A few pics...

Back to the States!

I am back in North Carolina, adjusting back to America. Although this is a slow transition, it is much better than last year.

The last day in Moshi we went back to visit the two families we have sponsored. They were waiting for us and happy to welcome us back into their homes. At the Rhamadani house, the Grandma had boiled us another pot of tea. It was about 100 degrees in the house and we managed, through shear determination alone, to suck down two cups of tea. The Grandma was proud to be serving us tea in her home and it was flattering that she invited us for tea again. The kids were anxiously waiting 'for their mzungus' to come back and say goodbye.

We told the kids to study hard and to be good. Grandma Fatuma and Hamisi's mother know to keep in touch with Living so that we will know here in the states if there are any problems that we can sort out for them.

It was an amazing trip, we were so productive. We have a good footing there, and Living has agreed to help us out for as long as we need him so we have someone on the ground too. Next year when we go, probably in Dec or Jan, we will have much more of a regimented way of finding and sponsoring kids. Our next trip will be longer and we will be able to help many more kids and families.

We have made some great connections too. There are a few organizations already working in Majengo that we hope to connect with so that we can collaborate. There are many mzungus in Moshi doing really small projects and as we grow in our own foundation, it will be productive to come together.

Thanks for staying tune as we grow and support the kids of Majengo!

A Brotha from Anotha Motha (no, really) and other Tanzanian things...

So there are a few things that happen around Moshi that are almost indescribable but I will try, just to give you an idea about how things work around here.

First, the other day my friend Isaac introduced his friend Ali as his 'brother from another mother'. I instantly laughed and thought that it was remarkable that Isaac knew this phrase that we use in the states for someone who is really close to you (its pair being 'sista from anotha mista'). But, really, Isaac was being literal. Here in Tanzania, many men have multiple wives. So Ali was his brother from another wife of Isaac's father.

Secondly, there are Masai that wander in and out of Moshi town. They wear the traditional Masai clothing, but sometime spruce it up for their city adventures with a little bling, like a big gold chain. So you see Masai men wearing their traditional purple and red, with a giant gold necklace, sometimes equipped with a big dollar sign. Because their livestock is their livelyhood, they often have a herd of goats or cows in tow. Often, they wear tires for shoes too. It is almost impossible to stop the urge to take a picture of them. It is not unusual to be walking in town and see men walking with a herd of goats, or having a goat or cow on a rope.

Third, Tanzanians are never taught that it is rude to stare. So beyond the constant shouting of "mzungu" (meaning white person in swahili), everyone turns to stare at you as you walk down the street. Especially the men and the kids. You get used to it after a while but sometimes it gets a bit over the top. For example, when we were at the football game last weekend, we had two boys who were about 18 stare at us for what was probably five minutes straight. It is unnerving after a while.

Fourth, Tanzanias are the most welcoming and warm people. This means on the street everybody says "jambo" (hello) and "Karibu" (welcome) and will just approach you and ask about your life and your family. If you were to say to every body you passed in the states "hello sister, how are you? how is your family?", you would get hauled away real fast. The other day when we went for coffee at our favorite Aroma Coffee House, a man just came down and sat with us like it was totally normal.

Fifth, each business has one commodity. For example, below our balcony there is the shoe guy and the bicycle guy. The shoe man sells and repairs shoes, about five pairs at a time. Everyday he is under the same tree and people know where to find him. Next to him (about five feet away) is the bike guy. In the tree, he has hung tubes for bikes and he also invested in a wrench. He sits all day waiting to fix bikes. And that is what he does, day in and day out. In town you see people walking around with whatever they are selling, for example the underwear guy. He has a hanger with about 10 pairs of underwear (all used, mind you) that he sells. Everything is bought and sold repeatedly here. The underwear guy goes to the clothes market in a different part of town and then comes into the town center to sell them at a profit.

The stereotype of the women here is that they carry everything on their heads. And it is true. I have seen women with 50 pound buckets on their head like it was nothing. They will carry a tray of bananas down from the mountain every day on their heads. The tray is about three feet long and has about 400 bananas on it. Girls are brought up to be able to balance enormous amounts of weight on their heads. It is remarkable.

Finally, the people here pick up the randomest english phrases and plaster them everywhere. One of my favorite things is to read the things on the dala dalas (the busses). They can range from one word ('bling', 'happy', '50 cent') to a series of words ('happy nation express', 'god is possible' 'whats up god') to football players and teams (arsenal and chelsea seem to be the most popular). This has also translated to naming their kids random english phrases. We have met a few kids named George Bush. Our friend Isaac is adopting a little boy named God Bless, and we met another at Upendo named Godlizzen (as in God Listens). My personal favorite is a little girl named "dollabill".

Regardless of all these oddities, I am absolutely in love with this town.

Pretty Much the Best V-Day Ever

Happy Valentine's Day! Yesterday (saturday) we went to Tuleeni Orphanage for their Valentine's Day Party. It was amazing. We got there around noon with a bunch of donations from Jennifer. The kids were all pumped up because they knew it was a party day. Isaac, a local volunteer and friend, had arranged the party, complete with 'dj' and games. He had set up a music booth and was blaring bongoflava. There was about 40 kids of all ages. We hung out and held babies and toddlers, and danced (shakey shakey) with them.

My valentine this year was a three year old kid named Freddie (the one in the pic with the Yankee Jersey on). He is cute and sweet, and loved to dance, just like me! We had some fun with shakey shakey for a while and then played some games with the kids, including a coca cola chugging contest that was a bit out of control. The kids sang a couple songs for us and then we had the Miss Tuleeni competition. If there is anybody who knows how to shake their wowowos it is Tanzanian girls. They put on their best khangas and strutted their stuff around. The contestants were from about 3 to 15 years old. It was great.

The highlight was when we stood in a circle and sang songs together. We sang Lean on Me (a personal fave...) and Stand By Me and a few other equally heart wrenching songs. What is so striking about Tuleeni is the sense of community and family that Mama Faraji has built there. They function as one unit, even though they are a diverse bunch. Each contributes and they are able to live together as a family. It is incredible. Even though they have very little, their joy and comraderie are incredible. Also, there were many locals there to help out too, all guys in their 20s. I do not know many (if any) 20 some year old boys in the states who would give up their saturday to hang out with a bunch of orphan kids, out of their own volition. While we continue to dump on Tanzanian men, there are a few exceptions to this rule, all of which were at this party.

For more information on this awesome orphanage, you can google Tuleeni Orphanage in Moshi. They have a great website set up.

I have never felt so much love on Valentine's Day, that's for sure.

Juvy

On Thursday, we went to the local Juvy to visit. This was one of Jennifer's placements last year. The kids are strikingly young, from about age 8 to 16. There crimes range from stealing food to cutting school, to one boy being accused of murder (it was self defense against an abusive uncle). Because there is not a concrete justice system set up in Tanzania, the boys can stay in Juvy for a long time. When their court dates come up, often a judge or a lawyer or a witness won't show up and back to Juvy they go. Other than when the CCS volunteers are there, they are locked up in one bedroom. They are all really sweet and gentle and are so excited to sing and dance and to the Hokey Pokey over (and over, and over, and over) again. There are no advocates for boys like these. I heard many stories from the volunteers who worked their last year and it was great to go see for myself.

Sadly, there were also two girls there as well. They were both 16 and had run away from the local Masai village. If they were to stay at home, they would be forced into marriage, and female genital mutilation. They decided to run away to get an education. Once they reached Moshi town, the police picked them up and brought them to Juvy. They are free to go whenever they want, but do not wish to return home. They had such sadness in their eyes, and it was remarkable that they chose to stay in Juvy than return home.

We had a great time laughing and playing with the kids though. They taught us a traditional song and dance sung in english, called "we all come from different homes" which was awesome. We stood in lines and danced around to a song about how we are all different but live and sing under the same sky.

Meghan and Jennifer sit with a few of the kids at Tuleeni Orphanage.









This is Abedi in his new t-shirt that we brought him.

One cup of tea, two orphanages, and three mangoes.

On Wednesday we brought the last batch of clothes and food over to Hamisi's house. His mama is so humble and so kind. She gave us a bunch of mangoes to eat, which was very generous of her. In general, the people are extremely hospitable. The day prior, when we had dropped off the clothes and supplies for Abedi, Saumu, and Zubeda, their Grandma had insisted on preparing tea for us. We made sure that she boiled the water and she prepared some amazing tea. Outside of her house, there is a collective fire that the surrounding houses share. She added sugar, cloves, and other spices to the tea. It was delicious. We sat in her house, which was about 120 degrees, and sipped the hot tea while she watched. It was a wonderful moment. At both houses we were welcomed in with no hesitation and given whatever they had to offer.

On Wednesday afternoon we went to Tuleeni, a local orphanage in Rau village. It is run by one woman, Mama Furaji, who has put her whole life into the place. It is completely funded with her own efforts and some outside donations. There are several rooms, a place to keep a goat, a cow, and some chickens, and a small kitchen. The kids are of all ages, ranging from newborns to 20 years old, and were brought in by Mama Furaji through word of mouth. There are about 37 orphans living there. We had a great time playing with the kids and just running around with them. They have little help there and function as a family unit. Mama Furaji is another beaming example of how the women here are amazing, and so willing to sacrifice their own lives.

On Thursday afternoon, we went to Upendo Orphanage which was where we originally intended to set up our project. The differences between Upendo and Tuleeni are striking. Upendo has a large campus, set up rooms with nice neat beds, plenty of food, and because it is a teaching orphanage, plenty of help. We still had a great time running around with toddlers and holding the babies. The sisters (it is a catholic orphanage) don't give a lot of physical love to the kids so they just love to be held. The kids are so cute and so endearing. We learned that after they leave the orphanage at age 6, they are transferred to another orphanage in the south of Tanzania where they go to Primary School. This wasn't clearly communicated to us before and we are really happy we decided to shift gears away from supporting them. It was the right move.

Today (Friday) we are going to the local Juvy, where Jennifer had placement last year. Tomorrow we go to a Valentine's Day Party at Tuleeni, which should be a blast. And then on Sunday we leave! Our time has gone by so fast but it has been really productive and has been wonderful to be back. I can't wait til next time!