Daily Schedule

Justin’s daily schedule:
6:45 am- Wake up to the sound of multiple roosters outside my window ( they start at 4am!)
7:00 am- Go take a bucket bath with water heated by the stove ( I love a bucket of warm water in the morning)
7:30 am- Sit down for breakfast usually a hard-boiled egg, some form of bread either a roll or few slices of fresh bread and a cup of warm milk or tea
7:45 am- Walk to my classroom which is in the house of someone who lives in the village we are using their front room to hold class. I have to walk by hundreds of kids asking how my day is in English, and me responding in Kiswahili.
8:00am- Arrive at the classroom to practice Kiswahili with 3 other peace corps volunteer and a teacher.
10:00am- Break for Tea. Who would have ever thought I enjoyed taking a break for tea, but when they feed you fried foods with tea I will take a break any day.
10:30am- Go back to learning Kiswahili and studying the culture
12:30pm- Break for lunch. Lunch usually consists of a vegetable either spinach, cabbage, or some other that is found in Africa, most of the time we have beans and rice. Usually we have some form of a fried food like chipate (a fried soft flat bread) or samboosas (a fried triangle kind of like a egg roll, either stuffed with potatoes, vegetables, or some ground beef)
1:00pm- Play with all the kids that sit outside our classroom all day listening to us butcher their language
1:30pm- Go back to practicing Kiswahili
3:00pm- 4:00pm We finish up for the day depending on how much our head hurts from learning new words and concepts
4:00pm Sit and relax with my three other classmates and drink a cold pop in our village. Laugh about how bad we are at the language and how much we want some American fast food, or some CHEESE
5:00pm I walk back to my house to play with my three little brothers and whatever neighbor kids want to play soccer with me that day.
6:30pm The sun sets and I move to the backyard to see if I can help make dinner. Most of the time I just watch as they cook, but sometimes I get to help. I really want to learn more techniques they use to cook. It is over a wood fire, or charcoal usually. They use cast iron pots and pans.
7:30pm I take another bucket bath
8:00pm I come inside and relax maybe read a little before my dinner is served. This is all done by candle light or a flashlight because there is no electricity
8:30pm I eat dinner. This varies a lot from rice and beans, to greens and ugali, to beef and rice. I am always way over fed and need to be rolled to my room to fall asleep.
9:00pm I am in bed and ready to fall asleep, I usually read for a bit, but realize I am not comprehending (because I am so tired) so I give up and go to sleep.