Today was quite the exciting day! Our Country Director, Andrea, came in from Dar with a couple other PC staff. After morning chai at our training hub, CCT, we all gathered under a mango tree with a beautiful view of the mountain in the background. They brought in traditional African dancers and drummers and we watched a dance and then all joined in. We all sat down and they brought out a big map of Tanzania. Everyone's pictures were covered up with post-its and strings were pinned from each picture to their future site. One of the PCTs got to go up to the board and uncover the first person's face and then that person came up to hear a little about their site and then uncover the next face, and so on and so on. It was all very dramatic and exciting and happy!
So now the news you really care about...I'll be spending the next 2 years in Mtwara region in southeast Tanzania at the border with Mozambique!!! I'm on the Makonde Plateau, so I'll have fairly cool weather which will be a nice change from the heat. I've heard its really beautiful and is famous for its cashew nuts! I'll be about halfway between the towns of Mtama and Newala, at a school called Maputi Secondary School. It's a pretty new school (opened in 2007) and has never had a PCV before. That means I don't know much about my site except for that it an O-level (forms 1-4 -> ~grades 8-11) rural, co-ed day school has about 250 students. It has a headmaster (principal) and 3 diploma teachers (just have high school diploma), only 2 of which are full-time. It looks like I'll be teaching physics and math.
One of my good friends here, Katie, will actually be in Newala town and I think we are just a 2 hour bus ride away from each other which is really nice. Another friend from my CBT, Leslie, is also in the region but closer to the coast. Several good friends are spread far around the country so it will be sad to say goodbye but hopefully we will be able to see each other on occasion. It sounds like there are/will be 15-20 PCVs in the region so I will have plenty of opportunities to meet/see other volunteers. I've already spoken with a couple of current volunteers down there and I'm getting so excited! It sounds like I'm pretty much out in the bush, with no electricity or water (water in this region is a big problem). In general this part of Tanzania is one of the least developed, and has very few paved roads (as one PCV that lives there put it...there's one kind-of-paved road). During dry season it takes 8-10 hours by bus to Dar and during rainy season it takes over a day. It is home to the Makonde tribe, which I've heard is one of the most "traditional" tribes (they also used to be cannibals) and also predominately Muslim, so it is a fairly conservative area.
Anyways, I'm so relieved to finally know where I'll be and to get down there!! Tomorrow I'm off to Mbeya for shadow week...hopefully I return with lots of good pictures!
How exciting! I have a friend who grew up in Mozambique... she misses it a lot! How often will you be able to get to internet from your new location? It seems like it's way out there!
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