Sun(rise) Salutations!

 "We're in Bagamoyo. Take this time to think about what makes you happy, how little it takes to smile, and to be grateful for all you have."

The former was said by Amel, a lawyer from Bahrain/ instant close friend who I first met when we shared a connecting flight from Dubai to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Amel said this as she was finishing leading a morning yoga session and I have been repeating it since. It is a perfect way to start the day with peace and gratitude. Africa is very much a sunrise/ sunset place as people live by the sun rather than electricity. Frankly, they don't have much choice as hardly anyone has electricity in their homes(huts) and the few places in town which do have electricity can't rely on it since the power frequently goes out. Honestly though it is quite refreshing to know there is a time work must cease as the night calls all to sleep.

While Cross Cultural Solutions does have a generator for power, they also have a 10pm curfew so the other volunteers and I are always back to home base by then. My usual habit has been going to bed at 10(3pm Eastern Standard Time) and waking up at 6am(11pm Eastern). It is interesting to think that as I'm waking up, people on the other side of the world are going to bed. I must say I love how I see the streets come alive as I walk on the dirt roads to the school I teach at. There is no such thing as staying in bed past sunrise here. The roosters and the people alike all rise to start a new day and each day I am greeted by dozens of smiling members of the town during my walk. Habari za asubuhi? (How are you this morning?) There is a group of volunteers from West Point and some ROTC volunteers so I've been joining them in their PT first thing in the morning. Some days we run, others we do ab work outs, or yoga. Whatever it is we do, we always feel more energized for the day ahead so it's certainly worth waking up for!  

Prior to leaving FL, I emailed the high school cross country team I coach along with other coaches. The boys' cross country coach told me that he was sure any run I did in Africa would be memorable. That certainly has been the case as I've enjoyed sunrise and afternoon runs. One afternoon, a friend and I were running and I asked him how much farther he wanted to go before turning around. He nonchalantly pointed a good bit ahead and said, "We'll turn around at that hut." Of course this was comical because we were passing huts the entire way. Nonetheless, I'm sure the next time I'm on a long run I'll picture those huts instead of light posts. African sights will surely follow me in every race I do the rest of my life be it a training run or another marathon.

This morning(Tuesday- 12- July-2011) was a personal favorite morning as I woke up with six fellow volunteers at 5:40 to walk ten minutes to the beach and do our yoga session there. It was so calming to do standing strength to the sounds of the Indian Ocean. We went from warrior poses in the dark to sun salutations as the sun rose. We then sat peacefully in the sand to take in the beautiful sunrise with open eye meditation. I am slowly learning to let go of the fast pace western ways and embrace the slow life style in Africa. As we say in Swahili, "Pole, Pole." (Slowly, slowly)

And because it bears repeating, wherever you are...

"Think about what makes you happy,

how little it takes to smile,

and be grateful for ALL you have."

7/8-7/10 Safari!

"Live it, love, it, bleed it." "Love ya Lions!" Being the daughter of two Penn State alumni and the sister of another, I was born with a love for lions. While growing up I saw lions in zoos and of course there was the famous stuffed Nittany Lion in Paterno Library at Penn State. Yet there certainly is nothing like seeing lions a mere three feet away! The latter is what I did this weekend in Mikumi National Park. It was about a five hour drive from Bagamoyo to Mikumi which was an adventure itself complete with one of the land cruisers breaking down leading the seventeen of us to go from three vehicles to fitting in two vehicles. The third land cruiser was fixed by Saturday morning though and it was all worth it as we unexpectedly saw nocturnal lions right on the highway when driving on the main road through the park at 8pm on Friday evening.
Saturday, we woke up early to drive an additional two hours from the hotel at the edge of Mikukmi to Udzungwa Mountains National Park so we could start our day with a morning hike. We hiked to see the largest waterfall in Tanzania, which is 170 meters high. The view was breathtaking of the falls and also of the vast horizon out beyond us. While hiking we saw monkeys all through the trees and an array of various butterflies. We felt as though we were the ones on display as all the locals shouted, "Mzungas" as we drove by, meaning white people. Following lunch we drove back to Mikumi to begin our first safari. After a quick trip through the museum to read up on the animals we'd be seeing we reboarded the land cruiser with the top up so we could stand taking in all the beauty surrounding us. The first thing we spotted was impalas and our guide wouldn't stop to take pictures, insisting, "Impalas are like chocolate at the super market. You'll see plenty." They certainly were everywhere as we went on to see elephants, zebras, warthogs, giraffes, camels, and more! We did get to stop when it came time for sunset, which we watched at the Hippo Pool! While the four hour safari was incredible we were anxious to see lions again as we had Friday night but there were none to be found on Saturday.
Sunday morning, we woke up early for the sunrise safari, entering Mikumi first and beginning with the top closed as it was chilly enough to see your breath. Twice as many animals were out at sunrise and in large groups, including over twenty giraffes together. It was the coolest things to watch the giraffes sprint across in lines after one another. Once the sun had risen enough we took the top up to stand up and I must say my favorite part of the safari was being right in front with my arms spread open along the open paths of nature! Just when we were about to give up hope on seeing lions again we spotted five! We drove extremely close to watch them interact with one another and cross right in front of our land cruiser. I am loving being immersed completely in the land of Tanzania and now even more, I love those lions!

Becoming "Madam" at Mwasama

 "Madam, we need you to teach this class from now on. The previous teacher isn't coming back." These were the first words I heard this morning as I arrived to the second day of my volunteer placement at Mwasama Primary School.
To backtrack to my first day of placement, yesterday on Tuesday, I observed how the school works and spent time in the kindergarten, first, second, and third grade classrooms. There are just four teachers who work at the school, one teaching each grade. The classrooms are basic with open doors, no lights besides what comes in from the open windows, and only one chalkboard per room. The bathroom is a row of buckets in stone walls. In addition to the four classroom buildings there are two buildings of bunk beds for the parentless children(street children or orphans whose parents died of HIV/AIDS) who attend the school. The school is designed to help the children learn English so they are not suppose to speak in their native language while in school. Their textbooks(only the teacher actually has one) are written in English and they try very hard to use that English the best they can.
As  I entered the gates yesterday to the school after signing in with the security guard I was immediately bombarded with hugs! Every child grabbed my hand and started singing a greeting song to me which starts with, "Welcome Madam" It was so precious to see how excited they were for my arrival. For the first two hours I helped the third grade teacher teach a math lesson on length and width. I then visited the Kindergarten classroom where I had all fourteen students hanging on me at once. At 10AM a bell rang for snack and all four rooms of kids emptied out with kids carrying their cups to get porridge. A student brought me chi to have with the Tanzanian version of doughnuts. I'm usually not a tea fan but I quickly found out I love Tanzanian tea! It is very sweet. I was surprised to learn that it is the norm for the teachers to sit and have their tea while the students play during this time. After half an hour of playtime the students go back into their classrooms as the teachers continue their tea in quiet. I told the other teachers how this would not be permitted in America as we are always supervising our students. The teachers at this school do not have a planning period though so I suppose it is the only small amount of time they have sans students. Following the tea break, I went to teach second grade for the rest of the morning. I helped with the English lesson teaching opposites. The teacher then asked me to step outside the room with her. She explained how difficult the day is for her since the school is shorthanded and asked me to teach a game so I taught the class Simon Says, which the students loved. At noon it was time for me to go back to the Cross Cultural Solutions home base for lunch and my own Swahili classes followed by other activities planned. The goal of Cross Cultural Solutions is cultural exchange so half my day is spent volunteering and the rest of it being immersed in the culture in other ways, such as visiting historic sites and participating in traditional dances.
Last night after the cross culture activities, I planned a matching game on opposites to use with the second grade class and devised a schedule of how I would spend my morning so I could work with all grades since the second grade teacher wanted me to teach English and it is at a different time each day. As a teacher, I've learned to overplan and then go with the flow. That was exactly what I had to do this morning when I was was ready to show the teachers my schedule and instead informed the third grade teacher I spent two hours with yesterday quit and would not be returning. There is a major shortage of teachers here in Bagamoyo so if I didn't happen to be there to help the teachers for my volunteer placement than the classes would have to be rearranged in some way. The third grade class of thirty students were happy to see me and immediately stood up to greet me by singing the "Welcome Madam" song as I entered. I grabbed a piece of chalk and began teaching for that's what I'm here to do. I must admit that piece of chalk quickly became four pieces as I discovered I am not used to writing in chalk. So while it took a few pieces of chalk I made it through day two and am excited for the rest of my days as Madam!

Safe & sound in Africa!

I'm here and everything is amazing thus far. I went for a run as the sun was rising this morning with another volunteer and told her I felt like we were running through a movie set. Obviously, not a glamorous one as we ran by people living in huts, but it just still feels unreal to be in Africa. Here's a quick recap of the past days:

Friday/ Saturday= Travel:
-After enjoying seeing Spiderman on Broadway Thursday night and spending time with friends in NYC, I took the subway to JFK on Saturday morning.
-My first flight was almost eleven hours but went by quick as we were served three full meals that I enjoyed between reading, movies, and sleeping.
-I had a three hour layover in Dubai, which is the most ornate airport I've ever seen.
-The second flight was about six hours and there ended up being another volunteer in my group who joined the one volunteer and I who flew out of JFK.
-The flight landed on time and the three of us, filled out our paperwork, and then got our baggage and met four other volunteers who had arrived earlier.
-During the flights I met quite a few people venturing to Africa for various reasons. There was a large high school group of kids going to volunteer in Kenya. During the layover I made friends with a girl from Germany who was going to Tanzania to volunteer in a hospital. I also met a guy from Austria who was coming to Tanzania to work on a farm for eight weeks, along with a few Americans coming simply to vacation.
-Due to traffic it took about two and half hours to get from the airport to Bagamoyo where we were greeted by the rest of our volunteer group and enjoyed a delicious dinner! There are seventeen total volunteers in the group who are all wonderful people. The staff here at Cross Cultural Solutions is also extremely friendly and welcoming.

We had a busy day of exploring historical sites today but there's too much of that to write now. So for now, lala salama! (sleep well)

WHERE I'll be living/ volunteering

"She ran ahead where there were no paths." -Dorthy Parker

The biggest questions I've had have been about where I'm living and where I'll be volunteering. I know I felt a lot better when I saw pictures to answer these questions myself so here's a glimpse of what my life will be like for the next month.

1. Living- my home for the month of July:
Part of the program fee to volunteer for Cross Cultural Solutions goes towards making sure all volunteers are safe while at the home base. The sixteen other volunteers and I will be staying in this home base where bottled water is provided and essential mosquito nets to sleep under!

2. Volunteering- my volunteer placement:
I will be volunteering at Mwasama Primary School. Here is the detailed information provided to me by Cross Cultural Solutions. I am greatly looking forward to working with the faculty at Mwasama and helping to educate the children of Bagamoyo!

Mwasama Primary School

School: Teaching Children and Assisting Teachers

General Information

Mission and Needs of the Partner Program

The mission of this primary school is to prepare the children of the Bagamoyo region with basic knowledge and skills they will need to attend secondary school.

Because of the low economic standards of this town, the quality of education has fallen tremendously beyond limits. The owner of Mwasama Primary School is a teacher by profession and a parent; she felt a duty to join the government in the effort to eradicate ignorance (illiteracy) and thus reduce poverty. After a trial period of one and a half years, starting in 1998, she discovered that orphans and children from poor families are capable of schooling, but lack funds to help them beyond Secondary Education.

This is a private school. It is situated one kilometer outside the historical town of Bagamoyo. All subjects are taught in English (except Swahili) as this is an English medium school. There are 22 staff members, 10 of which are non-teaching staff, and 389 students. Out of 389 registered pupils, 17 are parentless children (street children or orphans whose parents died of HIV/AIDS).

Volunteer Activities/Duties 

-Teach English, mathematics, reading, and writing

-Teach sports, games and songs, arts and crafts

-Help assess the development and progress of students (help create testing procedures)

-Organize projects and activities for the children

-Work with the teacher to develop primary school activities and materials that can be used for years to come(using creativity to create things with little supplies and modern equipment)

-Participate in cultural exchange with the children and teachers.

Packing: a.k.a. "You'll be fine"

"The overdressed traveler betrays more interest in being seen than in seeing, while the true traveler knows that the novel world about her serves as the most appropriate accessory." -Gregory Maguire, Wicked

No make up. No jewelry. One would think packing to volunteer in a third world country is quite simple. In fact I've always prided myself in being a low maintenance traveler. I usually pack hours before getting on a plane. I never check bags. I flew to NYC for two weeks with just a carry on. I backpacked through five countries of Europe sans anything fancy with just what fit on my back three years ago.

In the past week, I've learned quick traveling to Africa certainly isn't comparable to traveling anywhere in America or Europe. So how does one begin to pack for a whole month in Africa? I started with the following packing list from Cross Cultural Solutions, which I have carried around like Linus and his blanket. 

Secondly, while packing you consult friends, lots of them. Anyone who knows me knows I avoid malls like the plague. Kath coaxed me to the outlets by saying we'd go for biking supplies and made it her goal to get me prepared for Africa. My mom also deserves kudos for exploring stores such as Gander Mountain in search of the strongest bug spray and a safari hat of course! My parents being the wonderful parents they are helped make sure that the bathroom cabinet of medical supplies accompanies me to Africa!

My CCS Program Director Katie along with my friends Erin, Kim C, Kim D, Hannah, and Jessie have been my Africa consultants since they've all been there themselves. Every little tidbit helped such as avoid wearing blue which attracts more bugs! Kristin lent me her awesome backpack again. My friend Melanie, let me go "borrowing" in her house where she taught me all the secret wonders for long flights such as a blow up pillow to help with my 21 hour flight. She also stressed how vital compression bags are which do work wonders!

Lastly, while I'm excited to try the local cuisine in Bagamoyo I needed to pack some comfort foods!

I think this blog makes packing look a lot easier than it has been. I admit it's scary to think that in just a few days I'm traveling alone far away from home to sleep under a mosquito net for a month. However, in my running/biking group we have a simple motto that is, "You'll be fine." It's what I was told before I ran my first 26.2 miles. I was told it again while frustrated during the final miles of an 84 mile bike ride. While it doesn't always feel like it, I always am "fine." In fact, I know I'll be better than fine for great adventure takes great risk.

So my bags are packed and I'm focusing on the words of Edward Abbey, an environmental activist who said, "May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view."

6/18/11 FL-> PA = 1,034 miles!

The feel of wind blowing through the windows, the sight of sunsets spread across mountains, the sound of classic songs and new radio stations, among other reasons are why I adore the open road. Not many people voluntarily drive over a thousand miles, but I've come to love the annual summer drive home to Pittsburgh!  My love of the open road started when my best friend and I took a road trip of 8,177 miles exploring America's National Parks! During that trip my friend and I made the rule to never stop at the same restaurant twice and also decided that some sights seen from the dashboard are just so beautiful they require pulling over to take in. Part of the fun of driving across states is that you get to see so many sights that you would never see if you just flew into a city. While I'm anxious to fly to Africa, I couldn't head so far away without heading home first.  Luckily, all of my immunizations went well on Thursday so I was ready to pack up my car and get the summer travels started! Before driving off, my running/ biking club planned a sendoff off for me! I cannot thank all of my friends and family enough for their support of this volunteer trip!

Friday 6/17/11- Sendoff dinner with my amazing running/ biking club! Such inspiring people!

Early Saturday morning 6/18/11- Driving begins! Before leaving the Sunshine State I decided I wanted to see the beach one last time so planned to meet friends in Jacksonville for lunch on the beach, where there happened to be a random parade.

After a delicious lunch with friends and an enjoyed driving break on the beach I headed back in my car to continue north. Sticking with my rule of finding unique rest stops, I decided to get off for gas at the exit that advertised free apple cider and a tour of Frampton Plantation in South Carolina.

Saturday evening 6/18/11-  Day one of driving concludes in North Carolina after 639 miles! I was greeted in NC with hugs from a best friend I've known since sixth grade, her husband, and beautiful baby! It is always so wonderful to see old friends! We spent the weekend catching up sharing many laughs!

Monday morning 6/20/11- On the road again!  West Virginia mountains took me home!

Monday evening 6/20/11- I instantly smiled as I turned the corner onto the familiar street my parents have lived on for over thirty-five years. Pittsburgh is ranked one of the top ten places to raise a family in America and there's no question why. My same neighbors that were living in the adjacent houses to my parents when I was born still live here and greeted me with hugs and well wishes for Africa. I have been having the most wonderful time with the best parents and friends while back in Pennsylvania. There's truly no place like home.

6/16/11- Immunizations

Traveling out of country certainly is extremely exciting but it also has its dangers. Upon committing to volunteer with Cross Cultural Solutions, I received a vital booklet of information about Tanzania and how to prepare for my volunteer trip. Research (such as the questions I asked on the last blog) is critical in order to be prepared. In addition to learning about the country I'll be traveling to, I needed to learn about how to stay safe while away from home. 

While I frequently read over the handbook, I prolonged the big day of getting all of my immunizations for fear the shots may make me sick and I didn't want to miss work due to that. Thus, exactly one week after the last day of school I headed into the travel clinic at 8:00AM to get my immunizations. The reminder that "Foreign disease is not dazzling" stared me in the face as the nurse closed the door and I glanced around at inspirational photos and informative posters.

The travel nurse returned and was extremely helpful in talking me through all of the safety precautions needed to travel to a third world country. I was given a folder with a traveler health report prepared for me which listed country-specific recommendations. Since Tanzania is a developing nation in the lowest 25% of the world's economies, there are concerns which are not an issue in the United States. After going through my past medical history, it was recommended I receive five vaccinations in addition to the required Yellow Fever Vaccination. Thus it was time to put on my brave face...

I survived all six shots, three in each arm!

Most importantly, I was given proof of my immunizations which I will be required to show in order to enter Tanzania.

While the shots were quick and painless, they certainly did some damage to my wallet. Unfortunately, insurance does not cover immunizations required for out of country travel nor is the required medicine to prevent Malaria covered.

6 shots + 3 required medications = $967.78!  Volunteering isn't cheap! I am happy to report I didn't have any negative reactions to the vaccines and got ready to meet my biking group Thursday evening as usual. Six shots(two in the front of each arm and one in the back) didn't keep me from my favorite exercise. I couldn't have been more thankful for my health as I headed off on that bike ride!

WHAT...? Students' research :)

Dear stellar students,

I can't believe it is the last week of school already! I love that you are as excited for my volunteer trip as I am. Before going anywhere it is always vital to learn about the place you're going so I'd like you to help me research! Please use the following links to research Tanzania on your home computers and tell me what you'd like me to see and/or do while I'm exploring Africa! We learned that when Juan Ponce de Leon discovered Florida in 1513 he named it  "La Florida" meaning Land of Flowers. I will be volunteering in Bagamoyo. What does the name Bagamoyo mean? Here are some other questions to guide your research.

-What animals are found in Tanzania?
-What language is spoken in Tanzania?
-What is the climate like?
-What ocean borders Tanzania?
-What countries border Tanzania?
-What percentage of children 5-14 attend school?
-What sport is popular in Tanzania?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagamoyo

http://www.tanzaniaparks.com/

Animal Images

Based on your research, what advice or suggestions do you have for me? Do you think I should pack anything in particular? What was the most interesting or surprising thing you learned? I look forward to reading your research, opinions, and suggestions.

Your teacher,
Ms. Barr

WHY am I going to Africa?

Two of my favorite quotes from two beloved books come to mind when I think about why I'm flying 9,304 miles across the world. First, I am going to Africa...

Secondly...

While I share Jack Kerouac's love of traveling, the last lines of The Lorax by Dr. Seuss have always stuck with me. It takes a lot of caring people to make the world a better place and I’m just trying to do my small part. I wanted to volunteer for Peace Corps as soon as I graduated from Penn State but decided it would be too hard to be away from family on the other side of the world for two years. Instead of moving across the globe, I accepted a teaching job in Florida. Yet, before moving from PA to FL, I followed Jack Kerouac’s advice and hit the road. Over the course of thirty-three days one of my best friends and I drove 8,177 miles across America the Beautiful! We camped and hiked in our nation’s breathtaking national parks. A few favorites were the Badlands, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon. 

After teaching for a few years, it was time for a new travel adventure so I ventured abroad for the first time during the summer of 2008. I backpacked from London through Eastern Europe and loved the history of Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Hungary.  It was hard to pick just one picture from all the historic sites I saw in five countries but Stonehenge truly stands on its own.

The summer after I traveled to Europe, I was the one sitting in classrooms earning my Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Stetson University.  

Last summer, I was busy teaching summer school to help pay those grad school loans. I also increased my running training as I began coaching the girls’ high school cross country team while training for my fifth marathon. Similarly to how I relate my travels when teaching, my joy of running is integrated in my classroom.

To come full circle, the “WHY” is never a simple answer but following your heart is simple. It’s always been a dream of mine to help children in Africa and I’m making that dream happen. I’m combining two of my passions. As Kerouac said, "There's nowhere to go but everywhere." There’s a whole world out there I haven’t seen yet and lots of children to be cared for. So this summer, I'm looking to really make a difference by being a volunteer with Cross Cultural Solutions and help those in Africa who are not as fortunate as those of us in America.  I’m setting out to put my heart into this volunteer trip!

HOW I'm getting to Africa!

1. I am driving from Florida to my home state Pennsylvania and then over to New York where I will get ready for my next mode of transportation!
Approximate driving distance= 1,392 miles!

2. On July 1st I will be flying out of JFK Airport in NYC.

3. I will fly from NYC across the Atlantic Ocean to Dubai International Airport. Dubai is a city in the country of United Arab Emirates.

4. I will then change planes in Dubai and board my final plane to Dar Es Saleem Airport in Tanzania!

5. Finally, after flying 9,304 miles I will be picked up at Dar es Salaam Airport by someone with Cross Cultural Solutions and we will drive to Bagamoyo where my volunteer trip will begin!