Memories To Last A Life Time

Memories To Last A Life Time

            These past two days have been filled with nothing less than some of the most memorable moments of my life. Around 12:30 on Friday, we said our “good-byes” to the students from Baby Class to Class Five. On each arm, I had at least five to six kids asking me for my contact information and why I had to leave. I realize that, no matter how many times I say good-bye, it never gets easier. All the students who I bonded with the most were in Class Four, so I made each of them individual letters saying what I will miss the most and promising I wouldn’t ever forget them. I ran to hug “the crew” (which I was let into several days after teaching in Class Four). It consisted of mostly the class four boys such as Honest, Christian, Otto, Benard, Emannuel, Peter, William, and a few others. Christian, whom I bonded with the most, held a letter up to me, smiled and hugged me before running away. It was heartbreaking because that was the last time I would see him and the moment seemed too short. All of the students seemed to change my heart in some way, and having to leave the people who shaped your life for the past two weeks made it all the more difficult. We rushed to the cars and drove straight home to prepare for the dance we had planned for Class Six and Seven. We cut fruit, made fairy bread (bread with butter and sprinkles), cooked nuts and popcorn, and grabbed the decorations. Rasta John, who by far is one of the chillest guys I have ever met, came to DJ for us. Shortly after we finished setting up for the dance, all the students and teachers came dressed up in their best clothing. After a few minutes, we were all dripping with sweat from dancing, but it didn’t matter because this was the last night we would be spending together. Seeing the kids smiling outside of school and having the time of their lives was the best feeling in the world.

            Saturday, I had no idea what to expect other than a very long Dola-Dola ride through Tanzania. We drove out of Arusha through several small towns/villages until we reached a dirt road with a sign reading “Maasai Lands”. (If you don’t know who the Maasai are I suggest you Google them now.) The land around us was not lush like in Arusha, with huge banana trees and brightly colored flowers. This area of land seemed to stretch on for miles in every direction, and the ground and trees looked like they came directly out of “The Lion King”. Upon arriving, the very first things I noticed were the Maasai people’s clothing and jewelry. The men and women who greeted us all wore brightly beaded necklaces, earrings, and headdresses. They had red and blue patterned cloths wrapped around their bodies and embroidered belts to keep them from slipping. We probably looked ridiculous with our dull-colored clothing and little jewelry. As soon as they saw us, they began to sing a welcoming song. They only used their voices/vocal cords, but it sounded like they had drums and other instruments. We were welcomed into their “village”, which is a tourist attraction site, but the people who showed us around were born Maasai and all the money made goes to their actual village nearby. We learned all about their life and the different stages men have to go through in order to go from being a boy to a man. One of the most important rituals for the men and women of the Maasai to go through would be circumcision. Once the men turn eighteen, they must be circumcised in order to marry, and the girls can be at any age to undergo this process. What really took me by surprise was the incorporation of Christianity with the traditional Maasai culture. As a Massai man, you can have more than one wife. Freddy, our Maasai tour guide (“Freddy” was not his given Maasai name), explained to us that his father at the age of 77 has 14 wives and 89 children. To them, this is completely normal, but it definitely took us all by surprise. In the Christian religion, it is said that one man can have only one wife, so for the Massai who consider themselves Christian, there is a conflict. Their culture is one of the most unique I have ever learned about, but to have it changed by another religion made me wonder, “How long will it be before their culture is completely modernized?” Going to see the Massai and their way of life was another reminder of how big the world is; it’s not just Vail, Colorado, there’s a much bigger picture. To end the day, as we were driving through Massai Lands after leaving, we spotted several zebras and two giraffes. I never in my life thought I would be able to see those animals in their natural habitat, in the wild,  with my own two eyes. Saturday was a day I will never forget. In fact this whole experience is something I will never forget.

After teaching the students at LOAMO, seeing the impact we had on their lives in class and on the home visits, and loving how they take care of one another in their communities are just a few reasons why this trip will last a lifetime. 

Godfrey

Godfrey

            Yesterday, I went on another home visit, this time to the home of Godfrey and his son, Brian. Brian is in Kinder at LOAMO, and Godfrey works in the kitchen there. Each morning, they bike down from their home to the stoplight, where Godfrey drops Brian off so he can catch the bus. Godfrey is not allowed to take the bus, so he bikes all the way through the city to LOAMO. The ride from their home is not an easy one, by any means. The road to their house is made of sand and mud and lies along a steep hill. It took us thirty five to forty minutes just to drive to their home from the school. Once we arrived, we were surprised to see five mud huts, each no bigger than a small bedroom, surrounded by huge, lush trees. Godfrey led us to his home, where we were greeted by his wife, his wife’s grandmother (who is between 90 and 100 years of age), and their five children. We walked into their home and saw that they only had two rooms. The main family room had two couches, a small coffee table, and one small cabinet filled with all their dishes and clothing. On the wall behind the couches, their shoes were hung from nails. There was no electricity, heat, or running water. When we asked where the bathrooms were, they waved their hands in a circle, meaning, “We go anywhere”. Once the family was comfortable with four “wazungus” (the word for white people in Tanzania) in their home, we started to ask them questions.           

Money and water are the two main resources that they lack. In order to get water, they have to walk several miles to an ever-changing water source and back, which is very difficult because they live on a steep hill and have to carry several buckets of water. Their two eldest daughters, who are eighteen and nineteen, had to drop out of secondary school because they could not afford their schooling anymore. Now, they spend their time at home, keeping the house tidy and preparing food. Their oldest son, who is fourteen, goes to a small, government-run school in the city. In Tanzania, the government school’s level of education is not like that of LOAMO – it is very minimal. The only reason that Brian, their second, seven-year-old son, goes to school at LOAMO is that LOAMO allows one child of a staff member to attend school for a reduced price. Their last child, who is four, does not go to school, even though she is old enough to attend baby class. After we established their financial situation, we asked about where they got their food. They explained that Godfrey’s wife sells produce in the town below their home. Godfrey is the chef at LOAMO, so he brings home food each day, which creates an atmosphere of sharing between them and the four other families that live there.

It was so inspiring to meet and learn about Godfrey’s family. They live so simply and even with the little education, water and food they receive, they are so happy. They welcomed strangers (Ms. Gutmann, Mallory, Tate and myself) whom they had never met into their home with open arms and let us ask personal questions, which I’m sure was intimidating. Every home visit is different. There are some heartbreaking stories and some stories that make you smile for hours. I think going on these home visits is so inspiring because we usually only get to see their lives from an outsider’s point of view. Everyday, we only get to see how the children at LOAMO act in school, and actually going to their homes and hearing about their struggles opens our eyes to how different and beautiful the lives of the people here in Tanzania are.

A Different Point of View

A Different Point of View

           

Here in Tanzania everything is different: the language, the climate, the customs, and the skin color are just a few examples. Even the way the children are taught at LOAMO and the discipline they receive is very different than in the US. Our way of life seems full of ease and luxury compared to the way of life here. I realized this firsthand when we went to visit the Save Africa Orphanage.

            At first, all the children were shy and we couldn’t get them to talk to us. But with a soccer ball and some smiles, we changed that. While at the orphanage, I went to look around the boys’ and girls’ rooms. There were 18 girls and 23 boys in total, but when I looked around, I didn’t find 41 beds. I only found 13, which meant three to four kids slept in one bed. When I looked outside, all the water was from a small spicket. Even seeing how dirty the children’s living conditions and clothing were made me reconsider what “dirty” was. Yet they continued to be happy and live every moment that they had with us to the fullest.

 Seeing the people’s “way of life” here in Tanzania reminded me of Cambodia – they shared similar struggles and it never gets easier to see. From what I have experienced, the people didn’t worry about what they could have or what they might need to survive the next week, month, or year, they thought about the present, and, especially here in Tanzania, they care for one another. All of the things we take for granted everyday in the US make our lives so much easier and we don’t even realize it. For example, at home I can turn on the faucet and instantly get clean water that doesn’t make my eyes or teeth yellow. But here, you need to boil the water. In order to boil the water, you need heat, and in order to get heat you need to buy electricity or propane, and in order to buy things you need money, which, here in Tanzania, is hard to make. Life is luxurious for most people in the US, especially in the Vail Valley. We are in this bubble that doesn’t allow us to see the true harshness of life, unless we pop the bubble and go to beautiful countries like Cambodia, Tanzania or Nicaragua. Life is entirely different for people all over the world, yet the people can just as happy, if not happier, than the people I know back home. I am still trying to figure out how the people’s happiness here is so contagious; it just seems to overflow into every person. It amazes me that the students at LOAMO can be so happy, even after hearing a few of their sad stories. One student told me about his mother dying when he was baby. Another told me she had to watch her 3 other siblings at 11 years old while her mother and father worked. Not many kids in the Vail Valley have stories like this, and if they do they usually have family or extra support and help. Yet they don’t seem to have the same kind of happiness that the children at LOAMO or Save Africa do. It is really difficult to explain how a certain kind of happiness can be different from another; it’s something someone would need to experience themselves, and I’m so glad I have experienced it here in Tanzania.

Benard

Benard

One of the most difficult qualities a person can obtain is selflessness. I believe that it is not something someone can be born with, but something someone must learn. Yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting Benard’s inspiring and selfless family.

           Benard is a boy from Class IV. At first glance, he seems like any other student at LOAMO- happy, and ready to learn. Maria, the founder of LOAMO, told Lisa Marie, AJ, Evan, Keelin, and I to go and visit Benard’s home. Benard had told Maria that he did not have parents, but when Lisa Marie asked he said he did. This is why after school ended, we took Benard and drove across Arusha to his home. Once we were outside of the gate, Benard told us that his mother didn’t actually know that we were coming to visit. While we were waiting, I was pondering all the possible circumstances Benard could be living in. The bottom line is that none of us knew what to expect.

           Once we were welcomed inside the gate we saw an actual house, which was surprising, because most people in Tanzania live in small villages or conjoined pods. We all walked into Benard’s home and sat in the family room. A custom in Tanzania is for the host to make the visitors tea or a meal, so his mother prepared some chai tea for us. After drinking tea and introducing ourselves, we started to ask about Benard’s story. Several years ago, Benard was working at a school outside of Arusha while living with his aunt. His mother was not able to take proper care of him, and his father sadly passed away. While working at the school, a teacher named Richard spotted Benard. Each day he watched him and saw Benard’s potential. Richard decided to meet with Benard’s aunt. His aunt decided to let Benard move to Arusha and live with Richard and his wife. Benard now refers to them as “mother” and “father” (hence our confusion at the school). Richard’s wife taught Benard how to cook, clean, and milk all of the cows. Richard then talked to Maria and came up with an arrangement to let Benard become a student at LOAMO. Now, he is at the top of his class. Each day, I correct his math homework and he is one of the only students who gets every single math question right. Benard is extremely smart, and it is very obvious in the classroom. Every morning Benard wakes up and does all the cooking and milks their 6 cows, all before he catches the bus to school.

            This made me consider the number of 12 year olds I know who are so hard working and determined. My answer is: none. Benard came from nothing, and he was given a chance, and now is making the best of everything he has. Benard and Richard truly inspire me. When Richard took Benard into his care, he did not ask for money or anything in return. He simply, out of the kindness in his heart, provided and still provides an education, food, and a home for Benard. That, to me, is the strongest act of selflessness I have witnessed. It was so inspiring to realize that Benard came from having very little education to being at the top of his class in math, and everyday at LOAMO he has the biggest smile on his face. This made me realize that there is a much bigger story behind each of the student’s smiles.

           Before leaving Benard’s home, Richard said something to us: “Success is not about what you can gain, it is about what you can give.” To hear that from someone who lives so simply and still opened his home to another child is undoubtedly the most inspiring and selfless act I have ever witnessed, and, in the future, I will try to live by Richard’s selflessness and Benard’s determination.   

TANZANIA- OPTIMISM

Optimism

I am constantly struggling with finding the right words to express how I feel or to perfectly describe everything I experience throughout each day, but this has made me realize it is not possible, and if it were, no description would be as special as the experience itself. That’s why everyday here in Tanzania I am trying to live as in the moment as the students do at LOAMO.

At the school I help teach in Class Four, which would be the equivalent of fourth grade in the U.S. But the rate at which the students are learning is very different. By this grade the children are expected to be fluent in English and Swahili as well as semi-fluent in French. Each day as I observe Ms. Glory teach a new math lesson and it amazes me because what they are learning at eight/nine year olds I was learning in seventh grade. In Class Four there are so any different personalities. There is a group of troublemakers; Otto, Peter, Fanta, and William. They are constantly making jokes followed by the class’s hysterical laughs. Then there is Karen, I like to call her “Mamma K” because she keeps everyone in line. The only comparison I have to the students in Class Four is the movie, The Breakfast Club. Not for the trouble making and acts of defiance, but for their unique characteristics. And as a whole they make the class what it is each day.

This morning Gitte and I met with the Class Four girls to teach them a song and dance. We decided on “The Cup Song” which they ended up knowing far better than us, but it didn’t matter because seeing their smiles made me day entirely better. In fact throughout the day all of the students from Baby Class to Class Seven never run out of this energy that everyone at LOAMO has. Even the teachers are constantly making jokes. Today during a boy vs girl debate they encouraged each other no matter who was winning or losing. This wasn’t the only thing that was expressive. Several of the questions asked left me speechless because at their age I did not know half of what they did. At the rare times where they didn’t know the answer, no one made fun of them and everyone was proud of one another. This creates an atmosphere of intoxicating optimism and happiness that I am dreading to leave.  

TANZANIA UPDATE

Compassion and Respect

After what felt like weeks of travel and overwhelming anticipation we finally arrived in Tanzania. Looking out of the plane’s window I could see Mt. Kilimanjaro’s enormous peak above the clouds. I couldn’t believe I was going to land in Tanzania; it felt like a dream or the captain would yell “SYKE” over the microphone and fly back home. But now I am actually here in Tanzania and I cannot explain how amazing it is.

Yesterday we went to Cradle of Love, a home for orphaned babies. Each child had his/her own personality. Some just wanted to be held while others pulled on our fingers to go explore. After a few hours I sat with one little girl who was now asleep on my arms. And as I sat there I realized that I felt true compassion that I hadn’t in the longest time. Back home people talk of small nothings and barely care about how many siblings you have or where you are from, but here in Tanzania they do. The people here take the time to learn your story, to understand who you are. Even the people that don’t speak a lot of English are so happy just to hear “Mambo” or “Poa.” On the first night a lady named Nai came to visit us. She told us how the people acted, the do’s and do not’s and she told us “The people here do not care what your skin color is, they do not discriminate, they simply love everyone.” THAT to me is the most beautiful way to live through peace and love.

Today we went to L.O.A.M.O School. Around 270 children attend the school. They all gathered in lines according to their class. (baby, kinder, prep, class 1, class 2, etc) One of the teachers lead the students, still in their designated lines, in different dances and exercises before school started. This lead me to compare the schools we have in the US to L.O.A.M.O. Why are we American students so reluctant to follow instructions, especially in schools? I know that I wake up each morning before school as slowly as I can. But in Tanzania the children rush to greet their teachers and friends. We have a better education system and opportunities for a successful future than the students at L.O.A.M.O yet they listen and respect their elders far better than we do. Even after I witnessed several children being punished for bad behavior by being hit on the hand or back with a wooden stick, they did not complain or cry. Even though it was upsetting to see this I was amazed at how much control and respect they had. So far on this trip I have felt and witnessed true compassion and I have the upmost respect for the students.