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!