Farewell my Students & Friends at Unjoma (together as one)

I can't believe 3 weeks has come and gone so quickly. I could use one more week to explore a little more and spend time with the new friends I have been making. It took the first 2 weeks to settle in to the culture, I suppose you could call it shock, although it didn't fee like a shock until I started to relax more the 3rd week. And to also adjust to the weather HOT, HOT. My friend Sila wasn't kidding when he said it is going to be so hot and you will need to make sure to wear your sunscreen at all times. He wasn't exaggerating in the least.

I also was saddened a little the day I left my students behind. Although I must admit I felt my work was done there, and I had accomplished the goals I had set forth at the start of my placement. I started to get a little burnt out because it truly does take much of your energy, patience, thought and then some, to not only teach English but to actually teach them why you want each person to know what you are teaching and how it will better them into the future. AND with the little Swahili I know, I became a kick arse pictionery and charades master. ha ha. If you could have seen some of the stuff I acted out for my students....

I feel blessed for being able to touch each of my 8 students, in ways I may not have realized, but in ways that will help shape their lives into their future, and mine as well. Even if one of their favorite saying or expressions was when I taught them how to "zip it" when they would talk or laugh at one of the other students if they couldn't remember what to say during our lessons. The first time I laughed and said to "zip it" and they laughed yet stared at me not having any idea what to say. So then I pointed to the zipper on Swale's pants and them they all laughed for about 5 minutes. One day we were practicing shopping in their store, which we did every day. I was explaining to them how they need to greet their customers with hellos and ask where they are from and how long they are in Tanzania for and to make "jokes", you should have seen me explain that one:) As they were practising I chimed in to correct Stella and Augustino look at me and literally did the ZIP on my and we all could not stop laughing. It was cute. NOw it is a common Heidiism-Swahili slang.

It also could be a little frustrating to teach at times because every day I taught in the open huts, where the wind was definitely welcomed on some days, and not on others because it would blow ALL of my big papers,a nd pens every where. This is where sawre words were introduced, NOT in my lessons, but from hearing me sware at the wind and dirt floors, with no walls to post the big sheets of paper on - URG I was pissed off some days, yet as soon as I got annoyed it left just as fast ;) Resources were extremely limited at Unjoma, and anything I would need to teach I could bring from our supply shelves, but I had to return with them and carry them back and forth every day.

One day, this was before I got smart enough to bring the big clip board for my lessons, I got all MGiver(sp?) and tapped into my ever-sp-resourceful self. I must admit I was quite impressed, as were my students. It was super windy and I had about 6 huge sheets to tape up...heeellloooo tape onto what, and with what tape. There are no walls or many poles to attach anything to. The hut had a thatch roof that hung down on all 4 sides and was supported by 4 poles on each side horizontally and was open in the front and back of the hut, with a long beam on each side. YOu all can imagine this, I'm sure. Since there There was no tape or tacks, and they could only get me one nail that they out pulled from out of an old, broken up board. Hmmm I had 6 sheets to put up and the windy was picking up. One of my students came back with about 3 TINY pieces of tape that I then split into 8 smaller pieces and I taped the top of the paper to the side beams. This didn't solve the problem of the sheets blowing in the wind. I asked them if we could use some rubber from old bike tires that were just laying around, to pull and bind from one pole to the other and back around to sandwich the sheets between the rubber. OMG it was so archaic I couldn't help but grin and then think about the lack of resources they have on a daily basis, yet they get by with the lack of, and know of nothing else. the bottoms of the papers kept blowing in the wind and we couldn't read them SOOO I pulled one last move out of..... :) I asked them to bring me some string...they didn't have any, so I asked Elizabeth to give me some of her yarn that she uses to crochet her hats, and I then had the guys cut them into 3 feet lengths. Yes, it gets better. I made little holes in the end of each of the papers, pulled the yarn through, knotted each of the ends to the paper and then tied rocks to the strings and set them on the ground. GENIUS.

My students all clapped and said Asante sana Teacher Haidi. (Thank you so much) I realized at that moment, through this simple problem/issue, that would have taken no time back home to correct, came the transformation of challenge into quite interesting solution(s). It felt really cool and I beamed with pride at my resourceful self and I stood together with each to be along side with them, living/working as they do, EVERY day.

There was one last item of importance that I needed. I walked out of the hut in search of a "pointer" for my lessons. Perfect, I grabbed an old piece of palm leaf that fell from the nearby coconut tree. I was then ready to rock the day away :)

I have many other stores to share about my teachings and students that I will post another day.

I left my students that day and we all hugged and thanked each other for the true cross cultural exchange and experiences we shared together. It was everything I did or didn't expect and then some. I'm grateful for such a rich, challenging, yet ever-so-rewarding experience.

Asante Sana, Unjoma - Stella, Augustineo, Swale, Thomas, Elizabeth, Wabi, Patrick, Mchanda, and the many othe, that soon became friends, that wandered in, from day to day, to sit and hang out for a few moments and then wander off back to wherever they came from and or to wherever they were going.