Well, today marks the end of my first full week in Morogoro. So far I am loving it!! The family is great, the food is good, the housing situation is good, the teaching gets better every day. While I was running today, I was thinking about how I'm going to be here all the way until June. Right now, that seems like such a long time, but it's only a few months. I'm only just now beginning to make my place here. Soon I will be making real friendships with people and I will have a real sense of belonging here, but that's still coming. Right now, I'm still an outsider.
People stare at me as I walk by and I wonder what they think of me, an upbeat smiling white woman. I especially wonder what they think when I'm walking over to the International School to run (I've only been over there to run twice now-yesterday and today), but I really stand out with my pony tail, wearing my running shorts, t-shirt and running shoes. All the women I pass have short hair, and are wearing long skirts (to their knees or longer) and nice shoes. Although, I was told by the pastor's daughter that it would be fine for me to wear my running clothes out and around, I am very self conscious (more so then I've ever been in my life). Although, I guess I've never had so many people outright stare at me at once.
Well, now that I have rambled on, I've decided for the blog just to walk you through a day in my life here in Morogoro.
During the week, I wake up at 6am. I do my yoga routine for about 30 minutes and then get dressed and have breakfast. Breakfast is 2 pieces of plain, un-toasted bread, with jam on them put together like a sandwich and maybe some hotdogs. (maybe they're sausages, but they look and taste like hot dogs, haha). School starts at 7:30am, and it's only about a five minute walk from the house, so we leave sometime around 7:25. Assembly lasts about 10 minutes and then classes begin at 7:40am. The students stay in their classrooms and the teachers cycle through to teach their respective classes. There are 9 40-minute periods throughout the day in addition to a 20-minute break. I teach only English 5, 6, and 7, so I have plenty of time to sit around and lesson plan and grade. I've had SOOO much grading to do (and it's really my fault for not realizing I had to grade daily). For example, today I spent about 3 1/2 hours grading and only an hour and a half teaching. I was so exhausted after grading so much, but I feel rather accomplished now and on top of things!! YAY!! Right now, though, we get out early (at 1:40pm), but in February, we will have to stay longer to help the students who are struggling and need extra assistance. Thus, there is no lunch break and we eat lunch when we get home.
After lunch, (at least this has been so for the last few days) I have been making strong efforts to get my laundry done. It takes a while because you really have to scrub the clothes in the soapy water, then you have to rinse them in the clean water (which you have to trade out occasionally because it gets too soapy), and then you have to wring them out and hang them on the clothes line. Each day I got about 1/3 of the laundry done and it took about 45 minutes - 1 hour each time. You may thinking that I brought too much laundry, but really I did not. I only have about 5 skirts and about 15 tops (including my running shirts and t-shirts) in addition to my towels, bras, and underpants (which yes, they get hung out on the line too for everyone to see...oh well, haha). I haven't even worn everything yet and yet it still feels like it takes me FOREVER!!! I takes a whole day for the laundry to dry, so I bring the laundry in at night in case it rains and then hang it out again in the morning. After laundry, I exercise (either karate in my room or running at the International School). Then, I return to my room where I blog, read, journal, skype, or whatever else I feel like doing. Dinner is around 8:30/9pm-ish and I am always starving by then (I'm soooo glad that I brought some granola bars and Luna bars with me. I wish I had brought more!!!! Someone please send me some!! HAHA!!!!) After dinner, a member of the family reads two chapters from the Bible (someone different every night. Tonight is my night!!) and then discusses what it means to them. Then we pray together and go to bed at about 10:30pm. Of course, I still have to shower and lock down my room (meaning locking all the doors, moving one of the heavy chairs in front of my front door and closing the curtains to the windows. Also, I lock up all of my "important things" in my backpack and sleep with the keys tied around my waist. I'm not too afraid of anyone breaking in and taking anything (although the household helper did run away the other night, so I'm being extra cautious). There are so many safety measures that the family takes: they have multiple doors with multiple locks in addition to the locked gate outside. Also, there is a night guard. I'm not sure that anyone could get it (knock on wood) if they tried. By the time I finally go to sleep under my bug net, I am exhausted and promptly pass out. Just more for your information, not that you probably care too much, but I don't sleep with any sheets because it is so warm here. It's summer and the weather is a lot like summer in Louisiana: VERY hot and VERY humid (although it's not so humid as Dar es Salaam) and there is no air conditioning. It's actually not as bad as it sounds because there's almost always a breeze.
Well, that is a day in my life here in Morogoro! Hope you are having a wonderful week and have many exciting things planned for your weekend!!
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the filed grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?...Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:28-31 & 34
Love, peace, and blessings,
~Christine
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