My assignment!!!

Real quickly, I just wanted to tell you all about my assignment that I received yesterday. So my placement in Tanzania is Buko Secondary School, located in the Mara Region near the town of Musoma. This is a special placement, in that my sponsor is the country’s Attorney General, Honorable Justice Frederick Werema. 
Mara Region is located in northern Tanzania, and the district I have been assigned to is called “MusomaVijijini” (Musoma Rural). To get there, Mr. Werema is flying me and my co-teacher Jacob to Tanzania’s second largest city, Mwanza, and then a car will take us 4 hours north to the Lake Victoria town of Musoma. I get to pass through the Serengeti National Park half way through the drive!!! I hope I get to see lots of animals. I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed. Then we have about one hour on a bumpy dirt road to reach the villages of Buswahili and Kongoto where I will be teaching. Kongoto has a desert like landscape and dry soil, but after only a one hour drive, you can reach the shores of Lake Victoria. You have to kind of look at a map...I will see if I can find a good one!

Buko Secondary School’s name is a combination of the two villages it serves- Buswahili and Kongoto. To get to school from my house, it’s a 20 minute walk down a flat road, or a 5 minute bicycle ride. The school population is small with about 20 students per class. There are only 6 teachers for the 200 students. Few girls attend school; there were only 3 or 4 girls per class. There are very little to no resources.  If there is anything used at the school, it is teacher guides only. No books are given to students. Additionally, Buko has no science or math teachers, at all, and if I am interested in picking up some extra classes in these subjects, I totally can.

So...I am excited, but definitely nervous!!! I cannot believe I leave tomorrow! Please keep me in your prayers :)

much love...katie