A final farewell

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end.  After 11 amazing weeks with TVE and the children/staff at Save Africa Orphanage, it was time to share a very tearful goodbye on Thursday.  I can’t really figure out if the time flew by or crept along because it seems like forever ago that I was shedding the same amount of tears as I said bye to my family and friends but it also feels like yesterday that I was stepping off the plane in Kilimanjaro with the world's biggest case of butterflies in my stomach.  I guess it doesn’t really matter how fast or slow the past three months went, what matters is that they happened- a thought I am still struggling to comprehend.

In a recent conversation with one of my best friends, we spoke about the ability to allow yourself to be happy with where you are in life even when it feels like you are at a standstill.  Before coming to Africa, my mind was all over the place; every week I was moving to a new part of the country and every other day I was exploring a new career path.  While Africa didn’t immediately answer these questions for me as I was secretly hoping it would, it has taught me to be content with what I have.  Now don’t be silly, I still have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life, but let’s be serious- who said we have to pick just one job for our entire life?  “The rest of your life”- it sounds so final, so pre-determined, so…boring. Taking this trip has allowed me to see that we really do have the power to change whatever situation we may find ourselves in and you always have the ability to shake up that pre-destined future by taking a few risks. After all, there is nothing more beautiful and satisfying than achieving goals that may have, at one point, seemed impossible.

I didn’t really go into this experience with any expectations or overall goals but I have never felt more accomplished in my life!  I’d like to think that walking into the Save Africa Orphanage today is a little more organized and comfortable and a lot more colorful than it was three months ago. With the help of many generous friends and family members, I was able to provide the school with things we don’t even think twice about at home- pencils, erasers, workbooks, chalk, desks, paper, stickers, books, soccer balls, sheets, blankets, pillows, food, and a very memorable field trip. I don’t think I will ever be able to fully share with all of you the extent of the smiles, hugs, kisses, and thank yous I received whenever I brought another gift; my heart will be forever warmed by the thought of it.  But what makes my heart melt the most is when I think about all of the things the children gave me in return without even knowing it.  Their unconditional love has opened up my heart more than I thought possible and I will be forever changed by the smiles they brought into my life everyday.

Out for lunch

Saying goodbye to all of their shining faces was not fun but at least we had a great last week together.  Last Sunday, Matt and I went to the orphanage and took the kids out for lunch and ice cream.  They were so excited to have us come by on the weekend; it’s always a treat for them to have visitors.  We waited as all of the kids gathered in one bedroom and rummaged through the huge pile of clothes to find their Sundays best.  After they got dressed, the older kids helped the little ones clean their legs and feet by washing off in a bucket of water.  Once they were all cleaned up, we walked into town as the kids playfully fought over who got to hold our hands and ride on Matt’s shoulders.  They all ordered chips mayai and sodas for lunch and were very well behaved at the restaurant.  They gulped down the sodas within minutes and really enjoyed the huge plates of chips mayai and ketchup. It was very surprising that they still had room for ice cream!  I received lots of hugs, kisses, and “asante sana, teeecha”s at the end of the day, it made me happy to see them so happy and full.

Chips Mayai and soda

On Wednesday, we took Mama Joelle clothes shopping for the kids.  She was so excited when I presented her with the idea because she said she was going to give everything we bought to the kids as Christmas gifts.  We went to the big Wednesday market in Tengeru, a short dalla dall ride from Usa River.  I have never seen so many second hand shoes and clothes in one place; it was crazy!  We dug around for 14 pairs of sneakers, a pair for each child that lives there.  Most of the kids just wear beat up flip flops which are not the most protective against infections when playing in the dirty field so it’s great they all have sneakers now. After the shoes, we moved onto clothes.  We bought a few outfits for all of kids and I must say, they were pretty cute!  When we got to school on Thursday, we were received by our normal greeting in the field but this time all of the kids were showing off their new sneakers.  I guess the kids were too excited to see what we bought so Mama Joelle couldn’t wait until Christmas to give them the gifts!

Dance party! And a great use of the desks I had made :)

All week I was dreading Thursday because I knew it meant a day full of tears and a head spinning with 3 months of memories. But despite my wishes to stay frozen in time on Wednesday, I had to inevitably deal with the day of goodbyes waiting for me on Thursday.  I fought back tears as we took our final walk through the field and listened to the progression of screaming children running towards me and jumping into my arms. I am still having trouble grasping the fact that I won’t be greeted like that at any job I have from here on out.  I was able to hold it together for a few more minutes until I walked into the classroom and was welcomed by a huge dance party.  Francis dragged in a big stereo system for the occasion and we all danced and laughed for awhile.  I was doing ok until Francis brought his son, Joel, up to me with the saddest puppy face and tears in his eyes.  Francis turned to me and said, “Joel wanted me to tell you that he is very thankful for all you have done and he really doesn’t want you to leave”.  My eyes welled up and through laughter and tears I said “Francis! Don’t do this to me!”  As much as I would have loved to hear from each one of the kids individually, I really wasn’t going to be able to handle it emotionally.

Soccer time

The rest of the afternoon was great- the kids danced and sang songs for me, Francis and I kicked the soccer ball around as all of the kids watched and tried to keep up, I joked around with Mama Joelle and Mama Dee, Matt danced with Mwandi’s mom, and I hugged and kissed all of the kids more than I did in the three months combined.  I gave each of them silly bands and toothpaste/toothbrushes as parting gifts because sadly, I don’t think many of them have ever brushed their teeth. Turning my back and walking away from school that day was not easy; the kids all followed me out waving goodbye and blowing kisses as tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.  Mama Joelle gave me a huge hug and asked that I never ever forget her, and I even saw Pascal and Francis fighting back a few tears. I didn’t realize what an emotional experience this had become until it was over; I guess that’s what happens when you pursue a goal wholeheartedly and with such intention.

Thank you to everyone for your continuous support through the months leading up to my departure, the months I was away, and for promising me I will be greeted with open arms upon my arrival back in the States!  I couldn’t have made it through the last few months without your constant emails, phone calls, facebook messages, reminders you were following my blog, and all the generous donations.  This journey was everything I hoped it would be and more and I look forward to sharing the rest of my stories with you once I’m home!

Three months of unforgettable memories, three months of new friends from all over the world, three months of passion, emotion, and hard work- three months spent attaining a dream that still feels so surreal that I’m not so sure I will ever believe it has actually happened.

So thankful :)

As everyone back home celebrates Thanksgiving today, I can’t help but think about all of the things I am thankful for this year.  I love playing the “what are you thankful for” game at the dinner table but I think my list would take all day this year!  While I am so sad to be missing my favorite holiday and Aunt Ann Marie’s mashed potatoes, being in Africa has truly opened my eyes to what is most important in life.  At home, we take so much for granted and are usually too busy to stop and appreciate the little things that make our lives special.  This year, I have had the time to really appreciate all of those things and I must say- I feel very lucky with the life I have been dealt.  I won’t bore you with my entire “I am thankful for” list but here are some more stories from 50 of my little friends that are on that list.

It’s been a busy week of playing catch up!  Instead of coming back to the usual overflowing inbox of emails after a week and a half away, I was pleasantly greeted by 50 shining faces who seemed to have missed me a lot.  The kids climbed all over us and wanted to hear all about the beach.  We showed them a few pictures of what a beach looks like and I handed out the seashells I collected for them. Sadly, most of them wanted to know if the shells were chakula (food).  I think its safe to say that they didn’t fully grasped the idea of the beach!

The day before we left for Zanzibar, we put the finishing touches on the desks and moved them into the classroom.  The kids were ecstatic!  Some of the boys carried the desks into the room without us even asking while the rest of the kids were all jumping around the room and picking out their new seats.  They were so excited that they sang us a few songs as their way of telling us how thankful they were.

After being wrestled around by all of the kids on Monday morning, we had to go pay the boys school fees at Amani (Matt is also sponsoring a boy from our orphanage, John).  It was lunchtime there so the three boys came out to say hello.  They were all dressed in new, matching green tracksuits given to them by the school.  The director told us that they were so excited to for the tracksuits because they have never owned a brand new piece of clothing, everything has always been a hand me down.  He said as soon as the boys got in the office, they stripped down because they were so excited; the teachers had to tell them to put their clothes back on and wait a few more minutes! The boys were happier than I have ever seen them even though they were at a loss for words and a little shy.  Pascal did some video interviews with each of them individually asking what they loved about school and if there was anything they wanted to tell Matt and me.  They all said “Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to go to school” and gave us a kiss on the cheek; it was a very special moment.  I don’t know if I will get to say goodbye to them again before I leave but it was really nice being able to see how happy they are in their new environment.  Sending them to Amani is definitely money well spent!

The boys of Amani sporting their new, green track suits

I spy a Mzungu!

On Tuesday, we took the kids on a long overdue field trip to the Arusha National Park on a mini safari.  We rented two dalla dallas for the day, packed some peanut butter sandwiches and juice boxes for lunch, and were on our way.  We arrived at school around 8 and were surprised that we were not greeted by tons of excited children running through the field towards us like most days.  We saw the one dalla dalla and figured that the kids were in the school waiting for the other dalla to arrive.  But as we got closer, we heard the faint chants of “teacha, teacha, teacha!!” and realized it was coming from inside the dalla dalla.  The van was basically shaking from the 50 balls of energy that were inside.  They couldn’t contain their excitement…it was adorable!

After the other dalla dalla arrived, we split the class in two and drove the 20 minutes to the park.  We drove around for about 3 hours and saw tons of baboons, giraffes, zebras, buffalo, and white colobus monkeys.  The kids were so happy to see all these animals; the smiles were endless. One of the boys, Eliah, was sitting behind me for the whole ride and he kept grabbing my shoulders when he would get excited and then say “Asante sana, teacher!” and give me a kiss on the cheek.  I am so happy I was able to take them on this field trip because it’s crazy to think that these animals basically live in their backyard and they have never even come close to seeing them in real life.  I was pretty nervous about how this day was going to play out since the kids can get pretty crazy but they were actually very well behaved!  It will definitely be one of the days that I will never forget J

One of the teachers has been sick all week so it has been difficult to control the class without her.  The kids don’t listen to us when we try to teach and just run around the room.  Just to give you an idea, this is what a typical day with no teacher is like…The classroom with no teacher  So when they kids are acting up like this, I have no other choice than to make them run off all their energy in the field.  I know that sounds harsh but I swear, they like it haha- Laps in the field So on Wednesday, there was no teacher for the baby class and that’s what the day was like, the kids were terrible!  I think they were still riding the wave of excitement from the field trip so there were plenty of sprints across the field that day.  We also had two of my friends from the program who are doctors come and check out some of the kids.  Thankfully, they didn’t find anything too serious other than some skin rashes and surprise, surprise…ringworm!  We went to the pharmacy afterwards and bought all of the necessary creams to treat them as well as a bunch of band aids and other medical supplies.

As my time here comes to an end, I am trying to wrap up the last few projects I have in mind and spend as much of the money I have raised as possible.  Any money that is left over at the end of next week will be saved to pay for year two of school for Augustino and Edwin. I cannot believe that I only have one week left; three months sure does fly by! 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Zanzibar

I just got back from a great week long vacation to Zanzibar, a small island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of mainland Tanzania.  It was really nice to take a break from life in Arusha and relax on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

We spent the first night in Stone town, the main port on the island.  Stone town has about a 90% Muslim population so it was important we dressed appropriately and didn’t draw too much attention to ourselves.  It was even difficult to find a restaurant that served alcohol!  On Friday, we visited the historic slave chambers which was incredibly eye opening.  Stone town was used as a slave port to hold and sell East African slaves in very small quarters.  I remember learning all about the slave trade in school but it was so sad to see first hand the conditions they were forced to live in.

After Stone town, we spent four nights at a beach called Kendwa on the northern tip of the island.  We stayed at a place called the Sunset Bungalows and sure enough, the sun set right in front of us every day- it was so beautiful!  We went on an all day snorkeling excursion on Saturday.  We rode out to the coral reef on a wooden sailboat and then snorkeled for about an hour or so. We then had lunch on a secluded beach and swam around a little bit before sailing back home.  A few days later, we went out on a boat to go line fishing for the morning.  I can’t remember the last time I went fishing so it must have been beginners luck when I caught the biggest one!  We had the restaurant at our resort cook the fish for lunch; it was delicious J

Once we got tired of the gorgeous sunsets in Kendwa, we headed to a Nungwe- a town about 10 minutes north.  We stayed in Nungwe for three nights and just enjoyed relaxing on the beach and hanging out at a few of the local restaurant/bars.  After receiving a few phone calls and text messages from Pascal, Francis, and the kids, I decided I needed to bring them back a souvenir of some sort from Zanzibar.  I would be shocked if any of them (adults and children) have ever seen the beach so I collected about 70 shells to bring back. While I was out collecting shells one afternoon, I ran into a man with a pet monkey!  I was so happy when he let me hold him, even though he bit me a few times.

It certainly was an amazing week but its crunch time back in Arusha.  I only have two weeks left at the orphanage and so much left to do!!

The Gift of Opportunity

We have been busy at work trying to finish up the desks we are making for the baby class.  Last week, Francis brought Matt and me to the workshop so we could shave and cut the wood.  They showed us how to operate some of the machines and let us cut up the wood however, we both agreed later in the day that we didn’t feel very welcome there. It wasn’t until the next day when Matt went to the workshop alone with Francis that we realized they were only cold to us because there was a girl in their workshop!!  On day two, Matt was talking with everyone, drinking beers, and doing much more work on the desks because I wasn’t there.  Apparently, they were very uncomfortable with having a female in their workplace…sipendi (I don’t like!!).  Despite not being able to do much work in the workshop, I was able to help sand some of the wood down at Francis’ office and put together some of the pieces. Today Francis was working on applying the finishing paint so hopefully they will all be complete and ready to be used by the end of the week. At least these pictures makes it look like I put a lot of hard work into it!

On Friday, we went to town and bought over a week’s worth of groceries, laundry detergent, and soap for the school.  Tonight we will also be preparing peanut butter sandwiches as a special treat for the kids with their porridge tomorrow.  How could I leave here without introducing them to my favorite food?? 

The shorts rains in Tanzania usually last about 2 weeks to a month in November and the torrential downpours started like clockwork on November 1^st. Since all of the roads are dirt, it’s pretty difficult to get around with so much rain.  Just walking to the main road can take double the time it normally takes and sometimes the dalla dallas don’t operate on certain routes.  I really tested the roads yesterday when I was walking to school by myself and got stuck ankle deep in the mud.  The road was fine in the beginning so I was just truckin’ along until I came to a part of the road that was completely mud with no where to go.  My only option was to tip toe through the mud, crossing my fingers that I didn’t get stuck.  Well guess what- I got stuck.  My shoes got suctioned in the mud and I was pretty helpless.  The other people walking by, whom have clearly embraced a rainy season or two before, just kept saying “Pole, Madam!” (I’m sorry!)  After a minute of laughing at myself, I finally managed to pull my feet out of my shoes and placed them directly into the mud.  For some reason, mud feels so much better on bare feet than being in heavy, wet shoes (I know most of you wouldn’t agree…haha). I grabbed my shoes and walked barefoot the rest of the way to school.  As soon as I got there the kids took my shoes out of my hands and brought them to the back of the school to wash them- I have never seen them cleaner. They all laughed and told me I had mbongo feet, or black people feet…I’ll take the compliment! Anything is better than being called a Mzungu these days! 

Hopefully the class won't have to work like this for much longer!

Even though my day started out on the wrong foot (pun intended), once I was able to make myself presentable again, we took Augustino and Edwin to primary school to take their entrance exams.  The two of them were very quiet on their walk to school and gave me one word answers when I asked them questions.  I knew they were pretty nervous so I just held their hands and listened as Pascal gave them a pump up speech in Swahili about being confident.  The tests took about 3 hours and we went back to school today to hear the results.  While the boys didn’t do very well on the tests, the school is willing to tutor them for the next two months so they are brought up to speed with the rest of the kids in their class.  Before taking the test, we figured the boys could be placed in one of the lower grades since their English and math skills are not where they should be for their age group but there are laws in Tanzania not allowing this; they will have to enter Class 3 with the rest of the 11 year olds. The school is very accommodating and has recognized the potential in both boys so they are letting them start class on Friday! They are going to have a very busy two months playing catch up but I know both of them will be able to handle it because they are so anxious to learn new things.  When we came out of the meeting with the director, they were just sitting on the side watching all of the kids play in the schoolyard- I can tell they are also excited to make new friends with all of the other students in their class. They were so much happier and relieved on the walk home.  They talked and laughed the whole way and really enjoyed the sodas and cookies we bought them as a celebration treat.

Post test treats :)

The director kept saying “But what if one of them is destined to become a really important doctor, how can we deny them of an education?”  I loved his philosophy!  There are so many children in Africa who are denied education because they cannot afford it or their families don’t care enough to force them to go.  You never know a person’s potential until you open their minds to the world of possibility.  While I am really sad that I will not be here to watch them excel in school, I feel so very lucky that I was able to give them the gift of furthering their education and opening up their minds to the endless possibilities that lay ahead and will lead them to a successful future! When the director asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up, Edwin said a doctor and Augustino said a safari driver- looks like we picked some pretty ambitious boys to sponsor! 

A Big, Fat Tanzanian Wedding

On Saturday I had the privilege of going to a traditional Tanzanian wedding!  Pascal, the assistant director at Save Africa, got married and wanted us to be there to share in his happiness as well as snap a million pictures of everything that happened throughout the celebrations. Matt and I went to the wedding along with two other volunteers who worked at Save Africa before we arrived.

As part of the Tanzanian tradition, the bride’s family has what is called a “send off” a few days or a few weeks before the wedding.  This is basically a party they throw to say farewell to their daughter and give their final approval to the groom.  While we did not attend the send off, we were told it is usually a very emotional party as the bride is officially being given away to the groom’s family.

Pascal walking towards his bride :)

After the send off takes place, they have a typical church ceremony followed by a reception (both of which we were able to attend).  The church ceremony was in Swahili so it was a little difficult to follow exactly what was being said but it seemed to be more or less like a traditional wedding in America. One difference that was interesting was the processions down the aisle.  First the groom walks in with his father and ring bearer and they are followed by a group of family members who are dancing and singing like crazy.  Once he gets to the alter, he waits with his back turned until the bride has started to walk in with her mother, maid of honor, and flower girl (also followed in by dancing and singing family members). After the bride has entered the church, the groom turns around and starts to slowly walk towards her with his father and ring bearer.  When he has reached her, the families join, he lifts her veil, and the families walk together down the aisle…still dancing and singing.  There was a whole lot of fun African music and dancing during the ceremony while they said their vows and signed the marriage certificate.

Dancing family members 

After the ceremony, the bride, groom and close family members went to take pictures at a beautiful game reserve down the road with tons of animals. Since I was hired as Pascal’s photography, us white folk were also allowed to go take pictures with them.  I felt a little out of place since we were obviously not close family but Pascal specifically requested our presence!  His wife is beautiful and I loved following them around and documenting the day.

Once pictures were taken, we drove to the reception where the rest of the guests were waiting.  The reception was coincidentally being held in a hall at the school I am sending Edwin and Augustino to so it was cool to see the transformation from school to wedding venue.  The color theme of the reception was red, white, and blue. When we first arrived I felt as if I had walked straight into a huge 4^th of July party in the late 80s/early 90s.  The decorations were a little over the top and very, very shiny.  It’s also kind of funny because the wedding was in a town called Usa River…USA, USA!

Anyyway, the wedding party waited outside while the guests were getting settled in their seats.  It was set up like a school play- folding chairs in rows facing a stage where the bride and groom stood all night.  The mother of the bride and father of the groom were the first to dance down the aisle, again followed by an entourage of crazy family members and close friends.  Once they reached the front, the bride and groom danced down the aisle to really fun music.  I must say, their entrances really out did any wedding reception entrances I have seen at home!  The music alone just sends so much energy through the room and before you know it, everyone is out of their seats dancing, singing, and clapping.

A few speeches were given and then they cut the cake.  The bride and groom feed each other like any American wedding but then they also have their family members line up so they can feed them cake as well.  Because I was sitting in the front row to take pictures, I guess I was confused for a family member and forced to get up in front of everyone and be fed cake off a toothpick.  It was pretty embarrassing since I cannot katika, or shake my hips, nearly as well as the voluptuous African women! There was not enough cake for everyone so I felt preeeetty lucky to have received one of the few pieces.  After the cake, they set up a receiving line for gifts.  Again, family members and friends lined up in the back of the hall to deliver their gifts.  The loud music continued and with every gift that was given a huge procession of guests danced up and down the aisle passing the gifts over their heads and eventually into the hands of the bride and groom.  The bride and groom did share a first dance and there were a few other dance routines that their friends put on for everyone.  There wasn’t really much unorganized dance floor dancing like we have in America, though.  All of the dancing was done through the aisles when giving gifts and receiving cake.

The last thing we did was eat dinner…without any silverware.  We were shoveling rice, pasta, and vegetables into our mouths with our hands! So graceful.  Probably the biggest difference between a Tanzanian wedding and an American wedding was the lack of alcohol- there wasn’t any served all night!  The lack of alcohol didn’t really make any difference to me at all (except that I wasn’t able to ice myself…), but I did see it as a pretty strong symbol of how unimportant food and alcohol are in their lives.  They can’t afford to indulge in fancy food and drinks so they focus on the more important things like family, friends, and dancing!  Food and drinks are usually two of the most important things at any American wedding, followed by how good the DJ was. I think we sometimes lose site of what is truly important when it comes to weddings in America, we may have our priorities a little mixed up!  Pascal’s wedding was a beautiful reminder of what is really important when you celebrate the love between two people. 

Give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.

Edwin :)

Forward progress has continued at the orphanage this week!  While the days seem to last forever as everyone operates on Africa time, the weeks fly by.  As a result, I always seem to surprise myself at the end of the week when I feel a sense of accomplishment.  Last weekend, I spent about $50 at the bookstore on supplies for the school.  I bought 5 handwriting books for the little ones, 4 books with English vocab words, 4 coloring books, makers, index cards, a big pencil sharpener, and two primary school books so I can tutor Edwin and Augustino. 

I have started reading to the kids at porridge time and they love it!  When I read shorter books, they repeat everything I say and I try to translate everything in my broken Swahili….somehow they seem to understand.  I hope this is helping them pick up some new words and maybe even teaching them how to read some basic words on their own.  After porridge and story time this week, I pulled Edwin and Augustino into the office so I could begin to prepare them for the primary school entrance exam.  We are working on reading in English, basic sentence structure, and writing. They are doing very well so far so I have no doubt they will both pass the entrance exam in a few weeks!  I also made a few flash cards with pictures including both the word in English and Swahili for all of the children to use. Click 'Kuku' to see a video of James and Josephat using the flash cards:  Kuku!

Just another day at the office- mowing the lawn with a machete!

On Wednesday, I was expecting a normal day at school but Francis had other plans.  He decided I was going to come help him clean up his “office”- he is a furniture maker so I knew manual labor was definitely going to be involved.  He had me carrying chopped wood around, mowing the lawn with a machete, and starting a fire to burn any trash that was lying around. It was really fun to see how his workshop operated I just hope that next time he gives me advanced warning so I don’t wear an ankle length skirt!

Maybe now he will let me help build the desks...

Working with Francis gave me a great idea on how to spend a good chunk of the money I have left from donations.  It has been hard trying to budget out how to spend over $2,000 here because that is an unfathomable amount in the eyes of most Africans.  You have to be very careful talking about money because people are not afraid to ask you for anything.  People come up to us on the street and just shout "money" in our faces.  Yes, its very rude but they are so desperate for anything you can give that they feel no shame. Because of this, I try not to talk to my directors about the amount of money I have raised I have just been spending it on things I know they need.  In their eyes, the biggest needs are money for rent and money for teacher salaries.  While I would love to just hand over a check to pay for these things, unfortunately you can’t always trust that your money will end up in the right place.  I also want to make sure that the generous donations all of you made are being spent on the things I promised I would spend it on- the kids!

Since Francis lives at the orphanage with his family and has a steady job outside of the school, he ends up financially supporting the orphanage most months.  I thought it would be a good idea to support his business while also providing something for the children.  After visiting his workshop, I decided that it would be great if he could build a few desks for the baby class since they just have benches.  This classroom setup is very distracting for the kids and makes it difficult for them to learn without desks to write on.  I am hoping that adding desks to the classroom will make the days more productive and easier for the children to pay attention.  At the same time I am buying desks for the kids, I am also giving Francis money to help sustain the orphanage and spend the money as he sees fit.  Just handing over money does no good here, the people need to learn to provide for themselves without rich Mzungu coming in and giving them money to solve all of their problems.  If we give them the tools they need to progress, they will learn independence.

Mount Kilimanjaro

When I first flew into Kilimanjaro Airport 6 weeks ago, the views of Mount Kilimanjaro were breathtaking.  I didn’t come here with the intention (or gear) to climb the mountain but the more I talked to people, the more I was convinced to just do it.  My whole outlook on this trip has been “if not now, then when” so after just one week in Tanzania, my mind was made up. I was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.  Matt and I had plans to climb it in mid-October so I started “training”. Basically I went for a total of 3 runs in my neighborhood up and down these dusty, hilly dirt roads…definitely not enough to get my butt into shape.  The more I thought about it, the more hesitant I was to officially sign up. I was a little nervous about making it to the top but it couldn’t possibly be harder than training for and running a marathon!  I knew if I really wanted it, I could do it but that was just it- there was a part of me that didn’t want it bad enough.  It’s a very expensive climb and what if altitude sickness prevented me from making it to the top? Not a risk I really wanted to take for $1,200!

After much back and forth, I thought long and hard about the reasons I was here in Africa.  I realized that Kilimanjaro was not one of them. Although forgoing the climb was going to be a sacrifice, I was inspired by another volunteer who backed out on the safari last minute so she could give one of her students the money to go to school.  I decided that my money could be put to much better use if I spent some of it on the 50 bundles of joy I came here for- the kids at Save Africa.  Instead of spending my money on climbing Kilimanjaro and getting the most expensive Facebook profile picture ever, I am going to put my money towards spending time with my 50 new best friends.  In November, I am going to take the kids on a field trip to a zoo in town where they can see a few animals and go for camel rides.  Most of them have never left Usa River so going on a field trip is a pretty crazy idea but it will be a lot of fun for them.  I am also going to make sure we have another ice cream party, go out to lunch in town, and maybe even find a movie theater.  This sounds like way more fun than walking uphill for 6 days straight!

I didn’t have to completely throw away my goal of hiking Kilimanjaro because last weekend, I did a one-day hike up to the Base Camp.  It was so much fun!  It took 3 and a half hours to get up and one and a half to get down.  The views were incredible and it felt good to breathe in some fresh mountain air for a day.  Once we got to the base camp, I definitely felt like I could have kept going but I think 2 days in I would have been bored and wanted to turn around. Not to mention, it is three days after my one day hike and I’m still walking a little funny. I wouldn’t want to know how I would feel if I climbed the whole thing!  Matt made it to the summit this week and just took me through all of his pictures.  It looked so awesome and I must admit,  I'm a little jealous.  It would have been a really cool thing to cross off the bucket list but in the end, I am confident that the small sacrifice I made will be well worth those big smiles.

Doctors in Training

HADIJA’S HIV TEST CAME BACK NEGATIVE!!! Today we took Hadija (probably my favorite, shh don’t tell anyone) to the hospital to get tested for HIV.  When we learned that her father died from AIDs and her mom was HIV positive, we were pretty convinced she had it too.  She hadn’t been tested with the rest of the kids since she started school a few months late so we wanted to make sure we took her to the doctor as soon as possible to get tested.  She was very brave and only cried for a minute when they drew blood.  We were so excited to learn she was negative, she’s one lucky girl!!  Unfortunately, there is one child at our orphanage who is HIV positive- Moodi.  Matt is hoping to find someone to sponsor his medication once we leave since he isn’t taking anything right now.

Hadija's very simple HIV test results- "Child - negative"

We also took James to the hospital for the 5^th time since I have been here for an infected toe.  He was in a lot of pain and couldn’t walk in September so we have been treating his infection with antibiotics. Eventually the doctors removed his toenail and it seemed to be healing nicely but because he plays in a dirt field with open toed sandals everyday, the toe got infected again.  After the doctor cleaned and wrapped his toe up, we went shoe shopping for a new pair of sneakers to keep that toe clean!

Daktari Karina wrapping up James' toe

This week has been filled with all sorts of ailments. In addition to the infected toe and HIV test, I have been treating a bunch of the kids twice a day for ringworm.  I ended up at the doctor on Saturday morning for what I thought was a really infected cut on my knee, turns out it is ringworm.  I know, so gross!  I got medicine for myself as well as the kids because we all know my ringworm only could have come from one place!  I know you are dying to see pictures of the ringworm but fortunately for you, I don’t have any.

Don’t worry, there were some good things that happened this week as well!  Matt and I bought enough rice, beans, flour, corn, and fruit to feed all of the kids for over a week.  Hopefully we added a little variety to their meals this week.  We also went to visit a primary school today to get the ball rolling on researching places to send Edwin and Augustino to in January.  With everyone’s help, I am getting really close to being able to sponsor schooling for both of them for a year!  I can’t wait to tell them the good news but I am waiting until next week when I start tutoring them for the entrance exam.  Karina’s last day was Tuesday so we sang a bunch of songs with them and played limbo in the yard.  They were very sad to see her go.  Below are two videos of the kids singing:

Songs for Karina's Farewell

If You're Happy and you Know It

The Limbo

Augustino (left) and Edwin (right), who both live at the orphanage and are like brothers, will be going to primary school in January, thanks to everyone who donated!!

Last weekend we went on a hike to these beautiful waterfalls not too far from my house.  We took boda bodas (motorcycles) up the road to the woods and then hiked down this steep hill and along a river until we got to the waterfall.  We were followed by a bunch of little boys who wanted to help out our guides. At first we were a little annoyed because we knew they were only tagging along to see if we would give them money but they were preeeetty helpful when I slipped and fell.  I was trying to show off my horrific, white girl dance moves on this really steep part and I lost my footing and slid down the hill in the mud.  One of the boys quickly picked me up and got me back on my feet and then didn’t leave my side the rest of the hike…such a little gentleman!  After the hike, our guides let us drive the boda bodas, it was so much fun.  Kiko said I am a really good driver so maybe I should invest in a motorcycle when I get home?

Yeah, that happened...

Breezin' around on the boda boda with Kiko

To say farewell to Karina this week, Matt, Karina, and I went to lunch at this place called Shanga.  It’s a small factory outside the city that makes beautiful jewelry, scarves, blankets, glassware, etc out of recycled materials and they only hire disabled people.  A lot of the workers are deaf and some have physical disabilities. This place gives them a job and a real sense of community; it’s a really amazing place. There is also a very delicious restaurant and a small field with couches to relax.  We spent all afternoon walking around, eating lunch, reading on the couches, and playing with the monkeys that roam around.  We were sad to see Karina go but it was a great way to spend our last day together!

Shanga Bead Factory

Relaxing :)

Asante sana!

Overwhelmed doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about all the love and support I have received over the past month.  This is a journey I decided to embark on by myself, something I was going to do with or without the support of anyone, something I felt was an important step in order to become the person I want to be- so I am extremely flattered that so many of you were interested in taking this journey with me!

I started this blog so my close friends and family could keep tabs on me and make sure I wasn't going to adopt 5 babies and stay forever (sorry guys, its still a possibility).  But after receiving countless emails, blog comments, facebook shout outs and $1,475 in donations (!!!) I have realized that I may have a slightly larger following than I originally thought.  I think I am getting a little ahead of myself since I still have 2 months to go but I wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for their kind emails and generous donations; you really have no idea how much it means to  me.  Every day here is amazing and challenging in its own way but there are definitely those days that I look to your emails for motivation and encouragement.  Keep them coming!

You are all the best.  Asanate sana, sana, sana, sana!! (Thank you very, very, very, very much)

Extreme Home Makeover

Trying to blend in

It has been a good week- we accomplished a few projects at the orphanage that we have been talking about for a few weeks now and it feels great to be making some headway.

On Monday after work, I went shopping in town for blankets, pillows, sheets, cups, and a thermos. It’s not like at home where you can just run to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and grab everything you need in one swoop.  It was a whole afternoon event filled with haggling, hand gestures due to the language barrier, and running up and down the streets trying to find everything we needed.  They definitely do not have the selection we have at home and everything is all over the place but thanks to those superb negotiating skills I picked up as a media buyer, I was able to buy 6 sets of sheets, 5 blankets, 5 pillows, 24 cups, and a thermos for about $150.  Not toooo bad.

Boy's Bunk Before

Boy's Bunk After

I was so excited to bring everything to the orphanage on Tuesday morning because I knew the kids had no idea it was coming; I felt like I was running my own episode of Extreme Home Makeover. Karina and I tried our best to carry everything on our heads like the locals but the end result was tons of complaining and a whole lot of neck pains on Wednesday. As we were walking through the field trying to balance everything on our heads, a few of the older boys came to the rescue and carried everything the rest of the way for us, not really knowing what was in the bags.  As soon as we got to school, we showed the boys what we had brought and they were SO excited.  You would have thought it was Christmas morning. They were running around, laughing, and jumping on the beds.  I have never seen 10 year old boys so happy about making their beds.  They even asked Pascal if they could go home and live with me! The boy’s bedroom has two sets of bunk beds that sleep 10 boys- ages 3 to 12.  Not even the Tyrrell household had quarters that tight! 

Some happy fellas:)

After making the beds in the boy’s room, we went out back to the girl’s bedroom that has one bed and sleeps 4 girls.  During recess, I brought the 4 girls into the bedroom to show them what we had done.  I wish I could have bottled up the smiles they had on their faces and saved them forever.  Witness, the oldest girl living at the orphanage- 7 yrs old, just stood in the corner and covered her mouth because she didn’t want me to see how happy she was.  The other three rolled around in the bed and kept playing with the pillow and hiding under the blanket.  I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t get a little teared up when I showed both the boys and girls their new bedrooms.  It really is amazing what we take for granted at home.

Giddy Girls :)

The other big project we were working on this week was a photo wall with pictures and names of all of the kids. We are still trying to learn all of the children by name so we thought this would be a good way to learn faster as well as make the kids happy- they LOVE seeing pictures of themselves.  All week we tried to take individual shots of each kid.  This was a very difficult task since they all want to be in every picture we take and do not listen when we tell them to get out of the picture.  It’s a miracle we were able to get a solo shot of each child and keep track of everybody’s name.  Today we hung up all of the pictures on the wall in the main classroom and we had to lock all of the kids outside for about an hour while we prepared everything because their excitement was getting in the way. Once it was all done, they were so happy to look at all of the pictures and recite all of their classmate’s names.  Earlier in the week, I also hung up the days of the week, months, colors, and pictures of the weather so they could start learning some more English vocab words.  The walls are looking a lot more colorful than they were a week ago!

A bunch of crazy, locked out kids

The photo wall!

Yesterday we were really sad to see that no porridge was served to the kids during recess because they didn’t have enough money to buy the ingredients, its just made of water and flour.  The kids seemed to have a little less energy than usual but I did not hear one complaint about not having food.  We had asked our house mama last week if she would cook mandazi for all of kids one day this week.  Mandazi is fried dough, it kind of reminds me of a beignet without the sugar on top.  We have it for breakfast a few days a week but it is a real treat to most Africans.  It worked out that our mama was cooking the mandazi for Friday so we brought them to school today and the kids went crazy.  I handed them out with the porridge and each kid was able to get two even though most of the kids tried to trick me into giving them more than that.  There were about 15 mandazi left over, not enough for all of the kids to have another so I decided we would save them for the kids who live at the orphanage to have for breakfast tomorrow.  I was chased into the office by 25 kids when I went to put them away…I actually had to lock myself in there so they would go away and hopefully forget that I had some leftovers.  It was really sad because they were so desperate for more and I have never seen them beg so much for something…I wish I had an endless supply of mandazi to give them.  Next week I am going to the market with our project managers to buy the orphanage rice, beans, flour, and whatever else they need so they can hopefully feed the kids the proper amount of meals a day.

All hopped up on Mandazi

Thanks to my generous family and friends, I was able to make the above possible.  I really cannot express the happiness I saw on the children’s faces this week and knowing that I helped (and YOU helped!) put those smiles on their faces is the exact reason I am here.  The past month has been an up and down roller coaster of emotions because it is so easy to get discouraged that you are not making a difference. Some days are wonderful and you really feel like you are finally making a breakthrough with one of the kids but then other days you are bogged down by the reality that it is going to take a very long time to see progress in the way that we see progress at home. I think everyone who comes to volunteer in Africa carries with them the optimistic hope that they are going to make huge strides in just a few short weeks. Sure everyone wants to see big changes but as I am coming to find, sometimes its the smallest changes that make the biggest difference.

The little things