created & maintained by Chris Biles
I am at long last on vacation. These past few months have been consumed by a lot of treadmill running, and I am happy to take a break from it. I suppose I haven’t just been on a treadmill, since we’ve admittedly gotten somewhere. We have completed about half of the big garden and water …
The sun will rise tomorrow, and it is always rising on some horizon. I stood in my courtyard last night, the moon had yet to arrive and it was the darkest of dark. The stars absolutely blew my mind. I’m not sure how many times I turned a stationary circle, enjoying the way the specks …
I have been rather numb since Election Day. I went to town to meet up with other volunteers and watch the election live, streamed from our computers. We had a little party, made a map to color in as the votes were counted throughout the early AM (for us here in TZ), wrote on slips …
"... Close to the western summit there is a dried and frozen carcas of a leopard. No one has explained what the leopard was seeking at that altitude.” ― Ernest Hemingway, The Snows of Kilimanjaro Well, we did it. The six days of our kili climb flew by in excitement, anticipation, and then happy exhaustion. …
The highest point in all of Africa – I’m on my way there now. Today begins a two-week trip up to Moshi and Mt. Kilimanjaro. Six of those days will be spent climbing the mountain with four fellow volunteers. I am beyond excited to be on a trail for an extended period of time once …
At long last I am beginning my main project here at site. They don’t lie when they say it can take a year plus to really get going on a big project. It’s exciting now that things are moving. We are still in the planning phases, but the grant is almost ready for review, and …
Looking at the date, I realize that it is officially the coldest time of the year. And that means cold where I live. Yes, I do live very close to the equator, but also a bit closer to the stars than the rest of TZ. I’m feelin’ it. If the sun isn’t out, it’s cold. …
Just a warning, this entry comes in the form of a eulogy. It is also my tale of the death of, and funeral for, a close friend in my village. It is a bit intense, and sad, but will also help to paint a picture of how Tanzanians process death. Instead of using the names …
I don’t know if I mentioned this in my last post, but it’d be good to reiterate anyway: it is officially the dry season here in the Southern Highlands. One day, it just stopped raining, and it hasn’t started up again since. Abrupt, but I’m okay with that. I’m guessing I’ll tire of the dry …
Peace Corps service is like a looooong run on a treadmill, with some devil-of-a-person playing with the speed level and incline settings… You are always at the very end, feet flying off the back. You land every time at the final few inches of the racing belt, just about to lose balance. Sometimes it all …
marks in the sand 