I am now officially a volunteer

Swore in—I am now officially a Peace Corps volunteer

18 Septemba 2019 Jumatato (Wednesday)    A big day. The deputy minister from the Department of Education came from Dodoma to our training center in the Tanga Region. The auditorium was decorated beautifully with the colors of the American and Tanzanian flags. We practiced singing the national anthems of both countries, and a song routine for performance. I played the bongo drum, no singing and dancing for me.

One part of the ceremony was cutting a cake and feeding the VIPs. The youngest and the oldest trainees were chosen to do this honor. The ritual is to first feed the cake to the cutters, and to cutters’ host parents, and then the VIPs. All very symbolic. My cohorts told me that when baba William came up front and hugged me, it was moving.

The 5 families hosting us 5 of the Mashindei unit all wore the same patterned clothes, the black background with yellow flowers. The day before, while the trainees were rehearing the swearing in events, the assistant director of Peace Corps Tanzania brought me a tangawizi soda (ginger beer), my favorite. Coca Cola did right with that product.

After lunch, the trainees presented the host families with the picture we took of the family. What I did not expect was another round of gifts from the host families to us trainees. I got a flower lei, and a wooden heart-shape plaque carved with my name, and the date of my becoming a volunteer, and the word Hongera (congratulation). Dada (sister) Lucy baked another cake for me. We shared it among our Mashindei families. 

The stage of auditorium where the swear in event
was held was decorated with American
and Tanzanian flag colors

The youngest, Sydney B, and I were selected
to cut the cake to ceremonially serve VIPs

The trainees were expected to perform. We
50 trainees did song and dance numbers,
with music from popular songs,
with our own composed lyrics.
I was in the percussion section,
and got the play the bongo on the right.
I ain't doing the dancing and learning 5 songs
just to perform in 4 short rehearsal days.

Host family baba and dada (sister)
showering me with parting gifts

The Mashindei unit 5 for our farewell picture:
left to right-Sydney E, language teacher Hamisi, Alice, Diego,
Mollie, Anika. We are scattered to four corners
of Tanzania from this day forth for 2 years of service

Another baked cake on swear
in day, from dada

Kwa Heri Host Family

15 Septemba 2019 Jumapili (Sunday)               Last evening was the last night I was staying in the mountain with the host family. For dinner, my sister Lucy baked me a caki (cake), and had soda at the dining table. The soda bottles looked like candles to me, which made dinner very special. Mama Rose gave me a beautiful kanga as a parting gift. Baba William already gave me a lovely black skirt with yellow flowers. He had a fundi (tailor) came to the nyumba (house) to take measurements for the whole family, shirts for the men, skirts for the women. Then the parents also packed me some ginger and cinnamon powder for spiced tea, and some ginger roots. I was so touched.

Normally dinner is very simple, cucumbers are eaten as fruits, same as banana, oranges, and mangoes. Lately, the mango season is over, so sad. We trainees all love mangoes.

This morning, the Peace Corps car picked us up, and we all said goodbye (kwa heri) to our host families. We will stay at gesti (guest houses) for 4 days and then be dispersed to our teaching sites.

First week of September 2019        I eat lots of fruits, drink plenty of spiced tea. I also experienced drinking fresh cow’s milk, shucking corn, which landed a knife wound into my left hand, at the base of the thumb. A few weeks back, I cut myself shredding coconut on a special contraption. City folks (i.e., moi) don’t know how to do anything - too soft…

It’s hard work after spending 7-8 hours at the training center, because the trainees have to participate in household activities, meaning doing chores. This cuts into my language study time. By the time the family eats dinner, it is nine-ish or later in the evening. I do some work, but usually fall asleep.

Lakini (but), I have become the queen of cooking mchicha, African spinach, in the host family!

Mchicha (spinach) plot on
host family's farm

African spinach with tomato, onions-
I cooked this, with the ladle as stirrer,
cooking pot, and serving pot,
with only salt for seasoning!

Passion fruit vine climbing along a banana tree

For recreation, Peace Corps had intercultural event #2. I read some short poems, and poem of a string of haiku, of which the last stanza was written in Kiswahili. Mama Rehema Kuptama, the Peace Corps premier Kiswahili language program trainer, clapped her hands. That was such a compliment.

Incidentally, the haiku I wrote landed me the first prize for the previous week’s competition event, The prize was a refrigerated Snickers bar. Let me tell you that a Snickers bar never tasted so good before. It was the first one after lading in Tanzania, nice and cold.