FranznTanz!: Monday 16 July ...and A Day in The Life of Fran in JuneJuly

Milka and Me....

Milka calls me Mama Kubwa!

Now she has started school she will only call her teacher Madam Fran....

every mwalimu (teacher) is Madam Fran in her eyes!!

My day:
6am Yoga/pilates.... ala Fran

give extraordinary help for my colleague;

7am Breakfast outside overlooking the beautiful Uluguru Mountains

This is a typical week day morning scene

I love to sit out on the single chair in the early morning however on this side of the house I can't see the Mountains. My beautiful passion vine had fallen down from being an arbour keeping the hot aftern noon sun out of the house!! I came home the next day and Mustafa had cut it all down. The orange tree however is a natural trellis and has a heavy hat of passion vine atm. The passion fruit is so full and sweet.

Or it could be on a weekend enjoying pancakes with the lot... before heading out to SEGA

L-R Jessie, Lydia, Ashlie

7.30am Drive Ash, Camilla and I to school in Jack

7.45am assembly;

This wasn't 16/7 but a very typical start to our day. This assembly shows the girls wearing their new t-shirts which were donated by a sister school in The US. Asante SANA. Thanks you so much. The girls are so proud of them

I was one of the last to receive my t-shirt, and.....as usual,...I got the one which was made for

Tz male kubwa SANA...a VERY BIG Tz male!!!

In this pic I am stirring custard which was to be desert after the pot of yummy curry Lydia had made for us for dinner on a sleepover night in the new Volunteers' house

8.00am Secretary then sort and cover classes;

With all the volunteers here during June/July to help with my Lifeskills commitments, I have been able to temporarily shift my energies for this term to focus on Teacher/Headmistress curriculum support so one of my daily duties includes checking with Clementina and assisting her in the daily running of the school.

8:30am Advisee on SEGA's Business/Lifeskills program to Fundacion Paraguaya;

Melissa, educating me on the delights of chilled tea Paraguayan style: Terere Yerba Mate. We shared valuable information on our Lifeskills program and other areas of the curriculum which will be incorporated next semester into the Business Clubs which FP will be running with Mentoring families with the support of the SEGA staff.

10:30am visit/capture pics of Kuku processing;

The Form 3 girls learning how to select 1.5-2kg chickens which are the ones ready for selling to eat. These 4 month old broilers have been carefull nurtured by all the SEGA girls who are rostered to tend them early each morning and evening.

Checking accuracy of weight before taking it outside

Good choice Fra.!

12:30pm visit class;

I entered the Pre Form classroom to find the 4 young volunteers hard at work during their Grammar lesson. It was so pleasing to see them working one on one with the students and observe the students' work displayed around the room!

Good Job girls!

1:00pm Remember Skype AJ/Kizz to talk to them about extending here @ SEGA!;

Having talked at length with Gemma, Evie and Mum...and of course Polly and VSO!!... about the possibility of me extending my placement here at SEGA....I needed to talk it over with the boys and Kiz to be sure that this very, very difficult decision for me was something they would be comfortable with. The time difference between Australia and Tz is something I find very hard as it doesn't allow me much of a window to skype home and have a good old chat!!! When Aussies are awake and it's evening.....I am hard at work...busy busy busy with the routine of a growing school and its challenges and delights etc....Weekends have been spent mainly involved in commitments at SEGA so even the usual Saturday or Sunday chat was out of reach!!

It took me nearly a week to manage to chat to all concerned and be able to come to the conclusion that I am coming home in January for about 5 weeks then returning to SEGA until December 2013!

So.......Karibuni Moro famlilia tamu na marfiki zangu....

Welcome to Morogoro dear family and friends....I know at least one of my kids, Dylan, is planning to come....so this gives you all a longer chance to save and plan to visit!

1:45pm help beat out fires too close to school using tree branches and watering cans.... in between trying to eat lunch!;

Regular burn offs were being done in the district and throughout Tz to get rid of long dry grass but when the nearby fire got too close and was heading straight for the new teachers' and Volunteers' houses....we had to spring into action and swat it out!

2:30pm Select, slaughter, clean and dress 160 kuku. The kuku business was moving steadily with the sales to local hotels and restaurants coming thick and fast. The form 3 girls are learning this business and were up at 4am preparing the first batch. It continued throughout the day. The were very enthusiastic and it was obvious that Haluyi and the Farm manager had taught them well as they were efficient and moved professionally, explaining each step clearly to me.

shepherding the kuku so they don't escape their destiny

Precision team work at its best!

Martha explaining the kukus to a prospective buyer. She did a brilliant job as he purchased a large consignment from us that day!

I couldn't resist getting into the action....again my farming background winning out! It was all too exciting to go back into the classroom for everyone concerned!! However, I hadn't really dressed appropriately!!)

Guts and all!!!!!!!!!

4:00pm ...organise new Clubs selections;

The Clubs system had not been as successful as we had hoped due to many factors....It was definitely not through lack of commitment and trying from those of us involved in the running of it! We reviewed this situation and decided that because of our larger numbers we had the ability to implement a Clubs system which allowed teachers to propose a club of their interest and students could then select the club they were most passionate about. BINGO!! Enthusiasm and commitment.....
I am involved in the Running and Fitness club which has 20 very, very keen girls....some not very fit yet....but their enthusiasm is contagious! We are aiming to be able to run 5 km without stopping early next semester....with the ultimate goal of participating in the Kilimanjaro Half Marathon next year!!!
mmmmmmmmmmmm time will tell who is really committed but....I think I have ignited a spark!
These pics show me giving to the girls the soccer and netballs which my family donated money for. When they are not running they are playing sport on our nearly completed soccer /sport field.

The tyres are the goals

The string is the soccer field boundary!

Hopefully when my money from the Kigali Peace marathon comes through, it will go towards finishing the field and getting goals, equipment etc. We felt it was appropriate to use the money for this immediate, sport related need, as it was raised through my love of sport and fitness, instead of contributing to the fundraising for water harvesting whose funding is looking healthy... but still needs support!

5:15pm eat some kuku liver/intestines cooked expertly after the kuku carnage and sale of kukus...

Jupiter and the Masai enjoying the tasty morsels!

The clean up underway by very weary girls!

A huge, productive but satisfying day girls. Great Job!!

My new club is "Running and Fitness Club" but before the new clubs were formed, I would take the girls running between 5-6pm...... followed by cool down exercises then often we would have fun skipping rope or playing football....These girls are so agile and quick!!

Me wearing my new running shorts sent to me by

my dear fitness friend....Prue. ASANTE SANA dada tamu

High fives for the girls who completed the whole circuit!!

6.30pm Home....hopefully before dark as the Dodoma Road to my home in Kihonda is very busy and chaotic at dusk!!

I love the unpredictable days of my life @ SEGA!

7:00pm: Kisw: Tusker baridi sana moja au Johnny shot moja kwa barafu (mmmmm on my allowance it's usually Grant's!) (Eng: one very cold beer or a shot of whiskey on ice!) au glasi ya mvinyo mwekundu (what else but a classy glass of red wine!!)

Kennedy and his brother, Gift, sharing an Aussie Fosters Beer with me...kindly donated by my Aussie friends, Mike and Lauren. (Aussie Zambia, VSO)

7:30pm Cook/prepare some food..... for ...... 8,9,10......people.... or for whoever is around!

Aussie Aussie Aussie......3 Aussies together in my kitchen!! Sooooo happy.

Mike and Lauren, having finished their placement in Livingston, Zambia, are traveling up through Africa to Ethiopia. We shared a memorable week together in Morogoro.

L-R: Lauren, Mike, Koen (Belgium), Nikki Shearman (Nurturing Minds Board member AND Camilla's Mum who stayed with us for a week....Nikki just slipped into the way of life here ...I was so sad to see her leave but happy she left her daughter with me for a bit longer!!) Karl (Belgium) Me, Camilla

Floris and Ana, Dutch students researching Publishing in Africa working with Liesbeth, (VSO Dodoma) came and stayed with us for a week whilst they researched at SUA and Mzumbe Universities.

Sitting down to eat Floris' extraordinary lentil dish! YUM

Susan, having returned from New Zealand, stopped over on her way to her placement now in Bukoba. Having trained with Mike, Lauren and I back in Aus, she flew to Africa with me and has done most of her placement in Dodoma but is experiencing new territory until the end of her placement in September.