Final Days in TZed

The days are moving quickly. It's strange to think I only have a week and half left in Moshi. There's no doubt I miss family and friends at home but it's odd to think this experience will be over.





Since July 2nd when I last wrote, I've been getting used to working at WEECE and feeling like a resident of Moshi. At WEECE, I do a lot of computer related odd jobs. I often write emails for the director Mama Mrema which exposes me to a lot of the grunt work she handles. Besides providing microloans to local small business women, WEECE also educates young girls (and one cute boy named Musa) on various skills from computer to basic English. In the beginning, I helped one of the WEECE teachers train two girls came to WEECE for a computer class during their school holiday. I wasn't aware of their whole story but both were my age or older but still trying to enter university. They stopped coming as the school holidays have ended but now another group of 10 young girls ranging in age from 14 to 22 years old come regularly.





It's fascinating to me how multi-functional the office is. Everyday from about 8am to 4pm, these girls come to the WEECE compound for computer, English and sewing. In the morning, myself and two other volunteers from some volunteer organization with a really cheesy name (Cross Cultural Solutions) teach the girls computers and English. It was incrediby nerve-racking and in retrospect really funny, when Mama Mrema suddenly told us to go help the girls with their lessons. I was caught off guard but I've gotten the hang of it :) The girls are at varying skill levels from those who are still learning how to position their fingers on a keyboard and type slowly to those who are becoming fast typists. We do different exercises with them on Word, Powerpoint and Excel. An hour and half of computer lessons is followed by silly exercise time in the courtyard...we've do some funny variation of American games like "Red Light, Green Light" and stretching lol. English class is always an adventure because it's difficult to assess what they know without fluent communication between us. The WEECE teacher who usually translates might often disappear doing other work while we lead the class. My Swahili to English book is the key to these lessons as we can write out translations on the blackboard. My afternoons are usually in an office typing up emails, a grant proposal or some other document while the girls learn how to make a dress or some other sewing skill from another teacher.

The children of Nganjoni Primary School

I'd say more but as always my Internet time is running out :)