Michael Without Borders

Cultural Tour

2010-01-06T07:30:00.001-08:00

When most people think of going on vacation in Africa, they think of going on Safari. There is, however, a large cultural tourism industry - at least in Tanzania. Often these programs will show you what village life is like and try to show you a bit more of Africa than just the tourist hot spots. I decided to take one - mostly because I wanted to see the Kolo-Kondoa Rock Paintings - and below, I'll explain all about what I did:

I started my tour by taking a bus from Arusha, Tanzania down to the village of Kolo. What should have been a 6 hour drive on a mostly dirt road, turned into more than 10 hours because the bus broke down. Eventually my guide and I made it to Kolo where we had to postpone our hike to the ancient rock sites until the morning (it was too dark). When we did go to the rock paintings (which were pretty neat when we finally got there, though not as impressive as I had thought they might be) my guide got lost about four or five times. His English was not to great so it was hard for him to communicate to me what the problem was (though he kept saying "The problem is...").

Because we got lost, we missed our bus connection to the next town (Kelema). Though it sounds sketchy, the guide managed to get us a ride on a truck. It was actually a nice experience.

We got in fairly late (and were delayed due to security issues having to be sorted out for where I was staying (there was no lock or door where I was to be sleeping, even though I was promised both). We weren't able to do much that night, so we had dinner and went to bed. I got to stay in a house with no electricity or running water, but it was survivable.

The next day we went for a walk to a water project. Basically it was a hole in the ground, but in the future it would be fitted with a building and a pump for the community. Unfortunately, my guide didn't know much about it and couldn't really answer my questions (and even if he did know about it, his llack of English might have prevented him from answering). We also visited some teachers and walked around a lot that day.

Afterwards we caught a bus to another town (Kondoa) where I was put up in a hotel and given "time to rest" for the whole afternoon.

The next day I took a tour of the town which included seeing a natural spring, visiting an orphanage (where the children were extremely well cared for), and touring a market. The next morning I took a six hour busride back to Arusha.

As you may tell from my writing, I was not completely pleased with this tour, and will dedicate a whole post to that (mostly as a warning for anyone wanting to do a cultural tour). However, I want this one to be about what I did (since when I actually did things it was somewhat interesting.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the tour: 1) The bus was stopped like this for hours while we waited for a bolt to be driven from the nearest town, 2) A "river" near Kolo - it has been very dry recently, 3 and 4) some of the rock paintings near Kolo, 5) A family near the water project. As I arrived, they were all working the soil (I don't know the exact word). Even the older man and women were doing this physical labour. 6) What I was told was a Christmas Tree. Um... 7) These trees were grown by a women's cooperative in Kondoa and sold to peoplel. There were a large number of trees, including many fruit trees. 8) The very friendly and cheerful children at the orphanage.

Ngorongoro Crater

2010-01-03T06:47:00.001-08:00

Despite the name, Ngorongoro is not actually a crater, but a collapsed mountain or caldera. It is approximately 17km by 21km and about 600m deep. There is a very high concentration of wildlife inside the crater and the scenery is in general incredible. We saw a lot of animals here (though I didn't get video or pictures of the coolest thing we saw - hyenas making a kill) and I took some decent pictures.

Anyway, here they are: 1) Entering the crater early in the morning, 2) Zebras, 3) Flamingoes, 4) More birds, 5) Zebras close-up, 6) It could be my desktop picture, 7) The elephant that came by when we got out of the truck (notice how we are back in the truck). It came pretty fast. 8) A second elephant that walked past us. Notice the scared workers behind it. Those two animals were HUGE. 9) Crested Cranes, 10) A view of the crater on our way out, 11) A buffalo we saw as we were leaving, 12) Our cook Juma (left) and guide/driver (Bariki). These two guys were incredible and did an outstanding job.

Oldupai Gorge

2009-12-25T04:04:00.000-08:00

Located between Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Oldupai Gorge is a fairly famous archaeological site which has given a lot of information as to our origins. During my safari we made a stop here at the museum and we learned a bit about the Leakeys (Mary and Louis) who spent decades there, uncovering many fossils that are millions of years old and may be from our ancestors.

Most people call it Olduvai Gorge, but we were told by the guides at the museum that it is actually spelled with a "p" and not a "v" and that we should clear this up when we got back home. Not surprisingly, we also learned that many of the names given to places (and animals) in East Africa have errors in them due to mispronunciations by early Europeans.

Here are some pictures of the gorge:

Serengeti National Park

2009-12-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

After a long delay, I am finally back and will be able to post a lot in the coming week or so. It will take some time as I have to sort through a lot of pictures and do many other things upon my return to Canada. However, here is the next set of pictures.

The Serengeti is probably the most famous of any of the national parks in Africa. After having spent two days there, I can understand why. It consists of several different areas including wide open plains, rivers, and forests. The biggest draw is the wildebeest, of which there are apparently over 2 million in the park.

Some descriptions to go with the pictures: 1) Ostriches, 2) A view of the plains, 3) Lizard, 4) Hyena, 5) Wildebeest crossing the road, 6) Cheetah, 7) Thomson's Gazelles, 8 and 9) A huge herd of wildebeest and some zebras, 10) Vultures, 11) Rainclouds in the distance, 12) I can't remember the name, maybe it is a Bushbuck, 13) Elephants, 14) The sunrise on the second day, 15) Lions eating their kill, 16) Vultures and a Maribou Stork scavenging, 17) A big puddle on the road, 18) A few of the seventeen jeeps crowded around a leopard (it never got close enough for me to get a pictures, but I did get some video which may be coming in a few weeks when I get the time to edit it), 19) Isn't the Serengeti gorgeous? 20) A bird (very common there, but I don't know the name), 21) Basketweaver Birds (I think) and their nests, 22) Lions sleeping, 23) Giraffe.

Lake Manyara National Park

2009-12-13T00:51:00.000-08:00

The first stop on my safari was Lake Manyara National Park. Here are some pictures I took. Please note that I don't have a great camera and thus some of the animals are small. This park was by far the hardest to see animals in, so expect better pictures and more wildlife when I can get to posting pictures from the rest of my trip.

1) The Hippo Pool. 2) Giraffe. 3) Warthog. 4) Elephants. 5) Zebras. 6) Dik-diks. 7) Some birds (our guide told us the name, and it was at this point that I said I wouldn't remember all the animal names - looks like I was right in this case). 8) The view of the park from our campsite which was on the top of the Rift Vallety Escarpment (which is much more impressive than the Hamilton "mountain"). 9) Baboons with a baby (there were thousands of baboons in this park). 10) A vervey monkey (look closely, yes, they are baby blue).

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-12-08T06:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I was recently on two long tours where I was out of Internet range, and since then I have not had very good connections - the speed has been slow. Of course, most of what I want to post is pictures from my tours and now my time in Kigali, Rwanda (including pictures of the real Hotel Rwanda, a.k.a. Hotel des Mille Collines).

Anyway, I am hoping to have some time in a good cafe when I get to Uganda on Thursday (or on Friday). I promise that eventually things will get done and pictures (and video, but that will not happen until I return to Canada) will be uploaded.

Just know I am safe and having a good time. I hope everyone at home is the same way!

Leaving on a (Propeller) Plane

2009-11-27T04:14:00.000-08:00

Today I left the blue water of Zanzibar and flew to the green of Arusha. It was the smallest plane I have ever ridden in by a long margin (only 21 seats including the two pilots, but 5 of them were empty). The ride started off surprisingly smooth, but when we went through the clouds it was a bit rough. In the end I survived and made it to Arusha.

Tomorrow I am scheduled to start an 9-day tour including 4 national parks, 3 different UNESCO World Heritage Sites and a lot of driving around. I won't be able to post for over a week, but hopefully when I do return I will have a lot of nice pictures to share.

Here are some of the flight (including the plane and the pilot reading a newspaper):

Pictures of Stone Town

2009-11-26T21:53:00.000-08:00

Here are some random pictures of Stone Town and my hotel:

Spice Tour

2009-11-26T21:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went on a spice tour in the middle of Zanzibar. Along with 10 other people (from Holland, Belgium, Germany, and the U.S.) I was shown many different spices and how they grow. We were also shown many different fruits that grow on the island and were given a chance to taste all of them (amazing for the most part). After a nice local meal, we set off to see a cave where slaves were kept by Arabs after the British abolished the slave trade in 1873. From there we took a short walk to a beach where we got to relax in the water for about an hour.

This tour was not as exciting as the one I did the day before, but it was still interesting and very relaxing.

Here are some pictures from the day: 1) nutmeg, 2) Jackfruit, 3) cardamon, 4) one of our guides with natural dye from one of the plants, 5) a pineapple, 6) vanilla, 7) an old bath house, 8) one of our guides climbing up a tree to get coconuts, 9) our delicious lunch, 10) the slave cave and 11) the beach.

Forodhani Night Market

2009-11-26T21:34:00.000-08:00

If you ever go to Zanzibar and are wondering what to eat, my first suggestion to you would be to go to the Forodhani Night Market. It's pretty easy to find (it's on the waterfront in a nice park and many people go there when the sun goes down). There are a number of vendors selling: sugar cane juice, various seafood, Zanzibari Pizza (kind of like an omelet in chapati, but you can also get them with banana and chocolate/nutella), and many other things. The cost is pretty low and the food is pretty good. Here are a few pictures of the market at night:

Dolphins and Monkeys! Oh My!

2009-11-26T06:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went on a tour that let me swim with dolphins and see monkeys playing in the forest. Needless to say it was an incredible experience (ever been within arms reach of a dolphin in the ocean?) The animals were so calm and the experience was so surreal. For reference we swam with the dolphins at Kizimkazi Beach and saw the red colobus monkeys (which can only be found on Zanzibar) in Jozani Forest. Also included in the tour was some snorkeling near a small reef and a great lunch.

Below are some pictures but since I have limited Internet time, I will not label them. Sorry that you can barely see the dolphins. I couldn't take my camera in the water and the best views were straight below us while swimming. (more pictures to be added soon)

On to Zanzibar

2009-11-24T07:58:00.000-08:00

After a long two days that involved: a bus ride to Dar, a short debrief session, saying goodbye to a large number of people at the airport in two different trips, a walk around town looking for books, and a ferry ride, I have finally arrived at the first stop in my 30 day journey. I am staying in Stone Town in Zanzibar. Stone town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (one of several I am visiting on my trip) and is basically a very old town with unique architecture and maze-like streets.

In the coming day or two I will try to come back and get some more Internet time so that I can explain more and put up nicer pictures.

I don't have much time left at the Internet Cafe, so I am just trying to upload some pictures from today. 1) The view of Dar from the ferry dock. 2) The view of Dar as the ferry pulled away. 3) Some boats docked off of Stone Town. 4) and 5) Some buildings in Stone Town. 6) The view from the restaurant where I ate dinner tonight (Amore Mio). 7) A dhow sailing behind children jumping off boats into the water during sunset. 8) A typical Stone Town street.

Goodbye Morogoro

2009-11-22T05:09:00.001-08:00

In less than twenty-four hours I will be getting on a bus headed away from Morogoro for good. With that, it’s time to say my goodbyes. My eight weeks here have been interesting to say the least. The best way to describe it is the answer I gave to a question on one of the many forms I’ve recently had to fill out. The question was: Describe in a few words, your experiences here. My answer: Challenging, frustrating and full of learning opportunities. At first glance my answer seems a bit negative, but only if you don’t think about it.

When I came here, I knew it would be hard. In fact, I wanted it to be hard. What would have been the point if this experience had been easy on me? I did get what I wanted, though at the time, I was not always happy about it. Now that the end is very near, I realize that this has made me a lot tougher. Difficult things at home will seem a lot easier and when bad things happen, they probably won’t seem as bad.

I’ve also made a few good friends here and have become used to a way of life. That all changes tomorrow. I am a bit sad to leave, but I feel that I am ready to go. I’ve done what I came to do and now it’s time to move on. It’s definitely something that will remain in my thoughts in the years to come. Here are some of the things I will think about:

Things I’ll Miss

The friendliness of everyone
The mountains that can be seen from town
The friends I’ve made
Seeing the effects (however small) of my work
Trying to learn Swahili and actually being a little successful (though not as much as I would have liked)
Bucket Baths (surprisingly, I kind of like these)
Being sweaty and that being a normal thing

Things I won’t miss

Ugali
Oppressive heat in the middle of the day, every day
The dust
Getting punched by little kids who want to give me five but also hurt me

So what happens now? If you’ve been reading for a long time, you would have read all about my travel plans. On Monday, the bus will take us to Dar where we will have a short debrief session during the day. At night most of the other volunteers take off for Canada. The next day the last volunteer leaves (Evan and I get to spend a night in Dar together) and I will find my way to Zanzibar where I will begin my vacation. From there it is on to Arusha and a Safari, then to Kigali, Kampala, Jinja, Nairobi, Paris and after 30 days of traveling, back to Ontario.

Though this is the end of something, it’s also the beginning of something else. I’m excited, scared, nervous, anxious, worried but also ready for the coming weeks. Look back to this space to see how my travels are going and to hopefully see some pictures of the animals I get to see!

But for now, I say my goodbyes to Morogoro. So long and (no) thanks for all the ugali!

Food. Part II

2009-11-22T05:04:00.001-08:00

I already wrote about the foods that I have been eating here, so this post will discuss where the food comes from and how it is cooked.

Local Foods (Market)

The majority of the foods that are eaten here are grown locally and sold locally. There are not many large grocery stores (there aren’t many small ones either), so most food is bought in open air markets or in small dukas (shops). Tropical fruits are very cheap here (even with the inflated mzungu price I often get) and I’m really going to miss them (well, I won’t miss bananas, we get decent bananas back home). Generally, this reliance on local foods seems like a very good idea to me, though I’m sure here it’s done out of necessity rather than choice. Still, I think the food I eat is much healthier (i.e. it has more nutrients) than food from back home.

Imported Foods

Despite an abundance of local produce, there are still many places where you can buy imported and processed food. The majority of the imported food seems to come from South Africa or the Middle East (Oman has been seen on several labels). There are very few brands that North Americans would recognize (Coke, Pepsi, Snickers, etc.). My homestay family does not seem to eat a lot of process and/or imported foods.

Food Preparation

Cooking food in Tanzania is a very different process than in either Canada or Korea. There are no stoves or ovens here (at least none that I have seen). Usually, a family makes a fire with charcoal (in a special container whose name I’ve forgotten or was never told). The food is cooked in pots on top of the burning coals. Like many other things here this often takes a long time. Once, we made pancakes for one of the family’s here and we spent over 2 hours and only made about 25-30 very thin and small pancakes (but boy were they good).

Swahili Update

2009-11-22T05:01:00.000-08:00

When I came here I had big plans of being semi-fluent in Swahili or at least to be able to hold a decent conversation. I didn’t (and still don’t) think it was a stretch to say I could have been as good in Swahili as I was in Korean (Korean being a much harder language with more and greater differences from English). Due to several factors, that has not been the case.

With the loss of my computer, I lost both byki and Rosetta Stone so I no longer had a virtual way of learning. Those two methods were both extremely helpful in teaching me vocabulary and I was able to use the new words in everyday discussion. Without that though, I didn’t get the words with which to practice the language. I borrowed a book from the YCI office, but that was very dry and moved quickly and was all over the place.

Time was also not easy to find to practice the Swahili I did know. Often we were busy during the day (or not in the mood to study) and then at night it got to be bedtime very quickly – since dinner is so late here.

That being said, I feel like I have picked up a bit and I have been able to ask simple questions of the children living in my homestay. I am confident with numbers and have a bit of a grasp when it comes to directions. I’ve been able to figure out what some people are saying – though, as Godfrey pointed out the other day, I only needed to understand one word to know what they were talking about.

Swahili is a language which seems to be spreading (Makho told me many people want it to be used in other countries nearby since pretty much all of East Africa uses it now) and perhaps it will be something I can spend some time on. Living in Canada I need to work on my French, since it is pretty bad. I also want to keep up the Korean I had learned since I was starting to become very comfortable with it. When I tried working on three languages at one time it proved very difficult. I might just take them one at a time. We’ll see where life takes me and how much free time (i.e. will I get a job?) in the near future.

Local Wildlife

2009-11-21T06:03:00.000-08:00

When people think of animals in Africa, they generally think of lions, elephants, giraffes and other big game. Though I’ve been here more than seven weeks, I have yet to see any of those animals. The truth is that in the villages and towns, there is a different set of animals that you will see on a frequent basis. Here is a short rundown of the animals I see pretty much every day.

Farm Animals

Food production and sale is a major source of income for many people here, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that there is livestock almost everywhere. The most numerous animals are chickens. On pretty much every street we walk down, we see chickens, many with a large troupe of chicks following behind. We’ve even seen one set of chicks painted purple (my guess is to prove who owns them). It is also not uncommon to see goats tied up somewhere and grazing on grass. Cows are seen occasionally on the side of the road eating the grass, though sometimes we’ve seen them being driven down the road. Ducks are less common, but we do see them occasionally. They look different from the ducks I’ve seen in Canada. They are a bit bigger and mostly black with some red.

Critters

Life wouldn’t be complete with critters. There are many insects that I see every day. The most obvious (and annoying) are the mosquitoes. There are at least two different kinds here (black ones and brown ones) that I have killed. Beyond mosquitoes there are also thousands of ants. Often they mass in large groups when there is food somewhere. I keep my snacks locked up in plastic bags.

There are also the usual spiders (some very big ones) and other flying insects. There definitely seems to be a large variety here – moreso than back home. The common housefly is, not unsurprisingly, very common here and can be very annoying when they keep landing on me (especially when I do my laundry).

The least friendly critters, however, are the cockroaches. Usually I don’t see them unless the power goes out and even then I only see them outside (except for the one I saw in my room a few days ago and tried to scare away but had to kill when it kept coming at me). They are pretty big - my estimate would be about 5-6cm. They like the dark and most of them do scatter away when I shine my headlamp at them.

The picture is actually of a very tiny praying mantis that we saw on the office screen door yesterday. You might be able to tell, but it is a bit small.

Lizards

Most people would not like the fact that there are many lizards here, but I think they’re pretty cool. There are a large number of types of lizards here, some more common than others. I’ve had four now in my room: two of them were really tiny (and one was on the inside of my mosquito net). They come in a variety of sizes and colours. I’ve already included some pictures previously so I will not add any in the future unless I find some nice looking ones.

Flying Animals

There are a variety of birds around here. Most common are the tiny brown, white and black birds I’ve seen almost everywhere I go (sparrows?) and black crow-like birds. Also, if you pay close attention at night, you can see bats flying around.

Pets

I don’t think many people actually own pets here, but I have seen a few dogs and several stray cats. The cats look a little more like the wild cats of Africa (other people disagree with me, but I stand by my views). Generally the dogs are all similar, though we saw some tiny white yappy dogs at a restaurant owned by a Canadian.

Obviously there are more animals here, but this is just a snippet. In a few weeks I will post some pictures of your more sought-after African animals

Garbage and Waste

2009-11-21T03:32:00.001-08:00

Unlike in Canada and Korea, there does not appear to be any government run garbage collect here in Morogoro (and from what I’ve heard from our friends there, not in Zanzibar either). In my house, we put our garbage in bags outside near the front of the house. I’m not sure exactly what happens to them afterwards, but it is not uncommon to see garbage burning as I walk down the street. There are piles of ashes everywhere to show these spots long after the fires are out.

The garbage that does not get burned up, just finds it’s way to the side of the road. There is a huge litter problem here and there are some places where there are just mounds and mounds of garbage. Also, I frequently see people just dropping their garbage on the ground. To be fair, it’s probably no different from back home, except we just put the garbage somewhere where we can’t see it. Here it’s on display.

For the most part, there doesn’t seem to be recycling either. The only thing that I’ve seen is that the pop bottles (called soda bottles here) are collected when they are empty. In some places you can return a small number of them (I think it’s 3) to get a new pop. Plastic bottles are reused by many families to store bath water, oil and other food items as well – and I’ve also seen children make toy cars out of the small bottles.

Another thing I have not seen here (though I have been told in some places it is done) is composting. I am actually pretty surprised that a lot of the food waste gets burned along with the rest of the trash. It seems like a potential money maker and a good way to help increase soil productivity (which is what I was told about – that some people collect the food waste and sell the dirt afterwards). My only thought would be that a compost pile here would attract a lot of pests (though for a compost pile, that’s not necessarily a bad thing). Perhaps that is something to consider (maybe I should talk to my family about that…) for here.

What to do in Morogoro if you’re bored…

2009-11-21T03:19:00.000-08:00

I will be very honest: Morogoro is not Seoul. There is not nearly the same number of things to do here that there are to do there, and this has caused me a lot of time thinking about what I can do. I have, however, found a lot of things to help fill the time.

Books/Movies

This can be tough if you didn’t bring your own books (or had them stolen) or computer. Lucky for us, the YCI office has a small collection of books (even some I had been wanting to read) which we borrowed and spent some time reading. As for movies, there are a few options. If you have a laptop you can buy DVD’s at stores that have many English movies. The quality is low, but they’re passable and easy to watch. There are also places you can go to that will play VHS or DVD movies for a small price. I haven’t been to them, but you can see them everywhere. Some people also have VCR’s on their TV’s here and can watch movies whenever they like (well, if the power is on).

Though it’s not the same, you can also watch European Soccer Games on television here or in bars for a price. I haven’t done this, but it is a very common thing here.

Playing Pool

This is something I’ve seen around a lot, but hadn’t tried until a few weeks ago. The price for a game of pool near my house is 200 shillings which is roughly 20 cents. Not bad. The quality of the tables is not always great (but not bad) and I think the balls are smaller. There are a lot of people here who are good, so usually I play one game, lose, and that’s it. It is something that is fun to do though, and I plan to go back a few more times before I leave Morogoro.

Swim in a Pool

There are a couple of hotels in Morogoro (Oasis Hotel and the Morogoro Hotel) that offer swimming in their pools for a small fee (3 or 4 thousand shillings). We have gone once (many weeks ago) to the Morogoro Hotel. It was a nice afternoon, but not nearly as cheap as the other things on this list (plus we had lunch there and that was much more expensive than the food in town).

Disco/Live Music

There are different types of places to go out to at night if you want to hear music or dance. I’ve been to a few of both. There are some places where you can sit down and get a drink (alcohol, pop, etc.) and listen to people playing live music and others dancing to it. There are also some places where they play a lot of dance/hip-hop, etc. music where you can go and dance. We went to a disco on Saturday night. It was fun, but I was surprised at how empty the place was. Generally you have to pay for the discos, but you can go and watch the music for free (or the cost of the pop).

Climb a Mountain

Also, since there is a huge mountain right next to the town, you can obviously climb that or go for a hike there. I’ve already talked about that here and here, so I won’t mention it again.

There are things to do here, but obviously not as many things as you would find in a bigger city. At times I have been bored, but I have also had a lot to do at other times. It takes some getting used to, but if you look hard enough, there are several options to fill your less active moments.

What Now? or The Full African Experience

2009-11-19T21:24:00.000-08:00

This week I was able to add another item to the list of things I survived in Africa.

The Short Version: I got Malaria on Monday but now I am fine.

The Long Version: On Monday afternoon I started getting a headache and my legs became very sore. As the day progressed, I started to develop a fever and lose my appetite (right after I had ordered a nice, expensive meal). I texted Makho and later that night he stopped by and brought me to the hospital. They pricked my finger with a needle (not so fun) and thirty minutes later told me I had malaria. It was actually a relief to find out the problem was malaria because it's treatable and I wouldn't have to come back to get more tests done.

The doctor gave me a variety of pills to take (8 of one kind, 10 of another) and sent me off. I had to find food that night because my stomach was empty and I wasn't supposed to take the pills with no food. That in itself was an ordeal (it was about 10pm), but I got my food, took my pills and in the morning I felt better.

Later Tuesday morning, however, my stomach started to ache. It quickly became very painful and soon I was writhing on the floor in agony. Eventually threw up and after a few more waves of pain coming on, it was all gone. Since then I've been feeling pretty good and have been able to do all of my duties (except for Tuesday when I stayed home). I'm still not feeling perfect, but I continue to slowly improve.

The moral of the story: Malaria isn't so bad if you catch it very early and treat it. Also, you can still get malaria if you take anti-malarias (but I knew those both already).

Programming Part VI: Faraja Support

2009-11-16T03:22:00.001-08:00

The Program

Faraja Trust Fund is a major partner of ours in Morogoro (our office is in their office) and we do a lot of work with them. The idea of this program was for us to provide support in several capacities to Faraja. There were several tasks that we were to be asked to do: 1) help with updating their website; 2) Help with creating and editing an English newsletter; 3) Help with finished a project that was started in the last phase that revolved around students taking pictures and writing stories to go along with them); 4) Doing general office work.

My Job

Before I even left Canada, I was asked if I was able to help with the website. Though my skills are somewhat basic (just take a look at Michael Without Borders), I offered to help in any way I could. I was also asked to help out with office work. The other two projects have yet to start (and since it’s our last week here, I doubt they will).

Challenges and Successes

This program has been pretty much non-existent. We never got a response from the previous web developer so I was unable to even try to help with updating their website. The English newsletter never materialized, and the stories were all in Swahili and not yet translated so we couldn’t do anything with them. On two occasions I completed some office work (and Nicole helped out as well), but that was more than a month ago. Since then, all three of us have asked repeatedly if there is work for us to do and every time we get told to “Come back next week.” So that’s where we stand.

Though this program is far from glamorous, it was something that I was in a small way looking forward to. It was something tangible that I could help out with. I’m a little disappointed that we were unable to do the work, but on the flip side, I don’t think it’s the end of the world.

Sports in Tanzania

2009-11-15T05:24:00.000-08:00

It is almost incorrect to label this post as “Sports in Tanzania.” It would be more accurate to name it “The Only Sport in Tanzania” because really, there is only one that people follow with fervour. If you didn’t figure it out, it’s Football. No, not the CFL variety. The football they play in the World Cup.

For starters, almost everyone here seems to play it. There are makeshift fields with wooden goal posts with a short walk of anywhere in the city. When you talk to anyone, they either play currently or used to play. It’s somewhat scary to see some of the children play here. Their skill level is high and could best most of their peers in Canada. And if that’s not impressive enough, many of the people play in bare feet and sometimes sandals.

There is also a lot of interest in the European leagues here. Because Africa shares many timezones with Europe, it is very easy to follow all the games here – unlike North America where most of the games are on early in the morning. Many people have jerseys of their favourite team (seeing all the Chelsea jerseys – whose sponsor is Samsung – makes me feel like I’m back in Korea).

I always get asked who my favourite team is (I always answer FC Seoul, but no one has heard of them) and they are baffled when I tell them I don’t really follow European Football. They ask if I know of all these famous football players (happily I have heard of some of them, so I don’t feel completely stupid) as well.

I don’t think Tanzania is still in the running for a spot in the World Cup Finals next year, but they certainly like their football here. It’s been interesting to see how big the sport is here compared to how much it is relegated to the “other” section of the sports pages and sportscasts back home.

Of course there are other sports here (Basketball is played in places, even though I’ve yet to see it). Someone was also trying to teach some students at the Street Side School how to skip so they could go to a competition in Mombassa, Kenya. But to be honest, there is only one major sport here and it is a fact that is hard to miss.

Weather and Climate in Morogoro

2009-11-15T05:19:00.000-08:00

Before I begin discussing the weather and climate here, I should note that I have only been here seven weeks and that is not really a good sample size of what the weather is like here, so read this post with that in mind.

When we first came to Tanzania, it was very hot and very dry. There was a lot of dust everywhere. I had heard that rain has been scarce throughout the country in the last few years and a lot of greenery has died off because of that.

Generally, days were very hot and sunny with a few clouds. Most people rest and stay out of the sun from about 11 until 3 or 4 (my estimate). Walking home for lunch (and then back into town after) can cover me in a lot of sweat. It’s kind of gross, but everyone here is sweaty all the time, so it’s not that big of a deal.

The mornings and evenings, however, are generally quite cool, though I would not go so far as to say they are cold – which some locals would try to tell you. If it weren’t for the mosquitoes that come out then, it would be a very nice time of day.

Soon after we arrived, we were told that the short rainy season (which typically begins in November) would arrive early because of the El Nino effect. A few weeks into my stay, we started to get some brief spurts of rain. It would come down for a few minutes. Sometimes it would be hard. Sometimes it would spit. We had about a week of rain and then a couple weeks of a lot of sun. This week we had a couple of pretty big downpours. I read somewhere that there have been landslides triggered in Tanzania due to the large amounts of rain that have been falling after such a long time without them.

For about a day after each big rain, it gets a little humid here and the dust dies down. But due to the heat, the water evaporates and the dust comes back very quickly.

These rains will likely (according to my friends here) continue to December or January. Then from March to May there will be a lot of rain. I’ve been told that sometimes the downtown streets completely flood at that time. After those rains, it’s pretty dry again until the fall.

Lately the weather has been cooler and I’m hoping this continues for my traveling (which starts in just over a week!). Hopefully the rains don’t pour down on me when I’m camping.

Anyway, that’s a brief snippet of the weather and climate here. It is by no means scientific and based solely on what I’ve seen and heard from people who live here.

Programming Part V: HIV/AIDS Outreach

2009-11-14T05:22:00.000-08:00

The Program

With a local drama group, YCI puts on three different types of outreach programs to educate about HIV/AIDS. The three types of events are: Rural Presentations (within an hour and a half drive from Morogoro), Secondary School Presentations, and Talent Shows (usually around Morogoro). At these presentations the drama group along with YCI presents a lot of information, entertains the crowd (with lots of interaction) and often demonstrates how to put on a condom (if the community or school allows it, and obviously with a banana).

My Job

Since most of the presentations are in Swahili, my involvement has been minimal. Our biggest task is to do pre and post surveys to compare the knowledge of the audience before and after the presentation. We also help out in various ways during the presentations including: being in the skits, holding signs, speaking about HIV/AIDS in Canada (with a translator) and generally offering up advice when necessary. Another important job we did was to do the condom demonstrations. We also attend a drama club practice once a week to liase with them and to practice any skits we might be doing that week.

Challenges and Successes

Generally, this program is the one that reaches the most people, so it is pretty successful right there. We have, however, had many challenges with this program. At various times we have had problems with: getting a power generator, a truck driver backing out at the last minute, the DJ being late, the music not working, schools switching the date on us at the last minute and just general confusion.

That being said, at the end of the day during each of the presentations we did, everyone was happy and all the information we wanted to deliver was delivered. Despite the problems we were successful and made things work the best way we could. The YCI staff are very experienced here and would not take no for an answer (with all of the above problems). Also, on almost every question we asked during the presentations we saw an increase in correct responses from the pre test to the post test. There were still some questions that the audiences had trouble with, though a lot of that might have had to do with shyness or feeling uncomfortable with speaking about these things.

All in all, though it was frustrating at times, these were very good programs which are attempting to help educate over a thousand people a month about HIV/AIDS.

Pictures: 1) The drama group getting ready for one of their skits at the first rural outreach in Kiloka. 2) Some girls dancing at the first talent show in Mazimbu. 3) Nicole performing with the drama group in Mazimbu. 4) Godfrey and Makho playing a game with students at the first secondary school presentation at Mgulasi School. 5) A female student rapping at the second secondary school presentation at Nanenane School. 6) The crowds at our second rural outreach in Dumila. 7) Someone performing a comedy routine in Dumila. 8) Some of the drama group members singing at our second talent show in Mafisa.

Mountain Climbing: Part Deux

2009-11-14T04:04:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago, I managed to convince Gasto to climb the mountain behind town with me. This time, instead of stopping at Morningside we went to the communications tower at one of the peaks. It was a long and tough hike (Gasto told me that it’s harder than Kilimanjaro, but obviously shorter), but we made it to the top in four and a half hours. I was surprised at how cold it was at the top. I took a lot of pictures on the hike and here they are. Unfortunately, it was very cloudy at the top and we didn't really have a view from there.

1) The beginning of the forest as seen from below. These trees are huge. 2) A butterfly. 3) The dense forest we hiked through. 4) A tree on the edge of the mountain. If you look closely you can see the level of clouds BELOW the tree. 5) A millipede There were many on the path. The longest one was about 10-12cm by my estimation. 6) The last part of the climb. You can see the gate to the area where we rested. 7) The communications tower and building. I would not have wanted to be the person who had to carry up all of those materials. 8) The three of us before our descent. 9) - 13) Various pictures of the town from the mountain during our descent.

Religion in Morogoro

2009-11-13T23:23:00.000-08:00

There are two main religions in Morogoro: Islam and Christianity. I have seen a Hindu temple, but generally the two I mentioned are the main ones here. There are many churches and mosques around and often you can hear the call to prayer at various times throughout the day – sometimes we are woken up in the mornings (which is a more common experience for our friends volunteering on Zanzibar).

Though there are large groups of people who in other parts of the world could not coexist peacefully, the people here have found a way and there seems to be no problems (at least none that I can see) between the two religions. People frequently ask us if we are Christian or Muslim (and consequently get baffled when we tell them neither).

So far, none of us have gone to church with our families, though we have been told that the shortest service here is Catholic and lasts for 3 hours. Even if I wanted to go to church, I probably wouldn’t go for that long.

Religion seems like an important thing here for the people, but it’s not something that causes major problems. Though, like I said above, this is from my perspective and I don’t know what’s really going on…

Another Set of Pictures

2009-11-13T22:33:00.000-08:00

Here is another grab bag of pictures from my stay here. 1) I thought some people might find this funny (you know who you are). 2) It's blurry because the light was fading and I didn't want to use a flash, but this is a very large load of baskets balanced on a bicycle. This is typical of how people transport things around here. 3) Gasto with his Hallowe'en costume and "candy." 4) Melissa with some children (at playday). 5) Ilimara (a girl who lives in my house) showing us here dance moves. She likes the camera a lot. 6) Mee-gook lang-gwi-chi seu-kool (hahaha). I have seen many bags with Korean writing on them. I think the green bins go directly here. This one was from one of our Outreach events. 7) Pouring rain at the Faraja office. 8) My street at night. This picture was the best one, but it doesn't do the view justice. 9) Nicole and Melissa doing Good Governance (actually this was us waiting to meet with the Headmaster of the school - this was before all the problems we had with starting this program).

Programming Part IV: Good Governance

2009-11-11T22:47:00.000-08:00

The Program

YCI has developed 7 modules to train students in good governance. The modules deal with many different topics, including what good governance is and some problems that can affect a nations ability to be governed well. About 30 students are offered the chance to go through our training (which in this case is about 5-6 sessions and potentially one or two field trips) to get a certificate of attendance.

My Job

My job is twofold. Along with Melissa, I helped prepare a pre and post questionnaire, implement it and mark it to check if students learned a lot from our course. Luckily for us, previous volunteers with YCI had already done this and minimal modifications were made.

The second part of our job is to help teach the class. Godfrey is always present and offers help with translating when necessary, but many of the students speak English quite well and we have so far been able to understand most of what is being said. Our job is to deliver some information and lead the students through activities which will hopefully generate meaningful discussions and allow students to gain the confidence needed to actively participate in the way their town and country are run.

Challenges and Successes

The biggest challenge to this program was just getting permission to start it. Originally Godfrey had confirmed everything with the headmaster of the school. When we went after exams were finished to double check that the times were ok, we were sent to two other teachers who were very skeptical of our project and made us come back several times to make sure that we weren’t going to teach any bad things to their students. Eventually, though, they saw the modules we were going to be presenting and were very pleased with the material. I’m glad that this worked out and we were able to start, but it is a good example of how difficult it can be sometimes to do things here in Morogoro.

When we did start, the class went fairly well, if a bit rushed due to us starting late. Some of the students were very involved and loved to speak a lot. It’s nice to be able to discuss things like governance with young people who are willing and eager to participate in public discourse.

One challenge we came up against was that a lot of students recognized the problems their communities are facing, but many didn’t feel like they could do something about them now. When we asked what they could do many of the responses we got were about what they would do when they were older. I’d like to think that by the end of this class we will inspire a few of them to take action on issues that are important to them and to give them the confidence to feel like they can make a difference.

Below are pictures of the students performing skits.

Cultural Differences

2009-11-11T22:39:00.000-08:00

Being from Canada, I have noticed many cultural differences between there and here. Most of them are pretty small, but some can often be a bit jarring at times.

Most people in Tanzania (and I’m pretty sure all of East Africa) eat with their right hand only. It is considered an insult to eat with your left hand. Though I won’t go into exact details why (I know at least one of my family members will have a smile on his face about this), it has to do with what they use their left hand for. Shaking hands or waving to people with your left hand is apparently a bad thing too, though we have mistakenly done that many times and have not had any problems.

Greetings are an important part of life here. When we walk down the street, many people will greet us randomly. The thing is, though, that greetings can go on and on for a long time. Those of us in Morogoro have developed a quick reaction to most of the greetings that get thrown at us. Some of the Tanzanians we’ve met even seem to think it’s funny to throw as many at us as they can. We also get laughed at often for not knowing the correct greeting. Once, in retaliation, we tried it in English with many different greetings.

People here are also mostly laid back. There is not really a sense of urgency when it comes to getting something done, getting somewhere or just in general. Sometimes that attitude is nice and relaxing and at other times it can be very frustrating when we only have such a short time here.

To be honest, these are all gross generalizations. Obviously there are people who are extreme in the above cases and people who do not fit them at all. These are also only three things I noticed and I’m sure that given more time I could come up with a better picture.

We Went To a Soccer Game. Oh… you mean a Football Match.

2009-11-11T22:29:00.001-08:00

In my first four weeks in Morogoro I have twice been to a football match (I once asked about any soccer games and people were very very confused). The first was a local game. There was a local under-17 team playing a team made up of some policemen. There were hundreds of fans at the game, lining the sidelines (which were not really defined). The U17 team was very skilled and was doing well considering the police had a size and age advantage. Whenever the U17 team scored, the fans went crazy, running onto the field to celebrate and dancing on the sidelines. Near the end, the police team thought they tied the game but the ref called back the goal. Some pushing of the ref ensued and the crowd rushed onto the field. The game was called and we left very quickly so as to not be involved in the growing soccer riot (sorry, football riot).

The second game was at Jamhuri Stadium and was less well attended – probably because admission was charged. The game was more formal with sidelines and three refs (the first did not have linesmen). The game was interesting, but lacked the appeal of the crowds going crazy for every goal. I got to try some sugar cane at the game (see the picture). You chew on it to get the liquid out and then you spit out the solid bits when it doesn’t taste so sweet. I didn’t see if this game ended in a brawl as we left before it ended.

Obviously soccer is a big sport here in Tanzania, but that’s another post for another day. Here are some pictures of the two games: 1) The first game. The police team is in yellow. Notice the crowds. 2) Some children sitting near me at the game. 3) Fans running onto the field after a goal. 4) Sugar cane. 5) The second game (notice the lack of crowds). 6) The view of the mountains from the stadium.

Programming Part III: Street Side School English Class

2009-11-11T22:20:00.000-08:00

The Program

Four days a week, Gasto teaches English at a school to help students catch up to their peers. It allows them to condense four years into two. Gasto teaches with very little resources, often just a chalkboard and chalk. The students range in age from about 10 to 16 or 17. Many are poor and often miss class because their parents need them to work to make money. Of about 45 students enrolled in the class, only 15-20 show up on a regular basis.

My Job

Since this is a long term project, my job (along with Nicole) is to assist Gasto in any way we can. We observe him in class twice a week and offer suggestions as to how to be a more effective teacher. We also spend some time talking to Gasto about his plans for teaching as well as help him make tests to give to the students. We are also going to be helping Gasto write a report for this project, which is essentially his and not ours.

Challenges and Successes

There have been many challenges facing Gasto and the class, besides the ones mentioned above. Gasto, though a very willing and enthusiastic volunteer has never been given the chance to learn from any teachers, thus he has a lot he can improve upon. He has, however, taken many of my suggestions and has even said that he feels like he is improving. Gasto has the right attitude and the patience to be a very good teacher. I hope that I am able to give

him a little push in the right direction.

A wide range of abilities of the students is also a big issue. Some students are able to read well, while others cannot read at all. Gasto has been working very hard with the whole class to improve these abilities.

We have noticed a large change in the classroom from day one, though there are still many ways in which things can go smoother. I hope that I am able to share with Gasto some of the things I have learned in my few short years of teaching. I also hope to learn from him, since I am a firm believer that everyone has something to offer (at least in the field of teaching) and that even the students often teach the teachers.

Robbery Update

2009-11-07T06:24:00.000-08:00

It’s been more than four weeks since I was robbed in the middle of the night and I thought I’d share what’s happened since. There was a period where it seemed like the police were doing nothing, but about two weeks ago, we started to get promising information. Several times, we were informed about people being arrested who were involved in the crime. Hope that my things would be returned started to increase. However, as time went on, the police stories started sounding more and more alike: “We’ve caught someone. They know where your computer is. We just need two days to go get them.” Then two days later we would go back and the story would be the same, except it would be a different person that they caught. Some of my friends here say that the police are very corrupt and will not do anything about it unless I bribe them. Others say they are working very hard. I’m not sure what to believe. I have contacted the Canadian High Commission and I think I will get them to make an inquiry on my behalf next week – if I can get the police officer’s name and number that is.

As for how I’m doing without my things, the answer is quite well. Yes, I miss being able to read my own books, or use my own computer, but for the moment I have found alternatives (YCI has many books I can borrow, and I have use of their computer with which to type emails and blog entries, etc.) I’m not sure what I will do about that once my volunteering is over and my traveling begins. I have replaced what I need to replace so far and am going to replace other things when they are needed (for example, my travel books which were to help guide me on my trip).

I have also had some good news from home. Many of my items are covered under my insurance with Mastercard. Since many of the things were stolen recently, I will likely be able to be compensated (at least financially) for the things I lost. Luckily for me, this also includes my computer.

I hope to be able to dedicate a third post to this topic (if/when the police are successful), but I am not holding my breath. This was a difficult thing to deal with (especially so early into my trip and not having even read many of the books that were taken), but I have survived and when I go home, everything will be replaceable. That’s the important thing – though I definitely would be happy to get a call from the police saying they need me to come in and identify my things.

Poetry Inspired By My Food

2009-11-03T21:50:00.000-08:00

Ugali - A Haiku

ugali

white tasteless mush

given to me every single day

I hate it

Ugali, Ugali

Ugali, ugali

Why must you torment me?

What have I done to thee?

I only came to this place,

To help the human race.

But here is where I met you,

Now, whatever will I do?

Ugali, ugali.

Every day I hope to find,

Something that will put my mind,

At ease when it’s time to eat,

Maybe some rice, maybe some meat.

But here is where I met you.

Now, whatever will I do?

Ugali, ugali.

Every time I see my food,

I hope and hope and then I brood.

I hope that when the lid comes off,

There might be some stroganoff.

Or even plain rice would be fine.

But, no, those foods won’t be mine.

Ugali, ugali.

When I see your lumpy white mush,

I get the urge to stand up and rush

Right out the door and run away.

I hope that soon will come the day,

When I can eat real food again.

That doesn’t make me go insane.

Ugali, ugali.

You will be the end of me.

You don’t believe? We shall see.

Nutrients, where have you gone?

There are more of you in my lawn,

Than in this awful, awful dish.

Not eating ugali is my one big wish.

Ugali, ugali.

Why do you torment me all the time?

So much that I write so many lines.

One day I will be far from here

And my dinner plate will be all clear

Of you and all your kind,

And that will give me peace of mind.

Communication in Morogoro

2009-11-03T01:39:00.001-08:00

There are many ways that people communicate using technology in Morogoro, though they aren’t exactly the same as back in Canada or Korea.

Cell Phones

Despite the fact that other basic services are not always present (electricity often cuts out, water shuts off every day at a certain time, washrooms are more basic than other places), cell phones are almost as ubiquitous as in Seoul (ok, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but most people have them). I have yet to see a land line (though they probably do exist somewhere). Most people buy a SIM card and then have to buy vouchers to put on their phone (I don’t think anyone has a monthly plan or a contract, but then again, I’ve only been here 5 weeks). The cost of a text is about 60 shillings (5 cents), though talking is a bit more expensive. I don’t really have many people to call, so I don’t know much more about them.

Internet Cafes

If you want to use the Internet here, odds are it will be in an Internet café. I don’t think there are many home connections, though the YCI office has one and many offices probably do as well. It’s not hard to find a café and the typical price is 500 shillings for a half hour or 800-1000 shillings for an hour – pretty cheap when you think about it. There are many viruses on the computer that like to jump to memory cards and flash drives, but generally the Cafés are pretty good. Sometimes they are slow, but if you look hard enough you can get a good connection. It was rumoured that you could also connect with your own computer, but since I don’t have mine at the moment, I cannot check that part out.

Televisions

Televisions are not as common as back home, but they are around and not that hard to find. Most houses use antennas to watch television, though some other establishments (like bars, restaurants) have much clearer reception. VHS videos are also popular here and some places sell bootlegged DVD’s (15-30 movies per disc) that can be played on laptops or DVD players.

Radios

The radio is big here. It’s probably one of the most popular forms of mass information. Many people have radios and listen to them for music, news, sports and many other things. Often, music can be heard (at least in my house) blaring very loudly throughout the day (often more than two or three tunes can be heard at the same time).

Newspapers

There are many papers in Morogoro and even some English ones. However, I have not been paying much attention to these and am not sure if they are read a lot (I don’t see many in my neighbourhood).

I’m sure there are other ways of communication, but these are the ones that stand out most to me and my experience here. If I left out anything major (for the other volunteers reading this, or perhaps the YCI staff) let me know and I will revise my information.

Programming Part II: Play Day

2009-11-02T06:24:00.000-08:00

The Program
Once a month, Faraja Trust Fund runs a play day at their Home Based Care Center for youth living with HIV. About 50-60 children come for a stigma-free play environment as well as a cooked meal and some supplies to bring home. Older children are also given a chance to discuss HIV and learn about their disease. One goal of the program is to help inform the young adults and to help their confidence. We also took them swimming in a mountain river to give them a chance for a social outing.

My Job
For our time here, October 31st was the only Play Day that would be happening. Since we do not plan the day, our job is basically to act as support for the kids. YCI provides some toys to play with and people to play with the children. We also went to the river (The Rock Garden) with the older children and swam with them for a bit.

Challenges and Successes
By far the biggest challenge is playing with children who, according to my assumptions, have done nothing to deserve living with HIV/AIDS. Even just thinking about children with serious diseases makes me angry and upset so I was a bit worried about my emotions during the day. Most of the time I was able to just absorb myself in the games and to play with the children. When I wasn’t playing, however, I often thought about the challenges facing these children and it made me sad. I’m glad though, that I got a chance to make their lives a little more enjoyable. It’s easier for me to deal with it by thinking that it’s about quality of life, not quantity.

I had also been worried that I might be afraid to play with the children or that a freak accident would end up with me getting infected. I don’t feel happy that I felt that, but I am being honest (maybe something I shouldn’t be doing in a blog). Those worries quickly disappeared when it came time to play though. I took several pictures of the children (though not so many of them swimming since, being poor, many were not wearing more than their birthday suits) playing which are here below.

Pictures: 1) Micah (YCI Country Manager) helping some children skip rope. 2) Me and some children relaxing for a bit. 3) Gasto and Godfrey leading the older children in a team-building activity (I think it was the human knot). 4) Several children colouring and playing on the mat. You can see some of the caregivers in the back. 5) Some children I was throwing a ball with. They really like the camera. 6) Godfrey talking to the older children. 7) Some of the children with the sodas we provided. 8) The pools where some of the children swam and played.

Washing Clothes By Hand

2009-11-01T21:58:00.001-08:00

Since electricity is so expensive (and similarly, so are washing machines), pretty much everyone here washes their own clothes by hand. I’ve brought enough clothes so that I only have to do mine once a week (I could probably get by with twice every three weeks, but it’s easier to have a day to do it). I’ve done it five times so far, and I’d like to think I’m getting better at it.

Normally, I take about two hours to go through the clothes I wore in a week (plus any sheets or towels). Some of my friends here say it takes them only 30 minutes to an hour to do theirs. They laugh at me when we talk about how long it takes. I have, however, been getting better and sometimes I finished within an hour and a half. I was pretty proud that week.

Anyway, it’s a pretty simple process, involving three bins or buckets. The first two with soapy water (using the laundry soap I brought from home) and the last filled with just water.

No one really showed me how to do this, though Maka helped a bit the first time and I have had many offers of help from the ladies of the house (which I have politely declined, since I want to do the work myself). My first step is to put about 5-6 items in the first bucket and the soak them and wring the out several times. This gets all the dust out (the water is very brown by the end of all my clothes) as well as any other sweat or other non-stuck-in-there dirt. When one piece of clothing is finished, I transfer it to the next bucket. For socks, I put one on each hand and scrub them with each other. They are often very dirty and I made the mistake of only bringing white socks.

The second bucket is for spot cleaning. I do all the trouble spots (the waist, the collar, any places where I spilled food, etc.) by taking a part of the clothes in each hand and rubbing fast. Once finished here, I wring out the dirty water and put the clothes in the third bucket to rinse them. I do the same thing with the socks as I did before. I usually have an assembly line going for all of my clothes, transferring one set of clothes to the next bucket as they are finished. When they clothes have been in the third bucket for some time, I wring them out and hang them up.

Since it is so hot here and not very humid, the clothes generally dry within a few hours (a bit less for the thin material and a bit long for thicker things).

I also scrub my shoes (they get very dusty here) at the same time.

I’ve found that washing clothes can be very time consuming (there are clothes hung out almost every day at my house), but the work is somewhat rewarding. That being said, I probably won’t be doing this a lot at home, but maybe if I am bored and need to fill a day (and want to save a bit on the electricity bill).

Programming Part I: English and Computer Class

2009-10-26T05:13:00.001-07:00

The Program

Twice a week for two hours, vulnerable and unemployed youth are offered free English and Computer classes. Currently we have two classes. The first has already had a 13-course session to learn basic computer functions and the second is a brand new class, many of whom have never had the chance to even touch a computer. Each class gets one hour for English and one hour for Computers

My Job

Along with Nicole, I am responsible for teaching the computers section of this class. We have used the previous volunteers’ reports to prepare curriculum and we have a translator (Gasto) to help us when language becomes a difficulty. Our main goal has been to have our students become familiar with computers and for them to learn a few things that they can do with them.

Challenges and Successes

The biggest challenge we face is that the students have next to no knowledge about computers. Some have had a little experience, but most are starting from scratch. We wanted to be able to teach the students many different things about computers and have the practice as much as they can. We are finding, however, that due to lack of familiarity with computers, it takes a long time to do simple tasks. Typing speed is the biggest issue and that is compounded by language difficulties (i.e. they need to look at every letter on the board or a handout and then find each letter on the keyboard). We have taken a few steps to help our students become more familiar with the keyboard (we have copies of the keyboard on paper and have had them “type” with them) and we have seen some improvement. Despite the slowness, just the opportunity to even try to type is a huge step for many of these people.

Another challenge (and you, the reader, COULD do something about this) is that we do not have many computers. The most we’ve had in one session was four, but we usually have at least 10-15 students per class. At times, because of battery depletion, we have had one operating computer in the classroom. If you know of anyone who can donate laptops, please contact YCI and they will gladly help you. Even if it were a gift of money to help buy one used computer, it would still do more benefit to the people here than you could imagine. We are also looking to get a projector for the future which would make teaching computers much, much easier since we would be able to show everyone in the class without having to have the huddle around one small screen.

All in all, though we are facing challenges, we have definitely seen an improvement in several of our students. They are more confident using the computers and are able to complete the tasks we give them more quickly than before. I was told that two previous students in these classes have found jobs. Since that is the goal of this project (to help people develop employable skills), I hope that this type of success can continue.

Meet the YCI Staff

2009-10-25T05:37:00.001-07:00

Working with YCI in Morogoro, there are three main people that Melissa, Nicole and I work alongside. Two staff members and one volunteer.

Makho has been with YCI the longest of anyone here. Though there is no hierarchy, if there was a boss for Morogoro, he would be it. He does a lot of the behind-the-scenes work for all of our projects and communicates with the YCI country manager (in Zanzibar) who in turn communicates with the Toronto head office. Makho is also involved directly in a few of our programs, mostly the HIV/AIDS outreach (he has twice been an MC). He also takes care of many other volunteer issues, such as making sure our families are feeding us properly and not having us make wallets that need to be on the streets of Beijing by 10 am next Tuesday.

Godfrey deals with us volunteers more often and helps us coordinate with our local contacts when doing programs. He is directly involved in several of our programs and often acts as a translator. He also deals extensively with our homestay families and in particular has been very active in dealing with the police and helping me find information about my case. Godfrey is relatively new to YCI but plays a big role in working with the volunteers.

Gasto is a fellow volunteer but is from Morogoro. He is involved in many of our programs, often in very important roles. He teaches an English Class that Nicole and I assist with. He helps us teach our computer class (by translating and offering help to our students who are always asking questions). Gasto is also a key member of the drama group whose practices we attend once a week and who are a big part of all of our outreach presentations.

With the help of these three (and many others who help us out from time to time), we are able to complete the tasks we are asked to do. Without their help we’d be fish out of water. Beyond what I described, they help with any number of issues that we may have living and working in Morogoro.

More Pictures

2009-10-24T00:37:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from my life in Morogoro. They are somewhat random and definitely not in any sort of order, chronological or otherwise. 1) Some strange mists coming off of the mountains (it rained shortly after I took this picture). 2) Peter, one of the little boys who lives at my homestay. He does not seem to like me very much. Usually when he sees me he cries or runs away as fast as he can. Notice that he is wearing a fleece. If the temperature drops below 25, it's apparently winter time here. 3) A lizard. 4) Gasto was mad at me because I didn't do his homework. Luckily, someone took the machete from him soon after they took this photo. 5) Some dark and ominous clouds slowly coming over the mountains. This was a few hours before the first rain of the season. 6) An inspirational t-shirt I saw someone wearing at one of our events. 7) Ants. 8) The mosquito net/bed in my homestay room. Notice how I am keeping many things nearby when I sleep.

Hope you enjoyed these pictures. More posts should be coming soon (loading pictures takes a long time, but I have a few posts ready to go).

Transportation in Tanzania

2009-10-21T04:15:00.000-07:00

There are many ways of getting from point A to point B in Tanzania, though they are not all exactly the same as they would be in Canada or Korea (the two places I have the most experience with). Here’s a quick and short overview of all the options that you have in and around Tanzania. I should also note that Tanzania (being a former British colony) drives (and walks) on the left. This can be very confusing at times because I always think the cars are coming from the opposite direction that they really are. I’m slowly getting used to it and I haven’t been hit yet.

The Heel-Toe Express* (Kutembea)

This is the most popular form of transport in Tanzania. I use it as much as I can because it’s the cheapest and probably the best for my health. Many other Tanzanians choose this, but due to the slowness of this method of transport, it often gets replaced with one of the following in the event that someone is in a rush (which doesn’t really happen all that often here, but there are other reasons for avoiding this particular mode of transport). Not recommended to be used at night alone (even in a group it can be difficult to see)

Dalla-Dalla

Quite possibly the symbol of transport in this country. A dala-dala is pretty much a small passenger van set up as a bus. They are cramped, hot and falling apart (some of them, to be fair, many are in quite good condition). The rides are bumpy but the upside is they are a cheap form of transportation (only 250 TSh – about 20 cents Canadian or 250 won). They also go to pretty much every where I need to go. When I’m in a rush this is what I’ll take. Not a recommended form of transport after dark.

Taxi (Teksi – sounds like “Tex”)

Basically the same deal as back home, but you have to negotiate the price beforehand as there are no fare boxes or whatever they are called. More expensive than a Dala-Dala, but they are still very cheap (about 3000 shillings from town to my ‘hood, 2.50 Canadian, 3000 won). Also, they are a much safer way to travel at night.

Motorcycle Taxi (pikipiki)

Same idea as a regular taxi, except you ride on the back, usually without a helmet. Not recommended for the faint of heart.

Bicycle (Baisikeli)

Apparently you can rent bicycles here. I don’t think I’ve seen many cyclists with helmets here (as in Korea and other places I have visited outside North America). I have yet to try this and am a bit afraid because of the throngs of people and seeming lack of traffic rules. It seems a good enough way to get around if you can brave the streets.

Private Cars

Though there are way less here than in other places I’ve lived, there are still several privately owned cars, as well as many larger trucks (compared to Korea where the small blue truck with goods to sell on the back rules the neighbourhood roads). This is not really an option for the average Tanzanian, but it is a mode of transport so I added it here.

Long Range Bus

Nicer than a city bus back home, but not quite as nice as a Greyhound or Go Bus in Canada and definitely not as nice as the buses in Korea. Usually these go from city to city in Tanzania. They are cramped but the windows open for a nice breeze. The trip we did from Dar Es Salaam to Morogoro took about 4 hours with no bathroom breaks. I will be taking much longer bus rides in my post project travel so hopefully those ones do stop. Not too expensive. For a trip to Dar from here it is about 6000 TSh (approximately 200km).

Ferries

I have yet to ride the ferry to Zanzibar, but will after my volunteering. It’s either $35 or $50 US and takes about 2 hours. Apparently it can be choppy, but the arrival into Zanzibar is apparently absolutely gorgeous.

Airplanes (Ndege)

I will give more info on this when I actually take one within Tanzania, but there are several small airlines that go between cities. I have a feeling they are small propeller planes. Lucky me.

That’s about all I can think to talk about when it comes to transport. I hope this was educational.

* For those who don’t understand this reference, it means walking (and Kutembea means to walk)

Pictures!

2009-10-18T05:15:00.000-07:00

I finally found a replacement for my USB cable for my camera and am now able to share some pictures that I have taken. Most of these are from my homestay family. 1) Maka in the sitting room (I'm not sure who that is beside him), 2) Looking from the back of the house to the front, from just outside my room, 3) Looking towards town (and the mountains) from the yard where I brush my teeth, 4) A stampede through a street near my house, 5) the view down the street in from of my house - usually it is not this desserted, but full of children, adults chickens, bicycles, motorcycles and cars, 6) James and I, 7) A friend I had in my room for a day or two, 8) The outside window of my room (if you look close enough you can see the brick sized rectangle they cut out on the bottom of the right hand side).

Food in Tanzania. Chakula.

2009-10-18T05:13:00.000-07:00

Breakfast
Since I’ve been here, my breakfasts have been pretty much standard fare, with some small variations. Every day we have tea. I’m not sure exactly what kind of tea it is, but it’s not bad. I don’t have sugar in it, but I think everyone else here does. With the tea I usually get some sort of bread product. Among the various things are: plain bread and butter, chapati bread, and mandazi (dense like a bagel, but sweet like a donut, and in the shape of a ball or square). Lately, I have started topping my breakfast up with some peanuts bough from local stands.

Lunch and Dinner
The second and third meals of the day vary a bit more than the first, though often they are the same on any given day. Generally, there is some sort of starch. The two main ones are rice and ugali. Ugali is described as “dense porridge” but looks like mashed potatoes (or rice cakes) and doesn’t really taste like much. It can be filling and good if it is accompanied with something tasty. It is definitely not my favourite but it is sufficient when you’re hungry. I know my colleagues on Zanzibar have not had the pleasure of having this day in and day out (I can’t believe they’d complain about having rice every day) but I know Melissa and Nicole are not fond of it.

Usually with the ugali or rice there is some sort of vegetable. Often it is beans and spinach (or some other green, leafy thing). Cabbage and carrots or tomatoes sometimes make an appearance as well. Occasionally I get some sort of meat. Most often it is fish or beef, though I think I had chicken once.

Every now and then, I will get something without rice or ugali. I got potatoes in a tomato sauce once and then got cooked bananas another day.

Usually the later meals come with fruit. Usually this is bananas (if you’re wondering, the day I had cooked bananas, uncooked bananas were the side – I won’t be potassium deficient for a while), but I have also had oranges and watermelon, and Nicole and Melissa have had papaya.

Eating Out
Often I cannot make it back to my homestay for lunch, so we eat at a local restaurant. The options are a bit more varied than home. We can get chips (which are basically potato wedges) on their own or cooking in an egg. We can also get some meat on a skewer (not quite the same as the street meat in Seoul, and a lot of it is really just fat), as well as the same foods we have at home, with a bit more variety in the vegetables (and sometimes the meat is cooked in a tomato sauce/salsa).

There are a few places to get more gourmet food, but that is mostly Indian or Chinese and we haven’t had a lot of that.

Drinks
Though I can’t remember the last time I actually bought and drank a whole pop back home, I have had quite a few here. I have become somewhat addicted to Mirinda (made by Pepsi). It’s basically fruit flavoured pop (called soda here). My favourite is Pineapple, which incidentally I had for the first time my second last night in Korea. Other than that, I basically stick to water, which – if you buy it in the 12L jugs - is super cheap, though a bit heavy to carry.

Snacks
I had originally brought several clif bars and other snack foods, but alas, they were stolen so I have had to improvise. I can get small crackers and the above mentioned peanuts for really cheap and am currently looking for other snack foods to help supplement my diet (hopefully nutritious ones).

All in all, the food here is decent and I’m getting by. I definitely have to remember to take my multivitamins (I actually just replaced the ones that were stolen from me – and I got ones with ginseng from Korea – 18 months there without trying it and it takes me going to Tanzania to do so). I’m not starving by any means, though a bit more variety would be nice. I shouldn’t complain though. I feel healthy (surprisingly I haven’t really gotten sick in the almost three weeks I’ve been gone) and this is only temporary. Some of the food is even very enjoyable.

My Homestay

2009-10-14T05:12:00.000-07:00

Since I’ve been in Morogoro, I’ve been staying in a homestay with a family and eating most of my meals at the home. The place here is very different from something that you would find in Canada. For starters, the number of people living here is much larger. Though I have not counted, my estimate would be about 15 to 20 people in this house.

The main people that I live with are Maka (He is the English speaker of the house, though he is still learning and communication can at times be difficult. I’m also pretty sure that he doesn’t really live here), his mother a.k.a. Mama Maka, and Eva (not really a sister, but that’s what they call her). There are also several people who rent rooms, but I don’t know their names (remembering names has been a problem for me here, since I have met so many people and don’t interact with them frequently or in situations where I need to know their names). There are three little boys in the house: James (the oldest at about 3), who smiles at me and will answer me if I ask him questions in Swahili, Peter and Abdul (the last two are pretty much terrified of me). Generally everyone here is nice and when my stuff was stolen, they were very supportive.

The house itself is large, but very basic. There is a wide hallway down the middle from the front to the back. At the front of the house there is a sitting room where I usually eat my meals. Along each side of the hallway are the rooms. Mine is at the back of the hallway. As I was told before I saw the room, I have a roof, but not a ceiling. In theory, I could throw a ball all the way to the front room of the house, since the walls do not go all the way up to the ceiling. I have a lock on my door and since the robbery I have think wooden boards on the windows (which were previously just mesh and cardboard).

I have a soft bed and a fan, table and chair in my room. The floors and walls are just concrete, but not too dirty. I have a light and a power outlet, though we get frequent outages (which often come at night and are annoying since I don’t get a breeze in from the window anymore).

Across the hall from my room is where we store the buckets of water (the water shuts off around 2 or 3 I think) and the washroom and bathing room. The washroom is not what one would expect back home, but it’s passable. The bathing room is really just a room with a tap and a drain (not even a shower). It’s been bucket baths (actually not that bad, and it saves a lot of water) since I’ve been here.

Beside the bathroom and bathing room is a side door to an outdoor area where all the dishes and clothes get washed (hand washing will be a whole other post) and hung. It’s also where I go to brush my teeth (“at least you have a bathroom sink!” – there’s a good inside joke for some of you). All in all, I’m dealing with the conditions here, and am able to feel clean and rested.

I wish I could add some pictures but so far I have not solved the mystery of the missing camera cord, so that will have to wait.

Sigh...

2009-10-12T05:11:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated my blog in a week, and I'm sure many people are wondering how things are going. The truth is there is a really good reason for me not writing as often as I would have liked. I actually was even in the process of working on some interesting updates about my host family, food in Tanzania, transportation in Tanzania, but all of that was cut short sometime between 11pm on Wednesday and 6 am on Thursday last week.

To put it simply: I was robbed. As I slept no less. What happened was the mesh that served as a window to my room, was cut from the outside and everything within arms reach of that hole was taken. The unfortunate part was that there was a table right beside the window and on that table was a lot of stuff. I lost my laptop, almost all of the books I brought - including guidebooks, a dictionary and several books I was going to read to keep my sanity, all of my medicine in case I get sick (though I thankfully was spared losing my malaria pills), my multivitamins, my sunglasses, my camera cord (so I can't upload any pictures at the moment), most of my energy bars, and many of my toiletries (though I have my soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrush).

Luckily, I still have my passport, my money for traveling and all of my clothes. So it could be worse.

I have had a lot of help and support from my family and YCI in contacting the police in an effort to track the thieves (I'm told there is a chance I will get some or all of it back - though to be honest, hoping I will get it back might be harder on me than losing it all). In the grand scheme of things it is just stuff which can be replaced. However, it will be difficult to replace the things here, which has been the toughest part since pretty much everything I brought with me was for a purpose and now I am without some vital things (let's hope I don't need a lot of that medication).

So that's why I've been a bit MIA lately. The police are kind of slow here (and I'm told sometimes they need money to actually do their job - fun times, let me tell you), but everyone is telling me to be patient and they will get my stuff back.

As for my blog, I will still try to post every now and then, but don't expect pictures (which is a shame since there are some good ones). I will try to find a cord here to upload them, but if not, when I return to Canada I will share what I have.

Until next time...

Remember that time we climbed a moutain in Tanzania? (no, not Kilimanjaro)

2009-10-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

Written October 4th, 2009

Yesterday, Godfrey (one of the two YCI program managers) took Nicole, Melissa and I hiking. We were accompianied by Gasto (a Tanzanian volunteer that we will be working with), Maka (the English-speaker in my homestay), Paolo (the English speaker in Melissa and Nicole's homestay), and another friend of theirs.

It was not a very long hike, but because I have not been as active as I usually am (over the last few months), it was a moderate challenge. It was also very nice. We had decent weather (mostly cool with clouds in the morning, and then more sun as the day went on).

This is a pretty common hike for YCI volunteers in Morogoro (as I had seen by reading the blog posts of many of those volunteers). We didn't go all the way to a peak, but we did stop at a spot called morningside. It is pretty much just a flat grassy area with a good view of Morogoro. There is also an old German hotel, built in 1911. It was pretty interesting. We signed a guestbook and someone there gave us a short tour of the building. Not bad for 1911.

Anyway, it was a long day and even now my legs are still a bit sore. Here are some pictures from the day. 1) The red earth that is common around here, 2) A waterfall, 3) The view from Morningside Peak, 4) Part of the hotel, 5) The group of us (L to R: Me, Melissa, Maka, Nicole, Godfrey, Paolo, I'm not sure (I have a bad memory for names), and Gasto; notice how everyone but me is doing the tough pose and I'm doing something different... )

Karibu Morogoro!

2009-10-04T04:44:00.000-07:00

Written: October 3rd, 2009

Before I begin, I should note that free time is at a premium here, and often I have other things I need to do to stay sane, so I am sorry in advance if I miss some time. I will do my best to keep people up to date, but if my schedule this first week is indicative of my future schedule, the entries may be less than stellar. I will try my best though.

I guess it has been a while since I last wrote (not including the previous entry which I probably posted at the same time as this one. A lot has happened since then. To keep things interesting, I will use this post as an overview and then go through one by one the major things about my life here.

We (assume I mean Nicole, Melissa and I, the three YCI volunteers here) arrived in Morogoro on Wednesday night and were brought to our homestays. I will be as honest as I can. My first impression was not one of being happy about my situation. I'd be lying if I said this was the worst place I've stayed, but it is definitely the worst place I've stayed more than a few days. The house is basic, though we do have electricity (when there is not an outage), running water (sometimes, I think only in the mornings, but I have not asked). I have a bed and a lock on my door. I also have a fan (not the first night) to keep me cool while I sleep. The Hilton it is not, but I should be able to survive here for the next 7 weeks (me having already completed my first week... well almost). The facilities (i.e. the washroom) are not what one would hope for, but I will say that it's suprising what can seem normal when you don't really have a choice.

The family I am staying with is very nice, though basic English is a bit of stretch. Still, I am learning a bit of Swahili and we understand each other mostly (my Swahili-English dictionary comes in handy often). The food they make me is edible and tastes good. I probably won't be seeking it out often when I return, but I am pleased. There is a strong emphasis on white bread and white rice, but surprisingly I am feeling mostly healthy and energetic (this might be the multivitamins at work).

Mosquitoes are numerous (I've killed 7 today... I really should have started with a tally), but they don't seem to bite me. One of the other volunteers (not sure who) has a theory that the malaria pills make me less enticing. Any medical professionals (or soon to be medical professionals – I know I should have both reading this) want to comment? I've been bitten a few times, but so far I have had no signs of malaria, yellow fever or Japanese encephalitis (or any other mosquite-borne bugs).

Morogoro is definitely very different from any other city I've lived in (since I get this question a lot, you'd think I'd have an easy time explaining things, but I don't, so specifics will have to come in bits and pieces over time). Some big things that are noticeable: 1) No traffic signs (rules?): for those of you who live(d) in Korea, this place makes Seoul look like a well ordered city when it comes to traffic. And they drive on the left, so I'm always forgetting which way to look for traffic. Hahaha. It's all ok though. 2) Buildings are very basic. This is hard to elaborate, but as I post pictures, you will see over time. 3) There is sand/dust everywhere. I have to clean my feet when I come home. 4) People talk to/greet each other much more often than those in any city I've lived in. Honestly, there are more differences to list and I could probably write a blog post on all of them (maybe I will if I have time, tough I think that is unlikely.

As for what I did the first few days in Morogoro. Orientation and tours of where we will do our projects was the first order of business. Things are coming into focus and I've actually been assigned some of the projects. The only ones I'm not doing (see the post about the projects) are the Secondary School HIV/AIDS club and working with the older PLHIV kids (though I probably will help with them). I will be busy planning I think, but it does look like I will have a good time and be able to use my skills to help people. There will likely be much more (perhaps I'll do a very in-depth post on each project I am working on) at a later date here.

We have met many people here (I have forgotten most of their names) but as time goes by, I'll probabl do formal introductions of all the important people in my life here.

As for now though, this post is getting way too long (congratulations if you managed to get this far). Sorry, but I don't have many pictures of Morogoro now (you'd understand why if you were here – more on that later), but I will try to get some shortly (the post after this will have some). Thanks for reading and keep on keeping on!

Tutaonana! (See you later – yes, I am a language snob, get used to it).

Two Days in Dar

2009-10-04T04:29:00.000-07:00

Written: September 30th, 2009

I'm writing this on September 30^th, though it may be a few days later by the time I get it posted on the blog.

The first two days in Tanzania were spent going through a lot of information during Orientation. All six volunteers were present (three of us going to Morogoro and three others going to Zanzibar). We went over a lot of things, which was difficult for me because I was pretty tired from the long flight and I was unable to get a good sleep either of the two nights we were there. That being said, it was good information that we got, and hopefully I can remember some of it when it comes time to actually start working. It was also a good way to slowly get acclimatized to a new place and to get ready for an even bigger jump to Morogoro (more on that in a later post).

During the first two days I really didn't get to see too much of Dar Es Salaam. We arrived late at night and stayed in the hotel all day until dinner the first day. After dinner we got to go to a nearby Internet Cafe and write my first post. The second day was also orientation (with lunch at the same place we had dinner) and then we got ready to go to our respective communities.

Though I didn't see a lot of Dar, I did see some and saw some interesting things. 1) There are people everywhere – and many are sitting around, selling things. 2) Almost everyone was selling something. Fruit, water, snacks. The level of commerce is pretty high and it's nice not to see big name stores everywhere – though the guarantee of quality goods goes down without a reputation – but I will take my chances here. Well that's about it really. I didn't see much. I took some pictures to show at the end of this post. The pictures are 1) The six of us (L to R):Evan, me, Tyler, Stephanie, Nicole, Melissa. 2) A view of Dar from our Hotel's roof. 3) Streetview outside our hotel. 4) My breakfast this morning (those who know me well may be shocked that this is all I ate until about 1pm).

If you're wondering, yes, I did make it to Morogoro and I am in my homestay as I write this (but with no Internet connection, you'll have to wait to get it... or will you). I will write more about my homestay when I can. Really, I have only been here a few hours and have just got settled (and I have to get to bed soon anwyay).

Safe and Sound

2009-09-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

Well, it took almost a full 24 hours after leaving Hamilton, but I did eventually arrive in Dar Es Salaam. The flights were long, the food was mediocre at its best, but I made it here in one piece.

Since I am not using my computer for this entry I will be very brief (I should be able to make longer posts in the future).

Basically I have spent my first full day here learning about different things and talking over expectations, etc. I'm not going to lie. It wasn't the most exciting thing. Though that might have something to do with the fact that I'm still pretty tired from being awake for so long (those of you who know me, know I don't sleep much on planes). It's been good to get to meet everyone (more in future posts) and have time to begin to get accustomed to everything. I'm still exhausted from the last 48-72 hours so I think it will be some time until I am functioning at the level I want to be. But I figure I have that time and I'm not worried nor am I rushing right now. Patience is my friend today.

Tomorrow I have some more orientation and then I will take off to Morogoro. I'm not sure when I will be able to post next, but they may come in bursts (I'll write them on my netbook and then post them whenever I can get to an Internet cafe).

My time is running out here, so I will sign off for now. Once again, thanks to everyone who helped get me here.

Time To Go

2009-09-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

In just over two hours, I will leave my house for the airport. It's hard to believe today has come. Surprisingly I do feel mostly ready - at least as ready as I think I can be. My bags are mostly packed (just waiting to finish up some computer stuff before I pack this up and get my final bag ready to go.

I've been in this situation before (flying overseas for an extended period of time), but this is much different then when I went to Korea. For starters, there are more and bigger question marks about my living situation. Also, the nature of what I'm doing is very different. In the end though, I think this will be a good experience - even if the trip turns out horrible. Like a wise man once said: "Why do we fall Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up." (Bonus points if you can name the source). Though I hope not to fall (at least big falls), I know this will not be all roses and sunshine.

Anyway, this is my last entry from Canada (as long as nothing unforseen happens). As most of my fellow volunteers have stated, our ability to access the Internet might not be reliable. I hope to write at least once a week, but we'll see how much free time I have and how easy it is to get online (I'm hoping I can use the wireless on my netbook in Internet Cafe's, but who knows).

If you have any questions, feel free to post comments on here and I will try to respond to your questions (I know lots of people read this, and it's not even interesting yet).

If all else fails, I'm back in Canada on December 23rd.

See you on the other side...

"Where exactly are you going?"

2009-09-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

As my departure time nears I'm at the point where I can count down in hours (26) or minutes (1570) until I leave. Before I go though, I thought I'd share my actual travel plans. A few months ago, I had booked my major flights and that was it. Now I have a day-by-day itinerary of where I plan to be (though, due to unforseen events, it may have to change). My accomodations are booked as well as most of my travelling. So if you're wondering where and when I'm going, this is my plan:

Sunday September 27th: Depart Toronto for Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (with a brief stopover in Amsterdam). Arrive 21 hours later, on Monday night.

I will have a brief orientation and training session here.

Wednesday September 30th: Take a bus to Morogoro. For the next 7 and a half weeks, this is where I will be living and working. Exact details for this time are not yet set (at least to my knowledge. For an idea of what I'll be doing, see my previous post.

Monday November 23rd: Volunteering Ends

Tuesday November 24th: Take the ferry to Zanzibar. Relaxing and sightseeing.

Friday November 27th: Fly from Zanzibar to Arusha. I will spend a couple of nights at a hostel sandwiched by an 8-day tour which includes animal watching in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater as well as a visit to Ancient Rock Paintings.

Monday December 7th: Fly from Kilimanjaro (near Arusha) to Kigali, Rwanda. Sightseeing and relaxing.

Thursday December 10th: Take a bus to Kampala, Uganda. Sightseeing. Nearby Lake Victoria has a Chimpanzee Sanctuary on an island. It's a possibility.

Sunday December 13th: Take a bus to Jinja, Uganda. This is where the Nile River starts from Lake Victoria. Apparently you can go white water rafting here. We'll see. There are also places to volunteer here for one day at a time.

Wednesday December 16th: Take a bus to Nairobi, Kenya. Sightseeing and relaxing. Perhaps taking a slum tour, seeing a giraffe reserve.

Saturday December 19th: Fly from Nairobi to Paris. Arrive the next day. Sightseeing - my two full days here should be very very busy.

Wednesday December 23rd: Fly from Paris to Toronto. Back Home.

I don't completely know what I'll be doing at each of my destinations, because things could easily change. As they occur I will share as much as I can on here. I am bringing a camera and a video camera so hopefully I can post pictures (the videos will probably have to wait until I return though) of everything. Most of the places I'm going have nearby internet, except for the 8-day tour. Expect a total blackout then.

So that's that. Tomorrow I will write one last time before heading off and then it will be time to actually start doing things instead of just talking about and getting ready for them.

"So what exactly will you be doing in Tanzania?"

2009-09-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

The title of this post has perhaps been the question I've been asked most frequently in the last month (and probably a few months before that). Until very recently, I have not really been able to give a concrete answer. Well now I can answer in depth (though I'm sure in the coming week my knowledge of my work will be greatly improved).

I've been given a detailed list of 7 projects that I (along with the other two volunteers in Morogoro) could potentially be working on. Many of these are with a local partner organization: Faraja Trust Fund. Here are the projects I could be working on:

Computer, English, Business Communication Course: Since May of this year volunteers with YCI have offered courses for vulnerable youth to develop computer skills and basic English skills. There have been two cycles of the course so far, so my group will be providing three levels of instruction for a total of five classes a week.
Secondary School HIV/AIDS Club: Since May of this year YCI volunteers have provided support to an HIV/AIDS club at a local Secondary School. The plan during my trip is to extend this support to a second school. The idea is to help the clubs, but not so that they rely on our support.
Good Governance Education for Active Student Youth and Future Leaders: This has been going on since February. We will be working at one school, once a week to increase the knowledge of 25-30 participants in principles of good governance and opportunities for involvement in local government.
English Class for Street Side School: My role as a volunteer will be more of a support role with the teacher of the class. Given my background, this should be great experience for any future jobs.
HIV/AIDS Outreach: This particular project has a lot of different facets, including but not limited to School Presentations, Talent Shows and other Community Outreach Events. This seems like one of the bigger projects I will be working on since the goal is to reach 600 community members.
Social Support for Youth PLHIV (People Living with HIV?): This will involve working with people affected by HIV, including both teens (14-18) as well as younger children. One activity will be to have stigma-free play days with younger children.
Communication and Development Support for Faraja: This will basically involve helping with their website as well as data entry and other office duties.

So there you have it. The best answer I can give at this time. I believe that some of the YCI staff may be reading my blog so if I'm wrong on some points, maybe they can correct me. I'm not sure, but I think I will only be working on some of these. I guess time will tell. I will update my status and the status of my work as time goes on.

Look for a detailed trip itinerary from me as well as final thoughts before departure in the next couple of days.

T-minus 50 hours and 38 minutes until my plane takes off....

One Week Until Arrival

2009-09-21T11:23:00.001-07:00

In exactly one week (give or take 20 mins) my plane will touch down in Dar Es Salaam and I will begin my volunteering. So you'd think I would be on here every day writing about how excited I am. Unfortunately, I've been too busy juggling all sorts of details that need to be in place before I leave, to write much.

My first big task was to but all the supplies I needed. This included a large backpack (the one I got has a 75L capacity), clothes, a sleeping bag and related items, as well as many small things that may come in handy during my 12 weeks overseas. I have spent a good amout of time at Mountain Equipment Co-op in the last three weeks. Medications also took up a big chunk of that (if I get sick, I will be prepared). It took me over a week to get the majority of the items and I'm still slowly working on a few every day. The good news is hopefully I will have everything I need by Sunday.

Packing has also been an activity I've devoted many hours to. I've decided I'll need to be organized if I want to be living out of a couple of bags for three months. I've divided all my clothes up and put them into varying sizes of ziplock bags. I've done this for two reasons: 1) easy access (and it won't create a mess just looking for one thing), and 2) protection against leaky items. Hopefully it works out and I can continue to use the bags for the whole trip. I've filled my bigger bag and I have a smaller one I will likely end up checking in for the flight as well. Hopefully I don't go too much over. I will take a smaller shoulder bag for my netbook and some books on the plane. I have been asked by a tour operator to buy a daypack (for him) so I may use that as a carry-on as well.

I also found the time to get one final vaccination: multi-strain menningococcal. It was a bit pricey, but hopefully it will help keep me healthy while in Tanzania.

Another task that has cost me a lot of time has been my travel arrangements, but more on that in a few days. Mostly I am all set for what I am doing in my four weeks, but I have one or two loose ends to tie up before I'm ready to share the whole trip.

So that's what I've been up to the last little while. The next week will be spent finalizing all the little details (travel insurance, visas, final packing, getting ready for my actual programming, learning swahili, and on and on). I'm sure I'll be getting ready right until Sunday afternoon when we leave for the airport.

Anyway, keep watching this space. I'm sure in about 8 days time it will actually start to get interesting - and before then I hope to put up some good answers as to what I will be doing in Tanzania.

Habari za asubuhi! Ninasema Kiswahili.

2009-09-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

Good morning. I speak Swahili. Well, not really that well, but that's what the title says. Since my first foray into learning Swahili I have certainly suffered some setbacks. It's not easy learning a language that you can't really practice. Being in Korea, I was trying to learn Korean. Swahili turned out to be a challenge to learn at the same time. Now that I'm at home, I have been working much harder and I have become more comfortable with my efforts (though we'll see what happens when I actually touch down in a country where people speak it fluently).

Since I last wrote about learning Swahili, I have changed my methods dramatically. I had originally tried using a book. Though I have had some success learning Korean with books, I found the particular book I was using not as helpful as it could have been. It was very text-based and I often didn't have the time to actually study things. That way of learning language was more like how I learned French in school. It would have been much better with a teacher.

Since then I have tried two very similar but different methods. I have been using Rosetta Stone and that has been somewhat helpful. It is a very simple concept, but has been helping me learn some words and phrases. Basically the program shows you four pictures and one word/sentence. You have to match them. There are 40 pictures (10 sets) per lesson and about 10-12 lessons per unit and about 8-10 units per level (of which I have one). The bonus is that there are no translations so you learn to associate the pictures with the words. I could go into a long discussion about how this is both good and bad, but I won't. I'll just say that I have been somewhat successful with Rosetta Stone, despite my suspicions that it might not be teaching me Swahili the way people actually talk (only time will tell). I should also note, the goal of Rosetta Stone is to teach the language, not conversation (so the words and phrases are basic).

The second method I have been using is called byki (Before You Know It) and can be downloaded for free. Basically it is electronic flashcards (with English on one side). It goes through them for you from both sides. You also have to type the answers for each side. It keeps track of all the flashcard sets you've done and then has you refresh them every now and then. I've been doing this for about 2 weeks and I feel it's helped me learn a lot of vocabulary. It is a bit limited for Swahili in that there are only about 20-25 sets available for free, though it has 70+ languages and some of those languages have hundreds of free sets. You can also purchase a better version, but right now, I'm sticking to the free one.

Another website that has been a little useful has been this site, but it's also mainly text based and is not very creative with it's teaching methods.

Overall, I've been working hard and I believe I've set down a good foundation so that when I do arrive, learning will be much easier. I will continue to work a little each day for the next 12 days (can't believe it's that soon!) and hopefully I will be ready to go.

Tutaonana! See you later!

Back in Steeltown (for a bit)

2009-09-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that I've been doing a lot to get ready for my trip lately, I haven't written in over a week. There is a very good reason for this.

Starting the day after my last post (August 28th) I started a 4 day string of having to say goodbye to pretty much everyone who was a daily part of my life at the time. It was a very emotionally exhausting few days and as each successive goodbye happened, it was harder and harder to handle (though I think the first and the last goodbyes were actually the hardest). Following that I flew halfway around the world (literally right after the last goodbye at a boarding gate in a Tokyo airport) and I was obviously a little physically tired.

The last few days have been spent trying to recuperate from both of those shocks and slowly but surely I started to feel much better. The task at hand right now is to complete all the final preparations for Tanzania (and the rest of my travels). In the coming days or weeks look for posts about: 1) Language learning (I've been busy this past week), 2) Buying supplies (the excitement, boredom and stress of shopping), 3) Trip planning (maybe). My departure day keeps getting closer and closer (20 days now!) and it's starting to feel a bit more real than it did when I was back in Seoul (which I miss very much right now - but I already did a sappy entry last time).

For those of you in Canada (or the U.S.) enjoy Labour Day today (and have fun in school tomorrow :D).

Note: For those of you who aren't familiar with Southern Ontario, the term "Steeltown" refers to Hamilton (my hometown) which is famously known for it's steel mills.

It's that time again...

2009-08-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

On Monday, the new teachers arrived and it started to feel real. Then they were assigned their classes. Then I started to let the new teacher teach. It's starting to feel pretty real right now. Tomorrow morning I will say good morning to my 6-year olds (by Korean standards, really all but two of them are 4 years old) for the last time. This is not the last time I've said goodbye to a class (I can't count them on one hand anymore), but it seems to not be getting any easier. I've had my current group for 6 months - 121 days (not including tomorrow) according to our daily popsicle-stick count. I realize I've probably spent more time with them than anyone else in that time and they truly do feel like family. From my shy students whose infrequent smiles can change my day from a bad one to a good one, to my good-intentioned but ultra-hyper students, I will miss the whole lot of them more than I care to admit. I've tried to tell myself that they will forget me within a week and that I shouldn't worry about them (and I don't, I feel I am leaving them in capable hands), but it's still difficult to face the fact that I won't get to joke around with them, or to see them (all) reading.

Enough of the sappy stuff. To be honest, it's been a good run with Plum Class version 2.0 (as it was with 1.0 for the first 12 months), and truly I cannot complain about all of the benefits I've got on the side (a pay cheque for doing something you enjoy is never a bad thing). So I go to bed tonight, knowing that tomorrow will be a tough day. But the sun will still rise on Saturday.

A big thank you to all of my students (in alphabetical order): Aiden, Alicia, Caroline, Claire, David, Eddie, Eric, Felix, Flurrina, Henry, Jenny, Jessie, Ji You, Jodie, Jun, Kevin, Lucy, May Yoon, Sally, Seo Won, So Yeon, and Tony (all the Plums). They constantly pushed me and never let me forget how vigilant I need to be in everything I do (in a good way). Tomorrow I will say good bye to most of you. I hope we will not forget each other...

Looking for Laptops. 노트북을 찾아요.

2009-08-17T04:34:00.000-07:00

I have recently been informed that a used laptop would be an excellent donation in Tanzania. Any old laptops can be used either for Internet access or just plain old word processing. The laptops would be used by Faraja Trust Fund (a partner organization in Morogoro that I'm sure I'll be writing about more in the future).

Basically, if I were to get ahold of a laptop, I would be able to bring it with me to Tanzania and drop it off for you. I'd also work with YCI (not sure if you can get a tax receipt for this, but I'll look into it just in case - maybe someone from YCI reads this and can comment). If there is more than one machine, I'll find a way to get them there.

If you can donate a laptop or know of someone who can, please email me at michaelwithoutborders@gmail.com and I will get back to you as soon as I can. This won't directly benefit me, but it will definitely be helping the people I am going to help.

Thanks in advance!

2주후에 캐나다에 갈거예요. Goodbye Party in Seoul

2009-08-17T04:22:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, my school had a goodbye party for the teachers (including myself) who are going back to Canada. Since the staff knows I've been trying to learn Korean, I felt obligated to say something in Korean. Due to a busy schedule I didn't have time to memorize anything (like I had done once in the past when I met my students' parents). Here is what I read at the party, with a simplified translation.

한국에 18개월동안 있었어요.

2주후에 캐나다에 갈거예요.

벌씨 시간이 지나간 갓이 믿어지지않어요.

행복한 시간이었어요.

그리고 슬픈 시간이었어요.

그러나 전반적으로 나는 나의 시간을 여기에서 즐겼어요.

저는 유승 선생님 과 미애 선생님 과 햬진 산성님 과 정선

선상님 과 명실 선상님 그들의 도움울 감사하고 싶어요.

또한 경미 선상님이 가르치기에 관하여 많이 가르쳐주었어요.

감사하고 싶어요.

모두와 같이 그녀가 보고 싶어요.

알파뱃 스트릿에서는 나의 시간을 젛은 방범으로 저를 바꼬었어요.

여기에와서 기뻐요.

I've been in Korea for 18 months.
In two weeks I will be going to Canada.
I can't believe that the time is already over.
We've had happy times.
We've also had sad times.
But overall, I've enjoyed my time here.
I'd like to thank Teacher Heather, Teacher Miae, Teacher Jin, Teacher Claire and Teacher Myung Shil.
I'd also like to thank Teacher Betty. She taught me a lot about teaching.
Like everyone, I will miss her.
My time at Alphabet Street has changed me.
I'm happy that I came here.

And yes, if you're wondering, I can read it all, but no, I didn't write that on my own (an online translator and some help from a Korean speaking colleague did the trick).

I leave 2 weeks today and before I go, I'll write something to sum up my experiences here (since, this blog is dedicated to my working/living internationally). Just thought this would be interesting. Who knows, maybe I'll learn enough Swahili to say goodbye like this when I leave Tanzania (or at least Morogoro).

Pills, Pills, Pills! 약은 아주 비쌌어요!

2009-08-10T02:16:00.000-07:00

After teaching today, I left school quickly so that I could get my prescriptions necessary for my trip (see here for an account of my doctor's visit). It was a fairly easy and painless process but for a few things. The pills I got were not cheap. For a total of 120 doses (1 per day) of my antimalarial medicine (doxycycline) and 56 doses (2 cycles of 2 pills 2 times a day for 7 days) of an antibiotic (ciprobay) - just in case - I paid 103,000 won (approximately $91 Canadian at the current exchange rate). I wonder what the cost would be back home. Incidentally, the majority of that cost was the ciprobay, not the antimalarials.

The second thing (and this worries me a bit, but it probably will amount to nothing) is the lack of labelling on my pills (see the picture below). My name is not on the bottle, nor is it on the prescription (well, it is in Hanguel: 마이클, but that's not likely to be understood by customs officials in Tanzania). We'll see what fun things this will lead too.

Placement: Morogoro. 모로꼬로 갈거예요.

2009-08-09T01:39:00.000-07:00

In recent days, I was informed that I have been officially placed in Morogoro (as opposed to Zanzibar) for the bulk of my volunteer expedition. For those of you who don't know, Morogoro is a city of about 200,000 approximately 200km inland of Dar Es Salaam. Of the group of 6 that are travelling together, I will be placed with 2 others in Morogoro while the other three volunteers will be in Zanzibar. I'm looking forward to my placement there, which is coming up very quickly (about 7 weeks now).

Here is a map for reference:

View Morogoro in a larger map

In other news, I would also like to thank Nancy Martin and Chuck Conlon who donated some money to my cause, bringing to total up above $4000 raised for my trip (much more than I ever expected to raise). So thank you Nancy and Chuck. Your help is greatly appreciated.

That's all the news I have now. I will keep you posted.

Seoul in a Nutshell. 여기는 서울입니다.

2009-07-27T05:40:00.000-07:00

Since this blog is about my work around the world, I though I should at least take some time to mention some things about Seoul and Korea in general (since I've been living here for about 17 months now). I'm sure a lot of people wonder what it's like here and to be honest that question is really hard to answer. I could try telling a million stories, but to be honest, that will only give you a snapshot and the stories fit into a larger context which is not always obvious.

Recently, I came across some YouTube videos taken by foreigners of Korea (mostly Seoul, but I saw some Sokcho in there, and I'm guessing some other places as well) that showed a lot of what I see on a daily basis. Though the videos are stunning and very well put together, I should note, that it is one thing to see the mass of people and concrete in a picture or in a video, but it's a totally different thing to experience. Enjoy the show:

Not everything in the videos are things I have experienced or seen, but it gives a very good impression of my time in Korea.

African Dinner #3

2009-07-26T03:51:00.000-07:00

Last weekend (July 18th), my mother hosted a third fundraising dinner on my behalf. The first two had been friends and family, but this one was slightly different. A family friend, Don Theroux, organized the guest list and invited 20 guests who contributed to my efforts. A big thank you goes out to Don who has helped in a great way. Also, as usual, I must thank my mother, Sharon Davidson, who has continued to work very hard to help send me to Africa (even though I know she doesn't really want me to go so far away).

My mom wrote a short report of the night:

We were very fortunate to be able to hold the dinner outside in our garden...there were 20 people in attendance...

We offered a dinner of African Food as well as African Music and Raffle Draws and everyone received a door prize...Everyone was asked to choose an African Name for the evening...we provided names on name tags for the guests...

People were very generous with their donations for Raffle prizes...
The following people participated in the dinner:

Don Theroux
Terry Collins
Cody Collins
Kelly Moir
Gus Kantzareks
Mary Dimitry
Cyrus Ghamari
Judy Mason
Jorge Esqueca
Larry McConnell
Sister Regina Brunelle
Henry Kaszuba
Livia Kaszuba
Vera Woronchanka
Michael Woronchanka
Vichy Hipson
Norm Laitila
Kathleen Bass
Ann Theroux
Orville Theroux

My mom also did not work alone and I would like to thank the many people who helped out with this dinner (once again):

Judy Morley
Caroline Bonner
Heather Davidson
John Davidson

I would also like to thank the people who donated prizes for the raffle:

Aimee of Aimee's Esthetic Studio, L'Utima Moda
Jorge and Maria Rodruques of Ercilia's Fine Foods in Hamilton Farmer's Market
Everton of Blaire Elements in Hamilton Farmer's Market
Josie Syers of Josie's Flowers in Hamilton Farmer's Market
Paul Huffman
Bev MacPherson
Judy Morley
Caroline Bonner
Debbie Polkinghorne
Lorri Eisenberger of Beanermunky in Hamilton Farmer's Market
Burlington Eagle's Hockey Club

All in all we have fundraised almost $4000 towards paying for my program fee and my flight. A big thank you to everyone who has been helping for so far. The generosity of everyone has far exceeded what I thought was possible.

Here are a few pictures from the event:

The Flights are Booked. 비행기로 아프리카에 갈 거예요.

2009-07-06T20:50:00.000-07:00

As my departure date approaches (September 27th at 5:45pm), I am getting busier and busier. Not only am I leaving for Africa, but I will also be leaving Korea soon. Last week, I spent a very stressful couple of days trying to figure out all of my travel arrangements. In the end, I finally booked all of my flights for the remainder of the year. It will be a lot of travelling, but I think I can handle it. So this is my itinerary as far as I know right now:

Monday August 31st
Depart Seoul for Tokyo (Asiana Airlines). Switch planes and depart for Toronto (Air Canada).

Sunday September 27th
Depart Toronto for Amsterdam. Switch planes and depart for Dar Es Salaam with a stopover at Kilimanjaro (KLM)

Tuesday November 23rd
Finish volunteering in Tanzania, depart Dar Es Salaam and travel throughout East Africa (Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya - exact itinerary to be determined later).

Saturday December 19th
Depart Nairobi for Paris (Kenya Airways).

Sunday December 20th
Arrive in Paris.

Wednesday December 23rd
Depart Paris for Toronto (Air France)

I have a busy few months ahead of me, but now that the flights are booked, it's starting to seem a bit more real - especially the part about paying for everything. As a side note, for my fundraising, I have used the cost of a flight to and from Dar Es Salaam without the Nairobi/Paris stopovers in calculating how much I need for the trip.

Anyway, now that I'm getting close to meeting all of my deadlines, the next big challenge is to learn to speak Swahili...

Garage Sale!

2009-06-24T22:37:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, despite rain, my family held a garage sale to a) raise some money, and b) to get rid of some clutter in their house. Overall it was a great success and most of the major items listed were sold. All in all, the garage sale brought in $420, which will be going directly to YCI to pay for my project fee. To date, I have raised approximately $3270 which is approximately 59% of the current estimate of around $5500 (all amounts Canadian). The vast majority of this money has come from the efforts of my mother, Sharon Davidson. So my first thank you for the garage sale must go to her.

This sale would not have been possible without a lot of help from others. A number of big thank yous go out to the following people/businesses:

Sharon Davidson (my mother)
Heather Davidson (my sister)
John Davidson (my father)
Florence DeMacio (my grandmother)
Judy Morely
Caroline Bonner
Olynyk, King and Duda advertising (for providing the tents that kept things dry)

I continue to be impressed with the response of everyone who hears about what I'm doing. I must send a thank you to everyone who bought items and donated money at the sale. Though the gesture may seem small, collectively it is very large.

Here are some pictures from the event:

Come to My Garage Sale! 가라즈 새일 오세요!

2009-06-16T01:03:00.000-07:00

The next event in the process of fundraising for my volunteer trip will be a garage sale. My family has collected many things to sell, including: a tablesaw, a sausage maker, a ceiling fan, men’s skates, an electric guitar with amplifier, men's and women's clothes, household items, as well as books for children and adults. I'm told there will be something for everyone!

So if you're in the Hamilton area this coming weekend and you want to come to the sale, the address is:

Location: 121 Simcoe St E, Hamilton (Click here if the map below doesn't work)
Date: Saturday, June 20th, 2009
Time: 10am until 2pm

View 121 Simcoe St E, Hamilton in a larger map

If you have any questions or if you have anything you would like to donate to be sold, please email michaelwithoutborders@gmail.com as soon as possible.

Here is another advertisement for the sale.

Though I will not be there (I'm living and working in Korea), I hope that you get a chance to check the sale out. Perhaps you will find something there that you are looking for.

Yellow Fever Vaccination. 황열

2009-06-13T21:29:00.000-07:00

You may remember that I had to get a medical checkup and some vaccinations for my trip. You may also remember that I didn't get everything I needed. I had been told that getting my Yellow Fever vaccine in Seoul would be pretty easy and cheap (around 15 000won which is approximately $13 or $14 in Canadian funds). The catch was that I needed some help getting an appointment (since it needed to be made in Korean) and getting some time off of work (because the hospital's hours were similar to my school's hours). Days turned into weeks and weeks into months and I had yet to get all the necessary work done to get my appointment (the Korean teachers who can do a lot of this are very busy and I don't always have the time to ask them for favours).

Fast forward to late April, when sad events made me decide (well, someone else had to decide for me because I was unable at the time, but that's another story) to return home to Canada for a few days. I decided it would be easier to get the vaccine done in Canada where I don't have to know a foreign language. Unfortunately, after booking an appointment, I was informed that the cost of the appointment plus shot would be $175. Frustrated, I decided not to get it in Canada and within a few days of my return to Korea got my appointment to have it done there.

A few weeks ago I had that appointment. Overall it was an easy experience. I found my way to the National Medical Centre in Seoul on my own and with my combination of broken Korean and their combination of broken English got to where I needed to be in the hospital. The doctor's English was alright and he informed me of a small chance that I could have very bad side effects (a brain disease). The shot was probably the quickest shot I've had in a while (and I've had a lot of needles in me lately) and mostly painless. I had to wait around for about half an hour to make sure I wasn't getting any serious side effects (which I didn't - though I've been a little sick since then).

The good news was that this whole thing only cost me 21 000won (about $17-18) and I didn't really miss any classes at school. I'm told that after 10 days I am now 90% immune and that after a whole month I will be almost 100% immune for the next 10 years.

There are no more required vaccinations, though I may spring for the other one (multi-strain meningococcal) that I couldn't get in Korea.

Now it's on to finishing raising money, buying supplies and booking flights (not to mention figuring out post-project travel, and packing everything up from Korea and moving back to Canada).

Until next time!

Ladies Night in Africa #2

2009-06-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

A week after the first dinner and a few days after Nanny's funeral (done the way we all hope she would have wanted) my mom hosted a second dinner. I had already left to return to Korea so my mom wrote a short synopsis of the evening:

The May 8th dinner had 18 guests attend with same type of entertainment and food and prizes as on May 1st...judging by the laughter and positive comments everyone had a great time. again some came in African dress....a prize was given both nights for the most authentic dress...as well as a prize for the runner up...the guests voted on this.....the 1st prize was a "I support michaelwithoutborders" tote bag ordered from cafe press....

Again, this dinner was a great success and the following people participated and/or donated money:

Peter Demacio
Eva Lengyel
Caroline Bonner
Ewa Siudowski
Cathy Huffman
Cathy Vitucci
Beth Stewart
Debbie Mudie
Carol Wylie
Debbie Bulir
Lori Rees
Lorri Poutney
Cindy Olynyk
Sherryl O'Neil
Jackie Steele
Judy Morely
Judy Graham
Donna Snider
Carrie McCrum
Mary Ditta
Diane Campbell
Sarah Chisholm
Emily Knox

Though I did thank all of the people who volunteered their time to help with the dinners and those who donated door prizes in my post about the first dinner, I would like to once again thank my mother (Sharon Davidson) who spent untold hours organizing everything and hosting the dinner (and who is still working on ways to raise the remaining funds).

As of now, I have raised $2856.35 of approximately $5350 (depending on the cost of my flight which is as of yet unbooked). Thank you everyone who has helped me get this far.

I will close with a few pictures from the evening.

Goodbye Nanny. 안녕히가세요. Au Revoir. Kwaheri.

2009-05-31T01:23:00.000-07:00

Sadly, on April 29th of this year, my great-grandmother (more casually known as Nanny) passed away in her sleep at the age of 99. Nanny played a big role in my life, including watching me after school for years when my parents could not make it home in time. I owe a lot to her and her memory as most of what I've accomplished in my life would not be possible without her support (both financial and emotional) for me and the rest of my family. Being half a world away was tough, but I was able to catch a plane back to Canada for her funeral.

I received several donations in her name. I would like to take the time to thank the following people:

Bunny & Paul Zaza
Liz and Graham Lightfoot
Sarah Chisholm
Carol Chisholm
Judy Morely
Joan & Enzo Deluca
Joe, Sandra, Chris & Dan Lovranski
Marshall & Jean Davidson
Peggy Martin
Thelma Oddi
Yolandi Ricci
Barb Martin
Rita Molinaro

I hope that I have not missed anyone. Thank you all for your kind donations. And I would like to say one last thank you to Nanny. She lived a long life and helped many people along the way. For this I am extremely grateful that I got the time that I did.

SWAK

Ladies Night in Africa #1

2009-05-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

On May 1st, my Mom hosted the first of two Ladies Nights at her house. Since I am away teaching in Korea, I was unable to attend, so my mother wrote a short writeup of the evening:

The May 1st dinner had 13 guests attend and many dressed in African dress...Everyone seemed to have a good time...we had raffles, door prizes, listened to African music and enjoyed a dinner of African food..  Everyone was given Madagascar vanilla truffles to take home along with a special tulip shaped cookie and thank you note for supporting Michael.
All in all it was a successful evening (despite the events of a few days prior - the next post will explain all) and I raised quite a bit of money from several of my mother's friends. These are the people who attended and/or donated money (in no particular order):

Florence Demacio
Helen Rigby
Barb Drake Land
Josie Knill
Barb Martin
Debbie Polkinghorn
Karen & Michael Bromilow
Susan Gillies
Roberta Wood
Debbie Skerrett
Barb Beamish
Carol Ann Thompson
Peggy Martin
Colleen Meyer
Margaret Lewandowski
Anna Marie Southon
Bob & Betty Hambrook
Mary Jazvac

I'd also like to take the time to thank the people who volunteered their time to make this event (and the 2nd dinner) possible:

Judy Morley
Heather Davidson
Sarah Chisholm
Florence Demacio
Lorri Poutney
Lauren Smyth
Debbie Bulir
Helen Rigby
John Davidson

Last but not least, I'd like to thank the people who donated door prizes for both of the dinners:

Debbie Polkinghorne
Cindy Olynyk
Caroline Bonner
Everton Blair (owner of Blair Elements)
Janet Gefre

One final thank you I need to give is to my mother, Sharon Davidson, who spent more time than I probably know getting things organized and inviting everyone she could think of. The amount of money that her efforts have brought in have already far exceeded the amount I thought I could raise.

I find it really incredible the number of people who have been supportive of my volunteering in Tanzania (and this is only a small part of the people who I will be thanking in posts in the coming days - I have at least two more long lists). It makes me feel that this is more of a community effort than an individual one. So a big thank you to everyone who was involved

In closing, here are a few pictures of the evening:

Je n'ai pas oublié. I haven't forgotten.

2009-05-15T23:42:00.000-07:00

I realized it's closing in on two months without an update. Much has happened in that time (in life and in fundraising), and many things have been put on hold for at least a short while. That, however, is no excuse. There is much information to update and I am hoping to be able to do so in the next little bit (and hopefully I will also be given some pictures of a couple of fundraising events that have occured recently).

I will also try to give some updates from my time in Korea and in Seoul. Since the theme is me working around the world, I figure there may be some relevant things that have happened here.

Anyway, I apologize for the delay (미안합니다) and I look forward to continuing to write in this space.

If you want to see some updates, you can check out Michael Without Borders to see an updated list of donors (it has gotten quite long recently) as well as an update of how much money I have raised (more than $2700).

Until next time (which should be soon).

Asante Sana. 고맙습니다. Merci Beaucoup. Thank You Very Much. Part 3

2009-03-28T23:31:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been good weeks for my fundraising and I have a few more thank yous to give. As always, this volunteer trip would not be possible without the support of an ever-increasing number of people.

About a month ago, I applied for a grant from the University of Victoria Alumni Association. They provide grants to:

enhance the quality of education at UVic; improve campus life;
help students and recent graduates (last five years);
otherwise support the university

Being a recent graduate of UVic, I qualified for one such grant. Recently I was informed that I had indeed received a grant. This grant will go toward paying for a significant portion of my program fee. They were very generous and up to now they have been my largest donor. I thank them for their generosity. For more information about the UVic Alumni Association, please visit http://alumni.uvic.ca/.

Two other individuals have also donated money recently to my fundraising: Janet Gefre and Pat Finlay. Their contributions have pushed my fundraising efforts beyond $500 Canadian. This is a big milestone and I thank them both for their donations. Janet has also donated a few items to be used in other fundraising events and this addition is also greatly appreciated.

Once again, I would like to thank everyone who has helped me to this point. I look forward to continuing to thank people for their help. Your support is welcomed and if you know of anyone who would want to support a cause like mine, please point them in this direction!

Website Launch!

2009-03-20T18:09:00.001-07:00

Michael Without Borders is proud to announce the launch of our new website. The website will be used to coordinate several different aspects of Michael Without Borders. You can find the site at http://www.michaelwithoutborders.com.

Included in the site will be a link to this blog. Other resources on the site will include a link to a message board where you can discuss any issues that are relevant, a link to a store where you can buy Michael Without Borders merchandise (and whose profits go to Michael Without Borders), and links to more information about my volunteering.

The website also contains information regarding fundraising, other projects I am working on or have completed, and pictures of some of my travels so far. There is also a page on the site dedicated to thanking those who have given their time or money to my efforts.

Please take the time to visit the site, and pass on the link to people you know. Even if you cannot help me directly, by referring someone else, you may help me in the long run.

Thank you all once more for your support. For more information, please check out the site.

Vaccination and Medical Test Fun! 병원에 갔어요.

2009-03-11T23:14:00.000-07:00

A week and a half ago, I made a trip to the Itaewon International Clinic in Seoul to get my medical check started and to plan out a course of vaccinations. The doctor was more than accommodating and checked me out right there and then. I must say that going to Africa required less medical checks (no bodily fluid tests, x-rays, etc.), but requires quite a bit more needles putting things into my body.

Much to my surprise, the doctor offered to give me a few shots the same day. So I got a Hepatitis B booster shot, a Typhoid Fever shot and a TB test shot (which I returned to get read two days later - I don't have TB, if you were wondering). Three needles in one day was a bit much. I had to get one in each shoulder and one on my forearm. Fun times for someone who doesn't like needles (and who just had blood taken a week or two earlier to get his teaching visa renewed)

I was informed by this doctor that there is no multi-strain meningococcal and thus no vaccine is available. Although I don't find it strange that the disease is not here, I do find it odd that I cannot get a vaccine for it in Korea. Does that mean that there is Typhoid Fever and Yellow Fever in Korea? Either way, I will have to wait until I return to Canada (or another country that has the vaccine) before I can get that shot in the arm.

On top of all that, I got two prescriptions: one for malaria pills (apparently not the ones that will give me bad dreams) and one for an antibiotic (cypro I think?). I have a long time until I need them, but since things are so cheap in Korea, I'll likely get them pre-departure.

I was also told that I have to go to a special place to get my Yellow Fever vaccination. I have yet to make this appointment, as teaching has been very busy the last few weeks. Look for a description of that ordeal in the future (I may have to go to the Airport to get this, but probably not).

Anyway, here's hoping it all works out.

Until next time!

Thank You Very Much. Asante Sana. Merci Beaucoup. 고맙습니다. Part 2

2009-03-07T22:51:00.000-08:00

It has come time to give a second round of thank yous to a few people who have helped me out in the last few weeks. Without the support of several people, my going to Africa would not be possible.

The first thank you goes to my father, John Davidson, who has used his connections to help spread the word about my trip and my fundraising needs. He has also helped with research into things to sell (look for these soon!). On a related note, I would also like to thank the rest of my family (Sister Heather and Mother Sharon) for helping with this as well. My being in Korea has placed some restraints on what I can accomplish and all of my family members have been more than helpful in this regard.

The second thank you goes out to Carolyn Reinhart who has offered to help me obtain two qualifications I will require for my trip: a swim test (to see if I can swim 200m unassisted) and to help me get my first aid certification.

The third thank you is to an anonymous donor who donated money to my cause. The donor asked not to be named, but I wish to thank the donor regardless. So thank you.

As I have said time and time again, this would not be possible without the support of several people. Thank you for all of the time and money that you have donated. It will support not just me, but those who I will have a chance to work with overseas and at home.

Wewe Unasema Kiswahili? Do You Speak Swahili?

2009-02-24T02:29:00.000-08:00

Mimi ninasema Kiswahili... sort of

About a week ago, I received in the mail the book and CD's which are to help me learn Swahili (a major language in East Africa. As a part of my preparations, I will be learning as much Swahili as I can so that I can communicate easier with the Tanzanians I will be working with and for.

Learning a new language is never easy. My experiences with French in middle and high school have given me enough proof of that. Lately, however, I have been trying to not only improve my French, but I have also been trying to learn Korean - a language made more difficult due to a different alphabet.

For the most part, I have had had to rely on books and CD's for my language learning because pretty much everyone at my school here in Seoul speaks English and if they don't a translator is always nearby. Despite this, I have become able to read and write some Korean, as well as speak in small, broken sentences. I can also understand a word every now and then when the other teachers are talking to the students in Korean.

So far - in my one week of concentrated efforts - I have managed to learn a few greetings and I feel c0nfident that I can get to at least a semi-useful level of Swahili by the time September rolls around and I'm off to Tanzania.

So for the above reasons you have read, I will likely be using more than one language in my posts. I'll try to oost in English if I do write in one of the other three languages. It's all part of my efforts to be able to work in different areas of the world.

Mchana mwema! Have a good evening!

Merci Beacoup. Thank You Very Much. 고맙습니다. Asante Sana.

2009-02-08T02:12:00.000-08:00

I would like to take the time to say a very big thanks to four people. The first two, decided to donate online to Youth Challenge International to help pay for my project. So my very first thank-yous go out to Houston Gonsalves and Em Davidson for their donations to my cause.

The second two people have not donated any money, but have instead donated a good deal of time and effort (so much that if I tried to quantify it I couldn't) to help me plan future events (stay tuned for more information about those). They have also helped me set up my website (also soon to be launched) and get in contact with other people. Those two people are Heather and Sharon Davidson, my sister and mother respectively. Without them much of what I have accomplished and what I am planning would be impossible.

So thank you all!