Weeki Kuni Na Tatu (Week Thirteen)

On Monday I made my usual visit to the yogurt kitchen to visit the Yogurt Mamas and to collect the monthly expense budget. When I arrived Mama Paskwalina was the only Mama working since some of the other Mamas were sick and the rest were making chapattis, chai and mandazis for the Mtoni High School Students. Mama Paskwalina was looking a bit tired and worn down herself so I asked her if she was feeling ok. She told me that she also had malaria but she wanted to make sure that there were enough people at work to make sure that the yogurt was made. I can’t believe sometimes how hardworking and dedicated these women are. I stayed for a few hours and helped Mama Paskwalina make and serve the probiotic yogurt so that she wouldn’t ware herself down. After the majority of batches of yogurt were made for the day I reminded Mama Paskwalina to not work to hard and to make sure that she got some rest and headed off to the Kivulini Office to inquire about some project financial matters. While I was at Kivulini I chatted a bit with some of the staff and helped Mama Justa with some of her computer and printing problems. I was successfully able to assist her and she thanked me for the help.
After visiting Kivulini I headed off into town to the big market to grab some groceries. I realized this time when I entered the market how much more comfortable I am with the culture here, the language and doing things all on my own. At first it can be a bit scary venturing out into an unfamiliar atmosphere where the culture and language are quite different than what you are used to but I feel as though now I am quite comfortable and can get by pretty easily.
For the rest of the afternoon and evening I worked on a proposal for funding from that Mwanza Charity Ball and wrote some emails to send off the next day.

On Tuesday morning I took a piki piki (motorcycle taxi) to Buswelu Elementary School to visit the Headmaster Leonard. The purpose of my visit was to go with Leonard to inquire about getting some desks made for the school from the money that was fundraised by the Tecumseh students in London, Ontario. The piki piki ride was quite long and relaxing, especially through the rural Buswelu area. The ride ended up being quite a funny adventure. At one point we were dodging herds goats and cows that were spread out all over the road and later on there were a group of children that chased us down the road yelling ‘Mzungu’ as they waved at me with excited grins on their faces….life is never boring here in Tanzania.
When I got to the school I was warmly greeted by a group of students who were reading outside. The students walked me over to Leonard’s office and we chatted about their studies along the way. When I arrived at Leonard’s office I found him hidden between numerous piles of papers. He looked quite busy. As I mentioned before, the Buswelu teachers and Headmaster are very overworked and tend to have overwhelming workloads due to lack of funding and extremely high student to teacher ratios. We sat and chatted for a while and then I offered to help him with some of his work. Leonard explained that he was preparing and sending off his standard seven student’s applications for their national exams to enter high school. I helped him organize the exams and pin them together for about an hour until we were all finished. Soon after Leonard received some unexpected visitors and told me that we would have to wait a little longer to go and inquire about the desks. I told him not to worry. I am now used to the way things work here…sometimes a visit or a task that you think will only take a short time, ends up taking much longer than expected. I almost plan now for interruptions and delays and I tend to only schedule one meeting per day/ plan for one task a day since it often works out that there are long delays or unexpected things that arise throughout the day. Although this can be frustrating at times, it is actually kind of nice sometimes to practice my patients and to learn to be more flexible and easy-going (not that I had a problem doing this before).
During the wait, I ended up being able to sit in on a standard one class for about an hour while I waited for Leonard to finish with his visitors. I was introduced to the class and all of the students warmly greeted me saying “Good morning teacher, how are you? We are fine thank you. Welcome!”….it was pretty cute. Then I watched their English lesson for a little while as they copied some sentences that the teacher wrote on the board. Afterwards I helped the teacher mark some of the student’s notebooks before they went out for recess. During recess, mwalimu (teacher) Helena and I sat and had some chai and chapattis together and discussed our families, and some of the differences between school in Canada and Tanzania. When recess (pumziko) was over the students came back into class for music lessons (song and dance time). It was really nice to listen to the students sing some traditional songs and to dance some traditional dances.
When Leonard was finished he came to get me and apologized for the wait. I told him not to worry, that I had really enjoyed my morning at the school.
The two of us headed off on the daladala to visit the local carpenter (). When we arrived we discussed which desks would be suitable for the school and the budget and cost of the desks with the head carpenter. We ordered 13 double seater desks with the money from the Tecumseh students!
During our meeting earlier that morning Leonard also mentioned that the school was in need of some more stationary and teaching supplies so Leonard and I headed off to the stationary shop in town to spend the rest of the money raised by the Tecumseh students on these much needed supplies. After purchasing a bulk order of stationary, pens, pencils, glue and other school supplies I sent Leonard off in a taxi with his big box of supplies. He thanked me numerous times and kept saying “God bless you and the students and teachers in Canada, we would have nothing if it were not for your help”. I reminded him that I was just a messenger and that the thanks should go to the students and teachers at Tecumseh Public School.
After parting ways with Leonard I headed off to Kivulini to finalize the financial matters for the project and to pick up some documents for me to edit. Since I have a little extra time on my hands now that I am living alone I have decided to volunteer a little bit more at Kivulini. So far my volunteer tasks have consisted of editing documents and assisting with the writing and preparation of community handbooks that assist in educating local community members about domestic violence and how to prevent and manage violence in their communities. I spent the rest of the evening working on the kivulini documents.

On Wednesday morning I met up with my friend Kate who was working in Buswelu at one of the orphanages so that I could bring her to the yogurt kitchen to show her the facilities. When we arrived at the kitchen Mama Leah and Mama Cecila were very happy to see us. They mentioned that they were a little short on help because some of the Mamas had to attend a funeral. Kate and I offered to help them make yogurt for a little while and then we headed to Mtoni to assist with making some chapattis for the breakfast program. The Mamas warmly welcomed Kate and we all taught her how to make the chapattis. During our discussions while making chapattis I was trying to figure out who had pass away but because of the language barrier, I was unsure as to who had passed. We all discussed that it was better that we have our scheduled meeting the following day rather then that evening because of the funeral. After making the chapattis and serving the students, the Mamas served Kate and I some of the food with some tea. The Mamas served me a generous helping of 2 chapattis and a mandazi with some delicious chai. I ate it all after eating breakfast that morning and when I was finished the Mamas offered me more and I said no thank you because I was full. It was pretty funny because Mama Paskwalina said (in Swahili of course), “Melissa, why do you eat so little? You are too skinny. Why don’t you want to be fat like me”. Then the other Mamas joined in and started talking about how I was getting too skinny and how they have to fatten me up with yogurt and chapattis before I got home. Kate and I were laughing really hard because although I have lost about 5-10lbs here, I definitely am not too skinny. I actually eat way more here then I do at home. This is another cultural thing that is quite different from back in Canada. It is actually a good thing to be a little bit plump here, to Tanzanians it is a sign of health. It is very common here for people to call you fat with a big smile on their faces, thinking that they are giving you a complement.
After our fun morning at the kitchen, Kate returned to Buswelu to do some work on the orphanage library and I headed to Kivulini to help work on the domestic violence booklet. Afterwards I headed to the bank to try to deposit a project cheque. After walking all the way to the bank, I realized that the bank closed at 3pm and it was 3:15…just missed it. I sometimes forget that unlike at home where we have many 24hour conveniences, shops, banks and offices often close much earlier here.
Since the bank was closed, I headed off to the post office to mail the Charity Ball application that I had completed earlier that day. After that I made my usual trip to the internet café and came home to study Swahili.
At 7pm, one of the boys that I used to work with at Kivulini (Livi) came over for an English lesson. Livi is 19 years old and used to be a part of one of Kivulini’s youth groups called Tuelimishane. Now Livi works doing research for Kivulini and other NGOs in the area. He speaks English very well but asked mme to teach him how to write better and how to use proper grammar. Our lesson lasted about an hour and then we chatted for a bit. Afterwards I went to sleep since I was exhausted from such a long day.


On Thursday I went to visit the Mamas at the kitchen and at Mtoni. Afterwards I went to visit the Headmaster at Mtoni High School to drop off some of the pictures that I had printed of our last visit there with the teachers and students. I also wanted to inquire about the progress of the sign that was being built for the school as a donation from the Clarke Road students in London. I also needed to schedule a time to go and purchase school supplies, teaching resources and science equipment from the remainder of the funds sent by Clarke Road.
After visiting for about an hour I headed into town to try to go to the bank again. So far this was my 5th time going to the bank to try to attempt to deposit a cheque into the project account. It seems as though each time I went they told me I needed something else to deposit the cheque. I was really hoping that this time would be the last time that I would have to return to the bank for this purpose. Once again, I was told that I needed another official stamp from Saint Augustine University. I was a little, no, very frustrated at this point because the original teller should have told me all of the procedures that I had to go through from the beginning to deposit a cheque and each teller seemed to want something different so I asked the current teller to write a list of all the things I need to deposit the cheque and I made him sign it because I was tired of wasting my time.
I worked out my frustrations on my walk home from the bank and headed home to prepare for the meeting that we were having with the Mamas.
The meeting with the Mamas ended up being very informative and productive as usual. Alex and I really tried to make the meeting more of a motivational one to try to get the Mamas thinking about the future of the project and their importance in the success of the project. We stressed the importance of them taking the marketing of their product in their own hands in order to expand their business.
In the evening I has planned to do some more work and blogging on my computer but the power was out again and my battery was dead so I ended up studying Swahili by candlelight then I relaxed and read a book for the rest of the night.

On Friday I went to the Yogurt Kitchen to collect the membership cards that Mama Cecilia had filled out for me so that I could laminate them and cut them into cards. While at the kitchen I helped the Mamas with some of their month end recordkeeping and accounting. I then went home to work on some project documents. While I was at the kitchen, the Mamas spoke to me and I realized that the funeral that they had attended during the week was actually for another one of Mama Joyce’s children. I was heartbroken when I heard this because Mama Joyce had lost two of her children and her mother within a month and a half. I could not even fathom the pain that she was feeling. The Mamas informed me that they were having another ceremony the next day and that they would like it if I came. They also gave me a kenga that they had bought for me to wear at the ceremony. It is tradition here in Tanzania for those associated with each other to wear matching kengas to a funeral. They told me that since I was a part of their group that I should wear the kenga. It was actually quite beautiful.
Later that evening I went over to my friend Liz’s house for a good old All American Mac and Cheese dinner. I was really excited for this since cheese is really rare and expensive here and it is one of my favorite foods. The dinner was delicious and I enjoyed some good times with my friends.

On Saturday morning I headed off to Mabatini to attend the funeral ceremony at Mama Joyce’s house. When I arrived the Mamas were working hard cooking food for the hundreds of people who were going to show up later on in the day. I asked if I could help and they set me up with a bucket of onions to peel with some of the younger girls. There were about 20 younger girls that were there helping as well and they loved that I was helping them. For a good part of the morning we all peeled onions and tomatoes and had funny conversations in both Swahili and English. The girls asked me to teach them some English so I sat with them for hours preparing food and teaching them random words and sentences. Later on more children came and soon I had a group of about 40 children surrounding me yelling “Melissa, how do you say this…” and “take a picture of me…” and all kinds of other things. As much as I love kids it was a little tiring and overwhelming but I got through the morning and then joined Mama Joyce and the other women for a couple of song and prayer ceremonies. Then the other Mamas and I all got together to help serve the food that we had been cooking that morning. Just like last time the men and the women were separated for the funeral ceremonies and participated in different rituals. I really did not know what to say to Mama Joyce because I couldn’t even begin to imagine the hurt and pain that she was experiencing so I just sat beside her and held her hand and tried to join in in the singing of the mourning songs. She looked so empty, so numb…I wished that there was something more I could do.
After spending most of the day at the funeral ceremony I went home and slept for a little while since I was exhausted from all of the running around.
Later on in the evening I went out for dinner with my friends at La Kairo Hotel and joined my friend Nadia for some dancing since it was her last night in Mwanza.

On Sunday morning I met my friends Salome and Sophie at the International School for some swimming. I had not yet visited the school even though many of my friends and people that I know around town work there. I also hadn’t swam in a while so I was a little nervous. Sophie explained to me that she has just learned to swim this year and Salome told me that she did not know how to swim and she asked me to teach her. Even though Tanzania is right on the shore of the second largest lake in the world I find that many Tanzanians do not know how to swim. I guess most people do not have the luxury of taking swimming lessons when they are kids as most of us at home do. We had a great afternoon together. I taught Sophie how to float and how to dive and she practiced her swimming skills. With Salome, I tried to start of with teaching her how to float but for some reason it was not her forte…she just kept on sinking. So, we worked on swimming in short spurts and getting used to going under the water. I tried to think back to when I first learned how to swim but it was so long ago that I almost can’t remember when I started. I also remember having the luxury of being able to use water wings and flutter boards to get me use to the water.
After a long afternoon of laughing and swimming in the pool Salome invited me to her home to meet her two adopted sons and to see her farm animals. It was about a 20 minute walk to Salome’s house up a really large hill with numerous homes built along the way. Of course because it is rare for the people living in her area to see white people everyone stared at me and yelled Mzungu at me. I even had one little girls run up to me and grab my hand and walk the whole way with me.
When we reached the top of the hill (where Salome’s house is) I was quite out of breath from the hike up there. We sat outside for a bit and took in the beautiful view from her house.
When we go to Salome’s quaint little house she introduced me to her two adopted sons. Salome is 30 years old and is single and really loves children so she adopts local street children who are in need of a safe place to stay. She take in however many children she can afford to raise at the time. Right now she has the funds to support 2 children. She told me that she gives them the freedom that they need and want and provides them with food, clothing, school fees and supplies as well as a safe place to stay. She says she gives them rules and if they follow them then they are welcome to stay but if they keep breaking them or do not want to stay then they are free to leave at any time. Salome explained that she loves her children and loves being a mother and that the two boys that she is raising right now (ages 12 and 14) have been with her for about 3 years. She says that the boys respect her and that they love each other like a true family.
It was so nice to see someone who by no means is rich or has any kind of luxury, share what little she has with others. I really admire and look up to Salome. She is truly a kind, caring and loving individual.
It was really neat because Salome was so excited to show me her goat and her two ducks because she has saved enough money to purchase them herself. Her next goal is to save enough money to build another small house for her two adopted sons and her.
I really enjoyed my afternoon with Salome and her family.