february photo-a-day...(in march)...

i saw this a while ago and thought it could be a cool way to teach you all a little bit about my life here in tanzania. 

(and yes, i realize it is no longer february)

ps. i skipped some that i thought were dumb.

1:your view today.

fairly self-explanatory. rainy, gloomy, but i sure was glad i'm not the one trying to mop up the mud floor.

2:words.

this is my friend Ditrik. he is HIV positive and isn't afraid to shout it from the rooftops if it means reducing stigma and educating people. we went to see Tanzania's president, Jakaya Kikwete, speak in a nearby village and he brought this homemade sign listing what's wrong with how Tanzanian's deal (or don't deal) with HIV/AIDS and stigma and what can be done to lower the HIV rate.

he's not afraid to use his words, and his actions to bring change.

3:hands.

these hands find their way into my ever-growing collection of crayons and coloring books almost everyday.

4:a stranger.

waiting for the bus on the side of the road, i snapped this of a man heading into town to sell charcoal. by foot and by bike, people travel from remote villages to sell their goods in the main market in town.

5:10am.

drop everything it's chai time. after almost two years i'm still not tired of chapati and chai in the morning.

6:dinner.

not my dinner, thank you very much, but brandon handled this duck like a pro.

8:sun.

an incredible sunset from my courtyard after a big rainstorm.

9:front door.

one way in. one way out.

10:self portrait.

living once again in the land of sunflowers.

11:makes you happy.

duncan ewing is a source of great happiness for me. he is always pushing me to be better, to do better, and to love bigger.

12:inside your closet.

not much of a closet i realize...

14:heart.

i've never met anyone with a heart like maria's. her love for jemsi was unmatched. although she was only the housegirl for his mother, she treated jemsi as if he were her own. she lived with the unique kind of selflessness and unconditional love we rarely see in others. i strive to have a heart like maria's.

15:phone.

living with no electricity, charging my phone can be quite the task. this dumb light/charger is on it's last leg but has been a faithful companion for almost two years (as long as there is not even a hint of a cloud and that pen is jammed just the right way between those two cords...we're charging)

16:something new.

no one knows 'something new' better than mama sauli. new babies that is. as the primary midwife at our health clinic, mama sauli has been delivering babies for over 20 years. she estimates she's delivered over 1,000 babies in all her years as a nurse. working with her in the delivery room is one of my favorite pastimes. she's taught me a few things, maybe i'll follow in her footsteps one day.

17:time.

the meeting is at 9:00 am. okay i'll be there at noon. time is not of the essence here. waiting for hours for meetings to start is the norm. what is that crazy american doing trying to get us all together on time? doesn't she know we have extended family to greet and unruly cows to gather?

18:drink.

with no running water, i resort to fetching my water from a local well or catching rain water. rain water is good to go, but if it's well water it can take up to 8 hours of filtering before it's drink-ready. i filter my water extensively, but the majority of my villagers use it as-is.

19:something you hate to do.

hate. hate. hate. fetching water. pulling my bike out to head down to the local water hole and collecting 50 liters of muddy, grass and feces-infested water for drinking, bathing, washing dishes and clothes is one of those activities that i will not miss. 

20:handwriting.

a song written for kiki and i from mama menga talking about how grateful they are for our work and welcome we are into their villages, homes, and families.

21:a fave photo of you.

attending the traditional muslim wedding of my counterpart's sister, this picture was taken by my counterpart as i present the bride with a gift.

22:where you work.

most of my favorite teachable moment have not happened at the clinic or in the classroom but right here in my village center. whether it's over an extremely awful cup of coffee or buying tomatoes, the informal setting of everyday life sparks up the best conversations (topics have included gay marriage, whether there is corn in america, condom use, polygamy, and the origin of skyscrapers to name a few)

23:your shoes.

most tanzanians who see these shoes would like them not to be my shoes, but their shoes. daily they see me fording the 'river' that flows briefly after a rain, running quickly away from children, and passing worry-free across the boulders...and they are jealous. i was once offered 3 goats for them.

24:inside your bathroom cabinet.

who needs fancy mirrors with doors and hinges to qualify for a bathroom cabinet? not i. 

this shelf located conveniently above the hole in the ground i call my toilet, has sufficed as my bathroom cabinet and offers my neighbors the freedom to explore foreign objects (such as those kept in the box on the right) without having to worry about the hinges creaking on the cabinet.

25:green.

green. literally and figuratively. as the main cash crop in tanzania, corn provides tanzanians (and poor peace corps volunteers) with their staple food, ugali. if a family is lucky enough to have a large farm, good rains, and not too many hungry mouths, they might be able to make a profit by strategically waiting to sell the maize until the price goes up.

26:night.

when first arriving in tanzania i was shocked by all the fires at night. i thought the whole village was burning down and didn't understand why no one was panicking. turns out before preparing their lands for planting, many farmers resort to burning their fields to finish cleaning up last year's harvest. a hazardous practice that have cost people their houses and can be very harmful to the environment.

27:something you ate.

mlenda. one of my least favorite dishes. eaten with ugali, this green goop is a common side dish in my village. with a quick snap of the wrist, getting the mlenda sufficiently wrapped around the clump of water-flour mixture is a skill that will have my neighbors clapping...once i get it right...

28:money.

this is the 10,000 shilling bill, the largest that exists in Tanzanian currency. 

Its USD equivalent is about $6.50.

29:something you're listening to.

my site mate and I walked to a neighboring village for a celebration of traditional dancing and singing...just for us.