Rio Grande!

Just a quick post - MUCH MUCH more to come this afternoon - to say that Living Lukundane has been featured on Rio Grande's jewelry blog in a Thanksgiving post. Check it out

Thanksgiving Pt 1

Back from the neverending bus ride, Kindle is not cooperating, tired and sweaty and want to sleep for a month. I'll leave you with some pretty pictures in lieu of a full jewelry update for today - but it's coming, don't worry. Happy Thanksgiving - and there is nothing in the world I am more thankful for than my family, my health, and the support to be able to do this work. Except maybe being off that bus.

Rehema working hard

So much work, so little time!

Um, that's PEACE and love, sweetheart. 

Zanzibar preview

I'm just checking in briefly from Zanzibar, because, realistically, who gets to say that?? The stay so far has been beyond incredible, the water looks like it was poured out of some very expensive bottle, the beaches are pure white soft sand, our room is one of a series of little chalets perched on a cliff surrounded by gorgeous flowers everywhere, and did I mention we're paying $22 a night?

Things were really rough in Tengeru right before we left, so I can't say how happy I am to have a brief break to recuperate - but I really miss my vocational school girls and, of course, the babies. It's particularly funny because I'm here with Peter and Giulia, both of whom work full time at the orphanage, and the kids pop up constantly. Guilia will make a face just like David, or I'll be crawling in the water like Zawadi, or Peter will start asking "Wapi kuku?" (where is the chicken?) like Baracka does (incessantly - seriously, the kid has a somewhat unhealthy obsession with chickens!). I miss them being away for the week, I don't know how I'll handle eventually going back to the US. At this point I'm thinking seriously about extending my stay through April - working through March, then my mother would join me for the last few weeks and we'd do a little more volunteering, then travelling and I'd get to show her Tanzania. She would CERTAINLY love Zanzibar!

We'll see. It's exhausting work, and I don't know if I'll still feel like I'm being productive and learning new things four months from now - although, obviously, I hope I do. Every time I splurge, though, even on this trip - and it really is VERY, very tightly budgeted - I feel torn, like I'm letting down the kids by doing something nice. It's the same kind of feeling I had at India's - not that I would ever, could ever begrudge her kids the amazing environment and opportunities that they had, but that it broke my heart that we weren't able to extend it to our kids too. We're working now on ideas for Christmas presents - which I don't know that they've ever had before, they certainly don't currently have any personal, individual possessions. We're thinking about getting some nice fabric and having the local tailors make us little bags for each kid, onto which we'd stitch a little copper nameplate that I'll make for each of them. Then we can fill the bags with sweets for the older kids, and maybe teething rings for the little ones - not a TOTALLY altruistic present, since they really need teething rings to replace our hands, feet, shoes, hair... Anyway. That's the current thought, and it wouldn't be too expensive. They have toys, and frankly aren't very interested in them, they'd rather fight over a piece of plastic wrap. But I think it would be really good for them to have something that concretely belongs to and was created for them as individuals. It's a thought, I'd happily welcome any other ideas.

Yesterday was snorkeling, tomorrow we go swimming with dolphins (assuming the dolphins cooperate!), Tuesday we are in Stonetown and then Wednesday is another looooong ride back on the Dar Express. Thursday is Thanksgiving, and we're trying to scrape something together in the house, and then Friday we leave for safari, which, again, I feel profoundly guilty about doing, at the same time as I'm incredibly excited to go. Guilia came up with a solution to all of our problems, though - we will just transfer the orphanage to the beach in Zanzibar, then we never have to leave, and charge tourists $5 for a picture with the world's most adorable babies. Meanwhile, the older kids can learn to fish. Solution found!

On the road

I am writing this update from the Dar Express, about three hours into an eight hour trip to Dar es Salaam, followed by a three hour ferry to Zanzibar,all done low as low budget as possible, which is to say uncomfortably. My Kindle is yet again saving my life, with both books and internet access while riding across the savannah , a very surreal experience, I can assure you. I just wantedtend my thanks to the fabulous and inimitable Jenny of thebloggess.com, read at your own risk if you happen to be consuming beverages or in public and want to avoid audible snorting, for tweeting out a link to the site. Further thanks to those of you who donated through it, I am up another 300 dollars or enough to supply the orphanage with food for several months. If anyone else has venues, virtual or real, through which to spread the word, I would be endlessly grateful. Things are chugging along over here, I am taking a brief but much needed vacation and leaving my amazing student Rehema in charge of jewelry class until I get back, more about her and her situation presently.Now back to the strangely hypnotic video on the bus tv, which has been going for three hours with no signs of slowing, of some religious African choir performing frankly unlikely choreography in various locations. Only five more hours to go!

Like night and day

So this past weekend I went to the other side of Tanzania - ok, ok, it was three hours away, but it FELT like a really long way - to see the children's center that India Howell, an MPS alum, is running out near the Ngorogoro crater. In addition to a children's village for almost 70 orphans, they also run a local school, a program for orphaned kids living with relatives, a medical clinic, and a microfinance program. I'm tired just THINKING about it. Plus 9 of the kids live in her own house and are essentially her own children. So yeah, she's a busy lady and I really appreciated her taking the time to talk to me. Below, a picture from the ride up - it was basically savannah as far as the eye can see with occasional breaks for Maasai villages and glimpses of herdsmen (or little boys!) with their cattle or goats. Still, the most exotic animal I saw on the way up? A few camels. Guess I'll have to wait till next week for the safari.

Right. I'm in Africa.

The orphanage itself is so incredibly beautiful and well built, the kids are happy and healthy and gorgeous, and it both made me incredibly happy and also broke my heart, because I know that no matter what I do, the kids at Nkorangua are never going to be able to be taken care of like this. They live in small family style houses with kitchens, no more than 4 to a room, 12 to a house, with volunteers in each house as well as mamas. They have a huge amount of space to play, a baby house, a huge rec building, etc. At one point in the tour I actually teared up a little - yes I am pathetic.

Happy healthy kids

Not the most flattering picture of me ever taken

Very slightly better.

 Part of the reason it was so hard was that last week I had to take Zawadi for a second round of antibiotics for her pneumonia since the first round didn't work, and they ended up having to admit her. I'm holding this poor tiny munchkin, trying to comfort her while crying myself, while they stick needles in her for literally half an hour trying to find her tiny veins, before finally giving up and injecting her leg. It took me about another hour to sing and rock her to sleep afterward, and she panicked every time someone came near the door, afraid they were going to give her shots again. Unfortunately, she did have to go back for three more doses in the next few days, but I wasn't there for that. Looking at her chart, she's already had pneumonia once and malaria twice, there's really almost no chance that she's not HIV positive, and I hate that there's nothing I can really do to guarantee she will get the kind of care she needs, not in an over-full orphanage where kids pass germs instantaneously. Some of the gorgeous, happy, healthy kids India showed me hadn't walked till 18 months, or hadn't spoken until 2 years... but Zawadi will probably never get the kind of attention these kids have had since then, the kind that has helped them catch up. I just feel kind of helpless.

Whatever, even if she can't walk, she is the cutest little worm-wriggle-crawler in existence. Lets end on a happy note.

Talent day

Zawadi singing (above) and Simoni dancing (below) showing off their musical talents

Guilia the champion multitasker

Peter the human teething ring

David the strongest baby in the world

And Peter... I'm not sure what's happening here, honestly, but it looks difficult.

 So who is your vote for most talented? Leave it in the comments. Plus I just like getting comments, makes me feel closer to home.

Today was long and hot and stressful, yesterday I tore off about half of my pinkie toe - just be glad I'm not showing pictures - and I have another 3 hours of class and 2 miles of walking to go today. Pay attention to the babies instead, much happier subject. That said, they still need a lot - Any money donated via the Paypal button is going into a fund I'm creating - I'll be talking about more detailed plans for donations in a few days, and I'm working on making it tax deductible. Please consider throwing a few bucks their way, it would be endlessly appreciated.

Also: Going to Zanzibar the 17th to 24th, then on safari the 26th to 29th. Surreal much? Don't expect to hear from me during those periods, but you can bet your butt that you'll hear and see all about it when I get back. 

Wedding

So last Sunday the other volunteers and I were invited to a wedding by Mama Gladness, and of course we couldn't say no. The bride is employed by Mama Gladness, and she and the groom have been living together for many years and have three children - this was just to make it official. First, we had to climb a mountain in a distinctly unimpressive car to get to the church, which turned out to have only about 15 people in it, including the three of us and Mama Gladness. Slightly intimidating.

Beautiful church, though.

The inside during the ceremony

The priest stopped on several occasions to translate for us mzungus, which was nice, although the whole thing was fairly simple.

Afterwards, we got a ride with the pastor to the bride's house, where the party was being held. I then got a lot of awkward questions about whether I was Christian... always interesting. The party itself was nice, lots of food and dancing. The KKKT on the back of the chairs refers to some kind of community organization that rents them out - I still have a moment of double-take every time I see the logo, though. Then an, oh right, I'm in Africa moment.

Partytime!

Feeding each other the first bites of cake

African wedding cake - and they do refer to it as such - is, um, a little different than what we're used to at home. In fact, it consists of a whole goat, with head and hooves left intact, the rest skinned and cooked. Honored guests are brought up to the front to be personally served a piece. Thankfully, Christine's vegetarianism saved the day and gave us a convenient out.

Sorry, Meghan! Also that guy's face pretty much sums up how I felt.

Dancing the presents up

I really liked the way the presents were done - instead of being heaped on a table, the presents, mostly unwrapped, were danced to the front of the tent and given directly to the bride and groom. Lots of beautiful fabric, some furniture, cooking pots, and a big old pot for money.

Our white horse?

So remember how I mentioned the not exactly totally confidence-inspiring car ride up? Well, turns out that the car wouldn't actually start for the way down. So instead Mama Gladness sent Eric, her other son, to get another vehicle. This is what arrived. Oh, and the ground? At least 6 inches thick with dust the consistency of flour. This picture is, in fact, the car while it was stuck in said dust. I don't have pictures of us all in our wedding finery getting behind to push, but I can assure you it happened.

Upon climbing into the van, we realize that seats are for sissies, and this ride is going to be a little bumpy. And did I mention dusty?

Hakuna Matata?

All in all, a truly unique wedding experience, one that there is not the slightest chance that I will ever be able to forget. Note for the future: When/if I ever get married, definitely want a mzungu wedding cake.

Gift

I arrive
pregnant with expectation
thrilled to start a new day
up the winding cliff face.

She lies still
on her cot, tiny chest
shuddering with the effort of each breath.
I lay
hand after hand
on her shrunken back
waiting for reassurance
as they feel the juddering
shuddering
catching as she breathes.

They send us
as we are never sent
clutching red file under one arm
listless child in the other
dressed in her best
as if to show
our weakest at their greatest strength.

The doctor reads off her history
no birth date
and that hits me hard in the chest
zero November two thousand and nine
our tiny soul
pneumonia, malaria, suspected meningitis
and if they had been right!
no sweet babe in my arms.
Hold for observation.

She tests negative for malaria, no fever
and not a cringe when the needle
plunges through her paper thin
first percentile skin.
Blood filled with questions
painful suspicions squeezed ruthlessly
and without dissent
from her tiny fingertip

She is too small for chest scans
too young for an HIV test
so she is handed offhand
a prescription for antibiotics
Treat for pneumonia
Nothing else we can do.

For once first and third world agree
today we helped
but her prospects are not good.
Nothing else I can do.

Once a mother
in who knows what state
of agony or ecstasy
looked down and named her Zawadi. Gift.

Nkoaranga Orphanage

Ok, this is going to be a long one, and pretty picture intensive. But please, I promise it's worth it, if not for my completely inadequate words then at least to learn a little something about how things are going over here. Last Friday was my first day at Nkoaranga (probably spelled wrong) orphanage, wayyy up on top of Mount Meru in Tanzania. To get there, you take one dalla-dalla to a stop called Kilala, then wait for another one to go up the mountain. And I do mean mountain - twisty, turny, dirt road, single lane up and down mountain in a dalla that can't really even begin to handle the stress - and since it's a tough ride, they pack the dallas as full as conceivably possible. Sigh. This is a picture from the back of the dalla - now keep in mind that there's another row of seats and there are only 3 people standing rather than the usual 7 or 8. Often the boy employed to rustle up customers and collect money actually rides on the outside of the van because there's no room inside.

This actually underestimates the insanity by several factors of ten

 Anyway, the orphanage. It was intense. They usually have a maximum of 23 kids but they just received 3 babies - Maureen and Frank, each one month, and Grace, four months - who came in and went straight back out to the hospital for a week, because she had (still probably has) malaria. A volunteer paid for treatment, and she's back now. On top of that they have another 24 kids ranging up to about age 6. Within the first three minutes I had a kid plopped in my lap - not that I don't love it!

Baby Grace - about the same size as the one month olds, she's teeny from the malaria.

The orphanage consists of a kids' dormitory, a babies' dormitory, shelves and shelves of shared clothing (nothing is individually owned), a kitchen, and the central room that serves as a classroom, feeding center, playroom, and everything else. They had a second dormitory for the older kids but it was burned down in a fire last year - several of the kids sustained some pretty serious burns.

The main, central room and the older kids eating

This particular day, two of the central volunteers were gone for a week, so it was just me, Christian, Christine, and Guilia - and Christine and Christian had to leave in the afternoon, so for the afternoon it was just the two of us.One little girl in particular really liked "helping" with the babies - hard to tell how much of it is actually wanting to help and how much is just looking for attention, obviously a difficult commodity to come by. All the older kids pick up the little ones, not really understanding how to support their heads, and leaving me in a constant state of moderate panic. I could REALLY have used some Xanax that day!

Christian putting down baby Maureen, Tumaini "helping" with Zawadi.

The orphanage runs through the constant work of between three and four "mamas" - Mama Pendo, who has been running the orphanage for 22 years and is the heart and soul of the place, and a few others. However, their attention is essentially utterly consumed by the incredible amount of work it takes to do the laundry, the cooking, boiling the water, changing the diapers, on and on forever - and their ability to interact with the kids is consequently pretty seriously limited. For social and emotional interaction, it's pretty much all down to the volunteers.

Breakfast - from left, big Maureen, Baracka, and Zawadi.

Zawadi, in baby-bird mode

 The kids are total sweethearts, but definitely a little wild. Baracka, pictured above, spends 80% of the time he's not in someone's arms crying, and because of sheer logistics, he can't be in someone's arms all that often, so the munchkin is usually miserable. Zawadi, on the end, is about half the size she should be - she's a year old - and she eats a lot, so there's some suspicion she may be HIV+. Unfortunately, they can't get tested until 18 months. I'm aware that several other kids are positive, but it's not openly discussed.

The slide of death

Slide of death angle 2

 They have a backyard with an absolutely terrifying slide, that honestly nearly gave me several heart attacks over the course of the day. More than 45 degrees, and the kids are fearless. They also wander in and out of the buildings, even in and out of the gates - the horrible truth is that no one wants them so no one would ever abduct them, and they know to come back because it is the only place they will get fed. Breaks my heart.

Neema and her movie star smile

 That said, these are for the most part remarkably happy, sweet, adorable kids. They all need as much love as possible, so they tend to cling - I spent most of the day with a kid on each hip (and sometimes another on my back), at least three piling into every available lap! They push every limit and it's really difficult to keep them safe - but they actually keep themselves remarkably safe given how badly they could be hurt almost every minute of every day.

Christina entertaining on the trampoline - close to the ground, but the springs do not mix with little fingers

A crazy merry-go-round thing that wouldn't have made it a week in my old elementary school

As the kids can go in and out, so can animals. A rooster made the unfortunate choice to enter, and was gleefully attacked by a mob of kids. Mama Pendo grabbed it, but then gave it back to the kids to "play" with. I ended up grabbing it and taking it outside, the poor thing could barely move it was so scared. Everyone laughed at me because the same chicken will probably be dinner - but  it doesn't need to be tortured before that.

You may not be able to tell, but she is carrying a chicken in her hands.

Some of the kids have other medical issues. Simoni is over 2 years old, but he doesn't walk yet - he can crawl and stand when lifted, but the lower half of his calves seem to not work. Thankfully, a doctor from a nearby rehabilitation center has agreed to come out and take a look at him. It still doesn't slow the little munchkin down!   

Christian and Pray

 The kids are almost never given water to drink, because the few gas burners are almost always in use for cooking and can't be used for boiling water. Also, the less they drink, the fewer diapers have to be changed. I had water with me and ended up distributing it all out - a few kids, like Pray (full name Pray-God), guzzled for minutes on end, cup after cup. Pray also has some pretty serious burns on his head and body from the fire, but if possible, it seems to have made him into even more of a risk taker - the kid's a bulldozer, keeps up with kids twice his age.

Toddler Baracka

Farajah

Since the kids don't have clothes of their own, and their hair is usually shaved to avoid lice, it's sometimes hard to distinguish gender. This is Farajah, a sweet, sweet 5 year old who became my little barnacle. She has finished the pre-school they offer at the orphanage and, luckily, has been sponsored to continue in her education. That's the hope for each of these kids - most of them get a sponsor who will pay the cost of their tuition, room, board, uniforms, etc for a local boarding school. It's only a $900/year commitment, and it makes a world of difference for these kids. Without it, they will probably be shuffled to another orphanage, where education usually stops at age 10, and go on to become house servants, at best. With a sponsor and education, they can do amazing things. Crispin, the founder of Tamiha, the organization I'm working with, was raised in an orphanage himself, before being sponsored and sent to boarding school, earning scholarships through college, and coming back home and transforming the lives of hundreds of people in the 5 years since Tamiha started - over 200 women in the microfinance group, over a hundred kids have gone through vocational training, and just this week they're opening up a shelter for homeless women and children - apparently the first of its kind in Tanzania.  

All of this brings me to Emmanuel.

He's one of the oldest kids there. He has absorbed everything they have to teach him at the orphanage - he's a fast and voracious student, can do basic reading and math, is quickly learning English, and has a smile that could light up any room. He's generous and kind with all of the other kids, helps with the babies, and is just all-around one of the nicest kids I've had the pleasure of meeting, here or anywhere else. Of all the kids who are ready to go to school, Emmanuel is the only one left without a sponsor. Unfortunately, as these things go, people on safari will sometimes stop by, volunteer for a day, pick the cutest kid (statistically, usually a girl), and leave money for them. Which is why I'm asking here whether any of you might be willing or able to take on Emmanuel's cause. It's no small commitment - $900 per year for 12 years to get him through schooling and eligible for college. But it is his best hope. 

If you can't take on the commitment for Emmanuel, I'll be posting soon about the Tamiha orphanage, which schools and cares for kids who have no parents but have extended family to take them in at night. They also need sponsors, $470 per year, to attend the local school (I'm hoping to sponsor a child there myself). Additionally, and I know this is a long way off, I'm requesting that anyone who might be considering giving me a birthday or holiday gift this year please donate instead - I'll be working on figuring out how to use the money most effectively. As of last week, they were out of almost all staple foods and another volunteer paid for Mama Pendo to go into Arusha to get more gas, because they were also out of fuel for cooking. Every cent is scrupulously documented and accounted for - I was there yesterday when a pickup truck piled to absolute maximum capacity pulled up to the orphanage loaded with food for the next 3 months, for all the kids, using only half of a thousand dollar donation from Christina's family. There's also no medical fund, which hasn't become an emergency since the hospital next door will usually agree to treat the kids regardless, but things like follow-up antibiotics, check ups, or more serious medical issues are all up to chance and who happens to be there with a few shillings in their pocket that day.

I'm going to keep writing about the orphanage and all of their needs, as well as another orphanage we work with, called Farajah, which apparently is in even worse shape but houses slightly older kids. Please, please think about whether you might be able to help - trust me, I'll remind you later. If you're able or willing:

In the meantime, I'll be off cuddling some munchkins.

Coming soon

I have a million things to post about, including a crazy ass wedding with a whole goat, our version of Halloween, Tamiha's moderately insane orphanage and Lukundane's infinitely more insane one, getting a van stranded because of dust,having my phone stolen on the dalla... and that truly is the tip of the iceberg. Be patient with me, I've been too busy doing all of this to write about it, but I promise I will soon. Worth the wait, I hope.