Christmas in Tanzania

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We are just getting to know our neighbors and colleagues. Last Week we visited our nightwatchman's house. We met all the neighbors that we have been greeting along the road for three weeks as their houses are also along the side of the same Mountain. As you can imagine, we were humbled by their generosity of spirit and food. We were they only ones that were fed ( bananas, cucumbers, a donut type thing, juice and chai with milk. A nephew who spoke English was with us and helped when our Kiswalhili (and Kisamba) language fell short. He told us how important it was that we see their "environment" which I understood by the end included houses, shambas(farms), family structure and how to be a good neighbor. We were escorted to the houses and brought back home, but told that "now we know where they live and they expected us to visit -- and that we can expect visits as well!

School is empty. More teachers will arrive after Xmas. Now I am enjoying the older Sisters at our site, as they are my age and some speak a lot of English and have studied in USA. They are fun and seem to understand us foreigners a bit.
We spent Xmas eve with the Sisters, went to mass at our site church and spent Xmas with the other Peace Corps Volunteers in our region in a Lushoto Hotel with hot showers and the music and celebrating in town.
We are having a good time and looking forward to our work to start.
The Students arrive Jan. 6th and classes start Jan 14th. My Form 1 classes have only English and Math classes the first 8 weeks. I will teach English with Chemistry Themes and start Chemistry syllabus in March. Form 2 Biology will start in January. The syllabus is thematic, EX: Nutrition (plants and animals and Humans), Transport of materials, Environment, etc. Because we have a lab we will be doing "practicals" lab investigations regularly. I will have 45-50 students in my classes. I am glad we will have boarding students so we can work together after class aswell and have a science club to reach students on a more personal level.

I was able to get pictures loaded on this and the previous blog! Check them out!
Pictures of Our site , the school and our house are now on the previous blog.
These pictures are of End of Morogoro Training party , John's 60th Birthday Party, and Mikumi Park Lions.

More updates in January!
We both wish you ALL a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Peace and Good Health to ALL