Finally, a Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me with kind words about this blog! I really do appreciate it. It makes me want to post more (even when I am tired or busy). From my all my linesisters (Glen, Ty, and Nat), neos (britney, ko, sarah, judine, kenya and e.doe) , sorors (Pam!), friends (haleta, adjoa, tiffany, patricia), and recently reunited friends from elementary school (Camille!), I appreciate all the kind words!

And do not be afraid to use the comments section! lol

~tiffany

Saturday
So, after what would best be described as a GREAT time at the club on Friday, Saturday I woke up and thought Sheena and I were going to Bagamoyo for the day with her brother.
But it turns out that wasn’t happening any longer. Then, almost as if on cue, I get a text from David asking what my plans for the day are. Since my plans had suddenly freed up, I called it fate and agreed to get some food with that afternoon. We decided to go this burger place called Best Bite. But we ordered chicken pizza on a whim (not to just to be ironic…)

While chatting, I realized David is actually hilarious. Apparently, he HATES working for CARE. So he had me dying with laughter from his personal stories of working there. In his opinion, it is not the most effective agency. But in their defense, the type of work CARE specializes in does not really lend itself to quick results.

After food, we met his cousin David and went to this place called Mama’s Pub. Dennis, David’s cousin, is very nice. He goes to school in UK and is home for the summer. He spent a lot of time laughing about our mutual love of show, The Office. We actually stayed at Mama’s for a bit chatting. David mentioned that he was originally a McCain supporter, so that sparked a LONG and heated debate (but it ended amicably).

When we left Mama’s Pub, David dropped me off at home. He asked if I would like to join him for church the next day. Since this sounded worlds better than watching a televangelist sermon on TV at home with Sheena, I immediately agreed.

Note About Jamal:
Some may be wondering what happened to Jamal. After last Sunday, I did not see him. To make a long story short, I had to cut off all communication with that man. I will save the details for another post.

Sunday
Woke up a little late but I saw that I hadn’t missed any calls from David about church. He called later to say his phone had died and the electricity where he lives had gone out . Although I was disappointed since this is Week 2 with having been to a church service here, I still managed to get out of watching the televangelist program with Sheena, so I wasn’t upset.

Sunday was a pretty lazy day. I laid around the house, surfed the net, and did some reading. I am currently LOVING this Paulo Coehlo book, Veronika Decides to Die.

Later I went to dinner at this place called Rose Garden with David. I had Kuku Choma (Roasted Chicken). It was DELICIOUS. First, I already love barbecue. But this was great because not only did it have this great smoke flavor, the chicken was so FRESH!

Dinner was really good. Besides the food, David kept me entertained with more hilarious stories about life in Dar. Then I went home and got ready for work the next day....

So that was my weekend. It was pretty chill, but it had all the basic requirements.

This week I had the privilege of speaking with Ms. Hidaya Salum. She is a WAGE
program participant and her story is truly inspiring. With that being said, it is my pleasure to introduce you all to her.

“Our group is called Amkeni” Hidaya proudly states.

Amkeni is Swahili for "Awakening" and -judging from the revival this group has sparked in the lives of women like Hidaya Salum- the name could not be more apt.

Like many women in the Mburahati ward, Ms. Salum was born and raised there. At the age of 46, she has been married, divorced, re-married, and bore six children all within the bounds of this one ward. While Hidaya has always been a financial contributor to her family, it was not until recently, when she joined CARE’s Village Savings and Loan program, that Hidaya began to truly change her family’s quality of life.

Last year, Hidaya and 22 other women from her community came together to form Amkeni. Hidaya was elected as the chairperson of the group. Together the women do everything from weaving baskets, sewing cloth, and designing jewelry while using only local materials in the process. The group then funds multiple micro-finance loans for its members from the profits gained from the sale of those goods. The women in the group also attend workshops about entrepreneurship and business management through CARE’s Women and Girls Empowerment (WAGE) Program.

Several months ago, Hidaya used one such loan to help her eldest daughter, Habiba, open her own beauty salon. Her next eldest, a pair of 25 year old twins named Paschal and Prisca, are already working as a designer and soldier respectively. But her remaining three children still live with her. Hidaya smiles proudly when she describes her hopes for her other children. Alex, her 17 year old son, wants to be a lawyer, while Jaclyn, her 12 year old daughter, dreams of being a doctor one day, and she wants Witness, her youngest, to be a traffic officer.
“I really want to help Jaclyn become a doctor,” Hidaya states.

For many in the impoverished ward of Mburahati, such a statement might be pure fantasy. But with Hidaya one gets the sense that it is more a statement of fact. To wit, Hidaya has just been asked by CARE to help with a new project, Women’s Forums. These forums will allow Tanzanian women to speak to local government officials and NGO’s about issues particularly pertaining to them. Hidaya is at the fore of this by helping to find representatives from her community to serve on the forum.

Even more telling, recently Hidaya with her husband Thomas’s help, bought a large plot of land. She wants to build a house there she says. With a drive like Hidaya’s, one knows that house is not far from becoming a reality.

So Week 1 in Tanzania can be characterized as most closely resembling your (or at the very least my) first year of college. Everyone is so happy and nice to you. People are welcoming. They help you and give you advice about things like what you should and should not do, where you should go and should not go, eat and not eat, etc.

It was like a little slice of heaven! Complete with all the trappings. Fulfilling, but not overwhelming work, a great social experience, and even a bit of romance.

But, dear reader, if Week 1 was like my first year of college, then Week 2 surely was Sophomore Year. No one could care less about you, you realize how low you are on the totem pole, and how far you have to go to finish.

So here is a summary of Week 2 or, as I like to call it, when the shit starts to hit the fan.

Monday
Sunday was a rocking good time, but my body made me pay for it on Monday. My sickness came back in full effect. Fever, coughing. Shortness of breathe. Slight nausea. The whole she-bang,

But even better than that, I woke up to no electricity in my house on Monday. That’s right. No lights. No hot water. Nada. Apparently, a tree fell and temporarily knocked down a power line.

Work was fine. Spent most of the day doing layout for the program brochure. Then I sent a draft version Joyce for review.

Silver Lining of the Day
I did not mind much because in the morning I did not really need light and the cold shower did not really bother me. Thankfully, Rosalia took me to get some medicine from the local pharmacy during lunch. So, when I got home, I just ate, took some medicine, and went straight to bed to try to sleep it off.

Tuesday
Thankfully, Tuesday morning the electricity came back on. I woke up without a fever but the cough had gotten worse. Also, I had what seemed like a million mosquito bites on my body.

Then, at work, Joyce suggested that I not ride my bike to work. I had to respectfully disagree since it is not a far distance and on a safe major road where a lot of other people are also riding their bikes. Plus, I really love riding to work. It is one of the best parts of my mornings.

Silver Living
I did get to do an interview in the field. There was minimal translation available and I mostly had to rely on my own Kiswahili. However, I didn’t do to badly.

Wednesday
Wednesday I thought was going to be a turnaround. I went to Saba Saba (the International Trade Fair), took some good pictures for the brochure, bought a nice gift for a certain Soror, and went to (finally) get the internet for my house. The day took a turn for the worse when I went to withdraw funds to pay for the Internet.

When I looked at my receipt, I saw that half of my money was gone somehow –which left me with almost no money (since internet here is SUPER expensive. I really should not have gotten it, but I am an addict. Sue me).

I called my mom (who is always CLUTCH and available to deliver a pink giraffe at any point if I need it) and she deposited money into my account. Thankfully. When I looked at my account online, it said 100,000 TZ Shillings had been taken out on Monday. Since I knew I did not do this I immediately panicked. I thought someone had stolen my pin number. I called my bank.

My bank said they would have to close my card to investigate the claim. Here is the problem with that. My card is the only way I can access funds here. The next installment of my living stipend will be deposited into my account from the States later this month. Without my card, I would have no way of accessing my living stipend. But without closing the card, my money might still be at risk and they would not be able to refund the stolen money.

I had a little breakdown and (as is the proper protocol for all breakdowns) I called my mother. She calmed me down and said if I needed her to she would Next Day FedEX my new card to me in Dar-Es-Salaam (which is very expensive but better than having no card).

Silver Living
I went to bed upset but hopeful and sure of two things: I WOULD get my money back and My Mother is a G.

Thursday
They say in a crisis, First, do nothing. Now I understand why. When I calmed down, I started to think.

If it was a thief, they most likely would have taken all my money and not simply the 100,000TZ. What is more, I had tried to withdraw 100,000TZ from that ATM (where the 100,000TZ came from) on Sunday, but it would not let me take out cash. It was because I had not told my bank I was traveling internationally. So Monday, I called and had them authorize my account for international usage. That was the same day that the money was taken out.

So I went to the Headquarters of the bank in Tanzania that operated the ATM where it said the money was taken from and spoke with a representative. Sure enough, she said what most likely happened is that my bank charged me for the ATTEMPT to take funds out, even though the ATM did not give me any money.

After hearing this, I called my bank at 4:00pm, explained the situation, and filed a claim. By 7:00pm that night the money was back in my account. Yay!

Silver Lining
I didn’t have to have my debit card closed and I got two books of Kiswahili poetry. Also, this guy David asked for my number to hang out over the weekend. Since he is one of the few young people at CARE without a spouse and kids, I obliged.

Friday
Friday was a mixed bag. Work was pretty chill.

But after work, Sheena took me to this club called Garden Bistro. Right before, we stopped at George and Dragon and saw Jamal. He was acting crazy (but that is another post).
But Garden Bistro was pretty good!

AND David came. We danced a bit. Had an all around good time and then Sheena and I went home.

Silver Lining
David. Yep, I SAID it America.

So that is Week 2. By the end it started to look up and by the Weekend things were MUCH better!

More to come on that later! ;-)

~tiffany

Sunday started out pretty slow but ended up quite unexpectedly!

So I woke up and started unpacking. I had to change my bed around (I cannot sleep with my feet facing away from the door. Blame it on my superstitious mother!). Then Sheena my roommate woke up. She made a pretty light breakfast. (Tea and bread).

But I learned a lot about her over breakfast. She is 29. She was raised Muslim, but converted to Christianity about two year ago. She likes to watch these televangelist shows where people come with diseases or demons and then the preacher touches them and they are cured. Seems a bit dramatic for my tastes, but who am I to judge? (I mean at the point at which I openly admit to believing that not only was a man born of a virgin but he also walked on water AND died and rose again in 3 days, I can't really go around saying what isn't fantastical, can I?). But I digress...

We bonded pretty quickly over breakfast. Mostly over how not matter if it is America or Tanzania, Black men are all the same! She had some pretty hilarious stories.

We were supposed to go to Church (which I was really excited about!) but the timing didn't work out. She said we would definitely go next week. She also said she would take me to a place where I could by a Kiswahili Bible (yay!). So I finished unpacking, took a shower, washed my hair and chilled. She was nice enough to let me us an extra phone she had (which was great because me and Saidi's efforts yesterday proved unsuccessful.).

Around 3pm we left for lunch. We went to this place called Sine Club. It was great because it was a restaurant on the beach, so it was right on the water and the floor was sand.

We met her "friend" Dr. Lover (obviously not his real name but he is actually an important figure in Tanzania so that is what we will call him for the sake of this blog). As his name suggests, he is a doctor. He was pretty nice but we only exchanged a few words. He was more into Sheena, so I just minded my own business and listened to the live music.

When I ordered water to drink, he and Sheena gave me a look like I had a third head. Then, he tactfully asked "You don't drink?". This kind of surprised me since (1) anyone who knows me knows the answer to that question and (2) it was sunday.

I saw he ordered a vodka and red bull and Sheena had a gin and tonic. When the waiter came around for the second round, he asked me what I would like. I hesitated for a moment, then ordered a Rum and Coke, (When in Rome, right? Plus, it's my 20's!)

We were actually there for quite a bit of time. Dr. Lover was pretty consistent with the drinks -which wasnt a problem because they weren't very strong. By 8pm or so, we decided to head out.

Sheena and I went with her cousin-in-law, John, who she calls her Kaka (brother) to this other place called George and the Dragon to meet some of John's friends. On the way, John, who is a Chemical Engineer, explained how he can never leave Tanzania because he has too many friends in importants places. One of his friends is the CEO of a bank here, the other one is a government Minister, etc. Meanwhile, I am thinking what in the world am I gonna have to speak to these men about?

Soon after we arrived, that question was quickly answered.

Given these people's position, I was expecting some elaborated establishment. But it was just a bar. All of John's friends were really nice. (Some might even say a bit too nice!)

I am sure I my wide-eyed expression and broken Kiswahili instantly marked me as fresh meat to this old men.

Luckily, Sheena's cousin, Jamal, was also there. He was really nice and very helpful. I somewhat stuck to him most of the night. He was pretty funny and had this great British accent! Apparently, he went to boarding school in the UK. He even lived in New York for a bit, so we talked about that. Now he works as a Civil Engineer. Did I mention he was also a Mac lover?! (When I heard that last part I was sold!)

Anyways, at some point, I made the mistake of admitting that I love Tequila (which I do). After Bariki (the bank CEO) heard this he kept trying to order me more tequila shots. Luckily, (1) the shots here are half the size of the ones in the States and (2) after the 3rd Jamal assisted me in saying No, Thank You.

After we all left there, we went to this placed called Anna's. They had great live music. I danced a bit with Jamal and then we all had to go. We did have work in the morning after all. So Jamal drove Sheena and I home, since he lives by us.

Summer Romance Alert

Ok. I will be real. I did like Jamal. He was nice and SO funny (which is really the key to my heart). But most importantly, he was such a gentleman. The British accent was just a cherry on top of it all. So I am not gonna lie to you, America. I did give him my number and there was a small peck goodnight. Very innocent. Very PG-13.

That is all. He is leaving for London in like 2-3 weeks, so we will see what happens...

In all, not a typical Sunday, but definitely full of surprises.

All in all, i would rate my first weekend in Tanzania 8.5 on a scale of 10.

Saturday I woke up and still felt sick. In fact, I felt worse. But I had resolved that I would not panic. So I ate some more oranges and had a hearty breakfast. I really should have just slept, but I had to move to my new house that day so I couldn’t.

Saidi (the CARE driver) came to pick me up to go to where I will be staying for the remainder of my time in Dar Es Salaam. Having seen the house and knowing I would have a roommate (which my mind translated to friend!), I was pretty excited. Plus, she spoke English! Yay!!!

But she called and said she had an emergency so we wouldn’t be able to move in until 7pm.

So Saidi suggested he show me around the city and I gladly accepted. We went to the Kariakoo (this huge Market). It was almost overwhelming! So many people, products, and smells (good and bad!).

After the Kariakoo, we went to Coco Beach –which is the beach where all the locals in Dar go. Saidi explained how the beach was segregated with one part used mostly by Black people and the other part used mostly by Indians.

Then we had lunch. Saidi tried to teach me the ins and out of eating with your hands (mainly your right). It is definitely a learned skill, but I am doing ok. The food was delicious. I had this great spicy chicken and rice with some fresh fruit for dessert. I felt so much better after lunch!

After Coco Beach we went to Slipway. That was nice because they had a lot of nice goods for a relatively cheap price. It was also right on the water and had a beautiful view! The only problem was I was losing the battle against the sickness and I felt it. My throat was getting worse and now I had a bit of a fever.

Before Saidi finally dropped me off at my house, I bought a lot of orange juice. (I am a firm believer in sleep and vitamin C!) When Saidi dropped me off, Sheena (my roommate) wasn’t there, so I just made myself at home. I drank two glasses of orange juice and took two more Ibuprofen and fell asleep watching the movie Not Easily Broken (which I bought for $3 and was pretty good, btw!).

So, as you can see, Saturday there was nothing too crazy. Saw some sights. Explored a bit. Nothing too elaborate. Besides the continuing battle against whatever sickness is inside of me.

This is the first time I ever wanted to have the flu!

Pictures!

In the downtown area, called City Center.

View of the dock at the Slipway

Saidi on the dock at the Slipway

View from the dock of the Slipway

This adorable little girl playing in the Sand at Slipway!

Day 4

Thursday was my favorite day in Dar Es Salaam thus far!

I rode Paul's bike to work in the morning, so I arrived at work in a good mood.

Then, we went into the field to get more goods from women in the program. We went to the house of one woman who is a leader in her local group. It was amazing! She had so many orange trees and other fruits and veggies growing on her property. We ate fresh oranges for at least an hour straight! I also had these fresh cucumbers with salt. Delicious!

It was nice to just sit in the sun and talk (more listening for me!). She had such a welcoming and open spirit! There was a point when I was eating when I was almost drawn to tears I was so happy. (But I had to pull it together quick!)

Day 5

Day 5 was relatively slow. Rode my bike again but I stayed in the office. Laid out a timeline for my work here. Nothing much really. The highlight was this handmade skirt and blouse I brought from one of the ladies in the WAGE program. It was only $13! The blouse doesn’t quite accommodate everything I am working with, but the skirt is beautiful!

It was not until I got home that I felt IT. The scratch in my throat. Immediately I knew what that was about. I was getting sick. At first, I panicked. Because the tricky thing about flu-like symptoms is they could be ANYTHING. It seemed like every single disease on Web MD had flu-like symptoms in the description. Malaria, Swine Flu, Deng Fever, and of course the regular flu!

Then, after I calmed myself down (and checked my insurance coverage), I loaded up on vitamin C (lots of oranges), made myself some tea, took two Ibuprofen (the only thing I had besides motion sickness pills and Malaria medication), and went to sleep.

So ladies and gents, there you have my first week of work in Tanzania! If all the weeks are this great this trip will officially be the best trip EVER!

Now for the weekend…

Stay tuned.

~tiffany

Postcards and Letters

I am pretty behind on my postcard and letter writing, so i will not give and update. But as soon as i get caught up I will be sure to post an update!

Also, if Natalie Renee Davis and Glenda Nicole Smiley could give me their addresses that would be great!

Shout Outs
Shout out to all my friends in their respective TFA summer institutes! Like the saying goes, "When you are going through HELL, Keep Going!" I am glad that you guys are Teaching for America. With you all in front of the classroom, America might finally learn something... =)

To Saffiyah M. I will be in New Orleans in February for Mardis Gras. You already know you are at the top of my list of people to see!

To Sarah B. Thanks for the encouraging email! Also, I definitely wanna see you in August when I am in NYC. Gotta maintain my position on your coattails.

And finally Shout Out to one of (S)heroes, my soror Pamela D. Jackson for winning Advisor of the Year. Pam is ending her tenure as our chapter advisor, but I hope she will stay on as a member of my Board of Directors (the groups of people who I run all major decisons in my life by). Pam definitely deserved the award. She is a great adviser and truly models what it means to be excellent.

ok. folks. more to come. bear with me. the internet here is not so great but I am trying to make it happen.

Today was a kind of difficult day in certain ways. As my friends can attest to, I am someone who likes loves to talk. So not being able to fully convey the range of my feelings, emotions, and desires is somewhat difficult for me.These simple phrases have got to go! ("I would like to eat" or "I do not want to go there" are not sexy)

In an effort to help me learn, the people around me have decided upon a no hands holding approach, i.e. All Kiswahili, All the Time. Of course, when they want me to do something or have a question for me they will slow down and tell me the English if I really do not know. But, in general, when we are on our way to a place, they are speaking in their normal Kiswahili ( which is very difficult for me to understand, but I do get snatches).

Truly the worst part is that I know they are having some good (read: Juicy) conversation! I just want so badly to understand all of it! These are some of the snatchs I have been able to pick up on.

"She [her aunt] needs to take care of her own kids and not just have my father do it!"

"She has gained some weight!"

"He wants to get married, but..."

The above is all paraphrased, but you get the idea. Today, there was so much laughter around me but I did not know the joke! For me this is absolute torture. It is like putting someone who loves food (but can only drink liquids at the time) at an all you can eat buffet. You know all I wanna do it stuff my face! But, alas, I cannot...

But I am being a good sport about all of it. My Kiswahili is getting better with the day, so I hope by the end I will be able to partake in some of the buffet. Even if only a taste. Maybe

But speaking of food. I love the food here! I should restate that.

THE FOOD HERE MAKES MY SOUL SMILE! Especially the fried chicken! (yep. I said it!)

OMG. There is also this banana dish (not sweet) that I like a lot. Oh and the salad. And the rice....and the fruit! As you can see, I was really talking about myself in the buffet example above! =)

We finished early today since there was not much to do. And to brighten my spirits I took one of Paul's extra bikes out for a ride around the city. (Apparently, Paul is really into cycling! Serendipity) Initially, I was nervous because the roads here are not in the best condition, but my as I took off from his house all my fears were put to rest.

I absolutely love cycling through Dar Es Salaam. The city is actually pretty bike friendly -especially for riders who are not afraid to be a little aggressive. I rode my bike to this place called Shopper's Plaza. It is pretty much a mini-mall with a lot of the same stores you would find in the states. I found this great book store called A Novel Idea (which was great because going there was on my list of things to do while here). I was also able to get some pictures printed and take some good shots of the city.

Being able to ride a bike really brightened my mood! I am gonna look into the price of a used one. I think it would be a great investment for me!

Today we really hit the ground running! I got into the office at 8:15am and we were in the field by 9:30am! We went to three districts in Dar Es Salaam. Makuburi, Kibutanesco, and Mburahati. Anna and Aneja went to collect the goods that the women in WAGE program had made, so that they could sell them at Saba Saba (International Trade Fair).

On the whole, it was a great experience! Anna had me introduce myself (in Kiswahili) to each group of women we met. They were all happy to hear that I had studied Kiswahili in school. A few of the older ladies even tried to help me improve my Kiswahili. I suppose after hearing me speak, they just took pity on me. Anna told me later that it really makes people happy that I am trying to learn their native tongue, instead of speaking English or relying on the same tired old Swahili phrases (i.e. "Jambo" ). That was good to hear. Now, if I can just get my language skills beyond that of a pre-schooler...

We were out all day and did not sit down to eat until 4:30pm. But honestly the time really flew by, so I thought it was only Noon. It was not until I got back to the house that I realized how exhausted I was! Still, it was a great day! I even got to conduct a small interview with a woman who learns an entreneurship workshop in her community! She started her own small business through CARE's Village Savings and Loan program.

Well, that is about it for today. But here are some Pictures!

To view all the pictures I took, you can go to my Picasa Album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tiffany.n.dockery/Tanzania062309#

Shout outs:

My mom got her very first email address so we can stay in contact! Big ups for that! Also, shout out to my neos, Akosua and Sarah for the emails! And my one and only little Spec, Erica Bianca Doe! Can't wait to see you guys in August! And a certain young woman sent me an email written partly in Kiswahili even though she does not speak the language. I really appreciated the kind gesture!

Letters and Postcards!

Putting in the Mail Today:

• Pam Jackson
• Amy Duffuor
• Akosua Amanfo Oforiwaa-Ayim
• Tiffany Stewart
• Juell Stewart
• Marcia Sells

Currently working on:

• Stephanie Loius-Charles
• Sara Vogel
• Erica Doe

You too can make the list if you send your mailing address to me! tiffany.n.dockery@gmail.com

Tutuonana!
~tiffany

So we landed in the Dar es Salaam airport at 10:00pm on Sunday night, spent about an hour in customs, and then met Saidi, the driver sent from CARE. He was very nice and helpful, despite th fact that he had been waiting for more than an hour outside. After attempting some basic conversation with him, it was clear to me then that my Swahili was far better than I had given myself credit for, but still MILES away from even THINKING about fluency. Still, the people here are just happy that you are trying to learn, since most of the foreigners do not even do that much.

Saidi drove Fatima and I to the country director, Paul Barker's house. We will be staying with him until they have our long term living arrangements set up. His house is very nice (which I expected since he is the top ranking executive in the CARE Tanzania office).The most exciting part about staying with Paul is that he HAS WIRELESS!! Those who know me, know this made me almost pee my pants! For me, the most terrifying part of coming here was not the threat of contracting something like malaria or yellow fever or being robbed. What REALLY sent shivers through me was the possibility that I might not have the internet! So with that fear put to rest, I knew this trip was going to be just fine!

And I was right!

The next day, they put us straight to work. We got in at 10:00pm (saa nne usiko in Kiswahili) and by 9:00am (saa tatu asubuhi in Kiswahili) the next morning we were at the CARE office.

Day 1

So apparently there are two CARE offices in Dar es Salaam. First, we went to the main office where Paul works, although I will be working in the other office. Paul's wife, Nora, dropped us off, before she went to a very important meeting. As she was leaving, Paul casually mentioned that I will be working with Joyce Kulwah and, in trying to remember if Joyce was who she thought she was, Nora made a gesture as if to say "Big Joyce?". To which Paul replied (trying to be as PC as he could be), "Yes, she is a larger woman..". And Nora goes "Ah! She is quite the personality.". It wasn't clear to me exactly how she meant this, but at this point, all I could do was say a small prayer. "Dear Heavenly Father, Please bless me by giving this woman as my Boss and please let her be as great as it sounds like she is from these roundabout comments. Amen." So Paul calls Joyce to come and meet me and she says she will be right over. While we wait for her, we meet at the people in the office.

The people were all incredibly nice. Very welcoming. They also make me feel good about my Kiswahili -as broken down as it is. Although I am sure the fact that Paul (the Country Director) introduced us definitely was in factor in our interactions. Whenever we entered a room, you could feel the dynamic shift. Usually people would be casually talking or going over something, then when Paul would walk in the air would get just a tad more serious and formal. It made me laugh on the inside just a bit. Usually the interaction would play out like this.

We walk in. People sit up a little straighter and become a little more serious. Paul introduces us. We say hello. I speak a bit of basic kiswahili and they seem genuinely impressed. (I have a very small moment of ego tripping until thay try to say something more complicated to me. At which point, I say either "sifahamu" or "sema tena tafadhali pole pole" which means "I do not understand" and " Could you please repeat that slowly"). Then Paul will make some type of joke and there will be that somewhat fake laugh people always do when their boss tells them a joke. And then we leave.

About 30-45 minutes later, Paul had introduced us to everyone but Joyce was still not there. Paul was a bit puzzle because the other office is 10 minutes away and Joyce said she would be right there. I, on the other hand, was thinking to myself "I think Joyce and I are gonna work really well together". Anyone who has ever tried to meet me at a certain time, knows exactly why! = )

So finally Joyce comes. We walk outside and when she sees me, she goes, "Tiffany?" and I reply "Ndiyo (yes)". Then, she RUNS TO ME AND GIVES ME ONE OF THE BEST HUGS I HAVE HAD IN A VERY LONG TIME! It was like a reunion! Even as i am typing it, I cannot help but to smile.

When we finally release from our hug, she remarks "Nilifikiri ulikuwa mzungu" which means "I thought you were a white person". I could not help but to burst out laughing at this! I told her "Hapana", which means "No". She said it was because of my name and gives me another hug. At this point, in my mind, I cannot help but say "Thank You, God!". She was also excited that I had a basic understanding of Kiswahili.

She asks Paul if she can take me to the Kinondoni office, but he says I have to go look at a house with Saidi now, but he will have Saidi drop me off afterwards.

The house we saw was GREAT! It was very big and clean. It had a HUGE TV in the living room and my room was pretty sizable. The woman I would be living with was fairly young and said she would she me what there is to do around there. It was also right by the beach! Although I told Saidi I would like to see another option (just so I would have something to compare it to), I was pretty much sold.

When we finally reached the Kinondoni office, where I will be working, I met some of the women in the WAGE program. They had made different crafts that they would be selling at Saba Saba (Intenational Trade Fair). WAGE assists then women in selling their goods and also trains women in the community to teacher other women about entreprenuership. I brought this great necklace made out of watermelon seeds.

Later, I met with Joyce about what I will be doing. I have basically three seperate projects and will be spread across three different offices throughout Tanzania.

• Create 10 human interest stories and 5 write-ups about the IGAs (Income Generating Activities) of women in the WAGE Kinondoni program.
• Create a newletter with the staff in the Kahama office and then train 2-3 people there about how they can do the same thing
• Create a brochure for the WAGE Kinondoni program

I am also supposed to be doing some work for the office in Mwanza but it is not clear to me what exactly I will be doing...

This seems like a lot for only 8 weeks, but I am confident I can get it all done. Also, Joyce told me I would be going into the field tomorrow with Anna to talk to some women in the WAGE Program. Not a minute wasted.

By that time is was 5:00pm, so a driver came and picked me up and took me back to Paul's house. At which point, I promptly passed out for 6 hours!

Also, shout out to my Sorors Princess and Donna for their encouraging words about the blog.

Letters and postcards in the mail as of today

• Evelyn Addo-Wallace
• Daphne Larose
• Bettina Lee

Letters and postcards I am currently working on

• Pam Jackson
• Stephanie Louis-Charles
• Amy Duffuor
• Marcia Sells
• Sara Vogel

You too can make the list if you send your mailing address to me! tiffany.n.dockery@gmail.com

I usually like to include pictures but have none really to include as of yet. More to come.