Busy Bee

I came back to school on Saturday and was thrown into a whirlwind of activity. The day I came back there was a student government ceremony for the newly elected government. My favorite student won the position of vice president! So as soon as I put my stuff in my room, I went to the ceremony. It was all in Swahili so I did not understand most of it, but I am getting better at picking out words and ones I don't know. The good thing about attending such events in Swahili is that it has the potential for me to learn new vocabulary and getting better at listening to the spoken word. Afterwards there was dancing. When I came to use the internet it seemed the school switched to wireless, yet the way they did it was inefficient they should have bought routers instead they bought access points. So now there are only 30 or so IP addresses for everyone!

On Thursday, the Japanese volunteer and I celebrated his 38th bday. We made pizza and had some Konyagi (which is the local gin/vodka made from papaya). And we made passion fruit bread! It is good stuff and while I am in Tanzania I am trying to make things that I normally can't get for cheap in the States (like passion fruit, mangos, pineapples). Though right now it is pear season (they taste crispy like Asian pears found in the States) which means pie time! Also, I went with a Tanzanian girl who works at my school to a local tailor whom she trusts, hopefully the dresses turn out good and I have found a good tailor in my neck of the woods! I know a good one in Morogoro, just not here as this is the first time I am visiting one in Mbeya to make dresses. The few days before that we had to prepare stuff for the party for the opening of the new bachelor programs at our institute

The opening was yesterday (Friday), and it was a big deal and probably felt like a weekend day (and it was the most fun I have had here in terms of at work). The day started early and we prepared exhibitions for our diffferent depts to show to the guest of honor- the Minister of Science and Technology of Tanzania! So I prepared stuff on the webpage design club that we have made for students and others in my dept prepared stuff related to what they were working on. Then we had a ceremony which had a dance troupe that did Cirque de Soleil type acts and did some traditional mcheza ngoma (drumming and dancing). The best part was the minister spoke about how there were not enough girls in technology and how we should encourage girls by going to surrounding secondary schools and primary schools. Which is awesome because that is the point of the girls conference at MIST! And it is also one of the things I would like to happen is for women from the institute to go to local schools, so maybe because the minister said it there will be more encouragement with that project.

Lastly we had good food and they had my favorite peas and coconut milk with a spaghetti flavored with pilau spices. It is funny how everyone knows I am vegetarian by now. :) After that I became team manager for the employee soccer team at school (which mostly consisted of being the doctor, and spraying people with heat spray). So I sat down to watch the soccer tournament of employees vs bachelor/advanced diploma students. I had fun cheering them on, but it was a close game and my team lost. :( The Japanese volunteer played for the employee soccer team and he even scored a goal! Afterwards the Japanese volunteer and I followed some students to the social club at the institute and played table tennis. We also talked to another worker about climbing Mbeya Peak sometime.

Unlike most volunteers I don't get the week of Easter as vacation as school ends the week of April 15th! Originally I was planning on attending a Boy's Conference down in the Ruvuma region but it looks like I won't be able to attend it next weekend. Time is sure flying by fast..it's already almost April!

March pics are up:Pics