Tanzania Volunteer Project Beginning

I have just returned from a 2 week volunteer project in Tanzania. I spent the time teaching English and Computers to kids at the Ezra Ministries in Gongo la mboto a small village outside Dar Es Salaam. Unfortunately I was not able to update the blogs along the way since the interenet was hard to find and when it was found it was usually extremely slow... so... I'll use my journal to update my blogs.

I arrived in Dar es Salaam on August 31st. I didn't have a visa and was told by the immigration security to pay $50 US. Since I had been in Australia for the last 2 months I didn't have American money. To this they allowed me to duck the ropes to security, pass baggage claim and exit the airport to get cash. I then returned and they stamped my passport. Needless to say not the tightest of securities I have encountered. The first night was spent in the city centre under the YMCA's roof. If there was a star rating for this place it would most likely fall somewhere around one or two points of one star. However, this concrete floor, foam mattress, humid, screen covered window, rusted cold shower, mosquito ridden place would actually turn out to be quite luxurious compared to my host families home. Well at least as far as facilities, but definitely not in comparison to the love and laughter found every moment in my host faimlies house.

The next morning we had a brief orientation learning about safety while in Dar. Supposedly the night is very dangerous to travel alone for a Muzungu (white person). I was then taken to Ezra Ministries where I met Pastor Chi who gave me the details about my assignment. I was to be teaching computers, English and math to kids 14 years and older. Being that my math skills had been frozen in the back of my brain since college 12 years ago, my computer knowledge left in the cubical I worked in 5 years ago and my English.. well if you've read this far enough said, I was a bit worried at how I was going to teach these kids.