I wake up in the middle of the night to he sound of dogs howling. Even then, I feel very rested and happy to start my first day in Tanzania.
After breakfast we have day care with the children. They start the day by singing a Swahili song. Then they brush their teeth. Then they all run to the main hall where the teachers serve Chai tea and we all hang out and talk, dance. Apparently it varies every day. I have a nice time with a young boy named Abel who I later find out has epilepsy and was abandoned by his family. He looks like he is maybe 10 but he is actually 18. I am shocked when I find out his age. He speaks quite good English. We spend our time dancing to Bob Marley today and doing dance games like Musical chairs. One of the teens dances really well. His name is Jaji. We laugh because I am Gigi and he is Jaji: Gigi-Jaji… hahaha…
Then one of the volunteers, Rachel, asks me to come to the Mgologo orphanage with her. Before that, we have a few errands to run into town. We take the local bus called the Dalla Dalla and it is quite an experience. It’s basically a mini van equipped with 4 rows of seats and packed with people. It’s very communal and probably the best transportation experience I have had so far in my life. We have lunch when we get into Morogoro center, which consists of an omelet with fries inside. I know it sounds heavy but it’s basically a tortilla. The food is quite heavy here and the volunteers have all said they gained weight during their stay. So we will see how I look in 3 months!! At the lunch table, Rachel is scrolling through her camera pictures and a Masai man decides to join us and stares at the pictures with curiosity. I think he was worried at first that we were going to take a picture of him as they really dislike that. Not just the Masai actually, everyone except kids. You have to ask for permission or actually give money sometimes to take a photograph, which I can sort of understand depending on the situation. Anyway, back to the Masai man: he is extremely tall and impressive and carries a large knife attached to his belt. He is draped in the most amazing patterned fabric. I really enjoyed meeting a Masai for the 1st time.
Then we head for the orphanage, in a dalla dalla again. When we are dropped off, the path that leads to the building is very beautiful and lined with gigantic graceful trees, which I have only seen here. The orphanage is run by nuns and they have their hands full. We sign the guest book again. The children I see are between the ages of a few months old to around 8 years old. The infrastructure looks poor but functional. Although the poverty in the streets hasn’t shocked me so far, I am taken aback by the state of the building. But apparently this is much better than the state run orphanages. We spend time with the children entertaining them. They are desperate for attention and all want to be held. Some are fighting because of it. Then we go to the room where the 2 year olds are in large cots. The children seem well taken care of and are very lively. To put it plain and simple, they are all very cute and we seem to amuse them. I can see how you would get attached but I remind myself I will not make a difference in 1 visit…. I spend more time with a girl and a boy who just love to clap in my hands. In fact, the little boy laughs so hard each time that it feels like he is going to break a rib! The girl is shyer but you can see a smile forming on her face and that she is filled with curiosity. Then we go to the room where the toddlers sleep. There is actually a set of triplets and twins. I am amazed that the triplets survived but unfortunately their mother hasn’t. One of the twins looks like something is wrong with her. Then we help one of the helpers who work at the orphanage fold all the laundry. I have never seen a pile like that. I think she is really happy we came by, as I can’t imagine how long it would have taken her to fold the clothes. I guess there are about 30 children so it really adds up. Then it is time to leave so we can make it back before dark. But we will come back weekly.
Thank god Rachel is with me, as I cannot speak a word of Swahili. We get back on the Dalla dalla and this time it is a lot of fun. Everyone is talking and laughing like it’s a big social gathering inside the van. The lady across from me translates what is being said and apparently, one of the men has asked how much it would cost to spend the rest of his life with me. I laugh and wave my wedding finger. I have been wearing a ring as it is important here for a white woman traveling alone. When I show my hand, everyone starts laughing and it causes me to laugh and turn red at the same time.
When we get back I am so exhausted. We have dinner. The cooking is really good at the Amani center. I try Ugali for the first time, which is a rice paste you roll in your hands and dip into your food.
I feel happy with the simpler life here. I don’t even have electricity in my room but have had a very exciting day. I love it here and feel I was always meant to come to Africa.
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