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.