Heri ya Krismasi!

Merry Christmas from Tanzania!  I hope that everyone is enjoying a cozy and festive Christmas, wherever you may be!  My Charlie Brown Christmas tree is standing by my window.  Most Christmas trees in Tanzania are fake, and wanting a real Christmas tree, I harvested some branches from some nearby pine trees.  The long fragrant needles are adorned with Tanzania's finest colored, flashing and music-making lights.  My ears are grateful that the music can be turned off!

At the end of the school year in French class, students learned how to wish someone a Merry Christmas in French, and then made a French Christmas card for their family. We talked about different things they could draw - stars, angels, Christmas trees, Father Christmas and practiced saying Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année.  Enjoy their Christmas wishes.

By Peace and Justus, Standard 2

Netball

KEMPS recently had their first student vs. staff netball game.  Scheduled for a Friday afternoon, the whole school congregated at the netball field for this competition.  For those of you that don't know, netball is a game that is similar to basketball that is played by women in the UK, and in Tanzania.  Take away the dribbling, the backboard, and the talking, and you have a fairly close picture of the game. 

The staff team comprised a mixture of teachers and matrons.  As I did not know the rules, I was expecting only to observe and cheer; however, no sooner had I reached the field than Zelva and Teacher Moreen summoned me to be their last player.  Apparently one of the matrons had "disappeared" that afternoon because she did not know the rules and didn't want to play!  Wearing my long skirt and my sneakers I entered the game.  I'm sure my outfit made quite a fashion statement.  Despite my lack of experience with the rules, my seventh grade basketball instincts came back, and the staff team were able to work together to rival the students who had afternoon practices and much experience.

Unfortunately the game was called short by an expected downpour in the afternoon.  The sky became dark, the wind picked up, and staff, students and teachers alike sprinted down the hill as the curtain of rain swept over the field where, moments before, all were cheering and clapping on their teams. 

Still Life Drawings

In the past few weeks standard IV has been focusing on still life drawings in Vocational Skills.  Much of the year has been spent encouraging pupils to give voice to their own creativity, building confidence to critique themselves and say what they like or want to change about their own work, and removing the idea that there is only one "right" answer to the assignment. 

With the still life drawings pupils were challenged to draw what they see instead of what they imagine.  They were asked to look for details and to notice how each object is unique and different from the adjacent object.  Next year, these skills will be essential in Science where they will be asked to keep a weekly observation journal of the environment around KEMPS - combining drawings and written descriptions of plants, animals and their interactions. 

In the first still life, pupils used only pencil, moving to colour in the second week.  The results were some spectacular, though unfinished drawings.  (Please excuse the grainy quality of the photos - they were edited to make the pencil more visible.)

By Augustino

By Edwin

By Avith

By Erick T

By Debora

Story Time!

Over the past few weeks I have been visited every evening by many standard 1 pupils who come to have their bedtime story.  Their arrival can be predicted by the quick shuffle of shoes on my porch followed by a pounding on my door that sounds as if they launch themselves fists first into my door.

When I open the door, one of two sights will greet me.  The first is a gaggle of students clustered around my door while one, usually Evance, will exclaim "Teacher, we have come!".  The second is at first appearance an empty porch, until pupils jump up from their hiding places with giggles before they ask to come in and read a story.

In they troop, with freshly washed t-shirts and sweaters over their arms and on their heads as impromptu hats.  When the story has been picked they tell each other to "scoot" to make room for me to sit in the middle of the couch - 3 boys on either side, Joyleen and several others perched behind and others leaning over from the front.  It is a miracle I can see the page to read at all.  I have often thought what a wonderful picture it would be, but it is physically impossible to move to get a camera!

While the boys are enthusiastic for their evening story, Joyleen in Standard 1 is the most eager reader.  She will come most afternoons to read, sitting on my couch to read out loud, sounding out words, and even affecting deep and high voices while reading the Three Little Bears! Not bad for a first grader who is learning English as a third language!

Joyleen in Standard 1 reads one of her favorite books.

A Little Team Work

The first 300 bricks are almost done.  Only
about 700 more to go.

 (picture courtesy of Axel)

In addition to making matoke during this week off, my help, along with Zelva, the secretary, Sister Fraisca, Madam Peace, and Teacher Albogast, was enlisted by Axel, a German volunteer to help him update the football (soccer) field.  After researching several long lasting methods for marking the sidelines, Axel decided that laying white painted bricks into the soil would be a cost efficient and durable option.  He ordered 1500 bricks to be delivered to the school, along with primer to protect them from the weather, and white paint.  All was going smoothly according to plan until we met the painter.  After a frustrating discussion as to whether the painter could or could not paint all the bricks in time,  we decided that the six of us, Zelva, Sister Fraisca, Madam Peace, Axel, Teacher Albogast and myself could prime and paint the bricks ourselves.

We got out our work clothes, kangas or tie dyed shirts, and Sister Fraisca even donned the first pair of trousers I have ever seen her wear.  Appropriately attired, the primer was opened, paint brushes found and the work began.  With radio music in the background and chatter in English, Kiswahili and Kihaya, we managed to paint all those bricks - along with our hands and feet, jeans and kangas.  A local teenager earning money to continue his studies helped to dig where we would place the bricks and after only a short week of work, the pitch looks brand new with sparkling white sidelines. 

In celebration of completing our work, some old jerseys were found on campus along with a football.  After toasting to our success and a group photo the six of us went up to the pitch and played the first 3 on 3 game.  Although not a long game, the competition was intense (with much laughing and fumbled balls!) and ended in a 1 all tie.  

The painting crew - ready to celebrate.  From Left to Right: Axel,
Teacher Albogast, Zelva, Sister Fraisca, myself, and Madam Peace.

The finished football field - ready for the pupils to return on Monday.

The ladies of KEMPS - game faces on!

Summer days off at KEMPS

The school holidays have begun.  After two busy weeks with graduation as well as writing and marking exams, we have a week off.  I will be spending the week on campus along with Zelva, the school secretary, Madam Peace, one of the dorm matrons and Sister Fraisca.  Today, Madam Peace taught me how to make matoke.  Matoke is the signature dish of Bukoba and it is made from (unsweetened) bananas.  Although not my favorite food, I felt that I could not live in Tanzania, and particularly in Bukoba, without learning to make matoke.  It became the topic of much discussion among the teachers who remained on campus.  Zelva and Sister Fraisca smiled and laughed declaring that once I knew how to peel Bukoba bananas I would be a real "mama".  Albogast declared that it was so easy and he couldn't believe I didn't know how to do it.

I discovered it is quite an easy dish to make.  Peeling the bananas, which was declared the most difficult part, is done just as you would peel a cucumber.  Add some cooked ground beef, onions and tomatoes, water and oil and leave to simmer until the bananas fall apart and look (and taste) a bit like mashed potatoes.  Voila!  I am now officially a Bukoba mama...

Although the amount that Madam Peace helped me make was supposed to be for my lunch (a very large serving), Zelva, Madam Peace, Sister Fraisca, myself and others set the table on my front porch, opened sodas, cut some watermelon, and ate sambusas (samosa's) and matoke for our lunch.  All declared that my matoke was "tamu sana" or delicious. 

Going Green

Since returning to Kemps in July, I have grown green fingers and begun planting a garden.  Teachers and pupils are astonished that I know how to use a hoe and that I would want to get my hands dirty if I didn't have to.  But they are excited to see things grow and the pupils particularly have started to help me plant seeds. Once or twice their enthusiasm to help resulted in the drowning of the seedlings - but they are learning! 

A small patch on one sunny side of my house, my garden currently includes, lettuce, eggplant, nyanya mshumaa, green pepper, mchiche (spinach), one zucchini plant and hopefully some green beans and peas if my seeds grow.  So far, I have harvested 6 eggplants, lettuce, one lovely looking pepper and many nyanya mshumaa (these are mini green eggplants - I don't know what they are called in English!).  Although a New Yorker who has never grown vegetables before, I must confess that there is nothing quite so satisfying as eating vegetables that you have grown yourself.

Nyanya mshumaa ready for harvesting.

Ma Esther, an older woman who helps around the house twice a week, has noticed my interest in gardening.  As we were watering some newly planted seeds Thursday, she announced that she thought I should dig up the patch of ground on the other side and the back of my house, and that she would help me plant beans and potatoes.  A very talkative woman, she then proceeded to tell me about past gardens at KEMPS by various teachers and many other related stories that got lost as I tried to understand her rapid Kiswahili.

Since I have begun planting, other teachers have also renewed their interest in gardening.  Sister Fraisca and I enjoying walking to examine each other's gardens, and she even has a lettuce plant of mine.  Teacher Joyce has also started a very large garden and is the source of my zucchini plant, and 3 tomato plants if the cuttings take root.  She even has strawberries.  Just thinking about them makes my mouth water!   Gardening has become a communal interest.

Along with the gardening have come some culinary adventures.  Sweet potato and onion quiche, fajitas with homemade tortillas, guacamole and mango salsa, lemon cake with lemon glaze, dahl and saag aloo, and pineapple upside down cake.  Yes, life in Tanzania is hard! 

Sitting down to a decadent meal of fajitas after a long afternoon walk.

A Year in Review

The second semester is now fully underway.  It has been wonderfully easy to return to the routine of life at KEMPS.  Teachers, students and matrons are all busy and I feel more a part of the community here than ever before.  Since returning from the United States for the June holiday, relationships with teachers and matrons have grown and blossomed, and living with the students is as engaging and busy as ever.  Not an evening goes by without knocks on my door as pupils ask "Please, Teacher, may I have a tennis (ball)?" or "May I have a rope?"  I have spent evenings jump roping with the kids, teaching Standard 7 girls how to make cakes, and evenings sitting on mats with teachers and matrons practicing my Kiswahili and enjoying the view of the Lake. 

In the classroom Standard 5 has been observing water samples from around Bukoba under the microscope and applying their knowledge of the carbon cycle to the current debate about global warming and the greenhouse effect. 

Standard 4 has moved on from one point perspective and is now learning about George Seurat and the patience required to do a drawing entirely in dots - I hope to get some of their work up as soon as they finish the project.

Standard 1 and 2 continue to be curious in French class.  We have been working on several simple phrases of which the most popular is "Je suis fatigé" because pupils get to stretch and do very exaggerated yawns.

It is unbelievable that a year has come and gone since I first arrived at KEMPS to be greeted by these seemingly shy children.  This past year has truly been a most challenging and rewarding experience, and I have the pupils and the staff at KEMPS to thank.  I am looking forward to my next year here.

Cityscapes

Standard 4 has been looking at one point perspective, vanishing points and horizon lines in Vocational Skills.  By drawing a vanishing point on their paper and adding squares that they made 3D going back to the vanishing point, they built cities that were completely in one point perspective.  After outlining their buildings and street, they added their own details, naming the buildings after stores and banks that they see around town - Fido Dido is the only western supermarket in town.

By Anita

By Debora

By Godson

By Jordan

By Augustino

Thanks to  www.mrsbrownart.com for help with this lesson.

Buses, Airplanes and Subways, Oh My!

"Teacher, how many cars will you take to get to America?" was the question one of my Standard 5 pupils asked me as we sat together on the school bus going to town.  It was the week before I left to visit New York for the month long summer holiday beginning in June.  I thought for a moment answering "Well, I will have to take the bus to Kampala in Uganda, and then a taxi from Kampala to the airport.  From there I will take an airplane to Europe, and then another airplane to New York City."  She looked at me astonished. 

After digesting this information, she asked "And how will you get from the airport to your house?"  This question, so innocent, made me stop in my tracks.  How do you explain the huge differences between our countries?  How do you explain the subway to a child in a country where trains are barely used, and where the thought of something underground would, for some, seem like you were closer to hell. 

Finally I answered "I will take something called a subway, which is kind of like a train.  The difference is that this train runs under the ground."  Still puzzled she asked,  "How does it run under the ground?  Are there roads?" 

                "We dig tunnels, or holes underground that go exactly where a road would go above ground.  And the trains travel in these holes", I answered .

                "But teacher, how do you get down to the trains?" she asked.  (Most Tanzanian houses are built on one level, so there are no stairs.  The few that have a second floor do not have basements.)

                "We use stairs.  Just like we use stairs to go higher in a building, we can also use stairs to go down into the ground."

Hearing her questions, made me realize how traveling for 24hours can put you in a place so completely different from the one where you were living.  I was slightly nervous to return.  Would there be culture shock?  Would I be astonished by the changes in technology?  Or critical of our need to be constantly trading in a good piece of equipment for the newest model?

Despite these thoughts, it was wonderful to be home.  I will not deny that I enjoyed the many creature comforts to the fullest - hot showers, an abundance of cheeses and my favorite summer fruits.  As the weeks flew by, I began to wonder about going back to Tanzania again (it's amazing how quickly your mindset can change!) and whether it would be as easy to go back there as it had been to come back to New York.  And once again, despite my questions and worries, it has.  Both places feel like home.  A wise person once said, "You don't ever lose a home, you accumulate them."  Although sad to leave family and friends after a wonderful trip to the States, I am delighted to be back at KEMPS for my second semester. 

ABCs

The beginning of this school year saw many new students joining the KEMPS community with the addition of the Preschool class.  With no English and no school uniforms, they arrived at school speaking in Kihaya and Kiswahili and dressed in party dresses and pink princess skirts.  They would walk by my door and peer shyly and whisper an almost inaudible "Shikamoo" (a respectful Kiswahili greeting for someone older than yourself).  Since those first couple of weeks, they have blossomed into funny, rambunctious and determined pupils.  Their initial shyness has disappeared.  Several weeks ago a group came to my door after lunch, and in their spanking new English said, "Please Teacher, may I come in?".  Emboldened by this moment, I now have a whole new group of students who visit me almost every evening.  Arriving to knock on my door as soon as dinner is over, they spent this past week arranging my alphabet cards that I use for French class.  Beginning with "A", they placed each letter in order, stopping after each new addition to repeat the alphabet from the beginning.  Although they did very well with saying the alphabet (imagine saying the alphabet 26 times, once each time you added a new letter- lots of practice!),  they were still learning the shapes of the letters.  If you look closely at the picture you will notice that several are upside down.  

A mouthful of marbles

During an evening on my front porch these students posed in front of my "Tongue Twister of the Week" sign.  I have a new tongue twister every week (this one reads "Sam's sock shop stocks short spotted socks") and I love listening as students stop and practice the new twister.  Some will get it right away, others will give exclamations of surprise when their tongue doesn't do what they want it too, but all of them are laughing (particularly when they get to hear me try and say it - even I get stuck!)

On this particular evening we also had the marble works out and students crowded around to see which marble would make it first to the bottom.  There was much betting and cheering for their favorite colored marbles, and some non-too-subtle cheating as pupils pushed one marble out of the way or helped their own along.

Science with Standard 5: Toads and Microscopes



We became familiar with the different
 magnifications by looking at a handwritten letter before
moving on to plant and animal cells.



This past week, I brought out the microscope for the first time in my Standard 5 Science class.   As I entered there were excited whispers of "it's a microscope" and "Teacher, is that a microscope?".  As I introduced the different parts of the microscope there was dead silence as all of my pupils fixed their eyes on me and listened to every word.  Although it was slightly chaotic after the initial introduction, (the lab was supposed to take place in the classroom but had to be moved spur of the moment to my house where I had students on my floor and on mats outside), it was inspiring to see their faces light up as they peered through the eyepiece at the onion skin and rectangular outlines of the plant cells.  I had students who shut one eye and tried to peer through half of the eyepiece, those that were glued to it and couldn't tear themselves away, and those that wanted to come back to look again and again.



I love that you can so clearly see Owen's expression
of surprise as he looks through the microscope.



   This same class is also doing weekly observation journals of a site that they picked around campus.  Although they initially found it a challenge to describe what they were seeing closely, there have been some wonderful journal entries with students describing the colors, shapes, and sizes of what they see, drawing detailed and labeled drawings, and even giving some of their site residents different characters.  In one journal entry by Elton, aged 11, he describes his toad's home and how he loves his fat and very "handsome" toad.  In the several weeks since his initial discovery, this toad has become the focal point of many of the journal entries and much observation.  I have found pupils out at his home during lunch and after class, and several students have come and searched me out to show me how he likes to eat grasshoppers, or to investigate new found holes with my flashlight.

Starry Nights in Bukoba



by Deborah Elisa



In my Standard IV Vocational Skills Class we have just finished studying Vincent Van Gogh.  In preparation to study "Starry Night", and to make our own night landscapes, we went out to the edge of campus one night to look at the stars, the lights of Bukoba and the glow of the moon on the lake.  My pupils pointed out the milky way, Orion and several other constellations that they learned with Teacher Gayle. They were surprised by all the different colours they saw even though it was night time, as well as the small twinkles of light on the lake that identified the many islands just off shore. 

At first my students found it a challenge to draw in the style of Van Gogh.  He requires a lot of patience, espcially for those who are used to shading quickly with one color.  However, after practicing some bold strokes and building colors and lines together, (I drew my own Van Gogh landscape in chalk on the blackboard to demonstrate as they colored on paper), they created some absolutely wonderful and vibrant landscapes.  Here is some of their work.



by Egbert Elisa



by Anitha Emmanuel



by Daniel Baraba



by Aneth Kagwebe





Christmas on Zanzibar

After enjoying the rainforest of Amani, I traveled with friends to the island of Zanzibar for Christmas.  Although not known as a place to spend a white Christmas, its spices, Islamic architecture, white beaches, and teal water make a memorable Christmas location. 




These small alleys were the streets of Stone Town.  It is not without reason that Stone Town is often refered to as an African Venice.




Tucked in hidden corners and alleyways were found many carved wooden doors in the Islamic style.  The island of Zanzibar is almost entirely Muslim.  This was seen not only in the architecture, but also in the long black veils of many of the women that lived there. 



The House of Wonders was one of the palaces built by the Sultan of Zanzibar.  It was thus called because it held many novelties for its time including the only elevator on the island.  Located on the waterfront, its white tower could be seen from the square below where a nightly food market took place.  Stalls would appear selling skewers of sea food, mango and nutella crepes, and sugar cane juice.




Outside of Stone Town and its winding streets, the ocean was teal and inviting.  Canoes were plentiful and an ideal way of traveling through the more shallow coral covered waters.



Sailing vessels and dhows were also plentiful, lining the shores of the city.



On our own dhow on boxing day, we took a trip to a sandbar near Stone Town where we went snorkelling and swimming.



I have never swum in ocean water as warm as on Zanzibar.  It felt like bath water.  Can you believe the colour of the water?



After a relaxing day on the water or exploring the town, the most popular place to spend the evening was at the Africa House.  The old English Club during the British rule, this club has the best sunset views and is a popular place to watch the sun sink below the horizon, bathing the sailing vessels and dhows in its golden light.



Sunset at the Africa House.



Footsteps through Amani

I know that we are marching through February, and figured that it was time I finally got the last of my pictures up from my Christmas trip.  After finishing language training in Morogoro, I traveled north into the tropical rainforest of Amani Nature Preserve.  Also part of the Eastern Arc Mountain Chain, it is known as the origin of the African violets that are now common household plants.  For several days, I found myself hiking under tree ferns, through tea plantations, searching for three horned chameleons and learning as much as I could about the tropical rainforest ecosystem.



Hiking under the tree ferns.



Seeing their giant fiddle heads lent a whole new meaning to the delicacy eaten in Maine during the spring.



Amani Nature Preserve is known worldwide for its butterfly farm which supplies many museums with butterflies for special exhibitions.  This particular butterfly is camouflaged to look like a leaf when its wings are closed, but displays these fantastic colors when its wings are open.




The tea plantations created many pockets of sunlight in the dense rainforest. 



Hiking through the tea plantations, we arrived at one of the sites where one species of African violets is found.  Growing on the damp cliffs next to the river bank, this is one of the seven species of African violets growing in Amani.




We discovered this three horned chameleon on a night hike with a biologist who is currently studying them in the preserve.  Chameleons are easiest to discover at night when they are not as well camouflaged.



Not only is Amani home to African Violets, beautiful forests and a renowned butterfly farm, it was also originally a research center when the British controlled Tanzania.  Nestled in the rainforest, this history is preserved by the stone cottages and this traditional English pay phone.  It doesn't matter how far you travel, some things still make you feel right at home!