Dear Mom,
You know how when I was getting ready to leave, you asked if you could do my laundry to help me out and I said no? Well, I’d like to take you up on that offer now. Or anyone else, willing to wash all of my clothes….by hand.
That’s right, today was a day of firsts, as I decided it was time (or far past time) to do my laundry. I put it off as long as I could, but my clothing ensembles were becoming reminiscent of the Great Lost Luggage Catastrophe of 2007 (See Tanzania 2007 pictures if you need an example). Those of you who lived through that tragedy, shutter to remember…So armed with little more than a bucket, laundry detergent, and two massive piles of laundry, Collin and I started in on our project. If you have never washed clothes by hand, I encourage you to try it sometime. Then, after one shirt, you can throw all your clothes into the washer and go get something to eat. Collin and I do not have this luxury (and it IS a luxury). If I had the name of the person who invented the washing machine, I would send them a personal thank you note to show my gratitude for their ingenuity…but I do not (I tried Wikipedia…no such luck). I have had a lot of people ask if they can send care packages, so if you are considering it, please stick in a washing machine for me… and a dryer if you are feeling generous. Front-load, top-load…I’m not picky.
Another “first” that we experienced today was riding the bus into Tanga…alone. As Collin put it, it was time for us to spread our wings and go into town for groceries. In the past we have always had our faithful co-worker and friend, Gudila to guide our way, but alas, she is out sick (FEEL BETTER GUDILA!) We had never had to board and dismount the bus on our own before, but we handled it quite well. And we even got our change back for the bus fare (which I wasn’t sure was going to happen). Really all you have to do is look like you know what you are doing and use enough Swahili to make them think you know what you are doing. The only problem with this is when you run out of Swahili and have to count on your fingers, out loud, to reach the number that you want (Heaven forbid I need a number higher than 8, because that is all I know). But we were truly successful. We got on the bus, paid, got off the bus, crossed the street without getting run over (you laugh, but that is no easy feat, particularly because they drive on the left side of the road and I can just never catch on), bought fruits and vegetables at the open air market without getting ripped off (we think), went to the grocery store, checked out, got a taxi, went to the bank, and made it back to the 4H Centre. Whew…Are you tired? Me too.
Besides pretending to be Louis and Clark (or Lois and Clark), Collin and I also did some work here at the office. We are working on forms for each Club leader (or advisor, as we call them) and District Advisor to fill out to summarize what projects the club and club members are doing. You see, 4H’ers here are big into record keeping. That’s right, U.S. 4H’ers, I said record keeping. That monster which we all love to loathe. They enjoy and value it. They focus on record keeping, partially because they use their projects to make money (selling eggs, for example) and use that money to pay for school fees, buy uniforms, support their school lunches, or support their families. What we call “Life Skills” they call pre-professional training. This is so important because many youth will never receive an education passed 6th Grade. In Tanzania, not only does Secondary School (7th Grade and up) cost money, but you have to pass an exam just to get into Secondary School (like talking the ACT or SAT), so for those youth who do not make it into Secondary School, or cannot afford it, their working life begins there. That is why they take their 4H Projects so seriously.
Kind of makes you want to go work on you record book, doesn’t it? No? Well, sorry parents, I tried.
We are working on some plans to go and visit some 4H Clubs around Tanzania, but we don’t have any solidified plans yet. Getting to visit clubs would absolutely be my favorite part of work and hopefully we can do some sightseeing as well!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful beginning to summer! Eat a Popsicle for me!
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