Update!

 I’m really sorry for this recent hiatus I unintentionally took from blogging.  Rather than wasting time with excuses, I’ll just fill y’all in on the past few months. 

      Where did I leave off?  I suppose Mafia.  The trip to the island was an amazing- time to catch up with other PCV’s, long lazy days on the beautiful beaches, a few jaunts out to the sea in some of the locally, handmade dhows, an impromptu swim with a 14 foot whale shark and a refreshing revisit with Tanzanian coastal culture.  Not sure why, but I always find myself unexplainably drawn to village life on the coast, and it’s surprisingly not because of the paradisiacal environment.  Sure, who doesn’t love being surrounded by turquoise oceans, white sands and palm trees swaying in the salty breeze, but I believe it’s the culture that I feel so connected to.  I think it’s the laid back, carefree vibe you get from locals, the mouth-watering cuisine- in coastal communities they add coconut milk to everything from beans to fresh fish to rice- and even the dialect.  The Swahili language actually originated along the coast and to this day the coastal peoples speak their language with impeccable diction and grammar.  Even the building style is intriguing to me.  All houses are quaintly constructed of mud with tall thatched roofs made from palm fronds.  I felt this same attraction to the coast when I lived in Tanga and as much as I love my village in Singida, I oftentimes feel that my heart remains in the part of TZ that runs along the Indian Ocean.

   Nyika, my puppy, is growing faster than kudzoo.  He’s a big hit with my villagers, as he now knows how to “sit, come, give high-fives, lay down, and roll over”.  I’m certain he’s the first trained dog they’ve seen so he’s quite the entertainment these days.  Of course, I’m always worried about him.  Tanzanians are notoriously abusive to animals and disease, snakes (namely mambas and cobras), etc. make for a pretty tough life for dogs here.  Whenever I leave, Nyika is supposed to stay at Joe’s but I’ve been getting disturbing reports from the neighborhood kids that sometimes at night he wanders by himself back to my house.  Not good considering the local hyena population.  But we’ve been lucky so far and for that, I am thankful.

      My family and I have now finalized plans for my trip back to Alabama.  It’s official, I’ll be coming home for my brother and Sara Beth’s wedding in November.  So exciting (a detailed itinerary for visits to various BBQ joints is currently in the works).

      I’ve done some traveling in the past few months also.  I was asked to attend a PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) workshop in Dar es Salaam.  It was followed by a Training and Design Evaluation workshop.  It was exciting to have a hand in how future volunteers will be trained upon arrival to Tanzania and I was grateful for the opportunity to offer my input. 

      My work in Ihanja continues as locals say “pole, pole” (PO-lay PO-lay or “slowly, slowly”).  I have not had to teach for the past month.  All secondary schools are on break.  I have high hopes for the chicken project despite the few snafus we’ve encountered.  The grant I wrote went through and the banda is finished but we’ve had to hold off on buying the first chickens due to a chicken disease epidemic that has swept the area. 

 The OVC identification project is kind of on hold until the chicken project has a better hold.  I continue teaching every Monday to the mamas at the Health Centre.  I feel myself getting more and more comfortable each time I teach and I really enjoy it now.   I’m currently teaching them how to make homemade oral rehydration salts (ORS) as diarrhea (and consequential dehydration) from waterborne diseases is responsible for thousands of deaths each year.  Each time I go to the health centre, I always stay after I teach to help weigh babies, another one of my favorite jobs!  My next big project will be a collaborative effort between nine PCVs in the surrounding area.  We will be hosting a girls empowerment conference at the end of September in Singida town.  We’re all very excited about this and are working hard to make it amazing!

      Also exciting- my boyfriend, Nathan, was able to come to TZ for a visit!  It was great.  He was here long enough to spend a pretty significant time in Ihanja.  He got to meet all my friends, taste the local fare and see my work in the village.  He even received a Kinyaturu name.  Now all the kids that play at my house ask me everyday when Manyunchwi is coming back!  They miss playing with him.  We also got the chance to spend about a week climbing.  So much fun!

      Celebrity status has hit Ihanja.  One of the neighborhood kids had his picture published in Issue #38 of Urban Climber magazine (check it out at http://www.urbanclimbermag.com/themag/finishhold/train_as_hard_as_this_kid/).  When Nathan came he brought the magazine to show villagers.  When little Ben saw himself in an American magazine, well, he couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear.  It was a very special moment.  His mom actually slaughtered and cooked a chicken for Nathan!

      I believe that catches us up, for the most part.  Next week I’m off to Morogoro, a beautiful little mountain town, with Joe for a community theatre workshop.  Should be fun and helpful.

      As usual, thank you for all the continued love and support from home!