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Published: August 25th 2009
Photo 1
My houseIt is day 3 here at JBFC and I’m already feeling quite at home. I’m still getting over jet-lag but I’m finally starting to acclimatize. JBFC is essentially a farm in rural Tanzania, a half hour off the beaten path from the nearest city of Mwanza. We have pigs, cows, chickens, goats, and bulls, complete with a vegetable garden and banana trees.
However, my first impression of JBFC was quite the experience. As we pulled up to the houses a group of adorable girls flooded the area then shifted from our car to a rock by the house that I was to stay in. As we all got out of the car we walked to the tittering group of girls only to find a dead cobra on one of the rocks. Apparently this cobra had been plaguing JBFC for a while, getting into the chicken coops and eating the eggs. Someone had bashed it’s head with a rock and left it out in the sun. A great first impression!! I simply laughed and thought of my family who told me right before I left to avoid snakes at all costs and to never go near them…sorry guys, not my fault.
Photo 7
my shower...a big rough As my bags were taken to my room I was given a tour. There are five houses total on the campus. A main house where the director and a few volunteers stay in, a guest house which I and other volunteers stay in, a house for Mama Tisla and the little children to stay in, and two dorms where the older children stay in with their “Mama’s” or matrons. Although my house is a bit spartan and bare, I intend to fix it up a bit and make it more homey. There will be four girls (me, two Swedish interns, and a 5 week volunteer) and one guy, John a long-term Tanzanian employee, staying in my house.
The weather here is wonderful with a lovely breeze coming off of Lake Victoria. There is no need for fans or air conditioning. We only have power for four hours every night so that we can charge our technology and find our way around, but other than that we are power free which really doesn’t make a difference to me. There has been sun everyday and clear weather every night so that you can see a sky full of stars and
Photo 2
one of our coes the Milky Way. When the sun finally sets you also see twinkling lights on the lake coming from the nightly fishermen boats - a truly beautiful sight.
There are always people around JBFC. Lucy and Esther work in the main house doing some of the cooking and cleaning, two very charming women who love to smile and laugh. Then there is Mama Tisla, the oldest matron who is in charge of various things and projects. Mama Gloria, Mama Nema and Mama Chamila work in the mess hall preparing meals for the girls who spend their days going to school (which will end in the next two weeks) and also live in the dormitories caring for the little munchkins. There are various farm hands around always taking care of the livestock and doing odd jobs and maintenance around the campus, and John, who lives in my house, is pretty much the manager of everything, making sure things run smoothly.
The school building, which will be ready come December, is an amazing facility that will truly be a wonderful addition to the campus. The girls enjoy school very much and will finally have one at their fingertips. I myself will
Photo 3
our lovely pigs start teaching in two weeks. I will teach the little ones from about 2:30-3:30pm and teach the older ones from 3:30-4:30pm every evening. In addition, I will also be teaching the Mama’s and John English in the evenings after dinner. They are all eager to learn and are very happy to have me hear.
Everyone has been so welcoming and has made me feel right at home. I am always greeted with warm smiles and open arms. The children are a bit shy around me at the moment, but as I keep working on my broken Swahili they will slowly warm up.
Today I will spend my first day in the bustling city of Mwanza gathering thing for my house and room. More volunteers will be arriving at the end of the week and soon we will be one big happy family, functioning together to create a caring, loving and educational environment for these brave little girls.
I am looking forward to the coming months and am excited to share more with you as my experiences continue.
Fact of the Day: To enter a house or room in Tanzania one must say, “Hodi”, which essentially means,
Photo 4
two of the dorms the girls stay in “can I come in?” and one replies, “Karibu”, which means “Welcome.”
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Uncle Lou
non-member comment
Kanbu
Kelsey Thanks for sharing, and we are glad to see you there with a good first impression. Clearly you had too much time on the airplane for writing. But we are glad you are taking the time to write. Best wishes from Connie, too.