Hey, guys! It's been a little while since the last post, but, unfortunately, there's not too much to talk about. Midterms just happened, so I'm up to my eyeballs in work; cooking is still challenging, but getting better (especially due to the spices sent from Mom & Dad... thanks again!); and I'm spending most of my free time exercising, playing on my concertina, or hanging out with other volunteers. So, in honor of this being my 111th day in country (and since I feel like stealing another PCV classmate's blog idea... sorry Carly), here's a special, "by the numbers" edition of my time in Tanzania (note that some figures are approximate):
GENERAL STATUS:
Days in country: 111
Days at site: 48
Days since last haircut: 114
Days since last shave: 28
Number of belt loops downsized: 2
Days since last bath: 3
Days straight I've worn my current pair of jeans: 6
Current color of 90% of my clothing: rust red
Current Kiswahili fluency level: Moderate, but with ample knowledge of curse words
WORK:
Number of students: 200+
Number of classes taught: 24
Average class length: 2 hours
Midterm exams graded: 25
Cumulative time spent grading midterm exams so far: 5 hours
Ungraded midterm exams remaining: 175+
Current outlook on remaining pile of work: Hopeful yet fearful
FOOD & DRINK:
Number of meals eaten in country: ~350
Number of meals eaten in country with cheese as an ingredient: 5
Number of meals eaten in country with rice and beans as ingredients: ~320
Number of meals eaten in country with dagaa (Tanzanian sardines) as an ingredient: 1
Number of meals eaten in country with spiced termites as an ingredient: 3
Maandazi (Tanzanian donuts) eaten: Too many to count
Number of meals cooked by myself: 32
Number of meals cooked by myself that didn't end in disaster: 18
Number of meals cooked by myself that didn't end in disaster that I found to be genuinely delicious: 4
Number of times my electricity has gone out: 35
Number of times my electricity has gone out while I'm cooking: 5
Number of meals ruined by aforementioned power outages: 4
Total kilos of meat wasted due to spoilage: 2.5
Number of painful scaldings received during cooking: 8
Number of painful scaldings received during cooking that have resulted in permanent scars: 2
EVERYDAY LIFE:
Average hours a day spent at work: 8
Average hours a day spent cooking: 2
Average hours a day spent cleaning: 1
Average hours a day spent exercising: 2.5
Average hours a day spent lying awake in bed listening to my neighbor blare Tanzanian gospel music at 4 in the morning: 2
Average hours a day spent playing concertina: 3
Number of sheets of homemade staff paper made: 15
Songs composed: 3
Good songs composed: 0
Number of times my aforementioned gospel-loving neighbor has come by to tell me I'm playing the concertina too loudly at 4 in the afternoon: 2
CROSS-CULTURAL EXCHANGE:
Average times a day Tanzanians laugh at me: 3
Number of serious cultural gaffes: 4
Most common word said in Kiswahili: "Samahani!" ("sorry!")
Most common word said to me in Kiswahili: "Mzungu!" ("white guy!")
Average times a day people say "Shikamoo!" ("I respect you!") to me: 4
Average times a day people say "Shikamoo, mzungu!" ("I respect you, white guy!") to me: 2
BUGS (figures are from actual tallies I keep in my written journal):
Cockroaches killed: 53
Crickets killed: 34
Flying cockroaches killed: 4
Winged termites killed: 20+
June bugs killed: 5
Moths killed: ~15
Earwigs killed: ~10
Giant African moths killed: 1
Mosquitoes killed: Too many to count
Snails chucked: 2
Ant invasions: 4
Siafu (driver ant) attacks: 1
MISCELLANEOUS:
Most prized possession: Tie between my kerosene lantern and my mp3 player
Least prized possession: Termite colony living in my ceiling
Favorite Tanzanian dish: chipsi mayai na mishikake (french fry omelet with meat skewers)
Least favorite Tanzanian dish: ugali (boiled corn meal) with nothing
Number of Archer episodes watched: ~100 (keep in mind that there are only 10 episodes in the first season)
Number of pigs I've caught rummaging through my compost: 3
Chickens kicked: 6
So yeah, that's pretty much a brief snapshot of my life in Tanzania so far. Who knows what the next two years will bring? More bugs? More cultural faux pas? Diversified dining options? Stay tuned to find out.
