The last few days have been quite eventful. Tuesday night, many of us headed to a local bar, Glacier. We had a blast. We sipped on the local brew and some Kinyagi, which tastes like a mix of vodka and rum. A few of the local volunteers came, so we all got our groove on....let's just say that us white volunteers aren't the best dancers when dancing next to the locals...it was a funny site. I was able to spend some time talking with Kaleo, one of the local volunteers. He is 22 and just went back secondary school. Many of the volunteers are trying to help him pay for school fees and books. He is such a wonderful human being. He lives with his family, which consists of 6 siblings, and he has taken over running Watoto Rau, a nursery school. This school began under a tree and has evolved into about 25 to 30 children gathering in a mosque. One of the travel agents here just donated desks, and they are in the process of getting bathrooms installed. Kaleo was so proud to talk about the progress of his school. It's amazing how many of the Tanzanians give and give, when they themselves don't have much....hearts of gold.
Some of us were having such a great time that we decided to forget about our curfew at the house. I felt like I was in high school all over again when we showed up 2 hours late. We were tiptoeing into our rooms....we didn't get caught..whew!!!
Yesterday I spoke with Sister Cecilia and told her that the children do not listen to me and I need her help. She giggled and said that they do listen, I am a good teacher, the children just forget. I laughed back! She agreed to teach the last 30-45 minutes of math in Swahili, so at least that helps a teeny tiny bit. After school, we went to Arusha to sit in on the Rwanda trials. One of the trials has been going on since 2001.....they move very slowly here. This specific case was a woman and her son charged for genocide. It was an interesting experience.
I was able to talk to my parents the other night, for the first time since I have been there...I was sooooooo happy. They have been trying to call every day, but they were given the wrong numbers. It was so nice to hear familiar voices.
Today was another rough day. Sister Cecilia left me for about 45 minutes with all of the kids. They went bananas....when this happens, it is impossible to teach as I am holding crying Janet and running around saying hapana(no), kaa(sit), and nyamaza(be quiet). 2 of the 4 year olds got in a serious punching fight, but all I could do was break them up and put the instigator in the corner...of course he left the corner right when I turned my back. I told the teacher when she came in, but she looked at me like "so what." FRUSTRATION. I asked where she had been and she had gone down the street to a fire. She told me and the other teacher to go over there. It was soooo sad. I watched this house be burnt to the ground. Apparently a father and daughter were in an argument and she poured kerosine all over the house and lit it on fire. No one was hurt..thankfully.
I have been bugging them about the water situation, and today they said that the plumber was coming later today, so that is a plus. Making headway! I also asked about Zebron's ear again, and the mother had apparently taken him to the doctor. I notice that he is not in pain anymore, but it is still seeping and he has a deep deep cough. When he was a baby his eardrum was damaged and there was water sitting in it...that is the only thing I could understand in this conversation. I am assuming that he has permanent damage, but I'm not sure to what extent. My next goal is to figure out a better situation for the 10 year old boy. He seems to be very smart and catches on quickly, so I am going to speak with the staff at the house to see if they can talk to the teachers for me. He should not be in a nursery school at the age of 10, just because he has a mental disability. Once the water is fixed, I am going to have the teacher have a discussion about being sanitary. This will be exciting!! When I get home from school everyday, I run to the bathroom to wash my hands with soap and the water from my hands is brown from holding so many little hands. I realize that kids play in the dirt, pick their noses, and do many other disgusting things with their hands, but I just think that if some of them wash their hands before putting them in their mouths, this may save some of them from sickness. I spoke with Michele today about buying some of my kids socks(they all have huge holes in their socks) and extra clothes for the school when they pee their pants or get sick on themselves. I realize this is not a necessity, but it still makes a tiny difference. I plan to buy a mop next week for the teachers. Every day, before porridge, they get on their knees and wash the floors of the classrooms with rags and a bucket of water...I figured a mop would make their lives a bit easier. I feel like if I can get these things accomplished, I will have done all that I can.
I am reading the book "Giving" by Bill Clinton. I highly recommend reading this book....it is extremely positive and definitely gives me a little boost of hope every day.
After school today, Michele and I booked our flights to Zanzibar for the week after our trip. We decided to go back as we felt we didn't have enough time there and it was also our cheapest option. It will be so nice to relax and reflect on the beach for 6 days after our volunteering experience.
The top picture is the 10 year old, Justini, and my 2 troublemakers, the one below that is Janet, she is almost 2...she got tired and decided to take a nap on the ground, below that is my Zabron...I sit him here daily to clean out his ear..I can't believe he smiled for me!, below that is color time, below is my extreme troublemaker who was trying to shoot a rubberband at my head today with his pencil...his socks need some help, and the last one is a few of the volunteers and Brooke, Michele, Michelle, and me. Gotta run...there isn't enough time in a day. Much love to you all! XXOXOXO!
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