Today was balls.
Mike, Leah and I went to TAFCOM for children’s day, and when we got to the office the door was locked. We called Jonas and left a note, and when we couldn’t get through to anyone we tried to get a taxi to take us to another volunteer placement. We saw Jonas outside, and he told us there was a miscommunication with CCS and he thought we weren’t coming today. He said we were welcome to come upstairs, but then practically ran up the stairs to get away from us. It was obvious that he was mad at us and didn’t want us to follow, so we called John to get a ride to Tulanie to volunteer instead. While we were waiting for John Mike ran into Nie. They were talking for a few minutes on the other side of the street, and then John pulled up. She spoke to him angrily in Swahili, then went up to the office in a huff without even looking at Leah or I. I was both angry and disappointed in the way those interactions went.
When we got to Tulanie there were no kids there. We were lead to their school, where we were told they spend their mornings. Leah and I went to a classroom with 4-7 year olds, and Mike went to the room with the older kids. The rooms were very small with two window holes and a door frame, a chalkboard, and two wooden benches. There were two teachers, who were older girls who also live at the orphanage. They were teaching the children letters and numbers by saying them and having the children repeat them. I taught a little, and the kids really liked tracing letter cards I brought with their fingers. We took a break so the kids could play, and I taught them duck duck goose. We went back inside to practice recognizing numbers on flash cards. When we were about to leave I saw Rose, and I talked to her about the letter. I told her it was very sweet and I was flattered that she wrote it for me, but also that I could not pay for her to attend school. I had a great time teaching the kids, but at the same time was filled with this overwhelming sadness because of the conditions they live in and deal with on a daily basis.
Back at home base we had lunch before heading out to Arusha for the afternoon. It is usually a full day trip, but we only went for half a day because the Rwanda tribunal was closed for the holiday season.
We first went to a Massai market, but there were no Massai. It was a long string of alley-like passages made from vendors and their tents of goods. They were mostly selling wood carvings, jewelry, and paintings. I bought lots of things, both for presents and for myself. The vendors were very pushy. One man was pressuring me to buy something and when I began bargaining his friend pulled a curtain down over the entrance to his tent. He kept pressuring me to bargain, and when I said I was no longer interested he moved closer to me and grabbed my arm. He was very intimidating, but I pushed his arm off me and yelled ‘don’t touch me’ in the most confidant voice I could muster. He let go, and I bolted out of there and back to the CCS van. I was so angry I was shaking. I heard that he did that to a few other girls too.
After the market we went to a commercial strip so that we could buy Tanzanite. From before we even got out of the van me were following us and trying to lead us to different stores. They were very aggressive and annoying. After looking in a few stores I bought two pieces – one loose stone and one set in a gold pendant. Both are AA of AAA quality, and the total came to $475 USD. Buying took forever because my credit card wouldn’t go through. The store owner stayed open late for us so they could bring a machine from his other store. While we waited he let us go into his private office where he showed us some of his most valuable gems. He even lets us hold a piece of Tanzanite worth 4 million USD! Everyone was mad at us by the time we got back to the van because we held them up waiting for the machine.
We got back here at 7:30, scarfed down dinner, and everyone is already in bed now. It’s only 8:30, but we’re totally exhausted.
Mike, Leah and I went to TAFCOM for children’s day, and when we got to the office the door was locked. We called Jonas and left a note, and when we couldn’t get through to anyone we tried to get a taxi to take us to another volunteer placement. We saw Jonas outside, and he told us there was a miscommunication with CCS and he thought we weren’t coming today. He said we were welcome to come upstairs, but then practically ran up the stairs to get away from us. It was obvious that he was mad at us and didn’t want us to follow, so we called John to get a ride to Tulanie to volunteer instead. While we were waiting for John Mike ran into Nie. They were talking for a few minutes on the other side of the street, and then John pulled up. She spoke to him angrily in Swahili, then went up to the office in a huff without even looking at Leah or I. I was both angry and disappointed in the way those interactions went.
When we got to Tulanie there were no kids there. We were lead to their school, where we were told they spend their mornings. Leah and I went to a classroom with 4-7 year olds, and Mike went to the room with the older kids. The rooms were very small with two window holes and a door frame, a chalkboard, and two wooden benches. There were two teachers, who were older girls who also live at the orphanage. They were teaching the children letters and numbers by saying them and having the children repeat them. I taught a little, and the kids really liked tracing letter cards I brought with their fingers. We took a break so the kids could play, and I taught them duck duck goose. We went back inside to practice recognizing numbers on flash cards. When we were about to leave I saw Rose, and I talked to her about the letter. I told her it was very sweet and I was flattered that she wrote it for me, but also that I could not pay for her to attend school. I had a great time teaching the kids, but at the same time was filled with this overwhelming sadness because of the conditions they live in and deal with on a daily basis.
We first went to a Massai market, but there were no Massai. It was a long string of alley-like passages made from vendors and their tents of goods. They were mostly selling wood carvings, jewelry, and paintings. I bought lots of things, both for presents and for myself. The vendors were very pushy. One man was pressuring me to buy something and when I began bargaining his friend pulled a curtain down over the entrance to his tent. He kept pressuring me to bargain, and when I said I was no longer interested he moved closer to me and grabbed my arm. He was very intimidating, but I pushed his arm off me and yelled ‘don’t touch me’ in the most confidant voice I could muster. He let go, and I bolted out of there and back to the CCS van. I was so angry I was shaking. I heard that he did that to a few other girls too.
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