The rounds of goodbyes are well and truly under way and involve much ‘visiting’, speech making and drinking of soda! I spent Sunday afternoon at the home of a teacher from school who has been a really good friend to me. Vincent is about the most committed and enthusiastic teacher I have ever worked with. He has a tremendous thirst for knowledge and is always coming up with new ways to enrich the curriculum for the kids. His two room home was nice but very simple- stand pipe in the yard for washing, non-flushing latrine, open air kitchen etc. The contrast to my lifestyle as a teacher in the UK was immense.
Then, yesterday we visited his mother’s village. As I’ve been based in town my exposure to village life has been limited. The village, Zuzu, has water pumped to it only twice a week and there is no electricity. ‘Mama Vincent’ lives in a small (crumbling) one room mud house. This year her maize crop failed and she greeted us and the bag of flour we brought her like the biggest blessing. Seeing the background Vincent has come from made his achievements even more impressive. He is the only one of his 7 siblings to have been to secondary school. As so often happens, the older ones clubbed together to pay his fees but barely made them and he had to rely on the kindness of teachers for basics such as soap... It is now up to him to support his family- sobering stuff.
Last week schools finished for their long holiday – I keep calling it summer holidays but as this is effectively winter, that’s definately not the case (I even need a big blanket at night at the moment). The close of school involved all the kids from kindergarten up, undertaking a serious clean-up operation of the whole school and grounds. They did this with great cheer and enthusiasm, standard 6 boys skidding and sliding round the classroom and they ‘washed the floor’ – teachers nowhere in sight.
Once the clean up was complete it was time for prize giving and presentations. Erin and I are leaving as the school opens again, so it was also our goodbye. The kids were incredibly sweet, loads of hugs, tears, letters, gifts and I even had a song written for me. Teaching these children really has been a joy and it was hard to leave them, harder still to say goodbye to my little classes at the orphanage and the toddler hangers-on who regularly put in appearances... Many of the children there are headed back to their original villages during the holidays, so my time formal time there is over too. The goodbyes really are starting and I don’t like it one bit!
Last week Erin and I met with two other JMV volunteers in Dar Es Salaam and headed to Zanzibar for a few days. Anthony and Helen are working in Zambia, Anthony working on a school radio project for children living in isolated areas, and Helen (a retired GP) helping to run and develop an HIV/ AIDS clinic in Lusaka. It was great to catch up, hear what they’ve been up to enjoy beautiful Zanzibar together.
Zanzibar although officially part of Tanzania, has its own government and feels completely different due to its Arabic history. We spent two nights in Stone Town where I loved roaming round in the maze of allies, spotting Zanzibar doors, cute little shops and groups of people hanging out, playing games or just watching the world go by. We also discovered an amazing massage place using local, traditional mixes of flowers and spices. Apart from being heavenly, it was great to see the owners employing both a blind and a deaf masseuse – I’m aware that people with disabilities often get a particularly raw deal in Tanzania.
From Stone Town we went on one of the almost compulsory ‘spice tours’ which was really interesting – particularly impressed to see the giant cocoa pods! We then headed to Jambiani beach on the East coast for a few days. There’s nothing I love more than lying in the sun with a good book and this was a particularly stunning location to do just that... We did venture out with Captain Zappy in his locally made catamaran for a spot of snorkelling at the edge of the reef and Erin & I both indulged in a henna tattoo, but nothing too strenuous! The hotel we were staying at made a real effort to benefit the local village. Captain Zappy and the henna lady were two examples, we dealt directly with them and the money they make helps to support their families. A reminder of the importance of ‘ethical travel/ tourism.’
The rounds of goodbyes are well and truly under way and involve much ‘visiting’, speech making and drinking of soda! I spent Sunday afternoon at the home of a teacher from school who has been a really good friend to me. Vincent is about the most committed and enthusiastic teacher I have ever worked with. He has a tremendous thirst for knowledge and is always coming up with new ways to enrich the curriculum for the kids. His two room home was nice but very simple- stand pipe in the yard for washing, non-flushing latrine, open air kitchen etc. The contrast to my lifestyle as a teacher in the UK was immense.
Then, yesterday we visited his mother’s village. As I’ve been based in town my exposure to village life has been limited. The village, Zuzu, has water pumped to it only twice a week and there is no electricity. ‘Mama Vincent’ lives in a small (crumbling) one room mud house. This year her maize crop failed and she greeted us and the bag of flour we brought her like the biggest blessing. Seeing the background Vincent has come from made his achievements even more impressive. He is the only one of his 7 siblings to have been to secondary school. As so often happens, the older ones clubbed together to pay his fees but barely made them and he had to rely on the kindness of teachers for basics such as soap... It is now up to him to support his family- sobering stuff. 
