The beginning of this month started like any other. In the middle of the work week, no special events. It was a holiday but mostly just a day to catch up on work. But the first weekend was exciting.

My students were going to play a day school in Masasi in football. I had ridden into town the day before and was waiting at the school when my students arrived in the school car-a 1979 Izuzu truck, BIG truck, with a 20 x 8 foot truck bed and metal bars attached giving a ride in the back feel somehow like being in a cage. They were singing and upon seeing me displayed a flurry of waves and thumbs up. First we had a debate, in English, about whether a girl should be allowed to continue school if she becomes pregnant. I believe the current practice is she is kicked out of school until after the baby is born and may only return is she has given care of the baby over to other guardians. Students from both schools were chosen to argue for or against a girl being allowed to continue schooling during and after pregnancy. All the students did very well and at the end four students from the audience were allowed to give their perspective. All argued in favor of girls being able to school throughout pregnancy but I was surprised they were all boys. Although they recognized it's important for girls to continue schooling girls are still shy to speak up in school.

The game was very fun to watch. I'm far from a football (soccer) expert but I'm pretty sure these kids are very talented. We have one student, Stefano, who has excellent control of the ball. He was dribbling at a fast run next to a defender and stopped the ball dead while he and the defender kept running full speed. One of our students came right in and took the ball forward; Stefano left it for him purposely. Although this didn't result in a score the crowd went crazy at this well played fake-out. The students don't just stand and watch. They get a beat going with a stomp, form a line, and sing cheers while slowly dancing around the field. It's one of my favorite...cultural traditions (I can't find the words I'm looking for but I think you understand). They don't break to scream at bad calls, talk on the phone, or even when the ball is accidentally passed into them (they dance right on the side lines). They may circle the field 3 or 4 times before calling a break and get a workout just as good as the players. Sometimes it's hard to choose to watch them or the game.

We ended in a tie, 1 to 1. No overtime since evening had arrived and we had a slow 2+ hour drive back to Chidya on a very rain damaged road. I tied my bike in the truck bed and piled in with the students. It was a memorable ride back yet somehow just fell into another day in Tanzania.

The Road Ahead

The sun was closing out a usual day. Yellows, oranges, pinks and purples painted the sky. Clouds shuffled out slowly after a long, hot day. The night air was cool but you remain warm; part of a massive body speeding down the paved road as stars begin to stir from sleep. Soon the car slows and conversation fills the void of rushing wind. The road challenges the massive width of the 38 year old jalopy attempting yet another climb with a heavy load, well past its glory years. The car stops and students climb off but a few tired players stay on with the teachers. Darkness has set in and those who remain become silent silhouettes who dance to the song of a weather torn road as the truck twist and turns through its bumps and bruises. Bright red shines through from the cab. 4 or 5 warning lights come standard in every Tanzanian vehicle (and they're ALWAYS on yet somehow never break...unlike many other components of the car; amazing). In front of the shadows is a world of green leaves, a red dirt road, and a mass of students being herded by two lights impatiently pushing their way through. The crowd breaks and the students begin to fill the empty cavity of the skeleton they left behind. Silence makes way for the conversations that intermitted earlier. The driver pushes the car on.

Another small yet memorable experience. Unfortunately, after this I was seriously fearing we'd tip. The road becomes especially bad once we reach the bottom of the plateau and more than a few times breathes were held in anticipation of falling at a heavy lean. Luckily the car broke down before anyone was hurt. The students pushed it UP the mountain about 100 meters so the next morning the village car could pass by. Around 9pm 5 teachers and over 100 students began a moonlit walk 10k back to school. All arrived safely, no leopard attacks or snake bites. I arrived home to something BIG hanging out by my outhouse. Electricity was off so I quickly entered my home and found a flashlight. I returned and found myself staring at a lost cow. It greeted me with a quiet 'moo' and I replied, 'OK, see you in the morning'. As usual I awoke in the early morning, before the sun to use the outhouse. I casually passed the cow, finished, and returned to bed. The next morning I learned this cow was blind in one eye and so, when walking toward my house to exit my backyard would lose site of the exit and remain stuck. But we got him out just before I left for church.

I was TOD (Teacher on Duty) this month. In case you've forgotten this is when one teacher has to make sure the students are in class, doing outdoor work, and that their food is OK. During the evenings students meet on the parade ground for evening assembly and a few students are chosen to make speeches in English. One student talked about is first trip out of his village which was to come here to Chidya Boys' Secondary School. He lives in a village a few hours walk from Mtwara. The one paved road in this region runs from Mtwara to Masasi-the town closest to Chidya. When he arrived in Mtwara for the first time he saw his first paved road. No one in his family had been to Mtwara so they didn't know about paved roads.

We had our first Peer Educator lesson this month. I think I've talked a little about this before but I'll just summarize the group a little. We chose ten students from an essay contest to learn about life skills and then teach students here at the Primary School. The topics range from AIDS and decision making to choosing positive role models and setting life goals. We prepared our students and then set up a time for our first lesson. When asking the Headmaster which class (grade) we should teach she suggested class 6 because class 5 has not learned to write well yet. I was surprised-class 5 (5th grade) hasn't learned to write well? It's sad. Yes, this is a more oral culture but often the only teaching resources available are chalk and a blackboard. How is it that after 5 years of schooling students still haven't learned to take notes? Sigh. We agreed on a time and the day came. I'm not sure who was more nervous-the students or me. We split the students into groups-2 Peer Educators for each group. They played a game about how HIV attacks the immune system and then discussed facts and myths about HIV/AIDS. The kids had fun and we look forward to setting a regular schedule next term.

This month I finished the syllabus with both my Form II and IV students. This is good because we can use next term to review. And, BOY, do they need it. It's now the end of the month and we're in the midst of exams before the 6 week break. I had over a week to review with the students and gave them questions nearly identical to what I asked on the test. The Form IV results have been discouraging. I thought I was teaching much better this year but can't really prove it since exam scores have been so low. Form II did a little better but we still need to do lots of review. And I've learned we need to review all four years: Form I through IV.

As the term wraps up I've been able to spend a lot more time in the village. Just before Anna came my good friend in the village, Ajili who made Dad's shirt, was attacked by thieves with a machete. They stole about $500 worth from his store and cut him, his mother, and father (don't worry, the school has night guards so thieves don't come here). He just got back from the hospital and has only minor scars on his arms, thankfully. But he showed me where the thieves missed, swinging the machete and hitting the walls of his home. Scary. One of the four thieves was caught and killed-mob justice; it happens here and is acceptable, sadly. It was good to see him again and be in the village-I'm so busy at the school this year I rarely get to go in.

At the end of the school term I went to the school church for a change. The school was founded by missionaries and so has quite a big church. But it's not kept very well and is starting to fall apart. Regardless the ceremony was very formal. The priest and an assistant were in robes and they performed covenant with, I think, real wine. Wow. The sermon was more formal and not a lot of singing. One cool thing was a member of the congregation sometimes got up to speak and help lead songs. It was nice to go and experience a very different morning at church.

This month's pictures are mostly from a bike ride to Steph's site. I realized I've written a few times about my bike trips but taken no pictures. And that you might not be able to visualize what these bike paths are REALLY like. In April of 2006 I wrote about getting lost and then, on the way back from Steph's site to mine, almost getting swept away by a river. I took a picture and even though it's the dry season you can see how deep it can get. You can also see the Makonde Plateau, the colonial era road, and the path through villages. Until next month,

Justin