By early afternoon I was back with Bibiana and after a late lunch we went to another secondary school in the town, where I had heard that two teachers (husband and wife) whom I had left at Murigha were now teaching. I found the man there (his wife was sick that day) and made arrangements to visit them later that evening. He wasn’t too surprised to see me since he said that he had gotten a phone call from another teacher who we had been with and who is now in Tabora. The message was: “Mama amekuja!” (Mother has come!) How that word got from Singida to Tabora and back to Singida in that short time is amazing. We then went to visit Bibiana’s brother and his family. Basil is an agricultural officer there, and I knew him from long ago when he was working with the Heifer Project in our area. That was even before I knew he was Bibiana’s brother.
The changes I noted in Singida town were not too many. Because of the newly paved road going west and north and the improvement to the Dodoma road, there is a bit more business going on, and more building of houses on the outskirts of the town. There are a few new shops as well, but the roads in the town are as impassable as ever. Singida is an underdeveloped region, historically no one has wanted to go there because of how difficult it is to travel on those roads. There is also the problem of water, and that shortage of water is probably the reason that there is no significant manufacturing or business opportunities. Most of the business has to do with sunflower oil production. That area farms a lot of sunflowers and there are several small factories that press the oil and then truck it to other parts of the country.
It was interesting to hear the reflections of people and how they saw our time together. I am grateful that their memories are positive, and they talked about how well we worked together, how they appreciated my style of leadership, especially how they were involved in the decision making process, and how they felt that they had an opportunity to get ahead (mostly due to the farming that they were able to do along with their jobs). I was also told that their sense of service to others was fueled and inspired by our working together. I felt a lot of good will and affirmation and love from them all.
I had made arrangements with Sister Monica, the Headmistress of Murigha Girls’ School and the school I founded beginning in 1990, and had anticipated that I would use public transportation to get there to see them. She assured me, however, that she would send the school transport to pick me up, and so that was settled. By 10.00 a.m. on Thursday, 12th March, she phoned to say that they were in town and would be arriving shortly. I expected to see her and the driver in the school pickup, but what came in was that alright plus students in the back followed by a minibus with more students and some of the school’s non-teaching staff whom I knew from five years before. And they came in singing and clapping with a very warm welcome. That was the beginning of hours of welcoming and loads of memories.
The trip to Murigha from Singida town still takes more than an hour (for only 35 kms.) and I think I remember the same ruts and pot holes. There had been rain along part of the way, and I saw fields upon fields of onions. There are quite a few low areas along the way with a black, clay-like soil, and these conditions seem to be excellent for raising onions. The crop looks very good this year, and hopefully the folks will get a good price and have some cash for their needs.
Arriving at the school I was met at the gate by several of the neighbors and right inside were the students, lining the road to meet me. I greeted the people I knew and was given a bouquet of flowers, then walked further into the school grounds while the students sang. All of a sudden there was a flurry and running down the road came Maria, arms and legs and dress flying. Maria had worked on and off doing odd jobs at the school and for us at our house for over ten years. She had begun as soon as she finished primary school by asking for work, then after a few years got married and had two children. By the time the second one was born, her husband had begun drinking heavily, and so she left him and depended on her work with us along with doing some farming in order to care for her children. When we left, I proposed that she be given the job as assistant cook for the school, and she did begin that work. In the past five years she has risen to be chief cook, and is the pillar of the kitchen. I don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone so hard-working, and one who doesn’t mind what kind of work she does. She does everything quickly and well, with no complaints. I was thrilled to see her, and very glad that she looks so healthy. I didn’t get a chance to see her boys, but she assures me that they’re fine and both in primary school.
The school had prepared an assembly to welcome me. The students, the teachers, the non-teaching staff, neighbors: all had been invited. There were songs and dances by the students, a traditional ngoma (dance) by the staff, speeches, gifts. After the program there was a lovely meal prepared for all of us, after which I had the opportunity to go around the school. The student population is now nearly 300, and two new classrooms and an additional dormitory have been built. The environment has been kept up very well, the trees and flowers are beautiful. The tractor driver and the chief animal keeper (along with several others) took me around, to see the fields and the animals. This year they have planted sunflowers, maize, onions and coriander, a total of about 75 acres. When we were looking at the fields I thought that the crops looked good but were in need of rain before long. We went to look at the cows, pigs, goats, chickens, and the fellows pointed out to me which ones were from my time. It’s a good thing that they remembered because I certainly didn’t. Actually I think there was one cow that I would have recognized anywhere (brown with droopy ears), but the others were all a blur.
After looking around at everything, I went out of the school property to visit with some of the neighbors. Many were hearing that I was there so came to say hello. Some folks who knew that I was coming had prepared soda (pop) and chicken for me and we had a good time sitting around, remembering our times together. I was amused when they told me that I hadn’t changed a bit: “You look exactly the same, like you just left yesterday.” When I reminded them that I had gained weight, they replied, “Oh, yes, truly you have gotten heavier.” One of the young men told me that he thought before I arrived that he might not have recognized me because I may have aged so much in five years, and was glad to find out that he did know me! I’m also glad that that fear was unrealized ….. Soon darkness was upon us and I went to the Sisters’ convent for a rest and dinner. As we were eating dinner, about 9.00 p.m., the rain started, and it rained beautifully for nearly an hour. I knew what I would be hearing the next day: that I had brought the rain.
After a good sleep I awoke and took an early morning walk around the campus. Because of the rain everything was fresh and clear, with a gorgeous sunrise. I met the guys who were milking the cows, and just as I thought, the first words out of their mouths were: Thank you for bringing the rain. When I assured them that I have no ability to do such a thing, they nodded, but I’m sure they’re still saying the same thing.
Friday morning I was taken to the village (about 10 kms. by the road) in order to greet some of the folks there. They didn’t know that I was around so it was a big surprise, and still I was able to see several people from the days we lived there in the village before the school was built. One person that I was especially happy to see was the fellow who had been a local leader when we arrived and facilitated a lot of things for the school. He had retired from leadership before I left but I found him as village chairman again now. He does have a gift for leadership, so it’s good he’s using that talent again. After visiting around for awhile I went back to school for lunch and then we were to leave. As we were eating lunch the heavens opened again and there was another lovely rain. For sure my visit was a blessing, for the crops as well as for me.
It was 4.00 before the rain had subsided enough to leave, and again the pick-up was full of people. Kusindikiza is an important concept here. It means to accompany someone, and so when a guest comes to visit you don’t say good-bye at the door but you walk along, sometimes quite a distance, with the guest as he/she leaves. And so the secretary, the storekeeper, the tractor driver, the grinding machine operator, Maria, the Headmistress – all of them rode in the back of the pick-up to town in order to accompany me along the way. The road was muddy and slippery but we managed to arrive safely in town, where we said our good-byes.
This is already too long so I'll finish tomorrow. Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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