So a lot as happened in the month since my last post, including : tons of school assignments, protests and demonstrations at school, getting malaria, floods and now Christmas is upon us.
The amount of school assignments is expected considering it is now the half-way point so now comes all the papers and tests. Assignments here aren't so different, but they are different enough to make you notice. Firstly, I'm not so used to joint papers, or writing one paper for a group of people. This is done all the time here. Secondly, tests seem to always be essays style and so far I've been given a lists of questions before the test then when you get to the test you pick from that list which to write. I have not actually discovered how grading calculates how to be since I have not received any grades for my work yet, however; I do know that the grading system is different. For example 70-100 is considered an A here, this is throwing me totally off guard thinking that is isn't difficult to get a 70 which doesn't seem to be true. I'm still anxious to see exactly what kind of grades my work will get me here.
On to the demonstrations. Around the start of semester protest started for students whom had not received the student loans. How they were handled was rather interesting. When the students were walking around campus you can always hear them before seeing them, then you see other students running, and finally (if you stay around) you are greeted by students waving sticks. It apparently can turn rather violent (or from my assumptions) since people are always running from them. I heard numerous stories about students being hit with these sticks if they refused to join the strike. I happen to be at the right places at the right times and seemed to avoid all the commotion, (although I would like a better inside scoop). That was the start of the semester, and during the first strike, some students were arrested. Afterwards they protested to get the ones arrested out of custody, once that happened some students were suspended. So this month they started to demonstrate for the ones suspended which just seemed to result in expulsions. So during the days where the strikes were occurring there were no classes. Either the students or teachers didn't want to disrupt the protests or they were ran out of classes by the ones protesting. Nevertheless it was a lot of drama and no classes.
Only after the expulsions and classes resumed did I get the wonderful parasite of malaria. I'll be honest, before arriving here I was terrified of contracting malaria (especially with my history of being sick); but after being here I realized how common it actually is and because of this how easily it is tested and treated. The tests itself is a simple finger prick with results in about 30 minutes. The medication to treat malaria, in my opinion, makes you feel worse than malaria actually does! The dosage is so strong, it caused severe dizziness along with nausea and vomiting. I couldn't eat or walk around for about 3 days. Aside from that malaria feels pretty much like any other illness and was nothing compared to pneumonia that I went through before. So I preserved and according to my host mom handled it very well and was very strong. =)
Luckily for me malaria kept me inside the house all week. This was a good thing because it rained so heavily since Monday causing floods which have affected thousands of citizens. Around 5000 people have been displaced from their homes, and numerous roads and bridges have been damaged. I don't know the current statistic of the fatalities due to the floods but I know it isn't good. Many houses are completely filled with water and many streets are impassable. With so many people affected, you feel the devastation around.
With everything going and the lack of freezing weather, I had almost completely forgotten that tomorrow is Christmas Eve. It is like it has snuck up on me, and on top of all that it just doesn't feel like Christmas to me. While it is still celebrated here and many families are Christians, it lacks the obsessive and flare as Christmas is the states. The mall is decorated and I hear Christmas music playing in most places but for some reason it doesn't feel like in your face Christmas spirit.
On the music note: Tanzanians love country music especially Kenny Rogers. This I've just found a fun, interesting and surprising fact here. So to everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to you and yours! Wishing I could be around family and friends at home to celebrate during this time but instead I'll be there in spirit!
Hakuna Matata,
Kimberly
