fruit trees and seminars at the nunnery

above is my friend ishmael, my fundi (handyman), in front of my house, planting an avocado tree in my front yard. it's already been grafted so fruits should be blossoming in 3 years. in other words, the next PCV at my site, my neighbors and other villagers will be enjoying fresh avocados (unheard of in my village-only available in town, 18 KM away). in addition to the 2 avocado trees, we also planted 6 peach trees. yepp, i'm a georgia girl, from the peach state, so i had to leave a little taste of the American south...for kumbukumbu.

and what do you think of my yellow mustard doors and green windows? when else in my life can i paint my house like this?!...

below, i'm including a snapfish album from recent PC workshops i attended at the nunnery, the first focused on PEPFAR (Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and the second, on community theatre..

http://www.snapfish.com/share/p=69621143967105610/l=89560645/cobrandOid=1000001/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

in between these two weeks, my friend jason and i ventured to a local farmhouse for some hiking, farm fresh vegetables, and the best pillows we've ever laid our heads on!the next day (sunday), we planned to meet the rest of the group in nearby iringa (big town north of mafinga workshop location with great internet, restaurants, etc), but being resourceful (i.e. cheap) PCVs (peace corps volunteers), we opted to catch a ride off the tarmac. it just so happened that before a tanzanian bus passed, a landcruiser full of American Military servicemen stopped to give us a ride directly into Iringa!we were living it right-air conditioning, seatbelts (i have a new appreciation for at least having the option), and interesting conversation.stationed in senegal, botswana and ethoipia, these officers were on a road trip journey from botswana all the way to ethiopia and had been passing PCVs throughout their safari.as a result of coming to understand the peace corps way of living with little, they insisted on treating us to a solid meal.we welcomed their offer and took them to our favorite lunch spot in iringa-the only place for miles with quesadillas!over lunch, we discussed cultural differences, their stories from the road,etc...good times.

the first week of seminars centered on HIV/AIDS and was a wonderful opportunity for me and my counterpart (pictured in first 2 snapfish pictures), kaduma, to plan a life skills lesson together and actually teach it at a local school along with the 30 other PCVs in attendance. we entered a 7th grade class and taught them about wise decision-making, utilizing different local scenarios (like 1.a teacher invites you (a young female student) to meet him at night to borrow a book; what would you do?say?and how did you decide this action?--this is a HUGE problem here-male teachers often take advantage of their young female students-a very upsetting phenomenon,which has recently taken place in my closest neighbor's village (amanda), which was a big reason why we recently organized an AIDS Day there with skits, dancing, songs, and educational raps about HIV/AIDS all performed by my health club). the PC life skills method is an effective way to empower youth by enhancing their communication, negotiation and relationship skills, leading to healthier, more positive lives. many of the lessons challenge gender roles and norms as well, and encourage young people to think critically, and to plan for their futures--two concepts lacking in tanzanian curriculum.

i look forward to taking what i learned back to the village. after these action-packed 2 weeks, i'm quite ready to return home.it really does feel like home now-a nice feeling.

happy easter everyone!
love and peace,
tait

*thanks so much to friends who mailed letter/packages recently.they were all soooo nice to come home to: hilary, lavinia, camber, MOM (you're the best), rich, butter, stef, and lolo/gals!

some great quotes that were shared with me:

"to be a happy person, you must have a clean soul, eyes that see romance in the commonplace, a child's heart, and spiritual simplicity" -norman peale

"look to the lord and his strength; seek his face always. remember the wonders he has done, his miracles..." -romans 105:4-5

"i haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list" -susan sontag/stefanie:)

"i soon realized that no jouney carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within." -lillian smith