Special Moments, Special Memories

JULY 10, Thursday

From now until I leave my focus at TAFCOM is the fundraiser and organizing files and resources in the office. Afternoon visits to Moshi to make copies and promote the fundraiser finish out my days. Almost immediately after arriving in Moshi this afternoon, the power went out. I had a sizeable amount of copying to do in a limited amount of time. I rearranged my schedule and took care of other errands. Abba’s Bakery is near the Jambo Stationery store so I stopped there for a quick lunch and the electric returned. I double checked with Alice as I walked into Jambo that the electric was ok and then spent a solid hour and a half working at Jambo. The minute I announced that I was finished and pulled my flash drive out of the computer the electric went out again. I then remembered 2 pictures I forgot to copy and as soon as I mentioned that to Alice the power came back on. We all had a good laugh over the uncanny relationship of my statements and the electric power. I decided not to press my luck since I knew I would be back again tomorrow and was on my way to meet up with Mussa.

Mussa has a Kili climb this weekend and will not be back before I leave. We met at Uhura park and shared juice and samosas (vegetable and/or meet stuffed pastry). He was delighted to receive the baby clothes and promised to email pictures of the baby.

When I arrived home Mary surprised Neema and I by cooking dinner for us. We devoured cooked bananas (plantains) and avocado salad with mango. The three of us have established a tradition of clinking our glasses or plates and saying “Pamoja” at each meal. Pamoja would be the equivalent of “Cheers” but translated means “Together”.

JULY 11, Friday

The entire day was spent at the office and in town working on the fundraiser. Nie and Jonas plus their children and John came over for dinner in the evening. I felt bad I could not help Neema but we worked right up to dinner time. It was a productive work day and a relaxing dinner.

JULY 12, Saturday

Girls night! I am meeting Jenn in town and she is coming to Pasua for a sleepover. Mary, Neema and Bisura are all joining us for food and games. Knowing this is my last weekend I wanted to visit as many people as possible to bid farewell. I left early for Moshi to finish some tasks. I stopped at Abba’s to buy treats for the women at Jambo Stationery as well as the staff at Semapi Fitness. Jenn attended a couple of their classes and from the description of how sore she was it sounded like they are still as intense as ever. I met Jenn at Sempai. We visited with John and then he walked us over to Boniface’s house. It was then that we learned he was married and had a 3 month old baby. The people here are pretty private about relationships so this was quite a surprise. We met his wife and baby, Sara. Boniface was so loving with his daughter; you could tell he was a proud papa.  

Jenn and I arrived in Pasua late afternoon. I took a detour over to the medical supply store. My knee was not improving and I decided to try an antibiotic since I could still feel a warm spot on my knee. Also my stomach was feeling queasy on and off so I figured one of the two would be improved by an antibiotic. I visit this store for any medical need. The woman who runs it has a beautiful smile and we always talk as I pass her shop on my daily walk to TAFCOM. She has helped me with my Kiswahili and taught me how to say “God Bless You” so I was not surprised when she took the antibiotics, covered them with her hands and said a prayer for my health. Several years ago I may have found this discomforting but I have learned that many here, both Christian and Muslim, have a very strong faith. More importantly, I have observed and been the recipient of their genuine kindness and generous spirit. Some are openly expressive and it is not uncommon to hear a “God Bless You” or “If God is willing” as a response.

Bisura came over and joined Neema, Mary, Jenn and me in games of Spoon Fighting, Phase 10 and Cheat, a card game Jenn taught us. I am going to miss these women so much. I have mentioned how our compound sounds like an echo chamber and every noise is so amplified. The laughter and shouting from the 5 of us could probably be heard for blocks and made up for all the mornings I have been woken up at 5am.

JULY 13, Sunday

It was a leisurely morning and Jenn and I slept in. When Neema returned from church we had a light snack and then took a walk along the railroad tracks. Jenn had never seen this route and was thoroughly captivated by the beauty.

JULY 14, Monday

Today we finalized all the last minute details for the fundraiser and packed up the items we would need. There was some copying that needed to be completed so I spent the afternoon in town. I did not realize until I returned home that I had left my folder of copies at Jambo Stationery. I also ran out of time in Moshi so was unable to go to Shah Industries.

That night Neema and Mary presented me with a beautiful Khanga. I gave them a few small gifts and said their pictures would be ready tomorrow since I left them in town. We had taken some group pictures and they each picked their two favorites.

JULY 15, Tuesday

I contacted Nie about going to Moshi before coming to the office. I left early and retrieved my folder of copies. Shah Industries is on the opposite side of Moshi so I decided to splurge and take a taxi to save time. As I am talking to my taxi driver it turns out he is good friends of Jonas and Nie. I spent too much time at Shah Industries. They had beautiful items and I wanted to not only buy things for Lynn’s fundraiser but also pick up a few farewell gifts.

Shah Industries is located about a half mile from town so I was unsure where to pick up the daladala to return to Pasua. I asked a group of women and they showed me a spot nearby. As I waited a young man joined me and confirmed this was an actual stop. We talked while waiting about 10 minutes. There is a safari tour company and hotel in Pasua and one of their vans stopped in front of us. The man I had been talking to motioned me to follow him stating the driver was his friend and he would take us to Pasua. This is not something I would ever do in the states but here I felt totally safe.

I made it to TAFCOM later than I wanted. We were in good shape for the fundraiser. Jenn was also helping us set up so we picked her up at 4 and headed to Aventure, the site of our fundraiser. It is a large restaurant with a stage, dance floor, room for a buffet and plenty of space for the vendors. Jonas asked me to speak about TAFCOM’s programs and my experience as a volunteer. I enjoy public speaking and when it is a topic that is as close to my heart as TAFCOM it feels very natural.

Close to 50 people attended and we made a decent profit. The attendees were primarily volunteers and all their comments were positive. The food was good and plentiful; people danced and the vendors and tailoring women sold products. It is very impressive to me that this event was pulled off in 8 days time.

JULY 16, Tuesday

I got up very early to sort and pack. I am giving away almost all the clothes I brought. It is funny how attached you can get to things. I purposefully brought clothes that I knew I no longer wanted. I found that after wearing the same thing over and over I developed a fondness for the items. Nevertheless, they were packed to go to TAFCOM.

I had some extra gifts for Neema that I surprised her with at breakfast.  This time we both cried. We have become so close in just two months. I will miss her terribly but have so many memories that bring a smile to my face.

The plan for my last day included home visits to see Mwamini one last time and to take Jasmine to the hospital for her knee procedure. I framed a picture of Rose (the daughter that died) for Mwamini and had a blanket for Jasmine. Neema walked to TAFCOM with me because I had so much stuff to give away. Besides clothes, I had water bottles and TP tubes plus gifts. Nie agreed to keep a bag of my personal items to save for 2016. I did the same in 2012 for this trip and it worked out great. I was also bringing home whatever did not sell at the fundraiser that would fit in my luggage.

When we got to the office I learned that Mwamini was at the hospital because of measles and there was a funeral near Jasmine and it was not possible for us to get to her house. She will get to the hospital on her own. I was disappointed because these two women, in particular, are very special to me. Nie will make sure all the things I brought will get disbursed. I decided the best way to spend my morning was to be as productive as any other day so I did not think about this being my last day.

I knew that I could not finish everything but two new volunteers, Joyce & Emma, have admin backgrounds and love organizing. After spending one morning with these women I told them they are making my leaving easier because they are picking up where I left off without skipping a beat. We accomplished so much this morning and they have a To Do list that will not leave them bored.

I also got to spend some time with Line, the teacher from Denmark. She will be teaching in the classroom. Her first attempt this morning left her a bit stressed. She found the children’s level of learning to be very different from what she expected. All is well though, as Joyce and Emma are going to help her so they can do group work in the classroom. One teacher with forty-five 3-4 year olds would overwhelm even the best of teachers.

There were treats left over from the fundraiser so we shared them with staff. I had some presents for the tailoring teachers and Bisura. Needless to say, goodbyes were very difficult. I did not go into the classrooms because that was just too hard. I jokingly told the staff that rainy season has returned.

On my walk home some of the students were on the road and ran to hold my hands and walk with me-another special memory I will treasure.

Neema and I took quick showers and headed to Moshi for lunch. We stopped at the bakery and stationery store so I could say goodbye before heading to Uhuru Park for lunch. Neema was in heaven because she could get meat. I decided that my last meal had to be Chips Mayai with pilipili (French fries in eggs with chili pepper sauce).

Our timing was perfect. We got home a bit after 4pm; I finished packing and was ready with time to spare before I was picked up at 5.

I said my final goodbyes to Neema and Mary and left for the airport with Nie and Jonas.

A huge chunk of my heart has been left behind. There are not enough words to describe how amazing this experience was. Each time I return is even better than the last. I renewed old friendships and made new friends and memories.  Nie and Jonas are remarkable people and the magnitude of their selflessness is beyond compare. They are my heroes and inspiration and I look forward to returning in 2016.