I think I found a new profession

Life on the Green Island is never boring, especially not with a batch of homemade fruit wine to warm my stomach every once in a while.  But overall, this week has been a struggle and a half along with some incredible moments.

Let's start with the beginning of this week.  The first thing that greeted me as I walked into the teachers' lounge was a stack of papers.  Now normally a stack of papers on my desk is a normal thing, but not this stack . . . This stack was the stack of forms and papers that I have been advising my school to acquire in order to apply for a grant to help complete our new school buildings.  Everything would be all and dandy and easy and I would have been able to turn in all the forms right away, but then again TITZ (This is Tanzania/Zanzibar).  Of course all the forms and papers were in Kiswahili, I mean school officials and local governments usually do all their work in English right?  Since the grant that we are applying for requires that all the paperwork are in English, so it fell upon me to translate everything into English.  Luckily I was able to recruit the help of another teacher to help with the translating process.  All in all, it took just a little bit more than a week to finish everything.

Immediately after I have finished teaching all of my classes for the day, I went on a hunt.  It was a glorious hunting session, where my prize was not the elusive Kanga of Kangagani (which I saw for the 2nd time today).  Last weekend, I was told by a fellow volunteer on the island that most if not all the primary schools on the island received a projector and 2 laptops for educational usage.  I was thrilled when I heard of this news.  I knew I had to get access to this fabled projector.  As I asked around the school, I felt like a tracker, gathering all the necessary information about my prey until the very last moment before I pounce.  In the end, I was able to track down the headmistress of the adjoined primary school.  She was willing to let me use the projector, indefinitely, as long as I would let the other teachers use it when they need it.  In other word, I have a projector and some speakers to show my students some Magic School Bus of Bill Nye, and the occasion movie nights (kila siku) (now all I need is a popcorn machine, would any one like to donate to the Help Son Establish a Movie Theater Fund?)

As I made my way home after a long day of teaching and tutoring, I was greeted with another pleasant surprise.  One of the rope beds that I have ordered was finished, and I couldn't wait to start the stringing process.  With the help of my handy neighbor, I was able to finish the bed in 2 days.  The stringing process was quite arduous, but I managed, well more like my neighbor managed.  I can say that the bed that we made is quite comfortable, but then again, I like to sleep on a firm mattress.  Next week, the other bed should be finished and I will be able to house up to 3 people at a time in my house. Hint hint

A very tightly strung bed

The rest of the weeks went by smoothly.  Like usual, I was teaching for the majority of the day, 7AM – 1PM, then 3PM – 6PM, then 7:30PM – 8:30/9PM.  Luckily I was able to schedule my teaching schedule so that I do not have to teach on Friday, or else I would soon be feasting with the Drowned God.  This week, my students have been trying to teach me some tongue twister in Kiswahili.  And it is safe to say that I will not be memorizing any of them soon enough. The same can be said about the bombardment of Arabic that my students think are lessons for me.

“Barabara ya Pemba si barabara ni bora barabara ya bara na barabara”
“Moka piki paktilali titimuka pati pati lili titimuka ua”
“Mbirimbi mbili mbivu mbovu mbaya”

On to the weekend -

Saturday

I have never realized how long a day can be when I am not constantly napping or doing nothing.  Fresh off the morning, I was woken up with a cacophony of tapping outside my bedroom window.  Luckily I was sleeping far away from the window because I was test running my new awesomely strung rope bed that is tighter than the sharpest of hairpins.  It was only the handyman that was suppose to come today to help with my most ambitious project yet, an extension to the counter-top in my kitchen.  I can say that I actually help with this project, that is until one of my Form II students decided to show up as the delivery boy from the village supply store.  He decided to stay and help out with the project.  I mean, who am I to deny him of the opportunity to shovel and mixing cement for no pay at all.  I was content with the slow shoveling and mixing, but he just came in and took my job.  The work day ended quite early, per TZ custom, after just 3 hours of work, with a 30 minutes break for chai (tea).  Although we finished early, it was because we have done all that we can do for the day.  The next part was to way for the cement to dry.

There are not that many sight in the world that can instantly cheers you up

The begining

Prepping

Before Chai break

Well that's the result of the first day

After the construction project, I was left with half a day of nothing on hand.  I had expected today to be a really long day, ending possibly at 4PM, but we were finished about 11AM.  With so much time on my hand, I decided I was going to do what I do best, to be a kid.  The neighborhood kids are always playing around my house, for some odd reason that has nothing to do with me being an mzungu (foreigner) at all.  Today they were braiding each others' hair, so I decided to join them.  It took some negotiation skill on my part to convince them to try to braid my hair (seeing as how in Tanzania, Pemba at least, it is not customary for males to have braided or tied up).  But before they got to braid my hair, I was distracted with another curiosity.  I saw my neighbor was preparing to chop some woods for her kitchen.  Being bored, I decided to give it a try to help her out.  What became was a spectacle for my neighborhood.  I have to give it up to people who have to chop woods for a living, it is pretty hard work.  I was utterly tired by the 3rd or 4th stroke of the ax, but being hard headed and prideful, I did not stop until the large branch was reduced to nothing but mere tinder and kindling.  After a session of utter carnage, I was back to my hair braiding session.  I did not expect much, but once one kid started to braid my hair, the whole neighborhood of kids joined in. What became of my hair was an amalgamation of a raven's nest and a litter of autumn leaves before the long incoming winter.  Needless to say, I dare not ask them to braid my hair again.  I did try to teach them how to dance, but they prove to be too much for even Hassan the Dancing Fiend.

Who's ready to dance?

My KND's

Sunday

Once again, I was woken with the ruckus tapping on my window.  Today the work was even less.  I think it only took us 1 hour to finish and to clean up from the mess that was left behind from yesterday.  For some reason I decided to be adventurous and break my fast on a savory oatmeal mixed with egg, I will not try to do that again.  Oatmeal was meant to be eaten with sugar, Milo, milk, and occasionally cinnamon, not fish sauce, egg, and furikake.  Once again, I was left with a whole free day of doing what I am so good at, being a kid again.  Today I decided to take up goat herding.  Those goats were very strong, I don't know how a kid was able to take care of 3 or 4 goats.  It was already a handful with just 2 goats.  In the evening after I have finished playing with goats and the Kids Next Door, I managed to convince my neighbor to put his freezer in my house, and I'll pay for the electricity.   Needless to say, he was more than eager to do it.  So now without having to pay for a freezer, I have gained a freezer for use in my newly renovated kitchen.

The result of 2 days of laborious work

My kitchen is almost complete

In other news, this highlight meals of the week were cá kho and cá ướp muối chiên.  Also after a night of chatting with my neighbor outside in my front porch lit with my new super bright light bulb, I discovered that I have a bush of húng quế (basil).  So now I can cook even more Vietnamese food.

That is all for this week Hitchhiker's Guide to Pemba.  Stay tune for next week episode when I'm actually traveling around Pemba.

Peace Outside,
The Amateur Goat Herder / Axeman