Trevor in Tanzania, week three!

Week three! I can hardly believe it!
Another week has passed and the classes are in full swing. Basic computers remains to be just that, basic, but the participants are showing much promise. On Monday, the class went to the Internet Café to have a practical session. I created an assignment for the class to work off of during their time on the computer. The questions were instructions to produce a paper on Microsoft Word that was identical to the one I had given them. Step one; write the date at the top right hand side of the page. But wait, I forgot, to get to step one, they have to know how to open a new Word document. I went around the room, as did Kanny and our local volunteer Fatma, and placed my hand over so many of theirs simply to show how the mouse works on the screen. The participants were reluctant to move the mouse quickly, but slowly warmed up to it by practicing moving the cursor on the home screen. There were more problems than just opening a word document too. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing the work for them, and stood patiently in the room that was easily 35 degrees. I look up to see at least five fans on the ceiling of which only one was turning at half power. I mentioned this to Kanny and she replied something to the effect of, “are you sure you want them on, look at the dust on them.” A closer look told me the fan blades were actually meant to be white, not the black I initially thought they were. There was a major language barrier between myself and the owner of the shop as well, and I wasn’t about to waste my time explaining personal discomfort. There are about twenty computers in the café, but today, only about twelve were working. We managed to partner up everyone, which I think helped in the long run anyways because they were able to help each other through their issues, but even then the room was crowded. I felt so sorry for one participant. He shows up first to every class including this one. The first computer he sat on was having troubles signing in, so I asked him to move to another computer. After about ten minutes of him trying, he put up his hand and asked for help opening Word. I tried, but only to discover that Word wasn’t going to work on that particular computer. Now he was moved to his third computer. When he opened word and began typing, the document took on a life of its own and wouldn’t respond to any of the commands we were trying to give it. He was only able to do a small number of things, but he took it well and is eager to learn for the next time. His example was just one of many challenges we had at the café. One computer simply turned itself off with about fifteen minutes to go; leaving two guys making great progress left just sitting there wondering how this happened. The challenges with the mouse continued for many, as there were no mouse pads, and the space to move the mouse around was very limited. For some, when the mouse on the desk ran out of space to move, they thought the cursor wouldn’t be able to move higher. I had to show them how to lift the mouse and put it back down on the table. With challenges come successes however and the class started to move forward quite well. Kanny, Fatma, and I moved around the class without a moments rest for the entire sixty minutes. Hands went up every time I made eye contact with someone and the learning process was in full swing. One man, Jackson, was able to complete the document with about ten minutes remaining in class. He then switched places with his partner on the computer and showed the new user how to move through the functions. There is a large discrepancy between the knowledge they claim to have learned during theory classes and their abilities during practical. We make it look so easy when we are teaching that they too think the process will be easy. It is not for them however, and we have already adapted our teaching style to ensure they are getting the most from every class. Practical session was yet another amazing experience here for me. I care for my class a great deal and am working hard to ensure their success.
When leaving class on Tuesday, I was invited by some of the participants to a fundraiser event that night. The cost was $50 a ticket, and it included a dinner and some entertainment. I was eager to learn so much more about the problems facing people with addictions problems on the island, and was also curious to see how the issues were being addressed. This was my chance to show my class how much I supported their recovery, while I would learn so much more about the issues affecting Zanzibar. I was told the fundraiser starts at 6:30 and put on my nicest outfit here to attend. The event was WAY richer than I thought it would be. There were government officials present, including the Minister of Health, Minister of Education, and the Minister of Tourism and Sport I believe. I was under dressed and felt it immediately. The women were wearing extravagant dresses and the press was there to document the event. Although I showed up at 6:30, no one else came until about quarter to eight. I sat nervously along the wall which overlooked the Indian Ocean. Waves crashed below me as the tide was coming in over the beautiful white sand. A student from computer class arrived, and my anxieties eased. At least now I would have someone to show me around and explain what was happening. His name is Sabri, and to be honest, a favorite class participant of mine. Sabri is the guy that enters the room and everyone wants to talk to him. That was demonstrated at the event, as Sabri was mingling with some of the higher ups immediately. He was keen to introduce me to them as well, and made me feel very comfortable being there. He explained the issues he had with the event however, and said that he felt the government officials and the people at the event were just making a business out of recovering attics and they didn’t know the real issues. He felt this way because many of them were not actively involved with their recovery process, and he felt they can’t relate to the problem. There was an open bar at the event and that seemed unfavorable to put in front of substance abuse victims as well. It is a fundraiser never the less though, and it was nice to see so many people there. I sat at the table with people from my class, as well as some other people I had the opportunity to meet. Some of them were running sober houses on the island and were proud to tell me that there are now five sober houses on the island. I took down Mani’s number, the man who runs sober house number one, and hope to get Shaib and the group of volunteers to go and do a visit of the house during our stay here. There is so much passion and energy into what these men and women are doing, and I support their efforts 100%. There is even a woman in my class who was successful in opening the first woman only sober house on the island which currently has six participants. I was able to meet the mastermind behind the sober houses as well. He was an incredible man with an incredible story. Eight years as a heroine user before quitting and trying to help so many others through recovery. He spoke to the issues so well when he addressed the large professional crowd. The table I was at was cheering and giving him words of encouragement throughout the speech, and he ended up inviting them up onstage to introduce them and tell what sober house they were involved with. Their faces lit up, and it was a proud moment for a group of people that haven’t seen many great moments lately due to their past drug habits. A moment with Sabri had me ask him where he sees his life going from here. He simply said to me, “my life is in gods hands now; I have made all the wrong choices in life, so it is time for god to show me my direction.” The twelve step program is heavily used though the sober house program, and religion is a large part of many people’s lives on the island. I hope for Sabri in the way that he rebuilds confidence enough to make great live decisions in the future.
The rest of the week went well. Business Computers started and it was very much interesting to learn the difference between business computers back home and here. The first class had us open a Word document and show the participants the uses of the header and footer. Next we showed how to properly enter a cover page, and how to insert a new page rather than hitting enter a bunch of times to get to the page below. Proper insertion of pages numbers was shown too, and the class used the full hour practicing the new commands. The next class had us go over inserting a table of contents, and how to insert citations into a document. Some of the proof reading options were covered as well.
Week two of Environmental programming continued, and Alysha and I have been learning the challenges of creating a new program for YCI. We are focused in on one particular area now, that is a composting campaign, and are looking for resources to create a proposal to hand out to the partner organizations. We are working closely with YCI and hope to continue creating a product that will be used by many volunteers here in Tanzania.
So, I am certainly starting to miss the luxuries of home. I have been rationing the Cliff bars that I brought down, and have one for every three days that I am here. They taste amazing! I have been getting more and more into the food here, and have been eating a lot more fish. A lot of the fish that shows up on the table is smaller than my pinkie finger, with the head and tail still on it. It takes some getting used to, but they are quite good when really hungry. The treats, food wise, here come sporadically, and the rice and beans have become the norm. Alysha found some cookies that are like Oreos, and I enjoyed every bite of it. They sell bottles of pop here, and drinking from one makes me feel I am living in the 1920’s. The return system here is strange. I bought a bottle of pop for 1000 TSH, or about 65 cents Canadian. That same bottle of Coke say will cost me 600 TSH, or about 40 cents, if I have a bottle to replace the one I am using. So basically I got 400 TSH as a refund. However, if I take a bottle to a store and ask for 400 TSH for it, I will get nothing. There is no return for bottles, rather replacement. Odd.
I found a pool table outside under a tarp near a local store. During my walk toward home the other day, I went over to see the action. I asked how much and was told 500 (35 cents), a game. There were four people ahead of me waiting for a game, but the crowd of about twenty wanted to see me play. I didn’t want to be rude and instead sat to watch them play. After the game was over, a man approached me and insisted I play next. I pulled out 500 and took the cue. A man came out from the background and grabbed the other stick, I had an opponent. I asked if they brought out their best, and someone told me “yes, he is very good.” I haven’t shot pool in a while, and was worried about my skill at the table. The balls were smaller, and the pockets were too. I would have to adjust my playing style to hold my own. The man wanted me to break, but I insisted he did. He didn’t make one and I started to hear people in the crowd say “Mzungu!” This means white person. They were interested in me, and I was for some reason nervous to play a game I have been playing for years. I made my first shot and felt good about it before barely missing the second. He missed, and then I missed again. Now he showed his skill, making four balls in a row before just missing a ball in the side pocket. I made three in a row to counter his effort, and the game was tight. I had a long cut into the corner pocket and knew I wouldn’t make it. For some reason I took it anyways, and the cue ball bounced off the far wall after hitting my ball, and bumped the eight ball into the side pocket. The game was over! I gave a huge smile and thanked them for the game. I wanted to win so badly and show them my skill. It was a very fun experience and one I will remember every time I shoot pool back home.
My heel has been improving every day, but I do walk with some discomfort. With each day it does get better, and I really hope I get the chance to play soccer with some locals before I go. My bigger issue was the sunburn I got from the beach on Saturday. It was the worst burn I have had in my life. It made the small burn on my back feel like nothing. I lost range of motion in my ankle because the skin became leathery and swollen. I found a tub of water and have been soaking my feet every day since Saturday. The burn has recovered with only a few blisters, and the lesson has been learned. I am not coming home with the tan I had hoped to have; it simply isn’t worth fighting against the African sun!
Receiving phone calls and emails from home has been such a treat. I am able to connect with Stephanie often, and really enjoy that support! My aunt Jackie and Uncle Stan, you might remember them from my fundraiser event at the curling club, surprised me with a call this week and it was very nice to hear from loved ones. Thanks again for all of those reading my blog and making me feel connected to home. Please post comments, and write about things you would like to know more about while I am here. I have so much to write, and try and keep it as interesting as possible for you all. I miss everyone so much and look forward to seeing everyone in two months.