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…