Back in Kazovu!

January 19, 2014

I have been back in Kazovu for one week and it has been great to reunite with my friends and students.

I was blessed with the gift of traveling from Madisi to Kirando by car and not by bus. Alex, Lindsey and I were all very thankful because we left Madisi with twice as much of our stuff as we first came with. Most was supplies for our schools and also our Christmas gifts and extra clothes we had left at Janelle’s house in September. After wearing the same few outfits for 4 months, it is wonderful to have more options!

I traveled with Alex and Lindsey to Mbeya where we met up with Steve, Justin, Godfrey, Emanueli and other leaders of VST. We had lunch together and split up into different cars. I went with Steve, Justin, Emanueli and Sara in one car going to Sumbawanga. We didn’t leave until later in the evening, so we arrived in Sumbawanga at 2:00 a.m. We crashed at a guest house and the next day Justin, Ntula, Kapange (new headmaster) and I left for Kirando. We arrived late that night in Kirando and found a guest house. The next morning we went into the main part of the small town, ate some breakfast and went to the lake to find a boat. To my surprise I found my friends Madam Anne and Madam Winfrida standing there! I was so excited to see them I dropped my things and ran! We spent the day in Kirando together while Justin, Chriss and Kapange went back to Kazovu to go over some logistical things about changing headmasters. Anne and I caught a night boat to Kazovu later and that was an amazing “Wow, I’m in Africa” moment. The lake was calm and gorgeous as the water reflected the light of the moon. It was a very clear night and so we could see all of the mountains around us, including in Congo. SO AMAZING! We arrived at home and to my surprise I found our house a complete disaster! The chickens apparently went nuts through the whole house and found their huge bag of food, which had exploded all over the floor. All of the pots and pans in the kitchen were dirty and covered in ants and all of the door cover curtains had been removed (Chriss and Madam took them). Sooooo, needless to say, I had a lot of work to do the next day. My dog Mixon did not recognize me at first because it was dark when we arrived. From what I could see they somewhat tortured him because he was terrified of me. I shined my flashlight on my face so he could see me, and he went happy crazy. He was jumping all around and licking my face. I think he missed me just a little bit.

Now, let me back up a little bit and explain what happened with the headmaster situation. As some of you may know, there were some problems with the old headmaster. I won’t go into too much detail but it was definitely time for a switch and the whole VST leadership could see it. I was told in Madisi we would be getting a new headmaster right away when I returned to Kazovu. This is where Kapange comes in. He is actually Alex’s old headmaster from Ninga Secondary School. They were planning on moving him from Ninga for reasons that are not negative. Sometimes a change in perspective is good for a school. VST leadership sat both Alex and I down in the office building at Madisi and explained the plan. Alex was getting a former Madisi graduate who previously was a headmaster at another VST school and that I would be getting Alex’s headmaster, Kapange. From what Alex told me before I met him, I was impressed. He seemed like a great person and has a love for teaching. Also, it helps that he teaches science. Since Baraka left we haven’t had a science teacher. Long journeys really help you to get to know a person and we definitely had a long journey. I told Kapange all I knew about Kazovu and tried my best to answer his questions. He is a lot quieter than Chriss, but he has a big heart. Upon arriving at Kazovu we ran into a small problem. I live in the headmaster’s house and when a married couple was living here it was okay. Kapange is not married. While in Madisi I spotted the red flag right away. I asked Steve Vinton what to do and he said Anne would come to live with me and Kapange would live in the male teacher house. So, Anne and I now live together in the new and improved Female Teacher House. I am so happy with this new situation! Anne and I have become great friends and it is wonderful to have her as a housemate. She is also a great cook, so I reap the benefits of that as well. She has a radio in her room and listens to it all the time when she is home. We have many impromptu dance parties in the house and it is a blast.

Many of the students are just now returning to Kazovu, even though school opened on Monday. We had about half of our total students here last week. This past week has been one of those typical weeks when I have no idea what is going on. This happens a lot. The students have been cleaning the grounds of the schools every morning until about 10am. They chop at the long grasses with blades and dig out weeds from the dirt pathways to the classrooms. After they finish they are sent to the classroom to study. The teachers are not teaching because we have been getting the schedule prepared and our new Mkuu (headmaster) is learning about our school environment and, honestly, trying to fix many of the problems that were left. Since I didn’t know what I was supposed to be doing I found myself studying my Swahili Lesson Book I received from Janelle during the Christmas break. It is a really great book and easy to understand. It is for people who wish to teach themselves Swahili. It comes with exercises and everything! I am now on Lesson 12 and over half a notebook full of notes. I am really enjoying it and I am learning so much! I have done this most days and in the afternoons I spend time with my students when “school” is over. This week things will start to flow a little bit better and start to look more normal. I will be teaching Form 1 and 2 English. I will be teaching every day but only a couple hours per day instead of 7 hours a day as with Pre-Form.

I would like to introduce you to three of my lovely young girls from Pre-Form. They are now Form 1 students and for the past week they have been living at my house. They have a room at the school but because not all of the students have returned, they are the only girls here and are afraid to be at the school alone at night (I don’t blame them). I invited them to come and stay with me. They cook here and sleep out in the main room of the house on extra mattresses we have had in a spare room. Their names are Imelda, Godeliva and Victoria. They are all “sisters”, but in this culture everyone is a sister or brother, so I really don’t know the relation between them. All I know for sure is they are from the same village, Utinta, about 3 hours by boat north of Kazovu.

First is Imelda. Imelda is a tall and gorgeous young lady. She is a very good student and is not shy to try the English she has been learning. She also has an amazing sense of humor and makes me laugh so much! Today she was putting water into a pot to make rice and as she was walking outside she started to dance and water began to pour out of the pot. She said, “Ahla! (common expression) uh-oh, that is very bad.” And then we both started to burst out laughing. Imelda is a twin. Her twin brother is Michael and he was also in my Pre-Form class. Now, in Tanzania if you are a twin there are very specific names you receive. The first is given a name and the second is named Doto. Technically Imelda’s name is Doto, but in the classroom her name is Imelda.

Second is Godeliva. Godeliva, or ‘Gode’, is an absolutely beautiful and amazingly shy young lady. She is small but has the biggest smile you’ll ever see. She is not afraid to use it! Her whole being shouts genuine, honest, trustworthy and pure. She is also a very good student and studies very hard. She is a complete blessing to me and to all those who surround her. Not to mention, she loves my dog and is not afraid of him like most others. I know that she will do wonderful things in her life.

Finally, Victoria. Vicki, Vicki how beautiful and wonderful you are. Like Gode she is also shy but has a smile and a laugh that will light up the room. She is tall like Imelda and has unbelievably gorgeous eyes. Like her “sisters” she is a very good student and will often try out her English with me. She does something really adorable when she knows she made a mistake - her eyes get really big, her jaw drops to the floor and she quickly covers her mouth with her hand. Then she bursts out in cheerful laughter! I can’t help but smile.

All three of these girls have been such a blessing to me in the past week. I never expected to have the opportunity to have them live here with me for a week but I am so thankful. Madam Anne has been in Sumbawanga since Tuesday and so having them here gives me constant company and entertainment. We cook together and in the evenings I help them study by flashlight around our table/desk. Then we read a Bible verse together. As I am going to sleep every night I hear them in the other room praying in unison and breaking off into their own separate prayers. I can’t express the joy in the house during these times. I can feel the presence of God and all I can do is thank Him for capturing their hearts. I pray for them that they will always draw near to God and would go and change the world…because I know they can.

In His service,

Emily