We woke up to another beautiful day in Tanzania. We boarded
the bus at around 10 AM and rode to the Cathedral of Moshi. We waited near a
yellow building that serving as a busy meeting place for the day. Many people
were standing outside the front of the building and speaking to each other.
They also stared at us while we waited for Will, Elyse and Mr. McMorrow to be
picked up. Will, Elyse and Mr. McMorrow rode from there with Father Reginald to
Mikocheni village. It was a very bumpy ride that lacked seat belts. On our way
there, we drove through 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) of sugar cane fields and
industry run by TCP. We were shocked by the overall size of the fields. Each
field was at a different stage of growth, and once the sugar cane is ripe, it
is burned and harvested all by hand. Father Reginald told us a story about how
the ash can actually rain down from the sky in Moshi if the wind is blowing the
right way. The planation itself is the largest in Tanzania. It is practically
its own city because it has its own post office, housing, church and more. We
also saw little gray monkeys on the side of the road, apparently many more than
were seen on previous trips. Once we arrived in Mikocheni village, we were
greeted by the men’s group and invited into their newly built Catholic church. The
church was built of cinder blocks and concrete and it had simple wooden pews
along with a concrete alter. The men were a variety of ages, including their
leader who was a young man named Zacharia. We spoke with them about their lives
and their plans to improve the village. Mr. McMorrow spoke with them about how
excited we were to be integrated into their culture for a few hours and to
apologize for the Tanzanian Village Fund’s inability to provide a tractor for
them. At the end, Elyse talked about how much the experience meant to the group
of students and chaperones. We followed the group to their big project, two
man-made fishing ponds. They used to fish in a large lake near their village,
but it has started to dry up and is becoming overfished, so the government has
banned fishing in that area. The man-made ponds were around 6-7 feet deep with
rock bottoms and an equal depth throughout. They planned to fill the ponds with
catfish and regulate overfishing by reporting fish caught to the supervisor.
Many of us were concerned that the fish would all die from the heat and lack of
vegetation in the water, but Mr. McMorrow informed us that this idea is being
used in many other villages in Tanzania and has proven to be very successful. Next,
we visited the local primary school. It was a bright orange building surrounded
by trees. When we arrived, the children were welcoming us with songs while
stomping and clapping to the rhythm. Mr. McMorrow complimented them on their singing
and talked about how important education is and how happy he was that they were
all in school. Will also thanked them all for welcoming us into their
community. Then we received a tour of a few of the classrooms. They were fairly
bare except for a chalkboard and desks. There were concrete floors that were
very uneven, and this was the cause for many broken desks. Recently, the
Tanzanian Village Fund has helped to restore the flooring in the school, but
there is still a lot of work to be done. Each concrete floor costs 550,000
shillings or $225. After the tour, we joined hands with the children and went
to go play soccer. The goals didn’t have nets and the field was all dirt and
rocks. We had a shootout, America vs. Tanzania, and Tanzania won after the their
keeper blocked a wonderful strike from Baba Dick himself. We were told that the
Tanzanian keeper was the best in the Kilimanjaro Region. We continued on with a
walk through the village and were surrounded by children. The children were
covered in dirt and dust, and many of them lacked proper shoes and clothing. Many
in the village live in one-room mud huts with thatched roofs and dirt floors. We
felt sad for the children and everyone living in the village because they were
some of the nicest people we had ever met and they deserved so much better than
what they had been given. Each one of us was being touched by at least 6 kids
at a time. We have never felt more included and special in our whole lives. We
were shocked how they treated us like celebrities because we are just average
teenagers from America. Their hospitality was the most incredible part. They
continued to welcome us all throughout the day. As we walked we sang songs and
danced up and down the streets of Mikocheni. After we finished our walk through town, we
said our goodbyes. They were filled with fist bumps, high fives and hugs. As we
were leaving, the children noticed we had bottles of water and many of them
asked for the water. This was especially heartbreaking because they don’t have
the same easy access to water. All they have is a pump, paid for by the
Tanzanian Village Fund. We then hopped back on the bus and continued to wave
until we got out of town. Some of us experienced a lot of emotions on this ride
back. Leaving was very difficult because we left the village without doing
anything about their current situation. They are great people with a lot to
offer and they deserve a much better life than the one we witnessed today. We
can’t believe how happy they are with how little they have. Once we arrived
back at the lodge we had a meeting. Mr. McMorrow discussed with us the
importance of having dreams, or ndoto in Swahili. He said we should dream big
in order to keep our life on track so we don’t spiral through life. We
journaled about our dreams for the future of the world and ourselves. After
journaling we shared our hopes for the future and the chaperones shared how
they are living their dreams. One of Whitney’s dreams is to donate bouncy balls
and pens to the children there because while she was there the kids asked her
if she would get these items for them. As we were leaving the children reminded
her to not forget her promise to them. It just shows how much little things
like that can make a big difference. We liked how it related to the trip we
took today because the people there also have big dreams and are working to
make them a reality. They are truly inspiring and we hope take everything we
have learned today and throughout the trip with us forever.
What a great experience. A good reminder that we don't need material goods to be happy.
ReplyDeleteThese blogs are bringing back a flood of memories. I love reading them and feel like I am walking down the streets of Mikocheni with you. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteBonnie Athmann
Chaperone on 2016 trip