Two and a half months experience as a Physics and Mathematics teacher in Msongola Secondary School, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

Key skills gained/improved: Teaching, communication, cultural exchange, project implementation, taking initiatives, problem solving, team work and flexibility.

Best experiences:

-A 800km trip to the south, by Truck!

-Staying at the family of a local friend in Mbeya.

-Implementing a Masterclass

-Safari in Mikumi Park.

-Teaching on Monday mornings ;)

-Attending a gospel church service

-swimming in the Indian Ocean

-Getting discharged from a Tanzania hospital

-Dancing with locals

-Learning how to make Kitumbua

-Waking up from monkeys jumping on the roof

Arriving in Dar Es Salaam was like arriving in a different world. The drive from the airport to the project by itself was stunning. All the people on the street, small shops, holes in the road.

After the introduction the real work started. I got appointed Mathematics teacher for two form 1 classes and physics teacher for one form 3 class. They gave me some books and the syllabus and told me that I could start the next day.

The first lessons were pioneering. Finding ways to overcome challenges. A lot of things were different here. It surprised me that the students didn’t have books. I realized that I had to learn some Kiswahili. It shocked me that the children were beaten. My fellow teachers were post graduate. It was a shame that all the students had the prejudge that mathematics and physics are difficult. It was interesting that all the books for the students were in English and that the subject matter was of very high standard.

I learned to count and do math in Kiswahili. I brought books from the library to the classroom (and back again because they were scared the books would get stolen or damaged.). Students who did not have books wrote on the table, challenges were being tackled.

After some time I really felt like a teacher. Preparing lessons, exams and constantly busy to find new ways of teaching. I was really lucky that two new volunteers came, this gave me the opportunity to really talk about issues in the school, and find solutions to overcome them. For example we noticed that the students were not properly capable to prepare for an exam.

To tackle this challenge we implemented a new initiative: Masterclass Personal Development and Time Management. This Masterclass was focused on the personal development of the students, improving a few very important skills like how to plan for an exam, learn strategies and time management. After finishing the Masterclass all the students received a very nice certificate. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the last weeks of the Masterclass because I got very ill and ended up in the hospital. This is also a part of project implementation, unexpected things can happen at any point. Luckily I recovered just in time to go one last time to the school and say goodbye to all the students.

Time to move on to my next international experience in India!