A great start to a new beginning

I have always struggled with starting my blogs. Ideas racing through my mind, feelings jumbled inside of me waiting to be put into words, and this year is no different. Arusha is so much better than I ever could have imagined. I thought it would be dry and dusty with minimal trees scattered across the plains, and yet there are lush trees and bushes almost everywhere I look. The culture is also different than I was expecting, they are very welcoming. On Saturday morning we took a class on Swahili and Tanzania culture, our teacher, Nai, explained to us that they do not care about the time they care about the people. Later when we walked through the market I discovered what this meant; you enter the market and you’re greeted with mambo, jambo, and habari, each with a different response you are to give. At this market we saw many handmade goods including jewelry, clothing and many more intricate, colorful objects. We then went to a food market, which had all kinds of food from spices to passion fruits. The smells of the food enveloped me making me feel like I was in a giant kitchen. At the second market our guide, Rasta John, picked up two eggs and told us that the bigger egg was the mzugyu egg, i.e. the foreign egg that was processed and came from machines; you could buy this egg for cheap. Then he brought out a smaller egg he claimed that it would make you stronger and healthier, because it was from Tanzania, it was an “African Egg”.

                On Sunday we went to a Maasi village, I was nervous that we would not be welcomed, as we were a foreign group coming into their homes. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised when we exited the car and were warmly greeted. We were shown to where they keep their cows, a sacred animal. They explained to us that when cow blood and milk is mixed together it is considered a remedy for illness. We then got dressed in multiple shuka’s and conga’s (basically scarves), and made chapatti, one of the best breads I have ever had. After we finished making the chapatti they brought out goat and salty vegetables, which I gladly received. After eating we danced with the Maasi warriors, they started with high pitched sounds and transitioned into song; their dances consisted of many jumps. These warriors seemed to jump more than two feet into the air. After a whole day at the Maasi village, it began to sink in how nervous I was becoming knowing the next day would be my first day teaching.

                My stomach was twisting into knots as we rolled up to the school. I was terrified of messing up, but in the end I taught and tried to think on my feet. While I still have plenty of room for improvement, I will learn from my mistakes today, and improve throughout the week striving to be the best teacher I can be.

                In all, Tanzania has exceeded all of my expectations from their welcoming culture, to the colorful landscape I see when I look out my window. I have had many memorable experiences in the short time I have been in Arusha starting with the Maasi tribe, teaching, and exploring the markets, I am eagerly anticipating the many more to come.

Breaking the Cycle

I was researching the topic of what are nonprofit organizations are doing to help eradicate poverty in Tanzania when I scrolled over this headline, "Is Celebrating Women the Wrong Approach?" I was instantly intrigued. My first thought was wondering what could they mean, how could that be bad? The organization, Aid for Africa, wrote this article, they claim that while the world is making efforts to close the inequality gap we cannot celebrate now, as the gap is not completely closed yet. That reminds me of the saying "Don't count your chickens before they hatch", the world has made progress but if they stop to celebrate now they will never actually complete their goal.

This validates my belief that if secondary education was more accessible to girls then there would be a decrease in poverty around the world. I think that educating women and girls would be beneficial to the countries in with a large population in poverty because with a higher education girls can get higher paying jobs, have more awareness about health risks, and can educate their families as well. With a secondary education they will have more skills and knowledge that will be applicable in life. Furthermore, the World Bank states that “Increasing the share of women with secondary education by one percentage point can boost the annual per capita income growth by 0.3 percent on average.” This proves to me how women getting a better education can get a better job, which becomes more beneficial to the family because they can gain more income. On that note, the World Bank also states that  “Every extra year of schooling beyond the average boosts girls’ eventual wages by 10-20 percent.” Hence, proving that with a better education a woman can better support herself and/or her family. Also, when women are more aware of health risks and have a higher education, they will have knowledge on how to keep children healthy. An educated woman will also be more aware of her financial stability and if having a child would be a good choice, as family planning and birth control would be part of her education. Finally, as a educated mother she will be able to teach her kids. Women are seen as the people who are supposed to care for the child. If the mother is educated she will be able to pass on her knowledge to her child. I know this from experience as well, I have probably learned more from my mom than from school for some topics.

I hope to be a catalyst for this change by going on these trips. On this service trip I am going to teach in Tanzania. I want to give hope to the students that they can do whatever they want if they follow their dreams. I feel that this trip I could give hope to the girls in school and give them a role model, Lisa Marie, as she is well educated and they can see how much she has accomplished and they know her. She always inspires me to try my best and work my hardest and I know that she has the same effect on the girls in Tanzania. That is one of the reasons I do these trips, I know that even though it is a small step I can make a change in these children’s lives. I feel that I am letting them down if I don't put all I’ve got into these teaching opportunities. In all, I can help make a change in helping more girls get a secondary education if I put my all into teaching them and try to be a role model for them as well.

I did some research to find efforts to help end poverty in Tanzania I found a successful project and an unsuccessful project. A successful project that helped to rid poverty in Tanzania is, the World Bank is starting a Conditional Cash Transfer program to help get families out of extreme poverty. This project gives families about $13 a month. This extra money helps them to get more protein in their diets and cover some of the schooling costs. Many families who apply for this cash transfer are families lead by a single mom, this extra money helps her to provide for her children. A failed attempt at helping to end poverty in Tanzania would be the company, Sun Biofuel's, attempt to create a biofuel plant in Tanzania. The company promised to give new jobs, create a better education and health system, and said that they would get clean water to the community. However, the company failed and abandoned the project. This left many villagers unemployed and their land was destroyed in the effort to produce the plantation, leaving them without a job and without land. This failed project had a detrimental impact on the village, it shows how even though the company thought that they would help they ended up making things worse. I think that while it is important to see what has succeeded and learn from the pros, it is equally important to research the mistakes and learn from those as well. The biofuel project was a bust, which was good in a way because now future projects can see how much the failed project not only affected the company but how it devastated the village as well. Hopefully they can plan so that that type of disaster will never happen again. As John Powell once said “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.”

All You Need is Confidence

   "One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else."- Ralph Waldo Emerson.

My goal for this trip is to gain more confidence in myself. This weekend I had my Martin Luther King Jr. hockey tournament. All the teams were really even in strength, so all the games were really close. The final scores were either a tie or a difference of only one point. Now, I play defense, so when someone gets a big rush at our goalie it's my job to stop them and make sure they don't get a shot off. As my dad had pointed out to me when I get scared I tend to stand up tall and be stiff. This is a big mistake in hockey because when I stand up tall my feet stop moving and my stick gets stuck to my side; I basically have tied myself up. Thus, letting the person skate past me and giving them a possible scoring opportunity. My dad gave me the advice to stay low and to believe in myself, because if I don't give up then I will be able to steal the puck from the other person. I believe this applies in my life too. When I get scared I draw back and stay quiet, or second guess myself. This is like standing up straight and tying myself up, I know what I am supposed to do, however I just don't have the confidence in myself to go forth and do it. To counteract that my personal goal is to have more confidence, which will allow me to take risks and to believe in myself, like staying low in hockey. In Tanzania, this will be beneficial to me because I find it really intimidating to think about teaching in a classroom; I only get one chance at this lesson so I better make it count! I believe that if I am more confident in myself I will be able to teach a greater and more effective lesson as confidence shows on the outside. As a result, this goal is important to me because I believe that one can see confidence in another, and having more self-confidence will help me to achieve more and create more opportunities for myself.

In order to enhance my knowledge about Tanzania, I did a little research on their history. I discovered that the earliest proof of human life was found in Tanzania, the remains date back to around 5,000 B.C. The discoveries include skulls and other fossils that can be related to human-like beings. During the 1500s Tanzania was discovered by the Portuguese. Although the Portuguese found Tanzania it was never really colonized. However, a couple years later the Germans colonized Tanzania, much to the dismay of the indigenous people. A big revolt was lead by Chief Mkwawa of the Hehe people. Chief Mkwawa gained his fame by resisting the German colonization and winning a battle in the Lugalo Hills. This was a big win for Chief Mkwawa, it is said that only 2 German soldiers and 15 officers escaped. Chief Mkwawa was such a big threat to the Germans that when they finally defeated him they shipped his skull back to Germany to put on display as a trophy for their victory. Furthermore, Britain then took Tanzania from the Germans and remained in control from 1916 to 1954.

Tanzania declared independence in 1961. The first couple of years they were off to a rough start having a prime minister the first year then having different presidents each year for the next three years, which created some political instability. I find it fascinating how, Zanzibar, a small island off of the coast of Tanzania, has its own laws and president. This allows Zanzibar to have its own government even though it is still considered to be part of Tanzania. This is because when Tanzania gained independence Zanzibar had some conflicting political views creating two different governments. Currently, there are 120 different tribal groups in Tanzania. Most Tanzanians live in rural places and grow what they eat. However, there have been more and more people who have started to move to developing towns and cities.

I find it very interesting how the Germans kept the skull of Chief Mkwawa. The Germans didn't even kill Mkwawa themselves he had decided to take his own life; which in my opinion, makes it even more gruesome. This means the Germans had to track down and find the head of Mkwawa to ship back to Germany. There were many efforts by the Hehe people to get the head of Mkwawa back. They said that until the head was returned there would be no peace. To me, this shows how they were loyal to their leader. Finally, in 1956 the skull was returned to the Hehe people although, some speculate it is not his skull. In all, I am excited to work on my personal goal of gaining more self-confidence, and I am excited to learn more about Tanzania because it broadens my global awareness.

A New Chapter

“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right."-Anonymous 

     Hi, my name is Berkeley Kelly and this is my third trip with CGA, I have been to Nicaragua, Cambodia and I am excited to go to Tanzania this coming summer.  Currently, I am in the Civil Air Patrol cadet program (CAP), Speech and Debate, and hockey. I am delighted that I am given the opportunity to try something new this year, Speech and Debate will be a great experience. Also, I think that my hockey team is really strong this season and I am looking forward to this coming season. As for CAP I am weary on the program, I really want to become a pilot and CAP (being a cadet program), is very similar to the Air Force, I thought this would be a great way to get a head start on being a pilot, unfortunately our CAP squadron is fairly new and the meetings are inconsistent, my hope is to stick with it and become a pilot one day.  My mom and my dad are fairly concerned with me going on this trip, considering how much conflict there is in Africa, but I know that I will be safe. My brother, Declan, is 11 years old and is in 6th grade, which means he can go on a trip next year. I really hope he will go, I think it would be great for him.  I hope to share our experiences one day and talk about how they were similar and how they were different.      

     Last year in Cambodia I learned so much  about the history, what the Cambodian's went through, and also about who I was. My last trip was a huge turning point for me, I learned a lot about who I am and who I want to be. It brought to my attention to how much I second guess myself; I have grown from this and try to be more confident in my daily life. For example, this year I have felt that personally I have gained a lot of confidence, just this past weekend my hockey team played New Mexico, the best team in the league last year. I could remember last year, how I was so sacred and how they towered over me like giants, but I was able to be confident in my team and myself,  we beat them 2-1. Also, it showed me that whenever I am in doubt now I just remind myself of what I have learned, I look down at the bracelet that Srey Tom gave me, and take the risk, "... think of what could go right."

     Cambodia was such a life changing experience for me, which is why I am excited to be back with CGA and going to Tanzania. We will be teaching at L.O.A.M.O school in Arusha, Tanzania, I am excited to teach again, knowing that last year teaching was a challenge for me. I am excited to advance and learn new teaching strategies so I can improve my teaching skills, so that I can help out in the classroom. I am also really excited for the home visits, in Nicaragua it was so eye opening to see the living conditions, and to meet the families; I can't wait to meet new people and to make new friends. In all, I am very excited for the adventure that's awaiting me in the challenge of fundraising and the new experience in Tanzania.

The hardest word to say is goodbye

                A tear falls down my cheek as I realize that this is goodbye, but a smile lights up my face as I realize who I met and what I experienced. It’s crazy how much I already miss all of the kids and I haven’t even left Cambodia yet. These children will have a special place in my heart forever. They have taught me to be confident in what I say and what I do and that is very valuable for my everyday life.

                I could tell that everyone at the orphanage knew it was our last day there. There was a sad awareness of the goodbye that loomed ahead. It motivated me to live in the moment more. When we went up on the stage to dance I didn’t think about what was going to happen or what had happened I just thought about dancing with everyone. We stayed longer to watch their performance and have a small goodbye party. In their performance they did traditional dances, a pop song dance, and a comedy skit. The skit was in Khmer but Mimi, the main actress, was such an amazing actress I was able to get the gist of the whole skit. Srey Tom sat on my lap and watched the act, she was laughing and smiling. It made me laugh and smile too, not because I understood what they were saying, but because it showed me how these kids opened up and let us into their lives. That is something really hard to do, it takes so much to show someone who you really are. I feel like that trust was everywhere in every hug and in every smile. The trust wasn’t only with the kids it was with our group too.

                At dinner we were asked personal questions so we could get to know each other better, everyone answered honestly. I was still scared to answer the questions but seeing how honest everyone was I felt I was able to open up too. Maybe not as much at dinner but I feel that I can really be myself with these people. My friends being open and the kids being open has really showed me that if you share with others you can make once in a life time friends.

                At the end of the day we sat in a circle and they handed out paper chains and cards that they had made especially for us.  Then they presented the picture boxes. I didn’t really know what to expect, but when they rolled out the picture box it felt like our whole trip was put into it. There were pictures and names in the boxes and each one told a story. In each picture there were people smiling. Usually in pictures, you are just told to smile and you do it, but these smiles are different they’re genuine and they tell a story. They show what a person has been through, and they show how the person has persevered and how grateful they are to be there.

Saying goodbye to everyone was a lot harder than I was expecting. Everyone was crying, I looked around saw all their faces for the last time and I started to cry too. Srey Tom who is at the orphanage with her sisters and her mom welcomed me the first day and stayed by my side for the whole trip. Saying goodbye to her was like leaving a piece of my heart there. In a good way. I left them with memories of me and they filled my heart with memories of them. We went to the temples for the last day. Seeing all the temples and visiting a nice hotel made me feel guilty. At the orphanage we visited the slums. The people live in tiny tin huts with barley enough to survive, and I’m here never missing a meal of going hungry, and I have an extraordinary family and home to go home to. The guilt I was feeling led me to be very appreciative of what I have and I’m glad I was given such a great opportunity as CGA to come and help the people of Cambodia.

                So as I finish up this trip I know that I will try to remember this for as long as I can. I will remember every name, so I can label every picture, I will remember all the songs, so I can find them at home, and I definitely will remember the connections and relationships I made with all of the wonderful people I met.
 

Living life to its fullest

                Going through the open gates of the orphanage opens up the gates to my heart. All of a sudden, the world starts to revolve around only the kids and nothing else. There is still a little annoying voice in my head that’s making me be less confident and is making me second guess myself. I am working hard currently in Cambodia to break free from that voice. I am holding back and I don’t want to do that here. I don’t want to have regrets when I leave to go home.

                When you walk into a classroom all the kids faces light up because they have a new teacher with a different teaching style and there excited to see how that class will play out. Unfortunately, when I was teaching I lost control of the class. I broke the class into three small groups and that helped quite a bit, because all the kids started to focus on their small group teacher. I now have a greater respect for all my teachers because I have experienced how hard it is to keep a class going in the right direction. After attempting to teach them how to say ‘tree’, I realized that I need to focus more on how I pronounce words so that I can teach the pronunciation right.  Now whenever I say a complicated word I notice how my tongue and my lips move to make that sound. Tomorrow I will be very passionate, fun, and interesting and get them excited about what I am teaching. This morning in the tuk tuk I got a lot of tips and I was able to make a great lesson plan for teaching packets and I feel a lot more confident and prepared. I really hope that will show in my teaching tomorrow.

                Today and on the weekend we were doing manual labor. I like having a structured day normally when I am doing a task. Doing the manual labor there isn’t a schedule and sometimes I feel like I’m not doing enough. I guess I am just scared to mess up because these kids have so little compared to me and I feel like I need to be perfect for them. I learned today that maybe I don’t need to be perfect; I just need to learn from my mistakes. That’s going to be really hard for me because I hate it when I mess up, I feel  really guilty like I let everyone down. That is my goal now, I want to be able to be more confident, not second guess myself, and learn from my mistakes. This confidence will help me in my everyday life. I won’t second guess that I did my science project wrong or second guess my answer to my math homework. This will save me the time I waste when I re-recheck my work even after I’ve checked multiple times.

                Nothing will hold me back when I teach these kids tomorrow I will prepare lessons and teach them to the best of my ability so that they can learn all that they can from me. When that voice comes back into my head, I’ll just have to ignore it. I’ll assure myself that I am capable of doing the right thing and I can get the correct answer without over checking my work. I will buy a souvenir here to always remind myself that I am capable of great things!

The start of an adventure of a lifetime

                 After 8 months of preparation and over 30 hours of travel, I’ve finally made to Cambodia. It is amazing being here all of the preparation, every minute, every second, was worth it.

                On the first day we went to S-21, a genocide museum, and the killing fields. Cambodia has had a very difficult past that started with a genocide lead by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970’s. At S-21 they would torture the innocent people until they got confessions out of them, like they were CIA spies or Russian spies, if the confession was not what they wanted they would keep torturing the person. After they got a confession out of that person they were taken to the killing fields. At night the Khmer Rouge would play loud music and a diesel engine to drown out the noise of their screams. The music kept the secrecy of what was going on in the killing fields. They had an audio recording of what it might have sounded like and it was haunting, it sent chills down my spine. All I could think of was these innocent people not knowing what was going to happen next and then they were beaten to death. It brought tears to my eyes; I just can’t comprehend how people can do that to their own kind. All of this happened from 1975-1979 so it wasn’t that long ago, and now the killers and the victims all live together, and that astonishes me.

                Now knowing the background of the people I feel like I can understand more of why there is so much poverty. We arrived at the school and all the children ran towards the tuk-tuks and were yelling hello. A girl named Sery Tom pulled my hand and introduced herself. She was so welcoming I knew I would be able to remember her for a lifetime. Teaching in the classrooms involves a lot of repetition, it is read and repeat read and repeat. This is the one time out of the whole year that they get a native English speaker that has come to teach them, so I am glad that I can help them with their pronunciation. Today I did some manual labor around the orphanage. I didn’t know that I could sweat so much! All of us had sweat dripping down our faces, but at the end of the day the feeling was so rewarding when you see the kids smiling faces and you know you what you did was for them.

I love spending the end of the day with all of the kids. Yesterday we played a type of jump rope with some 10 year old girls.  The “rope” was like a big rainbow loom bracelet.  They would hold the rope on top of their heads and then they would jump over the rope. This rope was at my shoulders when the girls were only as tall as the middle of my torso, and they were able to jump over it, it was impressive to see how high they could jump. Today we played some volleyball and then we had a dance party. Srey Neath, a girl who lives at the orphanage, showed us all the dance moves. It was so much fun, it felt like all worries, pains, and problems, melted away into thin air.

                To wrap it all up I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. All these kids have a huge smile and when they smile at you it makes you smile almost as big as them. I love the rewarding feeling of knowing that, I have helped even if it’s only picking up a bottle cap or helping them pronounce ‘very’. I can’t wait for all of the surprises the rest of the trip holds.