Aoife (Eefa.... she's Irish) was singing that song from the Sound of Music last night and I still have it in my head. How exactly do you spell Alveidersein? Looks ok to me.
Today was a... frustrating day again. We had a meeting with the in-country coordinator, along with the Tanzanian NGO workers who are also working through the community center. They want to change EVERYTHING! and not necesarily in a good way. I need to digest a bit and maybe I'll calm down about it. It just seems so unnecessary to change all of the classes, everyone's schedules and double the workload, all for SIX STUDENTS! Deep breath. Deep breath. Don't worry, it will all be ok. Kieran, the coordinator, is very mindful of our needs and wishes at the school. Maybe I'm just missing the point. Maybe I'll understand tomorrow. Maybe.
So we started watching season two of the OC last night. Jenny brought a DVD player and season 1, I brought season 2. I'm not sure if anyone else is still watching OC (I'm missing season 3 dang it!!) but if anyone is worrying, we've got a fan club in Tanga. It started just with me and Jenny, then Aoife joined in (apparently she's addicted as well). Now Caroline, Katie, and new Jenny won't miss an episode. We thought the season one DVDs would last us a good month, but when you have to be in at dark (roughly 6 o'clock) and there's no radio or tv, there's only so much you can do. and the OC isn't a bad option. I miss my OC club at home though. It doesn't get better than bagels and milkshakes.
I'm realizing now how much I appreciate small semblances of home here. For example, I just spent an entire paragraph divulging my love for the OC. There are only a few things here that I can claim I have at home as well, and the OC is one of them. Internet is another, but that is spotty. We really do come here quite often. I'm lucky for that. Not much else is the same. Clothes are different (I found out today that black shirts and chalk do not make an attractive couple), as I've given over my jeans for hiker pants and Value Village skirts. Food is rarely similar, with chapati (i love it) and mince taking over for, well anything normal. Jennny and I are single-handedly keeping the shop around the corner in business buying chocolate bars -not very tasty ones. I have found a cookies (excuse me, Biscuits- the Brits would chastise me) that are the closes thing i can find to an oreo and i think i'll bring a case home with me. I've traded my shoes for Tevas and my comfortable down comforter for a sheet (no complaints here, anything bigger would be roasting!). The friends at home and school who I miss like crazy are now replaced (at least for the time being) by a lot of people who are great company and a lot of fun but don't share much of the same interests (besides Africa), values, or even the same accent.
No complaints at all for the things I've temporarily traded in. Make no mistake. I love my Tevas (so comfortable!) and my Oreo-ish cookies (at least when they aren't stale) and I've even grown to love the bug nets (It's like your own private princess room). But it is definately nice to have bits and peices of the old mixed in with all the fun new stuff. Phone calls from the family and emails from the friends (write away, friends, write away!!) are amazing. News (and gossip of course!) from your lives makes the routine of mine seem less routine. The OC may not be home to me, but it's close. My Book of Mormon and Harry Potter 6 are a blessed hideaway from the countless Swahili papers that I just cannot understand.
We're going to Puponi this weekend. It's a little beach town a couple hours away. I can't wait to finally enjoy the Indian Ocean. yes, that's right, I will be swimming in the INDIAN OCEAN!!!! Only a couple more oceans to go. I'm sure I'll have a full and exciting report next week. I'm still working on more pictures. My brothers are on the case.
3 comments:
Kami: It was great to talk with you on the phone the other day. Sorry we got cut off. I'll have to get a bigger phone card next time. Should we try it again on Sunday at 11am instead of noon? Things here are going good. We finally got the check from Dixie, and the Renton School District. I am breathing easier. I picked up Calister and she helped clean yesterday. What a sweetheart. She asked about you. I asked if they had lions, tigers, and giraffes in Nigeria, and she said "Only in da Zoo". Brian was in town on a business trip with his boss, (Shawn) yesterday. They cam by to share dinner with us. It was fun.
I'll be going up to Hyak later today. Keep smiling. Love DAD
Aufwiedersehn? Yeah, in another life I took German. I'm still jealous of you. Reading your entries and seeing your pics makes me miss Africa so much! I can't wait to get back there again. And I hear ya on the nights being boring when you're in by 6. I never watched so much TV in my life as when I was in South Africa - if you don't count elementary school.
In other news I'm trying to embrace my inner UN geekness (as you so eloquently put it on the "don't worry new people, everything will be all right" video) Congrats on becoming an aunt again! and good luck with the 3 yr olds. Tutaonana.
Go OC club! It's a good thing you're rehashing the crazy events in seasons 1 and 2, you'll be so ready for season 3 when you get back. So Kami, I definitely need to go to Paris. I want an adventure like this for sure! Sounds amazing. Hopefully the people running your program will get everything figured out so class won't be so frustrating. Life here is crazy, 18 credits keeps you on your toes. I'm feeling way motivated, though, so on I go to graduating on time. If everything goes according to plan with Paris and everything, I figured out a way to graduate on time. Cool, huh? Anyway, life is a whole lot of running, homework, class, work, and going out to eat these days. Good times. By the way, you can still email me at lvangel_baby@hotmail.com when you want, but I think it's fun to post these comments instead of sending you emails. Hope that's ok!
Much love,
Heather
PS...ask Brooke why Andrea and I are going to be roommates in winter semester!
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