Wedding & Weather

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6

Mussa stopped by to let me know that he moved our Kili climb start date to the 17^th.

This evening, Nie, Jonas and I attended the wedding reception. There were a few people in attendance that I knew which added to the fun. The reception was full of dance and a variety of traditional and contemporary music. Bisura and I danced together. The wedding party entered dancing to music followed by the bride and groom. Cutting of the cake and feeding each other was another tradition similar to ours. However, there were 3 separate cakes; one cake each was given to the bride and groom’s parents. Speeches and champagne toasts took place before the buffet meal. One major difference was in the presenting of wedding gifts at the end of the reception. Different groups (relatives, schoolmates, friends, neighbors) separately danced their way to the couple bringing their gifts. This was followed by a photo of each group.  (see Pics & Video)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Today I woke up, ate breakfast, read, fell asleep until noon and ate lunch at 1. Cabin fever set in so Ellie and I took a walk. My Swahili keeps improving and Ellie is a great teacher. My skills are still totally inadequate for any substantive conversation; but with someone who speaks some English I am getting by fairly well.

When we returned Dennis and Sabato, both drivers for the school, were cleaning the vehicles. Jonas was also home so we found some sticks and roasted marshmallows for them since they missed out the first time. Once Dennis figured out how to eat them he devoured 4!

Joan continues to visit and is much more communicative. For some reason, she likes my bathroom. Her visits now consist of playing for a few minutes, then using the bathroom and leaving.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8

More and more I realize how many excellent teaching resources we have. I now have a stockpile in my room that are being shared with the teachers and used by the volunteers.

I spent an hour in the lower pre-school class (3-4 year olds). I taught some, helped the kids with individual assignments, and graded their workbooks. So much time is spent by the teachers writing out assignments in each child’s workbook. The dilemma becomes evident when you compare the amount of time teachers spend on these tasks versus the high cost of making copies of template worksheets for each student. In a perfect world there would be a copy machine on site. I think the return on investment would well be worth it. However, when there are so many other priorities, the initial expense of a copy machine is prohibitive.

Shortly after lunch it got windy and dark; the skies opened up and a hard steady rain continued for at least an hour. Within 30 minutes the grounds were flooded. It was no surprise that the electric also went out, not returning until midnight.

Nie had made arrangements for Amina to come over after school. Unfortunately, because of the downpour it would have been too difficult getting her home. The dirt roads in the area become a muddy mess with potholes that turn into small ponds. If it is dry tomorrow we will try again.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9

It has become apparent that something has to be done about the grounds because of the impact of the rains. Jonas has had a large area laid with pavers but the rest needs gravel. There are times you just say, “Enough is Enough!” Jonas is currently out of town for his brother’s funeral but Nie could reach him to contact the gravel company. We ordered 2 truckloads for delivery today. Everyone helped spread the gravel.  2 more loads are needed to finish the job and can be delivered tomorrow.

Even though it rained some, Amina came to visit. Four girls get off the school van at TAFCOM and all of them showed up today. I had some cookies for them to share and we played some games and puzzles. I also read them The Little Engine that Could. I walked two of them home since one lives across the road and the other went in a different direction. Amina stays at her aunt’s house after school until her mother returns from work. Amina was a most gracious host welcoming me into her aunt’s home and introducing me. We set a play date for next Monday.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10

I have started working on a 5 year strategic plan for TAFCOM and actually enjoy doing this kind of work. A number of forms have been revised and updated and the Volunteer Manual is almost completed. The rest of the gravel came today and the grounds look wonderful. Mission Accomplished!

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11

More rains this morning. I was in the classroom with the volunteers and it became impossible to teach, even in small groups. The sound of the rain beating on the metal roof was deafening; children were covering their ears. The kids were also restless from having to be inside for the past few days.

The weather cleared by afternoon and Dennis, the van driver, took Ellie and me to town to run errands. Dennis is also a car mechanic and we stopped at his garage to pick up the school van for his afternoon pickup of the Minn students. Dennis was talking with several of the other mechanics. The first man had an OSU Buckeye shirt on so I shared that I was from Ohio and went to OSU. The next man had on a Planet Fitness (my gym) shirt. I thought I had been teleported back to Ohio for a quick minute!