(This entry was written by Gina)
After a tumultuous journey, I finally arrived in Moshi, and have spent the last five days orienting myself, getting to know Justas and Luca (and Molly), and practicing my Swahili. The most surprising aspect of this has been that in Swahili, my name (Gina-spelled jina with the soft ‘g’ sound) means “name.” This is how a typical introductory conversation goes:
Tanzanian Person: “How are you this morning?”
Me: “Good.”
Tanzanian Person: “What is your name?”
Me: “Name.”
Tanzanian Person: (Nodding) “Yes, what is your name?”
Me: “My name is name.”
Tanzanian Person: (look of massive confusion)
Me: (In English) “My name is name—Gina”
Tanzanian Person: (various reactions from further confusion to hysterical laughter)
So that is fun. But at least they remember!
Otherwise, I have been so massively impressed by the beauty of this place, and being so thankful for the opportunity to be helping start this program. I have to admit that I almost didn’t believe the OIT staff in the US when they described Luka and Justas to me, and the beginnings of the project. I never would have imagined two men who have so much kindness in their hearts as to give anything extra that they have to support the local children, but here they are! They literally met at church, decided to help orphans, and started their organization. All expenses have been paid out of their own pockets with literally no outside assistance. They are nothing short of amazing.
Being a student of international development, I am always reading rhetoric in the literature about the importance of “community involvement” and “home-grown solutions.” I have never encountered a more pure example of either. I look forward to spending the rest of my summer here, and laying the groundwork for a fantastic NGO.
After a tumultuous journey, I finally arrived in Moshi, and have spent the last five days orienting myself, getting to know Justas and Luca (and Molly), and practicing my Swahili. The most surprising aspect of this has been that in Swahili, my name (Gina-spelled jina with the soft ‘g’ sound) means “name.” This is how a typical introductory conversation goes:
Tanzanian Person: “How are you this morning?”
Me: “Good.”
Tanzanian Person: “What is your name?”
Me: “Name.”
Tanzanian Person: (Nodding) “Yes, what is your name?”
Me: “My name is name.”
Tanzanian Person: (look of massive confusion)
Me: (In English) “My name is name—Gina”
Tanzanian Person: (various reactions from further confusion to hysterical laughter)
So that is fun. But at least they remember!
Otherwise, I have been so massively impressed by the beauty of this place, and being so thankful for the opportunity to be helping start this program. I have to admit that I almost didn’t believe the OIT staff in the US when they described Luka and Justas to me, and the beginnings of the project. I never would have imagined two men who have so much kindness in their hearts as to give anything extra that they have to support the local children, but here they are! They literally met at church, decided to help orphans, and started their organization. All expenses have been paid out of their own pockets with literally no outside assistance. They are nothing short of amazing.
Being a student of international development, I am always reading rhetoric in the literature about the importance of “community involvement” and “home-grown solutions.” I have never encountered a more pure example of either. I look forward to spending the rest of my summer here, and laying the groundwork for a fantastic NGO.
No comments:
Post a Comment