Shika

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A couple of weeks ago, I was in Dar es Salaam for a training.  Unlike other Peace Corps trainings, this was for a small, select group of Peace Corps Education Volunteers called Shika na Mikono.  “Shika na Mikono” literally means “hold/touch with hands” in Swahili, and it is a group of science-teaching Ed PCVs that is designed to go and train the new class of Education Volunteers in teaching science subjects (physics, chemistry, and biology) in an interactive and creative way.  Our initiative is to show that science in the Tanzanian classroom or laboratory is more than just theory, but should be hands-on science!  This year, there are four of us selected – one for each science subject and one A-Level person.

Biology – Ryan Early
Chemistry/Physics – me
Chemistry/Physics – Ben Savonen (aka my brother)
A-Level – Willie Blackmon (Physics)
[what a great group, right?!]

Less than a year ago, I was a bright-eyed and new volunteer myself, and although my assigned subject was supposed to be Math, I knew I wanted to also teach Physics and/or Chemistry as well.  Since my first exposure to the Shika na Mikono group during PST, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.  I always love being involved in the training and programming processes of large organizations, and if I get to combine my love of training others with science, then how much better can it get?!  [Note: Shika is basically a formal excuse for me to be incredibly nerdy, while still being educational at the same time.]

Though apparently, it can get better.  As of yesterday afternoon, I was officially selected to be one of the Welcome Hosts for the new Ed PCT class that will be arriving in Tanzania on July 5th!!!  That means that I will be one of the first (out of three) current Peace Corps Volunteers that the new PCTs, or “Baby Eds” as we call them, will meet their first night in country!  Needless to say, I am completely ecstatic to be chosen!  :D  My other cohorts will include two other SoHi (southern highland) volunteers: Jerome Gately (2011 Ed class and extending into his third year at site in Mbinga, Songea) and Ronald Meyer (2011 Environment class, who is warden of Njombe with his wife).  Anyway, not only does that mean that I will get to be the first to meet the new class, I am quite sure they will get quite sick of me, since they will be seeing me during their “Week Zero” and during their PST and most likely IST, as a representative for Shika na Mikono!  The only unfortunate part of all this just means that I will have to miss a little more school than I planned.  I’ll just have to make it up on Fridays and weekends when I get back, which won’t be a problem at all since students often come to school on Saturdays anyway.

These next couple of months are going to be jam-packed full of fun and craziness, so I’m definitely glad my school year ended last week and I was able to get all my grades turned in before I left!  So here’s the rundown of the itinerary from now until mid-July:

~ Now until June 8th – chill out and hang out in SoHi until I meet my family in Dar! [yep, that’s right, my brother, parents, and aunt are all coming to visit me for a couple weeks!]
~ June 8th – June 20th – travelling with my family until they fly out of Kilimanjaro Airport
~ June 21-ish to June 28-ish – in Korogwe, Tanga for ToT (Training of Trainers) for Shika na Mikono
~ June 28-ish to July 3rd – staying in the Dar/Tanga area and possibly going to get my SCUBA PADI certification???
~ July 4th – celebrate with whoever is in Dar and get prepared for the Baby Eds’ arrival
~ July 5th – quick prep and then the ARRIVAL OF THE BABY EDS!!!  [I’m not excited at all…]
~ July 5th – July 10th – Week Zero in Dar
~ July 11th – back to Mwatisi Secondary to teach for a couple of weeks, and then I’ll have to head back to Korogwe for the Baby Ed PST – SHIKA TIME!

I guess my trend of always keeping busy and staying involved that has been my tendency throughout my years of school has even traversed oceans and followed me here to Tanzania.  Classic Belle, eh?  I’m looking forward to it all, and I’m sure it’s going to go by so fast.  I will do my best to keep you all updated on my whereabouts, and I hope the force will be with me in the coming months.

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