26th April 2010 - Union Day

Today is Muungano Day here in Tanzania. Muungano means “Union” and it’s the day that commemorates the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar into the United Republic of Tanzania. It’s always nice to have an extra day to play around with.

Yesterday was the Sunday when parents visit the girls at school, and so I met some new people again. They come to visit and then have an opportunity to meet with the teachers and to ask how their daughters are doing, etc. It’s a nice chance to get to know them a little and to share insights about the students. Of course those who don’t have visitors get a little down in the mouth, but hopefully that doesn’t last long.

On Saturday I had a nice visit from a former student of Murigha. When she phoned I couldn’t quite recall who she was, but of course recognized her when we met. As we talked I began to remember her story. She applied for and was accepted as a student in 2000, but her mother came to me and said that she really couldn’t pay her school fees as required but she begged me to allow her come to school and she’d try to pay little by little. She was a widow, with a couple younger children as well, and just didn’t have any means to get much extra money. I agreed that Ashura could come to school, and for four years I met her mother innumerable times, as she would bring minuscule amounts of money. Sometimes it would be only a couple thousand shillings (out of the 300,000 that were supposed to be paid), other times one pencil, or a jar of the cheapest lotion, or a bar of the cheapest soap. But Ashura was a good student academically, and a fantastic worker. She worked with the cows a lot, and was very responsible in everything that she was assigned to do. When there would be some money coming in for scholarships or school fees, I’d make sure that some of it went into Ashura’s account. And so she finished her four years of secondary school, and then was chosen to go on to Teacher’s Training College. By that time I had left Murigha and was back in the U.S. and so didn’t hear from her during those years. So having her phone out of the blue was a real surprise. She was here in Dodoma to take an entrance examination for further studies in adult education, and I hope and pray that she gets this opportunity to advance herself. Right now she’s teaching in a primary school in Singida region, in a remote village to which she has to walk nine kilometers after getting off a bus. As is usual in many village primary schools, there are more kids than teachers should have to deal with, and she teaches science to 80 to 100 kids in one classroom. It’s a real miracle that kids learn anything with conditions like that, but it’s testimony to the dedication of the teachers that they do. Anyway, it was wonderful seeing Ashura again, and to know of her successes. Her mother’s belief that education would change Ashura’s life has borne fruit.

12th April 2010 – Back to School

Today we were back in the classroom after two weeks of a change of pace. It was nice to have had lots of time to do organizing and catching up, etc. but I realize how much I missed the kids. It was great to see them again this morning, and they seemed fairly ready to get down to work immediately. They were all back except for two, who are reported to be sick, so that’s good. No slacking off with these students.

We are definitely into a change of season, with the windows beginning to rattle at night with the wind. The dust is more and more visible on our bookshelves and other furniture as well, so that means we’re moving into the dry season. But looking around outside there is still so much to bring enjoyment to our eyes. Every open space, i.e., any space that doesn’t have building going on, or farming going on, is filled with wild flowers ( or some would say “weeds that bloom”) – yellow ones, white ones, purple ones – some very tall, some medium height and some creeping on the ground or climbing on whatever they find to climb on. The shapes of the flowers and their shades of colors are so many and so lovely. The millet is also getting ripe and will be ready for harvest before too long. One problem with millet is that the grains are so small and so well-loved by the birds. Birds perch on the top of a head of millet and just start eating from the top down until they have had enough to eat. People try tying all kinds of things on the stalk or over the head, but I still see missing grains on mostly all heads. Every creature has to eat, I guess.

Easter was quiet here but nice. We do notice more noise during the days when the primary school children are at home rather than at school, but on the whole they aren’t at all bothersome. It’s actually nice to hear them at play outside, with their giggles tickling us as well.