Yesterday, I started to get to know the 4th grade class more and more. I played a lot of games with them and the kids got very competitive over everything. One of the funniest things happened when we played hangman. I wrote everything down on the board and the first girl I chose guessed the entire word correctly! I had no idea how she got that answer, so I stood there in shock for a second, because I didn’t believe it. I was funny that every time I turned around to write on the board, the kids would be a foot behind me when I turned around again. We then played “Simon Says”, and the kids were so loud that I was yelling most of the time, and my voice was dead after.
Yesterday
I went on a home visit to Godfrey and his son, Brian’s, house. Godfrey is the
cook at LOAMO, and Brian is in kindergarten.
It was a thirty minute drive to the house – up a mountain and tucked
away behind some trees. After we drove out of the trees, there was a small
little community hidden back there. It was one of the most beautiful places ever;
it was green and full of life. When we got out of the car, we were instantly
greeted by the grandma and the neighbor’s kids. The grandma had to be older
than 90, but was walking around the hill like it was nothing. She gave us a hug
and a huge smile; you could tell that she was very excited to see us. I was
glad I got to go there and see some African culture, like how much everyone
respected the grandma. If she said it, it would be done. When we walked into
the house, it was very cozy. The house wasn’t that big, probably a little bit
bigger than my garage, but it housed seven people. Godfrey, his wife, and his
five kids all lived there. Godfrey said that he rides his bike to school every
morning. He drops Brian at the bus stop, but he isn’t allowed to take the bus
himself. I was really surprised that he rode his bike, because, when coming
home, he has to ride up a huge hill with bumps and holes all over it. He said
that because they live so far up the mountain, it was really safe and everyone
knew each other. The family was amazing, and I’m happy that I had the chance to
meet them.
Today,
I went on another home visit to a boy named Miguel’s house. Miguel is in kindergarten
and his brother, Mejooly, is in 4thgrade. Their house was a three minute walk from the
school, and it is a really nice house. Right when you walk in, there is the
family room with a couch and a bed in it. The next room is the kitchen, with a
bathroom off to the side, and then there is a bedroom. The boys lived with
their mother, Rachel, who works at the Palace Hotel in Arusha. The boys’ dad
died a year ago because of Meningitis. When we asked questions about the dad,
the mom stayed strong, but looked like she was about to cry. She either has the
morning shift or night shift and the hotel, so she either gets to see her kids
in the morning or at night. About half of her salary goes to paying rent, and
then the rest is for school fees and food. The family looked really happy, and they
are all hard-workers. I learned when you think it’s the end, when you
persevere, you can make a life for yourself. I’m thankful that I had the chance to meet
this wonderful family.
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