First Lessons

On Tuesday, we started Swahili lessons by learning all of the different greetings. So far, it’s pretty fun, and I especially like our small group and our instructor, Edward. I hope that these lessons will help a lot, so that I don’t always feel lost when Tanzanians speak to me. Our host mom likes to test us by only speaking in Swahili unless we ask her what she means. I generally just nod along, not understanding a lot of it. Lab wasn’t anything too exciting on Tuesday, just going through our tool kit. At the end of the day, some of the guys tried to play the season finale of Game of Thrones on the projector, and everyone was really excited. Unfortunately, it didn’t want to cooperate, and we didn’t get to watch it. I was also disappointed because my computer stopped connecting to the Wi-Fi, and it took me until this afternoon to get it working again.

Wednesday started out great, with delicious rice cakes for breakfast. During Swahili lessons we worked on the verb “to be” which covers a lot of get to know you questions. We usually get to sing a couple songs during class which makes it easier to remember some words. Acting out scenes in Swahili is another activity we do every day and is always good for a few laughs.

We went through our first real lab on Wednesday! My lab partner, Allie, and I practiced soldering different types of wires and resistors together. I think we will make a good team this summer. At the end of the day, Franael, who works at Nkoaranga parish called to say he was coming to visit me at TCDC. He and Pastor Fred stopped by shortly after. It was good to see them again.

When everyone was ready, the group walked into town to the supermarket. It was a little scary walking right on the highway because cars do not stop or slow down to go past you. It was interesting to see the supermarket with many shops, restaurants, and a bar nearby. I want to try to be more diligent in taking pictures soon. When Wangui and I got back to our homestay, the daughter Deborah was there. We asked if she could show us around the farm outside. She showed us the cows, pigs, chicks, and goats outside. She’s quite interesting to talk to. She told us about her goals; she wants to become a Swahili teacher one day and learn to keep a small garden herself. Our host mama also invited us to church on Sunday, which I am excited to attend.

Today, our lab was making an extension cord. We had to strip the wires and connect each one to the correct spot on the outlet. Our lecture was primarily on electrocardiograms, which I’ve covered a lot in school before. During lecture we always talk about common problems we might have to troubleshoot in the hospitals. Tomorrow is our first day in a hospital, and we’re going to Mt. Meru Hospital. I am very excited to be able to work on actual medical devices. We will also be close to downtown Arusha, so I hope we get the chance to walk around a bit.