Asante Sana! (Thank You)

As this will be my last blog from Africa (at least for now.... can't wait to come back), I just wanted to thank all of you back home for your love, prayers, and support these past 6 months!  Thank you to those who followed the blog.  I hope I have been able to show you another part of the world, a world that has changed my life!  I am so proud of all we accomplished at Cheka! I've missed you all and can't wait to see you back in America soon!

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO......

all the ladies at the house (whose pictures were unforunately stolen with my camera a few weeks ago)- Prisca, Alosia, Hilda, and Ayisha- who took such great care of me!

To Kaka and Zakayo for keeping me safe



Kaka and his family




Zakayo

 And most of all to the 111 volunteers I have lived with at the TVE house over the last 6 months.  Especially Ash, Arika, Steve, Mel, Steph, Genevieve, Blake and Amy.  You have all changed my life!  The world is a better place because of you!  Naku penda SANA SANA SANA!!!!

Amy, Arika, and I




Amy, Me, Arika, Blake, and Steve at TGT




Steve




Ash
"You know you have been in Africa too long when everything you own is covered in stickers"
(That is my phone by the way)




Genevieve




Steph




Mel
Never would have made it up Kili without you! 





Zanzibar!

No trip to Tanzania is complete without a visit to the beautiful zanzibar

A friendly monkey, unlike the unfriendly monkey that attacked me in Mombasa

Beautiful white sand beaches and crystal clear water!

I swam with that?!?!

Amazing sunsets!

Reef we snorkled at off of Mnemba

Mnemba Island
You too can stay here like the Beckhams for $11,000 a night! (we did NOT stay here)

Resorts on the beach

Kendwa Rocks Resort
Famous for its "full moon parties"

Arts and Crafts!

 While I do actually teach math, English, and science.....

 This is me teaching Engligh... 

Trying to get the kids to recognize pictures and say the word in English

Teacher Lucy said my drawing of a table was "wonky"



See!  Actual learning taking place!

Work being done!

 Arts and Crafts are just so much more fun!

Making jewlery

It was so sweet.... That day after school I went to visit four of the boys homes.  When I got there, their mom's were wearing the necklaces the boys had made!

The concentration on their faces to get those beads on the string was adorable!



All smiles!



Bill, Isaya, and Ali

   

Making houses

Learning about shapes and colors (too bad none of their houses look like these "western" houses they all made)

Taji and Thomas

Shedrack and Jackline hiding

Jackline no longer hiding

Tembo Class proud of their work

Painting 

First time with water colors! 

They were all so serious and concentrating so hard!  You could hear a pin drop in the classroom.  If only they were like that all the time!

Thomas
I know teachers are not suspossed to say this but he is one of the naughiest!  But when I  find something that interests him, he amazes me!

Jemima
How you seen a sweeter grin?

Shedrack painted an incrdible car, not as incredible as his smile though!

Oh Bill!

Not so sure what Petro painted but I got to give him credit for his use of color!

Tembo class and their final master pieces with Teacher Lucy and I

I never want to leave.....

 I had all the kids write their name and draw me a picture on a sheet so that I could bring it home with me and wrap their love around me when ever I was missing them.







Nurse Sarah

MIDWIFE SARAH

Talk about an unreal experience! 

Emilie, a volunteer living at the house with me is studying to be a midwife in Canada.  She took me with her on a night shift at a women's clinic.  I got to see 3 babies born!  I will spare you the details but let me just say these women are incredible!  Not that I have done it myself, I'm just assuming giving birth in America is quite different than giving birth in Africa.  Assumption #1, in the US there is actually the option of pain medication.  Not in Africa!  Assumption #2, in the US the women are surrounded by family members there for support.  I did not see one family member at the clinic with these women.  Assumption #3, in the US women do not have to bring their own "supplies" including bedding.  Assumption #4, in the US women do not have to walk from the delivery room to the recovery room and make their own beds with in a few minutes of giving birth.  CRAZY!



Emilie and I in our scrubs




New born baby boy!

 

Another example of Nurse Sarah

So my dear friend Steve brillantly decided one evening that he didn't need footwear and walked into a thorn bush. Two weeks later, he realized that the thorns weren't making their way out on their own so he had doctor Sarah perform some surgery. A safety pin, 3 pairs of tweezers, a swiss arm knife, and two and a half hours later, I removed the last of the 51 thorns.