Day 11: Back to Work

Over the weekend while we were away there had been heavy rainfall in Moshi. Many of the roads are just unmade mud tracks, and when it rains as you can imagine are very difficult to travel along. Because of this Keilah and Amy took Godwin to their school as no taxi driver would attempt their road and our vehicle is four wheel drive (a necessity on many of the roads out here, some of the people in the UK should really visit here and see what their big land cruisers should be used for) Ruth and I took a taxi to the bottom of the hill up to our school and walked up.
The road to Masandarka was so bad Keliah and Amy had to get out and walk with their boxes of books. Peter has some great pictures of them walking along the road with the boxes on their heads. While in Africa do as the Africans do!!!!!!!!. Godwin and Peter got some assistance from the locals to get the vehicle out of the mud and managed to get to the schools via some back roads (yes there are roads even more back roadish than the mud tracks) were it is very rare to find a vehicle so it less likely to be stirred up.

Meantime me and Ruth took a gentle stroll up to our school, I have discovered the trick to walking up hills is to take it very slowly like they do over here and you don't get tired. I have decided Africa time is great, slow steady meandering, not rushing to get anywhere, very relaxed. (Although I still can't get my head around it is OK to be late when you make an appointment (well for most things anyway), I always ring to apologise if I am going to be more than 10 minutes late. Over here they always say ahhhh no worries get here when you get here hee hee).

Anyway Keilah and Amy continued with their mural and library whilst Ruth and I got stuck into painting two classrooms with the kids from the school. Whilst they are all technically on holiday now, unlike in England they are all prepared to come back into school to help out with the painting, the cooking etc. When they are not doing anything they simply play. All the teachers were there keeping an eye on them and assisting with the painting as well.

It was really nice to have some real interaction with the children and they loved it. We quickly discovered that you needed to direct them which walls to paint, because if you didn't they always wanted to paint the same wall as you. I was moving around tiding up some bits of wall and the next thing I knew I was surrounding by about 5 kids all wanting to help.

For some reason they heavily thin their paint before using it out here, I guess they are trying to make it go further as they have little money. Trouble is they thin it so much the cover isn't as good and you have to keep doing extra coats just to try and cover the walls (as we got to the school after they started it was too late to stop them). Due to the condition of the walls this has meant there are some patches that aren't as well covered as we would like, but even so it is still 100x better. We have now explained that as we have got the paint they don't need to worry about this and that the coverage on the wall will be much better, so for anyone coming out next year if you are doing any painting you must remind them of this.

As a reminder of our assistance they have stencilled a sign on the wall of one of the classrooms painted by Naomi and Ruth which is so sweet. They keep insisting that we must come back, and of course we really want to. They understand that more are coming next year, but it seems we have a special place in their hearts as the first. Hmmmmmm sigh, it is so nice to make such a difference in such a simple way. To all the guys back at the club, you are going to love when you visit and be prepared to tear up on a regular basis :-).

Once the painting was finished the kids had now got much more confidence and decided to teach us Swahili. At one point I think we were surrounded by 20 to 30 children, all applauding whenever we got a word right. Some of them are exceptional at English and also very good a saying each word very slowly to try and help us say it correctly. One little girl seemed to have a fixation on teaching me words like thump and kick mmmmm slightly worrying. We then learnt various greeting, hand shakes etc. I think it was an excuse to get a hug, as once one started they all wanted to do the one that had a hug at the end. At one point Ruth and I split up and we each had a circle of children around each of us. If you are claustrophobic beware, although they will give you space if you ask.

The kitchen is going great guns, when we left the roof was half finished, half the plastering inside was done and the floor almost complete. Unlike the first day the rain didn't stop them today, we think saying the English builders would be out in the rain (although that may not necessarily be true) egged them on hee hee.

We left in the afternoon to get ready to visit Mama Lucy in the evening again. We arrived at her home (camp site which thy run adjacent to their home) and apparently Mama Lucy wasn't going to be joining us although her husband did. Very strange that someone invites you then doesn't come out to see you. Peter went round the back to see her and apparently she was siting there drinking Gin and Tonic surrounded by young men hee hee. She is what you would think of a true African Mama, she is a big lady with alot of charisma and is very well respected. She doe alot for the community and works as a type of Judge in the local what is similar to our civil courts.
Anyway I digress, that evening we had yet another fabulous traditional African meal, and African dancing. Which both Amy and Keilah got up and had a go at. Poor Amy is incredibly thin and doesn't have much of a booty and was getting very frustrated that she couldn't shake it like the African women. Me I have a big booty and have alot to shake hee hee.

We got home quite late so we didn't really feel up to attempting to do the blog, but at least I seem to be catching up a bit now. OK it is the day before we go home, but better late than never.

Naomi (and the Team)