(Above: Mount Uluguru)
For our second day off here in TZ a large group of us decided to hire a few guides and hike the small mountain range that overlooks the Morogoro region. (More photos on my Flickr) The hike was short, only about 2.5 hours one way, but ended at a much anticipated waterfall. We relaxed by the falls for awhile and then split into smaller groups on the way back. My return group somehow ended up without a guide and found ourselves taking a different route back to the city but the roads were well populated most of the way down, so we asked for directions along the way.
On the route back we found ourselves in what a fellow trainee called the "Beverly Hills" of Morogoro. The houses were larger than any we'd seen and very ornate. As we got closer to the city we walked past a very well maintained golf course with mostly muzungus playing. Apparently there isn't much business done in Morogoro and it really doesn't strike me as a tourist destination, so I've yet to figure out where all of the money and muzungus came from.
The hike was tiring, but it felt good to really get out and do something physical. We have spent most of our time sitting, learning and listening the past few weeks.
Even more exciting was that this was our first week at our internship schools! Walking into the school the first time with students in their uniforms and teachers chatting and roaming the courtyard was a completely new type of rush for me. I am so excited to get in front of a classroom! (Which I never thought I'd say...) I'm nervous as well however, but it's mostly because of the unknown. I have no idea what these students know about computers.
I will be teaching 3 streams of form 1 students. Form 1 is essentially like being a Freshman in high school, however it seems to be based less on age and more on the amount of education accomplished to date. They have to pass a national exam in order to get into secondary school, and many students start their education late for one reason or another. (Mostly because parents keep them at home to do chores/farm work until they have more help from younger siblings etc.)
Kihonda Secondary is the 2nd largest Secondary school in Morogoro, so the classes are large. Because they are so large they are broken into streams, in my case there will be 3. (A, B and C) For this reason, I will only actually see each stream once every week, which means I will only have 4 classes with each stream. (We only internship teach for 4 weeks.) Luckily they will be for double sections, or 80 minutes each. I'm a little worried about filling the time, but I'm sure it will go by much faster than I'm expecting.
The students are very curious about our group. We've spent this week learning Kiswahili in a small storage room with one window. Most of the students stop what they're doing and stare as we walk by until we greet them, which always makes them smile. I can't wait to really get to know them!
I've been impressed by their attitude towards learning as well, although all I really know of it has been my observation from afar. Most of the students seem to sit in the classroom with friends and study on their own, without a teacher, for most of the day. We haven't quite figured out why there are no teachers teaching yet, but we think it might have to do with the fact that this is their first week back from a long break. (The student's first day back was spent "mowing" the lawn with machetes, sweeping the grounds and washing the sidewalks.)
Hopefully there will be more teachers around next week. I know 5 that will be there for sure!
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