2009 :)

YouTube Slideshow

The week after I returned to the US, I was asked by Rev. Pam Keckler at GCC to speak about my experiences in Africa at the high school seniors' breakfast on Baccalaureate Sunday. As part of my presentation, I spoke and showed a slideshow of the people I met in Africa. In this blog is the slideshow link on YouTube and the transcript of what I said. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB9KJcFXigo

My fascination with Africa began when I was in first grade at Henking Elementary School. That year, the whole school went on a trip to Kenya. We packed our construction paper suitcases in the library, went on a safari in the gym, and made African masks in the art room. We learned about elephants, lions, Maasai warriors, the Sahara desert, the Nile river, and more. The real Africa seemed so far away and unattainable, but intriguing nonetheless. I’ve always itched to go, but thought it was an impossible dream. This fire beneath me was rekindled when I got to college. Every summer, I knew more and more people who were travelling to various countries in Africa to do all kinds of volunteer work. I’ve had two friends do missions work in Malawi; three friends work with HIV/AIDS patients in Ghana; four friends partner with monks in Zambia; one friend currently in Sudan doing missions work for two years; several work at orphanages in Uganda; and others in Rwanda, Tunisia, Morocco, South Africa, and Kenya. It was unbelievable to have friends go to these far off places, but it caused me to start thinking about Africa again.

At the beginning of this year, as I began to think about the upcoming summer, I dreamed of spending the whole time saving the Third World and travelling abroad. As summer approached, I found that jobs and family vacations quickly filled my schedule, but I still had the month of May free. I had spent a lot of time over the past year searching for missions opportunities online and began to revisit some of them. With one organization, Cross-Cultural Solutions, I could go some place for as long as I would like and would have a “family” of sorts while I was there. I was faced with a decision – do I get up and go or stay in my comfort zone at home? It would be easy to stay home; it was something I was familiar with and knew I liked. I found myself praying every night, asking God what I should do – “should I go or should I stay? Please give me a sign.” One afternoon, I was driving around Nashville listening to Sara Groves with the windows down. Her song, “When the Saints,” came on. It’s a song about wanting to make a difference in this life so that in Heaven, she may be among the Saints. In its bridge, she sings, “I see the man of sorrow and his long troubled road; I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load.” And then it hit me. For all the sorrow, problems, and stressors I bear in my life, my load is so easy compared to much of the world. I knew at once that there was absolutely no reason that I shouldn’t go to Africa. All of a sudden, every excuse I had for not going – the cost, not knowing what lay ahead, being outside of my comfort zone – seemed so small. That night, I registered to go to Tanzania for three weeks with CCS.

Forty hours of travel and four continents later, twelve of us arrived in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Bagamoyo is a small fishing town situated on the east coast of Africa. Our home-base was located right in the center of it, surrounded by huts, small stores, and schools. Whenever we walked outside, children would yell “mzungu” at us which means “white person.” One of the staff members with CCS explained to me that the white people they encounter are often there to volunteer, so they see us as having such big hearts. They call us “mzungu” as a term of endearment. After a week or so, we all mastered several key Swahili phrases, which helped in walking around town. When you pass people on the street or stop to say hi to someone, you exchange several greetings with each other before moving on to other topics – Mambo! Poa! Hamjambo! Sijambo! Habari za asubuhi? Nzuri! Karibu! Asante! One afternoon, a group of us walked down the street to a primary school soccer game. Another volunteer and I befriended some kids hanging out near the school, and we giggled while playing the “hokey pokey” and other games. One of the little girls named Rukia was trying to tell us something in Swahili and through our limited knowledge of the language and the use of our phrasebooks, we realized she was inviting us back to her home. In Tanzania, it is completely acceptable to approach strangers and welcome them into your home. So, we went with Rukia and met her mother, father, brothers, and sisters. They welcomed us into their two-room home as if we were family. The warmth and hospitality of Bagamoyo was instantly comforting and so unexpected.

While there, I volunteered at the Kaole Primary School in a village 5 kilometers away. I was partnered with an inspiring woman named Diase Timothy who taught 5- and 6- year olds in the pre-class. During my three weeks with them, I taught English road signs and the spelling of numbers, addition and subtraction, how to draw flowers and people, and how to play many American kids’ games. The kids taught me about affection, spunk, hope, enthusiasm, and patience. Each day, the kids would have a break around 10 for uji, a porridge made from cornmeal that is a staple of the Tanzanian diet. For some kids, this is their only meal of the day. The kids shared what little they had and brought me a cup of uji every day; they were so excited to see teacher eat with them. During their outdoor breaks, kids would often wander in the classroom and start pointing at pictures on the wall and practicing their English words, or would draw numbers and letters in the sand and giggle as they showed off what they knew. In Tanzania, primary education is compulsory but many families cannot afford it and there is a shortage of schools. Kids value the opportunity to go to school so greatly and are so eager to learn when they get there. One of my friends who taught at Mwanamakuka Primary School invited his students to come in on Saturday morning and learn about America music. To our great surprise when we showed up on Saturday at 9am, his entire class was waiting outside ready to learn.

Tanzania is an evolving story. It’s largely a story about how abundantly God provides. For me, God provided every need I had. It was crazy to decide to go to Africa only a month before departing and try to get visas, residence permits, flights, and packing lists in order, but God provided. God also provided a great organization for me to go through, one which supplied shelter, food, security, and friendship while I was there. For the Tanzanians, God provides exactly what they need, and blesses them with abundant love and joy. And they know it. So often I complain about the tangible things I don’t have – better grades, tastier food, newer clothes. In Tanzania, they certainly do appreciate the food they eat, the roof they sleep under, and the clothes they wear; but they thank God every day for the small joys, the health of their family members, the kindness of neighbors, and the coolness of rain. They praise God for who He is and how perfectly He blesses them.

I could have easily missed this opportunity to volunteer in Africa. It would have been very easy to have a narrow vision of my life and solely focus on college and my future career. Instead, I allowed myself to be mesmerized by friends’ stories, take opportunities to volunteer through my school, get involved in the community, and dream as big as I could. It is so important to take the chances you are given in college and to always have your eyes open to opportunities ahead. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone when you know that through it, God will help you grow as a person. He will constantly protect you wherever you go and whatever you do, as long as you continue to seek Him.

Congratulations, class of 2009!

876 Photos to 370

For those of you making bets on how many pictures I'd take, the magic number was 876 - a full memory card. However, I thankfully only took 370 really great ones, and those are the ones I've decided to post.

Coming back to America has been difficult. Don't get me wrong, I really love being home with my family, and Jodie is visiting me right now which is great! But it's hard not to long for Africa every minute. I'm filled with so many crazy dreams about my future but know that I need to be here at home for the rest of this summer. I'm trying to rest in the peace of knowing God has a plan for my time right now and not become too restless in wanting to get up and go.

In between eating as much ice cream as possible and spending quality time with Jodie, I've been fighting the technological monster and trying to post pictures! I have finally uploaded them all onto Facebook. Thankfully, for those of you who do not have Facebook, I can post public links so you can see them but not have to deal with any Facebook-isms and don't need a Facebook account to view them. The links to my two albums are:
Africa #1
Africa #2

Please let me know if these don't work for anyone! I can easily upload them onto Picasa if needed. Thank you again for all of your prayers and support! Can't wait to share stories with you in person soon!

Karibu Tena

It's been such a joyful and sad week. If I had any say in it, I would stay here for the rest of summer without a doubt, but God has other plans for me back home this summer, which I'm trying to understand.

School has been so great every day this week. The kids are actually learning and remembering what I teach them, which is so gratifying as a teacher. They know all their road signs (who knew!) and have been doing a great job at spelling numbers in English. They also are able to do both addition and subtraction problems when I write them on the board side-by-side, something they could not do when I arrived. Although these are all things they would have learned eventually whether I was there or not, I like to think I had some hand in their education.

Today was my last day at Kaole and it was bittersweet. My teacher brought chapati for me that she'd made fresh that morning; it was the best chapati I'd ever had - flakey and doughy...mmm. Then, the principal asked me to come to the teacher's office. When I got there, all the teachers were sitting around the room and they went around and each person said something encouraging, expressed their thanks, or offered their blessings. My teacher went last and when she started to tear up, I lost it. I seriously could not have been blessed with a better placement or teacher. She has taught me so much and has truly shown me the hospitality and love of Tanzania. When I left at the end of the day, the students sang a goodbye song to me and then said, "kesho!," which means "tomorrow." I don't think they understand what goodbye actually means. They will probably forget me by the end of the year, but I hope they do not forget the lessons they've learned and the kindness they've felt...I know I will never forget them.

At risk of continuing to sound like a cheese-ball, I won't even begin to talk about how much I'll miss Bagamoyo and CCS yet. All I will say is that goodbyes tomorrow will be HARD. I do not want to leave. But I am trying to accept that my time here has ended, get excited for the little things back home, and remember that I'm not saying "goodbye" but "baadaye" - see you later, Bagamoyo.

Lions and Elephants and Giraffess...Oh My!

Our safari was AWESOME. It has really shown me how limited my vocabulary is, because everything I have to say about it is great, incredible, amazing, fantastic, wonderful (I'm starting to sound like Jodie...).

But it really was great. Our safari guide was named Ali Bilali (very akin to Amelia Bedelia) and he was great. His claim to fame is that he took former president George Bush on a safari when he visited Tanzania, so I told him I'd let Obama know that he should choose Bill (as we affectionately call him) when he comes to Tanzania. Everyone thinks I'm BFF's with Obama because I'm from Chicago.

I could tell you so many anecdotes about animals, but I'll try to keep this post shorter and will tell y'all stories when I'm back home. We saw a male lion, giraffes, elephants, wildebeasts, impalas, elands, crocodiles, hippos, cranes, zebras, buffalos, and so many beautiful and colorful birds. I have been impressed by God before, but I had no idea how incredibly awesome all of these new creations would be. The sunsets, sunrises, and stars were awe-inspiring...for real. I cannot even begin to describe it, so you'll just have to come to Africa and see for yourself.

I know you all are itching to see pictures of elephants next to our car, lions lazing in the grass, giraffes running, and zebra butts, but unfortunately the man who runs this internet cafe got very upset because when you upload pictures it uses a wider bandwidth. Jacky and the rest of us had no idea, but we're all trying to refrain from uploading so the internet cafe doesn't have to be shut down. For those of you making bets on how many pictures I've taken, I'll let you know that my memory card is almost entirely used up, so get excited to see all the photos on Facebook sometime next week.

In other news, school was much better today. The kids and the school really are great and I appreciate the challenges I faced last week because I feel like I have a much better perception of what goes into being a teacher in Tanzania. I'm already feeling really sad about having to leave these kids in a few days. Actually, let's not talk about that...if it weren't for graduations, Disney World, and camp, I wouldn't leave until the end of summer - without a doubt.

We found out from Mama Thea today that Mama Christine, our Home-Base Manager, was in a terrible car accident on her way home to Dar over the weekend. She was riding in a bidagi (spelling? small three-wheeled cars that are rented like taxis) and a car hit them and sent her flying. She broke her femur in several places and was left lying on the side of the road for a half an hour before anyone helped her. The car that hit them drove off immediately and the driver of the bidagi ran from the scene. Unfortunately, most people do not stop on the side of the road at night to check out situations and 911 really does not respond to situations often. A man finally did pick her up and take her to the hospital, thanks be to God, because if he hadn't she almost certainly would have bled out on the side of the road. One of the bizarre things about accidents though is that you HAVE to have a PF3 (form from the police station) before the hospital will even see you - no matter how bad your injury. Not a good system in any of our opinions. She made it to the hospital in time, though, and despite the hospital environment being very noisy and crowded, she is in good hands. She had surgery on Saturday to put pins in her leg but is still in terrible pain and will have to stay in the hospital for no less than a month. There is so much to be grateful for in this situation - that her head was not injured, that that man stopped to help her, that she is even alive today - but this is incredibly hard news for CCS. Mama Christine takes care of so much here at CCS; plus, there are approximately 33 new volunteers arriving this Saturday for the summer program. It is a very busy time of year here and without Mama Christine, there are a lot of new responsibilities for others in the program to take on. Please pray most importantly that Mama Christine's pain lessens soon and that she recovers well and quickly, but also pray that CCS finds a way to adjust to these changes in the coming months. Please also pray for her family, friends, and all the volunteers here who are all very shaken by this news.

Hopefully I'll post once more before the end of the week. Love from Baga!

PS
Kiely - I cannot WAIT for chapati in the fall with you!!!!!! It is seriously my favorite food here. We've had it two nights in a row just because I love it so much. Can we please eat it all the time back at Vandy? We should have an African food night at least once a week. Can't wait to talk with you when I get back!

Watakula? Hawatakula? Napenda Africa!

Mambo!

Jacky is playing Celine Dion in the internet cafe right now, just in case you were wondering.

What a week it has been. Africa has been teaching me so much more than I could have anticipated. One of the hardest challenges this week was in the classroom. My teacher was not at school on Wednesday or Thursday because she was elected to proctor exams in the Standard 7 classes at Mbaruku, one of the primary schools in Bagamoyo. However, I didn't not find out about her absence until I arrived at school on Wednesday. I had lessons prepared for English and Math, but she had not left me with any plan for Swahili lessons or a schedule for the day. It was a "fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" type of day, for sure. Unfortunately, I was in a lose lose situation: I didn't have enough planned for the day and the kids did not want to listen to me. I left at the end of the day so disappointed in myself for not being able to effectively use my time or engage the kids. It was definitely a huge let-down and something I did not expect, since I thought I had been trained well to be able to lead a class.

My teacher wasn't there today, either, but thankfully I knew ahead of time and could prepare better. However, the kids behaved worse today and would not listen to me. The difficult part of the situation is that they really only respond to getting hit, whether by hand or by stick, which I will not do. One of the kids even came up to me and motioned for me to hit a kid who was not listening. It's such a hard situation because yelling (in Swahili or in English) does not work, giving time-outs do not work, telling them to be silent or else does not work, taking away fun things does not work. The only time they did listen and pay attention was when another teacher would stop in the room because they know the other teachers may hit them if they do not listen. The students in my class are smart and motivated, but they don't respond well to basic discipline. It was very difficult to be patient and not get frustrated with them. However, we ended on a good note and they seemed very attentive and excited to draw faces and people at the end of the day.

I thought it would be a lot easier to lead the class by myself this week because it had been going so well thusfar. However, the language barrier for kids at this age is so great that it makes it nearly impossible for me to effectively explain new concepts. Knowing only three or so key phrases for keeping the peace in the classroom is difficult, too, because they get tired of hearing "acha kelele" and "kaa chini" every two minutes. I am greatly looking forward to being back with my teacher on Monday!

Speaking of the end of the week, I'm very excited for this upcoming weekend because we're going on a safari! The six of us (Emily, Melica, Jiyoung, Jill, Kara, and me) are leaving at 8am tomorrow for Mikumi National Park. We've been told we'll see a lot of elephants, zebras, giraffes, impalas, baboons, warthogs, wildebeasts, and maybe even a lion. I am SO excited and can't wait to share pictures when I get back!

Africa truly still is great, despite the challenges it may present. Please do not be dismayed by this post!

PS -
Shoutout to all Chacos owners: I officially have my first Chacos tan. Could not love these sandals more.
Jenny: I hope Honors and Awards is fun tomorrow and I can't wait to see all your band awards - congrats!
Dad: will let you know how cool the stars are out in the bush this weekend. Orion is still tilted on his head. And I know I didn't bring back any monkeys from Jozani, but I might have to bring back an elephant from Mikumi...do you think that'd fit on the plane?
Kiely: thank you so much for all your encouraging comments! I can't wait to come back and share stories and pictures with you! Still waiting to see Tuma and give him your letter, but I'll make sure he gets it before I leave.

From Tanz to Zanz

Al-Johari Hotel - Emily, Tessa, and Melica in our room


ADPis in Zanz!


Colobus monkey just saying hi to my shoe

The Zanz group in our lounge overlooking the ocean

Neighborhood kids in Baga - they asked me to "piga picha" and then wanted to make funny faces. I couldn't resist :)

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Zanzibar was an adventure, to say the least. We stayed at the Al-Johari hotel in the middle of Stone Town and were actually the only people staying there, so the staff was very accomodating and catered to our needs. The hotel was very nice - it had an antique feeling to it, but is new within the last year or so. There was a restaurant/bar/lounge area on the top floor that looked out over a few buildings and ocean surrounding the whole area - it was a breathtaking view! The island itself was so neat and different from anywhere I've been before. It is 99% Muslim and the architecture was very Arabic - it was like being in a cross of Africa and the Middle East.

Stone Town itself was a bit overwhelming. Because it's a very touristy area, the locals are quite assertive, pushy, and not very polite. We became very good at saying "hapana" and "acha" while we were there! We met a few friends on the ferry ride from Dar to Stone Town, too, one of whom was a Maasai Warrior. He was very cool and fun to get to know (and who else can say they have a friend who has personally killed two lions with spears just to protect his cows?).

Unfortunately while we were there, Jill got pretty sick and spent a lot of time recovering from a stomach bug. But God is good (as Mama C said He would be) and she was feeling much better by Sunday, so we got to stay on the island (and avoid hospitals) and explore a bit. She found a great place about a 30 minute drive away from Stone Town called Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park in her guide book. For only 10,000 TSH, we got our own personal guide and were able to hike around the forest in the park. The highlight of our visit was being surrounded by young colobus monkeys playing in the trees. They literally were surrounding us and would even brush against our feet as they ran across the path - so cool! I have fulfilled my life dream to have a monkey now.

And just to prove what a small world it really is, our group was out at this wonderful Italian/African restaurant called La Fenice, which is right on the beach in Stone Town, on Saturday night when a girl came up to me and said, "Karen?" Guess who was there?? Rachel, Emily, and Leah - three of my ADPi sisters who are also volunteering in Zanzibar this month! Despite failed text messages and bad connections, we were still able to see each other which was so great! It was fun to see some friendly faces halfway around the world.

The best part of our Zanzibar trip was realizing how much we missed "home," as in Bagamoyo. All of us couldn't wait to get home Sunday night to peaceful, friendly Bagamoyo with the staff at the home base. We really did miss it (and we missed all the free water).

Not much has happened since our Zanzibar trip, except for catching up on sleep and preparing for a week of school. I had the best morning at school this morning, though. It was a pretty usual day, but I decided to walk home after school. My school is about 5km from Bagamoyo and I usually get picked up by the CCS van every day. However, I decided to walk home today because the road to the Kaole School is beautiful (high up overlooking the ocean) and I knew I would appreciate the exercise. Walking home also meant that I got to stay a half-hour longer at school, which meant finishing out the kids' school day and getting to call roll at the end of the day. I'm starting to remember several kids' names which is great! When I left school, one of the girls looked at me questioningly wondering where the van was, but once the kids realized I was walking home, a huge group came running up to me and grabbed my hands and arms to walk with me. I love the kids here - they all have such big hearts and just want to be loved. The walk home went well, was long (about an hour), and was super sweaty. This afternoon, we had "family swim day" at the Millenium Hotel, which is a resort here in Bagamoyo. It was fun to teach the staff how to swim, play games with them, and then see the beach - I have to say I think it was even more beautiful than the beaches we saw in Zanzibar!

Thank you for all your prayers and encouraging comments. It comforts me so much to know I have people thinking of me halfway around the world and taking part in my stories and adventures. Tutaonana!