December 1, Tanzania without HIV/AIDS possible!!

Hamjambo!

Here in Tanzania, I have often hear Christmas songs these days. In a supermarket well air-conditioned, Christmas trees were sold. Local tailors made cushion cover with Father Christmas and are selling them. I am not accustomed to Christmas in summer, but little by little, Christmas items remind me that now is the end of the year.

December 1st was the World AIDS Day, and here in Tanzania events were held in many places. In Temeke Municipality, Dar es Salaam, where I am now, the event was held by the sponsorship of the Temeke Municipal Council.

(The children whom I teach at schoo)

Many Community Based Organizations (CBO) formed by women, People Living With HIV AIDS, youth and so on gathered in a ground near the VCT centre. Pupils from the primary school where I regularly visit also came there. They danced and sang a song.

Several people showed dance, drama, song and so on. The place of VCT centre was introduced.

Within the Temeke Municipal Council, the special committee is formed. My colleague is one of the members, who actually took me to the event on the day. Other members are from other department in the Council, People Living With HIV/AIDS(PLWHA) and so on. A woman who is a member of the committee infected with HIV virus, but she has not become AIDS for quite a long time. She had her photo taken and made posters for public. She told me that she talk in the radio program to eliminate discrimination against PLWHA and AIDS patients. I was impressed that she is very brave.

It is repeatedly said that the issue of HIV/AIDS is the issue of we ourselves and anyone can have HIV virus. However, to be honest, it seemed to me that the issue of HIV/AIDS was something far from me, but here the issue is something we cannot ignore nor avoid.

Tutaonana

Welcome to Dar es Salaam

Hamjambo!

October 2nd was the last day of the fasting, Ramadan. The 1st and 2nd were national holidays. However, the thing was very complicated for outsiders like me, because Tanzanians say that they never know when exactly is the end of the Ramadan until two or three days before the end since they judge it seeing the shape of the moon two or three days before the end….

Now, today I am going to introduce about the city, Dar es Salaam, where I am living now. I have wanted to show you some pictures on the blog, but it was difficult to take photos in the city. Here we are not encouraged to take pictures in the city as it is not safe to take out cameras in the middle of the city. Also some public buildings are not allowed to be taken photos. Moreover, I was told that some people hate to be taken photos. Anyway, I have managed to have some!
Around the centre part of the city, the condition of the roads are quite good, and probably over 90% of cars running on the roads are Japanese used cars. Traffic lights are exactly the same as the ones we see in Japan, so somehow I, as a Japanese citizen, feel at home and am familiar with the scenery. You will see some urbane people so called business men and career women in the centre. Also, there are many Indian descendents living in the centre, whose ancestors immigrated from mainly Gjarat in India about 100 years ago, that I heard
　

On the other hand, if you drive your car about 20 minutes and go out of the centre, you will see different scenery. You can reach the Ward of Temeke, where I am working now. In some areas, people live in dense. Houses are built so closely each other that the paths between them are quite narrow enough for just one person to pass barely.　
In other areas in Dar es Salaam, such as the opposite side of the gulf, where you can reach by ferry, the things are completely different. There, the roads are not paved and houses are dotted in the area. The area is no more city but village.　You also see cows on the road.
Let’s go back to the centre. On the sea side, there are several hotels including Kilimanjaro Hotel, which is the most prestigious in Tanzania. Also if you want to go to the Zanzibar Islands, which has the area nominated as the World Heritage, the ferries leave the port near here. As for the Msasani Peninsula, the north of the city, some parts here is a fashionable suburb, and you will see large residences, a few fashionable supermarkets, and hotels.
People in Dar es Salaam are from various areas all over the Tanzania. Also people from other countries live here. You see also Westerns and Asians. You often see East Asians, but many of them are Chinese rather than Japanese and Koreans. There are quite a number of Chinese restaurants in Dar es Salaam. Also you can enjoy various cuisines all over the world here, as far as you have enough money.
Now would you like to visit Dar es Salaam? Karibu Tanzania, Karibu Dar es Salaam!! (Welcome to Tanzania, Welcome to Dar es Salaam)
　　

Standard Seven National Examinations

Hamjambo!

On 10th, 11th of September, the Standard Seven National Examination was held for the students to mark the end of the Primary Education. Since the end of August, the officers in my office have been busy for the preparation for this big event. Several meetings were held, and the seminars for the teachers in the area were held to make sure the examination will be held smoothly. As security was really tight at all the schools, I waited in the office on those two days, but my colleagues came to the office early in the morning around 4:30 a.m. and visited 5 or 6 schools to supervise them.

According to the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training in Tanzania, some 1,047,200 students were expected to sit for the Standard Seven National Examinations this year. This is an increase of 31.87 % over the past year. One of the significant reasons of this increase is the success of the Primary Education Development Plan (PEDP) of 2002-2006, which boosted enrolment in schools.

On the contrary to those articles admiring the success of the PEDP, there are also some articles describing the issue of mainly the girls who fail to complete seven years of primary education due to pregnancy, truancy, teenage marriage, child labour and so on.
After the success of the PEDP, now the Tanzania government is trying to expand Secondary Education. It is of course a good thing for the society the opportunity of the education is expanded. However, I wonder if the same problems will be shifted to secondary schools in the future.

Nevertheless, we can see the hope in this country. Now the government spends quite a large extent of the budget to education, since many people believe that education is crucial and the only reliable tool to enable pupils to get out of poverty.

Here, if you visit primary schools, you will see how students learn with the insufficient state of the school equipments. Students have to share textbooks with other 6 or 7 students, insufficient number of desks, no water supply and insufficient number of toilets in some schools, and so on. However, pupils look very happy to come to school and learn. When I visit those primary schools, I am encouraged and feel very happy to see those children. I hope that their bright future will be guaranteed.

Tutaonana tena.

People Living With HIV/AIDS

Hamjambo!

It’s September now. Here in Tanzania, the National Exam for Standard 7 will be held on 10, 11 September, so the staff in the Department of Education in Temeke are very busy for its preparation. This is the exam held at the end of the education in primary schools. The results influence students’ allocation to secondary schools.

As you see in the title of today’s diary, I’ll write about the People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Tanzania briefly. Here in Tanzania, it is estimated that about 7 % of people aged 15 to 49 are infected by HIV virus. It is quite a big number, so you cannot avoid coming across PLWHA.

The other day, I visited several families who have HIV patients at home. There are several local groups doing activities for HIV issues in Temeke area, where now I am working. The members of one of those groups escorted me then. Also some of the members are PLWHA. They look very fine and can do any activities. They said that they started taking medicine and proper treatment so that they are fine now, but before some of them were suffering very much. Now I see HIV is not necessarily fatal any more, though it is still serious disease.

Then what makes HIV/AIDS so special among several disease? Probably, still there is discrimination and segregation for the patients and infected people, and they are somehow afraid that they may be victims, I guess. However, I have an impression that in Tanzania, those people are relatively well accepted by society, and people know about this disease well. Children are well informed at school.
If I think about the situation in Japan, my country, probably many of us still lack of knowledge and concern about this disease. Or some of us may misunderstand this disease or how to prevent this disease. Probably there are many things we should learn from the experience of Tanzania about this issue.

Totaonana tena.

(The booklet explaining the national policy to prevent HIV/AIDS for young people.)

About my work in Tanzania

Hamjambo!

I started my work in Department of Education in Temeke Ward Council from this month. I travel from the centre of the city to suburb by daladala(city bus) every day. I leave my house around 6:20 in the morning and arrive around 7:15. I am supposed to be in the office by 7:30.

Some of the officers in my department come around 6:00 in the morning. One of my colleagues come very early, so she does some work before I arrive. Then, "chai time" starts around 9:00. Tanzanians have tea and some snacks, such as chapaty, donuts, kitunbuu(snacks like a donut made by rice) and so on. Here, chai means "breakfast." Everyday, my colleagues give me chapaty, donuts and so on...

I need to used to this cycle of meals. Normally I have lunch around 2 p.m. Or sometimes I don't eat anything until dinner, since I don't feel hungry.

About my work, I decided to work as an assistant at a certain primary school. I am assigned to work for the youth out of school, which means the youth who dropped out from school. However, I thought I need to know about the educational system in this country, so I decided to visit schools. Here, the government is now enhancing secondary education, so in Temeke Ward where I am working, more than 20 secondary schools opened this January.

I visited just two primary schools, but there weren't enough number of textbooks, desks, teaching materials and so on. I guess, secondary schools are in the similar condition...

I have no big fund support from the Japanese government, so now I am thinking what I can do here in Tanzania.

I am going to visit more schools and visit more youth groups out of school.

Tutaonana tena.

One month has passed

Hamjambo!

Hi. I am really sorry I didn't renew the page.

Then what have I done until now??? The JICA office gave us several lectures such as security, traffic, health and so on. We even visited the hospitals we may use in Dar-es-Salaam. Though we cannot see so many good hospitals, the hospital we visited are very equipped. I can say one of the hospitals is bigger than the hospital in my local city in Japan.

Also, we had a language training. We had very intensive Swahili training again here in Tanzania. Then, in the middle of the training, each of us visited our working place and met our colleagues. I visited the Department of Education in Temeke region in Dar-es-Salaam. I am excited to start working there, though I am concerned about my language ability as well.

Last week, I also visited another senior JOCV menber in Dodoma, which is actually the capital city of Tanzania. Dodoma is located in the almost central of Tanzania. It took about 7 hours by bus. Since the road from Dar. to Dodoma is quite good, the travel was really comfortable.

The senior volunter works in the Department of Education in Dodoma. Elementary schools in Dodoma are now promoting educational program for AIDS. She visits schools and supervise how the program is going on. At the office, I was shocked to hear that more than 10 girls of elementary schools were pregnant last year. However, the number has dicreased since the program was introduced.

I may have to come across the similar issues after I started working in Temeke. Two weeks later, my work will start.

Tutaonana tena.

Now I am in Tanzania

Hamjambo!

Hi. I am writing this from Tanzania.

I arrived at the airport around 3p.m. on 25th. We have already spent 4 days here in Tanzania.
Now the rainy season is over, and it is said that now is the best season to visit Tanzania. It isn't too hot.

Dar es Salaam, which is the largest city in Tanzania, has many hotels, shops, good roads, and also very nice beach. You may see sharks around some beach, so it is dangerous to swim there, but the sea is very beautiful. (I guess the sea in the Zanzibar islands must be much more beautiful.)

Since we arrived here, we saw many Japanese used cars which have many Japanese letters on the bodies. It made me feel very strange. I heard one story about these. One Japanese happend to take a local bas here in Dar es Salaam, and the bus was the same bas which he used to use when he was a little boy to go to his kindergarden every day.

From next week, the Swahili training will start again, but now I am a bit relaxed.

I'll write again.

Tutaonana tena

I visited the mayor and the governor.

Hamjambo!
I am home now. I'll leave for Tanzania on 24 June from Kansai Airport, but for a while I am home to prepare for my trip.

Also we, the JOCV (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers), are assinged to visit the mayors and the governors of our home town. I visted the Yokkaichi mayor the other day. Three of us visited hime together. By a curious coincidence, it was found that three of us graduated the same elementary school! From the small local town, three people will leave for Chili, Cambodia and Tanzania in this month.

The next day, four of the JOCV members who are from Mie Prefecture. Four of us visited the deputy governor. Three of us are teachers, and we will be officially sent to other countries. After one year and monthes, we will be back to the same school and work again.


These are the four JOCV members who are from Mie Prefecutre, and each of us is going to Chili, Cambodia, Tanzania and Ghana.

Tutaonana tena.

The training is over.

Hamjambo!

Yesterday was the last day of our training. About 160 trainees spent 65 days in the traning center together.

The day before, we did the 10minutes presentation in the class. My classmates spoke about their job, hometown and so on in Kiswahili. I spoke about my students a little and Korean drums and the music. To be honest I couldn't understand all of what my classmates talked, however, I could understand most of their speech and I could ask some questions in Kiswahili. I realized what we have obtained for these two months, and I appreciated my teacher who taught us very patiently and enthusiasticly.

We gave present to my teacher after the last lesson, and my teacher said, " I am happpy that you made efforts. However you should continue to work hard even in Tanzania. Study study study until December, then you will be able to communicate well."

On the last day of the training, we had a graduation ceremony and reception. Thinking about the 65 days traning, it was not so long but not short, I had feeling something happy and sad to farewell friends, teachers and staff. We, the trainees, will be sent to over 25 countries all over the world, mainly Africa and Asia. I just hoped every trainees will be fine and do their assingment well and all of us will return to Japan safely two years later.

I will be at home until 24 June.

Asante sana. Kwaheri. Tutaonana tena.

Photo: Our favourite classroom.

Outdoor Lesson

Hamjambo!

This week we had two big events. One was "Outdoor Lesson", and the other was "The International Exchange Day" As for outdoor lesson, we went to the farm garden with our teacher and we used our target languages in real situation. The day we went out was a sunny day, and it was really good day to go out. We went to Miharu Farm Garden by train and taxi. My teacher is always very enthusiastic to teach new expressions in Kiswahili, so her lesson started immediately after we, the students, met her at the station.

We saw beautiful flowers and had lunch at the organic food restaurant. Even during the lunch time, my teacher wrote down some new words for us. It was a good opportunity to learn words and phrases in such a situation. She looked happy in the garden or happier than usual , since she always loves flowers, and she often brings flowers in the classroom.

Something hard is waiting after something fun. We had to write a report on the outdoor lessaon in Kiswahili on the day. As for me, it took nearly an hour to finish it...Anyway, it was a really good program.

Next time I'll write about the International Exchange Program.

Tutaonana tena. (see you again.)

Tanzanian Cooking

Hamjambo !

Hi. Last week we had a cooking lesson.

Our Swahili teacher taught us how to cook Tanzanian food. We made a sort of stew with beef and banana, onion salad, curry with tomate, okra and beef, okura soup, chapati and spice milk tea.

The banana we cooked was very hard, and we had to peel their skin by knife. The taste and texture of the cooked banana was like potate. In Japan, we think banana is just a fruit and never cook them, so it was interesting for us to taste cooked banana.

During the cooking, we learned several expressions and words in Kiswahili. Next week, we are supposed to do a short presentation about our mission in Tanzania in Kiswahili.

By the way, I will leave for Tanzania on 24 June.

Have a nice weekend.

Tutaonana tena.

Midterm Exam

Hamjambo !

Today we had a mid-term exam. I was really tired.

The test today had three parts. The first period was for listening test, and the second period was for a grammar and writing test. In the afternoon, we had oral tests.

As for the oral tests, at first, two of us were tested together and we were told to demonstrate a conversation at a sort of cafeteria. One of us ordered coffee and donuts, and the other was a waiter or waitress. After that, we were interviewed individually for about 10 minitues.

The exam today was much more difficult than I expected. Especially the oral exam was difficult for me, since my teacher spoke faster than usual..... Anyway I faltered and asked some questions again, however I think I managed to anwer them.

Half of the training schedule has finished. I wonder how much my Swahili will develop.

Today the concert will be held at the gym in this training center. I'll go now and I hope I can enjoy it and have nice time then.

Tutaonana tena !

My diary in Swahili

Hi.

One day my teacher told us to write our diary in Kiswahili. Actually she tells us to do it from time to time. Please have a look my diarly in Swahili. I translated it into English below.

(The photo: Tsurugajo Castle in Aizuwakamatsu. I went there this weekend by train from the training center. It was the first time to take a train since the training had started. It took about two hours from the training center which is on the mountain. )

(Swahili)

Alhamisi tarehe moja, mwezi wa tano, mwaka elfu mbili na nane

Kuna jua leo. Niliamka saa kumi na mbili. Halafu nilinawa uso na nilipiga mswaki saa kumi na mbili na dakika tano. Kabla ya kula, nilijipodoa. Kisha nilikwenda kula chakula cha asubuhi baada ya kufanya mazoezi ya riadha. Leo kuna shuguhuli za namna za pekee. Mimi pamojya na watu watano tuliondoka NTC saa mbili na robo na tulikwenda Day Service Centre Nihonmatsu kwa teksi kubwa. Tulifika Day Service Centre saa mbili na nusu. Mfanyakazi wa Centre alitueleza kufusu ratiba ya leo. Wazee wana matatizo ya kufanya vitu mbalimbali. Kwa hivyo tuliwasaidia wazee, wakisogea, wakila, wakioga na kadhalika. Wazee walikula chakula cha mchana saa sita, kwa hivyo tuliwasaidia wakati ule. Halafu sisi pamoja na wazee tulitazama video. Wazee walirudi nyumbani saa tisa na nusu. Baadaye tulisafisha chumbani. Kisha teksi kubwa ilikuja na tulipanda teksi saa kumi na dakika kumi. Tulifika NTC saa kumi na nusu. Kisha nililala kabla ya kula chakula cha usiku. Halafu nilioga saa moja. Baadaye nilijifunza Kiswahili na niliandika shajara.

May 1st, 2008, Friday It is sunny.
I got up at six. Then I washed my face and brushed my teeth at six ten. Before eating breakfast, I made myself up. Then I went to have breakfast after doing exercise. Today I had a special activity. Five others and I left the training center called NTC at quarter past eight and went to Day Service Center Nihonmatsu by big taxi. We arrived at the Day Service Centre Nihonmatsu at half past eight. A staff explained us about the schedule of the day. Elderly people have difficulties to do anything, so we helped or supported them when they move, eat, take a bath and so on. The elderly ate lunch at twelve o’clock, so we helped them then. Then the elderly and we watched video together. The old people went home at half past three. After that, we cleaned the room. Then a big taxi came and we got on the taxi at four ten. We arrived at NTC at half past four. Then I slept before eating supper. Then I took a bath at seven. Later I studied Kiswahili and I wrote my diary.

My life in the training center

Hamjambo?

Hi. I am going to greet every time “Hamjambo?” Those who have traveled to Kenya may think we should say “Jampo” rather than “Hamjambo” as a greeting!
However, “jambo” means “big trouble” and “ham” means somehow “you(plural) don’t have”, so if a Swahili speaker meets some of his or her friends, he or she says “ Hamjambo?” rather than “Jambo!” meaning “Don’t you have any big trouble now?” We, who don’t know so much about the language, tend to say “Jambo!” , but if you say so, you are saying “Big trouble!”

My life in this training center is like a sort of life of the students living in a boarding school. We are provided one room, and eight people live in the same block with one common space and a small kitchen. We have to have every meal within 40 minutes in the canteen. Every morning, we have to gather outside or in the gym if it is rain, and we have a kind of an assembly. I will be sent to Tanzania, but other trainees in this center will sent to other countries mainly Africa and Asia, so every morning one of the national flags from those countries is hoisted with its national anthem. We have to sleep at eleven officially, and the internet cannot be used after eleven o’clock. The radio wave of the internet is cut at eleven o’clock.

My diary today seems like an excuse why I couldn’t renew my page…, but I hope you know more about my life as a trainee and some information of Kiswahili.

Tutaonana tena (See you again.)


The photo: Cherry blossoms seen in the training center. The center is located in the mountain in the national park. We could finally see the cherry blossoms which normally seen in early April.

Kiswahili

Hamjambo!

About a week has passed since we started learning Swahili(Kiswahili) in the class. My teacher is from Tanzania. She is a well-trained and good teacher. In the first lesson, she said to us, "You have to learn Kiswahili before you leave for Tanzania, otherwise you cannot live there!"

We started learning how to greet each other in Kiswahili. Greeting is very very important in the conversation in Tanzania. It is said that people spend some time to greet each other and the greeting is the key to be on good terms with Tanzanian people. We learned several expressions to ask how they are, however the answer must be always " Good!" or "Very good!"

Our training is very intensive, so that now we can already say "I must do・・・・”　or "I must not do ・・・・” I must study Kiswahili every day now.

We have about 65 days training, which is mainly language training.

I hope I will be albe to manage to speak Swahili after this intensive training.

Kuwa heri (Good by)

* the photo above・・・ the English -Swahili dictionary and the Swahili-English dictionary, which my teacher borrowed me.