Oops... This One Never Got Posted (originally titled "Getting Ready To Go... Again")

So, I just realized this post, which I wrote on Jan. 9, never got uploaded. So here you go. :)

"Getting Ready To Go… Again"

While I would love to end this series of blog entries with exciting and inspirational stories, unfortunately this last week’s work has not been conducive to such tales. Don’t get me wrong, we have been doing a lot of important work, but it has involved doing such things as walking around to school compounds to pick up admission forms with our kids who will be advancing to a new level this year, and looking over budgets to see what can be set up at the new center and when. Important stuff, just not terribly entertaining.

What actually really was fun happened today, when Luka, Justas and I were having a brain-storming session about future possibilities for the center, fundraising opportunities, and how to get the community involved. We were discussing social things like dance parties and movie nights which will bring the neighbors in, building relationships with local business owners and officials whose support will be necessary for ensuring the sustainability of the program (Luka and Justas have always worked on this, but we want to extend their network), and what sorts of things volunteers will be able to do. I wish I could be here to see it all through!

But I must go in a just two short days, and will be saying another round of good-byes this weekend. Oddly. its easier to leave the second time, because I know for sure my relationships here will continue, and have been able to personally witness the program grow so much in just over six months. I have seen really solid evidence OIT will have continued success, and I’m excited to see the lives of the children and their families improve, and how the program will expand to help even more people. So instead of Kwa Heri (goodbye), I will say Badae (till later).

Some Things to Celebrate

So the official move has been made from the old office to the new “Salama Center.” Yesterday we had a New Year’s celebration to show the caregivers where we are, talk about plans for the future, hand out some school supplies, and just generally have some fun. Four caregivers volunteered to cook food for everyone, and the menu was awesome—pilau, veggies, pineapple, and many dishes I don’t know the names of… Everyone really liked the new facility and they are all excited for the extra classes it will offer for the kids. The party also provided the opportunity for the new security guard (Amiri) and the new day-care provider (Gloria) to be introduced to everyone.

The next tasks involve outfitting the center, registering the kids for school, and setting up the official program—none of these tasks are very small, and none will be complete by the time I leave next week, but I’m sure I’ll be busy till the very last day. Looking forward to it!

Making a List, Checking it Twice

Well, Christmas has come and gone. You know it was a holiday in Moshi because everyone ate pilau, which is a rare treat because it involves meat. Protein is not something you come across very often with our families. But everyone was happy, went to church, came home, and ate pilau. While not a time of gift giving and Santa Claus, Christmas here is a time for family, and it was wonderful to see relatives form other villages coming to see some of our kids and their caregivers. Even non-christians celebrate with their families. It was good times.

As for OIT, holidays have slowed things down, but today we went to the newly rented center to see how the renovations shaped up, and it’s looking good. There are a few classrooms, offices, and a volunteer house, which should be really nice. We have to do some cleaning of the floors, so we made a list of everything we will need, then added on some things we will need to get for our New Year’s day party, then some more things we need for basics… we have a lot of shopping to do! But it’s good and very exciting to be getting things set up so OIT can be a really useful organization for our families and this community, and to have the center be a place where people feel comfortable and at home.

I apologize for the lack of pictures—the dial up internet has not been my friend, so I probably won’t be able to get any up until I am back in the USA in late January. It’s hard to believe my time here is half over (well, this trip anyway)…

Gina's Back!

I have returned. :) I decided to spend my winter break back here in Moshi helping set up the new “Salama Center” and getting the OIT program ready to roll.

It’s really fun to see everyone, and realize that while an entire academic semester has gone by, and I spent most of it looking forward to coming back here, in reality the three and a half months I have been in New York were not that long. But a few things have changed.

Domina, a caregiver who had been pregnant with triplets when I left, gave birth in early September. One of the babies did pass away, but the other two, a boy and girl are alive and well (and absolutely adorable).

Kenneth, one of the toddlers in the program who was completely freaked out by white people and refused to come near Molly or I all summer, and screamed and cried when we got too close, actually shook my hand. I think his grandma caught him off guard, because as soon as he did it he realized I was white and started crying. But, baby steps… :). And, speaking of babies, there was another addition to his house as well. We went to visit today and there was a young woman who I had not met before, but apparently has moved into his family’s house (which is one room). Lo and behold, she had just had a baby, who was born one month ago, but was two months premature, so she was TINY. She was all wrapped up in blankets sleeping soundly. Her name is Dora, and she is also adorable. That house is getting might cramped, though…

As many of you figured out from my previous blog entries, Grayson was my favorite little man in the program, so FYI he is doing well. We walked up to his house and when his grandma saw us coming she literally ran into the street to greet us. I have seriously never seen an old woman move so fast :). She is awesome.

There is a new compound for the OIT center, complete with offices, a volunteer house, classrooms and a kitchen. It is still largely being renovated, but we went there today and things are going as planned. When finished, it will have English classes, a computer center, a sewing classroom, and a day care/nursery school. We just need to get some start-up furniture and a few appliances, and it will be ready to open.

I haven’t seen all the kids yet, as I’ve only gotten to Majengo (the neighborhood the kids live in) twice in the few days I have been here, but I will see them this week as we go around delivering Holiday Greetings from the OIT Ladies in New York (and Chicago). I will of course be sending out more updates.

So this month I look forward to seeing the kids, helping set up a computer lab at the new center, a Holiday party, getting the kids back in school (the school year here runs from January-November), and the inevitable surprises…

Gina's Farewell

(This entry was written by Gina)

Well, I just got back to the USA and am a little delirious from my travels, but I wanted to write a post with final thoughts.

Leaving was pretty hectic. I completed everything I could in terms of information gathering and projects, and I know Luka and Justas will see everything we started through to the end. One thing I’m really excited to see is a potential partnership with a Tanzanian organization that provides computers to educational institutions there. If everything works out OIT will be able to offer computer classes to our kids, their families and the community, which is awesome, as VERY few people have ever used a computer before. Even those with experience know only the basics. So look for more info on that in the near future.

The big news when I left was that the woman Molly wrote about before (Domina) is having TRIPLETS, not twins, so please keep her in your thoughts. Triplets are dangerous enough in the US, and in Tanzania, while I am sure they will do the best they can for her, facilities just aren’t what they are here. And even if she has the children all right, the first few months of their lives will be hard, as will the economic burden on her family. They will be going from 5 people in one room to 8 people in two rooms. I can not imagine how hard it is going to be.

Otherwise, things are pretty normal there. Grayson, the boy who had the operation, is doing fine. Most of the children are doing well in school, and those who aren’t are getting some special attention from Luka and Justas.

Finally, I just wanted to say that I am so glad I had an opportunity to be part of this project. I really think it can be successful and a HUGE help to the kids and their families for a long time to come. I’ll stay involved, as will Molly, and we’ll keep everyone updated as we can. Siyo kwa heri!

Molly's Farewell

(This entry was written by Molly)

We spent my last full day in Tanzania walking around, trying to visit as many families as possible. The past few weeks (I know, it’s been awhile since I last wrote…) have flown by for me, and it feels like we suddenly reached this arbitrary stopping point… hello again, I’m leaving, goodbye. Everyone asks when I’m coming back, and I tell them honestly, “as soon as I am able.”

While I have loved getting to know all of these caregivers, children and their families—and I will miss them all—there are certainly some that were harder to say goodbye to than others. I don’t think most of the kids even realized that I’m leaving, and they were probably confused as to why we were making such a big deal about leaving for the evening. We’ve settled down and become a part of the community, and kids habitually wander over after school, asking for paper and markers to draw, jumping on us, searching the office for our soccer ball. After spending a few minutes telling a group of kids how much I’ll miss them, how sorry I am to go… one of looked up and smiled, then ran away, calling back, “See you tomorrow!” I think it’s better that way, without a difficult goodbye, but I just hope that when they realize I’m gone, they don’t feel abandoned. .

As we left the office for the last time yesterday, I got the cutest sendoff possible. There at the front of a group of kids was Bahati, blowing kisses (her latest trick) and waving, leading the kids in a chorus of goodbyes.

Before heading home, Gina and I stopped for our last bottle of Coca-Cola at Justas’ house. I sat in the same place, drinking the same beverage as I had my first afternoon in Majengo, remarking on how much my impression of Majengo has changed between then and now, and how different a place can look and feel when you know and love the people there.

There’s only a few days before Gina leaves here, too. The Majengo community slowly watched our group of wazungu (white people) grow and shrink—first there was me, walking alone down the streets of Majengo, hoping I would remember the way to the KAFAO office. Then it was Gina and I, every morning and afternoon, getting to know each other, joking, sometimes accompanied by Luka. Then Kristie joined us (and we usually rode past in a taxi), and then Neal came. And then the goodbyes began… Neal left, and soon after, Kristie was gone too. And now I’m leaving, and Gina will be taking that solitary walk through Majengo twice a day (although I’m pretty sure she’d have to try to get lost, now). And soon, the scene of this whole eventful summer will be thousands of miles away from us…

… But, as I reminded everyone I said goodbye to yesterday, “siyo kwa heri” (this is not goodbye). I can’t wait to start the email exchanges, and to hear all the exciting news coming out of Majengo, as the furniture arrives, the computers are installed, the classes begin, the child-sponsoring commences, and and new center opens as the new year begins.

Bits and Pieces

(This entry was written by Gina)

So again, sorry about the infrequent blogging, but computer access has not been abundant for me (us) lately...

But here are some updates…

Grayson (the boy who needed the operation for his breathing/sleeping problem) is home now, and doing quite well. He still is not a big fan of eating, and had a few complications in the hospital, but we went to see him yesterday with some lollipops and he perked up immediately, and even started running around his house. His grandmother reported that he slept well, and therefore, so did she. It was great to see them doing better, and I’m sure Grayson will be totally back to himself in a few days.

One of our girls who was living in a bad situation (not abusive or anything, just dirty and overcrowded) has now moved out of her old house and in with another relative, and seems better off, which is good because we were worried about her.

Lillian, our one girl who was seven and never went to school, officially started last week, which is awesome. Apparently they gave her a test the first day, and she did not do well on it so they suggested keeping her out of school until January, which is the beginning of the school year, but Luka insisted, as she is allready a year behind age-wise, and they put her in class one. She came to see us at the end of the day, and all her notebooks had big red check marks throughout her work, and I have never seen her with a bigger smile on her face. So apparently she was just nervous on the test, and we have no doubt she will do well.

We are continuing with school visits, and I’m in the process of compiling the data on that. It’s another strange sort of problem where the things you think will be the easiest turn out to be difficult in another country. I figured the easiest thing to do would be list the kids grades in each subject. WRONG. They use a different grading system here, and I think it involves curves, so a 56 in one class can be an A and a C in another. And report cards are not readily available, and different levels of school have grades come out at different times. Ugh. It’s also going to be a chore for the KAFAO/OIT staff to figure out who is going to school regularly, and why not if they aren’t. But thankfully they should be getting a social worker soon, and that will be a good assignment for them.

So that’s a few of the things we’ve been working on. I will have many more stories when I get back to the US at the end of August, as will Molly. Kristie leaves this Thursday, and she will have lots of info for everyone, too. Busy, busy, busy…