Day by Day

Sorry it has been awhile since I last updated. A lot has happened in the last couple weeks, so I will try and update you on life here in Tanzania.

Lets back track a couple weeks to my home stay in Korogwe. I remember when I first arrived how nervous and scared I was. I think that it is a fairly common feeling when you arrive in a new situation, especially one that is across the globe. There is so much to discover and become acquainted with. It’s almost like being a kid again. You have to relearn how to wash clothes, cook in traditional ways, set up a mosquito net, and communicate in a new language. The latter was of course the most difficult for me. My simple Swahili sentences and lack of vocabulary made things very difficult at first. My family was so patient with me as I hacked through, learning little by little.  I was always armed with my big smile to keep things light and they helped me through those first hard weeks.  It was not just their help with language, but also their caring demeanor and attitude toward life that was inspiring to me. Life for them is always about living in the moment of the day and to not worry about the troubles that tomorrow might bring. My Mama would sit with me while I drank my chai each morning and we would have simple conversations in Swahili and English. She always told me that everything would be okay and that any problems I faced would be resolved in no time.

My Tanzanian family in Kilole.

I faced a couple challenges in my first couple months. My body had fun adjusting to the heat and new food. I visited the choo (bathroom) on many more occasions than I wanted to. At about week five, I got severe food poisoning and was ill for about a week. I was taken to the hospital by Peace Corps staff, where I stayed in a ward for a night. It was straight out of the movies. There were about 30 beds in the ward, with a range of different patients in each. I was somewhat secluded from the others, but everyone’s eyes were focused in on the one mzungu (westerner) amongst them. This may seem somewhat uncomfortable, but I used it as an opportunity. In Tanzania, everything is about community. My community that day just so happened to be the other patients and their families. At this point I could speak very minimal language, but I greeted my neighbors and told them what was wrong with me. They seemed to understand and said that I was getting good medicine that would fix me up quick. As the night moved on, we chit chatted a little bit more and the Peace Corps staff were in and out, with someone always by my side.  When nightfall came, my mosquito net came down around me.  I wondered why I had a white net and everyone else’s was blue. As if I did not stick out enough, my white net surely drew more eyes to my bed. I realized that PC had put a treated net up around me and the others in the ward were just using what was there. Just another safety precaution. PC has always got my back. The next morning, I awoke, feeling much better and opened my eyes to my Baba and Mama sitting on the bed with my Language Coordinator, Majid. My Baba was wearing his baseball cap that gave me a very nostalgic feeling of being with my Pappy Dale growing up. I felt so thankful for the family I was placed with. During the next week, they slowly nursed me back to health and did not have many more complications after that. Like Mama said, today’s problems will always find a way to be fixed.

The glorious choo at my house. Quite safi compared to most! 

The phenomenal medical and safety team here in PC Tanzania.

When it came time to leave Korogwe, I revisited some of the pains of leaving my home back in America. All the comforts of family and home would be left and I would be on my own. My family hosted a little party for my fellow volunteers in my village and I. The community executive officers and all the families of the 3 other volunteers were in attendance. We ate lots of food and chatted about our time there. We exchanged gifts and reminisced. Our group was the first volunteers that were hosted in this community. I am sure we will never be forgotten, just as we will not forget them. I could tell that would be missed. They will all be missed as well.

The sister's of the volunteers in my village prepping the feast for our party.

My Kaka Charlie and I on my last night in Kilole. I'll be back to visit soon!

Our training class made the six-hour bus journey to Dar, where we would do one more week of seminars and final prep before swearing in.  Our heads of school were in town for some seminars to attend together on how to make our service transition easy and effective. Also, our group prepared a little song that we were going to perform at the ambassador’s house later that week. 

During this week, I missed the first of many of my family’s birthdays. It was sad not to be in Baltimore with my sister as she celebrated her 26^th birthday. I was able to skype her a little bit on that day, which made things nice J. Shout out to Blakely! This will be a challenge, but they all know I am always thinking of them as I send love across the globe!

My best friend Haeli and I anxiously waiting to be sworn in. 

Fast forward a little bit to September 12.  This was the day that we would transition from Peace Corps Trainees (PCTs) to Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs).  We arrived at the Peace Crops office and signed all our documentation and then headed over to Ambassador Lenhard’s residence. We would be stepping on American soil for the first time in some 10 weeks—well kind of… The magnitude of what we were about to take on set in.  There were news crews there and lots of important people. A representative from the ministry of education, the US Ambassador to Tanzania, and the Country Director all sat in front of us as we transitioned for PCT to PCV. My favorite part of the event was playing guitar with as part of a trio of musicians with the group singing a song that was a parody of the song “I Want To Be A Billionare” that we called “I Want To Be A Volunteer”. The day was a huge success despite the heat and all the sweating. It was a really nice event to close out training and be with all my fellow trainees who were now some of my new best friends.

Ambassador Lenhard and I after the swearing in ceremony.

Country Director Dr. Elizabeth O'Malley and I. Check out that Maryland pin on her  right shoulder.

Some of my best friends in country after the the swearing in event. (Ben and Conor)

We headed back to the hotel and hung out for the night and awoke at 3AM to board our vans to the bus stand in Dar.  At around 6AM our bus left Dar for the 11-hour journey to my new home of Njombe. The ride was not the most comfortable, but there were many sites to see along the way. We drove through about 50km of National Park, where I was able to see giraffes, zebras, elephants, and gazelles for the first time in the wild. What a surreal experience that was. It inspired me to start whittling. I carved my first giraffe, and I know many are to come after this.

My first whittling project. All those years watching chainsaw carving
at the fair is helping to hone my craft.

The cool air of Njombe welcomed us as we arrived in the early evening. Our trio of Njombe volunteers is staying in town for a couple days to purchase living supplies and some other needs for our homes.  Sunday we depart for our villages to begin the next two years of our lives. Many days of learning, challenges, and accomplishments are ahead of me. I know that if I keep things in perspective and take things day to day, I will be fine. I am equipped to survive and soon thrive here. Each new day brings something new and special, even if it is an obstacle in my way. These are things to learn and grow from.

Thinking of you all back home!

Please write to me at my new address:
Philip Mangula S.S.
Attn: Darryl Glotfelty
P.O. Box 699
Njombe
Tanzania