Josh's Village

August 24- 29, 2008

Josh is an Ed volunteer who teaches biology at a secondary school about 40K from me. His close of service (COS) date is in about 2 months. He is 33 and engaged to an RPCV. She also had a hard transition when she first got to site, so it is comforting to hear some stories. Seeing his village life was very helpful- it is nice to see a house set up and a volunteer with somewhat of a routine. It was also nice to be with someone who speaks great Kiswahili and some Kibena.

Living in his village gave me some time to rejuvenate. I slept amazingly- despite his ongoing rat wars. I slept in. He has built a hot water bucket shower. We gardened and did yoga. We made S'mores, popcorn, hot chocolate and bagels. (Bagels over a charcoal stove are a crazy process and take a real art to create. ) We ate salad and played cribbage and slowly I started to feel more like myself. More okay with going back to my site. It was nice to talk someones ear off with concerns, complaints and doubts- I went to his classes and became re-inspired, watching children's faces light up with the joy of learning something new, with inspiration, with admiration. I was reminded of my love for Africa and the Tanzanian people.