Saturday, December 8, 2007

TODAY IN DODOMA


Well, this is the first chance I've had in a while to sit down at a computer to post a blog entry. Carla and I have been in Dodoma for the past several days for our In-Service Training or IST. We're reunited with our friends from Pre-Service Training (PST) for a couple of weeks before we have to return to our respective villages. During IST we're learning about orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs), grant writing, permaculture, project design, management, and implementation, and how to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on our communities. For the first few days of IST it was just us and our fellow PCVs, then our counterparts and supervisors from our villages joined us. Each PCV chooses a counterpart to bring to seminars like IST; this way people who have more of a vested interest in the community are trained along with us. Realistically, as PCVs, we're only here for two years, then it's up to the community to continue the projects that have been started. Carla and I decided to bring Zizo and Gilbert and it seems like they're really enjoying it and they're getting a chance to meet other counterparts who share similar experiences. Tomorrow is Tanzania's Independence Day and we have no classes scheduled, but we may go to the stadium to see President Kikwete give an address. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday will be all about permaculture gardening and grant writing, and then we go back to Kibakwe with a group of our friends on Thursday or Friday. So, for about a week Kibakwe will be overrun with Wazungu (white people). I hope everyone back home in the U.S. is doing well and I want you all to know that Carla and I love and miss you.

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