We need a school!

Well ever since the last entry, things have gone surprisingly well.  Sure, the electricity has been going out almost every day, in the evenings there is always a massive swarm of mosquitoes circling my head, and it’s getting so hot here I sweat through my sheets at night, but I have just been so happy to get into a solid rhythm with my students at school.  Those children are amazing.  They fill my heart with more joy and purpose than I have ever known, and I thank God every day for the opportunity to work with them.  Of course they are kids and can be difficult, they steal each other’s pencils or talk loudly while I am teaching, and then I have to scold them (which is really hard for me to to do, I'm still learning).  But the moment one of them looks up at me and smiles or laughs, the room suddenly lights up and all is well.  It’s truly a blessing. 

They just LOVE pictures!

Anyway, Teacher Liz needed to leave for some R&R so she went to Cambodia for three months and left me in charge.  On the one hand, I love to be in charge because most of you know I like to control!!  But on the other, this has left me with a lot of responsibility.  All the teachers come to me for questions, the parents want to talk to me about their children, and I am expected to deal with many of the disciplinary issues.  I’m also making and correcting all of the end of the year exams and am doing most of the grading.  But this is great practice I suppose, for future years of accountability as a doctor.  I think you all must be dying to know how a typical day looks like for me here, so I am going to indulge you:

My standard 1 kids making words out of letter tiles.

I wake up every day around 7 am to the loudest rooster crow I've ever heard, it’s literally like the dang bird is right next to me in bed.  The roosters, chickens, and cows are always roaming around our yard looking for scraps and are completely oblivious to my need for extra sleep.  So I get up and start boiling water for my coffee and oatmeal, then spend time in meditation and prayer.  This has become significantly more important in my daily routine, since it has proven to be one of my only comforts and sources of serenity.  I would not be surviving here if it weren't for this conscious contact with God every day.  He provides me with the hope and strength to stay in His will and to keep doing the next right thing, no matter how hard that may be.

Around 8:15, I leave my house to walk the ¼ mile to school.  On the way of course, I get pointed and stared at, while hearing shrill little voices scream“mzungu!”.  I am pretty sure this is the first word the village children learn.  At first, I thought it was cute but lately, it has gotten on my nerves.  Would you people please stop calling me a rich white foreigner every time I leave my house!?  Gheesh.  Once I get to school though, I hear the sweetest sound. All my students see me through the window and yell “teachaa Chaareen, teachaa Chaareen!” (the l’s and r’s are really hard for them to pronounce).  Then without fail, several children run out of the school to hug me and take my bag to carry.  It’s my favorite part of the day.

Standard 3 doing long division on the board.

My first class is English and Math for Standard 1 (equivalent to first grade), this class can be difficult because many of the children are just beginning to learn English so there is a definite language barrier.  But we practice reading and writing, grammar and spelling, addition and math, and problem solving.  The more often we do the problems, the better they get, and the more they hear my English, the better they learn it.  The next class is English and Math for Standard 3 and this is my fun class.  These students have been learning English for 4 years now and are almost fluent.  I don’t have to slow down to speak, they just get it and continually ask questions. They love to learn, they want to know about everything, and they are so incredibly smart.  Not to mention they are the best behaved class because they are more mature than the others, most of them are 10-14 years of age.  (Many didn't get the chance to go to school before or had to be held back because they didn't learn enough in other schools.) I can leave them alone for an hour to do long division by themselves and when I come back they are all finished and reading books quietly.  Their writing is getting so good too, they are beginning to get more creative and insightful.  It is so great to watch them grow and learn.  I should mention that for most of my students, English is their third language.  First they learn Kaguru, their tribal language, then Swahili, the national language, and then English; one of my kids is even in the Masaai tribe so English is his fourth language!  And he is only 13, such a smart kid.  So the fact that these kids are reading and writing English pretty efficiently after having only been learning it for a couple years is amazing. 

Playing Simon Says with Standard 2, really great for English listening skills and they have so much fun.

After Standard 3 is an hour for lunch.  On Mondays, I use my lunch hour to go to the market to buy fruits and vegetables for the week.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I use that time to teach English at the Bible College.  Next door to our school is a small college, only about 20 students, who are learning the ins and outs of Christian theology so that they can go on to be pastors in the community.  I was asked if I would help teach English and I said yes.  English is so useful in this country because it links these people to the rest of the world and improves their chances at gaining employment.  I really like teaching the bible students, not just because they are willing to learn but because they are adults.  I never have to scold or yell at them to be quiet, they are always respectful and they always listen.  But that doesn't leave me any time for lunch so I just grab a handful of peanuts and keep going.  I like my days to be busy though!

The school sink.  You do not want to see (or smell) the toilet.

When lunch time is over, I have Standard 2 which is my in between class.  They are not as difficult as Standard 1 because they know more English, but they are still grappling with several important concepts.  They are great to work with though because almost every day I see them making the connections in their school work. They are starting to really figure out the reading, writing, and math and when they do, their faces light up. All my students are wonderful in that way, they work really hard day after day and when they finally understand it, they are so excited.  Each one of them will get the biggest smiles on their faces, they will pump their fists up into the air and jump up and down, so happy with their accomplishment.  It’s the sweetest thing and makes a lot of the frustration in teaching the material disappear, because they make it worthwhile.

Our courtyard during play time.  They are literally playing with dirt and sticks.. and are happy about it!  I don't think American kids would feel the same way.

Dance partayyyy!!

After school, I have an hour to myself to clean or exercise, and then some of my students come to my house for an after school class.  These are the kids whose reading and math skills need serious work so I give them extra individual attention in those areas.  We work for an hour and then I let them have fun for 30 minutes, they color or play with legos and cards.  And almost inevitably, they ask if I will turn on some music so they can dance.  Now let me tell you, there is just nothing like having ten of these sweet Tanzanian children bouncing around you, shaking their body parts, and laughing at the top of their lungs.  I have had some rough days here, but by the end of the dance session with my students I am filled with more love for those kids than I can explain.  It makes me truly appreciate the place I am in and the work I am doing.

When my house is child-free again, me and Scott work together to make dinner, usually rice and beans or soup, and then we can finally relax and watch a movie.   By this time I am filthy, sweaty, and absolutely exhausted, but I am also more at peace than I've ever been in my entire life.  God is using me in ways than I never could have imagined and I am so grateful for that.

Our gathering of die hard fans.

On the weekends we usually relax, unless we go to Morogoro for supplies.  I grade or make tests, clean the house, and take walks around the village. This is always an adventure because since we are the only white people here, kids are fascinated by us (well everyone is).  They just laugh and stare at us, follow us around, and yell at us in Swahili.  I am able to speak to them in the little Swahili I know and they just love it.  These kids are worse off than mine, their clothes are tattered, they never have shoes on, and they are covered in mud.  But they are so full of joy and laughter, and all they want is to play and get a little attention.  By the end of our walk, I have five of them clinging to each of my hands and my heart just melts. I wish that I could put every single one of them in St. Mary’s School, because the majority of those children will never get a decent, or even a basic, education.  But you can’t save them all I suppose.  All I can do is hug them and smile, and show each one of them that they are special.

Now I must mention, our school is SMALL and falling apart. Our classrooms are overcrowded which makes it unbearably hot and uncomfortable, making mine and the students' jobs way more difficult.  It also keeps us from taking in any more students because we simply don’t have enough room.  This is sad because we really want to expand and give more children the opportunity to attend our school.

Also, Standard 3 will be moving to

We are at maximum capacity!

Standard 4 in January (the first Standard 4 we have ever had) and we have nowhere to put them.  We have had to ask the church if we can have a class in one of their rooms, which is inconvenient because the kids and the teachers will have to walk back and forth from the school to the church every day.  Scott and his team are working hard to start the building of a new school (which will have 14 classrooms, a library, and maybe even electricity!).  We already have the land and due to a few donations, workers have leveled the area the school will be.  To continue, we need more funds.. and that’s where you come in!  We would be well on our way if everyone who read this blog donated $20.  Please think about giving to this wonderful cause.  You would be affording hundreds of beautiful children the chance at a good education and a better life.  Without a new school, we cannot hope to continue our mission and I am positive, it’s God’s will for us to continue.  With the holiday season coming up, I know everyone is looking for a place to give (wink, wink).  Well here it is!  Please go to the Hands4Africa website on the right hand side of this page (if you want a tax receipt) or click on the Gofundme link (if you don't care about a receipt) and donate.  Tell everyone you know about this effort, we need a school!!!  Now please!!  Get on it people!  Ok thanks for listening to my rant.  To close, I would like to quote my favorite pastor Andy Stanley- “You may miss money you spend on yourself, but you’ll never miss money you give away”.  Thank you for considering us, God bless you.

The land the new St. Mary's school will be built on hopefully.