Start of 2nd round of visits - Iringa to Mpuguso & Tukuyu

On Sunday morning (20th October) we caught the 8am bus to Mbeya from Iringa. Well, it actually left at 7.55am, which left Carla & myself open-mouthed! The bus was called 'Chaula Class', and had very narrow and hot seats, but at least we were in a row of 2 so it was just me and Carla, with Juanito across the aisle on the end of a 3-seat row. Phew it was warm on there, with the heat of the engine coming up through the soles of your shoes, and the sides of the bus. I think beaded seat covers would sell like hot cakes here! Maybe they could be made to double up as an extra bag that folds (a small one of course!)...hmm the creative juices are flowing now...

The seat in front of me was very high-backed (for me, anyway) so I couldn't see out of the front window, but at least I had a side window to watch the scenery go by. It wasn't the worst bus journey we have had, but we were pleased to arrive in Mbeya at 1.15pm where Juanito promptly went to find if there was a bus going to Tukuyu (our final destination), which there was and leaving imminently so we hot-footed it across the bus station and got into a minibus, larger than a dala dala (which is like the size of an Espace) with about 12 seats. We were the first ones on so we got to choose our seats too. Whilst leaving Mbeya we made several stops in the suburbs where drivers of similar minibuses literally fought over passengers, and drinks sellers were persistent in opening the window next to where I was sat and trying to sell their wares, resorting to asking for money when I didn't need to buy from them as I already had a drink, so I felt rude but in the end had to close the window. On our travels and in Iringa people generally accept 'no thanks' as an answer (in English or Kiswahili) but in Mbeya I found they were really quite demanding and unpleasant as they persist and don't accept my response; the last time we were there also, and so it's not a town where any of us actually get a comfortable feeling or want to stay.

From Mbeya to Tukuyu we passed some spectacular landscapes and seasons - black clouds in the sky, to bright sunshine, to clouding over and cool, finally arriving in Tukuyu at 4pm where it was a comfortable temperature and not raining as it was a couple of weeks before. We carried our bags to one of our homes from home - the DM Motel (where we bumped into Chris, Chris, Ramadhani and Victor last time), and after asking for them to put the hot water on took a 'shower' (trickle). It's a nice place to stay though! The rooms are quite large, and the bed more comfortable than the one I have in Iringa... however if you want to dine there (and there are not many other options in Tukuyu) then make sure you go to the dining area at least an hour before you will want to eat, as that is the shortest amount of time we have had to wait for food. I guess  it really is made fresh!

So on Monday morning Juanito has ordered a taxi to take us to the TTC but Tiko shows up with the college car to collect us, which is a nice surprise so we cancel the taxi. Unfortunately the principal has been called to Dar and won't be back until Tuesday evening, and then on Wednesday the principals all need to go to Mbeya for another meeting, so maybe we will get to see her on Thursday evening but for now we will have to proceed with our programme without her. That the principals are called away from their college and at short notice is a common occurrence, which makes me wonder about the skills needed for them to be what is essentially a principal from a distance, like distance learning. I wonder what the 'super Heads' in the UK who manage more than 1 school would be able to share of their experiences, as I imagine it to be something similar. And so we meet with the leadership team who is there, and arrange the schedule for the coming day and next day, where Juanito and I will meet with the Heads of Departments plus 1 representative from each department.

During our ensuing sessions with the tutors it was so enjoyable to discuss teaching methodology and finding different ways of interacting with the students and motivating them, even when class sizes are large and we have limited or no resources! Using different participatory methodologies was something I loved at the beginning of my teaching and then felt was waning as I let the bureaucracy bog me down. Juanito then followed with an introduction to using local materials for creating teaching aids, and we had a really nice time back in Mpuguso TTC. Next stop Tukuyu TTC!