Blog 7 Mikocheni Village and Uru, too!

Blog 7

Hamjambo! We woke up this morning at around 8:00 in the morning to get ready for  8:15 breakfast which was toast, pancakes, eggs, pineapple, and passion fruit. At breakfast many kids found out what passion fruit was! After a wonderful meal we hopped into the chopper a.k.a a bus. We road to Mikocheni, a rural village, which took about an hour. On the way, we got to see many stages of sugarcane growth. Baba Dick explained to us that the land is basically a whole business called TPC. While we were on our way many of us were expecting to walk through their village, see their homes and maybe see a couple kids but mostly families. When we arrived we met Father Shukuru and walked over to the church. The first church we walked past was very small and run down. It was very shocking to see the poverty and what they used to use to fit so many people into for a mass service. We then walked over to the new church and were amazed to see what they had accomplished. It was made of bricks and concrete with a green roof. You could tell how long it had taken to put together and it was very spacious and beautiful. When we first walked into the church no one knew what to expect or what was going to happen next. After we were sitting in there for a while, we were suddenly bombarded with children. All at once about 130 children ran in shaking our hands and greeting us kindly. They were all very welcoming and grateful that we were there. When the children came in they all sat down next to us. We all attempted to try to speak Swahili to them, but ended up just getting mocked for our Mzungu accent. After a short conversation with the children and Father, we split up to walk around to see the well and the fishponds. It was shocking to see how much work and time had gone into these projects when they have so little. After walking around to see what they’ve accomplished, we walked back to the church where the children met up with all of us again. We were split up into two groups, looking face to face, when Father said one word which caused them to charge towards us and grab our hands. When the children dispersed, we ended up with around 5 kids clinging to our sides. We walked hand in hand to the school in which we saw many different things. The school was a lot nicer than we expected. The children brought us into one of the classrooms and had us sit with them at their desks. They were “braiding” our hair, showing us their books, and trying to communicate with us. At first they were shy, but they warmed up to us very quickly. We were all impressed by their English skills. Since we were all crammed into very small desks with many kids, we started sweating bullets. Eventually, we left the classroom and got to play outside with the students, which was a blast. They had a couple of soccer balls, which were put to use very quickly. We tried to lead the students in a couple of songs, but we were very unsuccessful. Everyone went into a room to introduce themselves to the teachers. We walked around the room, learning their names, subjects that they teach, and how long they have been teaching for. Taylor, Zanny, and Andrea got to stay in the room to get to know the teachers a little more. We took turns standing up asking them questions. We first asked about the different subjects they provide at their school. They have English, History, Math, Science, and Geography. Another question was the amount of students in each class. We learned that there are around 100 students in each room which, compared to Cathedral, is an insane amount. The teachers also told us the reason that they teach is because they have knowledge and they want to be able to share it with others. In the end of the conversation, it was very cool to compare and see how different our schools are and how different the culture is. While we were meeting with the teachers, the other kids were chanting and doing cheers with all the children including the classic roller coaster, which we do at sporting events in the fan section. Before we left, many of us girls handed out bracelets that we had made prior to coming, but we were soon trampled by kids trying to grab them out of our hands. They had so much fun with the cheers and getting to know us, that it was very hard to leave their smiling faces behind! We then left this beautiful school, but this will always remain in our hearts and be a part of our lives.

            Once we got in the chopper, we only made it a little ways before stopping at a local Massai village where we were able to meet many new people and experience a new culture. The women, dressed in their beautiful dresses and wraps, greeted us with beautiful songs, and eventually a dance. This is something that no other group has visited before, so it was a once in a lifetime experience for us thanks to Father. The dance that they showed us included jumping up and down, as high as you could. After a little but of hesitation, many of us joined them. They would yell and use specific motions for different songs. It was so cool to be a part of something this unique and amazing. Each song and dance meant something different. We weren’t really sure what they did mean, but Jenna may or may not be married now. After conversing with the tribe about what they needed in their village, we headed back to the chopper and started on our way home. After getting back to the lodge, we had lunch. This included veggies, kuku(chicken), fried bread sandwich, and a delicious mixture of fruit. We then packed water and snacks to head out to URU secondary school.

 As we approached the school we were expecting to have a discussion about social media and the effects it has on education, relationships, etc. according to Baba Dick. However, this experience was much different than the image that was in our heads. Ashlea’s knees were starting to ache so we knew rain was coming soon. Sure enough, 5 minutes later as we were walking out, it started to rain. As Grayson stated, “This day just went from a 5 to a 7.” It was pretty great. We all really enjoyed the rain and cooler weather. When we walked into the school Baba Dick had the URU students lined up on one side, and the Cathedral Students on the other. We were all matched up with one student to introduce ourselves and answer a question provided by Baba Dick, much like speed dating. After talking to just a few of them it didn’t take us long to realize that they were the most kind, polite, well behaved kids any of us have ever met. Most of them had dreams to become lawyers, doctors, politicians, accounts, engineers, and so many more amazing professions. They almost knew better English than most of us. One girl even sang to a few of us as one of her talents. After we got to know them, we were split into groups and they gave us a tour of their school. The kids showed us all of the projects that they had on the grounds. This included a garden, cows, pigs, and a banana farm. We also got to see their basketball court, volleyball court, and even their “futbol” field. It was so fun to be around them while doing everyday things. Taylor got a couple of aces in volleyball, Brock ripped his pants, and Jenna started kicking the ball meant for your hands. We figured out that having a boyfriend or girlfriend is not allowed at the school. We got to learn about a couple of “forbidden relationships” which was also very interesting. After the tour, we walked back to the library, cracked open some pop, and just hung out with the students. We were able to compare music, sports, and even school dances. When we were about to leave, we took a group picture and we’re now trying to convince Baba Dick to let them come to Culture Night. We got into the chopper once more to head back home for dinner. We ate noodles, beef, mushroom soup, “chips” (French fries), cabbage salad, and banana custard (which was delicious). Right after dinner we had a meeting about how impactful the day was. We’re all so fortune to experience all of this. After the meeting, we found out that we’re having a game night hosted by the famous Jason Becker. He also made sure to take the Boda Boda (motorcycle) to get ice cream for us tonight. Many of us are also recovering from a day filled with sunburn. We’re pretty sure that Taylor has three layers of aloe on by now thanks to Zanny. Taylor may have gotten to taste some of it too. Oops.

We’re all so thankful for this journey and we can’t wait for it to continue. We keep talking to each other about how excited we are to share these memories with all of you when we get back home.

Zanny: Hi Kayla:)

Taylor­: Hello family! I miss you all very much and I can’t wait to share all of my experiences with you when I get home. Peyton, I love you so much and I can’t wait for you to experience everything that I have, in two years. Avery and Quinn, I miss you two little ones and I can’t wait to give you guys the biggest hugs when I get back. Thanks again mom and dad for giving me this opportunity to be here and to be able to make these relationships and connections here in Tanzania.

Love your first born,

Taylor

Andrea: Hi mom! I hope you’re crying by now. That was my goal. I miss you a lot but I can’t wait to compare my experience here, to yours. Make sure to give Coop tons of attention for me. Also Sarah, I found the cutest little girl to bring home, just for you. Her name is Vivian and you would absolutely love her. Josh and Jer, if you’re reading this, I’m very excited to compare my experiences with yours as well. I feel so fortunate that we’ve all been able to do this as a family. I can’t wait to come home and share my memories with everyone. Get ready for tons of emotions and stories. I love and miss you all so much.

Ann :)