Today we made our way into Kiganza village to visit with my friends – young and old. It was an emotional day for several reasons. Lucas met us in town in the morning and after puttering around a little bit to get some money changed and buy some sunscreen, which we shockingly found in the duka la dawa (pharmacy), we hopped on the dala dala for my first ever ride into the village. In past years, Lucas and I would ride part of the way until the road basically became impassible by cars and the transport cars wouldn’t go further. From that point, we would walk 1.5 hours each way in the blazing sun (uphill both ways). After walking 3 hours a day, eating dust, burning flesh and starving – we would grub down on a full fish and some rice together and I would collapse in the bed. This year, we three spoiled princesses get a ride right up to the Kiganza market – footsteps from the homes of the students Project Wezesha supports and the families I’ve grown to love. From here, it is still a 30 minute walk to Mgaraganza village, but it’s through the shaded forest and across a stream, so who’s complaining!
From our drop off point, we walked along the newly constructed highway. It was remarkable to walk without dust and see how well the village has adapted to the new situation. Lucas told us that everyone is so happy now with the paved road. I think the speed of the cars and the fact that toddlers and animals still wander into the road could be problematic, but so far they’ve had no accidents. Within a block or so of the market, we reached GOSESO, the educational program I worked with three years ago. From that point on it was smiles, handshakes and greetings flying this way and that – Welcome, Welcome; Karibuni, Karibuni! Laura and Hadley received happy hugs and Lucas and I stirred up some very excited faces.
We wandered into the forest to see the new classrooms that were built for the GOSESO program and I was happy to meet two of the baboons that I had spent some time with two summers ago. They jumped all over me … mainly because I welcomed them into my lap. Next thing I know one was hopping up on my shoulder and basically standing on my head – nitpicking through my hair. I reached up and picked him up like an infant and plopped him into my lap. He sat facing me and started trying to remove my moles … more nitpicking. He would go to each mole, pick at it and go to take it to his mouth only to realize he didn’t quite grab it and it wasn’t a bug. Some things never change. “Silly monkey.”
We were welcomed into a couple of homes to visit. As is always the case, we were offered the best of what they had to offer. We hate to take, but it’s impossible to not accept their offer when they go out of their way to give you all they have. In one case, we each got a banana and then were offered the chance to take the extras to go. Given that this is a family with 5 children, we urged that they give them to the kids, which they did happily. Everyone commented over and over – “Rai. Nzuri sana. Karibu sana.” Just happy to see me, to know that I do come back as I said I would – year after year. I have such a good feeling this year, knowing I have 3.5 weeks here – so much time compared to last year! So much to do of course, but so much time!
On our way out of GOSESO and to the main road, our aim was the house of my friend Hindu, whom many of you have read about. She is one of the students I sponsor for secondary school, the one whose sister married last year and the one whose father died two years ago, a month after I sat holding his hand as he wasted away on his grass mat in their small home. It was so wonderful to see her lovely smiling face. We sat exchanging greetings, both having too much to say to even know where to start. My Kiswahili became less accessible as I had more thoughts come to mind. Instead of saying much, we just smiled, giggled and held hands. I showed her the album I made for her sister of the wedding last year. She marveled over the pictures, laughing with the memories inspired by each one.
Then, as conversation lulled again – I asked her about her brothers, who I met last year at the wedding. Next thing we knew, there was an intense conversation taking place in Kihaa (their local, tribal language) with many ‘pole sana’s (I’m sorry) from Lucas to Hindu. It didn’t take long for us to figure out that something bad had happened and that most likely someone had died and that even more specifically, a brother. Sure enough, one of her two brothers died this past May in Dar es Salaam. He was studying at an Islamic college in the big city. Tragically, he was riding his motorcycle in the city and lost an unfair battle with a car in an accident that claimed his life. Hindu was crying into her scarf, I was rubbing her back while blinking away tears and Lucas was asking the other two men sitting with us about the situation. Her brother was a kind soul who always took the time to visit everyone when he came home to the village on breaks. In the collection of pictures I gave to Hindu, one lovely picture captured her brother – alive and smiling on a day of such happiness for their family as Amina got married. It might be the only picture they have of him.
Shortly thereafter, when the time was right, I gave Hindu a card from John Cederquist in SLC, Utah who met her on his visit two years ago. She was delighted about the message and happy to have some monetary support to help her family. I also gave her an English language learning text that I bought in Dar es Salaam so she can keep working on her reading and grammar leading up to her final year in secondary school which begins in January.
Next, with Hindu in tow, we made our way across the street to Saidi’s house. I love this family! Saidi, along with his sister Zainabu and his brother Musa, will all be rounding the bend in primary school this year and next. All three of them will enter the Project Wezesha scholarship program and I am so proud to involve them. They have this wonderful drive to learn, to read, to speak and to do something big with their lives. They are also remarkably gentle and kind (two adjectives I love to use about good people, but it’s true!). When the other kids are tripping over each other, pushing and tearing at each others’ clothes to grab pencils from my hand, these children in the Sadicki family stand to the side, puzzling over the bad behavior of the other children. They are just polite, gracious and thoughtful – unique at any age, exceptional at ages 11, 12 and 13 respectively and even more impressive given the examples set by many of their peers. We sat with this family for a while among the chickens, children and elders. We talked about books, about school, about family, about my friends and about my timeline. Then, Laura gave them a frisbee she brought from Spain. We showed them how to throw it and left them playing while we made our way out.
At the dala dala stop near the market, who should appear in the last minutes before we made our way to Kigoma? – None other than Dibeit, another of my beloved young friends. I don’t like to have favorites but I’ll just say it – Hindu, Saidi and Dibeit … top three!! I think of all the students we support through our scholarship program, these three are the most devoted, inquisitive, gentle, grateful, humble, loving and hopeful. I will make sure that each of them – if willing – will have support through high school and university if they so choose to take that long route. I know they will become something…. I just feel it!
Anyway – our visit with Dibeit was quick, but fabulous. His smile fills my heart. Unfortunately, when I asked about his younger twin siblings, I found out that one twin died last year of complications in the chest. He had a hard time finding the vocabulary to describe what happened, but he smiled sorrowfully as he said ‘thank you’ in response to my ‘pole sana’. I promised my return on Tuesday after Hadley and Laura return to Dar es Salaam. I’m excited to sit still for a long time, enjoying the kids, reading, playing, singing, dancing and being with them.
Of course, at the end of a long day – our famous painter, Hadley Rampton, still has time to bang out a quick water color of the Lake Tanganyika sunset over the DRC mountains… hamna shida…. all in a day’s work.
