Train as Hard as This Kid!

I live in Tanzania, East Africa. I’m a Peace Corps volunteer here, and I live in a village called Ihanja. My house is near the local primary school and kids pass it on their way home. One day they caught me on my rock rings and, enthralled, asked to try them out. Soon they were crowded around seeing who could do the most pullups. This picture is of a kid named Ben who wanted to win the contest…bad.

After I graduated from college, I decided to apply to the U.S. Peace Corps. I had done some volunteer work at an AIDS Outreach so I was accepted and assigned to the Health Education sector. I got sent to Tanzania in June 2009 and will be here until August 2011. I learned to speak Swahili and respect village culture in the coastal region of Tanga before I was permanently assigned to a rural site in Ihanja. It’s comprised mostly of subsistence farmers. One of the main local crops is the sunflower (seeds are pressed for oil). We have no running water or electricity. I use candles or a kerosene lantern at night, bathe out of a bucket, and cook over a charcoal fire (when I’m not too lazy; other times I eat a Clif bar sent in a care package from home and call it a day).

Here, I teach general health at the local Health Centre and the village secondary school. I cover things like malaria prevention, family planning, nutrition, water sanitation, and of course, HIV/AIDS. I pass along simple concepts like how important it is to boil all drinking water (here, dirty water is unfortunately common and deadly), and how to use condoms properly, which is hilarious and fun. For demos I use bananas and soda bottles. It’s been a very rewarding experience so far.

The kids are the greatest. At first, they came to stare at me out of curiosity; after all, I’m the first "mzungu" to ever live in Ihanja. After a while they warmed up to me, and now, they come just to hang out. I love it. We learn from each other. Sometimes we go on runs together, other times we take turns on the rock rings. Ever since they discovered the rock rings, they constantly ask to use them. I love to hear them say "rock rings." They roll their R’s, and it’s cute. The people of Ihanja are truly beautiful. They have welcomed me like family and support me wholeheartedly in my work.

Check out the rest of Cecelia’s adventures on her blog: cessieintanzania.wordpress.com