Joy and Happiness

  Mwanza, Tanzania
Monday, June 30, 2008

After spending ten days in Tanzania, I felt well adjusted and fairly confident as I rode to the airport. On the flight to Mwanza, I was excited to recognize and see the dramatic view of Ngorongoro Canyon.  However, the butterflies began in my stomach as the plane descended. This would be my home for the next six weeks.
 
I was met at the airport by another Hands of Mercy volunteer, Jako, a 23 year old from South Africa. He was accompanied by Rayleigh, an Australian volunteering at the local hospital, who was picking her boyfriend up at the airport.   The four of us sat and had a drink before heading to the house. Jako told me that Jo, the volunteer coordinator (Australian), was currently in Rwanda for a holiday.  She has been here for almost three years and may be leaving soon, so Jako would take her place as volunteer coordinator.  Rayleigh and Jako began to gossip about the Hands of Mercy orphanage, the other neighborhood orphanage, the volunteers, and the local expats. I quickly became lost in their conversation.
 
We grabbed a taxi to Buswelu, a village home to the orphanage and the volunteer home.  On the way, Rayleigh began to discuss the various illnesses she has gotten during her time in Mwanza.  She counted off the three times she had gotten Malaria, a bout of worms, and speculated that she probably had Bilharzia from swimming in Lake Victoria. She also stated that Jo and Sara (another housemate from the UK) also contracted Malaria several times. My early morning confidence began to shake.  I had never even heard of Bilharzia. I easily had fifteen shots before coming to Tanzania, but now felt that I was unprepared. (MY FAMILY SEE NOTE BELOW).
 
The taxi turned off the main road and the car swung, jerked and bounced as it attempted successfully and sometimes unsuccessfully to avoid the huge pits in the dirt road. Although we turned only a few times on the way to the house, the road curved and twisted and I soon lost my bearings. Buswelu is much bigger than I anticipated with lots of people, homes, and tiny hut shops lining the road.  I knew we would be outside the city, and actually thought the village would be smaller. The fact that it was bigger meant there was much more to learn and more places to navigate.  Of course, Arusha was a much larger area than Buswelu. However, it was a city so I was easily able to find things on my own. Just when I began to wonder how far we were going, we pulled up to the house and were met by Ema, one of our Maasai security guards. 
 
Jako unlocked the door and I took in my new home. The house is white brick/concrete with screened windows covered in decorative bars.  In the center of the house is a large living room with lots of chairs and a couple of couches.  The kitchen is smaller with a sink, electric kettle, and a double hot plate. I was happy to see a refrigerator and was told that was donated just a few weeks ago. However, electricity is not certain, so the refrigerator is not a guarantee. On one side of the house lies a large bedroom with three beds and a bathroom. The opposite side consists of a single room for Jo, a double room and two bathroom stalls. A squat toilet is in one stall and the cold shower is in the other. I was warned about conserving water as we have one tank on the top of the house that Ema and Mateo (the other Maasai security guard) fill once a week bringing buckets from the neighborhood well.
 
Somewhere I had gotten the impression that three of the current Hands of Mercy volunteers would share the house. Actually, six people may live here at a time, not counting Ema and Mateo who watch the house at night and then sleep on the porch in the day.  I was happy to learn that Jo stayed with us, but have to admit I was a little put off at the idea of five housemates. Also, I could not wrap my head around the fact that Ema and Mateo essentially live on our porch.  I have never roomed with so many people. In addition to Jo, Jako, and Sara, there was also Nyanza, a 18 year old girl from Belgium.  Nyanza, Sara, and Jako shared a room. I was shown to the double room where a girl from Scotland would join me the next day.  Just then a black and white cat ran in the house, and I was introduced to Beans, the house pet and mice catcher.  I looked at the concrete floors and open windows and hoped that would help alleviate my allergy to cats.
 
Jako asked me if I was ready to visit the orphanage and meet the children.  To be honest, at this point I felt like waiting. My head was already swimming.  However, I had come to volunteer, so faking enthusiasm, I said yes.  I knew from the volunteer packet that Hands of Mercy was a fifteen to twenty minute walk from our house.  The weather in Arusha was cool, typically 55-65 degrees during the usually overcast day.  Here the sun beat down from the cloudless afternoon sky and I immediately began to sweat. Jako asked if I wanted a banana and stopped at the tiny stand in front of a house.  The woman and Jako conversed in Swahili, obviously bargaining, before Jako purchased two bananas. I was no longer in Arusha.  I realized I would have to become more studious regarding my Swahili.  Jako told me to expect to negotiate prices since we were Wazungu.  I hate bargaining for goods, but at least the other volunteers would tell me what I should pay. Easting our bananas, we continued our walk turning and winding our way down various dusty paths as I tried to memorize the way. My anxiety increased realizing my feelings of dependence on the other volunteers for food and directions.
 
I thought I heard the word Mzungu a lot in Ng'iresi and was surprised that the children were still fascinated by a white person in the village. I learned on the way to the orphanage that apparently this is something that small children (and sometimes older children and even adults) never tire of.  The closer we got to Hands of Mercy, the more children we encountered.  Jako explained to me that the neighborhood children love to run up to us and bump knuckles.  Sure enough as soon as they saw us, they of course yelled  "Mzungu", then ran up to us asking us to give them five in Swahili.  Luckily, Jako warned me this would happen because they come running at you shaking their fists and yelling. It really looked like they wanted to punch me. 
 
Jako pointed ahead at a large compound. I could hear children shouting and laughing. I asked Jako how the children cope with a steady stream of volunteers coming and going. He told me to expect that some of the children, especially the older children and the ones that had lived at HOM (Hands of Mercy) longer, would keep their distance as they had learned not to get attached. However, several of the little ones as well as the newest arrivals may be quite clingy.  I immediately found this to be an accurate description as I walked through the gate. Several of the younger children rushed us at yelling "Jako" and other things in Swahili. He introduced me and little ones began grabbing at my hands and trying to jump on me while some of the older children hung back looking curiously.  I looked at all the children utterly overwhelmed and wondered how I would learn all their names. When I received my volunteer packet, it stated that HOM was home to 32 children. However, forty-eight now reside here. 
 
The majority of the children have lost their parents to HIV; however some have been abandoned as well.
Jako told me how one girl, Margreth, was abandoned by her parents at the age of seven and left to care for her one-year-old twin sisters. Her survival instinct amazes me as she went from house to house and washed clothes to feed herself and her sisters. Unfortunately some of the people, Margreth worked for beat her for not washing clothes to their satisfaction. Eventually some neighbors brought the children to Hands of Mercy.  Margreth is now eleven and the twins are five. Margreth, understandably being more standoffish, hung back from me, but the twins were eager to play. I looked down at one of Margreth's twin sisters, Joy, as she hugged my legs and looked up at me with a big smile and a beautiful twinkle in her eye.  I glanced over at her twin sister, Happiness, took a deep breath and remembered why I came.

Happy and Joy

 
 
 NOTE TO FAMILY:  I later found out that everyone who has gotten Malaria has not been taking anti-malarias or skipped several pills. It is also easy and cheap to get tested which you do as soon as you feel sick. Antibiotics clear it up within a week. The important thing will malaria is catching it early. However, I am taking my pills every morning, so do not worry. There are also the best preventive pills someone can take. |A lot of people do not take that brand as they are very expensive.  Our insurance covered them though. Also since two of my housemates have had it several times, they recognize the early symptoms.  I also have heard of Bilharzia, but by a different name. I do not plan on swimming in the lake, but apparently 2 pills clears that up anyway.  Worms are contracted by eaten contaminated food, so harder to avoid. I will get tested either right before I leave or when I get back.  This is also easily cleared up with a course of antibiotics.  I am no longer worried.