:( It’s okay, the choir director was getting pretty extra. I was very tired of dealing with him even if our souls have a connection-Chris says he needs to read more Aristotle. Monday I had a great day building a dinosaur puzzle oh about hmmm 30 times.
We got up and got to have Lillian’s donuts which were made of yeast, sugar, flour, and of course as is the staple lots of oil. Jennifer had bought some Nutella because it is Giovanni’s favorite and lets face it he’s so cute that he gets his way-way more than he should. Even from his siblings. His current goal in life is to become the goalkeeper for Liverpool United. I think Abel was a little dismayed that he’s switched his mind from the safer career option of pilot, but he told me I would get free tickets so there is that.. I think another great career option would be if he chose to become the shopkeeper of the store in Arusha that I saw. It was just a concrete building with a dark entrance and “fun” spray painted over the door.
As Jennifer had brought donations for the school we didn’t have to take public transportation monday which makes me feel like a million dollars every time that happens. I wore sandals and just embraced the fact that I was going to trudge through mud and water to get to the school. What I forgot to do was roll up my pant legs till I was halfway across the schoolyard, (pond?). In some cases is it really better later than never?
After I’d already trudged to the classroom Abel decided to just pull the car in and park it right in front of the school so that the donations could be transferred easier. This morning I sucessfully helping some kids write numbers-without making them cry! We were writing numbers 1-50 if you were an older kid and 1-30 if you were a younger kid. What was really cute here was that the young kids would always start back at one because by the time they had written the new number they had to start counting all over to remember what the next number was. Which honestly I’d probably do the same thing. I brought out the chicken again and was actually mobbed which was a little terrifying but ah well, even if you have ten preschoolers on top of you they are still only preschoolers.
I took Oseam to the other classroom. Teacher Hoseana (Oseana) was sick so all the kids were in one class which is more than a little crazy if you ask me. Especially when you have a mix from two-year olds just leaving home to five year olds who think they are big and mature. Today we worked on asking for please. How did we do this? By building a puzzle and him saying please to ask for the pieces and then singing well done to himself whenever he finished the puzzle. Which we did like a lot. The sewing girls loved watching us in the classroom and thought the puzzle was really cool well at first–as did I.
Eventually I distracted Oseam with playing catch which he did with the sewing girls. I’m beginning to think he just won’t share with kids his size. He stopped throwing it to me after he realized he had to say “Please!” which he only says at about a ten decibel range to get the ball back. He even got the ball stuck up in the rafters which was an exercise in acrobatics to get it back down. While he was distracted with the sewing girls I tried to put away the puzzle as to free myself of it but he noticed and started screaming. So… We did the puzzle… Again…
In between all of this the Sewing Headmistress kept coming in to ask me questions about the dress she was making me (which is my new favorite piece of clothing) in Swahili. I felt really bad that after three weeks I was still at a complete loss. Lillian helped out though, “What style of dress do you want?”
“Ummm I don’t know, maybe like this long?”
“Big skirt, tight skirt?”
“Big skirt.”
“What style of skirt.”
“I don’t know.”
The entire time I was being measured Oseam was hanging off my arm which made the measurements a little bit harder to take but the dress is perfect so she did just fine.
What else was going on today? Well remember how Abel drove the car into the muddy school yard. Well when he went to leave it got stuck. They just tried revving the engine and having all the sewing girls and us push. Which didn’t work and resulted in mud getting absolutely everywhere. We tried my technique of rocking the car back and forth but he wasn’t switching directions fast enough so that resulted in digging the front end into the bumper–woops. Eventually he saw that there were some men in a work truck on the road outside with the same problem. He went and helped them so that they would then help him. It took them an hour, using bricks, jacks, and lots of discussion and moving around. The amazing thing the guys didn’t get dirty like all the girls had. The kids did a well done chant when they finally accomplished this.
At lunch time we had Makande (Beans and corn) which we don’t even bother trying to get Oseam to eat so he just fell asleep in my arms. Well first he faceplanted onto Jennifers legs and then I grabbed him so it’d be easier to put him down for his nap when the classroom had been cleaned.
After the kids were put down for a nap Jennifer and I wrote the homework for the day. (Write numbers 1-50 for the older kids and varied number writing for the younger kids.) I learned that I hate making grids and that I can’t quiet make even boxes for kids to put numbers in.
We headed home in our mud encrusted car–stopping to buy some fish and Giovanni didn’t buy it when I told him it was his and his job alone to clean it. He was even less enthusiastic when I told Gian to use Gio as the scrub brush to clean the car. I enjoyed doing the prepwork for the fish which actually smelled really good. I’m still consigned to only vegetable duty and I apparently cut the cabbage not quiet right but I did okay with the Eggplant which is a win in my books. I also gave Giovanni a new hat made out of cabbage leaves because I keep stealing his and I think he liked it.
Lillian had a church bible study she was leading at 5 so obviously she left by 5:20. I followed her out to run up to the store to buy some cookies for the kids, a card for Lillian and Abel and one, just one Avocado.
The supermarket is just a white person trap I’m pretty sure. I never ever see a Tanzanian in there but it’s the only place you can get oreos. The lady at the fruit stand convinced me to buy two avocados. She did this entirely in Swahili. I had the one in my hand and she just started showing me another and going “mbili?” I’m too easy. I also bought Watermelon because it’s to die for here. (I’m writing this saturday and I totally miss the fruit ladies so much.)
Cards with the kids–which I’m beginning to hate Jennifer for teaching the kids war and then bed time.
Tuesday morning-my last day at school-I didn’t escape the bus ride which I suppose is okay. The bus was stuffed and they had some very R rated music videos going on. I always feel bad for the person sitting in front of me because the buses are not Claire sized at all.
Teacher Hoseana was back for just the morning even though she was sick so I went in the class room to help her. I organized her desk for her (which the kids got to later and completely ruined all my hardwork so I suppose it wasn’t a good use of my time.) Then after they were done with their writing it was time for me to do a lesson. I was teaching action verbs, “stop, jump, run, stand etc. and they matched up to a picture. Have I mentioned a time or too that my drawing skills especially on a chalk board leave more than a little to be desired. The kids would get the word but then have trouble finding the picture. Thankfully we were saved by the porridge.
Hoseana left the classroom to go feed Oseam and as usual all chaos descended. The kids stopped drinking the porridge except to spit it on me. I got into a full on battle with Hiley over drinking her porridge and the kids thought it was the funniest thing. “You are sitting here Hiley!”
“No.”
Picks up and moves her chair. She grabs it and moves it back climbing on top of the tables to do it. The kids thought it was so funny-it was basically porridge and entertainment.
After this all the kids got moved into the classroom. Jennifer had taken over care of Oseam and as a SPED teacher this was probably good. This does mean that while I was teaching fruits and class room objects Jennifer was blowing bubbles with a very happy Oseam outside. (She’s started teaching him to say thank you because he’s gotten please down 100%)
We did some dancing and clapping breaks and the kids really liked the clapping game although not as much as the “Jump baby Maasai Jump!” dance which is super cute. The kids all jump together and are giggling the entire time.
I brought out the chicken one more time and got mobbed by the kids. They really like when the chicken pecks their stomachs or the tops of their heads. I kept stealing Joven’s hat with the chicken and he thought it was so funny and was laughing so hard he kept falling over. It is the simple things in life.
I went outside to escape the kids for a second and sat and blew bubbles with Oseam. Apparently he’d been doing it for over an hour and he was still fascinated the entire time. Lillian was sitting there getting her braids taken out and just watching her you can tell how much she really really loves these kids. Whenever a kid would come out to go to the bathroom they would go up and hug her.
Lunch was rice and beans one of my favorites and the kids too. Oseam also sat and ate with Hiley which is an improvement–him eating with people. When it came time for naptime the prepper kids kept hiding in their classroom. What this ended in was me one by one picking up the kids and carrying them out. Joven (who is by far the biggest kid) actually ran out of the nap room just so he could get picked up. Teacher Ana thought this was hilarious. “Joven what are you doing? Aren’t you a little man?” Because most of the time Joven is trying to act very grown up for a five year old.
Once the kids were down for a nap we wrote the homework again and then sat in the sun. It was a little bittersweet especially because when the kids said goodbye they didn’t realize I wouldn’t be coming back. (I think this was probably just sad for me.) I sat and talked with teacher Ana who I discovered moved six hours away from her family to get to teach. She lives by herself and is more than a little lonely. She hasn’t seen her family in five months but it is worth it to her to get to teach.
During pick up time the prepper kids went in their classroom and convinced me to spend 15 minutes of my life looking for an imaginary frog that had invaded their classroom. They almost got Abel involved in it they were so convincing. Their frog-was just bits of Lillian’s hair.
When we left Teacher Ana walked out with us to say goodbye and you’d think the kids had had the best thing ever happen to them. They all got up from their nap and were standing in the doorway cheering and waving. “No teacher, No teacher.” I shudder to think what would happen if the kids were truly left on their own.
I was supposed to go say goodbye to the choir but I’d made an effort this week to say goodbye to all the ones I cared about and really had only not said goodbye to choir director whom I didn’t really care to say goodbye to. (Don’t worry I got several texts from him telling me I should come.) No I don’t think I will be back till I come back with a musical instrument and my husband (which Abel says has got to be in the next five years so I better get on that one.)
That night Lillian taught Jennifer and I to make Chipati. Chipati is unleavend so it’s just lots of flour, hot oil, sugar, and some salt. It tastes freaking amazing very sweet–probably exceedingly unhealthy.
You mix all the ingredients together and then roll it out add more oil and roll it back up. Then you roll it back out into a perfect circle and then fry it adding more oil. We ate this with beef although traditionally you do it with beans. The children were very dissapointed.
We had one more dance party this night–this time outside. We did Cotton Eyed Joe and Macarena and Church Clap. Halfway through we heard an excited yell and Abel tumbled out of the house to dance with us. I now know where the kids dancing comes from. He got so into it. Jennifer and Lillian just watched us. What was funny is whatever way we were facing Giovanni had to be in the front. He absolutely had to be the star of the show and to be fair he is an excellent dancer.
Then I was pretty exhausted and it was time for sleep. My last night in Tanzania :( :( :(. I really love thsoe kids and that family. It honestly was very hard to leave and I want to go back more than anything. There was a lot that was very hard about being here but it was an excellent experience 10/10 would do again next time with my husband.
Wednesday morning we had a long breakfast with Chipati and coffee. We talked about Oseam and strategies they could use. Gabriel came and said goodbye which made my day. The kids were in and out. The weather was perfect. Am I being too sentimental. Ah well I’ll move on.
I decided I could pack in about 30 minutes so I went with them to Lake Dluti. (There was no school.) We sat on the lake and drank soda. I swear we put Giovanni into exstasy with his Orange Fanta. We played Would You Rather? And similar questions. The ones that really stumped the kids was put forward by Abel, “If someone came up and handed you 200 million dollars but told you you couldn’t finishin your education would you take it or not?”
At first the kids were like, “No we wouldn’t take it because education is important!”
“Well why is it important?”
“So that you can achieve your goals, make money, and have a goodlife.”
“But this person just handed you $200 Million dollars.”
Eventually Gian caved.
My personal favorite response to a question was from Giovanni, “If you could have a boat, car, airplane, or motorcycle which one would you have?”
“All of them.”
Giovanni really wanted to go on a boat ride and the other kids did too so I went with them. I don’t think they were super interested in the Flora and Fauna more so the experience of being on a boat. At first they were very afraid and clutching onto the railings but by the end Gian-with some goading from the boat men stood up on the hood of the boat.
We saw a couple monkeys and birds and then headed back to town. We stopped by the ATM so I could pull out the donations from the Go Fund Me (Don’t worry if you still want to donate I can get the money to them this was just the easiest) I felt very wealthy and more than a little conspicious taking out 1,000,000 shillings. It was a sizable stack of cash. I handed it to Gian for a second and he made to pocket it as a joke. Back to the house–where I did in fact pack in about three seconds. I am accumulating stuff at an alarming rate. It barely fit but it did.
I wrote my note to the family and put the cash in a brown paper bag. Then I went out and handed the kids their cookies. They went wild. One bag of cookies for each of them? I think they lasted about 5.5 seconds. I went inside to look for Abel a few seconds later and he was guilty stuffing one into his mouth. They appreciated the note and the cash and in return I got a Kanga from them which I really really like. (Kangas are pieces of fabric that woman tie around themselves.)
We had lunch-two day old fish stew which wasn’t my favorite and then I said goodbye. At the last second the kids ran out and gave me a note about coming back to visit and it was the sweetest thing on the planet. In return the chicken, yes the chicken got left with the kids. It was oddly fitting and it is okay. I know the kids will treasure it.
When I said goodbye to Abel he said he’d love to have me and my husband back one day even if the choir director wouldn’t so I guess that joke really stuck. They let me out of the country–barely. They took a long time over my paperwork–I’m not sure why–maybe it’s because they watched me fill it out three times because I kept messing it up. The flight out of the Kilomanjaro airport is really something as you fly up alongside you guessed it Kilomanjaro. Everyone was doing their best to take pictures and it was really cool. And that was that, goodbye Tanzania. I will miss you. I learned a lot about joy and grattitude and motorcycle men. You have some very cute kids.
Song of the Post: “They Live in You” from the Lion King 2
Quote of the Post: “Giovanni when you are a goalkeeper for Liverpool United can I have a free ticket.”
“Maybe.” Said very casually.