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.

Plight of the visa

The view of Mt. Uluguru from the bottom

Most of the time, I am full of awe at the wonder and beauty of this country.  Other times, I am completely disgusted and saddened by its condition.  The past week has been a whirl wind.  So I’ll start with the good:  last weekend Scott and I climbed Mt. Uluguru with two German girls who are volunteering at the orphanage.  This amazing mountain overlooks the town of Morogoro and is a treasure chest of bio-diversity- hundreds of species of flowers, plants, fruits, and butterflies live there, and many of them cannot be found anywhere else in the world.  So needless to say, it’s pretty awesome.  Scott has been dying to climb this mountain ever since we were in Arusha last year and we finally got our chance. 

Just one of the many beautiful plants we saw.

Sophie and Miriam knew a guy who would take us up the mountain for free and since it was only a 6 hour hike, we figured we could do it all in one day.  Now, I am not a mountain climber (and should never become one) so the trek was a bit much for me.  Uluguru is incredibly steep and rocky, not to mention I haven’t been to the gym in three months so am pretty out of shape.  I was huffing and puffing all the way up, Scott even had to get behind me at one point and literally push me so I would continue on.  It was rough to say the least.

This view made every painful moment worthwhile!

But as hard as the hike was, I will say it was TOTALLY worth it.  The views were breath taking, we saw the most stunning plants and flowers, and I felt really accomplished when we made it to the top (well it was almost the top, to go all the way we would have had to rock climb up a vertical cliff and that was not gonna happen for me).  But I was pretty excited that my first mountain climbing experience was on one of the most beautiful and flourishing mountains in Africa.  That is, until Scott and I got lost on the way down, took the wrong trail, and almost ended up dangling off a cliff.  Thank goodness two little boys saw us and pointed us in the right direction so we could finally make it back down the mountain.  We sure did make it interesting!

What a public toilet (or choo)  looks like in Tanzania...

Now to the bad part of last week:  our status became illegal.  When we landed in Tanzania, they gave us a 90 day visa that was supposed to last until our work permit was approved.  Well, we realized a little too late that we were on the last day of our visas and had to rush to Morogoro to the office of immigration to get an extension.  Everyone was saying it would be no problem, they would just give us a stamp and we would continue with the work we were doing.  But of course, nothing in Tanzania is ever that easy.  The officer at the department of immigration saw us as cash cows and wouldn't give us a visa extension unless we paid him $400.  Now this is not the first time I’ve seen corruption and bribery around here.  Twice, we have been riding in cars that got pulled over by the police (or flagged down because police stand on the side of the road) who then took our drivers' licenses and refused to let us go until we paid them off, even when the driver didn’t do anything wrong.  I also found out someone I know had his teaching degree stolen and duplicated, and now he cannot get a job because the thief is using his credentials- and most people here think this is a sufficient way to find employment.  And then there is this guy, a supposed trusted government official, trying to steal from us when we are workijng toward the betterment of this country.  It was so frustrating and disheartening.  Of course, we did not have that kind of money, and honestly did not want to give in to his bribe, so our only choice was to leave Tanzania.  Without a change of clothes, deodorant, or toothbrushes, we were in for a rough couple of days. 

A nice welcome into a new country.

We hopped on a bus to Malawi the next morning and for the next ten excruciatingly painful hours me and Scott feared for our lives.  For some reason, people like to drive like maniacs here.  Our bus driver, who had 100 people, including children, in his care, drove 90 miles an hour on the worst roads I’ve ever seen.  We literally came within inches of slamming head on into a petrol truck because he did not feel like checking if someone was coming before he tried passing the car in front of us.  We went so fast around corners that luggage and people were flying out into the aisle.  The bus ended up getting pulled over because the driver was acting like evil canevil, and a cop came on the bus to check everyone’s passports.  My heart started thundering like crazy because a.) we were one day over our visas and b.) we were headed to Malawi to renew it which is technically not allowed.  But the man looked at my passport, asked why I was going to Malawi, and I said we were going for vacation, just to travel.  He looked at me real hard, I said a silent prayer, and then he just walked away.  I was so relieved.  We have already seen what corrupt officials do here, I did not want to see what would happen if they caught two illegal white people.  So we made it to the border safe but of course, it was closed so we had to stay in one of the most disease infested motel rooms for the night.  I’m sure I got TB just by sitting on the makeshift bed.  But thank goodness, we were so exhausted we didn’t notice the hundreds of biting mosquitoes or the smell of manure coming from the choo.

A dala dala.. Personal space is obviously not an option here.

In the morning, we met up with one of the girls I met on the bus, a really nice lady who spoke good English, and she agreed to help us.  We crossed the border, got our Malawi visas, and then we decided to stay a few hours.. I mean, we had just traveled two days to get to Malawi, it would be nice to at least see some of the country.  We found out that Lake Malawi was only 30 km away so we grabbed a dala dala (super packed and uncomfortable) to get to the lake, and I am so glad we did. 

You can't tell, but we both smell really bad right here.

It was just as beautiful as any beach we’ve ever been to… there was pretty white sand and clear blue water, but you could still tell it was Africa because there were people bathing and washing their clothes in the fresh water.  Me and Scott had a few drinks in the sun, and walked along the beach, finally getting a moment to relax.  We had a wonderful time.  So after our bask in the sun, we went back to the border, got across to the Tanzanian side with a new 90 day visa, and made our way to a hotel to wait until our next 5 am bus.  Another unbearable 10 hour bus ride back to Morogoro, a 3 hour cramped trip in a Noah, and we finally made it back to Berega.  I have never been so happy to see our house!!  Five days of unexpected traveling, fear of immigration, dreadful buses, and the same pair of clothes (I have never been so filthy before), and we were so glad to settle back in to the village. 

Not a bad place to run away to though.

Now you would think that since we had been through a lot the past week, we would finally catch a break.   But unfortunately for us, that was not the case.  Both me and Scott were woken up at 3 in the morning, overcome with the worst bouts of vomiting and diarrhea.  For the next 24 hours, we were violently ill, fighting over the toilet, and unable to keep anything down.  It was absolutely disgusting. Thank goodness it passed so we could both go back to work the next day, I did not want to miss another day with my kids.  This week has been wonderful though, besides a little bit of exhaustion and dehydration, mostly because I am so filled with gratitude- gratitude for a feeling of safety and for my renewed health.  Plus, I am so thankful for Scott because I don't think I could have made it through all that chaos alone. And hey, as bad as things seemed at times, we did have a pretty awesome adventure!  Until next time, tutuonana!