Emotional rollercoaster

May 31, 2012

Mambo! Today has been an emotional rollercoaster. We went back to the orphanage today, as yesterday my mom was sick so we stayed at the house. As usual the kids were more than happy to see us but were in the middle of an English lesson with two other volunteers from England. A few minutes later it was time for us to take over and we began our math lesson. I was the “teacher” today and for the first few minutes I felt really uncomfortable standing at the front of the class. I felt like I wasn’t able to explain the exercise to them properly and so consequently I had eleven confused faces staring back at me. Luckily, Lucy was able to explain it to them in Swahili and suddenly they were more than excited to show off their skills. The younger kids were given the assignment to practice writing the number 3 on a piece of paper. While the older ones were asked to do some math equations such as 1+7=, 3+5=, etc. As I presumed many of the older children still had difficulty getting the right answer because even though they know their numbers, they mainly know them through memorization. What I mean is that they know 2 comes after 1 and so on but they still haven’t grasped the actual concept of counting. I spent about twenty minutes with one boy named Hussen helping him to add the two numbers together. I figured out that using my hands (holding up three fingers in one hand, and two on the other) made them realize what was being asked. After Hussen finished, I moved on to two older students in the back of the classroom, Shabani (boy) and Farida (girl), who were very quick to grasp the concept of the finger counting. I began to feel more confident in my ability to teach them math and from there on the day got a lot easier. One boy in particular, Yassin, is exceptionally bright and wants to learn in the worst possible way. After he finished his first set of equations he actually asked for more problems and finished those within a minute. He has touched both mine and my mother’s heart in a special way. We both wish there was a way to ensure the continuation of his education because it is obvious he stands out from the others. I think my mom plans to ask around about how much it would cost to sponsor his education, and would do so if the price was within a reasonable limit. I admire her dedication to this young boy because I know that the demand for money to continue an education is high on the list in Africa. We all know that a proper and fulfilling education is the key to a successful life and it would make me more than happy to know that Yassin could be given this opportunity.

After play time it is once again time for some lunch. This time it is not as appetizing as the last time we were at the orphanage. Today we are having rice again, but with a very, very salty dressing. There were a lot of sardine/fishy looking items and it really made me sick to my stomach. I felt bad not being able to finish the plate but I feared that if I did they wouldn’t like the end result J Mom was able to pass her food off to her new friend Yassin who gladly welcomed seconds. Afterwards she wondered if that was a mistake because I’m sure all the other children would of accepted a second serving too. On the other hand, we figured it was better to give leftover food to those who wanted/needed food than to simply throw it away.

Once lunch time was over and the younger children went to take a nap, and the older children went to a funeral, the volunteers were assigned to clean up. I was put to the task of sweeping and mopping which really became an eye opener for me. It was the first time I really realized how poor and unsanitary the orphanage was. Mopping consisted of a bucket of dirty water and a dirty mop which had to be rung out with my hands. It then clicked in my head that these children sit on these floors, so all these germs get on them, which get on their clothes, in the food, and eventually on me. Maybe it’s the germ phobic side of me that freaks out about the spreading of these germs but knowing every single one of these children is sick makes my mind race. I wish there was some way I could make them all better but I know the likely hood of that is slim to none. I alone simply don’t have enough resources, or money, to help them in a lasting and sufficient way. All day I’ve been thinking about the idea of bringing buckets of soap or hand sanitizer to the orphanage but I know that would probably be insulting to the elders. The thought of them not ever showering, or having clean clothes, or simply being able to wash their hands a few times a day makes my heart ache. One girl that I mentioned in a previous post, Bright (known for her “bright” smile), is covered head to toe in mosquito bite scars. There are so many small problems each of these children face on a daily basis, but at the end of the day all these little things amass to one large problem called death. I wonder how many of them will live to see the age of 10, 15, or 20.  While I feel so fortunate to have grown up, and still live, in a country where I can sustain a healthy lifestyle, I also feel selfish for these abilities because I know that so many are not as fortunate.

After we were done cleaning we decided it was best to leave, as there wasn’t much else to do with all the children sleeping. We had another long and exhausting walk after we took the dala-dala to Moshi. About half way to the volunteer house from Moshi I didn’t feel like moving anymore - my feet were hurting pretty bad and so was my back. Once we got back to the house I jumped in the shower in attempt to cool off, but the water was scolding hot (it usually is during the day). All the other volunteers were off at a soccer game with Sadock Johnson (the founder) and when Deb arrived back at the house we decided the three of us would go watch. By the time we got there the game was over so we then we changed plans and went to a nearby market where we stocked up on water, cereal, some cookies (YAY!!) and pringles (no joke). It’s quite amusing the kinds of foods you can find in the market that remind me of home, for example: ice cream, pringles, dozens of kinds of cereal, an array of cookies, and other things. We only spent a few minutes in the market because it was starting to get dark and it’s really not safe to be walking around at night (it gets dark here around 6:30 but it creeps up on you really fast). We get back to the house and I’m exhausted, but not exhausted enough to check Facebook and send some emails J For dinner we had fried chicken, rice, and vegetable stew again (yummy!). Unfortunately the fried chicken wasn’t as tasty to me as it was to everyone else. I prefer the breast of a chicken because it’s not chewy or slimy, but tonight we had the wing of the chicken. A couple of the Irish girls were joking around about this being the rooster we hear at night sometimes because they didn’t hear it at all last night! After dinner Sadock carried out his weekly Thursday night meeting where he personally thanked my mom and myself for choosing Foot 2 Afrika and shared his story on how he created this organization. He also mentioned his plans for the Moshi Youth village, and the struggles of the Maasai Village. I hope he will be able to take us to the Maasai village sometime within the next THREE weeks because it seems all the other volunteers had a chance to do so last weekend. I put emphasis on the three weeks because I cannot even believe we’ve been here for almost a week! Time has certainly flown by but I’m enjoying every moment of it. Off to bed for now… Usiku mwema everyone J Thanks for reading!!