Kuuliza si ujinga

A word of warning before I continue:
I am responsible for the comments you post on this blog. That's right, your words are my responsibility. So please be careful. It's very possible my Tanzanian counterparts will read this blog, and what we see as a funny or sarcastic comment could easily be offensive to them.

Please feel free to post your comments. Just be sensitive and polite--as if you were sitting and speaking to your new Tanzanian friend (something I'll be doing a lot of soon).
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I'm at the Peace Corps headquarters in Dar es Salaam. It's been an interesting day. Last night I walked into my room in the hostel in Dar es Salaam with a sudden, overwhelming sense of loneliness. I don't think the enormity of the cultural adjustments I'll have to make had struck me until then. Philadelphia was fun, and felt like home. The Amsterdam airport was exciting because it was new, but it was still very comfortable and familiar. Receiving change in Euros, and getting tea in a china cup instead of a paper cup, aren't exactly large changes.

Then we landed in Dar es Salaam. And as soon as we stepped off the airplane, it felt different. The material surroundings were still familiar; the airport didn't look much different than an American airport. But there was something in the atmosphere, in the way the airport employees stood, in the way they looked at or didn't look at us, which felt different. I had a sudden sense of being in an unknown, alien culture. Of not knowing what is polite to do and what is rude, when greetings are expected and when they aren't, or even what body language means someone is annoyed with you.

As soon as I closed the door to my room at the hostel, I was overwhelmed by a sense of being alone. I should make it clear that I'm not alone at all: the Peace Corps has taken amazing care of us so far, and there are 39 people sharing the same fears and experiences as I am. But I felt suddenly, utterly, alone. Maybe it was the mosquito netting on the bed, the sheets that were rougher than those at home, the way the toilet and shower share the same room without a separation between them. Maybe it was the fact that it was so much simpler than a hotel room at home: I had everything I needed, but it was very simple, very basic. It didn't help that the electricity flickered off for two minutes while my belongings were spread all over the floor.

I did sleep well (it helped that I didn't sleep on the plane). In the morning I walked alone through a girls' school to the cafeteria--a short walk, but again, overwhelming in that I didn't know how to interact with the people I passed. Breakfast was tasty: fried plantains, bread, jam, tea, a juice made of passionfruit and avocado (absolutely delicious). We took a bus to the Peace Corps compound. I say compound because it's not just a single office. It's a group of buildings surrounded by a fence in one of the nicer areas of Dar es Salaam, and the areas between the buildings are full of banana trees, palms, and tropical plants I can't yet name.

The first hour or so here was overwhelming. They told us about training, about their high expectations of us and what we'd be doing for the next ten weeks. At times it seemed like too much adjustment and learning to expect of one jet-lagged person. But that was only the first hour. The more time I've spent at the Peace Corps compound, the better I've felt. Everyone is clearly very experienced and friendly and eager to help us, and the staff are excited even when we speak to them with the little Swahili we've learned so far. I don't think the next few weeks will be easy. But I'm feeling much better about them now. I even have a plan to greet the girls at the school next time I walked to the cafeteria, with the local equivalent of "what's up?":
Vipo?
Poa!

I'm at a computer at a coffee shop in the historic district of Philadelphia. We've just finished a day and a half of staging--the Peace Corps equivalent of orientation that feels like a cross between a true orientation to the policies of the Peace Corps and a pep rally to increase our excitement about going to Tanzania. Actually, it feels a lot like a college orientation week. Put together a group of forty mostly young, energetic people, add lack of sleep and the excitement of going to Africa, and see what you get.
A few statistics:
-there are 40 people in my group. About 30 are right out of college. We also have some people who left mid-career for the Peace Corps, an older couple, and a few single people
-the entire yearly Peace Corps budget equals half a day in Iraq.

Today we're off to the airport. Tomorrow night at 10 pm, we'll be in Tanzania

It's late and I should be in bed; I've probably forgot to write down a few things. But this should give you a decent idea of what I've packed.
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Luggage
Large REI hiking backpack (38 pounds)
Small duffel bag (20 pounds)
Small backpack for carry-on (8 pounds)

Clothing
3 skirts
2 polo shirts
1 short-sleeved button down shirt
1 long-sleeved button down shirt
3 t-shirts
1 pair jeans
1 pair fleece pants
1 pair light cotton pants (for biking and sleeping in)
1 dress
2 slips
8 bras
20 pairs of underwear
8 pairs nice socks, 4 pairs thicker socks
1 baseball cap
1 wide-brimmed hat
1 warm hat
1 fleece jacket
1 raincoat
1 pair long underwear tops
1 pair gloves

Shoes
1 pair Tevas
1 pair formal shoes
1 pair light hiking boots (basically sturdy walking shoes)
1 spare shoelace
1 container mink oil for conditioning leather on hiking boots

Tools
Needle and thread
swiss army knife
fake leatherman
hex
large folding knife
knife-sharpening rod
1 roll duct tape

So I can see . . .
1 pair spare glasses
1 pair sunglasses
small cloth for wiping glasses
glasses case
tiny screwdriver for glasses repair

Hygiene
toothpaste
floss
bugspray (2 small sticks)
small container shampoo
small bar of soap (plus a container to hold it)
hairbrush assuming I don't forget it in the morning
2 toothbrushes (because I'm good at destroying toothbrushes quickly)
pads
sunscreen (2 bottles)

Things for teaching
intro physics book
intro bio book
a binder of assorted biology diagrams and chemistry problem sets
chemistry lab goggles
calculator and 10 spare AAA batteries
2 periodic tables (always important)
maps of the world, the US, and Tanzania
assorted pens and pencils, plus a permanent marker
2 blank notebooks
a watch so I get to class on time

Entertainment
AM/FM/shortwave radio
books: 100 best-loved poems, a book of 5 shakespeare tragedies, the Phantom Tollbooth
harmonica
pack of cards
frisbee
journal (really just a notebook)
clipboard for writing in odd places

Host family gifts
2008 calendar with pictures of Massachusetts
necklace
Reed baseball cap
bag of dried cranberries
assorted toys for kids (erasers, bouncy balls, and so forth)

Other
2 water bottles (my metal water bottle and a blue Nalgene that used to say Reed on it)
photos of home, family, and friends
camera plus extra cards
headlamp
WFR manual
compass
whistle
waist belt for money
locks for luggage
flash drive
water filter and chlorine dioxide tablets and replacement activated carbon for filter
Teach Yourself Swahili (a book)
address book
rope
rechargeable AA batteries and solar charger
ziplock bags
first aid kit (the Peace Corps gives you one but I'm rather attached to my little red bag. Contents: SAM splint, 2 ace bandages, 2 sets of gloves, ibuprofen, tylenol, benadryl, band-aids, gauze, tape, moleskin, trauma shears, betadine, aloe gel for burns, tweezers, small waterproof WFR manual, a few things I'm forgetting )

Clerical stuff
assorted Peace Corps and personal paperwork

OK, so "Peace Corps Tanzania" wasn't a very creative title. I've replaced it with a Swahili proverb: Kuuliza si ujinga. Literally, "to ask is not stupidity."

Some other proverbs I ran into while searching for a title:
-Penye nia, pana njia. (where there's a will there's a path. It rhymes!).
-Haraka haraka haina baraka (hurry hurry is not a blessing--haste makes waste)
-Mapenzi ni kikohozi, hayawezi kufichika (love is like a cough, it can't be hidden)
-Mgeni ni kuku mweupe (A stranger is a white chicken--literally a stranger stands out. When you think of me a little over a week from now, think of a white chicken standing out in a crowd).

Here's a picture of me in the clothes I'll be wearing when I teach in Tanzania.



















For the first time in my life, my wardrobe extends beyond jeans and t-shirts. I feel strangely grown-up.

For fellow Peace Corps Tanzania people:

There's a detailed packing list from a current Tanzania volunteer at:
http://lisaintanzaniapcv.blogspot.com/2005_08_01_archive.html (it's the August 8th entry).

She even added comments regarding what was useful to bring and what wasn't.

Well, after a long period of denial/laziness, I've finally started packing. I have two bags: an old backpacking backpack I bought used from the Reed College backpack co-op three years ago, and a small duffel bag I found buried in our hall closet. Now the Peace Corps recommendations for luggage are:

a) portable
b) lockable

As far as I can tell, they're mutually contradictory. Backpacking backpacks are the most portable luggage out there, but they close with plastic clips and a drawstring and can't be locked. Duffel bags can be locked, but they won't foil a determined thief, who could just slash them open with a knife. The most secure kind of luggage is a lockable trunk with a hard plastic case, which is too heavy to carry and awkward to drag over dirt roads, even if it does have wheels.

I've decided to choose portable on the theory that my things will have many opportunities to be stolen, most of which I can't control anyway. Plus I hate the headache of carrying around awkward luggage, and the unlockable backpack more than redeems itself in terms of portability--since it can stay on my back, I won't be temporarily putting it down and turning around to find it gone.

Thus, my current plan: lock the duffel bag as best I can, and bury my few valuables among my clothing. It doesn't feel secure but it's the best idea I can come up with. And it's probably good if I start developing a healthy sense of detachment from my possessions.

I'll post a full list of what I've packed some time in the next few days.