Working with Orphans

To start off the day you will be surprised to know that for the first time since we got here is was a bit cool (+19*C) this morning. Not to fear it warmed up to +35*C by noon. 

Starting at 0830 sharp we had our first Swahili lesson courtesy of Green Hope's in house teacher. We learnt the history of how Swahili began and how it is most common along the East coast of Africa. It wasn’t until 1961 when Tanzania became an independent country that Swahili was labeled the official language of Tanzania. The number one rule to remember about Swahili is the words are pronounced exactly how they look. For example, mzungu, is pronounced exactly how you see it, give it a try! The meaning of this word is white people. This is a title we, as a group, are frequently referred to as we pass by local shops or even yelled at alongside the road while driving by (kind heartedly of course).

Our journey today was to a local orphanage. The children of the orphanage welcomed us all warmly as they sang us a song and openly looked for hands to take hold of and laps to sit on.  Out goal was to complete a quick head to toe and social assessments of approximately 40 children. This took the good part of our day and with the sweltering heat we were exhausted by the end. It was a day full of smiles, laughs, learning, and tears. But overall a wonderful learning and bonding experience for the children and for us as well.

Once we arrived back home our work wasn’t over. We all chipped in and mastered the art of pizza making. All of the Tanzanian men with the exception of one or two refused to eat the pizza. They are not fond of dairy products here such as cheese. Their favourite dish, as I’m sure will be mentioned more than once, is oogali. This is a staple food for many African people described as being a bland version of mashed potatoes made from a maize (corn) paste that is often paired with sauces and other foods. For the record the pizza was amazing, even the dessert ones!

All in a days work here in Tanzania!

- Samantha