There are three teachers that I have gotten to share
preparatory class with. Their names are Madame Mariam, Miss Catherine, and Miss
Dyness. On the morning of day one of
teaching last Monday, these three people could not have been more intimidating.
Intimidation dissolves, however, when you sit down to have a legitimate
conversation with someone, and as it turns out, Miss Catherine hides quite the tale.
Originally from Kenya, she moved to Arusha as a toddler, where she was raised
by a man that she calls her brother, but is just the only person who was there
for her. Her mother had died, and the father was unable to leave Kenya. In
Arusha, young Catherine flew through primary and secondary school and teacher
training and began teaching three years ago. She is in her early twenties now.
When I first heard this, I needed a few moments to take it in. First of all,
Miss Catherine obviously has an extremely high intelligence level. To have finished
schooling at such a young age is quite the accomplishment, much more in an
absurdly flawed education system like Tanzania’s. Also to have such a turbulent
childhood as well is almost unbelievable. I am beyond impressed, and I think
that this instance proves the message that potential can come from anywhere, it
just needs opportunity.
By
little conversations here and there, I have learned a little bit about the
other teachers and staff. For example, Mr. Geoffrey, the most outgoing
character at the school, showed us photos of himself in uniform when he was in
the military doing splits and other impressive feats. I never would have
guessed that he had this background, but I’m glad I know now. Today we visited
the home of one of the sisters that helps cook and clean at LOAMO who also has
two kids that attend the school. Her home was definitely nicer than other homes
we have visited. She told us that she and her husband had saved up money for 15
years, ten of which she spent at LOAMO, just to have enough to move out of the
mud home they were living in previously. I love to hear these stories because
it puts the people with the essence of the school.
With
the level of development of the human race, you would want to believe that our
ability to all live together peacefully is just as advanced. Look at the
current political and societal state of many places around the world, and you
find we are far behind where we should be. This weekend we visited a town not
far from Arusha called Mto Wa Mbu, Mosquito River. The most unique thing about
this place is the people, not the mosquitoes. More than 120 tribes live in
Tanzania, and in this small town, 120 different tribes are represented. To put
this in perspective, less than 20 tribes live in Mozambique, but they have been
in constant conflict. Meanwhile, in Mto Wa Mbu, not a single drop of blood has
been shed over tribal conflictions. Not only that, but they all shared the same
mutual respect for each other. I know I talked about this in my earlier blog,
but it is worth repeating to the entire world one million times. WE CAN GET
ALONG. Going deeper into this subject, a particular story we heard was about
the Makande people. They lived in Mozambique until civil war forced them to
leave with no food or water for miles and miles on end. They were welcomed by
Tanzania and its people and peacefully and happily carried on their ways in
Tanzania even after war ended back at their home. They now continue their
tradition of carving wooden sculptures like the one they gave to the first
president of Tanzania. This town teaches us that people are people. Why hurt
someone over dumb differences when they share 99.999% of your own DNA? I don’t
know if humans will ever live in harmony together, but I know that this is not
our best.
Earlier this week, I
was asked how I’m going to take what I’ve learned here and put it into practice
at home. One of the biggest things I have discovered is how hard the students
work here. The education system is so messed up that all the kids have to do
their absolute best in order to have any chance at a good future. For this
reason, I’ve also seen how important education is to the people here; putting
it before anything else, even their own health.
Seeing all this, I tie it together with my own perspective. I don’t believe
in past lives or reincarnation, so I ponder why we are born into the lives we
have. What did I do to deserve being born in the United States to family and
friends that care for me and get me anything I want? Likewise, what did any of
these students do to deserve being born in Tanzania into such difficult
situations? In my option, nothing. It’s what we do in life that tells us if we
deserve it, and we have to work hard to earn it. Because the kids and people
here have worked hard enough to earn countless lives of happiness, I sill
remind myself every day to try to earn the one I have been given by being the
best possible me. Overtime, maybe others will catch on, and just maybe
something will change.
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