A much needed companion

\Well, there comes a point in every single girl’s life when she realizes she’s been living alone for too long.  History has proven that this void and emptiness can be replaced only by a single species. Yes, beloved friends and family, I have adopted a cat.

Its name is Artimus (I say “it”, because I’m really not sure of its gender yet, but for the purpose of writing, I will use the pronoun “she”). She’s mostly black with some patches of brown, a white foot and a permanent white patch of hair to resemble a milk mustache on only the left half of its upper lip.

Arti, as I call her for short, had a hell of an adventure getting to my abode. A fellow PCV gave her to me because his cat had had kittens. To transport Arti out of his village, he put her in a box that had the area of a shoe box, but with a long length and long width, and about a 2 inch height, so the cat couldn’t stand up. Also, the PCV was afraid of not being able to catch her, so he did so over 12 hours prior to delivering the package to my banking town. Needless to say, Arti was a little pissy when I finally opened the box.

Unfortunately, Arti also had to stay in the guesti in the banking town for 2 nights before heading to site in which she lived in the bathroom. 

The second night, the fear of the first trip had worn off and Arti cried. And cried. And cried. And cried. For over 5 straight hours beginning at 10:30pm, that cat cried, meowed, hollered, screamed and whimpered like she was being beaten and abandoned all at once. 

Eventually, I couldn’t take it and decided to move her (or “Demon Cat” as I was calling her at this point) outside for the remainder of the night so I could get a few hours of sleep.

When I went to check on her in the morning, I learned that an employee at the guesti had opened the box and let the cat out because it was crying. Naturally, I was upset and asked them to help me look for her.

We found Arti in a long, cement drainage pipe that ran under a patio, so we shoved a stick inside to run the cat out. She finally fled and after chasing and cornering her in a bathroom stall, we got her. 

I then packed my things up including Arti and headed to the market to grab some produce before returning to my village. While in the market, a few 2 year old boys were curious as to what was crying inside the basket. While I was distracted bartering for oranges, the boys lifted the basket lid and Arti, that trixy cat, fled again. I told the mamas in the market I would pay them to help me catch the cat. After numerous scratches, screams and attempts, Arti made her way back into the basket yet again.

I boarded the bus, cat in lap, and Arti of course cried the entire bus ride home (sorry Tanzanians). 

After all the adventures, we made it home safely and Arti is learning the ropes around her new stomping grounds.

Artimus, laying in her bed of choice- a bag of charcoal

This cat has proven to be more trouble than shes worth at this point, so hopefully she will make up for it with her mice-hunting abilities. Here’s hopin.

Testing the waters of Teacher's Trainings

As a member of Shika na Mikono, my primary focus is to train students enrolled in teacher’s colleges.  I had the opportunity to work with a member of the Tanzanian Ministry of Education to set up a training for 145 people who will soon be entering the Tanzanian Education System as science teachers. Klerruu Teacher’s Training College is located in Iringa and focuses on training both science and arts teachers.

The four members of the Shika team facilitated the training inlcuding me, Joel, Caitlin and Megan . We all arrived in Iringa town the 15^th of October to solidify our schedule, plan intros and transitions and prepare and purchase necessary supplies. Bright and early the next day, we caught a taxi to the college and were shown around the campus, including the spaces that we would be using. 

We began the training by introducing ourselves and the mission of Shika na Mikono. Then the students were split by subject into 3 different room and our first session was Box of Fun. We chose a variety of topics from the O-level Syllabus from each subject and instructed the students to get into groups of 5. They were then numbered off and assigned a specific topic. The students then used the creativity and random, inexpensive, locally available materials to make a teaching aid to teach their assigned topic. 

A group of students creating their teaching aid during our Box of Fun session

Science can be fun!

A student uses his teaching aid to teach a lesson

After presenting/teaching their topic and explaining their apparatus, all students from all subjects reconvened in a large conference room and the most innovative design from each topic then presented the group as a whole. The aim of this project was to inspire creativity and improvisation while showing that even trash can be used to explain science concepts, so there is no excuse not to do demonstrations. 

We had a short break for Chai in which the members of the Shika team were introduced to all teachers and staff of the college. 

After completing chai, the students regrouped up the large conference room where Joel and Caitlin led presentations with the aid of a powerpoint about chemical and lab equipment alternatives. Many teachers make the excuse that they are unable to conduct practicals and hands-on demonstrations in the classroom due to lack of funding to buy materials. The aim of this portion was to inform them of inexpensive, locally available materials that they can use when conducting practice practicals at their school to save money. 

Once the presentations were completed, the students returned to the 3 classroom spaces, but this time were mixed subjects and the Shika members grabbed their materials to present several Shika Express activities. I presented biology activities, Caitlin covered chemistry and Joel did Physics demonstrations. For this activity, the students remained in the same classroom and we rotated. This method proved to be very efficient. 

Caitlin teaching Chemistry Shika Express experiments

The final activity of the day was a mini-competition to demonstrate that when you make learning into a came or competitive, the students are become very motivated to perform well. 

The students were instructed to gather into groups of 5 again, but this time they were encouraged to include all of the disciplines in their groups. We introduced the rules and goal of Raft Rally, distributed the pieces of foil and gave them 20 minutes to construct their boats. After construction, one representative from each group presented their boat, explained the reasoning behind their design and then placed their boat in a basin of water to test how much weight it could hold by placing individual and bundles of nails inside. The moment water began to leak inside the vessel and it began sinking, the nails were counted and recorded. The boat that could hold the most weight received 100 points, second place received 75, third received 50 and fourth received 25 points. 

The other portion of the competition included 24 Squares and began immediately after the testing of the rafts. 10 different problems were written on the board and each group was given 20 minutes to complete as many as possible. The members of the Shika team then corrected them and awarded 10 points for every correct 24 Square answer. 

The scores of both Raft Rally and 24 Squares were added together and winners were announced.

To wrap up the training, all the students returned to the large conference hall to recap the events and messages of the day as well as get feedback about the training from the students. 

Overall, the training was hectic, as it was our first one and the arrangement of work space was different than we had planned for, but at the end of the day, we accomplished the same goal. The students were given chances to express creativity and learned about how to utilize inexpensive, locally available materials to do demonstrations in the classroom. 

Shika Team members that were able to help with this training

We had a blast doing this training, and now that we have one under our belts, we are excited to schedule and put on more teacher trainings. Through training teachers, Shika is able to spread the message and importance of hands-on science learning across the country to areas where Peace Corps may not have connections.

Bananas and Rubbers

As a Form III Biology teacher, I have the pleasure of teaching my students about the exciting of topic of Reproduction.  I have been covering the topic for several months now (it’s a long topic!) and I decided the best way to wrap it up was to literally wrap it up.

I was lucky enough to get into contact with PSI and they were kind enough to donate just under 1000 condoms for the event.  I went to town and purchased an entire branch of plantains (about 70) and we were set.

I began by reviewing the various contraceptive methods and then explained to my girls that condoms were the best option before marriage and monogamy because they are the only way to prevent STD’s and HIV.

I proceeded to explain my actions during the condom demonstration. The students had the floor to ask questions, and then they gave it a try. They were in pairs sharing one plantain and each had their own  condom. They each got a chance to try and then showed me when they were done before their partner could try. 

Holdin up the tree products

Yes, it's a two person job

Madam, why is it covered in mafuta?

They actually had a blast! They were laughing and asking questions and didn’t seem to be uncomfortable.

Demonstrating

Now we are really learning about reproduction

Tunaweza!

 My hope by doing this was to help break down the negative stigma associated with purchasing and using condoms in this country. Tanzanians tend to avoid purchasing condoms due to the negative stereotypes placed on them by other community members. They think that if you are purchasing condoms then you are taking part in poor behavior and will negatively judge you. The fact is, over 60% of people in the village of Wangama have HIV and this negative stigma isn’t helping the problem.

If I can convince just one student that they have the ability to avoid HIV and STD’s by taking control in a relationship and standing up for themselves, then my two years here will be completely worth it.  

Group photo! Just one of my 3 classes of Form III

A Beautiful Beach Birthday

The second term of school continues to march on as I race the clock to complete the syllabus material before the end in November. This semester has been full of interruptions including Mid-Service Conference and Site visit week for the new trainees, followed immediately by a week-long term break to mark the middle of the semester. Where has the time gone?!

Well, break conveniently fell over the week of my birthday as well as our 1 year of service mark, so my friends and I decided to take a little trip down to Lake Nyasa (in other parts of the world, it is called Lake Malawi, but here in TZ we refuse to give up our claim).

The trip began with a 10 hour bus trip down to a tiny town known as Mbinga, located in the Ruvuma region. After arriving to Mbinga, we used the only mode of available transportation to travel to the site of another PCV. This transport was in the back of a lorry. 

Zane and I about to journey up the mountain

We got lucky, the cargo was mattresses!

After arriving, we crashed for the night and then woke up bright and early to start our 5 hour hike down to the lake. The hike was completely downhill and the steep grade was pretty rough on the knees, but boy was it worth it. The hike was so beautiful!

The view from the top of the mountain we hiked down. The water was our destination!

The path down the mountain

 After our very long hike, we drug our tired, sweaty selves up onto the beach and realized we were in paradise. We wanted nothing more that to strip down naked and dive in… but we decided to stay civilized and change behind closed doors. The water was crystal clear, so needless to say it was Peace Corps bath time! But seriously, we took our razors and soap out into the lake and played a little game we like to call “Tan or Dirt?”. You win if it’s a tan and doesn’t scrub off. We never win. 

The next 2 and a half days were spent snorkeling, bouldering, swimming, and relaxing in hammocks. The camp we stayed at was called Pomonda Raha Eco Camp and we ate fresh catfish caught in the lake, papaya picked from the trees, everything was farm to table and tasted delicious. 

 A beautifully set table 

Sun setting behind the mountains of Malawi

Hammock Time!

I've got my toes in the water, ass in the sand, not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand

the sunsets are breath-taking

It was such a relaxing, beautiful vacation and the perfect break before heading into the next several months as I barrel toward the end of the term. 

What does it mean to be a girl? Through the eyes of a Tanzanian teenager

Now, my posts are usually updates about events I've done, but this post is a little different. This post is about gender equality in Tanzania through the eyes of those who it effects most... teenage, educated Tanzanian girls.

I asked my students to write an essay last week, like I do every week.

I thought about this prompt out of the blue and thought it would be good for my students to really think about. The prompt was:

“What is means to be a girl in Tanzania.”

 I then rephrased it to ensure understanding:

“Because I am a girl, I must do/be…”

“Because I am a girl, I cannot do/be…”

As I began reading, some of their answers were so powerful, that I decided to jot them down and let the world know what they think.

Some  answers were heartbreaking…

“I know I cannot do complex work because I am a girl” – Milka Minyekile, age 16

“I know I cannot play after school because I am a girl”- Milka Minyekile, age 16

“I cannot choose the subject I want to study, because people are thinking that girls cannot study science subjects” – Antumie Makoga, age 15

“Because I am a girl, I know I cannot have time to rest. I have a time of doing work.” – Valieth Wemah, age 16

“I know I must struggle in order to accomplish my goals.” – Valieth Wemah, age 16

“I must be obedient” – Valieth Wemah, age 16

“Because I am a girl, I cannot marry. But a boy can marry me.”- Melina Mlowe, age 17

But some girls had a different outlook…

“ I know I must study hard, because in our society, the number of girls who are educated is low. Because I am a girl, I must study hard in order to reduce the number of uneducated women.”- Milka Kinyekile, age 16

“In order to help a girl in her life, the government must be supportive in how she can get her basic human rights.”- Milka Kinyekile, age 16

“I know I must study hard. When girls study hard, it helps society and goes against the local/tribal belief that a girl is special for marriage and cannot study.”- Antumie Makoga, age 15

“I know I must go against our traditional beleifs. A girl must do this because in society, a girl does not have a chance to make decisions because our society believes that girls have no good ideas.” - Antumie Makoga, age 15

“To be a girl is to attend well in academic issues, so as to stimulate other girls to do so in order to get first priority in political, social and business matters.”- Vicky Malekela, age 16

“To be a girl means that you must stand on various matters that you believe are good.” - Vicky Malekela, age 16

“Because I am a girl, I know I must be confident.”- Lidia Sniga, age 16

Living in a culture for the past year where women are treated far from equally has been very challenging, but after reading the latter of the comments, it is now clear that Tanzanian women of the upcoming generations realize what they deserve and how they should be treated. I hope they never lose their fighting spirit, because they definitely inspired me.

Yates' Take On Tanzania

I am sorry it has been so long since my last post. Like normal, like has been kinda crazy... but in a good way!

I am one very lucky girl. I have been away from home now for a year and to mark this momentous occasion, my family traveled to the other side of the world to see what life over here is like (and to give them some peace of mind that I’m safe.) 

One of the goals of the Peace Corps is to share knowledge and experiences of your host country with Americans, and what better way to do this than to show them first hand.

My Mom, Dad, and Grandma Torch left my cousin’s wedding around midnight to drive several hours to and airport and then journeyed almost 30 hours to get here. They arrived in the middle of the night and after a night of half-assed sleep, we started our trip (and my couple weeks of living the safi life!) My school finished up the first term, so I had about a month off, perfect time for family vacation.

Our trip consisted of 3 major destinations: Dar es Salaam, the Serengeti, and Zanzibar.

In Dar, we mostly just walked around, because let’s face it, Dar is just a big city like anywhere else in the world. But what was amazing is that my family pointed out things to be that I realized I had become accustomed to and have accepted as normal, when only a year ago, I was entranced and intreagued by the bajaji’s, people carrying everything on their heads, the dress and the language; It was all so new and so interesting once upon a time. 

Grandma, Mom and I taking a break from the heat and trying some Tanzanian soda

Drinking coconut water in the streets of Dar
 (Please ignore the very, very wrong date on the picture)

We then took a plane to start our adventure in the Serengeti and went on a 4 day, 3 night safari. We went out looking for animals in the mornings and evenings, because it was too hot in the middle of the day and the animals were hiding out in the shade.   

When we arrived, we helped our guide, Joseph, and our cook, Zacharia, set up our tents and got settled in. There were wildebeests all around us, less than 20 yards from the edge of the camp. And I will say that we were never hungry the entire time we were on Safari. We were fed in the Tanzanian fashion with not only 3 large meals, but also chai mid-morning. And the food was good! They catered a lot to the types of food westerners enjoy. Just don’t ask yourself how you are having chicken on the 3^rd night when they have no refrigeration…

We spent 2 nights in the Serengeti, and then for the final night made our way to Ngorongoro Crater, the largest caldera in the world. I have to say, camping on the edge of that crater gives Njombe a run for its money as the coldest place in Tanzania. Inside the crater are some animals you cannot see in the Serengeti, including rhinos and flamingos.  It was kind of rainy and wet, but we didn't let it dampen our spirits.
Our permit only allows 6 hours in the crater, so after we left, we slowly made our way back to civilization, but along the way stopped by Oldupi Gorge (oldupi is the kimasaai world for sisal- a large crop in Tanzania used to make rope). This gorge is famous because it’s where several remains and skeleton’s  belonging to the same species as Homo Erectus, Lucy, and the Nutcracker Man. The gorge is an evolutionary goldmine!
As we completed our journey, Joseph asked if we wanted to get some souveniers, so we stopped in a shop called Shanga Shangaa which translates to surprising glass beads. This store employs 55 people with various disabilities who make crafts out of recycled materials, including glass, aluminum, fabric, etc. It was so inspiring to watch these people work and make beautiful pieces of art from materials that usually litter the streets of Tanzania.

 I don’t know if I ever thanked my parents enough, but it was the experience of a lifetime that I never could have done without them (I’m a volunteer, remember?)

Here are just a few family pictures we took while on the trip. 

The whole gang, including Joseph and Zacharia

Outlook on top of Ngorongoro Crater

Entering the Serengeti

Idaho gals love dead things

And here are some of my favorite pics we got in the park

just a couple of giraffes

Baboon

Lizard basking in the sun

Vulture

A Zebra and his buddy

Water Buffalo and friends

Sleepy Lioness

Mama and baby Elephants

Sleepy Lion

We found Pumba

Hippo

Jackel

Gotta love a good butt shot

This little guy loved having his picture taken!

After our safari, we made our way to Zanzibar for some rest and relaxation. We can’t forget that this is vacation and rest and relaxation are mandatory.

We spent a day wandering around Stonetown and sightseeing, since Zanzibar has a rich, but sad history associated with the slave trade.

 The next day was R&R day, spent snorkeling, and then relaxing by the pool and getting a little tan since I live in the Arctic Tundra of Africa aka Njombe, TZ. 

Nipe tano! (Give me Five!)

View from our hotel room 

Fresh Leeche

Some beautiful flowers on Zanzibar

The next day, we walked on the beach and took an afternoon ferry back to Dar es Salaam where we walked around a bit more and ate some Indian street food. The next day, we woke up and had a great continental breakfast that included daal of all things… and then proceeded to check out of our rooms. But since they were flying out in the middle of the night, they didn’t book a room, so we spent the next 14 hours homeless, wandering the streets of Dar es Salaam. But time with family precious, so we made the most of it. We walked aimlessly for a bit and stopped for beers every couple of hours to sit and cool off.  We finally stopped at one of the bars PCV’s visit regularly, when I realized that my family was going to board the plane in a few hours without trying the staple food of TZ. Of course I couldn’t let them escape without trying that most delectable of all Tanzanian Cuisine: Ugali. And the weirdo’s actually didn’t mind it!

We spent the rest of our time together drinking beer until they headed to the airport.
Saying goodbye to them again was just as hard as it was the first time I left.

12 months down, 15 to go. I’ll be home before you know it mom.

Love you!

Njombe Regional Science Competition

The Njombe Regional Science Conference took place over several eventful days, so I have broken the post up into days to make it easier to follow.

Day 1

Well, my students packed up their bags and boarded the bus bright and early (actually, not bright at all, it was still dark out) Friday, May 16 to head to Njombe. We arrived at the same time as Darryl, my closest Education volunteer and we worked together to get our kids out to the conference center. We all got a small tour of the center and had chai as we waited for the last group of students from Joe’s school to arrive.

After Chai, we did some ice breakers and silly introductions to help us all relax and become more comfortable with each other. Then it was time for their pre-survey (we didn’t want to call it a test) during which they wrote their thoughts about math and science, it’s importance and implementation in Tanzania, etc. 

One student hopping like a frog during our ice breaker to introduce himself

Then we immediately dove into activities and competitions afterward, starting with Jenga Jengo , which translates to build a building. Teams were given 2 boxes of matches and a meter of tape to construct a building. Points were given to the tallest, if the building could withstand a wind test, and the first to complete. After every construction project, students must explain why they designed it the way they did.

A group of students working on their match tower

Match tower entries

 After a lunch break, we set up stations that focused on the use of the scientific method. Students were given background information, then had to formulate hypothesis and finally test their hypothesis. Stations included guessing your lung capacity, acids and bases, washing your hands, mixing colors, etc.

 

Testing lung capacity by displacing water using an iv tube and bottle of water

Darryl teaching about acids and bases

Entranced by Science!

the math station

Now, what have we learned?

After cleaning up the stations and thoroughly destroying any linen that was unfortunate enough to be put in that conference room, we broke for dinner. Students had free time to play sports and games, bathe, eat dinner, and finally wind down by watching a movie.

Day 2

After a not-so-good night’s rest (I feel sorry for every adult to chaperone a high school trip), we hit the ground running with some morning math known as 24 Squares in which students must use the 4 numbers given and any series of operations to make an equation that equals 24. After 24 Squares, we introduced the students to the concept of Sudoku, which they worked on in their spare time for the rest of the conference.

Steve introducing the concept of 24 Squares

After tea break, we regrouped for a lesson on buoyancy and density, culminating in an activity where students were given nothing but straws and foil to construct a boat with the goal of holding the most weight.  Groups first explained the reasoning behind their construction methods and then tested out their boats.

Testing the buoyancy of various items

boat entries

How many nails will it hold?

 The final activity before lunch break was a biology relay which incorporated 3 lessons. Each member of the team had to bend over and do 5 dizzy-bat spins before running to the other end of the course in bed. This was a lesson about balance and the fluid inside the semi-circular canal of the ear. Then each student had to carry a ping-pong ball on a spoon down the course and back to practice balance and coordination. Finally, once each member of the group had completed their physical activities, the students had to work together to place a number of organisms in a logical food chain order. When they got the order complete, the timer was stopped and the cumulative time of the team for the team was recorded. The fastest time won.

balancing a ping pong ball on a spoon

Madame, is the order correct?

my counterpart fell after spinning with her head down and then trying to run

After lunch, was an activity called Build It, Do It.  Joe put together small items made out of simple items. The task was for each team to send one representative outside to study the object and then write instructions on how to build it and what it looked like. The paper was the only thing allowed back in to the room and the other 2 members of the team had to use the instructions to try and build what their team mate saw and wrote about. When time was over, the teams gather back together and we compared the teams creations with the originals. This was a practical implementation of the importance of observations.

How similar do the toilet paper roll bugs look to the original?

 The next activity was about discovering formulas. There were 3 stations set up, biology, math and chemistry. The students rotated around the stations and had to discover formulas. In math, they had to use a homemade geoboard to write formulas to find area and perimeter of shapes. In biology, they worked on classifying different items/organisms by Artificial and Natural classification methods, and they in chemistry, they had to organize elements on the periodic table by only knowing the group and period information.

Geoboard made from cardboard, tape and nails being used to teach area and formulas

Learning about period and groups of the Periodic Table of Elements

How many ways can you group the various organisms?

That remainder of the day was given to the students to work on their science fair projects. They played some sports and games, ran around, bathed, ate dinner and we corralled them to bed yet again.

Day 3

Bright and early the next morning we did more morning math, this time called Four 4’s in which students had to create equations only using Four number 4s and symbols to make the equations equal 1-10. For example, to get the answer of 1, the equation may be (4x4) / (4x4) = 1. After our morning math session,   I taught a lesson about nutrition and how to balance their diet to get all of the vitamins and minerals they need. They were all able to see that the meals they receive at school are not in the least bit balanced, so that is a step in the right direction. 

Teaching about a balanced diet

It was a nice day, so we decided to do an activity outside. This was an activity addressing malaria in which the students were split into two teams with the goal of sticking as many toothpicks into a little cardboard man on the other side of the course as possible. The difference was, one teams cardboard man was exposed and the other was under a mosquito net. At the end of the 2 minutes, there were around 30 mosquito bites (toothpicks) on the exposed man and none on the man under the net because they all could not reach the man through the net. We even peaked the interest of workers at the conference center and passerbys, so hopefully they learned something too.  This activity then lead into a great discussion about how malaria is spread, how communities can work together to eradicate it, etc.

Malaria demonstration relay

 The next activity was new and wasn’t originally part of the schedule. Joe thought of it on the spot and named it Aquaduct Assembly, but it turned out to be incredibly successful and educational! The students were given random materials and posed with a problem: There is a village and the closest water supply was a river quite a ways away. They were to construct a device to transport water 1 meter. They would have 2 minutes to pour water through their device and the group with the most water at the end would be the winner. Many groups made a fatal error, forgetting that paper absorbs water and after a few seconds of contact with water became saturated and collapsed.

 

The winning team explaining how they designed their aquaduct

pictures of the river on the right and the village on the left to help explain the problem and the goal of the activity

From this point on, teams were given the rest of the night to wrap up their Sudoku puzzles, additional  Four 4’s puzzles and their science fair projects as they were to present them the next night.

Day 4

As we awake to the last full day of the conference, all of us teachers realize how utterly exhausted we are, but we muster up the energy to fight another day. The morning activities included building card towers and a chemistry matching game which Darryl and his counterpart made up in which students had to match the cations and anions. 

matching cations and anions

The following activity was none other than our favorite game show: Jeopardy. The students chose from different categories and were then posed different math related puzzles about sequencing, unscrambling words, patterns and word problems; the bigger the point value, the more difficult the question. The students love competition, so they really got into it.

Then was on to the last big competitive event of the conference: Bridge buider. This was another construction activity, but this time, it was a little different. The students were given a certain amount of fake money and had to purchase the materials necessary to build their bridges. Points were awarded to the teams who could hold the most weight, and additional points were given for any money that was leftover. 

bridge construction

This time, the evening was spent with the students completing their post-test and then presenting their science fair projects, almost like an expo. The students were told to create a project, model, poster, etc that incorporated 1 or more science subjects that they are interested in. This was probably the highlight of the conference because the students all gave presentations about their projects and then the other students were able to ask them questions about it. One group made one of the best circuits I have ever seen! I was so impressed.

The amazing circuit group! also showed how you can use a cut bottle of water as a candle holder if you put a nail in the bottom of the candle to shift the center of gravity

made a pendulum to show potential and kinetic energy

This group made a wind turbine model. It was very functional!

Cell posters as well as a model of an plant cell in a plastic bag for the cell membrane with a balloon inside to represent a large, permanent vacuole. They also included leaves to represent chloroplasts and placed the whole thing  in a box to represent the cell wall. 

representation of the digestive system

the formation of carbon dioxide using baking soda and vinegar

Day 5  

The final morning was upon us. We were sad to see it end, but we were all so tired that we were also pretty excited to get some rest. That morning, the students did their final project, and that was to write thank you letters to the donors of the grant which allowed us to put the conference on.
The original plan was then to leave and go back to site in the afternoon, but Darryl went above and beyond and scheduled us a tour at the milk and cheese factory of Njombe which just happened to be right down the street. We packed up our things and headed out. The tour was perfect to tie into the science conference, because they got to see and try a real life application of titration, centrifuges, acids and bases, bacteria, etc. They even got a free sample of yogurt when they left. After the tour, we headed into town and immediately caught busses back to our villages.

And of course we had fun taking pictures the next day!

Group shot of everyone at the conference including PCVs, counterparts and students

Representing MNGSS. I'm so proud of my students

PCV Njombe Science Teachers

Darryl, Steve and I in our sanitary gear to enter the factory

Yes, when you live in TZ, cheese and milk is this exciting!

 The conference was a whirlwind, but I know that I enjoyed every second of it and so did my students. It was so inspiring to see the creativity and abilities of these bright students in a setting where they were encouraged to really use their brains and do hands-on science, the way it’s meant to be learned. In the Tanzanian system like most education systems now, teachers are so focused on students passing standardized tests, that we forget what it means to really learn. This conference reminded me of the potential that exists in all of my students and it's my job to help them realize it.