There are many reasons why we think that Cross Cultural Solutions is an excellent organization. One of those is that they want to be sure that we volunteers are satisfied with our work experiences. Last Thursday afternoon there was a feedback session during which both of us expressed our pleasure and fulfillment with our assignments. Some of the others did not feel so happy. In fact, there were a few tears because some volunteers feel that they have been underoccupied with little to do at their work places.
One of those volunteers has been reassigned to work with me (Jean) at the House of Learning, so there are now three of us CCS volunteers at the HoL.
Our new colleague is Maria from Canada. She has never taught before, but is mature (about my age) and eager to participate.
This morning Maria helped Melissa and me teach English and spent some time with us planning how we can better help the school. I talked with Mrs. Marsala (the headmistress) and have arranged to have one of the school’s teachers in the QT room at all times. We need help with explaining some of the concepts in Swahili. For example, the textbook for Geography uses the words photosynthesis, carnivore, herbivore and decomposers in an explanation of the cycle of energy. You should have seen my drawings of a chicken and a dog. Only someone who is being very kind could recognize them. And then I tried to explain decomposers!!! All in very simple, simple, simple English!
In English class, we had another interesting lesson. I’m sure you will remember Kirk’s earlier post about Tanzanian time. The textbook’s topic had to do with the prepositions In and At in relation to time. The use of In was easy: In the morning, In the evening, etc. However, the use of At becomes more complicated. For example, “I eat lunch at noon.” In Tanzania, people don’t often have lunch. If they eat anything, they may eat it at 6 (i.e, six hours after the sun rises), or they may eat lunch at 1:00 P.M. We learned that they don’t eat breakfast. Instead, most people drink breakfast because their breakfast is tea.
Kirk and his volunteer colleague Chesa who is 18 years old arrived at the TunaHAKI orphanage this morning, but the Director did not show up and the Teacher was absent because his father is very ill. It sounds like surgery would take care of the problem, but the family has not been able to come up with the money ($250) and no one is willing to give them a loan.
We heard today that the average annual income for a Tanzanian family is $548. Anyway, it became immediately apparent that Kirk was in charge. He was glad to report at lunch that the morning went well. Time was devoted to ABC flash cards, putting puzzles together, and throwing a ball from child to child as everyone counted one by one to 20. All the children did extremely well for 5-7 year olds, so the reward was a large colorful sticker which was plastered on the forehead of each child… and worn very proudly.
After lunch
CCS staff arranged for an excellent presenter who spoke about the Educational System here in Tanzania. I explained it in an earlier blog; however, he made one important plea at the end of his talk. He said, “Please make your students listen carefully to English sounds and speak in English.” He encouraged us to not be demanding that they say the words correctly but that they begin to say the sounds and listen to what others are saying and to the sounds that those other people are making. He told us his own story about not wanting to speak English and refusing to do so. But because of the encouragement of a missionary woman in the mid-1980s, he was challenged to speak English and now is very fluent and persuasive. We appreciated his affirmation of what we are doing.
After this talk, I (Jean) walked downtown to upload posts and pictures onto the blog. By the way, please go back to previous posts to see pictures that I have uploaded, if you have not already done so. My process is to upload the post’s words first and later upload the pictures. For example, this afternoon, I uploaded the description of our visit to Zanzibar, but I’ve not yet uploaded any pictures. I’ll do that in a couple of days when I upload these next two or three posts. It’s complicated, but I’m finding a way to manage it even though we don’t have WiFi here at Home Base.
While I was downtown, Kirk went with some others to visit an orphanage north of Moshi on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
One of the volunteers who has been here for several weeks said that this orphanage is run by Lutheran Sisters and is among the best in the country. Kirk was excited when he returned because he had learned during the visit that Rotary International has made a serious financial contribution to the construction and furnishing of three new residences for the children. The 15 sisters who staff the orphanage were very grateful to meet a Rotarian and to express their appreciation. The orphanage cares for 50 infants and toddlers who are found along the road and in the bushes… mostly abandoned by a parent who cannot any longer make a go of things and wants the child to be in the hands of loving care-givers like these sisters.
It’s time to take my daily shower before the dinner bell rings.
Wishing all of you a happy February and sending our love,
Mama Jean and Babu
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