Hello Cornelia!
I hope everyone is enjoying the fall and the coming of winter. Here in Tanzania they don’t have the 4 seasons that we have (fall, winter, summer, and spring). Here they have only two seasons: the rainy season and the dry season. The rainy season usually begins in early December and continues until about May or June and then the dry season usually lasts from May or June until the end of November. So, while you are getting ready to get out your sleds and ice skates, I am taking out my umbrella and raincoat!
For the students and the schools the rainy season is an exciting time. Not because they get to run out and jump in puddles, but because they will have electricity all day and night. Where I am living electricity for the student’s housing and schools are provided by water! There is a process that uses a hydroelectric dam to create electricity by using water. Now, this is pretty complicated so you might have to ask your teachers or your parents to help explain how this process works.
During the dry season a generator is used to provide electricity, but this is very expensive so the schools only use it for two or three hours a day. That means that during the dry season the schools have no electricity during the day. They have no way to power lights for the classrooms, fans for the heat, copy machines for making copies, stoves for cooking food, or a refrigerator to keep drinks cold.
Now the upcoming rainy season will allow the schools to have power all day and night. The two biggest benefits of this is the ability to provide light at night so the kids can study and do their homework and then the second is the ability to use the copy machine to make copies. Think about how many great handouts you get each day from your teachers. During the dry season here it isn’t possible to make so many copies for all the students so teachers have to write all the notes on the board for them to copy into their notebooks.
In the nearby villages, however, they do not have any access to electricity in either the dry season or the rainy season. This means that they never have lights, TV, computers, microwaves, stoves, washing machines, or any of the many items we are so used to using in our daily routine. At night you can walk through the village and see candles in each of the windows as the only source of light they are able to use.
A fun exercise that you can do is to write down each item you use during the day that uses electricity. I bet that you end up with a pretty long list, and then imagine not being able to use any of those things!
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving break!
Derek
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Food!
Hello Cornelia!
I hope the first month of school has gone well for you and you are getting used to being back in class!
I want to use this post to tell you a little bit about the differences in the food that students eat here and what you are used to eating in Minnesota.
The schools that I teach at are called boarding schools. Boarding schools are schools where students come from all over the country and live in rooms at the school for the whole school year. During their breaks is the only time they get to go back home and see their families. As a result, the schools here have to give the students three meals each day. This is a little different from the one meal that you eat at Cornelia for lunch.
Each morning the students are provided breakfast. Everyday their breakfast is the exact same, in fact, the students eat the same thing for lunch and dinner everyday too! For breakfast they are given bread, porridge, and tea. The students only have 20 minutes to eat their breakfasts before class starts at 7:00am.
Once 2:00pm roles around the students are pretty hungry and it’s time for lunch. Now, at the schools here there aren’t any menus to be read off each morning so the students can decide what they want to have to eat. They don’t have chicken nuggets, pizza, hamburgers, or Fun on the Run! All they have for the students to eat is Ugali, beans, and bananas. Now, I’m sure a lot of you are wondering what is Ugali? I sure didn’t know what is was before I came here, but I have learned that it is the most common food eaten in Tanzania. Ugali is a type of porridge that has very little taste. It is not very expensive to make and it is filling so it works out well for many of the schools and villagers who don’t have a lot of money. It is made from maize that is ground into flour and then boiled in water. This meal of Ugali, beans, and bananas is the same meal the students eat everyday for lunch.
Come 7:00pm after a long day of school, studying, working, and playing sports the students are ready to eat dinner. Once again, however, the students here don’t have a choice in what they get to eat. And, once again, they are served Ugali, beans, and bananas! Every once in awhile students are provided spinach to go along with their Ugali.
This type of menu of Ugali and beans is very common in schools and in villages where families don’t have enough money to buy other types of food. For families that are able to buy other types of food they will often eat food that includes rice, ugali, a type of meat (goat, cow, pig, chicken, or fish), spinach, beans, potatoes, and bananas.
So next time you aren’t too happy with what the choices are for lunch, just remember that you are luck to have a choice on what to eat!
Until next time,
Derek
I hope the first month of school has gone well for you and you are getting used to being back in class!
I want to use this post to tell you a little bit about the differences in the food that students eat here and what you are used to eating in Minnesota.
The schools that I teach at are called boarding schools. Boarding schools are schools where students come from all over the country and live in rooms at the school for the whole school year. During their breaks is the only time they get to go back home and see their families. As a result, the schools here have to give the students three meals each day. This is a little different from the one meal that you eat at Cornelia for lunch.
Each morning the students are provided breakfast. Everyday their breakfast is the exact same, in fact, the students eat the same thing for lunch and dinner everyday too! For breakfast they are given bread, porridge, and tea. The students only have 20 minutes to eat their breakfasts before class starts at 7:00am.
Once 2:00pm roles around the students are pretty hungry and it’s time for lunch. Now, at the schools here there aren’t any menus to be read off each morning so the students can decide what they want to have to eat. They don’t have chicken nuggets, pizza, hamburgers, or Fun on the Run! All they have for the students to eat is Ugali, beans, and bananas. Now, I’m sure a lot of you are wondering what is Ugali? I sure didn’t know what is was before I came here, but I have learned that it is the most common food eaten in Tanzania. Ugali is a type of porridge that has very little taste. It is not very expensive to make and it is filling so it works out well for many of the schools and villagers who don’t have a lot of money. It is made from maize that is ground into flour and then boiled in water. This meal of Ugali, beans, and bananas is the same meal the students eat everyday for lunch.
Come 7:00pm after a long day of school, studying, working, and playing sports the students are ready to eat dinner. Once again, however, the students here don’t have a choice in what they get to eat. And, once again, they are served Ugali, beans, and bananas! Every once in awhile students are provided spinach to go along with their Ugali.
This type of menu of Ugali and beans is very common in schools and in villages where families don’t have enough money to buy other types of food. For families that are able to buy other types of food they will often eat food that includes rice, ugali, a type of meat (goat, cow, pig, chicken, or fish), spinach, beans, potatoes, and bananas.
So next time you aren’t too happy with what the choices are for lunch, just remember that you are luck to have a choice on what to eat!
Until next time,
Derek
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Classroom Differences
Hello Cornelia!
I hope your school year is off to a good start. You might remember me from last year if you were in one of the classrooms that I helped out in, or as that guy who always waited for the buses to arrive each morning. I’m already missing not being there this year, but I am having an amazing time in Africa.
Here in Tanzania I am teaching English and math, and I know each one of you is studying these subjects as well! In Tanzania however, the students have a much different experience in their classroom than you do at Cornelia.
One big difference is in the number of students in each class. At Cornelia, if you look around your class, there are about 24 other kids close to your same age. In my math class there are 58 students, and in my English classes there are 80 students! The students here are much older than you are too. The schools that I teach in are like a middle school (South View) but instead of being 12-15 years old like you will be when you go to South View, the students that I teach range from 15-28 years old.
The main reason why there are so many students in my classroom is because there aren’t enough schools and teachers in Tanzania. Often times students must travel 30-60 minutes to school, but there are no buses or cars to drive them so they must walk this distance. Schools try to accept as many students as they can because they know that if they turn down a student they might not be able to get an education.
The main reason why students are older is because education is not free. Students and their families must work to raise money so they can go to school. This is difficult because the average family of 4 here lives on only $5.00 a week. Many families and students must work for a long period of time to raise money to pay for school fees. If a family cannot afford to pay for the school fees then the kids are not able to get an education.
The classrooms are also very different. The classrooms here have chalkboards, bare walls, and rows of long wooden desks. There are only 20 desks so the students sit 2-4 per desk. It is very crowded. They don’t have any Tvs, computers, overheads, fans, or cd players. In fact, during the day there is no electricity. Many students have never used a computer before.
These are just some of the differences between the classrooms here and at Cornelia. If you have any questions about the students and their classrooms please leave a comment and I will try to answer as soon as I can. Every week or two I will try and post about some more of the differences between being a student at Cornelia and a student in Tanzania.
Derek
I hope your school year is off to a good start. You might remember me from last year if you were in one of the classrooms that I helped out in, or as that guy who always waited for the buses to arrive each morning. I’m already missing not being there this year, but I am having an amazing time in Africa.
Here in Tanzania I am teaching English and math, and I know each one of you is studying these subjects as well! In Tanzania however, the students have a much different experience in their classroom than you do at Cornelia.
One big difference is in the number of students in each class. At Cornelia, if you look around your class, there are about 24 other kids close to your same age. In my math class there are 58 students, and in my English classes there are 80 students! The students here are much older than you are too. The schools that I teach in are like a middle school (South View) but instead of being 12-15 years old like you will be when you go to South View, the students that I teach range from 15-28 years old.
The main reason why there are so many students in my classroom is because there aren’t enough schools and teachers in Tanzania. Often times students must travel 30-60 minutes to school, but there are no buses or cars to drive them so they must walk this distance. Schools try to accept as many students as they can because they know that if they turn down a student they might not be able to get an education.
The main reason why students are older is because education is not free. Students and their families must work to raise money so they can go to school. This is difficult because the average family of 4 here lives on only $5.00 a week. Many families and students must work for a long period of time to raise money to pay for school fees. If a family cannot afford to pay for the school fees then the kids are not able to get an education.
The classrooms are also very different. The classrooms here have chalkboards, bare walls, and rows of long wooden desks. There are only 20 desks so the students sit 2-4 per desk. It is very crowded. They don’t have any Tvs, computers, overheads, fans, or cd players. In fact, during the day there is no electricity. Many students have never used a computer before.
These are just some of the differences between the classrooms here and at Cornelia. If you have any questions about the students and their classrooms please leave a comment and I will try to answer as soon as I can. Every week or two I will try and post about some more of the differences between being a student at Cornelia and a student in Tanzania.
Derek
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Reply to Mr. Zetah's Questions
Response to Mr. Zetah:
Thanks for the updates! Sounds like it should be a good staff and a great year!
You asked some really good questions so let me get right to it:
What do your students know about America/What is their perception of living there?
My students believe that everyone in America is very wealthy and has many possessions. They will not believe me when I try to tell them that in America there are also many problems with crime, poverty, health, and education. They often argue and tell me that a poor person in America is much better off than a poor person in Tanzania. However, I’m not sure if this is always the case. I try to explain that because America is so developed there is a high cost of living and people do not grow their own food so they must rely on a job to pay for housing and food. As a result, when people cannot find jobs they are often left to live on the streets with no shelter or food. Here in Tanzania land is an abundant resource and, even though people here are poor in the sense that they make very little money, many are still able to self sustain themselves with food and shelter.
Also, because many of my students have never used a computer or been on the Internet before they don’t have any resources where they are able to get current events and other perspectives on different countries. Therefore, they rely on the few photo books that they have here that show only the beautiful landscapes of the United States.
What would your students love to receive?
Anything. Ok, that might be a little too broad. My students love to hear about America and see pictures and find out new things about the lifestyle. Some students found one of my bookmarks and had never seen one before so I’m sure they would love to have one of their own. They don’t have stickers here or paper to color on. I think they would be pretty fascinated with anything that I could tell them came from America.
What do I really miss from my usual daily routine?
This is a tough one. At first I missed being able to snack on food. My diet here is limited to about 10 different types of food (rice, ugali, beans, chicken, beef, pork, spinach, potatoes, bread, bananas, and eggs). Every now and then we might get spoiled with something a little different, but it’s usually the same food each day. But, I’ve started to get used to the food. I think what I miss the most is hot water. I’m fortunate enough o actually have a nice bathroom with a shower in my room, most people in Africa do not, but getting up at 5:30 in the morning and trying to take a cold shower is a little tough.
One thing that is really cool that people in America would like:
Besides the beautiful scenery and friendly people I think one of the coolest things is how the women here can balance a 5-gallon bucket of water on their heads while they walk. Very few roads here are paved and they are full of potholes and uneven ground, but it doesn’t seem to affect these women while they walk. No matter where you are going you will always see women walking with bundles of logs for firewood, buckets of water, or baskets filled with various items on their heads.
Thanks for the updates! Sounds like it should be a good staff and a great year!
You asked some really good questions so let me get right to it:
What do your students know about America/What is their perception of living there?
My students believe that everyone in America is very wealthy and has many possessions. They will not believe me when I try to tell them that in America there are also many problems with crime, poverty, health, and education. They often argue and tell me that a poor person in America is much better off than a poor person in Tanzania. However, I’m not sure if this is always the case. I try to explain that because America is so developed there is a high cost of living and people do not grow their own food so they must rely on a job to pay for housing and food. As a result, when people cannot find jobs they are often left to live on the streets with no shelter or food. Here in Tanzania land is an abundant resource and, even though people here are poor in the sense that they make very little money, many are still able to self sustain themselves with food and shelter.
Also, because many of my students have never used a computer or been on the Internet before they don’t have any resources where they are able to get current events and other perspectives on different countries. Therefore, they rely on the few photo books that they have here that show only the beautiful landscapes of the United States.
What would your students love to receive?
Anything. Ok, that might be a little too broad. My students love to hear about America and see pictures and find out new things about the lifestyle. Some students found one of my bookmarks and had never seen one before so I’m sure they would love to have one of their own. They don’t have stickers here or paper to color on. I think they would be pretty fascinated with anything that I could tell them came from America.
What do I really miss from my usual daily routine?
This is a tough one. At first I missed being able to snack on food. My diet here is limited to about 10 different types of food (rice, ugali, beans, chicken, beef, pork, spinach, potatoes, bread, bananas, and eggs). Every now and then we might get spoiled with something a little different, but it’s usually the same food each day. But, I’ve started to get used to the food. I think what I miss the most is hot water. I’m fortunate enough o actually have a nice bathroom with a shower in my room, most people in Africa do not, but getting up at 5:30 in the morning and trying to take a cold shower is a little tough.
One thing that is really cool that people in America would like:
Besides the beautiful scenery and friendly people I think one of the coolest things is how the women here can balance a 5-gallon bucket of water on their heads while they walk. Very few roads here are paved and they are full of potholes and uneven ground, but it doesn’t seem to affect these women while they walk. No matter where you are going you will always see women walking with bundles of logs for firewood, buckets of water, or baskets filled with various items on their heads.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Happy Summer!
Welcome Cornelia!
I hope everyone is off to a great summer. I know I am, but I sure am getting busy finalizing all the details before I leave to Hanga, Tanzania for the year. I wanted to start this blog by giving you a little information about what I will be doing while living abroad.
Hanga is a village of about 7,000 people. Almost everyone there is a farmer and relies on their crops and livestock for food. They depend so much on their farming because the average family of four lives off of only $5.00 a week. Within the village there is a monastery that has set up 4 schools:
Kindergarten and Primary School: 250 students
Secondary School: 470 students
Seminary/High School: 160 students
Vocational School (focuses on teaching auto mechanics, carpentry, bricklaying, tailoring, and plumbing): 80 Students
I'm not sure where I will be placed yet, but I will be teaching English or math at one of these schools. The classrooms are much different from what you are used to at Cornelia. The classrooms are about half the size of yours and there are usually between 50-70 students in one class! There aren't any TVs or computers for the kids to use or play games on. In fact for part of the year, there is usually only 3-4 hours of electricity for the whole day!
Besides going to class and studying the kids help in the gardens, build bricks for new buildings, help gathering eggs from chickens and milking cows, and when they get a little free time they love to play soccer (that part sounds a little like Cornelia).
I don't leave until the end of July, but then I have a little over a 24hour plane ride before I arrive in Africa.
I hope you keep checking back, as I hope to be able to update frequently while I am over there. Hopefully this website will give you the chance learn a lot about the different cultures and lifestyles of the students in Tanzania.
If you have any questions leave them in the comments section and I will try to answer them as soon as I can. I would love hearing from you!
Kwaheri (goodbye in Swahili, the national language)
Derek
I hope everyone is off to a great summer. I know I am, but I sure am getting busy finalizing all the details before I leave to Hanga, Tanzania for the year. I wanted to start this blog by giving you a little information about what I will be doing while living abroad.
Hanga is a village of about 7,000 people. Almost everyone there is a farmer and relies on their crops and livestock for food. They depend so much on their farming because the average family of four lives off of only $5.00 a week. Within the village there is a monastery that has set up 4 schools:
Kindergarten and Primary School: 250 students
Secondary School: 470 students
Seminary/High School: 160 students
Vocational School (focuses on teaching auto mechanics, carpentry, bricklaying, tailoring, and plumbing): 80 Students
I'm not sure where I will be placed yet, but I will be teaching English or math at one of these schools. The classrooms are much different from what you are used to at Cornelia. The classrooms are about half the size of yours and there are usually between 50-70 students in one class! There aren't any TVs or computers for the kids to use or play games on. In fact for part of the year, there is usually only 3-4 hours of electricity for the whole day!
Besides going to class and studying the kids help in the gardens, build bricks for new buildings, help gathering eggs from chickens and milking cows, and when they get a little free time they love to play soccer (that part sounds a little like Cornelia).
I don't leave until the end of July, but then I have a little over a 24hour plane ride before I arrive in Africa.
I hope you keep checking back, as I hope to be able to update frequently while I am over there. Hopefully this website will give you the chance learn a lot about the different cultures and lifestyles of the students in Tanzania.
If you have any questions leave them in the comments section and I will try to answer them as soon as I can. I would love hearing from you!
Kwaheri (goodbye in Swahili, the national language)
Derek
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