Mush Pot!
Trip Start
Jun 18, 2008
1
10
24
Trip End
Aug 17, 2008
Mwanza,
Tanzania
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
July 1 - 4, 2008
It was amazing what a difference twenty-four hours did for my psyche. The first day had been difficult. In addition, to all the new cultural and emotional information, I never bought any food the first day further increasing my dependence on my housemates. On Tuesday, Jako took me to town, showing me the essential "how to get there" in the daladala (minibus) and where important things were located such as the grocery store, ATM and internet café. My independence slowing increased. I also learned that neither Jako or Nyanza knew Swahili before arriving, therefore I would survive as I picked up the language.
Along the walk to Hands of Mercy
Walking to the orphanage on Tuesday, I comfortably bumped fists with at least fifteen children. I was told to respond "Wapi?" (where) when the neighborhood children yelled "Mzunugu twende" (let's go) singing lyrics from a popular Tanzanian song. A couple of small children even grabbed my hand and giggled as they walked with me for a hundred yards before I released them and waved goodbye.
Give me five...Nipa tano
The orphanage is actually larger and nicer than I expected; however, still inadequate for the number of children. There are four large bedrooms split between the boys and the girls although the children sleep two to three to a bed. Both the boys and the girls have their own bathrooms adjacent to the bedroom, yet this is merely a hole in the ground. There is no running water instead the children get water from a large tank in the hall. The children do have a large yard to play in with a soccer goals and a basketball hoop. There are three classrooms and the space is nice, but the desks are few and the walls are bare. Although there is often the faint order of urine, the place is kept very clean. Several women work at HOM cooking, cleaning, and tackling the never-ending pile of laundry.
In the morning, the children are given a thick milky looking drink or porridge. I am not exactly sure what it is, and honestly I am perfectly OK not trying it. Lunch (and apparently dinner) is ugali with accompanied by either cabbage or these tiny fish eaten whole. Jako often eats lunch at HOM to save money and apparently likes the cabbage. On Wednesday, we decided to teach all our classes in the morning in order to visit the hospital with Rayalee in the afternoon. Since we were still there when lunch was served (usually we go home for lunch and then come back) making us obligated to eat the ugali and fish. Jako recommended covering everything in chili sauce and then putting the fish in the mushy pile of ugali. I am not that big of a fan of chili sauce, but I took his advice. I did manage to eat my lunch, but let's say that I am not planning on making a habit of eating at the orphanage.
On Tuesday, I played with the children and officially began my classes on Wednesday. By Thursday I was feeling more confident in my abilities and had acquired a better understanding as to how things operated. The children go to school for half day as to accommodate the many bodies. Therefore, half of the children go to school in the morning and then the other half attends afternoon classes. Unfortunately most classes have one-hundred or more students in them, making me believe those in the front row have a much higher chance of success. On most days, we teach for a couple hours in the morning, leave for lunch so the children can eat and change in or out of their school uniforms, and return in the afternoon. This first week was the end of a month holiday, so all the children were home during the days. I teach grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 although the reality is that some of those children are working on an English curriculum below their grade level. Currently the number of students I teach at a time ranges from one to three. We try to put children together that are at the same place in their learning. So some learn with others and those that are behind often get individual attention. I was grateful for my volunteer work with refugees in Cleveland as I it better prepared me for teaching and communicating with children who speak a second language.
On Thursday night, everyone except Michelle, my new Scottish roommate, and I attended a surprise party. They were apologetic and leaving us, but I think we both enjoyed having a quiet house. Together we cooked dinner and then spent a long time talking. I am absolutely delighted that she is my roommate.
Children Racing
Teaching went well on Friday and after Michelle and I finished our lessons, we hung around to play with the kids. We had observed during the week that the only games they played were football and races. I decided to teach them Duck, Duck, Goose. Armed with a little Swahili and an eight-year old who spoke some English, I explained the game and then chose Michelle in the first demonstration. The children actually picked up the game rather quickly and were soon giggling with anticipation for the word "goose". When the first child landed in the mush pot center, I began to chant, "Mush Pot! Mush Pot: remembering how other children I knew loved to smack the ground and yell at the person in the middle. The children got very excited and followed my lead. However, they then began to say "Duck, Duck...Mush Pot!" instead of goose. And actually it came out more as "Mush Pa". Michelle and I laughed harder and harder each time we heard "Mush Pa" and knew for the most part the game was a success.
By Friday night, I was honestly feeling fantastic though a little dusty from Duck Duck Goose. Michelle and I have really hit off. My initial fear of sharing a room has been replaced with the pleasure of a new friendship. My other housemates are all great people, and I especially enjoy Sarah and Jo. I still find it strange that Ema and Matihu sleep on our porch; though I am grateful to have them here. They are both just wonderful young men though I often call them, "the boys".
Sleeping Maasai
They both speak a little English, and Ema and I have been able to have a few nice conversations using simple words and my handy Swahili phrasebook. I have found myself truly happy to greet the boys each morning. As weird it sounds, I am feeling at home...at least for the next five weeks or so. ****I learned that I was spelling, Rayalee, Matihu and Sara's names incorrectly, so they have been changed.
