Kwaheri, Kwaheri

Well, this is it...our last week in Africa! Remember when I said back in March that rainy season had arrived? Well, I was wrong. That was just a week-long fluke. Rainy season has actually arrived now, making the 45-minute long walk to school this week nearly impossible. On top of that, it makes the walk to school extremely difficult on half of our students, and turns the school into a mud-pit. Time for spring break? I think so!

The hallway at school. Muddy!



Clare had a wonderful idea awhile back to take the kids from the big class to Shanga, the bead-making factory that employs people with special needs, to show them potential vocational work for their futures. Unfortunately, Shanga was not able to have us visit while Clare was still in Arusha, but Scottie, Hannah, and I were able to take the kids there this past Tuesday. The field trip went amazingly well. Our guide, Andrew was great with the kids, and spoke to them in Kiswahili, so that their attention was captured the entire time. Andrew showed them each of the different areas of work, and had many hands-on activities for the kids to do. Jackson got to use a very scary saw to cut a glass bottle, and a few of the kids had the opportunity to blow glass. One of the workers at Shanga gave us a sign language lesson and all of us got to bead a bracelet and take it home as a souvenir. The best part of the day was when we sat around with all the kids and asked them to tell us something they learned or liked about the trip. So many of the kids said they were surprised to learn that a place like this existed in Arusha, and felt hopeful for their futures because of it. It was such a rewarding feeling and I truly feel that the children and the teachers got a ton out of the experience. Hopefully St. Dymphna's and Shanga will connect in the future for more pre-vocational work together.

Jackson cutting a glass with the saw. I was so proud of him/scared for his fingers!!

Aslamu blowing glass. So cool!

Learning sign language.

Showing off the braclets they beaded.



On Wednesday, Scottie spent time with another volunteer from our program shopping with money that he raised for our school. They managed to buy enough food for the school for an entire quarter as well as many new toys and school supplies. The teachers were very appreciative and I think the supplies will make a big difference for the children at St. Dymphna's.

Thursday was our last day at placement. We've seen quite a few volunteer's last day of placement, so Scottie and I had a pretty good idea of how our last day would go; however we didn't factor the weather into the equation and we ended up having a different day than we expected. Scottie and I arrived to school late, because we had to wait for the rain to stop before we started our hike to school. The school was flooded and covered in mud, and only half of the children were there because the roads were so bad. Instead of separating into the normal classrooms, the students all crowded into one room, and Scottie and I (teacher-less, as usual)  attempted to do some activities that worked for all the different ages and ability levels. We had promised the teachers that we would stay for a special lunch they were making, but ended up having to wait an extra hour for our director to show up for lunch. When she arrived, we did the regular goodbye ceremony, where Scottie was given a traditional African shirt (which we were told he should wear to our wedding) and I a beautiful kanga (whose message reads, "One who feels the pain of her children"). The children sang us songs including the "Kwaheri (goodbye)" song and then we ate lunch together before we said goodbye. While it was a very nice last day, it was perhaps our own fault for having any expectations about how it was going to go. If we've learned anything in Africa, it's that nothing goes according to plan. We were sad to leave, but I feel like I didn't get the closure I was hoping for, especially since we weren't able to say a proper goodbye to some of our favorite little ones. At least it made for a less painful transition home.

Singing "Kwaheri, Kwaheri"

Hugs for Sipora, who tied my kanga on.



Showing off our gifts. Crappy picture courtesy of Teacher Prota.



I truly can't believe three months have already gone by. Each day in Africa seemed to take ages, but each week flew right by. I am grateful to have had this experience at all, and I think Scottie and I have learned a lot of things; some that we expected, and some that we didn't.

Scottie and I have definitely grown closer together on this trip. We learned a lot about each other and ourselves by working together in a new environment, and I can safely say (while we never plan on spending this much time together ever again), we are better for it.

Working in the Tanzanian education system has been enlightening for us as well. Scottie commented that he feels like Tanzanians skipped a few steps along the process of modernization. Many Tanzanians have cell phones and televisions, but few have yet to figure out a way to manage their educational system or bring water to their homes. And while it is easy to judge or criticize, it makes me think about development at home, and the similarities that exist. We live in such an evolved society in the Western world, but still struggle to work together and help those less fortunate than ourselves. Living in Africa has taught us that there are some sad universal truths that exist everywhere, and while I don't know if we are any closer to fixing them, being here has at least made us more aware of them.

Another thing that I am grateful for is that our experience here has come full circle. Initially, being here was extremely difficult for us. There were many moments where I felt hopeless for the children at our school and considered coming home early. I didn't know if there was any way to help our kids or make a difference in Tanzania and I resented this country and our school for the way things were being run. Over time however, and with the various experiences we've had, such as visiting our students' homes, playing with orphans at Cradle of Love, fixing the school's swing set, and making new friends, we've learned to love our experience here and realize the value of it. I know we haven't changed the world, and I don't know if we've even significantly changed the lives of our students or improved our school, but I know we've had some sort of small impact and that has made this trip worthwhile.

I am curious to see how life for us will be different at home. Scottie and I constantly try to predict if we will respond to things differently than we did before we left. I'd like to think I will be a little less stressed about the little things in life, and Scottie hopes he won't take for granted the convenience of having technology available at all times. As always, our life at home won't be very different than it was when we left. Scottie will be going back to his job, and I will be starting a short-term sub position while writing my thesis. I'm sure we'll experience some reverse-culture shock when we get back, but I'm hoping that being here and returning together will lessen it a bit. I think maybe the hardest thing about going home is realizing that the thing that's changed the most while you've been gone is yourself.

Again, we feel so fortunate to have been able to have this experience at all. We know how truly lucky we are to have been able to come to Tanzania, and we've realized how much we take our lives at home for granted. I know that is something we will be more aware of from now on. We've gotten to do so many unique, amazing things in Africa and we've learned a lot through some of the hard moments we've had here as well. Thank you to everyone for supporting us with kind words and encouragement throughout our time here, as well as so many of you for helping us get here in the first place. We can't wait to see you all when we get home and catch up on what we've missed since we've been gone.

Much love from Africa,
Laura and Scottie