The end of November has bought an end to my second month in Dodoma and also to the school year. As this month draws to a close I am able to reflect on what has been an amazing last few weeks as I have tried to fully immerse myself into the way of life here. November has not only offered the chance to become active in my community but also to form stronger relationships with both colleagues and friends. I feel that I have grown accustomed to cultural differences here and this has helped to improve my confidence with speaking Kiswahili.
This month has been so important as I've been able to get to grips with the school and my role here as I have become deeply involved in every aspect of school life. Firstly, I spent two weeks as the ‘Teacher on Duty’ where I was required to supervise the children during both break and lunchtimes. Although this was a difficult task as I had to control nearly two hundred hungry children without assistance, it was a rewarding one as I was able to spend my mealtimes with the pupils, simply chatting with them and getting to know them better. I have learnt it is little moments like these that become so valuable as a volunteer. Being on duty has also enabled me to become a more confident teacher, as I have seen how the school works at every level and what it was required of a teacher. I feel that I am a much more confident in my teaching abilities now and this confidence has allowed me to be creative as possible in my lessons. This has helped to create a good mixture of both fun and serious study with my pupils. I now seriously value this relationship I have formed with them.
With pupils at St Ignatius
I was also fortunate enough to be a part of important events at the school, the first of these being the annual elections for both Head Boy and Head Girl. This required candidates to give a speech to the pupils describing why they were suited to the role, the students then posed questions to the candidates on issues that they felt were important. After, every student of the upper classes (from the age of about 8 to 15) voted secretly for the pupil that they believed was the best for the role and could serve the interests of the pupils most effectively. I found this interesting as it encouraged students as young as eight to become involved in democracy, and it helped to improve their understanding of how politics and elections work. They all took to it enthusiastically, and I feel that the two best candidates shone through and won! The other important event that I was involved in was the annual Evaluation Meeting between all of the teachers. Here, important issues were raised and teachers looked at the performance of each class, evaluating whether the weakest students should be allowed to progress. The most touching moment for me, was when one teacher put forward a compassionate case for one of the poorest students to be promoted. The teacher offered to guide and help this boy in the next class, and in the end he was able to convince the headmistress to allow the boy to progress, much to the delights of the entire teaching staff.
School life was busy for the pupils throughout November as they prepared for their annual examinations that determined whether or not they will move into the next grade. It was a tiring few weeks that required consistent hard work as I spent nearly every lesson doing intensive revision with my classes, ensuring that they had understood everything that we had covered and going over various revision techniques. Some of the struggling students even approached me during the week and asked for extra tutoring at the weekend which I was happy to provide. For, I found it sobering to see how seriously the pupils took these exams and I could tell how desperate every student was to succeed. The attitude they took to their exams was something I haven’t seen in secondary school in the UK, let alone primary school! The pupils really wanted to succeed not only for their parents but also for their school. I actually found myself feeling a little nervous over those couple of days as I became desperate for the pupils to pass. Fortunately, the hard work of both pupils and teachers paid off as the school achieved excellent results across the board, and it was a great pleasure to give out the fantastic results to the children I had been teaching. The gratitude they expressed after receiving their results is something that will remain with me long after I leave Dodoma. To reward their excellence in studies the students were provided with an end of school feast that celebrated their achievements and gave prizes to the students who had excelled not only academically, but also in sports and appearance.
Pupils nervously write their annual examinations
The end of the school year was the time when many of the university students were graduating, including our friends, so this meant that we received various invites to graduations. These celebrations were performed in true Tanzanian style, with the most welcoming hospitality. At every event our hosts treated us like close relatives rather than visitors. So much effort went into all the food and drink, and they were determined to satisfy their guests even if they may not have been able to afford it. This warm atmosphere is something that continually amazes me.
Celebrating the hard work of a Sister at her graduation
For the last few weeks I have been regularly visiting the ‘Tumaini Centre’, an orphanage in the poorer Dodoma region of Myuji. My first trip to the Tumaini Centre served as a real shock to the life that I had grown accustomed to since I arriving in Dodoma. Not only do the children lack any real learning resources but they also lack quality food and clothing. Most of them have been orphaned by HIV or Aids and several are disfigured, I found it tough to see that there were children there as young as three. What struck me most about these children was how many of them lacked confidence as they had rarely been exposed to anything new, whereas in a school like St Ignatius where the children are constantly exposed to new things it is easy for a child to be more confident. The standard of English at Tumaini as the children aren’t really taught it at the orphanage, the sisters there only speak Kiswahili and Italian, so I found myself having to teach a few basics at the beginning. This was not a challenge that I found overwhelming, on the contrary, it is something I embrace. I am so glad that I have been given the opportunity to work at the orphanage and I am enjoying working with the people in the poorest communities as this was one of my main reasons for coming to Tanzania. I feel like I have been contributing to their education in a small way and it is satisfying to leave a lesson knowing that I have improved their understanding of English. In return, I am learning so much from them, about the value of happiness, and even about maturity. It is an experience that has put my problems into perspective. I now visit three to four times a week, whenever I am not working at the school. I am not just teaching either; I also help out with chores inside the orphanage such as chopping firewood and planting Maize in the rainy season. I know for this experience that I will leave Dodoma a more rounded person and I am so grateful I have become involved in this side of society.
Helping to chop wood with Doto at Tumaini
This month has also helped to strengthen the friendships inside of our community. I am settled into a routine in the house and regularly contribute to both cooking and cleaning weekly. Hopefully by the end of the six months I will serve up some delicious vegetarian meals! What has been a real pleasure is how long we take over our meals here, every evening we usually sit together after dinner for a couple of hours and just chat and share stories from the day. I know that this is a Tanzanian custom, to take time over meals and to enjoy them with the people around you. This is especially comforting for me as it has made the transition from home easier, as using meal times to catch up and enjoy each others company is a huge tradition in my family.
Of course, there are still things I miss from back home, like warm showers and not having to sleep in a mosquito net every night but this only makes me more thankful for what I have at home. I know that I will not take these things for granted when I eventually return home. Living simply is a value promoted here and I understand why, it enables you to understand what it is like to live with the the very basic necessities.s and it gives some insight into how people live here. I shall return home with some perspective on the way I live my life and make significant changes to my lifestyle. The fact that I am doing this with six other volunteers only helps to strengthen the sense of fraternity within our community.
The 2014 Community with our responsibles
In the last week of November we were treated to a Thanksgiving feast courtesy of our American housemates, where we were even provided with a turkey! A huge effort went into preparing every aspect of the meal and both Tom and I contributed, after ward we were able to share it with the whole Tanzanian community. It was a great opportunity to strengthen the relationships we had already formed here.
Roxanne prepping the Turkey for Thanksgiving
On one of our free weekends we were able to experience the delights of ‘Madani’, a weekly meat and beer festival situated out in the countryside of Myuji. Customers are encouraged to taste ‘nyama’ or ‘mbuzi choma' roughly translated as roasted cow and goat. It was a nice to see a part of the town that our colleagues and friends are incredibly enthusiastic about, and it was interesting to see another side to the culture here. The festival itself was colourful to say the least as visitors are able to see the animal slaughtered and skinned before eating it. It was a memorable experience as we were encouraged to try everything from cow’s lungs to goat’s intestines as they were roasted on huge open barbecues. There was even an option to have your meat flavored with bile, a specialty of the festival. We decided to pass on the bile but will certainly return to Madahni again to salvage some of its delights.
Preparation of Mbuzi Choma (roasted goat) at the colourful Madani festival
So everything is going really well, as I feel I am settled into a comfortable lifestyle here. I have integrated into the community and am doing things that have given me so much happiness. This is not to say that I don’t have more to achieve or to learn, I hope that I continue to grow and gain more confidence, but for the moment I am very content with my life here.
Enjoying the sun with Damien at Tumaini
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