Msimba

Just went to a funeral this past week for a worker from the institute. He was one of those who always teased me in a joking way about the way I pronounce certain words in Kis. So it was sad that as I pass the halls I will no longer hear his voice. Apparently he died of heart failure but there is rumors that he was also HIV positive. Funerals in Tanzania are attended by all, man and woman are seperate for the procession and before the procession. Before the procession women gather in a room crying and singing and men gather seperately doing what I don't know as I am not a man. Men wear normal clothes but women cover their lower body by wrapping around a kanga or kitenge(a piece of cloth) over their clothes (whether they are wearing pants or skirts underneath). Wrapping it like a sarong of sorts. And some also cover their heads. There is no wearing of black clothing- that is a Western tradition. On another note HIV positive men in TZ tend to be (but not always) those with money as they can afford to obtain certain things certain ways- which saddens me as some of these wealthy men prey on innocent girls who can't afford school fees (these men are known as Fataki). It is the opposite of the US- those with education and power here tend to get the disease. Which strengthens my stance on the girls conference coming up in a few weeks.

Love is in the Air

Spring is a time for love and same with summer..but alas it is not spring nor summer here but almost winter. How I forget that! It is funny when talking with Tanzanians I reference June, July and August as summer and they look at me strange, then I realize my mistake..ha ha. :) It is winter here! It is getting cold!! And coming home to the States in December I will be missing a part of summer here and heading to winter again. :(
On a brighter note...the girls conference planning is going well..we just got our conference uniforms..periwinkle blue! :)
I just started teaching a short course to fellow teachers about basic applications hoping to get them to start grading their final grades using an Excel spreadsheet. And of course creating webpages, creating lectures using PowerPoint, learning Matlab, and typing faster. :)
And I realize how much the sound of our voice is due to the language we speak..the tone the inflection..I try to sound Tanzanian..but I still sound American. :)

Curriculum Review and BarCamp Mbeya

Last weekend I participated in a Curriculum Review at the institute..it is interesting to see where the institute is trying to reach in order to be competitive in the global world. I had to present current curriculum changes to the group and then a bunch of us got together to talk about a new curriculum for ICT. It is also great to see that teachers here are into research..one of them is interested in tele-medicine. And great to network with different groups around Mbeya. Doing this sort of networking opened up our eyes and we plan on hosting a BarCamp Mbeya August 22nd at the Mbeya Institute of Science and Technology. Karibu MIST!

Mei Mosi

Labour Day was fun! It was great to be part of a celebration and interesting to exchange the fact that in America Labor Day is celebrated in September. They were surprised that not everyone celebrates Labour Day on May 1st. I saw my first fire truck demo and first fire truck for that matter that day. It was from China which prompted me to ask about an emergency 911 type system..they apparently have it but no one knows the number. And that day I was Tanzanian. And even now more and more of my community accepts me as one of theirs. It is funny once a stranger called me mzungu (foreigner) and a fellow TZ said she's not a mzungu she is my friend, or some will say daughter. Nice huh?

Right now we are marking exams, which I tend to get done faster but I think it is because English is my first language so I can read the student's exams quicker and thus mark quicker. And I have started to offer short courses to teach fellow teachers such skills as PowerPoint, Excel and even creating Websites so they can use these tools in their jobs. Some know it already but not well so they are open to the fact to learn these tools and it is the best time for such training as the only students left are bachelor's students and they are very few. Also I invited some students to my house for pizza, most Tanzanians don't like cheese so I put very little on their side of the pizza but that is ok because I like it alot. :) And the nice thing is my previous students that are going for summer internships have been dropping by my home or even texting me to say goodbye..makes me feel loved..as a teacher of course. :) And no I am not an easy teacher..I prefer to be tough..but I think I do put alot of effort into learning and I think the students like that. I hope to see some of them in the States one they..I hope they can get there..it would be awesome!

Currently I am busy planning the Girls conference..a month left to go! Hope it goes well..many women in my community are interested in helping out..hopefully they mean it.