Ok, so how often do you find yourself contemplating going to the bathroom? Maybe only when you're stuck at the end of a long line at the ladies room and you really have to. Or, it could happen when you're on a long drive, stuck in the middle of nowhere and you have 4 year old in the back seat that just doesn't fully understand holding it for just a little bit longer. Let's face it, though, this is not typically something we think about - basically, we have to go, we go, and we get back to whatever we were doing.
I, however, thought a lot about these functions of our body while in TZ and have continued to think about how using the facilities now that I'm back in the States.
First, I cannot tell you how much using a bathroom changed while living in TZ. It became a chore, like boiling water, or washing clothes. It was almost dreaded and when the need arose it was almost like "damn it, I have to go to the bathroom!" Why the struggle? Well, squatting over a hole, while not the worst thing in the world, was just not a comfortable experience. At home, it can be relaxing - shut the door, block out the rest of your house, grab a book (or a newspaper) and sit down for a few minutes. Not in TZ. It was more like make sure your clothes & feet are properly out of the way, get in a squat position that will allow you to balance w/o having to touch the walls, make sure there are no critters in the hole, and try to not stand up when cockroaches run out of the hole while you are mid-stream. Like I said - it was a chore.
Now that I've been home for quite awhile, I've come to appreciate the easiness of going to a bathroom. Not only is it no longer a chore, or just something I do as a natural part of the day, but using the facilities can also be an excuse to get up and walk around, waste a few minutes, relieve boredom as well as bladder, and a change of scenery. At work, if it's a slow day and I need something to do for a few minutes, well, hey - why not go to the bathroom (whether I needed to or not is irrelevant). Been sitting too long? Take a walk, stretch your legs, head to the bathroom.
See, it's a great thing to have facilities like we do. It's a great thing to have a normal function like that be so normal that we don't think about it at all. I, for one, will be forever appreciative that I can go sit on my toilet, take a book if I want, and not have to squat w/ cockroaches again... well, at least not on a daily basis!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Multiple Endings
Did you ever read those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books when you were younger? Depending on which adventure you chose, the stories & endings could be extremely varied. In the past week and half I've been informed of 4 different endings to 4 Peace Corps Volunteers' experiences.
First, one of the PCVs who helped counsel me when I made the decision to leave TZ also had to leave TZ in May due to negative reactions to the anti-malarial drugs. He had been in TZ for about a year and half and was just finished feeling like he could snap at any moment. Mental episodes are one lovely side effect of the mefloquin and, as it turns out, was a major contributor to my leaving the Peace Corps service before it really even began. I must admit, learning that someone else had left before their service was over for the same reasons gave me some sort of satisfaction. Although it's I've been home for over 6 months, I still feel the need to explain myself at times and often wonder if people believe the extent to which those drugs were messing with my head.
Secondly, one of my very good friends from PC decided to early terminate just this week. She was in my PC "class", went through training w/ me and did a semester of teaching. After a break from school and some time to travel, she realized she was done giving what she could in TZ and her family in the U.S. needed her.
Next, I found out that a great guy I met in Njombe has extended his service for an extra year. He was to be finished with his service this fall, but will be staying until Dec. of 2010. I had hopes of having an experience so wonderful that I would not want to leave. Although it didn't work out that way for me, I'm glad it does work out that way for some.
Finally, the PCV who lived closest to me in Njombe received his COS date for mid-Sept. This means he has finished his 27 months and will close his service in about 2 months.
It's amazing. We all start our Peace Corps experiences the same way. We all start with the same applications, examinations, orientations, and trainings. We all fly over to our countries together, but in the end, we're all alone. We all end our services differently, we all fly home alone, and we all face going back to an American life that has moved on without us. I guess Peace Corps is just one great big Choose Your Own Adventure.
First, one of the PCVs who helped counsel me when I made the decision to leave TZ also had to leave TZ in May due to negative reactions to the anti-malarial drugs. He had been in TZ for about a year and half and was just finished feeling like he could snap at any moment. Mental episodes are one lovely side effect of the mefloquin and, as it turns out, was a major contributor to my leaving the Peace Corps service before it really even began. I must admit, learning that someone else had left before their service was over for the same reasons gave me some sort of satisfaction. Although it's I've been home for over 6 months, I still feel the need to explain myself at times and often wonder if people believe the extent to which those drugs were messing with my head.
Secondly, one of my very good friends from PC decided to early terminate just this week. She was in my PC "class", went through training w/ me and did a semester of teaching. After a break from school and some time to travel, she realized she was done giving what she could in TZ and her family in the U.S. needed her.
Next, I found out that a great guy I met in Njombe has extended his service for an extra year. He was to be finished with his service this fall, but will be staying until Dec. of 2010. I had hopes of having an experience so wonderful that I would not want to leave. Although it didn't work out that way for me, I'm glad it does work out that way for some.
Finally, the PCV who lived closest to me in Njombe received his COS date for mid-Sept. This means he has finished his 27 months and will close his service in about 2 months.
It's amazing. We all start our Peace Corps experiences the same way. We all start with the same applications, examinations, orientations, and trainings. We all fly over to our countries together, but in the end, we're all alone. We all end our services differently, we all fly home alone, and we all face going back to an American life that has moved on without us. I guess Peace Corps is just one great big Choose Your Own Adventure.
Monday, February 16, 2009
My Peace Corps duplex in TZ
Finally after being home for 7 weeks, I was able to load video of my duplex at Wende Secondary School in Njombe TZ onto YouTube. Follow the link below & have your assumptions about Peace Corps living standards challenged!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0zRi94CLMI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0zRi94CLMI
Rainy Season Video
I tried several times and several ways to load videos onto this blog, but they wouldn't load. I finally got one of them to load on YouTube. If you're interested in seeing a 1 minute video from Njombe during a rain storm, follow the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udnuFDjqjBw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udnuFDjqjBw
Monday, January 5, 2009
From PCTs to PCVs: Swearing In Ceremony
My entire CBT with our homestay families.
Newly sworn in PCVs.
My CBT with our two language instructors.
Swearing in cake.
Mji Mpya CBT.
Newly sworn in PCVs.
My CBT with our two language instructors.
Swearing in cake.
Mji Mpya CBT.
November Peace Corps pictures
My homestay family at my going away party.
Tanzanian rainy season.
Seeking shelter from Tanzanian rainy season.
Election day - celebrating the results!
Passing the time - A rousing game of toss the water bottle.
Tanzanian rainy season.
Seeking shelter from Tanzanian rainy season.
Election day - celebrating the results!
Passing the time - A rousing game of toss the water bottle.
More from Mikumi
Brian, me, & Harry w/ hippos over my head.
Picture happy group.
Dave, Linda, & Harry under the Mikumi park sign.
Hippo Pool.
African buffalo.
Picture happy group.
Dave, Linda, & Harry under the Mikumi park sign.
Hippo Pool.
African buffalo.
Mikumi National Park Safari
In Swahili the word "safari" translates as a journey, so what we consider to be a safari is not what the Swahili speaking world thinks of, but none the less, here are some pictures of my safari to Mikumi National Park.
There's a giraffe in this picture. Can you see it? My zoom wasn't as good as I had wanted. If not, just enjoy the pretty African savannah.
Mikumi National Park & African Savannah.
Signs near the entrance to Mikumi.
Zebras
Elephants. Yep, they were that close - this is not the zoom.
Signs near the entrance to Mikumi.
Zebras
Elephants. Yep, they were that close - this is not the zoom.
October Peace Corps Pictures
The dreaded Noun Class chart. Pictured are only 3 of the 7 noun classes with all of the agreements we had to learn. This was harder to learn than it was to learn how to use the holes in the ground as toilets. AHHHHHH!!!
View of some of the Uluguru Mountains from our internship school.
"Studying" Swahili at our internship school.
One of the two buildings that made up Mji Mpya Secondary School. Mji Mpya translates as "new town" or "new city".
The choo at our school. It's pronounced "cho" not "chew" & is basically an outhouse with holes in the ground in each stall. It was not as hard to use as it may seem, but my years of yoga came in handy!
"Studying" Swahili at our internship school.
One of the two buildings that made up Mji Mpya Secondary School. Mji Mpya translates as "new town" or "new city".
The choo at our school. It's pronounced "cho" not "chew" & is basically an outhouse with holes in the ground in each stall. It was not as hard to use as it may seem, but my years of yoga came in handy!
September Peace Corps Pictures
Here are some pictures I took during Sept. The blog posted them in the reverse order that I added them, but I didn't feel like fixing it, so you'll just be going back in time as you look at them.
With my Swahili language group & some of the teachers at our internship school, Mji Mpya.
Our training group upon arrival in Dar es Salaam.
Waiting in Amsterdam for our flight to Kilimanjaro.
Waiting in JFK to check all of our luggage before flying to Amsterdam.
Our training group in Philadelphia after getting our first shots & waiting for the bus to pick us up & take us to JFK.
With my Swahili language group & some of the teachers at our internship school, Mji Mpya.
Our training group upon arrival in Dar es Salaam.
Waiting in Amsterdam for our flight to Kilimanjaro.
Waiting in JFK to check all of our luggage before flying to Amsterdam.
Our training group in Philadelphia after getting our first shots & waiting for the bus to pick us up & take us to JFK.
Cultural Matters
One of the reasons I wanted to try Peace Corps in the first place was to experience a new culture. I didn't realize how much I'd learn about American culture in the process, though. Even more surprising to me was how much I've learned about our culture in the two weeks since I've been home. As Americans we value equality and being fair much more than I even knew. For example, we queue for everything. I never realized this was a cultural thing - I just assumed that people everywhere stood in line waiting for their turn, but that was far from true! In TZ, there is no such thing as waiting in line. People just cut to the front, get their business done, and leave. As an American I had trouble joining in on that as I consider it rude to cut in front of people who were there before me, but it sure got annoying when I was constantly cut in front of by others. I was even told by a teacher at my school in Njombe that they were amazed to watch coverage of our elections on TV and see the Americans line up to vote w/o having armed guards to watch the lines & make sure everyone was peaceful. It's strange to think that something as simple as waiting in line could be part of one's culture.
Other things that I've learned about being American include valuing privacy & the individual. In the States you'd never stand outside some one's window and stare into their house just to see what their lives are like. OK, maybe some people would, but we consider that to be rude, intrusive, and illegal! We also stress the individual accomplishments over community. Although we like our kids to work well with others, in the end it's what people achieve on their own that we remember & value in our culture. Even when making my decision to come home almost everyone said something to me like in the end I had to live my own life & make the best decision for myself. You'd never hear people say something like that in TZ. Decisions there are made in the best interest of the family/community, etc.
Another cultural difference I noticed there, but have thought a lot more about since I've been home, is the love we have for our pets. Here pets are a part of our family & often times we treat them better than people. Of course this is something I've always known, but I never realized how little value pets get in certain cultures. This one was heartbreaking for me. Many Tanzanians have dogs, but they are strictly watchdogs. They beat them, starve them, and do not understand how we could possibly let dogs into our houses, let alone sleep in our beds, and everything else we do to pamper our pets. My host mama could not understand why a former Peace Corps Volunteer she knew cried when her cat ate a poisonous bug & died. Young children there are taught to kick dogs whenever they see them to teach the dogs to fear people. When I was living at my site there was a dog on the campus who would sit on my front porch. Whenever I came outside, he immediately cowered in the corner & whimpered. He was sure I was going to beat him. Now, this is not to say that I don't have any understanding of why animals are not as valued in other countries. When you have work your fingers to the bone just to scrape enough money together to keep your family alive, giving an animal family member status seems a little crazy. Still, the cruelty shown to animals that we love was hard to witness. Again, I know there are Americans who are cruel to animals, but as a whole, we are disgusted by those who treat animals poorly, but in other cultures it's normal and no one blinks an eye. As I sit here typing this with my buddy, Newton, by my side it makes me sad to think how the "where you were born luck of the draw" thing is extended to animals as well as people. Did you ever wonder why you were born American while others were born in 3rd world countries? Animals face the same thing.
Finally, my last cultural observation for now is the fact that culture can be used as an excuse. When we noticed things that differed from our culture that bothered us, like the beating of animals, corporal punishment at school, and constantly being called a mzungu (basically pointing out that we were of a different race), the Tanzanians around us would tell us that these things were OK because those things were just part of their culture. Now, cutting in line can be excused away as being a cultural matter, but some things just aren't OK in my book - culture or not. I think that's probably a very "American" thing, also. We are taught to stand up for injustices & to stand up for those who cannot fight for themselves, to be allies & not bystanders. Again - an American culture thing that I guess I knew didn't necessarily happen everywhere, but this experience has brought it to new light.
In all, I'm grateful for the experience I had in TZ & with the Peace Corps because even in the short time I was there, I learned a lot about myself & American culture by experiencing another.
Other things that I've learned about being American include valuing privacy & the individual. In the States you'd never stand outside some one's window and stare into their house just to see what their lives are like. OK, maybe some people would, but we consider that to be rude, intrusive, and illegal! We also stress the individual accomplishments over community. Although we like our kids to work well with others, in the end it's what people achieve on their own that we remember & value in our culture. Even when making my decision to come home almost everyone said something to me like in the end I had to live my own life & make the best decision for myself. You'd never hear people say something like that in TZ. Decisions there are made in the best interest of the family/community, etc.
Another cultural difference I noticed there, but have thought a lot more about since I've been home, is the love we have for our pets. Here pets are a part of our family & often times we treat them better than people. Of course this is something I've always known, but I never realized how little value pets get in certain cultures. This one was heartbreaking for me. Many Tanzanians have dogs, but they are strictly watchdogs. They beat them, starve them, and do not understand how we could possibly let dogs into our houses, let alone sleep in our beds, and everything else we do to pamper our pets. My host mama could not understand why a former Peace Corps Volunteer she knew cried when her cat ate a poisonous bug & died. Young children there are taught to kick dogs whenever they see them to teach the dogs to fear people. When I was living at my site there was a dog on the campus who would sit on my front porch. Whenever I came outside, he immediately cowered in the corner & whimpered. He was sure I was going to beat him. Now, this is not to say that I don't have any understanding of why animals are not as valued in other countries. When you have work your fingers to the bone just to scrape enough money together to keep your family alive, giving an animal family member status seems a little crazy. Still, the cruelty shown to animals that we love was hard to witness. Again, I know there are Americans who are cruel to animals, but as a whole, we are disgusted by those who treat animals poorly, but in other cultures it's normal and no one blinks an eye. As I sit here typing this with my buddy, Newton, by my side it makes me sad to think how the "where you were born luck of the draw" thing is extended to animals as well as people. Did you ever wonder why you were born American while others were born in 3rd world countries? Animals face the same thing.
Finally, my last cultural observation for now is the fact that culture can be used as an excuse. When we noticed things that differed from our culture that bothered us, like the beating of animals, corporal punishment at school, and constantly being called a mzungu (basically pointing out that we were of a different race), the Tanzanians around us would tell us that these things were OK because those things were just part of their culture. Now, cutting in line can be excused away as being a cultural matter, but some things just aren't OK in my book - culture or not. I think that's probably a very "American" thing, also. We are taught to stand up for injustices & to stand up for those who cannot fight for themselves, to be allies & not bystanders. Again - an American culture thing that I guess I knew didn't necessarily happen everywhere, but this experience has brought it to new light.
In all, I'm grateful for the experience I had in TZ & with the Peace Corps because even in the short time I was there, I learned a lot about myself & American culture by experiencing another.
Time
Earlier I posted a blog on how time worked in TZ. Now that I have been home for just over 2 weeks, I have new insight on time. When I look back on my time in TZ it seems like a dream. I remember specific days or events & it seems as though they either never happened or occurred a long, long time ago. Being home it feels as though I've never left - except for the fact that I don't have my own place to live & I'm not at my teaching job anymore. Then I read blogs of my friends still in TZ & it seems like I was just there. Weird. Regardless, I'm glad to be home & when I try to picture myself back in TZ & know I made the right decision to return home. I now have a job working with a lawyer in wills & estates & am still looking for my own place to live & time continues to move on as it always does.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
