2 Weeks

I can't believe that I leave in two weeks! It's unreal. I am so nervous. There are so many little things to sort out.

Is my ukulele too big for carry on? (must check with both airlines)
How much will an extra piece of luggage cost?
How much money should I budget for the week in London?
What am I going to do that whole week, without spending too much?
How different will it be returning to the place I lived in for a year?
Who will meet me at the airport in Africa?
Where am I staying once I get there?
Do I have all of the documents I need for arrival at the airport?
What if my luggage gets lost?
Do I need travelers insurance?
What do I have for curriculum/lesson plans?
How am I going to teach with my limited Swahili and their limited English?
I need to work on my Swahili...
What do I need to bring with me?
How do I get all of my prescriptions in advance?
I need culturally appropriate clothes.
I need to bring all toiletries with me (toothpaste, deodorant, hairspray, razors etc.) 6 months worth.
I should see the dentist before I leave...

What am I forgetting?

And the biggest thing I'm worried about? Culture shock. I guess the reason I'm so worried is because I've experienced it before, and I know how hard the first couple of weeks are going to be. I really need to approach everything with an open, excited, and curious attitude, but of course that's easier said than done.

Purchases!

I made some purchases with the donation money!

First I got Remo sound shapes from University music in Lowell.

Then, I went to guitar center in Nashua and got a Roland micro cube, a mic,  and a cable. But if I spent 50 more dollars, I got a $50 coupon, so I got a vibraslap, kid size drum sticks, and a cowbell pretty much for free!

Billerica Minuteman

Check out the front page of this week's Billerica Minuteman!

Thanks Angie, wonderfully written!

I'd also like to thank George & Gail Lucozzi at ASA Photographic for the photo, which they took at my senior saxophone recital at UMass Dartmouth. I am very close to them and their kids; definitely have a look at their website!

For those of you who were led to this blog via the newspaper article, Karibu (welcome)! As Angie said, I am looking for monetary donations and used or new instruments.

I also have some new information on what exactly I'll be doing at Amani. It turns out that it's going to be a music club that meets after school and on Saturdays, so it will be voluntary for the kids. So my tentative schedule is Tuesday-Thursday 12-6, sometime on Saturday, and meetings every Monday.

I've also been looking into accommodation, which has proven difficult. I'm interested in Hostel Hoff, but I'm not sure I can afford it. Check out the site though, it looks like a wonderful place! And yes, it is named after David Hasselhoff.

And I've decided on a couple more purchases to make with the donation money, in addition to a set of Remo sound shapes, I'm going to get a small amp ("micro cube") and a mic, for featuring lead vocals over a chorus.

University Music Shop

I'd like to say a HUGE thanks to the folks at University Music shop in Lowell. I took sax lessons there when I was 9 years old, and when I stopped by last week to see if Marlene was able to donate any instruments, without hesitation she took out a magazine and said "What do you want?"

Today I picked up the contribution:
10 recorders
manuscript paper
guitar strings
a frame drum
a whole box of percussion instruments, maracas, bells, castanets, tambourine, enough for a whole class!
and some conveniently shaped shakers :P

Thank you so much!

Fedha. Pesa. Geld. Dinero...Money

Before I accepted this volunteer opportunity, I was told the cost of living (including rent, transportation, going out etc.) was only $250/month, so about $1500 for the whole time, I can do that. I am still being told that figure, at the same time as being given links of places to stay that cost minimum $450 a month, $3000 just for rent. I can't do that. I found a slightly cheaper hostel, I think, but every website has a different price for it. And there are no apartments for rent in Moshi.
There is just no way to figure this out online. It looks like I'm going there, Amani will put me up for a bit, and I'll have to wing it. While I do enjoy a certain degree of uncertainty when I travel, I don't enjoy it when every single aspect of my life is up in the air.
Yes, the reason I'm going to Moshi is for Amani. The reason is to volunteer and make a difference. But, I'm going to be in Africa. How can I live there and not experience, Africa? I want to go on Safari, I want to climb Kili, I want to see lions and zebras and elephants and giraffes. I want to see the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro crater, and Lake Manyara. I would like to travel to Zanzibar at some point. I would love to take an extended trip to Victoria Falls after my volunteering is over.
I will never get this chance again. There is no "you could go back someday." Any adult will tell you "someday" turns into never.
I have $3000 saved, with visa fees and rent, that's gone. I already owe $1200 on my credit card, and I haven't even booked a flight home.
Yes, of course I'm going, and I have enough to survive while I'm there, but I'm not sure that I have enough to live.

Gratitude

Mixed emotions right now.

I'm really excited because I LOVE Christmas. I'm pretty much done shopping and wrapping already and we haven't even put our tree up.

I leave next. month.

It really hasn't set in, which is normal for me. What I'm doing won't really set in until I'm alone for the first time in a new place, probably right before I go to sleep the first night in Africa. That time is always the hardest. I'm sure I'll have plenty to occupy my mind all day, but that time right before bed...I'm not looking forward to it, especially since this time I'm leaving a boyfriend behind.

I'm nervous about everything.

Teaching, where I'll live, getting my visa and residence permit, meeting people, speaking the language, how to dress, how my body will handle the heat, finding my way in a new city, different cultural expectations. Every. single. thing about the life I'm heading to in a month will be different. Everything. In an anthropology class I took we were studying different cultural expectations around the world; one end of the scale was America, the other end was Africa.

This is going to be hard.

But as Siri Karm (a friend, sikh, and president of the Boston Language Institute) said last Friday night, it is best to approach every challenge in life with gratitude. In the end, when I overcome this challenge, I know I'll be a better person.

5+5

Asante to everyone who has donated so far!
Every little bit counts, if you donate $5, and then pass the link on to 5 friends, who also donate $5, that's $30 right there! So don't think that you can't help, even if you really can't make a donation, spread the word! It's amazing what can happen when we all get together.

I have a pending donation of $108 from Siri Karm at the Boston Language Institute, thank you so much for your kindness!

Also, I have made business cards! If you would like some to hand out to friends and family let me know. Thanks John and Judi for helping me make them!

There are also some updates to the site, as you can see there is now a "fundraising thermometer" to the right. All things considered I think we have made great progress, and I have faith that I will reach my goal! I have also added a link to the official Amani website on the top right. And if you scroll down to the bottom I have posted my email. Don't forget to check out the list of people who have donated!

Swhahili for your thoughts.
In Swahili, the prefix changes rather than the suffix when you change the class of the word, ex. mtoto - child, watoto - children
so...
Jambo - hello
Hujambo - How are you? (to one person)
Sijambo - I'm fine
Hamjambo - How are you? (to more than one person)
Hatujambo - We're fine.

Donate!

The donate button is up! At the top of the page on the right. Thanks John for helping me out :)
If you'd like to make a donation, the money is going to go towards recorders, percussion instruments, sheet music, and a decent CD player. Paypal does take a bit of it, but it's still awesome to have an easy way to donate!
PLEASE share this with as many people as possible!


I've also added the Amani video, and if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, Amani do-gooders!

More Needles

Today I got a typhoid vaccine, polio vaccine, and the second of three rabies vaccines. They didn't hurt as much as the others, but I know how sore I'm going to be from the rabies one. Taking my backpack on and off while climbing Mt. Monadnock tomorrow is going to be interesting...

My doctor prescribed azithromycin for the inevitable diarrhea for the first couple of weeks. Definitely bringing some over the counter stuff for the rest of the time, just in case. She also prescribed doxycycline for malaria, which I have to take every day on a full stomach starting the day before I leave, the entire time I'm there, and for a couple weeks after I get back.

I got faux leather to make the peace bracelets with, but it is definitely not as malleable as real leather, looks like I'll have to go with the real stuff. I never realized how easy it is to work leather, it's like writing in butter! I got some leather stamps and a metal stylus, can't wait to get the leather and start playing!

Amani!

Peace!
Amani means peace in Kiswahili, Amani is also the name of a children's home located in Moshi, Tanzania. In January 2012 I'll be traveling to Tanzania to start a music program at Amani children's home.

Right now I'm in the fundraising/preparing stage. I got stuck by 5 needles yesterday! Meningitis vaccine, yellow fever, rabies, a TB test, and some blood work. I am a human pincushion! I also need to be fundraising, learning Kiswahili, and getting some ideas/lessons about teaching music!

As for fundraising, hopefully I will get a donation button up here soon. Also, I will be making bracelets! Peace bracelets, they are going to say peace on them in all different languages. I will definitely post when I have those sorted! I need money for a good CD player for the classroom, lots of percussion instruments, recorders, and sheet music.

Kiswahili is the language spoken in Tanzania, along with some English. And if you've seen the Lion King, then you know some already!
simba=lion
rafiki=friend
hakuna matata=no worries
asante sana=thank you very much

Some other words I really enjoy:
Jambo=hello
Mambo=what's up?
Na wewe?=and you?
Mchana mwema=Have a nice day.
Bomba!=Fantastic!

And as for teaching music, well, I've never taught it before! Right now I teach English as a second language, and I definitely believe that any experience teaching is helpful. I have observed once at the Kennedy elementary school in Billerica, and have gotten some ideas from the teacher there. But, I really could use all the advice I can get! I'm thinking lots of singing and dancing and chorus activities, if anyone could recommend any books with good music and back-up CDs that would be wonderful!

At this point I'm the usual, nervous and excited. It's going to be hard, and unbelievably rewarding. Six months really isn't that long, but I'm sure it will feel like it sometimes. I'm stopping in London for a week first, and am SO excited about being back there and seeing some great friends. I leave Boston on January 4th, then I leave London on January 11th, switching planes in Mombabsa, Kenya. Then to Kilimanjaro international airport, which is about 45mins from Moshi. Amani is right at the bottom of Mount Kilimanjaro! I definitely want to attempt a climb while there, who could resist? Moshi is the city that all climbers go through. I've also checked out couchsurfing and there are plenty of CSers in Moshi.

So, in summary, fundraising, preparing, learning Kiswahili, and getting stuck with lots of needles!

For more information on Amani, visit http://amanikids.org/