Tomorrow part 2 - lamination and figuring out to to hang them up in their wall-less classroom.
Friday, November 18, 2011
November 17
Operation Cat Art Orphan Positive Self-Image Part 1 - raging success!!!
Tomorrow part 2 - lamination and figuring out to to hang them up in their wall-less classroom.
Tomorrow part 2 - lamination and figuring out to to hang them up in their wall-less classroom.
November 15
Mary is always either laughing or crying. When she's crying I sing "Miss Mary Mack" to her, and that makes her laugh again.
The kids have four soccer balls to play with. They're all deflated. Luckily, Maksi has imagination and a sense of humor.
The kids have four soccer balls to play with. They're all deflated. Luckily, Maksi has imagination and a sense of humor.
November 14, again
This was at a cell phone shop. I was trying to buy extra minutes for my Tanzanian phone.
The kids love my iPhone. I let a six year old, Paulo, take my picture.
Some of the worksheets I made for the Kindergarteners at St. Viv's.
The kids love my iPhone. I let a six year old, Paulo, take my picture.
Some of the worksheets I made for the Kindergarteners at St. Viv's.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Nzuri sana!
November 13
Hellooooooooooooo Everyone!
My week at St. Vivian's was quite successful. It's an English Medium school, but as it turns out, the three teachers actually don't speak English very well. I had mentioned last week that the teacher was thankful to have me there because while I was teaching English and Art lessons, she was able to prepare the big exam that the kids have to take at the end of the month- all by hand. While she was teaching Math and Science, I was proof-reading the exam and correcting her English. Since she asked for my help, I was honest with her. There was one question that said "Which is color of umbrella?" and an exercise that said "Write the word Dictation" where the kids were supposed to write down the words she said aloud. I helped her reword some things here and there and she was grateful.
I noticed that the teaching method at St. Viv's was heavily based on memorization as opposed to comprehension. As a result, some kids were way off the mark. Little Solame, who was my favorite in the class, often turned in homework and classwork that didn't contain one single correct answer. Unfortunately, I was not trained as an educator, and I had little advice on how to rectify the situation. My best effort was to compose a reference/study guide for the children. It ended up being quite extensive- 15 pages worth of material. I worked on it in class a little, but mostly on my own time during my afternoon break or in the late evenings when i got home from the orphanage. I made 25 copies, one for each kid. The guide is, of course, in traditional Katie Style with fun fonts and lots of drawings. The teacher was pretty impressed with my artwork and she asked me to design the art portion of the exam. I happily obliged.
On Thursday morning, she asked me to teach the kids a song. I taught them "10 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed." We ran through it a couple of times first and then I got ten kids up in front of the class to play the monkeys as we sang the song again. Each time a monkey fell off the bed, I would playfully pull one kid out of the line and have him sit back down. Then we would count how many kids were left over and start again. They were freaking crazy about it. It was like they'd never had so much fun in all their lives.
Yesterday, the students were practicing introductions in English. They had to get up in front of the class and say their name, age, school, teacher (a couple of them said Madame Kaitlyn) from which village they came,with which relatives they live, and what they want to be when they grow up. Out of 25 kids, all the girls said they would like to be either a teacher or a nurse, and all the boys chose either a doctor or a policeman. I wanted to shake them, especially little Halima, who is so so smart and enthusiastic about her education, and say "Girls can be doctors, too!" Apparently there are still a lot of gender stereotypes here. I asked the teacher about it afterwards, and she told me that it's unacceptable for a woman to do a man's job here, unlike in America. I didn't explain to her that a doctor isn't necessarily a man's job.
My evening visits to the orphanage this week were a little rough. I was really given no guidance, just kind of thrown into the position of taking care of 20 little kids who are usually on their own. I'll be interested to be there during the daytime next week and observe how their teacher handles the rambunctious bunch. Hopefully I'll pick up some pointers for when I'm on my own in the evenings. They're good kids, but they fight a lot. They even fight over who gets to hold my hand. It's exhausting. On Friday night, however, they were factually playing nicely for a little while. I was able to sit down in a chair and catch my breath for a second. Maksi, who is my absolute favorite, delighted me by climbing into my lap. Maksi is no ordinary toddler. He seems to be inherently happy, and most of the time he's entertaining himself. He doesn't fight nearly as much as the other children. One time he called me over- "Tee-cha, Tee-cha!"- When I got there he was pointing proudly to a small lake of saliva he had obviously spent several minutes accumulating on the surface of a rock. When he snuggled into my lap, he started softly singing songs to me in Swahili while he curiously examined my ears, face and hair. Then he gently drove his matchbox car (none of the kids have let their cars out of their sight since they received them five days ago) around my shoulders and my neck. Instead of your typical "vroom-vroom," he chose elongated rolled r's as his car's driving sound effect. This was, for lack of a better phrase, the most adorable effing thing ever. Those fifteen minutes that I got to spend with My Mister Maksi (yes, that's what I call him) were some of the most precious moments I've spent in Tanzania.
My Swahili is improving. When I come home for lunch the housekeeper at my host's house always asks me a series of questions. On Thursday I was able to answer them all naturally and on my first try. When I did, she grabbed my arms and we danced in a little circle as she sang "Nzuri sana Kiswhahili!" which means "Very good Swahili." I was also able to purchase water, pencils for my students, wet ones, a chocolate bar, and Bublish for Mudy and Miriam this week with no problems. Of course, most of my Swahili is based on the fact that I spend lots of time with toddlers. The words and phrases I can say perfectly without consulting my dictionary include: Share, Sit, No Hit, No Kick, Hurt, Good, Bad, Give Me, Nice, Stop, Quiet, and Don't eat that, it's garbage.
To be filed under "Coolest Things I've Done in My Life," I went on a Safari yesterday to Arusha National Park. At first I was a little disheartened that I had to go by myself but then I remembered that, although I wrongly assumed there would be other volunteers to hang around with, this trip has always been about being on my own. I insisted on coming here and I insisted on coming by myself. It is the finishing touch on a year's worth of work sculpting a sense of self-esteem and independence as an adult. The reality wasn't that I was by myself, but rather I had my own private guided safari. And that was pretty damn awesome. My guide, Rajai, is close friends with Crispin, my host. He spoke a little English and you could tell his knowledge of the wilderness was extensive. He told me that he used to guide mountain climbers up Mt. Kilimanjaro, but going up and down the mountain as frequently as he did was simply unhealthy. I was in a giant safari van and the entire roof popped up so I could stand up inside. And i had it all to myself. Arusha National Park is situated at the base of Mt. Meru. The entire visit consisted of breathtaking views of the mountain. As soon as we entered the park, I saw giraffes and zebra. They were so amazingly beautiful. It took five hours to complete the journey around the park. Although most people sit until there's something interesting to look at, i stood up in the van the entire time. In fact, I was so excited that most of the time I stood on my tippy-toes. We were racing through the rainforest- it was a sunny day with a nice breeze and the scenery was unreal. I felt like a very happy puppy with her head stuck out the car window. Among the indescribably beautiful scenery, I saw warthogs, water buffalo, antelope, baboons, blue monkeys, colobus monkeys, banded mongoose, and flamingos. I saw countless birds of all shapes sizes and colors of the rainbow. Often, the path of our van would intersect with the flight of a butterfly, dragonfly or large beetle. They would keep us company in the car for a bit and then fly on. I saw about a million species of trees, plants and flowers. I was wishing many of you were here to share the experience with me, but i also felt peaceful with the fact that I was able to share it with myself. I thought about how hard I always work, and how good it felt to treat myself to something so extraordinary. I frequently asserted myself and asked the guide to stop or go back so I could take pictures, which is something I don't think I would have done this time last year before all of my soul-searching. Not only did it feel great to ask for what I wanted and get my money's worth, I got some really awesome shots!
I had a beer with the guide afterwards and he told me some interesting stories, but I'm running out of time in the Internet cafe. I'll send 'em later.
Many of you have texted to ask if there some way you can help the kids. I am buying them some school supplies here in Africa, but the options are limited and the quality is poor. On my first day here, during a tour around the village, a representative from TAMIHA mentioned several times that most of the volunteers end up sponsoring a child for a year's worth of education, about $460. The orphanage holds kids from 3-6 years old, and after that they must become sponsored to continue their education. At first I was a bit annoyed that he seemed to be pressing the matter after I spent so much money getting here and I was already devoting three weeks to the cause, but by the end of that evening, after I had spend the afternoon playing with the little ones, I had already decided to sponsor one when I get back home. These kids really have nothing. An opportunity to continue with their education is probably the best thing I can give them. When I look into their little eyes, I realize that where and when one is born is completely up to chance. I could have easily been born into poverty or lost my parents, just like these guys. I can't imagine being in Kindergarten and not knowing where I'll be next year. Maybe those of you who expressed interest in helping can contribute to the sponsorship? I'd be a really nice thing to do for one kid on the other side of the world, especially with Christmas time coming up. I'm also planning on sending out a package in January or February, with better quality school supplies and maybe a special something for Miriam and Mudy. I'll let you know when that goes out.
Thanks again for sending all the love and the texts! I miss you all like crazy!!
Much love,
Katie
Hellooooooooooooo Everyone!
My week at St. Vivian's was quite successful. It's an English Medium school, but as it turns out, the three teachers actually don't speak English very well. I had mentioned last week that the teacher was thankful to have me there because while I was teaching English and Art lessons, she was able to prepare the big exam that the kids have to take at the end of the month- all by hand. While she was teaching Math and Science, I was proof-reading the exam and correcting her English. Since she asked for my help, I was honest with her. There was one question that said "Which is color of umbrella?" and an exercise that said "Write the word Dictation" where the kids were supposed to write down the words she said aloud. I helped her reword some things here and there and she was grateful.
I noticed that the teaching method at St. Viv's was heavily based on memorization as opposed to comprehension. As a result, some kids were way off the mark. Little Solame, who was my favorite in the class, often turned in homework and classwork that didn't contain one single correct answer. Unfortunately, I was not trained as an educator, and I had little advice on how to rectify the situation. My best effort was to compose a reference/study guide for the children. It ended up being quite extensive- 15 pages worth of material. I worked on it in class a little, but mostly on my own time during my afternoon break or in the late evenings when i got home from the orphanage. I made 25 copies, one for each kid. The guide is, of course, in traditional Katie Style with fun fonts and lots of drawings. The teacher was pretty impressed with my artwork and she asked me to design the art portion of the exam. I happily obliged.
On Thursday morning, she asked me to teach the kids a song. I taught them "10 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed." We ran through it a couple of times first and then I got ten kids up in front of the class to play the monkeys as we sang the song again. Each time a monkey fell off the bed, I would playfully pull one kid out of the line and have him sit back down. Then we would count how many kids were left over and start again. They were freaking crazy about it. It was like they'd never had so much fun in all their lives.
Yesterday, the students were practicing introductions in English. They had to get up in front of the class and say their name, age, school, teacher (a couple of them said Madame Kaitlyn) from which village they came,with which relatives they live, and what they want to be when they grow up. Out of 25 kids, all the girls said they would like to be either a teacher or a nurse, and all the boys chose either a doctor or a policeman. I wanted to shake them, especially little Halima, who is so so smart and enthusiastic about her education, and say "Girls can be doctors, too!" Apparently there are still a lot of gender stereotypes here. I asked the teacher about it afterwards, and she told me that it's unacceptable for a woman to do a man's job here, unlike in America. I didn't explain to her that a doctor isn't necessarily a man's job.
My evening visits to the orphanage this week were a little rough. I was really given no guidance, just kind of thrown into the position of taking care of 20 little kids who are usually on their own. I'll be interested to be there during the daytime next week and observe how their teacher handles the rambunctious bunch. Hopefully I'll pick up some pointers for when I'm on my own in the evenings. They're good kids, but they fight a lot. They even fight over who gets to hold my hand. It's exhausting. On Friday night, however, they were factually playing nicely for a little while. I was able to sit down in a chair and catch my breath for a second. Maksi, who is my absolute favorite, delighted me by climbing into my lap. Maksi is no ordinary toddler. He seems to be inherently happy, and most of the time he's entertaining himself. He doesn't fight nearly as much as the other children. One time he called me over- "Tee-cha, Tee-cha!"- When I got there he was pointing proudly to a small lake of saliva he had obviously spent several minutes accumulating on the surface of a rock. When he snuggled into my lap, he started softly singing songs to me in Swahili while he curiously examined my ears, face and hair. Then he gently drove his matchbox car (none of the kids have let their cars out of their sight since they received them five days ago) around my shoulders and my neck. Instead of your typical "vroom-vroom," he chose elongated rolled r's as his car's driving sound effect. This was, for lack of a better phrase, the most adorable effing thing ever. Those fifteen minutes that I got to spend with My Mister Maksi (yes, that's what I call him) were some of the most precious moments I've spent in Tanzania.
My Swahili is improving. When I come home for lunch the housekeeper at my host's house always asks me a series of questions. On Thursday I was able to answer them all naturally and on my first try. When I did, she grabbed my arms and we danced in a little circle as she sang "Nzuri sana Kiswhahili!" which means "Very good Swahili." I was also able to purchase water, pencils for my students, wet ones, a chocolate bar, and Bublish for Mudy and Miriam this week with no problems. Of course, most of my Swahili is based on the fact that I spend lots of time with toddlers. The words and phrases I can say perfectly without consulting my dictionary include: Share, Sit, No Hit, No Kick, Hurt, Good, Bad, Give Me, Nice, Stop, Quiet, and Don't eat that, it's garbage.
To be filed under "Coolest Things I've Done in My Life," I went on a Safari yesterday to Arusha National Park. At first I was a little disheartened that I had to go by myself but then I remembered that, although I wrongly assumed there would be other volunteers to hang around with, this trip has always been about being on my own. I insisted on coming here and I insisted on coming by myself. It is the finishing touch on a year's worth of work sculpting a sense of self-esteem and independence as an adult. The reality wasn't that I was by myself, but rather I had my own private guided safari. And that was pretty damn awesome. My guide, Rajai, is close friends with Crispin, my host. He spoke a little English and you could tell his knowledge of the wilderness was extensive. He told me that he used to guide mountain climbers up Mt. Kilimanjaro, but going up and down the mountain as frequently as he did was simply unhealthy. I was in a giant safari van and the entire roof popped up so I could stand up inside. And i had it all to myself. Arusha National Park is situated at the base of Mt. Meru. The entire visit consisted of breathtaking views of the mountain. As soon as we entered the park, I saw giraffes and zebra. They were so amazingly beautiful. It took five hours to complete the journey around the park. Although most people sit until there's something interesting to look at, i stood up in the van the entire time. In fact, I was so excited that most of the time I stood on my tippy-toes. We were racing through the rainforest- it was a sunny day with a nice breeze and the scenery was unreal. I felt like a very happy puppy with her head stuck out the car window. Among the indescribably beautiful scenery, I saw warthogs, water buffalo, antelope, baboons, blue monkeys, colobus monkeys, banded mongoose, and flamingos. I saw countless birds of all shapes sizes and colors of the rainbow. Often, the path of our van would intersect with the flight of a butterfly, dragonfly or large beetle. They would keep us company in the car for a bit and then fly on. I saw about a million species of trees, plants and flowers. I was wishing many of you were here to share the experience with me, but i also felt peaceful with the fact that I was able to share it with myself. I thought about how hard I always work, and how good it felt to treat myself to something so extraordinary. I frequently asserted myself and asked the guide to stop or go back so I could take pictures, which is something I don't think I would have done this time last year before all of my soul-searching. Not only did it feel great to ask for what I wanted and get my money's worth, I got some really awesome shots!
I had a beer with the guide afterwards and he told me some interesting stories, but I'm running out of time in the Internet cafe. I'll send 'em later.
Many of you have texted to ask if there some way you can help the kids. I am buying them some school supplies here in Africa, but the options are limited and the quality is poor. On my first day here, during a tour around the village, a representative from TAMIHA mentioned several times that most of the volunteers end up sponsoring a child for a year's worth of education, about $460. The orphanage holds kids from 3-6 years old, and after that they must become sponsored to continue their education. At first I was a bit annoyed that he seemed to be pressing the matter after I spent so much money getting here and I was already devoting three weeks to the cause, but by the end of that evening, after I had spend the afternoon playing with the little ones, I had already decided to sponsor one when I get back home. These kids really have nothing. An opportunity to continue with their education is probably the best thing I can give them. When I look into their little eyes, I realize that where and when one is born is completely up to chance. I could have easily been born into poverty or lost my parents, just like these guys. I can't imagine being in Kindergarten and not knowing where I'll be next year. Maybe those of you who expressed interest in helping can contribute to the sponsorship? I'd be a really nice thing to do for one kid on the other side of the world, especially with Christmas time coming up. I'm also planning on sending out a package in January or February, with better quality school supplies and maybe a special something for Miriam and Mudy. I'll let you know when that goes out.
Thanks again for sending all the love and the texts! I miss you all like crazy!!
Much love,
Katie
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
November 12
Dinner time! The only time when these 20 kids are quiet. And you can bet they eat everything on their plate without any argument.
Friday, November 11, 2011
November 11
This is Maksi. I know I'm not supposed to do this, but he's my favorite. He's an old soul- carefree, independent, and joyful.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
November 9
Hello again everyone!!
Holy crap I don't even know where to start. I've settled in quite nicely and I'm loving it here. The kids are awesome.
I set my alarm for 6:30 or 7am, but I rarely need it because I'm usually woken up by a rooster or the neighbor's cow. I brush my teeth and have chai tea and breakfast. Breakfast is usually some sort of fried thing with eggs and bananas. There are bananas in almost every dish here. Then I get dressed and walk to work.
This week I've been teaching kindergarteners at St. Vivian's English School. They're so freaking adorable. The teacher and I take turns teaching different subjects. She's thankful that I'm there because there's a big school wide exam at the end of the month, and she works on preparing that while I'm teaching. I took some pictures of the exam with my iPhone and went home yesterday and made the kids a little study guide/reference to have. On my first day there I was pretty upset to see that the kids were all using these nubby sorry little excuses for pencils. No one had an eraser, and they were sharpening them with loose razor blades. I freaked (because they're 6 year olds) and took all the razors away. That afternoon I went to a stationary store and bought them each a brand new pencil, eraser, and pencil sharpener. They were pretty psyched.
I leave the school at 1 and then walk back home for lunch. I sit in the living room and read (I'm halfway through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) or play with the kids in my host family until the maid comes in and says "Chalupa!" which means "Food!" It's almost always rice, beans and spinach, but today I had a fun dish that was made with cooked bananas and potatoes in a tomato-ey type of sauce. Then I read some more or go for a walk or work on some stuff for the kids until about 4pm, when I head over to the Orphanage.
When I get there, the kids are just waking up from their nap. I help them out of bed and help them put on their shoes and then we walk across the orphanage to their little school house where they do their homework. Then we play until 7pm, when they are served dinner (usually thin porridge or beans) and then we sit around the table and sing songs until it's time for bed at 8pm. When I'm not here, they do all this by themselves. There is a matron on the grounds, but she's rarely around, and she doesn't play with the kids. At first this made me feel kind of bad, like it didn't really matter if I was there or not, but then I realized that these kids desperately need attention and reassurance and confidence and a whole lot of love. Some of them just need a big hug. Fortunately, that's the kind of stuff I'm good at.
The kids at the orphanage are 3-5. There is one 7 year old boy named Mudy and an 8 year old girl named Miriam. Though they're just kids themselves, they act like a mother and father to the other 20 kids. It's beautiful but heartbreaking at the same time. I've become pretty close with Mudy and Miriam. I let them play with my phone and I let them take some pictures with my camera. The other day Mudy leaned over and simply whispered "I like Sprite Bublish." and then he walked away. Bublish is bubble gum, and there's a bazooka sort of flavor, a Fanta flavor, and a Sprite flavor. I took the hint and bought him and Miriam a piece of Sprite Bublish the next day. The day after that, Mudy gave me a beautiful picture of a house that he had drawn.
When I get home I eat dinner and read or chill with the host family. The family thinks my Nook is the coolest thing ever. Everyone at home calls me "Dada," which means "Sister."
I'm running low on computer time, so I'll have to stop there, but I absolutely love your texts, keep 'em coming! I've gotten positive responses o the daily picture texts, but it takes up a lot of messages for me. Annie, if I send the picture to you, would you be able to forward it along to everyone??
I've been sending it to Ray, Jene, Grandma, Mom, and TJ and I'll text you the phone numbers so you can add Ron, Rosa and Mack to your list.
I think about you guys all the time. Mom, today the kids finished their morning lesson before their porridge was ready. After we said the alphabet three times and counted to 100 twice, the teacher asked me to teach them a song, so I taught them "Open, Shut Them" and they LOVED it! Annie, the other day the kids got a big plastic bag filled with old hot wheels cars. It was sent over from a family from upstate NY that contributes to the orphanage. They each got to pick one out. Miriam, the older girl, let all the little kids pick first before she chose an ambulance. She didn't know what it was, so I told her all about it and it's function. She laughed when I told her that all the other cars get out of the way when an ambulance drives past. Then she freaked when I told her that my aunt used to drive one. Jene and Rosa!! The kids always ask me to show them "Tata Lala Bella" (The sleeping baby Bella) when they want to see a picture I have of Isabella asleep, and they ask t see "Tata Viatu Charlie" (Baby Charlie Shoes) when they want to see the picture of little charlie with big charlie's shoes. Caroline, you won't believe how often I think of you when you used to make us play The Lion King with you when you were little. The phrase I use most often here is "Asante Sana" (Thank you very much) and i walwys want to say Asante Sana, Squash Banana!
I'm going on a safari to Arusha National Park on Saturday and then I'll write again on Sunday.
Love and miss you guys!! Thanks again for all the texts!
-Katie
Holy crap I don't even know where to start. I've settled in quite nicely and I'm loving it here. The kids are awesome.
I set my alarm for 6:30 or 7am, but I rarely need it because I'm usually woken up by a rooster or the neighbor's cow. I brush my teeth and have chai tea and breakfast. Breakfast is usually some sort of fried thing with eggs and bananas. There are bananas in almost every dish here. Then I get dressed and walk to work.
This week I've been teaching kindergarteners at St. Vivian's English School. They're so freaking adorable. The teacher and I take turns teaching different subjects. She's thankful that I'm there because there's a big school wide exam at the end of the month, and she works on preparing that while I'm teaching. I took some pictures of the exam with my iPhone and went home yesterday and made the kids a little study guide/reference to have. On my first day there I was pretty upset to see that the kids were all using these nubby sorry little excuses for pencils. No one had an eraser, and they were sharpening them with loose razor blades. I freaked (because they're 6 year olds) and took all the razors away. That afternoon I went to a stationary store and bought them each a brand new pencil, eraser, and pencil sharpener. They were pretty psyched.
I leave the school at 1 and then walk back home for lunch. I sit in the living room and read (I'm halfway through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) or play with the kids in my host family until the maid comes in and says "Chalupa!" which means "Food!" It's almost always rice, beans and spinach, but today I had a fun dish that was made with cooked bananas and potatoes in a tomato-ey type of sauce. Then I read some more or go for a walk or work on some stuff for the kids until about 4pm, when I head over to the Orphanage.
When I get there, the kids are just waking up from their nap. I help them out of bed and help them put on their shoes and then we walk across the orphanage to their little school house where they do their homework. Then we play until 7pm, when they are served dinner (usually thin porridge or beans) and then we sit around the table and sing songs until it's time for bed at 8pm. When I'm not here, they do all this by themselves. There is a matron on the grounds, but she's rarely around, and she doesn't play with the kids. At first this made me feel kind of bad, like it didn't really matter if I was there or not, but then I realized that these kids desperately need attention and reassurance and confidence and a whole lot of love. Some of them just need a big hug. Fortunately, that's the kind of stuff I'm good at.
The kids at the orphanage are 3-5. There is one 7 year old boy named Mudy and an 8 year old girl named Miriam. Though they're just kids themselves, they act like a mother and father to the other 20 kids. It's beautiful but heartbreaking at the same time. I've become pretty close with Mudy and Miriam. I let them play with my phone and I let them take some pictures with my camera. The other day Mudy leaned over and simply whispered "I like Sprite Bublish." and then he walked away. Bublish is bubble gum, and there's a bazooka sort of flavor, a Fanta flavor, and a Sprite flavor. I took the hint and bought him and Miriam a piece of Sprite Bublish the next day. The day after that, Mudy gave me a beautiful picture of a house that he had drawn.
When I get home I eat dinner and read or chill with the host family. The family thinks my Nook is the coolest thing ever. Everyone at home calls me "Dada," which means "Sister."
I'm running low on computer time, so I'll have to stop there, but I absolutely love your texts, keep 'em coming! I've gotten positive responses o the daily picture texts, but it takes up a lot of messages for me. Annie, if I send the picture to you, would you be able to forward it along to everyone??
I've been sending it to Ray, Jene, Grandma, Mom, and TJ and I'll text you the phone numbers so you can add Ron, Rosa and Mack to your list.
I think about you guys all the time. Mom, today the kids finished their morning lesson before their porridge was ready. After we said the alphabet three times and counted to 100 twice, the teacher asked me to teach them a song, so I taught them "Open, Shut Them" and they LOVED it! Annie, the other day the kids got a big plastic bag filled with old hot wheels cars. It was sent over from a family from upstate NY that contributes to the orphanage. They each got to pick one out. Miriam, the older girl, let all the little kids pick first before she chose an ambulance. She didn't know what it was, so I told her all about it and it's function. She laughed when I told her that all the other cars get out of the way when an ambulance drives past. Then she freaked when I told her that my aunt used to drive one. Jene and Rosa!! The kids always ask me to show them "Tata Lala Bella" (The sleeping baby Bella) when they want to see a picture I have of Isabella asleep, and they ask t see "Tata Viatu Charlie" (Baby Charlie Shoes) when they want to see the picture of little charlie with big charlie's shoes. Caroline, you won't believe how often I think of you when you used to make us play The Lion King with you when you were little. The phrase I use most often here is "Asante Sana" (Thank you very much) and i walwys want to say Asante Sana, Squash Banana!
I'm going on a safari to Arusha National Park on Saturday and then I'll write again on Sunday.
Love and miss you guys!! Thanks again for all the texts!
-Katie
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
November 8
My super sweet kids and St. Vivian's! Today they let me teach an art lesson. We drew things you would find in a kitchen. Also taught them about sensory organs!
Monday, November 7, 2011
November 7
This was early in the morning on my way to the English School. People say "Mambo" or how are you when I walk by and I say "poa" which means cool.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
November 5
This is Sharon. She calls me "teach-ah." She loves to be held and today I taught her the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes."
November 5
My kids, walking across the orphanage grounds from their bedroom to the school. Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background. Love you guys!!
Friday, November 4, 2011
November 4
Hello everyone that I love!!
First I just want to say thank you for all of the text messages. I loved waking up today to a zillion messages from my friends and family- it was the best way to start the day. I apologize for not being able to respond to you guys, but I have a limited number of texts that I'm allowed to send from Tanzania without getting screwed over by att. Please, please, please keep 'em coming! I'm seven hours ahead, so if you send them before you go to sleep, I'll get them when I turn my phone on in the morning. Thanks so much!
Things are totally different here- I'm the only volunteer and no one speaks English. I'm really doing my best. The kids are all amazing and there are a zillion of them. Yesterday and today I taught at the Day Care Center. These are kids from the really poor part of Usa River, the village in which I'm staying. Today I taught them the difference between capital and lowercase letters.
Next week I'm going to be teaching at a primary school called St. Vivians. I met with the headmaster and he's so pleasant. This is an English school, so it might be a little easier for me. The following week I'll be teaching at the orphanage, where the kids are still too little to learn English. I go to the orphanage every evening to wake the kids up from their naps, do homework, play, eat dinner and go to sleep. I call the little girls "Ya kupendeza," which means beautiful and the boys "Mrembo" for handsome. They always smile when I say that. I'm already getting pretty close with the kids, so I'm excited to be there for them during the day as well.
I'm going to Arusha tomorrow so I can buy a prepaid cell phone so I can call you guys soon. I told some of you before I left that there was no hot water here. Turns out, there's no running water at all. All of the water has to be boiled for ten minutes, and I've been brushing my teeth with bottled water. A shower here consists of pouring water over yourself in the bathroom sink (which doesn't work).
I love and miss you guys like crazy, and I hope I don't sound insane begging for texts, but I really really really really appreciate them.
So much love from Tanzania!!
-Katie
P.S.- someone please forward this to grandma and uncle ray. apparently i don't have the right e-mail addresses in my address book.
First I just want to say thank you for all of the text messages. I loved waking up today to a zillion messages from my friends and family- it was the best way to start the day. I apologize for not being able to respond to you guys, but I have a limited number of texts that I'm allowed to send from Tanzania without getting screwed over by att. Please, please, please keep 'em coming! I'm seven hours ahead, so if you send them before you go to sleep, I'll get them when I turn my phone on in the morning. Thanks so much!
Things are totally different here- I'm the only volunteer and no one speaks English. I'm really doing my best. The kids are all amazing and there are a zillion of them. Yesterday and today I taught at the Day Care Center. These are kids from the really poor part of Usa River, the village in which I'm staying. Today I taught them the difference between capital and lowercase letters.
Next week I'm going to be teaching at a primary school called St. Vivians. I met with the headmaster and he's so pleasant. This is an English school, so it might be a little easier for me. The following week I'll be teaching at the orphanage, where the kids are still too little to learn English. I go to the orphanage every evening to wake the kids up from their naps, do homework, play, eat dinner and go to sleep. I call the little girls "Ya kupendeza," which means beautiful and the boys "Mrembo" for handsome. They always smile when I say that. I'm already getting pretty close with the kids, so I'm excited to be there for them during the day as well.
I'm going to Arusha tomorrow so I can buy a prepaid cell phone so I can call you guys soon. I told some of you before I left that there was no hot water here. Turns out, there's no running water at all. All of the water has to be boiled for ten minutes, and I've been brushing my teeth with bottled water. A shower here consists of pouring water over yourself in the bathroom sink (which doesn't work).
I love and miss you guys like crazy, and I hope I don't sound insane begging for texts, but I really really really really appreciate them.
So much love from Tanzania!!
-Katie
P.S.- someone please forward this to grandma and uncle ray. apparently i don't have the right e-mail addresses in my address book.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
November 3
Hey Annie! Things are going well. No one speaks English here... Can you tell the family to text me often in case I get a little lonely or homesick? I can receive unlimited texts.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
November 2
Annie, I'm here in Africa at my host's house. Safe and sound. Can you please spread the word to the rest of the family?
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
November 1
Good Morning, family!! I'm leaving for the airport in a couple of hours! I love you all and I'll miss you guys very much!! I'll call when I get back!! I have pictures of everyone to show my host family!! Love you guys!!!
Also, I can receive text messages and I might get homesick, so TEXT AWAY!!!!
Also, I can receive text messages and I might get homesick, so TEXT AWAY!!!!
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