The Big Move

Kamwene (Hello) from Nyololo! I’ve been in my new village for about a week and a half and things could not be more different from my last site. I keep telling people that I feel like I moved from Mississippi to Vermont and the more time I spend in my new environment, the stronger the comparison becomes. Instead of flat, arid groves of cashew and mango trees, I now live on a high ridge with rolling hills and timber forests. The air is crisp, mornings are cold, and produce abounds! One of the busiest roads in East Africa, which goes from Dar Es Salaam all the way to Zambia runs through my region and has brought numerous missionaries, NGOs, traders, and development workers. Unfortunately it has also given my new region the position at the top of HIV Prevalence charts in Tanzania. I’m still going through minor culture shock—at the moment I’m typing this up at a café in Iringa that could be in Asheville, NC. It’s brightly decorated with glass mosaics, comfy couches and a menu that includes things like baked potatoes, quiche, and chocolate brownies. I ate french toast and a banana chocolate milkshake for breakfast. Word on the street is that there’s an actual disco in town and I can’t wait to go dancing! Iringa is a three-hour journey from my home but hopefully it’ll provide a monthly shower, calorie boost, and sanity restorer.

I am the fifth Peace Corps Volunteer in my village and my village officers were a little apprehensive about accepting a new volunteer for the next two years. I’m feeling a little bit of pressure to prove to them that I’m worth their time and I have something to contribute that’s different from the past volunteers. That combined with the fact that I won’t even have three full weeks in my village before leaving for our three week in-service training (IST) in Morogoro in December have created a little bit of stress. My Zahanati (health dispensary) has been great to let me jump right in to work with them and I’ve been able to continue the maternal and child health care routine that I had began down South. The nurse who works there has helped me a lot with setting up my new house and introducing me to people in the village. An Italian NGO called Co.P.E. built a beautiful health clinic a 35 minute walk away from my house and they offer a wide range of services for HIV patients. I haven’t met the Italians working there yet but I’ve talked with some of the Tanzanian staff and I think I will be able to partner with them for a lot of HIV projects. Their organization also built an orphanage called Sisi ni Kesho (We are Tomorrow) right near my house and it is full of the cutest kids imaginable! As much as I hate to start all over again from scratch, I think this site will be a better fit for me. So far the only big challenge has been getting out of my village—it’s a three-hour hike to the road. I have my bicycle but it’s all uphill and when the rains come I have a feeling the road will be washed out. I can call a taxi from the junction but it’s pretty expensive. I’ll figure it out as time passes and hopefully it’ll just force me to get my butt in shape.

I miss my dirty South people dearly but the Iringa/Mufinga/Njombe crowd has been incredibly welcoming! We’re still making our Thanksgiving plans but hopefully we’ll be able to meet up at someone’s house, deep-fry a chicken, cook mashed potatoes, veggies, and chocolate brownies. Christmas plans are still in the works as well but I have a fireplace, an orphanage, and Mamo mailed me a small Christmas tree and decorations (thanks!) so I’m hoping to have some friends come to my house! I will certainly miss the holidays at home with dearly loved family and friends but this isn’t a bad place to spend the season!

LOVE
Katie

P.S. Come visit me!