Another Week in the Village of Children

December 17- now

This week I had a break through on a variety of levels with my village. It was a slightly rough week as Juster was in Njombe all week visiting her family for the holidays, so I was alone. At first I didn't really know what to do and realized how dependant I have become on her, so it was actually sort of good to be forced out of that comfort zone.

This week Tally walked with me to my site. We had fun spending the night at my house where I tried to teach her the joys of making crepes, warm bucket baths, and fresh brewed coffee. After she left I decided to finish my garden. I know it is snowing in Oregon but spring has come in the Southern Highlands. Birds are singing everywhere, the grass is tall and green and the grasshoppers are everywhere. I have been working hard at digging up my courtyard which was entirely grass. If you know me, than you know I am not much of a "manual laborer". But I really got with it and since all good Tanzanians are planting right now, I decided I would be good and fit in with my village. So I slaved away hoeing in the sunlight. In the end my hands were blistered and bloody and I had gone full force Tanzanian-style and risked worms to work in the garden barefoot. It felt good to be creating something, and to feel a connection with the earth around me. I dug ditches around the beds I created because there is limited water in Africa, the ditches will hold the rain in and allow my beds to be watered. I now have three 8' X 3.5' beds, one 4.5'X 8' bed and one 15'x 4' bed. I have planted flowers (African Daisies, Marigolds, California Poppies, Calendula, Sunflowers, and Nasturtiums). I planted a variety of lettuce, Swiss Chard, Kale, Spinach, Arugula, Broccoli, Green Peppers, Cucumber, Summer Squash, Pumpkins, Eggplant, Beets, Radishes, Carrots, Green Beans, Snap Peas, and Pineapple. My herb garden is Lavender, Dill, Catnip, Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Chives, Parsley, Rosemary, and Tarragon. There was already a Tanzanian hot pepper bush in my yard that I kept and it full of flowers. We will see if any of it grows but as a Vegetarian, I will be excited to have any of my own veggies. While I worked like a Turk, Kimulimuli spent his time chasing lizards, pouncing on the hoe, and digging up then pooping wherever I had just planted... oh, that cat.

This week I considered starting a daycare. All the kids are now out of school for the holidays, so as I walked around my village this week I realized that there was only children anywhere. All the adults were working in the farms on the outskirts of the village. They just leave there little tiny kids wandering around. But than I noticed these were the kids who were cooking the meals, fetching the water, running the shops and felt like they were making a daycare for me than the other way round. One of my big break-throughs this week was as I was walking a kid started yelling excitedly, "Mzungu! Mzungu!" (White Person). They get so excited to see me that it is not malicious or anything, but it is like they can't contain themselves. I turn just in time to hear another kid say to him, "No, No, That is Mwalimu Brie" (Teacher Brie). Then they both started yelling "Mwalimu!" so I turned and waved to them but I could have hugged them for it. Over the week many of the kids had switched to using my name or teacher. To suddenly no longer be "white Person" does a lot for feeling like you are included in your village.

I have a new adopted family. Mama David, who I wrote of before, except now I am going to call her Mama Mary because I think Mary is her child who I will get to know the best. Since I had nothing else to do I went to her home. She runs a shop out of her house and also is a tailor. She speaks no English but is patient, willing to talk slow, and use words that I know. She was so encouraging that I ended up spending a lot of time talking this week. I know my Swahili was sloppy and I made mistakes but my villagers loved it. One day I just hung out at her shop while she was working and after a while a crowd had sort of gathered to hang out with me. We somehow got on the subject of my mugging. I acted/told the whole story to my villagers making tongue clicks and verbal reactions of horror. Then I succeeded in convincing them that I have no money because of this event and they even agreed saying that I don't even have a car. If anything this moment made me feel supported by my villagers and made me feel that I will probably never get robbed in village. Mama Mary is a sweetheart and she is the first Tanzanian to acknowledge that it must be really hard for me to be away from my family in a village alone. She invited me to spend Christmas with her family. She invited me to spend nights there. She told me she would teach me Kibena. I love her and I love Mary. Mama Mary told me that Mary talks about me nonstop and is so excited to start school because I will be teaching there. She has an adorable toothless grin and plays dress up. So I have adopted them as my TZ village family.

The other big event of the week happened on my way into town. I convince the driver of my village car that even though it is not running he should run it for me. Luckily, in some ways the crush pays off and Stanley agrees to take me to town. He says that the village is out of supplies anyways and so he will see if anyone else wants to go. I am relieved that I get to go spend Christmas with my friends. When he picks me up at 4 am there is another guy in the front seat too who is about my age. This guy has had some secondary school and so he speaks a few words of English which is helpful when I don't understand his Swahili. Anyways, I end up talking to the two of them the whole way to town. So at 4.30 am I am discussing the Iraq war, and what I think the merits are to a Obama presidency. They share with me problems in our village from lack of education to too many kids etc. Then we get on the subject that a white woman must get on when she is with two Tanzanian men of her same age: When am I getting married? What is my bride price? Why am I not already married? etc. These guys are totally harmless village guys so I talk with them about how Americans don't believe in bride price, how I am waiting to get married, and I can't cook Ugali so therefore I can't marry a Tanzanian. I say that it is important for me to do what I am doing in Africa because I am a health volunteer and maybe can help here. Then Oscar (the other guy) asks me if I will teach about using condoms. I say that I will. Then we proceed to have the most embarrassing conversation I have had so far in Tanzania. Both of them tell me excuse and excuse about why condoms won't work. (I won't go into them because I am not sure who is reading this.) I blush for a second that we are talking about this at all, but then I think "Brie, pull it together. These are a hard to reach group of people that have most of the control and tend to have many partners. This is the reason why you are here." So I pull it together, I toughen up, just because I am a 24 year old girl doesn't mean I can't tell them what is what. It is not enough to just talk to a mamas group or teach Primary School students, these men need to be reached also. So we have an open discussion about condom use and I think it went well. I actually joked with them a bit but then firmly ended with that their lives and other people's depended on the use. The great thing was they weren't awkward at all about talking about it with me. They seemed to genuinely want to know and wanted to listen. At they end they said they understood... So maybe my teaching has begun? I think Stanley will be a great in with this twenty- something single male group in my village and I have already started to brainstorm ways that this group might now be reached.

Now, I am in Njombe. Getting ready for a holiday celebration at our hotel with about 30 other PCVs. We are doing a gift exchange and the hotel staff is letting us use their kitchen (which has an oven!) so we can make a holiday feast. Merry Christmas everyone! I miss and love you.