Here Comes the Rain

David with new pet chameleon
 on his head.

I hope every week does not have quite as many activities to report on as this one. Besides having a work week of travel, the weekend was even more full with several social events including a Birthday party for David on Sunday. That last event was so exhausting that we all turned in early last night and I had no energy to try to stay up and write this week's entry.

Backing up.... As I predicted last week, the rainy season, which was crossing the Serengeti when I flew over it, arrived in Arusha on Monday. This is the short rainy season marked by heavy rain and thunderstorms that usually begin in the afternoon and go into the night. The air is cooler again after a short dry season, and the air seems clearer. The termite royalty made their annual mating flight as water soaked into the soil and the ground on Tuesday was littered with their discarded wings. 

The big event of the work week was a visit to the town of Dodoma, right in the center of the country and an 8 hour drive from Arusha. Dodoma is the home of one of our education partners: The Dodoma School for the Deaf (DSD). I went down with our Country Representative Sharon, and our Agriculture Coordinator, Chrispin. She was taking me down to formally introduce me to them--the last partner I have not met, and Chrispin was going down to do a training on fish farming as they had recently completed an MCC sponsored fish pond and were preparing to raise Tilapia.

Me with Director Kennedy
and Matron Faustina

Having come from Burundi where we had several education partners, it is hard not to be comparative. While deaf children face tremendous challenges in TZ as a whole, the ones fortunate enough to be going to DSD are getting a good education by trained teachers in an environment conducive to learning. Besides academics, students have opportunities to learn conservation agriculture, chicken raising, some vocational training, and now fish farming. Teachers are trained in sign language and educational needs of deaf students. The passion for these children is clearly in evidence in the director, a Tanzanian educator by the name of Kennedy.

We arrived in Dodoma on Monday evening and checked into the "El Shaddai" Johannic Hotel, boldly claiming on the sign above the door that it was "the next level in Jesus' name" (I assume they meant in hospitality.) It turned out to fall a bit short for $25 per night and we tried the 4 Points Hotel on the second night we were there which only cost $15 per night. As it turned out, we were lucky there to be on the 2nd floor as thieves came in and robbed most of the guests on the first floor by shining a small flashlight into the windows then using a long flat stick to scoop up cell phones and slide them out the windows. I heard a number of women screaming at about 2 in the morning. We did stay there a third night, but I would rate it a one point hotel.

The visit to the school was much more satisfactory. We met Kennedy on Tuesday morning and he then took us on a tour of the school. They had what appeared to be a student-centered teaching philosophy. The Montessori style pre-school had some very nice simple teaching aids-- bottle caps for counting, ribbons to practice tying shoes, hand washing station, puzzle of Africa, old shirts to practice buttoning, etc.

student signing a question

A highlight was watching Chrispin teaching the students about fish farming. They were fascinated by fish. Chrispin had an interpreter who could sign. The students signed many questions and seemed extremely bright. On the second day we went out to the fish pond and he explained more about how to care and feed for the fish in that pond. Unfortunately the pool was somewhat smaller than what Chrispin had specified prior to his arrival which means that the number of fish they can raise in it will be limited. It is still an opportunity to learn how to do aquaculture though, and a skill they can take with them when they leave the school.

We returned to Arusha on Thursday and got home around 4pm. It was a long drive both ways through land I would describe as Texas panhandle flat in the Dodoma region--very dry and arid. (Not unbearably hot though.) In fact, with the wind, it was quite pleasant. We also passed through the Manyara region which is a bit more hilly and green.

It was good to be home after 4 days away. The kids were happy to see me as well. On Friday we went to Gymkhana and Oren brought two of his friends from school (Abraham and Abraham). One of them has an A that sounds like 'Awe'. They had a great time together and it is good to see him making friends. That evening we went to an Indian restaurant we had heard about in the Impala Hotel. Zoe, the MCC SALT volunteer, was down for the night and she joined us. It was without a doubt one of the best dining experiences I have had here. Pukka Indian food AND quick service! Definitely gets my endorsement.

The rest of the weekend was mostly dedicated to preparing David's Birthday. David has been to 2 birthdays for classmates and trying to conform to the practice of others, he invited everyone in his class. We did, however, decide to have it at our house, which is different than most. Keeping with our family tradition, I organized a Treasure Hunt, and made a pinata as well. It was a pirate theme again this year and the pinata was in the shape of a treasure chest. Rebecca also organized some games, made snacks and a homemade cake, and we felt prepared for the party.

Sunday started out well for David as he found another chameleon at church that day--a baby horned chameleon. He put it on the plant where we kept the first one (which had run away). It is very cute, as you can tell from the photo of it on his head.

Generally the party went well, however, the level of energy of the boys that came was a bit over the top. Keeping them from tearing the place apart took a lot of supervision and redirection. By the end of 3 hours we were completely worn out and our house was a mess. I can see why people prefer to have the parties at outdoor restaurants.

PS to Grandparents> David's favorite gift by far was the Lego set sent in the Christmas suitcase that arrived last week. He built it immediately and really wants to do more!

Bonus Photo: This one is a bit gross, but I was baffled to find this animal dead in our compound. What shocked me was the primate-like hands and long (one meter) ruffed prehensile tail. I was sure it was a lemur, but knew that was not possible unless it was brought here illegally form Madagascar. I did figure out though (from Google) that it was a Northern Greater Galago (a kind of bush baby). I am really sad I never saw it alive and cannot figure out what it died of, as it does not have any obvious injury.