Now we have our internet again, here's last Thursday's post I had written .....
My rearranged schedule for today revolved around a group of visitors to the school. This was a group of ‘Business Chicks’ – Australian women who belonged to this organization and there were apparently 12 of them coming, and my “job” was to “photograph the visitors enjoying their time at the school”. I joked with Emma that I would probably know one of them, and we had a good laugh. I had no idea where they came from in Australia, I’d never heard of ‘Business Chicks’ and I had assumed that they were all high flying business-women (although I had no idea how I’d know a high flying business-woman!!!).
So off I went to the Visitors Room, to meet them once they arrived. I scanned the faces but didn’t recognise anyone BUT I was surprised to see a guy in amongst the women. Kyle is Californian, but currently living in Sydney, and it turned out he was the group co-ordinator. I won’t go into details of how the group got here, but they had returned to Arusha yesterday after climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and they were still feeling the effects of it all, some more than others. After various staff members of the school had completed all the introductions, and some of the kids had come in to welcome them with a song and a dance (very cute and they can sing awfully well) we all moved outside. One of the women came up to me and said she recognised me from somewhere, but couldn’t place where she knew me from. So much for my joke with Emma! One of the other girls works for DoCS and is transferring to the Parramatta office … so late this afternoon the discussion was briefly about Bizlink!
So this morning I joined them for their tour of the school. I was supposed to have had this on Tuesday morning, but events overtook that part of my schedule. At least I got a tour in my first week. I had a couple of other jobs to do while they were on part of the tour, and then this afternoon they went to Class 2B’s music lesson. The teacher, a burly male, was teaching the kids a traditional dance from Zanzibar. At school, the kids must speak English (except of course in Kiswahili lessons) and the teacher explained that as well as covering singing and dancing that is popular and current, they still teach them the traditional dances and songs from the various tribes, otherwise it will only take a generation or two to lose them. And they don’t want these traditions to be lost. So the teacher was on the drums, after we helped to dress the kids with the right clothing for this dance and the teacher explaining and showing them all the various parts of the dance. Two of the visitors joined in, which amused the kids no end (and the teacher) and all up it was a wonderful lesson!
We then moved out to help the PE lesson in progress – this time learning how to hit a tennis ball with a racquet and then we all completed a stocktake of all the school clothing – girls tunics, boys shorts and trousers, shirts, jumpers, hats, ties, scarves, shoes, socks and library & washing bags. This was definitely a case of ‘many hands make light work’.
School finishes at 3:15 and the kids leave on the buses at 3:30. The visitors had ‘home visits’ organised. One of the girls had just started to sponsor a child, so she met Naomi and her home visit was to Naomi’s home, so I went with her and another of the visitors. The rest of the group split up and had other home visits. The volunteers working in the office said they never get to go on a home visit, so I felt really lucky that it was part of “my job” to cover things like this.
It was really interesting. Naomi’s mum met her off the bus, along with her 15 month old sister, and we walked through the village and into the compound where Naomi lives. Imagine a door at the end of a dirt lane, leading into a large cemented common area. This has washing lines criss-crossing it, and when we arrived there was a lot of washing hanging up. There were doorways all around, opening up into this common area. Naomi and her family lived through one of the doorways, which opened straight into one room and a 2nd room led off this. The rooms were about the size of a small bedroom in Australia. The first of these rooms is the family room – any furniture like lounges, shelves, chairs, coffee tables are there. Naomi’s family is obviously well off because they also had a small TV. The walls are painted all different colours, and they have pictures stuck to the walls. The next room is the bedroom – this had a wardrobe and a double bed. The double bed was for her mum & dad and little sister. Naomi sleeps on a mattress which during the day is propped up against the wall.
Cooking is done out in the common area, over open fires. Washing the clothes and dishes is also done out here. I am assuming they must have a communal loo but washing yourself is either done out there also or they bring a bucket of water into the bedroom and wash in there.
We spent a long time there. Felix came with us to act as translator. I found it very interesting. They rent the rooms, and are charged 20,000/= per month per room. They also buy water, and when it rains they naturally fill every bucket and bowl they can find. Joyce, Naomi’s mum, wanted to give us ‘tea’. I was expecting a strong undrinkable sweet brew in plastic cups. I was taken aback when she opened the cabinet in the first room and out came some beautiful crockery – cup, saucer and bread & butter plate all round, milk jug and sugar bowl. Another large bowl full of peanuts, and another one filled with small sweet biscuits. The tea had been brewed and was in a large plastic container. She came around with a bowl and another jug of warm water so we could wash our hands, and then she poured the tea. It was delicious, and the aroma and taste triggered a memory which I just couldn’t put a name to (quite frustrating) but I drank it all and ate the nuts that were spooned out for me. We learnt that Naomi used to go to another state school, but she really wanted to go to St. Jude’s because it is the best school. Kids have to pass a string of tests to be accepted, and Naomi had to sit for the tests 6 times before she was accepted. Her mother had given up, but apparently Naomi kept bugging her mum to take her for the tests. She seems a bright kid, and with such determination I’m sure she’ll go far. Her parents are very proud of her too.
We eventually left, and the bus dropped the visitors back at the Arusha Hotel in town. They said this was a very plush hotel, and just looking into the lobby area I’d have to agree. It costs a couple of hundred dollars per night to stay there! Definitely a 5 star hotel. We dropped them off and the traffic back to the school was solid, so it was a long trip back. Another interesting dinner in the Bondi kitchen rounded off a great day.
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