Thrown into the lion's den

Day one at the work was interesting to say the least. Mama Martha (the woman who formed Uwawayaki Women's Group) took me around. First we went to the nursery school. The school is for ages 3-6 and is in the backyard of a building that serves as the office for the nursery school. I have about 50 students ranging as I said from age 3 to age 6 with a wide range of knowledge. Some can speak a bit of English and some can't even speak Swahili. The school itself is outside in the yard on a large cement floor with a small pavilion over it. It's pretty much what I expected...about mid-range for schools here.

After briefly checking out the nursery, I walked with Mama Martha to the Uwawayaki Secondary School. It, too, is outside and only have the cover of a pavilion. There are three forms (grades for the Tanzanians) Form 1, 2, and 3 (sorry to state the obvious!). Each class is massive. I spent a few minutes watching each of the classes. Form 1 is the lowest grade and has about 50 students between 12 and 13. Form 2 is the middle grade with about 70 students ages 14-15. Form 3, the highest grade, has another 50 students ages 16 and up. Each of these classes have only one teacher -- although different teachers for math, science, and English. There are two offices that are very much like the shed my dad has out behind our house. The school, surprisingly enough, has a computer! I assume it has internet, but I have not yet confirmed that. I should really stress here that I am using the term school very loosely. There are no walls for any of the classes. The secondary school students sit at desks in the dirt. They do wear a uniform (white blouse/shirt and green pants/skirts). I spoke with the woman in running the school, Mary, and she informed me she wants me to teach Form 1 English.

As I observed each of the classes, I noted the curriculum being taught to each of the grades. Form 1 was on a break when I observed, but Form 2 was deep in session. I could see across the small room that it was English written on the board. To my complete and utter dismay, it was biology. Form 2 was learning biology in English!!! I would have never guessed they would be learning such high level material. And just as my shock was about to wear off, we head to Form 3 only to find that they are learning electricity and circuits. I couldn't believe the caliber of the curriculum. I left the secondary school in complete shock.

I returned to the nursery for the remainder of the morning only to find that the mwalimu (teacher) was not there. The assistant teacher spoke no English and made a hand gesture that implied that the class was mine. I was not prepared for this. On the board was written numbers and when I had observed previously I saw that they knew their numbers in English and Swahili. And that's just what we did. Moja, mbili, tatu, nne, tano...over and over and over again. Finally, the mwalimu returned. He spoke minimal English and this time verbally indicated that the class was mine to teach. I was nervous, overwhelmed and horrified!! It didn't take long to figure out that the watoto (children) didn't really English. They only repeated what they had memorized without actually understanding what they were saying. I thought to myself, 'It's going to be an interesting couple of weeks.' Finally, after reviewing numbers, shapes, and colors, the mwalimu told me it was break time. Off we went to play. Play time involved a large circle and lots of singing. It was so different because it was about group bonding and playtime. Not like in the US where it's individual playtime. This is a culture that is vastly different from the US -- it's so community-centric that views your neighbor as your family. I always knew that but it is so apparent in the daily activities that I get to see.

After playtime was snacktime. Porridge. It's basically cream of wheat...and it smelled horrible. The children don't mind. They are some of the few children that get porridge at school. The women's group business is how the porridge is provided to the students.

The children are simply amazing. They don't have much and they are the happiest children I have ever seen. They were so eager to learn that they all paid attention all through my pitiful lesson. It's so amazing to see these children who have virtually nothing (by Western standards) seem to have such a blissful existence. Even the adults at the school are so happy to just be. There is joy all around and smiles everywhere. They seem to take each moment of life as if it is a precious gift. I think it's something that many of us could all learn a lot from...I know that I am...and will continue to.