If you want to be happy, you must
surround yourself with happiness, and being at the school with the kids is
exactly this. There is not a moment that goes by that my heart is not filled
with warm content or that there is not a smile drawn on my face. Every word
that is spoken, every smile on their face, and every laugh they laugh, all
makes the day superior to any other.
Every
lesson, every class, and every day with the “babies” fills me with complete joy.
It doesn't matter the situation- if the slightest joke is made, the whole class
is cackling. There is something about those four year olds’ little laughs that
turn any person into mush. It doesn't matter if you are in the best mood or the
worst mood; their laughs give you no choice but to laugh along with them. The
children also get super hyped about learning. Whenever they are repeating
something or answering a question they are told to “yell to the town”, and they
surpass it by miles. These children can scream not only to the town, but to all
of Tanzania. The notion that they can put so much energy into learning is so
remarkable. There are things that happen
every day that make them all exceptional, but then there are the little bursts
of happiness that make each day uniquely amazing. One morning, Nikko and I were dragged
upstairs with a group of students. The girls and boys asked us to sing them a
song. Within no time, we broke into “The Cup Song”. We had a group using cups
to make a beat, and the rest were singing the song. We were off pitch, out of
tune, and off rhythm, but it was still the most beautiful music because we were
all doing it together. When we finished, they asked for another song, and I
instantly thought about “The Macarena”. The students knew parts of it, so it
began with the two of us and a few students. Progressively, student by student,
the whole class was dancing with us. Seeing each one of them participating in
something they learned in seconds was so heartwarming to me. They then brought
the dance to their assembly line, which made my day.
Being
in class with my teacher, Teacher Doroth is a joy in itself. She recently asked
me to teach her English, and I agreed. I had no idea what I was in for. When I
started, it made me realized how much about English I don’t really understand.
After a little while, we were talking about the word “speckled”. I showed her
my freckled arm as an example. I told her my parents used to tell me that my
freckles were angel kisses. She had to process it a little, but when she finally
understood, she broke out laughing. She sat there and giggled the cutest giggle
I had ever heard for a solid five minutes. Everything about that particular
moment had me smiling ear to ear.
Yesterday, four of us traveled to a student’s home on a home
visit. The young girl’s name was Noela, and we went and asked about her life
and her story. In summary, her mother died from HIV, and Noela is HIV positive,
but doesn't know it. On top of all that, she has a skin disease and doesn't
have enough money to get medicine for it. Knowing the story was, of course, eye-opening,
and it really hit all of us, but there was something else that was so powerful
about the situation. Coming to the house, we were greeted by her grandmother,
Ana, who hugged us all and was so welcoming. Her father was then so open about
everything, so happy to share their story with us, and so supportive of Noela.
Personally, seeing the environment that Noela lived in and who she was
supported by turned the story upside down. It made her story SO amazing because
she was in such a supportive setting that it seemed nothing that could go
wrong.
Today is Saturday and
we spent all day cleaning everything in the school. Each person was assigned to
their individual classrooms, and they cleaned their tables, chairs, walls,
blackboards, and floors. Of course, the
work was challenging, but every bit of it was worth it. At the end of the day,
we got so many compliments about the job that all we completed and it just felt
SO good to know that they were so thankful for what we accomplished. My heart
was filled with delight knowing that I had done a task that had made so many
people happy.
Everything
about being here and helping the children is so amazing. Being here is not only
a privilege, but it is life changing. Not only the special parts of everyday
make me smile, but just the mere presence of the students is pure bliss.
