Subject: Bukoba #13: November News
Date: Tuesday, November 12, 2001
My computer maintenance class has started at the training centre in town, and I have taught seven students for two weeks (six sessions). It takes a long time to prepare lessons and homework, the equipment is poor and my knowledge is very limited, but it's interesting and moderately useful to the students. Another of the computers here at the university has died, so only four student computers are available for January, and it will probably be difficult to teach computer courses here.
I am therefore exploring the possibility of teaching math and science at Rugambwa secondary school instead, as Marialena is leaving and the school badly needs a replacement volunteer teacher. I would enjoy the chance to do more teaching and less computing, I would learn Swahili and local culture better, and the location and housing is nice. The hard part will be convincing VSO Tanzania, since I think we are trying to reduce the number of secondary education volunteers.
The university is rushing to finish and send the prospectus and spend a 10M/= DRDP cheque to prove to the HEAC that we will be ready for classes in January. We were finally paid today; I think I was the only one to get a whole month's pay. There's a big Regional Co-ordinating Committee meeting chaired by the RAS on Friday, and the HEAC decision to promote or cull is on the 27th. The VSO 40th anniversary presentation and ball are also Friday.
This weekend I was busy teaching, but some of the others went to Muleba for Tjeu's 25th wedding anniversary and a dating game for which Tony was to be the hostess and wear a dress. (He might even have shaved his legs.) An entertaining collection of characters attended the Hallowe'en party: Dracula, Osama bin Laden, Darth Vader, the Phantom, Julius Caesar, Harry Potter, a Dutchman, Dr. Niels, a gynaecologist, a cow, a fortune teller, a genie, a sorceress, three Muslim women, and a pacifist, ndizi-eating Maasai herdsman.
I was in great shape until the week of the tennis tournament. I barely won my first two matches against lower-ranked but tough opponents. I even got to the quarter finals because the other two in my group didn't show up, but then Tjeu eliminated me, partly because I was tired and recovering from a cold. (Zully and Joseph were too ill to play so it was an all-wazungu tournament. Tim beat Tjeu and Per beat Erik and Tim. The women's finals are this weekend.) For the past week I have not played tennis because my upper back, neck and shoulder are bothering me unusually much. It's a bad time for it, too, since I have so much to do now. Language training was a good break for my health in March; maybe it will be in December too, though I'll probably spend much of my free time at the Internet caf? in town.
My flights are Bukoba-Dar December 1 and Dar-Bukoba December 20. I have no vacation plans yet, but if I can change the return flight (and my computer classes and final exam on the 22nd and 23rd), I might go to Zanzibar with some volunteers and others. Tony said I could join them, and I'm sure there will be loads of people I know (and very many other tourists as well). If I had my choice, though, I'd rather explore the great lakes region more, e.g. Uganda, Rwanda and maybe Burundi.
I now have a niece! Her name is Latifah. Congratulations to Mary and Mohammed; the family is reportedly doing fine and I am very happy for them.