Would you like to teach in Suji?

If you have been following this Blog you will know that five teachers from Ireland have been teaching in Suji since last January.  All the teachers will return home at the end of the second semester and will be back in Ireland for Christmas 2011.  You will also know from reading the Blog that they are really enjoying their time in Suji.   At this time, July 2011 some of their friends and family are visiting with them and all of them go on Safari today to Lake Manyara and nGororo Crater, having just returned from a few days in Zanzibar.

In 2012 some of the teachers wish to return to University to start work on PhD programmes and we wish them the best of luck in their endeavours and thank them most sincerely for their on-going work in Suji.  (More of that later)  So if you would like to go to Tanzania and commit to teaching in Suji Malindi Secondary School for a year we would be delighted to hear from you and give you any information you require.   Please contact Maureen Mescall mpmescall@gmail.com.

Books, Pens, Calculators, Printers, Football Boots & Jerseys and biscuits for Belinda on their way

As you probably know by now, especially if you have been following this Blog: Tanzanian Village Renewal, the charity run by my husband Michael and I are supporting five teachers in Suji Malindi Secondary School in Tanzania, for the past eight months and hope to be in a position to do so for a few more years.  The teachers collected old school books before they left for Tanzania in October 2010 and their families continued to collect more books, football boots and jerseys since then.  Aine's  sister Niamh who is also a teacher collected pens and pencils in her school and also did a sponsored Sky Dive and from the proceeds is purchasing a photo copier for the school.  Niamh is currently on a visit to Suji and we hope she will enjoy the experience and we might even get her to stay on a teach for a bit!!   Aaron's sister  and Jim's nephew are currently visiting also.   Maybe two more teachers???    Noel Murphy, one of the men who went to Suji last year to help build the extension to the school did trojan work up around Ballymacward in Galway in collecting books.   Here in Kilmihil the pupils of both the Secondary and Primary Schools also collected books and donated track suits.   So after all the collecting we ended up with 4 pallets and they are currently winging their way to Tanzania.

Just to prove that they are on their way we took a few pics!

                                          Danny guiding in the pallet with Pat at the wheel.

                                           Michael having a spin on the last pallet

                                           Michael Mescall, Pat McDermott & Danny Breen


Pat McDermott, our neighbour arrived with his Teleporter and loaded onto the truck owned by Eoin Gavin Transport http://www.eoingavintransport.com/  and driven by Danny Breen.   It is great to have pleasant, efficient people like Pat and Danny around.    Michael directed the traffic and made sure everyone was safe and I took the pics! 

We had never sent goods to Africa prior to this so the whole business was a bit of a worry.  What kind of pallets, how would we wrap them, where would we get pallet wrap, who would do the shipping, how much would it cost and a million more niggly worries.   We were very lucky in that we struck oil when we contacted Paul Bergin of AB Logistics  http://ab-logistics.com/ .  Paul was extremely helpful on all aspects of the job, returned emails and telephone calls immediately and was even pleasant when I asked stupid questions.

It will take 40 to 50 days for the goods to arrive in Dar and Prof Kilonzo will get them cleared through customs and will then get a lorry to carry the goods up to Suji which is about 6 hours away.   Let us hope everything works out well and that the consignment will arrived at Suji Malindi Secondary School.   It would never do if Belinda's biscuits were lost on the way!

Jim on a High (Thanks to Tanga) and a Low ( Thanks to T.S.B.)

News: Mr’s Kiange, the mother of the man who had taken us on our mountain jaunt died, she was 98. The forth form mock’s are going on at the moment. The bank at home – T.S.B – has screwed up, again.

Leaving the Mountain is an adventure in itself.   The only way down is through the good graces of the Seventh Day Adventists, we either use their bus or their open backed truck. The fare is now 4,500 schillings - a rise of some 12% recently, inflation here is astronomical.   Anyway everyone get’s up at around five thirty as the bus leaves at six, ostensibly. There are a couple of gathering places, any one of which could be a trap vis-à-vis getting a seat, of which there are about 25.   The bus has been known to hold up to 55 and it’s a tight squeeze.   Why I was sqez in there last week like paint on the ceiling.   The ride down the mountain in the early dawn is highly invigorating and can be hair-raising also, during the rains; there is a tendency to slide all over the very narrow road.   The trip brings us to Mechana, then along the ‘highway’ ( bara-bara ) on into Same the district capital.   All taking about two hours; God and the S.D.A willing.   It’s from here that we explore Tanzania.

A few weeks ago – Easter actually – we hit out for Tanga, a large and, as it happens, very beautiful town on the coast.   From Same it took about six hours. We were making good time when we changed busses in a small town called Kirogway, the bus from there to Tanga – 30 km – could reasonably have taken half an hour as the road is not bad … for Tanzania. We actually took something closer to two hours on what appeared to be the whim of the driver. God and the S.D.A give me patience.

On arrival at Tanga we went straight to a hotel on Independence Avenue – the Sea View, fronting onto the sea - it has a wonderful view of the bay and Toten – dead man’s – Island.  The cook here, a man of Indian extraction proved to be fantastic and an all around good egg to boot may I say.  The boy’s at the hotel, and girl, were wonderful and made our stay very enjoyable, providing us with bikes and generally chauffeuring us around.   They also helped arranged trips to Pangani village with its attendant river and out to a sandbank and coral reef about five miles from the coast.    But am I getting ahead of myself.

It was latish as we booked in, but we decided to go for a swim and dropped down to the sea just below.   The fishermen were - in nautical terms - just ‘pulling in’.   An active fishing spot it was a little too dirty for swimming.   Then one of our crew – Aisling - had the brainwave to hire a small Dhow and sail over to the island, it was a grand trip followed by a grand swim.  We had fish for supper that evening.

The Pangani River is bursting with crocodiles of which we spotted two. In fact we spotted just four crocodile eyes and one snout.   Another interesting sighting will be reported by Aine Staunton in an article coming soon.   A very wide river at its mouth – 400 meters – it is banked on both sides by mangrove swamps and has a real ‘Heart of Africa’ feel. The trip lasted about three hours and was very enjoyable and provided an extra frisson of excitement when one of  ‘our gang’ tried to decapitate herself when she jumped into the crocodile infested waters on the way back – it’s o.k., I saved her … ha-ha.

Getting back to the ‘Indian cook’ – Muresh – the sauces were incredible and his ‘wali qua samaki’ is ta die for.   The sand bank deserves a longer mention but I will leave that to someone else.  It’s time for bed.

Now, on a lighter note, the bank at home: a few years ago these guys left me high and very dry up in Nepal, when for reasons that have never been explained they decided to render my card inoperative – on a whim I believe.   I went to great lengths in my home branch - Galway - to ensure that the same would not happen again.  Great promises and assurances were made – in Galway, mister L. don’t worry everything will run smoothly this time – and do you know what; they have done it again! More fool me. What’s the saying ‘fool me once shame on you, fool me twice…  

Anyways this is Jimmy the beguiled signing off, stranded by the T.S.B once again, this time in Africa.

Or something like that…

Reflection on the Semester by Aine Staunton

I sit here on a Sunday afternoon in Suji and I think to myself, what has changed in Malindi Secondary School since we arrived here on that glorious Sunday afternoon the 1st of November 2010?  A change is a process of becoming different, seeing something within somebody or within the environment around you.   Change is not something that is brought about very easily, it must be carefully manipulated and encouraged.  I have learnt that change is not something that happens very quickly in Suji!

Underneath are a few of the things that have popped into my head when writing this short piece and the positive changes which have occurred in this school.  Although these changes may be small or slight, any change here is a positive one in my opinion.

Surface changes within the school

To begin with there are now more teachers in the school with qualifications.   The teachers that were here prior to our coming and who are currently teaching alongside us, had and have just finished their form six schooling which is equivalent to our leaving certificate.  Before we arrived the students were lucky to see a teacher for a single class on any given day.  Now we have a great timetable and the students have a teacher for the majority of the day even if this is very tiring and exhausting for us teachers.

We have successfully set up soccer, volleyball and netball teams.  It was obvious that these children had never really competed against other schools or enjoyed school sports before.  It is difficult to fit in training sessions and to get all of a team together as they have chores to do at home.  We train every week and have a great set of new jerseys which were sponsored by Aaron’s father and his co-workers.   We have not done fantastically in the school competition this semester but the children have thoroughly enjoyed it and one of our players even had the chance to do some trials for a regional team.  The change here that is most apparent is that someone got a chance and these children are getting a greater chance to succeed in life.  If we had not selected that student to go for the trials he would never have known any different and would never have got such an opportunity.

Corporal punishment …. Disappearing slowly

This is a slow process; we have had countless conversations with the school head master and other teachers explaining to them that this is not the way to deal with students who misbehave.   At the moment we do not see any of the teachers using the cane to administer punishment but this does not mean that it is not still happening.   At our last meeting we discussed punishment of students and decided to have Sunday detention class for any misbehaving students.  The students here are not what you would class as out of control or anything like it.  One of the male African teachers said to me one day when we were “discussing corporal punishment”  that the students to not respect him if he does not use the cane….my argument was why do my students, the same students you teach respect me and I am able to control them without using a long wooden stick.   The teachers have now agreed to only use the cane as a last resort in future.  They believe that this is the African way of life and is needed within this culture.   I am certain that this “way of life” will disappear completely within the next few years especially if this issue is under constant review and education given to the people here on a continuous basis.  

For the first few months teaching in these classrooms was very quiet.

The students in the class would not make a sound; they would not answer questions and would not participate what so ever in a class.  At first I put it down to them not understanding my lovely Mayo accent, but of course this was not the case.  It all connected back to corporal punishment and them getting hit if they answered a question incorrectly.   How can anyone learn if they do not make mistakes?   Six months in and we have now some kind of class participation, not anywhere near what I would like it to be but it’s a start.

Use of the English language in the Village

All pupils in Tanzania are taught through the medium of English.  The level of English within the village has improved greatly.  Students are teaching their parents, we are teaching the younger children and hope to set up some evening classes again in June.  We had evening classes running for a few months but it got way to much with school and sports and everything so we hope to set them up again in June for everyone when school finishes for the summer.

Changes we have seen and hope for the future

We see the changes that have taken place as positive and we hope the people in the village view them in that light.   We hope to give the pupils a sense of self worth and that they will view the education they receive from us as a positive experience and that it will inspire them to further that education.  We are aware of the value that the people of Tanzania place on education and we are glad to be here to help in the process.

Aaron's Management is Proving Successful

Aaron writes about his team.

This is a picture of Malindi Secondary School Football Team sporting the  new football jerseys which were sponsored by my dad and his co-workers at Donegal VEC.     They look fantastic and even though we didn't have the most desirable result for our first match our results have picked up with a very credible 2-2 draw with a private school named Alkachenje and just last Wednesday we played against the neighbouring village Gonjanza with a 2-1 win there. We played without our Form 4's (who normally make up 6 of the starting team) as their mocks begin next week so I was delighted that the younger guys were able to do the job.

The picture below is from our match against Makanya Secondary School. 100 students of Malindi made the journey down the mountain (some hardcore supporters even walked) to show their support for our boys in green.   There I am in the Pic - The White Fella at the end with the assistant trainer Aisling adding the glamour to the occasion!

Belinda's First Day in Tanzania

**Fare thee well Ireland**

If someone told me last February that I would at this present moment in time be experiencing Africa from within its core, I would not believe them.   As a student, I often yearned for adventure and the possibility of travelling and seeing the world.   On June 15th last year I discovered that dreams really can come true.   After receiving an email from Maureen Mescall, co-ordinator of the Higher Diploma in Business Studies (which I had just completed), at the National University of Ireland, Galway, I was presented with an opportunity which I believed was too good to turn down, and to date, is an opportunity  I definitely do not regret.   After what can only be described as a tearful and apprehensive farewell to the ‘Hills of Donegal’, I departed the Emerald Isle on October 31st last on what was to be thirteen months of fun-filled opportunities, tears, laughter but most of all a life-changing experience.

On KLM53102, sixteen Irish enthusiasts and what I most certainly call good-hearted individuals and I made our way to north-eastern quarters of the African Plains.  The group included volunteers to build an extension to Malindi Secondary School and four friends and I to teach in the school for one year.   Touching down in Tanzania at Kilimanjaro Airport , we were greeted by officials from Tanzania’s educational district board and what was to be our mode of transport for our excursion into the ‘real Africa’  … a fifteen seater dilapidated mini bus.   This was the first introduction to African Life!   To call our means of transport small would be giving it more justice than it deserves.   After vigorous unsuccessful attempts to load our luggage and the sixteen people into such a miniscule space, we finally succeeded and were on our way.  

Due to sheer exhaustion and jetlag, we stopped in a town called Moshi on the outskirts of Kilimanjaro Airport and stayed in a hostel for the night.   Even though, I was wrecked, my mind could not settle and sleep evaded me for many hours as I was too excited contemplating what the next day had in store for me.   After listening to the cricket song echoing through the bare walls of our hostel, I eventually fell into a deep sleep.

The following morning, we were awakened to the chirping of different species of Tanzanian birds and the roar of the resident rooster.   After breakfast, we zigzagged along the undulating roads of Northern Tanzania, our Chinese imported bus enveloped in red soil that rose from the earth of this dramatic country.   When we turned off the primary road onto a slip road, I thought we were nearing our final destination, little did I know that we had a one and half hour expedition uphill yet to face.  To this day, it’s beyond my belief how that mini-bus managed to successfully make it up this mountain.   It raved, stalled, juddered and struggled with the over-excessive weight of luggage and people.   I had to endure some wise cracks in regard to my contribution to the weight as my two bags were both bulky and heavy BUT I was moving to Africa for a year after all! 

As we approached our territory for the next year, the screams of enthusiastic students could be heard in the  distance.  Monday, November 1st 2010 @ 2.15, is a moment in my life that will live with me forever.  I was overwhelmed by the welcome the residents of Suji and more importantly the pupils of Malindi Secondary School gave us that day.  I was undecided whether I wanted to cry or laugh.  It was amazing and emotional all at the same time. The enthusiasm of the children as I left the bus was touching and I nearly fell to the red earth of Suji in what can only be described as an over-exciting and heart-felt reception.   The young and old of Suji came together on that fine day and embraced each one of us with the warmest of welcomes to African soil.    Following many introductions, we were seated on a stage and entertained and introduced to African culture.   An unforgettable display of Swahali Music with the version of “Lisiniseme” echoing throughout the Paré Mountains and sang with such harmonious tones while the  females students gave us  a rendition of “Kiduku”, a national favourite.  

After a few hours of immense enjoyment we prepared ourselves for what was to be our first real African meal.  Displayed in front of us were various African dishes; I had no clue what some pots contained, and to be honest, do not know to this day, and I don’t think I want to know ha ha.   One could only imagine how delighted I was seeing Ireland’s staple food before my eyes – the humble potato - but in saying that African potatoes top the poll.   

After our meal, we were escorted by the school headmaster to our accommodation.    It was at this moment, I realised that I was a long way away from home…from home comforts.    I took a total adverse reaction and in a confused state, started laughing…uncontrollably!!   This was a bit inappropriate as along side me tears were shed by others at the fact that our living conditions were lets just say,  less than basic.   Our house, adjacent to the school and on the school grounds, contained four plastered walls which were unpainted.    The interior of the house consisted of an unequipped kitchen and by unequipped I mean it had a sink…period. The bathrooms were a major shock to the system, comprising of cement foundations, one had a normal looking toilet bowl while the other consisted of a hole in the ground, with a flusher of course!!! Couldn’t forget the flusher, sure that’s five star facilities around these parts.   Our sitting area consisted of a desk from the school and included in our new “accommodating dwelling”, four beds, three single and one double.   It was at this point that the prospect of sharing beds as well as rooms came into perspective.   I agreed to share the double with a fine Mayo woman by the name of Aine Staunton.   A wise decision!

Log in next time where I will reveal all top stories from Suji including all minor mishaps and how life in Africa has changed my world immensely.