6 23 Update

God grant me the serenity 
to accept the things I cannot change; 
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; 
Enjoying one moment at a time; 
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it; 
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life 
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

I’m not very good at this blogging thing. It’s been 18 days since my last post and here’s an update.

After my last slum visit, I was stood up two more times by Jackson, Lucy, and Hosna. After the second time I was feeling really discouraged and down on myself, but the next day Hosna’s grandfather brought her all the way to school! We now have an arrangement where I give Hosna’s grandfather dala dala fare every day she comes to school. For the past three weeks she has come to school eight times and the change in her demeanor is incredible. At first she was shy and overwhelmed by the structure and the other students but now she is very social and is quickly picking up where she left off.

I have not heard from Jackson, Lucy, or their parents but if they want to come to school, the same offer I made Hosna’s grandfather still stands for them. I was dreading telling Jackson’s sponsor that despite my best efforts, I had failed to get him and his sister to school. I explained the situation to her the best I could, and to my surprise, she was very understanding. She thanked me for trying and told me that I can’t be too hard on myself because some things are out of my control. It was a simple piece of advice, but very powerful.

I don’t give up on things easily. This is part of what makes me successful in school, but in the real world sometimes my ambitions surpass reality. I want so many things for St. Dymphna’s and my students; I want Jackson and Lucy to come to school, the students to be accepted by their community, the quality of their education be comparable to what they would receive in the United States, the list goes on and on. I have given my work here everything that I have over the past 5 weeks, but I have to accept that some things are out of my control. I can’t change Tanzanian’s perception of people with disabilities or completely modernize their educational system in 6 weeks; I’m no superwoman. I have to take comfort in the fact that I have done my best in the time I had here and I am leaving the school in better shape than I found it.

Last Monday a new volunteer named Ellie arrived from Ireland. She has great ideas on how to improve the school, and is willing to pick up on my projects where I left off. I swear she’s another gift from above. I was concerned there wasn’t going to be another volunteer at the school after me, but she’s amazing and has promised to keep me updated on things once I leave.

After I leave school, I’ve taken on another project (as if I wasn’t busy enough already right?). Some of the other volunteers that work at primary schools and orphanages have asked me to visit and screen some of their students for developmental delays or disabilities. I am far from qualified to make a diagnosis, but I do my best to find the source of the student’s difficulty and make recommendations for the teachers and the volunteers. So far it’s been going really well. Last week, I visited Pippi House which is a safe house for abused women. A volunteer suspected that an 18 month old boy named Peace was deaf because he did not respond to his name or speak, so she asked me to come in and perform some simple hearing tests. Long story short, he is not deaf but his communication skills are delayed because he is under stimulated. I found similar problems in other children at the home, and the volunteer explained that the children at the home are sometimes neglected by their mothers because they remind them of their fathers. After hearing some of the women’s stories, I found this to be completelty understandable. Anyway, the volunteer has decided to hold a parenting workshop for the women and I’m working to teach Peace sign language. In my completely unprofessional opinion, I think he is capable of speech, but sign language will allow him to communicate his wants and needs until he can do so verbally.

Anyway, I haven’t really discussed what my life is like outside of school in Arusha. After being alone for most of the day, I love coming home to my hostel family. They’re such an eccentric group of people from all over the world that are trying to do some good over here. Last week the Americans had the majority in the house, but now it belongs to the Europeans. It’s so interesting to hear people’s stories about what lead them to travel to Arusha, and where they’re going. There’s some novice travelers like myself in their late teens or early twenties and then there’s veteran world travelers that amaze us all with their incredible stories and experiences. It’s so nice to be able to come home to such an understanding and open minded group of people after volunteering. Our work is physically and emotionally draining and it’s so comforting to be able to decompress with people who understand and can relate to our struggles. It’s brought us really close, and I’ve made friends I’ll have for life.