miaka mitatu nchini Tanzania: Karibu Tanzania (Welcome to Tanzania)!

We finally arrived in Dar es Salaam after over 24 hours of travel from Philadelphia, and it felt great to get here! We have basically been kept in a gated compound since we arrived Friday night (not quite sure what it is, but it is a big center/school/hostel/wedding venue run by Catholic nuns). I think it is actually quite posh, as they're trying to ease us into our living situation (we each have our own little rooms and bathrooms, complete with a shower and flush toilet). We are also being fed very well, although it is mostly fried foods and starches (rice, fried meat or fish, a meat stew, fried bananas, potatoes, etc.). I can imagine that so little fresh fruits and veggies will get old pretty fast, although I think they are not so hard to find in markets. Today we actually had a training session on permagardens, and I hope to have my own little garden to grow fruits and vegetables (avocados, peppers, and cilantro will grow here!). Aside from all the food, we're also processing quite a few medications. We've had close to 10 vaccinations and began taking our malaria prophylaxis pills (I'm taking the one that I was warned against by a couple of people - meflaquin/larium - but no crazy side effects yet).

So far we've undergone some more basic training sessions about Tanzanian culture, greetings, the PC Education program, health and safety issues, etc. Our training classes start at 8 every morning and have typically lasted until late afternoon, with breaks for lunch as well as morning and afternoon chai (tea + a big snack). There has been plenty of time in the evenings for the volunteers to hang out...we've played ultimate frisbee or soccer the last couple of afternoons. The compound even has a bar that serves cold beer, and we've spent most nights with cold beers and card/board games. It's crazy that our group has only known each other for a few days, and many of us already seem like close friends...it's really easy to imagine how volunteers become so close by going through this experience together for 2 years!

We've met with our country director a few times, and I feel like she is going to be really great. She was a PCV herself in Benin, and has spent the last 25 years working in Africa. There will also be a couple of current PCVs joining us each week during PST, and they have been a great resource so far for all of our questions. Overall the PC staff and trainers, almost all native Tanzanians, have been so welcoming, warm, and helpful. Tanzanians in general are very friendly, happy people...you always see them with smiles on their faces and laughing, which is such a pleasure to be around!

Learning more about the Tanzanian education system has been very interesting. The number of secondary schools has increased from approximately 900 to 4000 over the last 10 years. While this means many more students have access to education, there is a severe teacher shortage, especially those qualified to teach math and science at the secondary level (hence the focus of PC/TZ's education program). Classes consist of around 50-80 students, and it is quite common for classes to have no teacher at all (students will literally just spend the class period copying down notes from a chalkboard). The Tanzanian president, President Kikwete, visited the White House last year. Although the agenda had to do with big security issues facing East Africa (Islamic extremists, pirates, etc.), the first thing that President Kikwete asked Obama was if Tanzania could get more Peace Corps Volunteers. It is really great to know how appreciated we are by the government, as well as Tanzanians in general (our PC doctor, for example, was taught by a PCV when he was in secondary school). PC/TZ is therefore expanding its education program, with the goal of doubling the number of volunteers over the next 5 years. Needless to say, it already feels so amazing to be a part of this program! I really feel so lucky to have been placed in Tanzania, and I can't wait to see what the next 2 years have in store.

On Wednesday we will drive west to Morogoro (~3 hours) to our actual training site. We'll stay there until Sunday, when we'll be split off into groups of 4 or 5 into nearby villages and move in with our host families. I'm really excited to start out Kiswahili training, as well as meet my mama and baba (mother and father) and dada and kaka (sisters and brothers)! I expect to be much busier as soon as our real training starts, but I can hopefully update you all in a few weeks.

Anyways, I'm doing very well and I am really loving it here! Hope you are all well! Kwaheri (Goodbye)!

Just a few pictures so far of our training class...