Sophie in Africa

This week there is a lot happening for me. I have a lot to plan, and of course this was the week when I said goodbye to my school. Because of Easter and other things we closed down the school on thursday, and that was my last day with all the kids. Even though I have almost three weeks left until I come home, it was time for me to say goodbye. But I want to start with telling about what I did on tuesday. I have asked before if it was possible for me to go and visit Maasai-Manyattas (traditional houses) since we have four Maasai-kids in school. So on tuesday we took with us all the kids and went to visit some of them at home. It was not so far to walk, but the sun was burning that day. It was a really  good idea to take all the kids with us, because also for them it is interesting with Maasai. They are not really a part of society, which I also notice with the kids, the Maasai-kids mostly play for themselves. Anyway, whe were warmly welcome and I got to see the Manyattas from the inside. They are round, made from simple materials, really small and dark inside. It is not like a House with walls and a roof like the ones the "normal" Tanzanians live in. I really liked to see how the some of my kids live their lives and it helped me understand. It is not easy to me Maasai, it is a hard life. One more thing: I got a little chock. As I said we have four Maasai-kids: two sisters, one boy who somehow was connected to them but I didn't know how and one boy from a completely different family. I learned: the woman who is the mother of the boy is at the same time grandmother of the girls... the Maasai start at a young age and continue for a long time. And I also learned that the sisters were really half sisters, thet had the same father but different mothers. But they lived in the same place. (It is common with Maasai to have more than one wife, but not with Tanzanians).

 

Yhen, on thoursday, was my big day. I never thought I would come this far, I never thought I would have to say goodbye to the kids. Somehow, even if you are away a long time, in the end it always feels short. And you always have the feeling you didn't manage half of what you wanted to achieve (at least it is so for me). In the morning I played with the kids outside, weird feeling to know it is the last time. Then the parents started to come for a small parents meeting, they always have in term end. We shared some biscuits with the kids, and then the patents were lift in the school while we went outside again. After a while (I think they had a lot to discuss) we went back in and I had to say goodbye. I said some words for the school, and they thanked me on behalf of the school and the perents. I had planned a small surprise for the kids: the evening before I had been baking "chokladbollar" (classical swedish candy) which I wanted to give them. African style of course, since I don't have the same ingredients here. It didn't taste to different though. I also got a gift from the school and the parents: they had bought me a Kitenge, which is a classical African coulored fabric. Then one of the families gave me a gift from them anly, a Maasai-Shuka. Very sweet to think of me. Then it was time to say goodbye for real, oh I will miss these little ones!

 

Yester, on Good friday, I went to see the Easrer parade which the catholich chuch organizes. It started with a role play, where they played how Jesus was caught and put to trial. Then we started to walk around in town, it was hot hot on that day too, with many people following. We stopped at several different stations and many people were watching too. The one who played Jesus really carried a cross, I think it was not too heavy though. I imagine they replayed the whole story until the crucifiction, but I had to leave to see one of my kids at home since the mother invited me the day before. It was a really nice afternoon, we drank soda (of course) and she offered us some food. Then, they gave me a gift. A Khanga, which also is a coulored fabric but it looks a little different. I was moved, because it was the girl who had thought of giving me something. Very sweet at that young age. That made me realize for real that I am leaving and will not see the kids again. My dears!

 

This week-end I am preparing to leave Namanga, I have a lot to do, like packing my bags and maybe say goodbye to some people. I know so many, the list is loong and I don't know when I will have time. Next week-end I am coming back to Namanga shortly, so I will say goodbye to my host family then, but I cannot manage everyone on that one sunday. I will see what I will do.

I realized I have not written before about what my work in school really is. I think because it has become my everyday life so I just forget that you have no idea about it. I will compansate that now. So, as I have told you we have three different levels. In Tanzania, kids at this young age really go to school, it is not comparable to kindergarden. For Baby class, we teach them how to read and write. Letters a,b,c and numers 1,2,3 aso. And how? They all have theuir own excercise book and we write the number/letter at the top and they have to copy. We also teach them oraly, to say the Aplhabet and to differentiate the numbers. For Middle class the level is a little higher. They have some simple counting, which we teach them for example by drawing some symbols on the blackboard and let them count and write the number efterwards. They also learn parts of the body and begin with the diference between Capital and small letters. Then, for Top class, they are pretty good. They get all the excercises from Middle class but more advanced. They also have "personality development" and other subjetcs which are hard to explain.

 

This is what I have been doing with them until now. And of course playing with them outside. Next week the school stops, before holiday, but I don't know which day exactly. I have asked but everyone says something different. Typical Africa, live today and don't think about tomorrow. Oh, how weird it will be to say goodbye to the kids!

 

Oh, and one more thing. I booked a trip to Zanzibar! April 1st - 6th, feels pretty good. The first time in my life I do a real beach holiday... a little scary though, to go by myslef, but I know more about Tanzania now so it feels okay. In the beginning I wouldn't have dared. A little sad though that I will be there in the middle of the big rain season, which is coming now, but what to do about it. I will enjoy it anyway.

Last week-end I just felt like I needed a break so I decided to go and visit Moshi. Moshi is a city in the north of Tanzania, about two hours with the bus from Arusha, where most of the volunteers go in Tanzania. Therefore, Moshi is also the city I thought I would be staying in before I came in contact with the project in Namanga. Moshi has been a city I have wanted to visit for lang, but it is far from where I live so it is not easy. But last week-end, I managed to go. I left early in the morning from Namanga and arrived in Moshi about noon. Moshi looks different from Arusha. There are fewer people living there, but the town is bigger. The streets were wider, is was a lot less crowded and also other things were different. For example, I saw a lot more tourist shops there, in Arusha I have barely seen anyone. Moshi was also a lot cleaner and seemed somehow more modern. It had a different feeling from Arusha.

 

I don't know really if I did anything special, I just walked around trying to understand the city (I was very happy for my map). But it was nice to switch environment for a week-end, even though it made me realize that I kind of missed Namanga. It has become my home while I'm here, and it is a very anonymus feeling to be in a bigger city. I am really a local celebrity in Namanga. I think also, after finally have visited Moshi, I am happy to have stayed in Namanga for all this time, even though there are also some negatives with smaller villages. I mean, if I would have lived in abig city, I would not have visited the countryside for longer. But now since I live farout, I visit the cities. I would have lost about half of my african experiene if I wouldn't have been here.

 

On sunday evening I came back to Namanga after a loong bus ride. Very tired, but happy to have made a visit. The coming week-ends I will stay in Namanga before I leave for my two weeks of free. It will be esciting, but also weird to leave the people I know here now. And my God, how much will I miss the kids! To live without them, even though they can be very annoying, ist something which is a mystery to me now. I just have to enjoy the time I have left with them.

This saturday, the 2nd, I made a visit to one of the mountains around Namanga with some friends from the catholic church, who I play volleyball with. They invited me to show me a cave there which all Namanga gets its drinking water from. The cave is on the Kenyan side. And no, I don't have a Visa for Kenya, but if I am careful and don't cross the border too often it's fine. Just across doesn't disturb anyone... Anyway, we left after lunch which proved not to be the best time, since it is in the middle of the worst heat and right now it is hot here. We climed for about an our, over stones and through bushes with very tired legs in the end. At some places I got a beautiful view over Namanga, from above it looks really big. It streches over a big area. Finally, we were there and the cave was really nice. Cool, under a rock and surrounded by trees. We met some youth from a Kenyan pentacostal church there and also a sister from South Africa who was there on a retreat. Very nice. I enjoyed to talk to them, as I have said before it is easier for me to get contact with Kenyans because of language and also other reasons. After a few hours it was time to get back, and of course it went a lot faster than the way up. We also saw baboons, funny, didn't know they lived there. It felt almost as if I was back on the safari again. After that day I was really tired, but also happy. I have been missing this, to see something more from Namanga surroundings that doesn't cost money. And this was exactly what I was looking for. I am really happy I had someone to go with, because otherwise I would not haveknow that cave even existed! And also a bonus: the water up there was clean, cold and very good. Finally another taste than this boiled water. Yuck.

 

Yesterday there was an exciting day in Kenya: election time. Since I live on the border and meet many Kenyans, and also the only radio station you can access here is Kanyan, and the Kenyan newspapers are in english (= I understand), I know that this election was a big deal. Last time, the elections ended in a war, so everyone was just hoping for a peacful day and so it turned out. Hopefully it will stay like this, but I think so.