Leaving Tanzania

August 13- August 15

Monday

Playing Bingo

I spent the morning at the Children’s Center saying my goodbyes and playing bingo with some of the kids. They had never played before and seemed to catch on quickly. I created educational bingo cards with numbers, colors and animals, laminated the cards, and collected beer bottle caps from the local bar to use as the markers. Since this was my last day with the children, I brought them candy and bottle cars. Magembe and I had made close to 40 cars. The kids loved them. I cherish those moments when I see the sheer joy and delight of the children - when it seems they haven’t a care in the world.

Magembe hard at Work

Passing out Candy

Kids & their Cars

Bisura

Saying goodbye to the children and the tailoring women was emotional. It was difficult to hold back the tears. Sadly, Bisura was still in Moshi when it was time to leave the center. Jonas and Nie drove me to town so I could do some last minute errands before going home. Unbeknownst to me, Nie had called Bisura and she met up with me in Moshi. I was very touched by Nie’s thoughtfulness as I have a special fondness for Bisura.

Because my desire to return is so strong I found that as the day went on I felt more like I was saying, “I will see you again.” rather than ”Farewell”. Nie and Jonas took me out to dinner that evening and Jovin, their son, joined us. We ate at Deli Chez, which seems to be everyone’s favorite restaurant. As always the food was great. Nie and Jonas gave me some earrings and a pair of Massai sandals which actually fit my small feet and are beautiful. I had remarked some time ago that I was considering buying a pair. I also received a very nice card. I am so grateful for the opportunities they gave me by sharing their culture and their dreams; their successes and their frustrations.  I am a better person because of them and love them dearly.

Tuesday

I spent the day organizing and packing. I kept myself busy so I would not think too much about leaving. I packed a large box with extra personal items and marked it “Save for Bibi-2014”. This gave me a sense of having a second home to return to.  I also went to the fitness for my last aerobics class. Boniface gave me a CD of some of the workout music. Bongo Flava is on its way to the Midwest!

Wednesday

Molly left over the weekend and we are planning a visit at Notre Dame.  I said my goodbyes to Jay and Nicole, volunteers who had been living at the house about a couple weeks and staying for 6 months. Jay and Nicole work with the Jane Goodall Institute. While training in Dar es Salaam for their first month, they stayed at Jane’s house and were able to meet her.

One thing that made my last month very special was the connection I felt to both Molly and Jay. Molly didn’t need a mom but I was always there for her when she needed that bond. Plus I knew it gave her mother great relief to know that Molly had a mother figure. Our relationship felt many times like mother-daughter which always reminded me of Lee Ann. Jay reminded me so much of Neal. No doubt, they would be friends if their paths ever crossed. He even let me cut his hair. As silly as it sounds, cutting Neal’s hair over the years has provided me many fun memories.

The hospitality and welcoming nature of Ibrah, Debra and Rahim, plus their family and friends, made my stay so comfortable.  I felt very much like a family member as well as a “bibi” to Rahim. It is hard to imagine them not being there for me. Of course, I will miss Mussa and Boniface from the Fitness Center. All the people I met have given me gifts that are irreplaceable – unconditional love and beautiful memories. I feel so blessed and fortunate.

Ibrah drove me to Moshi to meet the shuttle that would take me to Nairobi. As we got out of the car I heard my name. Looking up I saw Bisura and Edda in the window of the TAFCOM office. They came down for kisses and hugs.

I had put my bags on the shuttle and someone pointed to a grasshopper-like bug on my skirt. I exited the shuttle and was about to flick him off when a man told me not to touch it because these bugs cut the skin. Looking at what I thought was a cute and harmless bug, I noticed saw-like edges on its legs. The man shared that he has eaten these bugs and they are commonly a part of the diet of Central Tanzanians. As we talked further, I discovered that he worked for Afri Corps, an organization that places Tanzanian volunteers with NGO’s. I told him about TAFCOM and promised I would eat a grasshopper when I return if he provided TAFCOM with volunteers!

Nie and Jonas were also planning to see me off. However, the shuttle left 10 minutes early. Never in my whole time in Tanzania has anything happened ahead of time! As the bus was pulling away I saw Jonas coming across the street. I yelled to him but he could not hear me.

Mt Kilimanjaro was peeking out of the clouds as I started the next leg of my journey.