Report from Tanzania – Installment #2

After a whirlwind first week and orientation, I have begun to settle into a routine of sorts as it relates to the work I am doing here. As with my last post, I will report my experience of the last few days through the lens of the Kindness Continuum. Here are some notable kindnesses I have been the beneficiary of:

1. The other volunteers who have been here longer than I are very careful to make sure that I am included in activities and that I know how to get around. My housemate, Chihiro from Japan, has been particularly attentive. I had to laugh when she told me that prior to my arrival she was told by the host “Mama” that a “grandma” was coming. She then commented to me, “You don’t seem very grandma-like to me!” (I wasn’t quite sure what the appropriate  response should be…, so I just said “Good! Because I’m not a grandma!”) She knows I am nervous about riding the Dala Dala alone, not because I am afraid of the crowds or the people, but because I can’t see out the windows and never know where we are or when to get off. I’m getting better at it, but it’s nice that she’s willing to adjust her coming and going to meet my need rather than hers. She was also willing to walk with me at 5:45 am on last Saturday morning to make sure I got to the meeting spot where the safari driver was going to pick us up. I didn’t need her to do that, but she got up anyway to make sure I got out of the gate with no trouble and then called me to make sure I made the connection. So sweet! She is a mature young woman who is studying political science from a global perspective and so we have had some very interesting conversations about our Tanzanian experience and the world at large.
2. Last Friday we had a “Community Day” where all the volunteers from all the different projects came together and worked at the Massai school that Projects Abroad is building. It is a preschool and kindergarten seemingly out in the middle of nowhere that volunteers have been building from the ground up. And while I am quite aware of the cliché image of white people having their pictures taken with adorable African children, I can only say in my defense that these particular children were intensely curious, friendly, and yes, absolutely adorable (as any preschooler anywhere in the world is). Our job that day was to build the roadway and walking path that leads up to the school. I was told that many of the children who come to this school walk over two hours to get there and two hours to get home in the afternoon. It was clear that many volunteers have been to this school, as the children, who were shy at first, warmed up fairly quickly. By the time we left a few hours later, they were all over us, talking, demanding pictures and games, climbing into laps, etc. The kindness that these children showed to us was pretty neat.
3. The 2 day weekend safari I went on to Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara National Park was unbelievably great. One of the reasons it was so great was that our driver was very careful to give all of us passengers plenty of time whenever we spotted some animals or a particularly beautiful vista. We would drive around, then all of a sudden he would stop because he or someone else saw something interesting. Then he would wait for as long as it took for all of us to be finished enjoying the view and taking pictures. He was very patient with us and that patience paid off big-time when we were treated to a pride of about 15 lions sunning themselves by the side of the road and wandering around between all the jeeps that had gathered to take a look. While we were enjoying the lions up close, they spotted a lone water buffalo who had wandered into their line of sight. While we watched, each of the 15 lions went on high alert, and one by one they trotted off to go after the water buffalo. When they got close they gave chase. Suddenly the entire herd of water buffalo came to the aid of the first one, and confronted the lions. At that point it was a face off, with the lions going after the only baby in the herd and the herd doing everything they could to protect the baby. It was quite exciting to watch, and happily for us, we got all the benefit of watching the hunt without the bloody result, as the baby did survive in the end and the lions came back to their napping spot. Even our driver enjoyed the spectacle, and told us that seeing the lions in action like that was quite rare.  The entire safari was wonderful, and it was pretty awesome to think that I was in the same vicinity as some of the great researchers of the 20th century – Jane Goodall, Richard and Louis Leakey, and others.
4. All the people on the safari became very friendly over the two days we spent together. Interesting conversation, interesting perspectives, and interesting stories about why each was in Tanzania – three of us were from Projects Abroad (Norway, Japan, USA), two from Holland working for another volunteer organization, and two others travelling on their own for vacation (Ireland and Georgia – the country, not the state).
5. Monday it was back to work. I spent the morning interviewing three of the teenagers we are responsible for monitoring while they wait for their cases to go to court. It seems that they have been thrown away and no one cares that they are simply languishing while the slow bureaucracy churns along. The Projects Abroad volunteers provide kindness and caring support to the boys, most of whom don’t get it from anywhere else. Conditions at the detention center are extremely harsh. Here is a brief synopsis of each of the three cases I interviewed:
   1. Sammi, 14, is charged with possession of marijuana. An older man from his neighborhood asked Sammi to escort him to somewhere and Sammi agreed. When the man was stopped the police found the drugs in the man’s bag. Sammi had no idea the man was carrying drugs but they both got charged. That was over 8 months ago and he’s still waiting for his first hearing.
   2. Ibrahim, 17, has been in detention for almost 2 years waiting for his case to be heard. He is charged with murder along with 7 other adults he doesn’t even know. He has no idea why he is being charged or even what the prosecutors are saying happened. When he was at the police station he was beaten so badly that 2 years later he still suffers severe pain in his upper back. He has received no medical treatment. We suspect that the prosecutor is waiting for him to turn 18 so that they can then charge him as an adult. It sounds like the police simply swept up some random people hoping to get a hit. Regardless, there is very little anyone can do to speed his case along, and in the meantime he has no advocate or anyone besides us to help him understand what is going on (or not). Murder carries a sentence of death if he is convicted.
   3. Awadhi, 16, is being held on armed robbery. This started out as a simple theft that Awadhi and his two friends committed against a drunk man. The boys then had a change of heart, gave back the stolen items, and turned themselves in to the police to make amends. The police asked for a bribe to dismiss the charges, and when the boys couldn’t pay he raised the charge from theft to robbery, a much more serious offense, and put them all into detention. Awadhi dropped out of school after 3rd grade and so couldn’t read any of the documents he had to sign. He has been in detention for almost a year with virtually no progress on his case.
6.  The Dala Dala experience continues to be a fascinating one. We volunteers stand out like sore thumbs whenever we get on or off. The Tanzanians are always accommodating our inability to communicate effectively, and tolerating our social awkwardness as we climb in and out of the bus and over and around the other riders. Every now and then someone will strike up a conversation, practicing their English, which is fun. Inevitably when that happens they ask where we are from and as soon as I say “the United States” the next question is always “What do you think about Trump?” and they stop being interested in the nationalities of the other volunteers who got on with me. I usually ask “what do you think about him?” before I try to answer in some noncommittal way, but I am who I am and make no excuses for his actions, letting them know I’m not happy with most of his decisions. Then we laugh and that’s usually the end of that conversation.
7. Today I was in charge of interviewing two women business owners and checking in with them to see how they are doing in their business, some details about their home and family life, and whether they have any problems or challenges that Projects Abroad might be able to help with. This turned out to be a real treat, as these women who have virtually nothing by most Western standards, opened their homes to me and invited me to meet and take pictures of their beautiful family. They were incredibly gracious to the volunteers and translators who visited them today, and are justifiably proud of all they have accomplished since starting their business with the seed money loan provided by Projects Abroad.
8. We also visited a Mandazi bakery that has grown quite large (relatively speaking) in 3 short years, again with seed money originally from Projects Abroad. It turned out that Helena, the business owner, had just lost her husband in January. When I expressed my condolence and shared that I too had lost a husband recently, she led me to the back of her house when he is buried to show me his grave. She has 8 children and 26 grandchildren. I was overwhelmed by her kind and generous spirit. She is part of a women’s group of entrepreneurs who have all sorts of small businesses. I hope to support them in a more tangible way by buying some of their wares before I leave here (jewelry, fabric, for example).

I think that’s enough for now. I have been missing Jay quite often, but am busy and stimulated enough by my surroundings and activities that my grieving doesn’t pull me down for long periods. The other day when I was discussing someone’s recent illness (an all-too-common topic of conversation given the dicey and unpredictable food we eat here) I was wishing that Jay was around so that I could ask him about the virus or bacteria that was plaguing this particular person. But alas, those days are gone and my always on-call microbiologist who could answer any question about any virus or bacteria can no longer be my primary go-to guy. Made me rather sad for a few moments…

Even though I’m here for such a short time, a blink of an eye, really, I’m forming lots of impressions about Tanzania, and as I meet the women and boys we are here to work with, as well as the Projects Abroad staff who run the projects, my head is swimming with questions that may or may not have answers. I am trying hard to remain a neutral observer, but of course I see everything through my first world, white privileged, Western lens. I will share some of these observations and questions another time.

For now, I am soaking up what I can, and appreciating the way the people I have met embrace us (sometimes literally) and open their homes and their hearts to the outsiders who come to their door and ask to be let in. I am humbled by their grace. We can learn much from their authenticity and lack of pretension.