Running in Mzumbe

For many of our WorldTeach volunteers, staying in shape while serving abroad is a priority both as a way of developing a daily routine in a new home as well as a great way to relieve stress and unwind after a challenging day of teaching and straining to understand a foreign language. WorldTeach volunteer Matt Mills shares below the adventures of his daily running routine in Mzumbe, Tanzania.

For anyone who may or may not be aware, running is a very big constant in my life and has been for many many years.  Even back at home when I’m at my busiest, I always found time to run on a regular basis- almost everyday.  When I came to Tanzania, I wasn’t sure of what my living situation would be like, or if my new home would have anywhere that might be suitable to keep up my regular habit of running.  Fortunately, when I arrived at Mzumbe I was quite surprised and incredibly pleased with all of the beautiful grounds that I could explore and run on. 

As I have described in words and pictures from previous posts, Mzumbe is quite an expansive campus, surrounded by many green fields and mountains.  Once I step out my door, I have a multitude of running options to choose from.  After a first few weeks of exploring the trails (which included getting a little lost every now and then), I found an area of trails behind the school campus that I decided to stick to for my regular runs.  

Just about every day I run at the same time in the evening, usually between 5 and 6 P.M.  At this time of day, the sun is setting and it’s a lot cooler than it is during the midday when it’s really hot.  Also it’s really quiet and peaceful along the trails, and there aren’t many people walking out in the fields.  Most days when it’s clear out, I get to observe a pretty spectacular sunset on my run, which sometimes causes me to stop for a minute to take it all in.  The trails that I run around are all dirt paths that surround farm fields of various crops.  The dirt paths are a nice alternative to concrete, but unfortunately can make runs a bit dirty.  I think my socks are permanently brown and my running shoes can speak for themselves.  The farm fields that the trails border are surrounded by the Uluguru mountains, and running along the trails you get some really spectacular views of the green mountains that overlook Mzumbe.  They are especially beautiful when the light from the setting sun hits them in the evening. 

Since I do run just about every day, the Mzumbe community never fails to greet me hello as I run by the students, a fellow teacher or a neighbor.  Even the kids get excited when I run past them, stopping their activity to wave and shout “Hello Matthew!”  It’s a pretty cool experience.  Also every now and then a student will come to my door and ask to join me on my run.  Of course I’m willing to always have the company, and it’s always fun to get to know some of the students personally.  I had been interested to possibly start a running club at Mzumbe, but since most students prefer playing soccer or studying in the evening, I couldn’t get enough students interested.  Of course since the way of life here is Pole Pole, most Tanzanians would rather be relaxing than going out for an evening run anyway.

As it was back in the U.S., running has stayed a constant in my daily life here at Mzumbe.  When I run here, it’s one of my favorite times of the day to unwind, relax, reflect and appreciate the beautiful surroundings I’m lucky enough to have around me.  Of course the health benefits are great, too, and I have to admit it’s kept me in great shape mentally and physically.  I know when I return home I’ll have to get used to running in the concrete jungle again, so for now I’ll enjoy the deserted, serene and uninterrupted trails of Tanzania as much as possible.

Follow-up: Shortly after putting together this post, I received a brand-new, long-awaited pair of running shoes!  Here's a picture of the newly retired shoes next to the brand new ones.  After getting them, I was a bit afraid to wear them out the door!  Let's see how the new ones look in a few months of hitting the trails...

We are still recruiting for our June 2011 Tanzania departure: apply today!

Farewell, Namibia!

WorldTeach's Namibia program is one of its oldest and most well-loved by its volunteers and alumni alike. This year, six of our volunteers have chosen to extend their stay for an additional year, including one volunteer for whom this will be their 4th consecutive year of service with WorldTeach Namibia! The departing group has kindly shared some of its memories and reflections with us in this video.

Giving Back, Looking Back

Kristy Hui, who has just recently returned from the WorldTeach Chile Semester program, shares reflections on her experience and the rewards of an independent fundraising initiative.  Welcome home, Kristy!!

Kristy and her 12th grade students

Two things that I had never done before WorldTeach: live in a foreign country where I didn’t know the language, and fundraise for a project independently. I was able to accomplish both through being a part of WorldTeach this year, and I am very grateful. I was a volunteer in the WorldTeach Chile Semester 2010 program and taught English to an amazing group of 7th to 12th grade girls for 4 months. I was placed in Colegio Republica de Columbia, an all-girls public school in Viña del Mar. Although the school has had previous part-time volunteers, they had never had any full-time volunteers that taught classes in their own classroom like I did.  The students were a little unsure what to expect of me in the beginning, but warmed up to me fast and my new way of teaching.

Opportunities are limited for a lot of my students because they come from rough backgrounds, and public schools in Chile also have limited funds (as in many other places).  I found my students to be sweet, funny, and very bright-- they just needed a little dose of motivation to learn English. Having taught them has motivated me to continue on my path as a teacher, and I have learned so much from working with the girls. I really miss them!

Kristy in action in her classroom

My idea for my fundraising project started when I found out that one of the laptops at school had been stolen. The school previously had 2 laptops, one for administrative purposes and one for students to use. Since the laptop was stolen, the only laptop at the school had to be used to administrative purposes and there was no lap top available for the students to use. I noticed that every time the girls wanted to do a presentation for the class they would have to carry a heavy PC modem up to their classroom. I wanted to do something to give back to the school because I had a wonderful experience teaching there, so I decided to fundraise to get the school a new lap top. I got inspiration from a friend in the program that had done a fundraising project for her school, successfully raising money to buy her school’s English department a digital projector. With only 2 weeks to raise the money, I was a little doubtful I could meet my goal, but I hoped for the best. I sent out emails to friends and family, posted links on facebook to my fundraising page, and asked my mother to tell family friends about my project.

I had originally set my fundraising goal at $600, but before I knew it I had raised $1, 520 for my project! I am so incredibly grateful tp my family and friends that donated to my project, and because of their generosity I was able to buy my school not one, but two new lap tops for the school! When I had brought the laptops during the last day at the school the school supervisor (UTP) told me that she thought that his was “a gift from God”. The looks on their faces of gratefulness and surprise made everything worth it. I specifically asked for these two laptops to be used by the students, and I know that they will be a beneficial tool in their education. My students have made a huge impact on my life, so I thought that this was an appropriate way to give them my thanks. I wish my students the best of luck, and they will always hold a special place in my heart.

 Kristy's school supervisor, head of school and English co-teacher checking out their new laptops