Although sometimes at first I felt like I was a bit of a waste of space here-- especially after things like the car accident and I was incapable of anything. We haven't been able to work on the land near as much as we thought we would (Jordan's back is hurt and issues with not enough water to make the cement). We haven't taught at the schools as much as I thought we would but still help at every chance we get. But when I think about it... that's kinda part of the experience. Just living life-- sometimes we have busy days and sometimes we have lazy days just like anywhere else.
Here are just a list of things I'm going to miss about Moshi...
Going to Mamas. Going to Mamas is the best! Especially watching her play games like Kill Zombies on our Ipods. She is so sweet and has the biggest heart of anyone I know. She has a teeny Kitten (aka Paka) that runs around her house-- when I asked her the name she just said "cat" so we decided to name it Shelly in my honor! YAY! (Jordan got the goat named after her, and our Roomie Mandy had the cow named after her). At night we often just go sit in there and chat and then sing songs and pray. There is honestly nothing more precious in the world then hearing the Tuleeni kids pray. Even though I can't understand a lick of what they are saying, I can tell that they are so sweet and heartfelt. That is something I am going to miss the very most!!!
The Hot Spring. We only went to the hotsprings once and it is basically a life regret. It is the most beautiful spring of water basically in the middle of no where and although I wouldnt call it hot, it was so nice to swim in! Two of the older boys came with us (Felix 17, Imma 18) and I taught them swimming lessons! It was something so fun because I was definitely in my element and teaching swimming lessons is something that I have really missed this summer. At first they were too scared to even really get in the water, but by the end of the day they swam across the spring! I felt like a proud mom!
Since we really were here for so long, we made a lot of lifelong friends I'm really going to miss! SHOUTOUT to: Neema, Paul Taxi, other Paul, Henry, Security Gaurd at Nakumatt, Mark, Lil' Joe, Lletzer, Mike, Sigrid, Astrid, Marie, Gifty, Beth, and Big Mama.
Another learning experience has been the language. Even though I basically gave up trying to speak it 3 weeks getting here, I'm surprised at how much I've been able to pick up and how well I understand. I use simple phrases such as "pole dada" (aka sorry sister) and "labda badi" (maybe later) "una funya nini" (what are you doing) on such a regular basis that I'm afraid some might slip out in America-- pole se pole (sorry I'm not sorry).
Josephine. Josephine is Mamas oldest daughter and someone that I have grown to love and admire. She has sorta been a replacement older sister while I've been missing mine at home. She has the sweetest little boy Ericki and is a teacher at Akili pre-school. Getting to know her has been one of my favorite things about Tanzania. Josephine is always saying "Una pendeza" which means basically "i love your outfit!" so of course I couldn't leave without giving her my favorite skirt I brought to Africa (thanks for giving it to me Nicki). When I gave it to her she fell to the ground in happiness. She kissed the skirt, kissed me, picked me up, spun me around, kissed me and hugged me over and over. It was an experience that is something money couldn't buy. I hope that when she wears it she will always feel pretty and always remember me and how much I love her.
The Kids. When I first got here I told Jordan that I was worried I wasn't going to be able to love the kids as much as here-- only because she didn't have a niece or nephew so she can't even compare the amount of love your heart can hold for them. However, as time has passed these past couple of months I realize that I am going to miss these kids like crazy. I have been going through withdrawls for the past week and we still haven't even said goodbye. There is nothing in this world that beats coming home and hearing Samson yelling "SHELLY" and running into my arms with the tightest squeeze and kissing my cheek, or having Bali & Irene drawing me pictures, or tickling Ericki, or having Ogan braid my hair, or scaring Derricki, or cuddling Smiley..... The list just goes on. These kids are the sweetest and I'm dreading leaving tomorrow morning.
As a last Hoo-Rah in Moshi, Little and I decided to throw a party for the kids on Saturday. It was a big-all-night-event but one of my favorite nights here!!! We had to start the day early- we planned a movie night and cooking dinner for the kids. We went to Nakumatt and bought TONS of popcorn, biscuits, juice and fruit for the kids to snack on. We also bought 12 kgs of rice (that we had to sift through all of it), 3 whole chickens, pile pile (aka chili sauce), & tons of veggies. We had the help of all the older girls (luckily-- we didnt know how to cook rice... embarrassing I know) and they basically took over and cooked the whole meal for us while we cleaned out the Pre-school room, Akili and got ready for the movie night. The food took longer then expected so we had the kids sing, play games and do acrobats while we waiting. One girl, Jacki, asked me what the party was for... When I told her that it was for all the kids she seemed confused. I told her we wanted to do something special for them (not for us) before we left. Her face just got the biggest grin and she gave me the tightest squeeze. We then started to watch Lion King on the projector (like a real movie theater!) and ate our delicious meal. When Jordan and I brought out the treats their faces were PRICELESS! They were all screaming and running around. The popcorn was a hit! It was my job to hand it out and they were all going crazy-- I was being swarmed! Since there were too many kids I couldn't enforce saying "please" and "thank you" so when I made them stand in a line I asked "Do you love me?" and they said "Yes!" or "YES I LOVE YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!" and I would give them the popcorn and say "Good, because I love you too!". Since they didn't have school the next day Mama let us watch 2 movies and all the older boys slept out there all night! It was such a experience and even though it cost over 120,000 shillings it was well worth it.
So which experience did I like better? It's not tough to say that hands-down this is the best experience of my life. I loved my last trip but that's all it was-- a trip. Living here in Africa has truly changed my life for the better. I hope that the lifestyle of "Hamna Shida" and "No Rush in Tanzania" is something that I can remember to live my life by. On the other hand, I hope that I have left a lasting impression on some of these kids. I was talking to Helen (13) the other night and asked her if she would remember me if I came back in a year or two... she said she wouldn't forget me even in 100 years. I hope that is something that is true because I know I could never forget them!!!
But like I always say... "Moshi... I'm missing you already."
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