monkeying around.

There is this animal rehabilitation center here in Moshi that takes in injured or disabled animals and tries to help them get back into the wild. The place is owned by this German couple, and I'm not quite sure how they ended up in Moshi, but she's a vet and she does amazing work. They flew all their horses and dogs down from Germany when they first moved here so they are obviously pretty dedicated animal owners. The farm is massive, and I don't even think we were able to tour all of it. They have all different types of animals like monkeys, pigs, horses, donkeys, dogs, rabbits, large birds, wild cats, hedgehogs, and owls. The first part of the day we went on a walk with 6 of their monkeys. The boy who lead the walk is like the monkey's mother. They are all obsessed with him, especially the babies. They just follow him wherever he goes, he doesn't even have to call him. It was a pretty cool thing to see this guy be so connected to these wild animals and see how they actually have a real relationship going. You aren't supposed to look the monkeys in the eye, or smile, or talk loud, or restrict their movements, so all these rules were making me pretty nervous at first. They just sort of jump all over you and bite you and you just sit there and let it happen haha. It was the funnest thing ever. I knew monkeys were cute before this, but being able to watch them fly around in the trees and jump off your head and eat out of your hand really makes them that much cuter. After the monkey walk we hiked down to a bat cave. On the way down this hill I saw a massive creature that looked similar to a small alligator crawl across a log and I about lost it haha. I was like okay everybody up the hill we are not going down there. The guide told us that it is actually just a really massive lizard (I don't believe it tho. It was definitely a baby alligator.) and that they don't eat meat. So we were forced down into a reptile invested hole just for the sake of seeing a bat cave. Haha but it was worth it because there was a beautiful waterfall. I love that this entire country is just a massive jungle. It's the greatest. Also a highlight of this trip was the lunch. They made us a vegetarian meal that was the most American food I have tasted the whole time I've been here. We were all basically crying at how fancy everything was and how good it all tasted. I miss enjoying the food I eat. It was such a good meal, ugh I'm sad just thinking about it. This was one of my favorite days of the whole trip. It really made me feel like I was experiencing Tanzania on a more personal level, and it made me have such a deeper respect for animals and their habitats. 

 This is the monkey whisperer/mother man person.

kikuletwa hot springs.

This hot springs is not too far of a drive from our house, and it is seriously this little piece of heaven in the middle of nowhere. The drive is mostly on a super bumpy dirt road... but I mean what’s new. This is prettiest hot springs and the least smelly hot springs I've ever been to. It is a huge pool of crystal clear water that is the temperature of a nice bath. There are huge trees that create a beautiful canopy over the blue water. There is even a rope swing that we got to play. In the water were millions of those tiny fish that rich people use for pedicures because they eat the dead skin off your feet haha. It was the creepiest feeling in the world, and it tickled so badly. I would have been ok if they just stuck to eating your feet, but they were biting literally all over our bodies. While we were there our tour guide came over and offered for us to try some “wild meat”. We felt rude refusing because the guy was clearly excited about it, so we ate it. It actually was better than I expected, however we both felt pretty sick after eating a plate full. We found out that it was some weird animal that is similar to a gazelle. I probably should be vegetarian now. Getting to go swimming at this hot springs was one of those moments on this trip when I was like “holy balls I’m in Africa”. I seriously feel so beyond lucky to be in such a beautiful place.

 Our failed attempts at being cool under water.

lake chala.

This weekend a couple of us went to Lake Chala. Lake Chala is a crater lake in a caldera that borders Kenya and Tanzania, and is the deepest lake in Tanzania. It is one of the prettiest places I have ever been, but then again I think that about everywhere I go in Tanzania haha. The water is so blue and clear. There are also monkeys jumping around in the trees surrounding it, which of course I am always a fan of. I read on the internet that there used to be a lot of alligators, but they were killing people so they've slowly killed them. Kind of sad, but I'm just glad I didn't see any! You have to hike down the mountain to get down to the lake, but once you are down there it is so peaceful. It was a very relaxing place to be and to just enjoy the beauty of Africa. We rented kayaks so we could go kayaking to the other side, however it was way too far away so we just chilled somewhere in the middle haha. For a lake being made from the runoff streams of Mt Kilimanjaro, the water was surprisingly not too cold. We got to do lots of swimming and chilling, so it was a good day.

Made it to Kenya!

this is kinda hard.

Alright so here's an update on my life. I had to say goodbye to my first placement Kilimahewa, because they are taking a month off for holiday. It was really sad to say goodbye to my group of 70 perfect little angels. They seriously were the happiest/craziest kiddos ever. They were obsessed with singing and dancing and holding your hands. They would come running through the fence the moment we arrived to school every morning. I also fell in love with the most precious girl named Nadia. She would follow me around everyone...or maybe I was following her around everywhere... same thing. She would always rub my arm and sing songs to me. She was probably the smartest one in that whole school, but she just chilled peacefully while everyone else acted like they ran the place. She would kiss me on the cheek and would make sure she gave me a hug before I'd leave. Ugh she was seriously so precious. I miss her so much. Anyways, this was a really good first placement for me because it was more relaxed, and the teachers could speak pretty good English. It eased me into the whole "teaching Swahili speaking children when you don't speak Swahili". So now I am at a new nursery school called Best Hope. It is about a mile down the street from my house, so I get to walk there and back. The class sizes are way smaller than at Kilimahewa. In my class there are only about 10, and only about 50 in the whole school. It's so much nicer to have a small group to work with. Although the language barrier is still there, we get so much more done! These two weeks I really have started to feel like I have been an effective teacher and that the children are actually progressing academically. It is seriously the most rewarding thing in the world to watch children master something you taught them. That's why being a teacher (in any country) is the best thing ever!

Coming into this whole experience I knew it would be hard. I knew it would be a challenge to adjust to a new culture, new lifestyle, and new language. However, I didn't really understand how hard the work would actually be. Surprisingly, the work is the only aspect of this thing that I get stressed over haha. Since I am majoring in Early Childhood Education, I figured the teaching here would be easier than the stuff I have to do for school back home. I was so wrong. It's so much harder. In America teachers are given curriculum, resources, aides, and 4 years of training. Teachers in Tanzania only have to complete 2 years of higher education, and then aren't given any resources/curriculum for their students.When you show up to teach as a volunteer the teacher just kind of goes "Here is your class," and then leaves. They don't really tell you how old the children are, where they are academically, or what they are supposed to be learning. You just have to figure you it out the best you can. Talk about the scariest thing ever haha. It's such a challenge to teach useful and challenging curriculum in a different language when you aren't given any resources (except chalk and a blackboard) and no guidance as to where they should be academically. I came here to actually do something and actually help these children learn, so that's what I've been trying my best to do. I could easily just play games with them all day, which would relieve a lot of my stressors, but that also doesn't give the children what they need to be successful.

At Best Hope I have already had to say goodbye to one of my classes, and I have gained a new one. It is so hard to switch through so many children constantly. It's like you just get started on something, but then they leave to go on holiday or you get your placement switched. It's a little frustrating, but at the same time I have loved getting to teach SO many different children. I am obsessed with every student I've had, and in the end this is making me a way better teacher. Today was my first day with my new class, and I feel so on fire. They are 7, so they are able to sit and listen and want to learn. They were willing to participate and were patient with my small Swahili vocabulary. The children here are seriously so bright. I was able to teach borrowing a 10 in subtraction and carrying a 10 in addition to two different classes in a language that isn't their own, and the majority of them were able to pick it up the first day. Also the first group I taught it to were 5...so that was impressive to me. I feel so lucky I get to be doing something that will help me in my future career. I also feel so lucky to be helping children learn English, which is something that their teachers aren't able to teach them. I'm sure most of you want me to be blogging about all the different adventures I'm going on, but honestly teaching is what I came here for and it's the best part of this trip. I could talk about it all day. However, I have done some pretty cool things that I'll write about once I find the time haha. It's less important. I hope you all are doing well in America! Tanzania is way prettier tho. Sorry not sorry.

Missing my Kilimahewa babies. (Mostly just Nadia if you can't tell)

 But now loving my Best Hope babies.

safari.

Like a million days ago I went on a safari, but I still haven't written about it so here I go.

Our entire group of volunteers decided to get together and go on a weekend safari, which was one of the coolest things I've ever done ever. We went with a tour agency that took us camping for 3 days and took us to visit the Masai tribe and to visit the Tangire and Ngorongoro national parks. That weekend was a really incredible bonding experience for our group of volunteers. We all stayed up late around the dinner table or camp fire, sharing stories and telling jokes. This group of people left for home yesterday, so I'm getting all sentimental thinking back on our safari. I freaking love them. I have loved getting to know each of them and becoming one big family. I miss them so much already! Ok well anyways, back to the safari haha. 

Day 1 we visited the Masai tribe. In the area of Kilimanjaro there are a few prominent tribes- one being the Masai. They are often used as symbols to represent Tanzania, or Africa in general. Like even when I just visited the Portland Zoo I saw a bunch of stuff on the Masai in the Africa exhibits. They are known for being very tall and thin, and for jumping up and down with long sticks haha. When we arrived they greeted us with a song and dance, and then allowed us to join in. I definitely can't jump as high as them. It was only somewhat embarrassing. Then they showed us their houses, which are just one room mud huts. The men in the tribe can have several wives (depending on how many cows he has) so each wife gets their own hut for them and their children. The husband then rotates around to the different huts to be with each different wife. They also eat blood. So that was an interesting conversation. I felt strange being a tourist in their village. It almost felt like their culture was being used as a prop. It made me feel weird and sad. They honestly didn't seem to mind because they kept wanting us to take more pictures and stay longer, but I minded. However knowing me and my hypocritical self...I took pictures anyways.

Day 2 we spent the day in Tangire National Park, which is inside a massive crater. In order to get into the crater you have to drive up really high before dipping back down into the valley. We were so high up  that we were inside clouds, so everything was just white. It was kinda freaky haha. At this park it looks like a typical savanna. Tall grass, not many trees, and small little ponds. We saw a lot of lions, zebras, wildebeest, gazelles, rhinos, warthogs, hippos, and hyenas. It was super pretty. The whole time we just couldn't believe we were in Africa. We also couldn't stop singing The Lion King and calling the animals by their character names in the movie haha. The best moment was when we came within a couple yards of a mama lion nursing her little cubs. It was a really beautiful experience.

Day 2 we went to the other national park, Ngorongoro. The park was very different looking than the other one. It was very hilly and had a ton of those super cool trees that you see in movies and stuff haha. There were a ton of giraffes and elephants in this one. We kept coming across herds of elephants crossing the roads, so we would stop for them to pass right by our cars. I was within a yard of massive elephants. It was the most surreal thing ever. We would just sit and watch them for hours. I started counting the amount of elephants in one of the herds and lost track at 42. There were so dang many.