We had dinner at the orphanage the other night and sat around beforehand helping to peel cucumbers and slice tomatoes and just hang out with the kids. Dinner prep - what a thing to witness!! I can't even imagine having to cook for forty (plus) people everyday. (And keep in mind there is never ever the option to say hey, let's call in for some pizza or Thai tonight I'm tired or hey cook yourself, I'll be out). The great thing is to watch everyone help because they all have a task, nobody complains and they totally have fun. I can remember my dad telling me to set the table after school.. I could barely peel myself away from the Y&R long enough.. and the whining and complaining (um, sorry Dad!! :/). So anyway. We treated to chicken and sodas and Denise and I planned to spend the night at the orphanage. This being a special occasion meant they get power (I guess?). When the generator started with a huge bang the children went crazy like nothing I've ever witnessed before in my life - you would have thought they had won millions in the lotto. The generator going on is exciting for them - it means electricity at night instead of candles and they appreciate it so much that they cheer and jump and scream and run around in circles and it's absolutely hilarious. (Yup, you can learn a lot about the small things in life from these kids).
Speaking of, we took them to the beach Saturday. First time ever. Can you spell FUN children? Ice cream, sodas, swimming and a Dala Dala ride. The look on their faces on the way into town is something I can't ever forget. They take in absolutely everything. (They don't leave Buswelu Village very often. To and from school is pretty much it.. maybe a trip to the doctors). And the little ones.. they don't even really know that there is a world outside of their compound because they don't even go to school yet! Davy (he is three) fell asleep on my lap (on the way home) and had a look of terrified bewilderment on his face all day. He is a really quiet guy, loves a lap to snuggle up in and is a total doll. (Best hugger ever). Doesn't speak much or get into trouble and he does the cutest nose crinkle thing. Anyway, he woke up at one point (remember before I gushed about him for ten minutes he was sitting in my lap on the way home) and he had a complete heart attack when he woke up in the middle of the ride because he didn't' have a clue where he was. It was so funny, and so cute and everyone burst into giggles. After he realized all was okay in his very small world he smiled and nuzzled back to sleep. (Oh, and somewhere on that ride he managed to pee on my lap). Poor Lil guy. Couldn't handle the soda which was practically the size of him.
Okay, so backtracking a bit. The sleepover at the orphanage was SO FUN. It was like having a giant girls sleepover. Well, it wasn't like it. That's what it was.. but it was like being back in camp again. Denise and I each had a bunkie (I got Irene who was a good snuggler and she wrapped her hands in my hair somehow while we slept.. not sure why but it was okay I worked around it). Denise had Hannah who was a kicker and she didn't sleep a wink all night. Anyway, it was really fun. We got in trouble (um, noisy) from Joel a few times because we were doing photo shoots (and it put the kids into fits of laughter when Denise and I would pretend to be scared and dive under the mozzie nets hiding from Joel).
And that brings us to now. I'm sitting at an Internet cafe in town on the way to a bbq and I'm realizing that we only have 9 more days here and then we are done teaching (although we are staying around for almost two weeks longer to help with organization of some other stuff with the kids). I am really dreading leaving and I'm trying to enjoy every moment with them. I realize it's harder on me than them.. they will have a new set of volunteers and forget about us in seconds but I won't even forget the impact they've made on my life.
I hope there is steak and caesar salad at the BBQ! I gotta go :)
5.21.2007
5.13.2007
Hands of Mercy
Every morning we wake up around 8am, make tea and toast with PB (sometimes we splurge and walk to the duka for eggs and fresh chapati and fry em up) and then we walk the twenty minutes to Hands of Mercy to see the kids. We spend two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon playing basketball and soccer, supplementing their school with english and math lessons and most importantly - giving hugs when necessary. (Trust me, they need lots of hugs!).
They have a 'mom and dad' (who also have four of their own including a newborn) and they run the orphanage.. you can imagine trying to care for almost forty children with the help of a few volunteers and a few staff who help with cooking and cleaning. Not an easy task! (Um, actually I guarantee you that you can NOT imagine it. It's mad chaos!).
Eighty percent of the kids at the orphanage were left without parents because one or both have died (or are very sick and living) with HIV. In other cases their parents may have abandoned them (simply because the expense was too high to care for them) or they were orphaned for other reasons. The kids range from 3 years old to 14 (and ps - I am in love with all of them).
I can honestly say that the kids seem to be really happy and they are lucky to be in the care of the people who run Hands of Mercy. The place is full of love and full of fun!! They do need a lot of help though (and yes, here comes the final plea for donation money)... the kids are currently are sleeping four or five to a bed so a few more bunks and mattresses are a must (especially for the older kids as they get bigger), the mozzie nets are getting a bit tattered, they all share clothes and desperately need new ones and they barely have enough money to manage the food bill each month. We're talking basics.. no meat or veggies either. Toys? They don't really have toys... We also are in desperate need for paper, school supplies, crayons, pencils, books.. not to mention more practicle things like shelves so they can all have a cubbie for 'their' school stuff, and a door to keep the girls room locked at night (!!), new flip flops and meds for the skin infections (so contagious I even got some on my chest - right at head on lap level), electricity is a dream, a chainsaw to made chopping wood easier.. I could really go on and on with this list and I'm sure I'm barely even touching the really important stuff.
So.. there is now an organization that you can donate through Canada and get a tax receipt for.. www.hopewithoutborders.com You need to specify that you are donating to "Hands of Mercy" in Tanzania (it is not an official project).. let me know if you have any problems and let me know the amount and if you have a preference for what you would like to provide the kids with because Denise and I can still call the shots on the money expenditure. For example, $1200 is enough to buy the kids rice for a YEAR. Flip flops cost $1 each.. you get the idea !
ps - if you've sent me money already I'll gladly email it back to you and you can get a tax receipt if you want!!
Asante!
They have a 'mom and dad' (who also have four of their own including a newborn) and they run the orphanage.. you can imagine trying to care for almost forty children with the help of a few volunteers and a few staff who help with cooking and cleaning. Not an easy task! (Um, actually I guarantee you that you can NOT imagine it. It's mad chaos!).
Eighty percent of the kids at the orphanage were left without parents because one or both have died (or are very sick and living) with HIV. In other cases their parents may have abandoned them (simply because the expense was too high to care for them) or they were orphaned for other reasons. The kids range from 3 years old to 14 (and ps - I am in love with all of them).
I can honestly say that the kids seem to be really happy and they are lucky to be in the care of the people who run Hands of Mercy. The place is full of love and full of fun!! They do need a lot of help though (and yes, here comes the final plea for donation money)... the kids are currently are sleeping four or five to a bed so a few more bunks and mattresses are a must (especially for the older kids as they get bigger), the mozzie nets are getting a bit tattered, they all share clothes and desperately need new ones and they barely have enough money to manage the food bill each month. We're talking basics.. no meat or veggies either. Toys? They don't really have toys... We also are in desperate need for paper, school supplies, crayons, pencils, books.. not to mention more practicle things like shelves so they can all have a cubbie for 'their' school stuff, and a door to keep the girls room locked at night (!!), new flip flops and meds for the skin infections (so contagious I even got some on my chest - right at head on lap level), electricity is a dream, a chainsaw to made chopping wood easier.. I could really go on and on with this list and I'm sure I'm barely even touching the really important stuff.
So.. there is now an organization that you can donate through Canada and get a tax receipt for.. www.hopewithoutborders.com You need to specify that you are donating to "Hands of Mercy" in Tanzania (it is not an official project).. let me know if you have any problems and let me know the amount and if you have a preference for what you would like to provide the kids with because Denise and I can still call the shots on the money expenditure. For example, $1200 is enough to buy the kids rice for a YEAR. Flip flops cost $1 each.. you get the idea !
ps - if you've sent me money already I'll gladly email it back to you and you can get a tax receipt if you want!!
Asante!
5.12.2007
Buswelu!
We are living in a place called Buswelu. It's about twenty minutes by car from Mwanza which is a small town located on Lake Victoria in Tanzania, East Africa.
Our house is cool - we have four roommates (other volunteers), electricity most of the time (no fridge or hot water) and we cook on kerosene stoves. The boys from one of the orphanages come and fill the tank on the roof with well water every week so we can shower and flush! We also have a Masaai who is our night watchman. He basically patrols the house at night and makes sure there are no problems. He protects us with a bow and arrow and a machete (I am totally serious). Denise and I had bow and arrow lessons last week (in the dark). He is sooooooo bad ass cool.
So putting down our bags for six weeks is an amazing feeling!! It's nice to stop and settle in for a while (oh yeah, and two days in we extended by another two weeks because we just adore it here). The orphanage is close to home and we can get the basics in Buswelu corner (there is a scattering of fruit and veggie stands and a few duka's that sell eggs, water, bread and basic items like soap and detergent). There is also (strangely) a million places to get your hair cut, but anything more complicated and we need to go to town.
Obviously we don't have a car so we rely on Dala Dala's to get us in and out of Mwanza (after dark we taxi). It's about 0.40cents one way and it takes a good hour and a half to catch one and get into town. (We sometimes walk up to half an hour or more until one goes flying by and we wave it down - they don't have bus stops really. It's actually much smarter in my opinion.. you get exercise and closer to your destination instead of standing around like a dummy).
Anyway, the dala dala is basically a large van with four benches and the idea is to mash as many people in as possible. If you are last to get on you have to sit on laps, stand or lie on top of people vertically and there is a possibility that limbs are hanging out. If you can do some sort of funky bendy thing with your body and get comfy you are totally laughing. Yeah, it gets super hot and smushy but it's fun. The more mashed you are, the less you notice the pot holes! The other day we ended up hitching on a school bus dala dala and the kids sang English songs for us while we dropped them off at their homes throughout Mwanza. Adorable!!
*Interesting Dala Dala tid bit - on the way in this morning I felt a sprinkling of something on my toes, looked down and realized the floor where my feet were was quickly being flooded with 'water'. I then realized the baby sitting on the ladies lap in front of me must have peed. The funny part of the story is that the mom and baby got off at the next stop. Unfortunately the baby wasn't sitting on mom's lap - yup, complete stranger got peed on !! See the thing is, if you have a free lap you get children, chickens or groceries shoved in it. What happens next is your problem :)*
So we are settling in quite nicely. We were even welcomed with a mild dose of Malaria - but we are feeling fine and took the meds and caught it in time before any serious side effects.. I actually didn't feel sick at all. Mom stop panicking and having malaria conference calls with Denise's mom ;).
The thing that is shocking Denise and I the most about our time here is our social life.. we suddenly are out every night and we've consumed more wine in the last week and a half that I ever have in my life. Last Sunday we took a boat ride on Lake Vic and went to a resort (friends of friends kind of thing) for a poikey (yum, lamb stew) and we swam and drank copious amounts of South Africa red wine. Last night we strolled in around 4am and there is a party for us tonight at some house on Lake Vic.
Pole F'ing Sana my friends.
Our house is cool - we have four roommates (other volunteers), electricity most of the time (no fridge or hot water) and we cook on kerosene stoves. The boys from one of the orphanages come and fill the tank on the roof with well water every week so we can shower and flush! We also have a Masaai who is our night watchman. He basically patrols the house at night and makes sure there are no problems. He protects us with a bow and arrow and a machete (I am totally serious). Denise and I had bow and arrow lessons last week (in the dark). He is sooooooo bad ass cool.
So putting down our bags for six weeks is an amazing feeling!! It's nice to stop and settle in for a while (oh yeah, and two days in we extended by another two weeks because we just adore it here). The orphanage is close to home and we can get the basics in Buswelu corner (there is a scattering of fruit and veggie stands and a few duka's that sell eggs, water, bread and basic items like soap and detergent). There is also (strangely) a million places to get your hair cut, but anything more complicated and we need to go to town.
Obviously we don't have a car so we rely on Dala Dala's to get us in and out of Mwanza (after dark we taxi). It's about 0.40cents one way and it takes a good hour and a half to catch one and get into town. (We sometimes walk up to half an hour or more until one goes flying by and we wave it down - they don't have bus stops really. It's actually much smarter in my opinion.. you get exercise and closer to your destination instead of standing around like a dummy).
Anyway, the dala dala is basically a large van with four benches and the idea is to mash as many people in as possible. If you are last to get on you have to sit on laps, stand or lie on top of people vertically and there is a possibility that limbs are hanging out. If you can do some sort of funky bendy thing with your body and get comfy you are totally laughing. Yeah, it gets super hot and smushy but it's fun. The more mashed you are, the less you notice the pot holes! The other day we ended up hitching on a school bus dala dala and the kids sang English songs for us while we dropped them off at their homes throughout Mwanza. Adorable!!
*Interesting Dala Dala tid bit - on the way in this morning I felt a sprinkling of something on my toes, looked down and realized the floor where my feet were was quickly being flooded with 'water'. I then realized the baby sitting on the ladies lap in front of me must have peed. The funny part of the story is that the mom and baby got off at the next stop. Unfortunately the baby wasn't sitting on mom's lap - yup, complete stranger got peed on !! See the thing is, if you have a free lap you get children, chickens or groceries shoved in it. What happens next is your problem :)*
So we are settling in quite nicely. We were even welcomed with a mild dose of Malaria - but we are feeling fine and took the meds and caught it in time before any serious side effects.. I actually didn't feel sick at all. Mom stop panicking and having malaria conference calls with Denise's mom ;).
The thing that is shocking Denise and I the most about our time here is our social life.. we suddenly are out every night and we've consumed more wine in the last week and a half that I ever have in my life. Last Sunday we took a boat ride on Lake Vic and went to a resort (friends of friends kind of thing) for a poikey (yum, lamb stew) and we swam and drank copious amounts of South Africa red wine. Last night we strolled in around 4am and there is a party for us tonight at some house on Lake Vic.
Pole F'ing Sana my friends.
5.01.2007
Africa!
The flight into Kilimanjaro airport may be a highlight of my life. I know that sounds super dramatic and over the top.. but it was stunning. This giant mountain poking through the clouds and lush green landscape with red soil and dirt roads winding around farms and those trees that look like Africa (come on, you know what I mean right. I dunno what they are called). I could pretend there were Giraffe's but in truth I didnt' see one. *Yet*. Denise and I sat there dumbfounded with mouths wide open and couldn't even reach for our cameras. It was such an amazing flight in, they take you right beside the mountain as you descend...beautiful! {I guess we will feel differently in a few months when we go back to tackle the sucker. Gulp}.
Anyway, Tanzania is proving to be a refreshing change from India. It doesn't smell, it's significantly cleaner, the driving is normal and they don't constantly honk the horn. I didn't see a cow either (in fact, I enjoyed one for dinner. Yum). After an hour stop in Kili airport we finally arrived in Dar Es Saleem. Big city, not meant to be anything special, so we booked our flight to Mwanza (to get to the orpanage) for tonight. We absolutely splurged (why the hell not) and rented a hotel with a pool close to the airport. The manager upgraded us to a 2 bedroom suite with a kitchen and living room once he realized 'we are in the industry'. It's hard not to get lost. Seriously. We have two washrooms!
Last night we decided to lay in bed and watch movies (really, nothing else TO DO). Going out at night isn't safe. In fact, we wanted to go to the gas station across the street from the hotel (to load up on chocolate and cookies of course) and the concierge escorted us. Just an eye opener that we don't have the same freedoms we enjoyed in Asia..
On that note, the concierge is possibly my new boyfriend (in his mind) and maybe that is why he is escourting us everywhere. He doesn't realize I already *have* a boyfriend from Zambia that I met on the plane yesterday. Eek. Too many boyfriends ;)
Anyway, Tanzania is proving to be a refreshing change from India. It doesn't smell, it's significantly cleaner, the driving is normal and they don't constantly honk the horn. I didn't see a cow either (in fact, I enjoyed one for dinner. Yum). After an hour stop in Kili airport we finally arrived in Dar Es Saleem. Big city, not meant to be anything special, so we booked our flight to Mwanza (to get to the orpanage) for tonight. We absolutely splurged (why the hell not) and rented a hotel with a pool close to the airport. The manager upgraded us to a 2 bedroom suite with a kitchen and living room once he realized 'we are in the industry'. It's hard not to get lost. Seriously. We have two washrooms!
Last night we decided to lay in bed and watch movies (really, nothing else TO DO). Going out at night isn't safe. In fact, we wanted to go to the gas station across the street from the hotel (to load up on chocolate and cookies of course) and the concierge escorted us. Just an eye opener that we don't have the same freedoms we enjoyed in Asia..
On that note, the concierge is possibly my new boyfriend (in his mind) and maybe that is why he is escourting us everywhere. He doesn't realize I already *have* a boyfriend from Zambia that I met on the plane yesterday. Eek. Too many boyfriends ;)
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