March 11, 2010
Dear Friend,
Sitting on the front stoop of my house, I am watching as the night slowly turns to day. I can hear my sister snoring in the room beside me, and I am relieved to know that she is getting some sleep. We have a busy day ahead of us, as we head to Dar-Es-Salaam to purchase materials for the group of 26 volunteers arriving at the end of the month. All the materials purchased will be donated to Kwala Secondary School after the volunteers depart, and both Kwala staff and community members are eagerly awaiting their arrival. Several teachers and students are working together to prepare a welcome and farewell ceremony. They have informed me that they will have a formal preview prepared by the end of next week. They all seem excited to show me the songs and dances they have prepared.
It has been a busy week here in Kwala – but it all started with a relaxing trip to Zanzibar. Adrian, my sister, and I traveled to Zanzibar last weekend to explore a new area of Tanzania and enjoy some much needed lazy days. Zanzibar is a small semi-autonomous island off the coast of Tanzania; endowed with white sandy beaches, fresh fruits, and splashing dolphins, it feels like a world away from the heat and tall grasses of Kwala. Together, my sister, Adrian, and I took a boat ride out to the middle of the Indian Ocean to swim with the dolphins. As it turned out – swimming with dolphins really meant chasing the dolphins in a small wooden motor boat, snorkel and fins in tow. Jumping in the ocean, and then getting pulled back into the boat – we chased the dolphins over the span of a few kilometers, watching as they leaped out of the water and snorkeling under to touch them as they glided through the ocean.
Returning to Kwala after the weekend, I gave my sister a tour of the village. Hesitant at first, she quickly grew accustomed to the ways of the village. Learning basic greetings, my sister Caren found herself confident in her ability to adapt and socialize with Kwala inhabitants. I enjoyed the process of introducing my family to my new home in Kwala. Caren spent the week working with Omari, a good friend and volunteer for NTC. Together, they continued conducting research with children from Kwala and spreading a love for reading.
Continuing with our new village reading corner, the NTC girls and I stampeded through the village calling to children and adults to join us in reading a story. Each week the crowd grows larger and the children seem more and more willing to answer questions and think critically about the stories that we read. Our NTC girls prepared a series of questions to ask the kids after their reading. Hands flying into the air, the children shouted out answers and leaped across the yard in an attempt at imitating the movements of the frog they had just read about.
Lestor, my new chicken, has just come to join me on the porch. He and I bonded this week as I tried to remove a piece of rope that was wrapped uncomfortably around his leg. Chasing him around my backyard, it took the headmaster, me, my sister, and Adrian cornering the little guy before we were able to pick him up. Once in my arms, he calmed down a bit and I was able to remove the piece of rope. He has been a welcome addition to the household, though I worry that if he continues to sneak into the house without permission my roommates may get fed up and have him for dinner. For now, he is both a pet and garbage disposal, eating scraps of food and cleaning the house from unwelcome crawling guests.
The students have begun to gather around the school and it is time that I join them for morning assembly. Today will be the last day of classes before midterm week and break. We have prepared our students as best as possible, and we are hoping they succeed on their tests. We wish all the students at Kwala Secondary School the best of luck during their exam week.
As always, many thanks for reading.
Lisa Walker
Project Director
LisaWalkerNTC@gmail.com
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March 4, 2010
Dear Friends,
Perched atop my bunk bed, I am listening to rain pitter patter on the tin roof above my head. The rain has come early this season, and so too have the sea of ants which speckle the sandy ground. The sky remains dark this morning, but the sounds of shuffling feet and radio voices within our house signify that the day has begun.
It has been a busy week here in Kwala, as we have begun preparing for a group of 26 volunteers who will be visiting us from Brooklyn Free School at the end of the month. NTC and the Kwala school community are working together to ensure the success of this program. We have planned several service projects for them, including building a library at our primary school and building a playground. We have also planned several cultural exchange activities including a soccer match which I think our Tanzanian students may win. We are all very excited to be hosting this group in Kwala, and as we come together to prepare, I feel lucky to be working with staff and students who are so eager to participate.
Yesterday, the headmaster arrived at the school early in the morning with a gift for me. Standing outside his car, he pulled out a giant box marked “hot sauce”. As he handed me the box, I could feel squirming and scratching inside. Before I could lift the top to peer inside, a chicken head pushed through the top flap and went flying through the air. Landing on the ground, he clucked twice and bobbed his head as if in approval of his new home. The bean vendor from Mlandizi has given me a chicken as a gift. I have named him Lestor, and I have promised to keep him safe despite my roommates wishes to have him for dinner.
Adrian and I gave a test yesterday to our form 1 class. Administering an oral examination, one of us had to pace the rows to ensure that the students were not cheating. Cheating seems to be a common practice among our students in Kwala, and I feel frustrated by their insistence on it. I have tried several times to explain to them that their grade matters less than the mere fact that they have tried. And that I do not care about what their neighbor knows, rather, I need to know what they know. Still, the students insist upon cheating. I think that ultimately, cheating is the result of lack of confidence. I am hoping that as the kids gain momentum in their language learning, they will stop glancing at their neighbors’ paper and start trusting themselves.
This week, each day after school, the students gathered together for soccer and netball tournaments. Joining our students to cheer on their schoolmates, I brought out a hula hoop to be enjoyed by all those not playing. Starring at me with a look of confusion, the kids slowly gained interest, lifting the hoop one by one to see what tricks they would do. Turning it from an ordinary hula hoop into an acrobatic tool, the kids went flying through the colored ring, doing back flips and somersaults and turning my toy into something entirely new.
The radio has just turned off and I can hear the headmaster walking toward the door. It is time to join him at morning assembly and say good morning to our students. This afternoon I will head to Dar-Es-Salaam to meet my sister at the airport. She has come to visit me and work on a research project in collaboration with Boston University. I am so excited to have her out here and introduce her to my students, the community of Kwala, and, of course, Lestor.
Many Thanks for reading.
Lisa Walker
Project Director
LisaWalkerNTC@gmail.com
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February 25th, 2010
Dear Friends,
Stretched out on a straw mat behind my house, I am listening to birds chirping loudly in the tree beside me. Between the cacophony of the birds and the crows of the rooster, I can hear Mama Annu playing with her children as she cleans dishes from the night before. And as I gather my thoughts this morning, I watch as the sky changes from a deep blue, to purple, and now to yellowy lightness. It has been a challenging two weeks, and the rising sun has yet to shed little light on my jumble of thoughts.
Every week here provides new learning experiences, new lessons that reflect our adaptability, growth, and slowly developing maturity as a young non-profit organization. Our most recent venture was hosting Judy Citron, an American visitor, who came here to work with the primary school. Working with a welcoming English teacher at the primary school, she taught both student and teacher how to enjoy the process of learning. As Judy walked into the classroom with me, I could hear students chanting her name. At the end of each period, the students rose to give her a standing ovation. She has given to the students at the primary school more than a couple of English lessons—she has given them a pride and love in learning, which I hope they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. We, meanwhile, gained an invaluable perspective on ourselves through this hosting, and further determined how we can improve as an organization, especially with regard to future volunteers. Judy was a wonderful pioneer, and we thank her for her help and patience.
Lessons with our Form 1 classes here at the primary school are progressing as well. Our students are doing beautifully, learning faster and faster each class period. Yesterday, as Adrian and I were finishing our breakfast, two students came knocking on our door. Ten minutes early for class, they rushed us out of our house (eating some of our instant strawberry flavored oatmeal on the way) and into the classroom. They were so eager to start the day’s lessons. We taught the students kitchen vocabulary, ending the lesson with the sound of popcorn popping and students giggling in delight. We also introduced them to an American food called cheese. As students took their first bite of this delicious food (which I cannot imagine my life without), their faces wrinkled in disgust. Dashing to the windows, the students sent most of the cheese flying to the ground outside of the class. They will not forget the word cheese, and I imagine many of the students will avoid it for years to come.
Last night, Adrian and I attended a football game, Form 1 against Form 2. I have never been much of a sports person, but I felt pride in watching my Form 1 class take on Form 2 with a vengeance. As I entered the field area, I could see cliques of students surrounding the field. This place transformed itself from a poor Tanzanian government school into a lively and rich high school like any other in just moments. It was the first time since teaching here that I was reminded of my own days in high school. Even on the other side of the world from America, I could recognize the familiar cliques collecting around the field. And as students surrounded me, clamoring for my company, I finally felt liberated from my own high school cliché self, free to sit where I like. I sat with the smarter, quieter kids, the ones neglected by popularity. Soon, so did many of the “cool” kids.
This week I began work on a project which my sister and I are doing together. It’s a research project meant to examine a child’s understanding of the referential nature of pictures. Thus far, research has shown that despite lack of consistent exposure, children age 2 and above do accurately interpret pictures regardless of amount of contact. As I worked with two and three year olds from throughout the village, many of the younger ones began to cry when they saw Adrian and me. The little exposure that they have had to white people has come from receiving vaccinations at the clinic. Thus, Mama told us later that they must have been scared that we had come to inject them with needles. Hopefully, the kids will replace that memory with one of reading and playing with white people, and ask for stories in the future rather than run away in fear.
Another day has begun and the sounds of the morning birds have been replaced by the sounds of children stomping through my yard and toward the school. Time for me to join them and see what this days holds in store.
Many Thanks for reading.
Lisa Walker
Project Director
LisaWalkerNTC@gmail.com
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February 11, 2010
Dear Friends,
The moon, a sliver hanging in the cloudless sky, refuses to disappear even as the sun begins to rise. It is resilient against the light of the day, its whiteness shinning in contrast to the yellow glowing below. A lizard is racing up the rope of my hammock, leaping onto the branch above me and disappearing into a shadow. And the green lush leaves, wet from morning dew, stand tall beside my motionless bed in the jungle. It’s another day, and I have so much to tell you.
The computer room is running in full force, students racing to their computer class early for a few extra moments exploring the new technology. The smallbean team has worked hard over the past two weeks, and will leave Kwala tomorrow as a place substantially changed by their presence. Next week, we will begin regular open hours in the computer laboratory, run entirely be student monitors who have been trained to operate all of the new technology.
The NTC girls and I walked into the village yesterday to kick off the new village reading corner. Walking together in stampede like fashion, they called to all the children we passed along our way. “Twende” they yelled to various children, “Lets go” and the kids came skipping to join our quickly growing brigade. We picked a spot under the shade of a large mango tree outside Msemakweli’s house, the leader of the village. He, his wife, and children joined us as Fatuma, one of our NTC scholarship girls, read the story 
of Katope to the children. Sitting up and leaning in, Fatuma nearly disappeared below the bodies of eager listeners. When the reading was done, the girls, Adrian, and myself headed to the local soda shop to relax and discuss the activity we had just done. Together, we discussed the importance of reading, and some of girls pointed out that next week we should not only read but ask critical thinking questions after the reading. The girls are excited to be working with NTC to spread a love of reading. I think this is going to be an incredible program. And our NTC girls will be wonderful teachers.
With the other books that Judy Citron was able to purchase for NTC through her fundraising efforts, we have decided to build a library at the primary school. Working together with our local fundi (workman) and headmasters of both the primary and secondary school, we chose a primary school room to renovate and turn into a reading center. Next week, when Judy comes to join us in Kwala, she and I will work with students and staff at the school, learning how run a library and how to use these new books effectively.
Classes are going well at the secondary school. Adrian and I have taught our form one students a variety of songs to help them in learning English. Yesterday, we taught them old McDonald, changing the words a bit to make the song less challenging. “Mkulima (farmer) had a farm, shamba shamba shamba (farm). The kids voices tended to quiet during the “here” and “there” parts of the song, and then come back full force at hearing the words they recognized in Swahili. We will practice the song again today, slowing it down so that they can learn the English vocabulary. As I walked by their classroom in the afternoon, I could hear a student whistling the tune, and an “oink” sound from another student sitting in the classroom. They are learning.
Last night, after a long day of work, Adrian and I sat down beside our new gas stove to prepare a Tanzanian dinner called chips mayai (fried potatoes and eggs). Trying to replicate this common Tanzanian dish, we ended up with scrambled eggs and French fries. We laughed as the headmaster walked by, asking us what in the world we were cooking. It will take us some time to learn how to cook like Mama Annu. For now, our cooking will have an American twist.
I can hear the students moving around in the school beside my hammock. Desks and chairs are being pushed and lifted as the girls sweep under the furniture. I can see a group of boys, racing through the field, trying to get to the school before the headmaster notices their tardiness. And the moon, shinning white as I started to write this morning, has disappeared in a sea of yellow lit clouds. It’s another day in Kwala, and I am eager to get started.
Many thanks for reading.
Lisa Walker
Project Director
LisaWalkerNTC@gmail.com
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February 4, 2010
Dear Friend,
Sitting beside the NTC mural, the best place to catch a cool breeze in the heat of the afternoon, Ross and I watched as the programs we have been working on for the past year came to life. A group of strong boys carried a hefty cabinet from the teachers’ lounge to our new computer laboratory, breathing heavily under the weight of the wood. Smallbean staff sat in our NTC library, chatting with students and staff while teaching the new technology they have brought to Kwala. We could hear the headmaster’s laughter, enjoying his computer lessons while workmen pounded on metal, fitting our new door into the oversized doorway leading into our computer room. Adrian raced across the school yard with about a dozen tiny Tanzanians, playing soccer while teaching them outdoors vocabulary in English. And the well drillers, working together, were trying to fix the pump they had installed the day before. It was a good day in Kwala, and I am excited to begin anew.
Our computer laboratory will be completed today! Solar panels should be installed this afternoon and all materials will be organized and ready for use. For the past three nights Smallbean and NTC staff have been teaching computer lessons in the NTC library. Eleven students and two teachers were chosen to partake in the first Kwala Secondary School computer class. It is a two week introductory class in which students learn to use all sorts of equipment and are then taught how to undergo an interviewing process, questioning and learning about folks living in Kwala village while using the technology they have learned. The kids are enjoying their class, and more and more students are coming to me, asking when it will be their turn to learn. The light in their faces captures the reason why Ross and I have come to work here in Kwala.
Yesterday, NTC and smallbean staff worked together to practice the interviewing process in the village. Sitting down with an 80 year woman and long time inhabitant of Kwala, we learned about this history of Kwala. She spoke of the days of colonization and independence, the first time she saw a car, and the grandchildren she has helped raise here in Kwala. After interviewing her, we walked through the village, touring the primary school before exploring the abandoned railroad station built by the Germans. Wandering through old colonial houses, we felt as though we had stepped into the late eighteen hundreds. Looking out over the European style houses, we could see African style mud huts positioned in the center of these homes. The two style houses, juxtaposed, were truly a bizarre sight.
Our NTC girls have turned into an incredible group of young women, and thanks to generous donations from sponsors, NTC was able to choose four more at risk girls to join the group. In our second meeting, the girls bounced around playing hop scotch and four square before taking control of the games and teaching me how to play a variety of Tanzanian games. Trying to keep up with their singing in Swahili, I found myself watching their play, enchanted by their giggles. This is my favorite program, as it has given me the opportunity to be a big sister to so many of our girls.
As for the well, this story is far less enchanting. Unfortunately, our third drilling process has proven unsuccessful. We will have to begin rethinking the water situation in Kwala, and start researching water harvesting systems as opposed to a well. The drillers will pack up and head out this morning, and we are truly grateful for their efforts in Kwala. NTC and Kwala community members hope to have a new plan in the upcoming days so as to take advantage of the March rainy season. We will hold the first Kwala board meeting today to discuss our options. We are considering building one large cistern and lining the school roofs with piping which will collect the rainwater and direct it to the cistern. We are also discussing connecting to the village pipeline, which carries water from a water source a few kilometers from the village. We hope to collect water during the rainy season, and then tap into village resources when the rain water is not enough. If you have any experience with water development, please contact us. We welcome your advice in our efforts to overcome this challenge.
The bell has just rung at the secondary school, and I can hear the chatter of childrens voices and they clean the school grounds and prepare for the day. Students are passing by my hammock waving their arms and wishing me a good morning. It is time to get up and begin the new day.
Many thanks for reading,
Lisa Walker
NTC Project Director
LisaWalkerNTC@gmail.com
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January 29th, 2010
Dear Friends,
I am laying in my hammock, grasses tall and waving in the morning wind beneath my swinging body. A bright blue bird rests on one of the long branches of my tree, singing his morning songs and watching me with a curious satisfaction. The sky is blue with white blotches of clouds, and the sun is slowly rising.
It’s another day in Kwala, and so much has happened over the past two weeks that I do not know where to begin. We have many muzungus (foreigners) visiting, and I am happy to be experiencing this beautiful place with my friends from America. Ross, the founder of NTC, is here working hard to prepare for the year ahead. Together, we travelled to Mkuki Na Nyota, our partner publishing company in Dar-Es-Salaam, to buy many books for our new literature program and to buy textbooks for our primary school here in Kwala. We have been working with this wonderful publishing company for the past three months, and feel privileged that they have welcomed us into their dedicated team. They believe in bringing useful textbooks and reading materials to the student population of Tanzania. They believe in the power of reading and are fighting the battle to enhance the quality of education by providing these valuable resources. Thank you Mkuki Na Nyota, for working with us to create a learning-friendly textbook previously absent from the schools of Tanzania. Written in both Swahili and English, it will enable students to thrive in a non-stressful reading experience, while also enabling students to practice English skills with their fun and well written recreational readers. We are hoping both to teach our Tanzanian students to love reading and also to introduce these books to American students, giving them a glimpse of Tanzanian tales and stories.
We were able to purchase nearly 800 books, thanks to the efforts of Judy Citron, who raised enough money to purchase all the books. Judy will be joining us in Kwala in two weeks, and after spending some time with her in Dar-Es-Salaam, I know she will love Kwala. She will be coming here to work in both the primary and secondary school, and will bring her enthusiasm and love of children, setting a positive example for both teachers and community members in her willingness to teach, play, and laugh with our children. I am very excited to have her in Kwala.
After returning to Kwala with Ross, we have spent the last few days preparing our new computer laboratory, which is now nearly completed. Going to a nearby village, we haggled down prices for doors and windows, and will be installing them into the new classroom today. Luckily, we did not have to start the room from the pile of bricks which it was only one month ago, as headmaster Kitinya took incredible initiative and started building the room before we returned to Kwala. This showed such remarkable commitment to our students and our school, and we know we are lucky to have him.
Yesterday, Smallbean founder Sean Hewens and Price arrived in Kwala to install solar panels on the roof of our new computer laboratory and to begin a two week course that will help students to learn computers and ensure that teachers here in Kwala know how to teach about computer usage. Attending a banquet dinner last night with all staff of Kwala Secondary School and all NTC personnel, we celebrated this incredible achievement together. The muzungus also prepared a dish to share at the feast, garlic mashed potatoes, which our Tanzanian counterparts ate with just a bit of apprehension, followed by satisfaction. We were relieved to see when a teacher got up to get seconds.
But with all these guests, I have left out somebody truly spectacular. Adrian Coyne, a Boston University undergrad studying education, has taken the semester off to come to learn, work, and play with us here in Kwala. Adrian and I will be teaching classes together, and I am so excited to have his creativity and enthusiasm in the classroom. The kids have responded well to his arrival, and I know he will do incredible things while in Kwala.
Last week, while Adrian and I were teaching a lesson to our form four students, one student asked to be excused to use the bathroom. He came racing back into the classroom screaming “Nyoka, nyoka.” Of course, Adrian and I looked around confused. “Nyoka, nyoka,” he shouted again, and all the students jumped up and went galloping out of the room. We followed them with curiosity, and found a massive snake slivering along just outside the classroom. I could feel my body jump back in nervous revulsion as our students grabbed rocks and began hurling them at the unsuspecting body of the snake. One, two, three big boulders landed on the snake at once, and his body came to a halt. As I urged the children to re-enter the classroom and resume their work, I realized I learned a new Swahili word which I shall never forget. Nyoka. A snake! Hoping I do not need to know that word again.
As I walk around the school and village with my American counterparts, I feel pride in all the greetings I receive. The children come running up to me, shouting Lisa Lisa, and looking at me with a familiar ease. I am using my Swahili more and more, and finding that I can now haggle down prices like any Tanzanian. I am finally finding joy in using the language; it’s only now that I realize how much I have learned during my first few months in Kwala.
The drilling machines have just started up on the far end of the school; I can hear our well drillers beginning their work, a third attempt to drill a functioning well. They have been working, morning noon and night, for the past two weeks. Our first well was a success until the inside caved in. The same has happened with our second attempt. Now we try one more time to bring fresh water to Kwala. They seem confident in their ability to do this. And both the staff of NTC and the people of Kwala are hoping for success.
Yesterday, some of our NTC girls came to me in tears. They would not afford water and were both frustrated and ashamed of their situations. After speaking with them and assisting them in purchasing water from the school, the reality of our lack of water is even more real. So, I am now going to cook breakfast for our well drillers. We hit 38 meters yesterday, and with a sweet breakfast of maandazi, they will feel prepared to work hard for yet another day.
Pictures will come soon, though with both Ross and me here in Kwala, you will have to wait until we return to the city on Friday.
Many thanks for reading.
Lisa Walker
Project Director
LisaWalkerNTC@gmail.com
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January 17, 2010
Dear Friends,
Looking out from the height of a flying aircraft, sky blanketed by clouds, the earth looks the same from any vantage point. Pinks, reds, and purples flood the plane as the sun sets in the west. Its only as the plane begins its descent that I notice the world beneath the clouds looks substantially different. The green on the earth is not cut into perfect squares as it is in the developed world. There are no lights on the ground, illuminating the city below. Only a few cars pass beneath the plane. Instead of the humdrum of a developed country and light pollution of a city, I see lush green earth, undivided, not disturbed by the insanity of humanity. It’s peaceful. And in its differences from all that I am accustomed to, a bit intimidating. I am back in Africa.
A bit hesitant at first, I step off the plane prepared to embark upon new adventures. It’s only now that the nervousness fades and excitement begins to stir in my stomach. Why was I nervous to return? A plethora of reasons which range from shallow to very much real and nerve racking. Leaving the developed world of instant entertainment, running water, accessible food of any type, and the domination of my native tongue, I now re-enter a world where I must create the entertainment, where I must carry water if I want it, where food is largely limited to a daily diet of rice, beans, and ugali, and where English is far from ubiquitous. Beyond the basics of living, NTC has planned many new programs which we will be implementing in the upcoming months. An acceptance of inevitable hiccups and failures is not something I do well. But I shall have to adjust, re-evaluate, and acknowledge the challenges in order to be successful. Life in Kwala is not easy. Though at times, it is beautiful. And it’s both the hardship and the beauty that I have returned to be a part of.
It’s been a long day. Time for some sleep. Fill you in on upcoming adventures as the week progresses and the work prepared for in America is implemented in Tanzania. For now, I resume my life in Kwala. Missing running water but welcoming the family I found living in this village in the last few months, a new stage in this journey is about to begin. I Hope you will join me.
Many thanks for reading.
Lisa Walker
NTC Project Director
LisaWalkerNTC@gmail.com
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December 3, 2009
Dear Friends,
The sun is rising on my last day in Kwala. I can hear baba Athuman turning on the radio as his children shuffle about preparing the house for the day. Our dedicated drilling team is already outside building bricks which will encircle our new well! And I am sitting in my favorite place, in my hammock in the African bush, trying to reflect on the past three months and putting off cooking breakfast for our well drilling team.
I find myself shuffling between memories, trying to recall my favorite moments, my most memorable conversations, and my most challenging experiences. At the moment they are blurring together in a way which I find difficult to decipher or articulate. I have enjoyed so many moments with my students, and it’s their faces that come to mind when trying to pick my favorite. I can recall them all dancing, faces lit up to the songs of Michael Jackson and Led Zeppelin. I can picture the NTC girls, faces contorted in amusement and bewilderment as they watched me hula hoop around the school. I remember sitting with Mama Annu on the floor of her kitchen learning how to cook chicken and trying not to vomit as she plucked the feathers from the dead bird. I remember sitting with the older women in the village learning how to play games in the dirt. I remember sitting with Athuman at the village bar planning out programs for NTC. I remember sitting in the streets in Dar-Es-Salaam with many old Tanzanian men, discussing politics over charcoal heated coffee and sweets. I remember being squeezed between two massive Tanzanian women in the daladala on my way to Dar-Es-Salaam, thinking that I will never complain when taking an American bus again. I remember hitch hiking with two Maasai men via motorcycle to return to Kwala when my daladala broke down. I remember standing in the back of the lorry heading to the river to get more water for drilling the well. I remember feeling on top of the world at that moment, wind blowing in my dirty hair, strong and capable as I participated in the process of bringing water to Kwala. I remember watching students bicker amongst themselves because the food at the school was not enough. I remember struggling to stay quiet when I disagreed with certain aspects of the schools operation. And I remember finally screaming and being angry at myself afterward for losing my cool. I remember doubting myself, wondering if I made the right decision by moving to rural Africa. I remember looking up at the African sky, glistening with twinkling stars, and I remember thinking, this is where I am supposed to be at this very moment. I remember knowing that at this point in my life, Kwala is right for me. So many feelings and memories are spilling out of me. How to organize them or reflect on them will come in time.
As for updates on our incredible well…we have drilled 40 meters and have successfully found water! The drillers will be leaving this afternoon but will be returning in one week to install the pump. As far as we can tell, the water we have found is plentiful and should supply water year round without problem! My words can’t quite do this development justice. You will have to wait until you visit us here in Kwala and drink the clean water drawn from our beautiful well. Thank you Ron, Castor, and your incredible crew for sharing the gift of water with us.
Many other programs are being developed for implementation around the New Year. I will be leaving Kwala tomorrow and heading to Mkuki Na Nyota Publishing Company prior to my flights back to America. There, Athuman and I will sign a contract with this wonderful publishing company, and I will be returning home with books to sell in America. For every book you buy, you purchase a book for a student in Kwala as well. We are happy to be working with this company to bring books both to America and to our students in Kwala.
Am I ready to be travelling home? Yes I think so. But I am happy to be travelling back here after the New Year, ready to implement new programs in Kwala and continue my life in this incredible village. As far as my knowledge of how to live, work, and play in Africa, I came here an infant and I leave a toddler. I am happy to continue wobbling around next year. I hope you all will join me.
Many Thanks for Reading. Talk again next year.
Lisa Walker
NTC Project Director
LisaWalkerNTC@gmail.com
Need water to get water
Our incredible crew
Final touches on our new well!
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November 26, 2009
Dear Friends,
I have just returned from the village market where Mama and I bought bundles of food for the upcoming week. Wrapped in large plastic bags, she helped me pile kilos of rice and beans atop my head and walk, with an utter lack of grace, back to our home. Food wobbling atop my head, I could hear our neighbors laugh each time the bag slipped and my hand shot up to stop it from toppling to the sandy ground. I hope to one day perfect this skill. For now, I will continue to be the crazy mzungu leaving a trail of beans wherever I go.
Mama and I have purchased this food to prepare a feast for the drillers who will be arriving in Kwala on Saturday. THAT’S RIGHT! Last week, Athuman and I met with Ron Reed and Castor Sanguya of Star Pump Company. After sharing a delicious lunch and listening to us describe what we are doing in our school, Ron and Castor announced that they believe in our village and in our program and will donate their services and expertise to drill a well at Kwala Secondary School. We can’t wait to host their crew in Kwala. Thank you Ron, Castor, and Star Pump Company for your generosity! We are so excited to be working with you.
Unfortunately the students won’t be around to see the drilling of our new well. The headmaster held a ceremony early this week, officially closing school until the 18th of January. The morning of the closing was a lively one, as students ran about the school moving desks and chairs to their final resting place for the next two months. Without the students, the school feels a bit lonely. And I am relieved to have the drilling crew arriving on Saturday to breathe life back into the school.
For now, we sit tight and hope that water will come springing from our sandy grounds within the next couple of days. Keep you posted on the process.
Many Thanks for Reading! And Happy Thanksgiving! No turkey here, but plenty to give thanks for!
Lisa Walker
NTC Project Director
LisaWalkerNTC@gmail.com
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November 19th, 2009
Dear Friends,
I awoke this morning to the sound of shuffling feet and busy hands. Now, I am sitting on the balcony at the YMCA in Dar-Es-Salaam watching women prepare chapati with far greater efficiency than myself. One rolls out the dough while the other fries it, and I can hear the sizzle and crack of the boiling oil as the sweet smell of fresh chapatti rises in the air to greet my nose. MMM I’m hungry.
I have returned to Dar to continue to conversations regarding water development which I began last week. I am excited to be meeting with both WaterAid International and several drilling companies and am hoping to walk away from this week prepared to make an educated decision about which technology NTC will be investing in.
The more time I spend in Dar the more I am enjoying the chaos that is this enchanting city. Sitting down with a row of Tanzanian men, I drink my morning coffee on the street from a large pot heated by charcoal. Taking part in conversations about politics, families, and work, I feel part of the Tanzanian team. As I rise from the bench and leave the old men to continue their banter, I hear them bidding me farewell and wishing me a good journey. “Safari njema” they call after me. As I walk down the street I can hear the American version of Happy Birthday playing from the back of the ice cream guys bicycle. I hear the lyrics going through my head and wonder if he has any idea where that song came from.
Last week I discovered a park as I explored the city. Walking toward the entrance of the park, I watched as a family of monkey’s raced me to the gate. Why does the monkey cross the road? To get to the park in Dar-Es-Salaam. That’s right. They jumped the gate and wrestled in a public park, turning somersaults over each other in the morning sun. It was spectacular. Of all the times not to have my camera, my words will have to suffice this time. Next time, I won’t be caught empty handed. I found myself wandering to this out of the way spot repeatedly over the next few days to no avail. No more monkeys in sight. What I did find was a rambunctious peacock, blue wings glistening, who refused to pose for me. Of course in the majority of the pictures I have of myself, I too refuse to pose and tend to be caught looking rather foolish mid sentence, as you can see from the photograph below.
Mo Ibrahim introducing the event
President Kikwete not shaking my timid hand
If the peacock won't pose why should I?
Sitting in the Holiday Inn last week busy on my computer, I met a man from Ghana who was in Tanzania attending the Mo Ibrahim Foundation Events. For those of you who do not know what this is, no worries as I did not either. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is an organization which prizes good governance in Africa. Thus far, three African presidents have been awarded this honor, and last weekend was meant to be an event awarding the 4th. Unfortunately, due to a chaotic year in Africa, the prize committee was unable to select a candidate. Luckily for me, the event was to take place despite the lack of winner, and I was invited to both the award ceremony and lecture series.
Running out to find a dress before the concert and celebrations on Saturday night, I found myself feeling a bit like Cinderella. Timid at first, I quickly found my pace at the event and met some very interesting people eager to discuss NTC’s work in Kwala. Well, maybe it was I who was interested in discussing NTC. But they listened politely either way. President Kikwete, the current president of Tanzania, and President Mogae, the former president of Botswana, danced Saturday night away with some of the African entertainers. There is nothing like watching two generally serious and stiff African men get their grove on to lively African tunes. On Sunday I listened to some of the top people in their field discussing topics such as agriculture and climate change on the continent. Sitting in the audience with pen and paper in hand I felt like a student again, a familiar role which I was only too excited to resume after too many months away from college.
Returning back to Kwala on Monday, I found our students busy with their final round of examinations prior to their summer break. As I rode up to the village on the pikipiki, I felt as though I was returning to the familiarity of my home. This is a welcome feeling after three months of feeling like a guest. Before I departed yesterday, my neighbors, three children, came running to me to show me pictures they had drawn of mangoes and dishes. Smiling brightly, they handed me their artwork and bid me farewell for yet another journey to the big city. As always, hoping these meetings will bring good things. More next week!
Many Thanks for Reading,
Lisa Walker
NTC Project Director
LisaWalkerNTC@gmail.com
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November 12, 2009
Dear Friends,
As I rushed into class today, I saw eyes half closed, heads bobbing in mid air, and looks of exhaustion on each face throughout every corner of the room. The kids have been working hard, and now they are feeling the stress of examinations too. In an attempt to stir them, I shouted “get up, get up up up.” They know this exercise well, as I tend to do it when they are unresponsive. “Jump up and down, ruka, jump” I yelled as my own body went flying into the air. “Okay now one foot” and that broke the silence, the kids were all laughing.
Classes have been going wonderfully though my heart feels heavy at the moment. I am sad to think that this was the last day of teaching until January. Next week will be filled with examinations and solemn faces. This week, instead of cramming their heads full of last minute knowledge, I decided to get them using their brains in a new and creative fashion. I began the week by telling them three American fables. I then asked them to create their own stories. I gave them the freedom to use English or Kiswahili, realizing the difference in quality I would get if the kids had access to Kiswahili. Yesterday and today they read their stories, and I found myself learning much about Tanzanian culture. I learned why rabbits have short tails. I learned about why frogs have rough skin. I learned about how families are coping without water. And I learned that many students seemed timid and the task of being creative seemed to have been too overwhelming, thus they simply wrote the names of their family members and order of births in their families.
I have noticed that copying and lack of creativity is a problem in many schools throughout Tanzania. Many teachers enter the classroom only to write a series of notes on the blackboard and then excuse themselves to the teachers’ room. The kids copy the notes beautifully into their notebooks, but re-reading the notes, learning from them, or discussing them is something that rarely happens. Thus, when I asked my students to think creatively, the freedom of writing about anything they wanted was more of a culture shock than I could have imagined. As many students learn to copy beautifully, they have not learned how to be free thinkers. This is something I will work hard to address in the year ahead.
I was happy to listen to stories by two students who choose to write about the water shortages in Tanzania. Hearing their stories about people dying from lack of water confirmed the importance of the water development planning NTC has been pursuing. Of course after living here for 2 plus months, the problem of lack of water in Kwala has become abundantly clear. Life without a close and reliable source of water makes everything, from farming to cooking to cleaning and washing just that much more difficult. The drought which we have been enduring has made this problem more apparent; as I am watching much of the corn Mama Annu had planted begin to wither and die in the dry heat of the day. Without water to support irrigation, the plants will die. Without corn, Mama Annu and her family will have to buy more of their food. And so the chain of events has begun to affect the life of a family in ways which may seem unrelated to water until further inquiry.
I will be traveling to Dar-Es-Salaam today to meet with contractors to discuss the prospect of building a well or water harvesting system in Kwala. The question now is “below these sandy floors, are we going to find water or more sand and stone?” I hope to find a contractor to come survey our land and answer this question before moving forward with either project. Educating myself on the complexities of something which in America begins and ends at my faucet has been an incredible experience. If you have any input or advice regarding water development, it is most welcome!
In addition to meetings about water development, I will be meeting with Tanzanian publishing companies and business men kind enough to give me their time. We will be discussing future projects in Kwala as well as the sustainability of our program as a whole. More on the outcome of these meetings next week.
I can here Mama yelling for me to hurry, my Pikipiki has just arrived to take me the first leg of the journey to the city. Time to head to Dar-Es-Salaam and see about the next steps for NTC and Kwala. Hoping this will be a fruitful trip.
Many thanks for reading and I look forward to writing more next week.
Lisa Walker
NTC Project Director
LisaWalkerNTC@gmail.com
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November 5, 2009
Dear Friends,
Baby chickens, following their mother, are racing to and fro underneath my hammock. Running in a perfect row, one has just slipped on the grass, wet from the morning dew. She looks irritated to have lost her place in line and is hurrying to catch up to her siblings. The others do not stop to wait for her, but instead continue on what would appear to be a mission to distract me as I write to you.
Athuman has returned from his adventures in America. He seems to have enjoyed himself immensely and sends his love to all of you. Now he and I will be busy, preparing the school for the water harvesting project which we hope to begin in mid January. I am eager to watch him assert himself as he bargains down prices for the supplies we need. Athuman is a very good haggler, a skill I am still trying to master with sloppy Swahili and ambivalence, as this is a skill we do not learn in American stores.
I cannot believe that it’s already November. Time is passing quickly in Kwala, and I realize that I have only one more month before returning home to visit my family and friends. I realize that I missed my mother’s favorite holiday, Halloween, though I imagine the creatures whose angry howls filled the crisp night air last evening are far scarier than any American children. I realize some parents may disagree. Without being aware of its significance, Mama prepared roasted pumpkin on October 31st and I found myself relieved to be celebrating if even in that minor way. The pumpkin was delicious, and a welcome treat after far too much rice and beans.
Mama Annu will be departing today to spend the next month in Mororgoro University grading the form 4 national examinations. I am sad that she will be leaving me as she has taught me so much about living here in Kwala and she has become such an incredible friend. She taught me how to prepare maandazi this week, a donut which is taken with morning tea (though I find myself sneaking them throughout the day). We added jelly to the center of some of the donuts, making them a mix of Tanzanian and American pastry. Mama Annu’s cooking is like a dance, and while I will try to reproduce some of these recipes in her absence, I know I won’t be nearly as graceful as her in the kitchen.
My students are doing beautifully, working hard and preparing for yet another round of exams. I worry a bit about my form three students, wishing I had arrived sooner and had time to do more preparations. Next year, they will be Form 4, and so beginning in January we will be working very hard to ensure their success on their national examinations. For now, we will study together in preparation for their local exams, and I will try to make this process fun despite is grueling nature. I am very aware of the importance of my class, as English is mandatory if the students are to pass any of their exams, all proctored in English. To make the process a bit easier, we now have the use of English to Swahili and Swahili to English dictionaries in the classroom, a generous donation from my incredible Aunt Sande. Turning the classroom in an Olympic race, the students hurried to find the words I had put up on the board before their peers. Running to the front of the classroom, the tripped over each other in an effort to write the Swahili word beside the English words I had written. As always, it’s so nice to see them excited about resources which NTC is able to provide to Kwala.
During my dictionary lesson, I noticed one of the kids had a baby bird, too young to fly, sitting atop her desk. When I went to look at the bird, giggling to myself in delight, she picked the bird up and offered it to me as a gift. I took the bird and placed it atop my shoulder where it remained throughout the class. Unfortunately, after the class I realized the baby was too young to be separated from its mother, and despite my insistence that it eat some rice, it refused my offers. I decided to return it to a place close to where the girls found it, and as it went bopping away, I bid it farewell and let nature take its course.
I have met with the NTC scholarship girls again this week. They are an incredible group of young women and I am happy that most are in form three and thus I am their teacher and big sister. We played freeze dance and musical chairs this week, dancing around to the voices of Led Zeppelin and Michael Jackson before sitting down to discuss their lives in Kwala and the challenges they face. Despite the many obstacles they are facing, they are strong and determined, and I have no doubt that many of them will succeed and choose to continue their education.
As always, the full moon has dropped out of sight and the sun raised high in the sky, signaling my time to return home to prepare for school. Many thanks for reading! I look forward to writing again next week.
Lisa Walker
NTC Project Director
LisaWalkerNTC@gmail.com
