And Now More From Morogoro!

Another week in the books in Morogoro, Tanzania. Training is very stressful, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. It keeps me really busy 6 days a week. This past week, we started “microteaching” which involves picking a subject in our respective teaching subject and preparing a 10-15 minute lesson to present to our fellow trainees and trainers. The first day, I went straight for the kill, skipped way ahead in the curriculum, and decided to teach Evolution. It went very well, and what is even cooler is that I was presenting to the Peace Corps-Tanzania Country Director, as well as the other trainees in my group. She is very involved with the trainees and it is very cool to be able to interact with her on a personal level. She also has some really cool stories to tell about her Peace Corps days and years since. The second microteaching subject I taught was the scientific method, and third, movement in plants. I have also learned the importance of speaking very slowly and clearly, as the students I will eventually be teaching are very new to curriculum delivered in English. In fact, because primary school is taught in Swahili, the first 2 years of secondary school are essentially a review of the last couple years of primary school, just in English.

 We have had current PCVs visiting training and interacting with all of the trainees. It is very cool to hear their perspective on the first 1-2 years of their service, as well as any difficulties they may have had during their service. Also, they are presenting various topics; some teaching subject specific, and others on topics useful to all trainees. One in particular was over “Special English.” This involves how to address Tanzanian students in class, as I mentioned earlier. It is best to speak slowly, clearly, loudly, and with the fewest (and easiest) words possible to still get the important point across. I feel as if I am adjusting really well to this. In the states, there would be times where I would be talking and get off on a tangent or digress (as some of my friends, notably DUSTIN can attest to J), but now in teacher mode I am much more aware of what I am saying. I have to be. The students will have a hard enough time getting the information as it is. Especially with the jargon (or at least advanced vocabulary) that tends to sneak into the upper level biology curriculum here. I hope that I can master this skill and it will ultimately carry over to my future endeavors in the US. Especially if I will be doing any sort of teaching. I have also gained an appreciation for how difficult the English language really can be for beginners. In my attempt to learn the Swahili language, a language often touted as being easy to learn, I have had to try and learn the exceptions to different rules in the language. This is especially the case with irregular verbs and verb conjugation in different tenses. I often find myself asking WHY DO WE DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT HERE!? WHY CAN’T THIS VERB FOLLOW THE SAME PATTERN AS OTHERS!? My wise teacher has calmed me, though, and said (and I paraphrase) “JUST BECAUSE!” This is the case with any language.

I had the opportunity to watch a current PCV teach actual Tanzanian students Form 1 (1^st level of secondary school) English the other day. While I was observing, I really became aware of how difficult the English language can be. This is especially true in terms of exceptions to rules or when certain letters are dropped off the end of a verb when the verb is conjugated. A simple example: The verb “Dance”. When said as an action (dancing), you drop the “e”. You don’t do this is other verbs like “play” or “fly”. Why? I don’t know. Just because! And then there are LOTS of idioms in the English language.. I won’t even discuss those. If you want to appreciate the language and the culture, there comes a time when you have to learn the language and associated rules AND EXCEPTIONS as they are. There isn’t necessarily a “reason” why some words do not follow a logical pattern. They just don’t, so suck it up and deal with it. This is what I needed. I need to stop searching for patterns. I need to learn the rules and exceptions, practice speaking as much as I can, study some more, and practice speaking some more.

As it turns out, Swahili IS an easy language to learn and I am improving a little every day. The other day, for example, I found myself easily exchanging a greeting with an elder. I think she was very impressed that I could at least tell her hello (in a culturally respectful way—as opposed to the English equivalent of “What’s up?”), tell her why I was in Africa, and where I was walking to at the present moment. The nice thing about that exchange is that I was able to answer her questions without really thinking about what to say. Of course, I was at my limit fairly quickly after the greetings and introductions had passed, but 2 weeks ago I didn’t know much more than “Hakuna matata” or “Asante sana”. #Progress #Africa #PeaceCorps #InternetDongle #BlogUpdates (For my readers who don’t understand why I went overboard with the #Hashtags, I apologize. It is an inside thing with certain people like #BrianSalin #DustinJoubert and #ClintAnders. Maybe #AndrewBlauser too.).

As I type this blog, I find myself slightly disheartened, as I am missing the US Olympic Trials. I wasn’t sure of the exact dates, but #JesseParker and his Facebook status just reminded me. I imagine fast races and a majestic Hayward Field with stands filled with thousands of track savvy, screaming fans. Hopefully this is really the case. Oh well, c’est la vie in Africa. My family likes to watch soccer, though, so I am fairly up to date on the Euro Cup. I think of #KlaasOlsen when I watch the games, especially when Germany won the other night. In addition to soccer, all the kids here love American wrestling. Yep, WWE wrestling. I’m from America and I didn’t even know wrestling was still on. They all love Triple H. This brings me back to, say, late elementary or early Junior High. It makes me laugh.

Other thoughts on Africa thus far: 1) DalaDalas* are very interesting, but not in a fun or enticing way. 2) The weather in Morogoro is very nice. 3) The passion fruit, oranges, mangos, and bananas are incredible! And 4) The mosquitoes in my current village aren’t all that bad.

*The daladala is a bus used for public transportation. As far as I can tell, they are privately owned (I think) and drive various routes from the village to a central hub in town. I have to take one from my village to town, then switch daladalas at the hub to get on another one to take me to the training site. To clarify my “interesting” comment above, there is no such thing as too many people on a daladala. It is a business and the drivers want to make as much profit as possible since they will drive the same route anyways. I’m not sure if there are any regulations on max carrying capacity, but if there are, they are ignored. All of the seats are filled and people stand A to B (A**hole to Belly Button) in the aisles and anywhere else they can fit. Such high population density also presents an opportunity for “Mwizi” (thief). It is easy for them to pickpocket the passengers that are standing, so you have to be very vigilant or hold any valuables in your hand. The best strategy is to not having anything in your pockets, obviously, but when that isn’t an option you have to keep your pockets covered or your eyes on them. The difficulty is that one hand is required to hold on to a rail so you don’t fall, while the other hand might be holding a bag or valuables. DON’T CARRY MORE THAN YOU ARE WILLING TO LOSE! I know it sounds really terrible, but it isn’t really that bad. Yes it is extremely crowded, but I have accepted it as part of the culture. It is an experience and it is Tanzania. Embrace it! Just be aware… J

I will stop my rambling now, and again I hope all is well back home. Hopefully everyone is avoiding the summer heat, as best possible! To my XC brothers, I hope your training is going well. As Jesse always says and you all know, miles make champions!! Keep it up and keep me informed on how things are going, I would love to hear any training or race updates! I wish I could join you all for a run, so I will just have to imagine I am in the state park and as a real runner while I am out plodding along on the dirt roads here. To my triathlon friends (Dustin), if you are racing, I hope that is going well. I am already training for Florida 70.3- 2015. You better watch out this time… And for Officer Balluser, I hope your 25/75, 50/50, etc. shadowing is going well. Keep me informed! For everyone else, until next time, take care!

Feel free to send letters or other things, just refer to the address in my earlier post!

-Travis

Update on Life in Morogoro, Tanzania!

Things are going very well for me in Morogoro, Tanzania. I feel as if I am becoming more cultured each day. I have gotten used to having food constantly given to me, and consequently, have gotten really good at saying “Asante, nimeshiba sana” “Thank you, I am very full”. My host family is great. There are 2 children, a boy named Muwya (8years old) and girl named Mercy (4 years old) and a few house girls who take care of chores and help with cooking since Mama and Baba (dad) both work full time jobs. As I have said before, the food is awesome! For breakfast, we will have some combination of chai tea, chapati (Kind of like a tortilla), uji (porage), andazi (similar to a donut), ndizi (banana), and chungwa (orange). Lunch and dinner are usually similar and consist of maharage (beans), ugali, wali (rice), viazi (sweet potato), mhogo (cassava), chicha (spinach and greens mixture), and maybe more chungwa. We rarely have meat, and if we do, it is generally kuku (chicken). It is also very common to eat with your hands. For example, I just had a lunch of maharage, ugali, chicha, and pili pili (pepper, very spicy) without any utensils! It is also required to wash your hands before you eat, but this is generally done by mama or a house girl pouring water over your hands with a bowl underneath to catch the water. You also NEVER see a Tanzanian eat (or make social interactions) with their left hand. I encourage you to google this to find out why. In short, the food is fresh from the garden or tree, it is delicious, I am very well fed, and I am slowly becoming a cultured Tanzanian!! When in Rome…

Earlier today, I did laundry for the first time on my own in Tanzania. A housegirl taught me how to properly wash my clothes by hand. It took forever and my knuckles are raw after working with the clothes so much. The clothes are nice and clean though!

My Swahili is improving a little each day. I have gotten good at all of my greetings and self-introductions and am developing a better ear for hearing the language as the locals speak. At first it sounded as if they were just rattling of a whole lot of nothing, but now I can hear words and make sense of them here and there. I frequently use “sema polepole” or “sema tena tafadhali” “speak slowly” and “say it again please”. It is important that I get as good as possible with my language, because the Tanzanians love it when a foreigner can speak to them in KiSwahili. Yesterday, for example, I was talking to a mama (lady) and I greeted her and spoke a few sentences, until I was at my limit, but she was so excited to see that I was not just your regular “Mzungu” walking the streets. I also like to say “Mimi si mtalii, mimi ni voluntia!” “I am not a tourist, I am a volunteer!” This will usually conjure a laugh as well, in which case you follow the previous sentence with “unanicheka??” “Are you laughing at me?” Joke’s on you!! Then everyone has a good laugh. All of the locals really are extremely nice and it is so important to greet everyone, so as to not be seen as rude. Essentially, it is really easy to foster a good relationship with people if you put forth the effort to greet them and use as much KiSwahili as possible. I am excited about the prospect of becoming fluent enough to be able to have a meaningful conversation with the locals… Especially when I get to my site in a little more than 2 months.

On a side note, it was very funny this morning as I was sitting on the porch and my host family had the radio playing American music. “I Swear” by John Michael Montgomery came on the radio… I swear I was laughing! Who would have thought you would hear some silly country song playing on a Sunday morning in a far away village in the middle of Tanzania!

I am still able to run on some very nice dirt roads, but I usually have to get up early in the morning to do it. Generally, I will wake up at 5:15 to run, and then leave plenty of time for my bucket bath, getting dressed, and chakula asubuhi (breakfast), before I have to leave for training or class. I feel as if I am just living life. The worries are minimal, if you keep everything in perspective. I have a nice bed to sleep in, good food to eat, plenty of nice roads to run on, and lots of people to talk to. I don’t have to be overly worried about time, no one is rushing here or there like in the states, and there is just a general sense of well-being. Maybe I will get sick sometime and be upset about that, but I expect it so I will deal with it when it happens. I have an awesome medical kit that the PC gave me, so I am set with any medication I may need. I can see why many PCVs say it is difficult to re-adjust to the American lifestyle after PC. Africa is a very different place, especially in the village, but not in a bad way. It is very interesting that many Americans (me included) might think or have thought that they have it bad here or they are lacking in so many areas and we are so much better off in America. After only being here for 11 days, I do not hold that sentiment at all. Everyone seems so happy here. Few of them have internet, cars, A/C, running water, or electricity, but it really doesn’t matter. It is a part of the lifestyle and you embrace it as such. When I just typed that last sentence, it was honestly the first time I realized I do not have running water right now. I also do not miss always having access the internet, my car, or having my iPhone attached to me at all times. It just isn’t a part of the normal lifestyle here. Once you realize that and live as a Tanzanian, you are happy. Safi! Hamna shida! (It’s cool! or good! And There is no problem!) I miss all of my friends back home, and wish I could hang out with you all, but the other things aren’t an issue. I am not trying to be philosophical here, but it is just a way of life that I am living now, so these things aren’t essential. I bet once I go back to America, I will have all of these things again, but that is because the fast paced American way of life almost demands it. We will see, though. That is 2 years from now.

If you haven’t checked out facebook lately, I posted a few pictures a couple days ago of the area where I am training and living, so check them out! Also, I am betting that I won’t be able to upload very many pictures because the internet is too slow and it uses all of my internet time/data. So, I will have to share a large portion of the pictures once I return, or when I have access to good internet. I will continue hand selecting a few good ones to post from time to time, though, so stay in touch! I hope all of you are still doing really well back home, and I will talk to you all soon! Also, below is my phone number, now that I have a phone, so you are welcome to call me if you find a cheap way to do so, just bear in mind, that I am 8 hours ahead of central time. Maybe skype or another online calling service will suffice for making cheap calls. Poivy is pretty cheap, so google it and check it out if you want.

I generally have my phone on and in my pocket, as it is an easy way for us PCVs to stay in touch. Plus it is free for us to call each other and free for me if YOU call me! Sorry that I cannot call you all because it would break my (very small) bank very quickly. A day’s salary will get me about 15-20 minutes of talk time, so that creates a big problem! Also, you can mail things if you want to the address in my earlier post ^^^ Peace Corps will deliver it to my training center here. Take care, have a nice day, and talk to you all soon!! As the Tanzanians say: Hakuna Shida! No worries! (this is more common than hakuna matata, I am sorry to say. The Kenyans say Hakuna Matata)

Tanzania!!!

Habari za leo!? (How is your day?) This is about the extent of Swahili I have learned in my first lesson, today. Hopefully much more will come... but for now I am very limited. I arrived in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday evening, Tanzanian time. I was exhausted and slept like a rock that night! I am starting to feel a little better, but I am still a little jet lagged, I think. It has been lots of fun so far! Our day has been filled with lots of important information about living and surviving in country, including what food and water is safe to eat and drink. A typical day has consisted of:

06:15 - Wake up/exercise a bit in my room
07:00 - Breakfast
08:00 - First session
10:00 - Chai Tea (really good stuff)
10:30 - Another session
12:30 - Chakula (food/eat/lunch it means something like that)
13:30 - More sessions until 5
17:00 - Free to roam about the mission

Our first few days we are staying at a catholic mission. It is nice. They feed us plenty, and very good fresh veggies and fruits, of course. They also have a protein, usually chicken or beans. Of course, the chicken is normal and small, unlike the monsters you get in America. Mom, you know what I mean.. I commented on this last christmas! The rooms are nice, have electricity, running water, and a fan. I take cold showers, but it is very nice, since it is basically like Huntsville here in terms of weather. Not quite as hot though. So far, our lessons have involved safety in TZ (we had a guy come from the US embassy and talk to us about issues around and how to stay safe, etc.), Food and water prep and safety, what to do WHEN you get diarrhea, and basic Swahili. For now, we will be here until Tuesday, when we will travel 200Km west to Morogoro for PST (Pre Service Training, the Peace Corps (PC) is FULL of acronymns). There, I will be introduced to my homestay family, whom I will live with until mid August. Before that, however, I will have an opportunity to travel to my future site for a week and get to know the locals, while also shadowing another PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer). It should be very useful in my preparation.

I like it here. It is very nice, the locals are very friendly, and I firmly believe (MOM) that it will be very safe in my village. Of course, moving around in a large city, like Dar, could be dangerous if you look like a tourist. Stupid Tourists... :)

This is why it is important to integrate well into the community, as they will treat you as an asset to the community, and more importantly, a family member. I am excited about the possibilities! I have also found out that everyone is definitely very poor here. At least the normal person. We are required to like off of about 8-9,000 Tanzanian Shillings per day, which is equivalent to about 5 US dollars or so. But of course, you have to realize that things are cheaper here. I would say that I am having to budget in the same way, relatively speaking, as I did back home. Most people in the village live off of less than 1,600 Tsh per day... So, I am still a rich Mzungu to them (I believe that means white person)! We also have some current PCV's here now giving us the deets (details to those who dont know) on PC life at your site. All in all, everyone is extermemly helpful, they are feeding us AWESOME naturally produced, ethically raised food, and it tastes great! The cooks cook all day long, from one meal to the next. I will be sad when that is no longer the case when I move on to my own site. I will make it though. I have no doubt. It is going to be a blast! (most of the time).

Lastly, before I run out of internet time, I have to say that I have gone for 2 runs around the mission, here so far. I have gotten plenty of looks and laughs. I'd say they love my short shorts, but of course I wear a T shirt. It is just as entertaining for me as it is to everyone watching! There is a 1/3 mile dirt loop that I have to stay on, since I can't leave to walls of the mission, but that is fine. Im not running high mileage now anyways. Just enjoying the atmosphere!

I better log off now so I don't incur extra fees, but in summary, all is well and I am doing fine! Hope everyone is good back home, and Keep in touch!!!!! :)

Travis

AFRICA!!!!

I just arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa. I am exhausted! The flight was 14.5 hours from NYC, mostly during the night. I am slightly jet lagged, as my body is adjusted to 7 hours behind the actual time in Johannesburg, and mostly tired from pulling an all nighter in Philadelphia the night before we left. It was a great evening to get out and see Downtown Philly and enjoy a night with my fellow trainees. We had an AWESOME dinner at a sushi/hibachi place, very similar to Benihana. I finally got my sushi fix!! Some of my closest friends can tell you they had to listen to me complain about wanting sushi before I went to Africa, as it was... So I made it happen.

So about the flight: (Big plane, interactive screen in back of headrest, good movies and music, nice blankets and socks, good food!)
The plane was huge and the food was actually really good. They served us 2 complete meals (dinner and breakfast) and snacks in between. For dinner we had lamb in a curry sauce and rice and desert, while for breakfast I had eggs, potatoes, fruit, and yogurt. During the flight I watched a few movies (21 Jump Street, Man on a Ledge, and Contraband), listened to some good music, and slept a little. I expect I will sleep well in Dar tonight... The total flight distance ended up being right around 8,000 miles. It initially seemed like a very daunting task to travel that far, but here I am.. It is also a funny feeling knowing that I am on the other side of the world compared to a day ago. It feels surreal in a way. I feel as if the flight took FOREVER, but at the same time I feel as if I was just saying goodbye to my mom on the phone in NYC. Weird how my tired brain is having trouble comprehending these things..

Finally, the airport in Johannesburg is NICE! AND huge! Plus they have AWESOME COFFEE!!! I thanked the barista lady and told her it is hard to find such good and "real" coffee in the states. For now, I will wind the blog down since I am using someone else's computer, but I am glad that I can report a successful trip thus far. Fun flight, great airplane, good movies, good food, and a nice airport in Johannesburg. I AM IN AFRICA!!!! To all my friends and family back home, take care and I will blog again soon!

T-Minus ~39 Hours

The countdown has begun. My Florida vacation with all my best bros is over. I survived the Half Ironman (barely), then we beach hopped, spent way too much money, WORE SPEEDOS, and finished in style on Bourbon Street.

So, now the real work of packing and preparing for Africa will begin!

I board a flight in Austin on Sunday June 3 at 11:10am, fly to Dallas, and then to Philadelphia, PA. In Philly, I will have my staging event, where I will get an introduction to what is expected of me as a Peace Corps volunteer, as well as any last vaccinations (this will happen either at staging or when I get to Tanzania, I'm not exactly sure) and file any important paperwork. As I type this quick entry, I am reflecting on all of the change that I will be experiencing in the next few weeks. I will move from the pristine A/C in beautiful La Grange, TX to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania by next Wednesday. I still have to finish packing!!! Here is a quick itinerary, in case you are interested:

June 3rd
11:10 am - Leave Austin
12:45 pm - Leave Dallas
5:35 pm PST - Arrive in Philly

June 4th
All sorts of administrative and "official" paperwork and official welcome to Peace Corps!

June 5th
2:30 am - Board bus to NYC
11:15 am (PST) - Board plane at JFK, Fly to Johannesburg, South Africa - 15 hrs. 20min Flight =O

June 6th
2:25 pm - Leave Johannesburg
6:50 pm - Arrive in Dar es Salaam, TZ.

WHOA! Lots of traveling.. I am prepared to be exhausted. After we get there, we have a short trip to our accommodations for the next 5 days. During those 5 days, we will be recovering and hearing more administrative stuff and learning "Survival" Swahili. That should be interesting! Finally, after the 5 day wait, I will take a bus about 200km west to Morogoro, the capital of the region bearing the same name. My training will be here for the next 12 weeks. Training will be largely based in a village outside of Morogoro with my temporary home-stay community, where I will receive language, health, safety & security, and job specific training. I expect this to be very intense and time consuming! I am also expected to interact as much as possible with my home-stay family during "non-business hours" to grow accustomed to the culture and language, etc. Also, at some point during training I will visit my prospective site, where I will serve for the following 2 years. I am still not sure where this will be. I asked, but they told me it could be North, south, central, or east coast of Tanzania. So.... just about anywhere. In any case, I hope to keep in touch with everyone as often as possible, and please feel free to mail letters during training!! They request nothing larger than a letter (or similar size) during training (during your summer until mid August, see address below). After that, if you feel so inclined, you can send any packages to my village (that address will come later). Thanks again to you all for so much support, and I will be in touch and hopefully will continue to blog!!!


Travis Kocurek, PCT
Peace Corps
P.O. Box 9123
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
0222 667 365