Final Day at Magereza Nursery School

What an amazing day! In the past few years I have been fortunate enough to have had some amazing experiences...all of which have changed me in some way...in different ways. This experience was definitely a unique one and definitely has had a significant and long lasting impact. It is hard to believe that in 2 short weeks I could have met so many wonderful, kind people, learned so much about a culture I knew very little about, had a small impact on some children's live and developed what I believe will be long lasting relationships...I can't imagine not coming back to Tanzania.
On our final day we played with the kids and did our morning lesson. We brought juice and treats for the kids for their morning break...I have never seen kids so excited about juice...really makes you think. And then...well it was Nate and my last day and we were overwhelmed with the send off we received. With the little money the teacher's have, they bought us each a Kitanga...it is like a wrap....worn by the Massai men over their shoulder. The children presented them and the teachers put them on us. The teachers and children then sang to us and we all danced for quite some time. They all hugged us and commented that they were very sad to see us go. It was very hard to leave. It's funny....I was a little hesitant to go initially for fear of the unknown but after this experience I don't know of a place where I have felt more welcome and had such a desire to return. I guess we had more of an impact on the school then we thought as the teachers enjoyed the various ideas that we had. We exchanged emails and promised to help out as much as we can. Life really is about making memories and giving back. I think we all got so much more out of this experience than we gave but it was a huge first step towards perhaps having a bigger impact. Please email contact me if you are interested in volunteering in Tanzania...I will make sure you get all the info you need. I hope to get back in a couple of years if anyone is interested.
J
PS - flight delayed in Kilimanjero 24 hours...finally made it to Amsterdam. It's funny...after this experience, even getting delayed wasn't a big deal and the other interesting thing is all the other volunteers felt same way. Land back in Halifax 4pm Monday.

Wednesday - Trip to Arusha

Today had to be one of the most memorable experiences of my life. If you are like me you may remember something about the genocide that occurred in Rwanda back in 1994 but not a lot. Well today we traveled to Arusha and attended the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. In short this is a series of trials that have gone on for several years where the top leaders in charge of organizing the genocide are being prosecuted. We were able to watch one of the trials take place....a witness was on the stand testifying against one of the commanders. We had headsets on so that we could hear the translation. We later watched a documentary and met with a PR rep from the ICTR.
Here comes a stat that I won't ever forget....over 100 days 800,000 to 1 million people were killed...that's 8,000-10,000 people per day. It is impossible to go after or charge all the people/soldiers who were doing the killing so they have to limit themselves to the ~90 government officials, leaders, etc who organized this. The PR rep explained that this was a well oiled machine...think about it...it had to be very organized to kill that many people. Some people may not want to know this but I think it is very important to help us keep things in perspective...the killing was mainly done with clubs and machetes...if someone wanted to be killed with a gun they had to pay money.
Priests were also convicted...many Rwandans fled to churches because they were thought to be safe areas. Some priests were corrupt and would report where people were hiding. Some employees or a radio station and a journalist were also convicted because they announced the whereabouts of people and names of people to go after. A musician was convicted because in his songs he incited violence. Businessmen were convicted because they increased production of machetes in preparation for the plan that had been put in place.
Probably not my most pleasant post but again...I will never forget this experience for many reasons.

Magareeza School

I cannot put into words what an amazing feeling it is to spend time volunteering with these kids. They are so happy and crave attention. Sometimes we can have as many as 6-8 kids holding onto our hands at one time. This school doesn't have a lot but it is very well organized and I am AMAZED at how well the children listen to the teachers...respect is a very important part of this culture. Teenagers can end up in juvenile detention if they disrespect people older than them...a couple of the volunteers are placed at the juvenile detention and there is at least once teenager there for that reason. The children start the day by cleaning up the yard and then form a big circle to sing songs and dance. Nate and I taught them 'I'm a little teapot' We teach for 1-2 hours each day...some math, nursery rhymes, how to read a calendar, facial expressions, colours. When we assign work for them to do in their work books we walk around the room helping. When they are done we correct their work and to their delight...I brought stickers....huge hit. I started putting 1 sticker on each book. I quickly realized that some students were taking the stickers off and coming back for more. :-) They are so appreciative of everything. I taught them how to make a bubble maker out of paper, tape and dish detergent.

I have been so pleasantly surprised at how comfortable I am here. Ignorance I think kept me from doing this earlier in my life but I love it here...I will definitely be back. You really owe it to yourself to do something like this and without a doubt, if you are going to do it, Cross Cultural Solutions is the way to go.

Day 7 & 8 - The Safari

Saturday and Sunday we went on a safari (journey). There is no way I can put into words what an amazing experience it was. We saw lions, giraffes, hijennas, hippos, zebra, wildebest, water buffalo, cheetah, elephants etc and I don't mean in the distance...running or walking right in front of our vehicle. I have great pictures and video.

Day 6 - First Day At Placement

Because of holidays and orientation, today(Friday) was the first day we had at our placement. Myself and 3 other volunteers. We are voluteering at a nursery school with kids ranging from 2-6. Well as we drove up the road to the school a group of kids started running behind the vehicle yelling teacha teacha. We were driving on a dirt road which produced a lot of dust...the kids just closed their eyes and kept running and yelling teacha teach. We got there just before 8am and met some student teachers that were doing a placement at the school where we were volunteering. We played with the kids for about 15-20 minutes and then the student teachers organized the children into a big circle. We played a game similar to duck-duck-goose and sang traditional songs. At 9 it was off to the classroom where the teacher taught in Swahilli. At the end of the hour teaching session the kids had to draw a picture of a person holding a stick in their exercise books and to our surprise brought their pictures to the back of the class where we were sitting to grade. We put happy faces and wrote 'Vzuri sana' (Very good). At 10am Nate and I sat in front of a big metal tub of porridge that was cooked over a fire...we poured up porridge and handed it out to the kids. Amazing to see how grateful they were. When they were done their porridge we played some more. I found a big jug attached to a rope...I got one of the kids to sit on it and towed him around the dirt circle in the yard. They thought that was the best thing ever....they would take turns sitting on the jug and holding onto the rope with one hand and I would tow them around the yard. Kids are so appreciative of everything here....and are so respectful. The last hour of the morning was dedicated to relgion. We sat in the yard and sang songs. It was an awesome day that was too short for the volunteers...we wished the day could have been longer.

Day 5

Today we drove about an hour on dirt road to visit the Maasai...a native African tribe. What an experience! These people live such remote lives and have so little but yet are so happy and welcoming. Along the drive there were simple, small buildings where plantation workers lived. It is such a rare thing to see a vehicle out there and as we drove along kids were waving and running along with smiles. Everybody waved to us...it was like this the entire drive.
Once we got to the Maasai, we were brought on a tour of their homes...simple 2 room dwellings about 15" by 15". There are no vehicles, doctors, stores...nothing, but, again, smiles and friendliness. They consider it a blessing to have visitors. They brought us to an area in the shade under a big tree where we sat and watched and listened to the most beautiful performance of singing. It was explained that their vocal chords are unique and they were right. Simply amazing...they were dressed in beautiful wraps. Even some of the children performed. A woman who works of an organization that is trying to help the tribe explained that they are trying to raise money to bring them to a town to record a CD that will be sold to help get the children into schools which will eventually  help educate the rest of tribe and lead to a better way of life. There is very little water, if any. They need to raise the equivalent of $1250 US and they have half now. What doesn't seem like that much money could change an entire way of life.
We see programs on tv about similar things in Africa but it is like they say...you really don't appreciate it until you are there yourself. CCS brought cases of pop for us while we watched the performance. Some of us suggested that we give the pop all to the Maasai...so that's what we did. A couple of us carried the cases around to the tribe and they each took a bottle. A group of Maasai men, about 7, thanked me in Swahili and then surprised me when he said Cheers! I have a great picture of the 8 of us holding the bottles up together saying Cheers! :-)
I will never forget this experience. Struggling a little with how I can help when I get back home.

Day 4

Today we visited a small orphanage with about 40 kids. We drove up a dirt road and the orphanage was at the end. The compound was about 50' by 50' and had brick wall all around and a gate to enter. It was mostly all open with an outdoor room for the kitchen and some brick rooms where the children would sleep. They were so excited to see the Cross Cultural Solution (CCS) vans coming. They ran along the side of the vans yelling 'Teacha Teacha' ('Teacher Teacher') When we got there we started pulling out balloons, bubble blowers, frizebees and the kids were so excited. There was balloons and bubbles going everywhere. All of a sudden there would  be a child or multiple children holding your hand saying Teacha Teacha play. There was a table where some of us sat down and drew pictures with the kids. I drew some pictures with the kids then I drew a map of the world and showed them where they were and where I lived. We would try talking in Swahili but the older kids (oldest around 13) would respond in English. The older kids knew more Swahili then we thought. There was a young women from Bermuda there who volunteered with CCS in 2006 and ever since she comes back every year for 2 weeks to volunteer at this orphanage. There are some amazing stories here. One of the volunteers is a nurse in her mid 20s and quit her job to come here to volunteer for 12 weeks with the hope of getting a job with Doctors Without Borders when she is done. It is such a special group of people. Everybody had such an amazing experience with the kids. It was hard not to step back every now and then and watch all the kids who from our world had nothing...only the old, dirty clothes that they had on but yet they were soooooo happy. Everyone of them were smiling and having fun. It was also interesting and pleasing to see how good they were at sharing and helping each other. Kids around 10 years old were helping the younger kids with balloons, drawing etc. The boys that were older, around 12-13 were collecting wood to fuel the fire that was cooking their lunches...they were also the ones that tidied up the yard after the kids.
In the afternoon 2 other volunteers, Nate (U.S. Lilly) and Mezan (Lebanon), and I went for a run. We met Amani who runs a woman's shelter in Moshi and he took us on a running tour. We ran through mainly dirt roads and small villages where he grew up and then through Moshi University. When we ran through the villages everybody was smiling and saying hello. Needless to say we STOOD OUT big time. Kids would come running up to us and run along side with big smiles. We would say hello and exchange names with a fist bump which they loved. :-) We ended up running 22km. What an amazing way to see Africa. Some parts of the run we were in what felt like the heart of Africa. What an amazing experience...it is like this whole other world that we see on TV but I don't know if we fully appreciate that it is out there or exists and is not this fictional program on TV. I will never forget this and still wonder how it will change me...for the better.

Day 3

Today was a day full of experiences. We visited a small village where blacksmiths were making tools by placing metal in a fire and then beating it with a hammer to shape it. I saw some kids watching around a building do I played peek-a-boo with them...they started smiling. I took out my camera and asked them in Swahili if I could take their picture...they smiled and were all for it. I let them take pictures with the camera and they thought it was very funny. One of the other volunteers had a digital camera that also printed Polaroids. She took one of the 2 kids (brother and sister). She gave the pic to their older brother who was going to present it to the mother and father as a gift.
We visited a local tribe where we learned about their culture and history and then ventured into caves and tunnels which were made 50 years ago. They performed a tribal dance and we all joined in. At one point they asked the leader of our group...well I was appointed leader and became chief of our group and dances with the chief of their tribe in the middle of the circle of volunteers and the native tribesmen and women. Very cool experience.
We toured a market...not exactly what we would think of as a market. There were some small buildings but most of the things were placed all over the ground.
We finished the day by hiking down a very steep canyon to a BEAUTIFUL waterfalls. A group of us got in the water and had a swim. The water was actually very cold as it came from the melting ice of Mt. Kilimanjero.
We ended the day with a delicious BBQ outside. The food here has been amazing. Some of the best food I have ever had.
Tomorrow we are visiting an orphange.
J

Day 2

Today was an orientation day. We had a session where we learned some Swahili, learned a catchy Tanzanian song, sessions learning about the Tanzanian culture, and they had a minature scavenger hunt for us. My group's task was to leave the base, walk down a trail along this beautiful river and find some local people and ask them in Swahili what the name of the river was. As we walked along the river there was a village on the other side...there was a lady washing her clothes in the river and several villagers...as soon as they saw the 3 of us they started waving and shouting "Mambo" which means "How's it going?" so we yelled "Poa" which means "all is well" The people here are so friendly. Once we got to the river there was a teenage boy talking to people in the "dalladalla" which is a small van used as public transport. As we had made our way down to the bridge we had come up with what we thought was the perfect question "Jina mto ni nini?" As we spoke it the boy turned to the vehicle and started speaking in Swahili...then the people on the bus talked to each other...we thought we messed up the question. Turns out we had the perfect sentence....they were asking each other for the name of the river. Mission accomplished.
In the afternoon we met the people from our placement. 4 of us will be working at a school with 100 kids aged 2-6. Should be a lot of fun.
Before supper 3 of us walked about 3km to the market...I was suprised to see that you could buy pop, ice cream, cookies, soap, etc there. A few buildings down we stopped at a bar for a beverage and practiced our Swahili. On the way there and back we passed many people and would say hello in Swahili. The kids were just getting out of school. They would smile and say hello. A few even fist bumped me...others said Good E-ven-ing! I would say Good Afternoon and they would get it right away. Everyone is so friendly and happy. It never ceases to amaze me how people with so little can be so happy having so little...really makes you think about what matters.
When we got back to homebase a little girl about 3 came running out onto the dirt road all smiles. It was Brenda...the cute little girl we had been playing with the day before. She high fived me again :-)
Tomorrow is a holiday here so we have an educational tour, going to visit some waterfalls, etc. Sounds like a great day.
-J

Day 1

Today's highlight...the homebase for CCS is on the other side of a dirt road from what looks to be mud huts/a small village. I brought a football and soccer ball with me...in the afternoon we had 3 hours of free time so myself and several of the volunteers took the balls outside the gate onto the road. Within minutes curious kids were coming over and shortly after that we had a game of soccer going. We showed them how to throw a football and played soccer for hours. There was the cutest little girl who kept smiling and trying to get our attention...she would sneak up behind and try to touch me and then run of giggling. One of the little boys kept holding my hand and wanting me to play with him.
At one point I got my Swahili-English dictionary and a few of us and the kids were trying to help us learn Swahili.
Finally, out came the cameras and the kids were facinated with taking photos of anything and everything.
It was one of those days that when you think about it, a smile comes on your face.
-J

Is This Really Happening?

I am at the airport lounge staring at my boarding passes...one for Montreal, one for Amsterdam? and one for Kilimanjero??? Is this really happening? Seems so surreal. I am going to do my best to keep you updated on this experience. Will depend a lot on the technology we have available. Stay tuned! :-)