The Stunning Serengeti

On a much lighter and happier note, on the way to Dar es Salaam for our end-of-service meeting with the rest of the teachers sent to Tanzania, Jacob and I were privileged to be able to stop in a little place called Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti is only about two hours from our village in Kongoto, and on the way to the city we usually get to see Zebras and Wildebeests beside the road. However, this time we actually went into the park which opened up a new world of spectacular wildlife and terrain. It was a much needed visit to remove my thoughts from leaving and my defeated spirit.

Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park, a world heritage site, and recently proclaimed a 7th worldwide wonder, the 5,700 sq mile Serengeti is famed for its annual migration, when some six million hooves pound the open plains. During this migration, more than 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle join over a million wildebeest to trek for fresh grazing flowing south from the northern hills to the southern plains for the short rains every October and November, and then swirling west and north after the long rains in April, May and June. So strong is the ancient instinct to move that no drought, gorge or the Grumeti crocodile infested river can hold them back.

Yet even when the migration is quiet, the Serengeti offers exciting game viewing in Africa with great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and thousands upon thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle.

 The spectacle of predator versus prey dominates Tanzania’s greatest park as golden-maned lion prides feast on the abundance of plain grazers. The kings and queens of the pride land are however not alone with solitary leopards haunting the acacia trees lining the Seronera River, a high density of cheetahs prowling the southeastern plains, and hyena always creeping around to steal a kill.  

Jacob and I fortunately got to see all these animals and more as the migration is starting now and as a result the predators are hanging around for some tasty, easy feasting. I managed to take a few good photographs with my little point and shoot digital camera that definitely was outshone by other visitors with their long extra-zoom lenses. As a matter of fact, I think I actually saw someone laughing at me and my camera. There are some really good photos of lions thought, as yes, I was really that close, but the leopard and cheetah were a little further away. It was an incredible experience that one day I would like to do again possibly with a little better camera and some binoculars to see the panthers, cheetahs, and lions lounging in the trees in the distance. All I can say is that God is so creative and his creation is a reflection of his majesty, power, and beauty. Enjoy that photos and think about going with me next time ;)  

Much love, Katie

Impala

Three crocs with their mouths open waiting for fish to swim inside. These are the crocs known for terrorizing the wildebeests and zebra as they cross the river during the migration.

So many baboons live in the Serengeti...they are literally everywhere you look!

The elegant giraffe

A buffalo...which is supposedly really dangerous and known for charging



Elephant herd gathering under a tree



This elephant seems old, but who knows as they all have so many wrinkles.

So many zebras



As much of the great migration my little camera could take in...
so many wildebeests and zebras!



The leopard. He jumped from a tree, but then was so hard to see in the tall grass.



The cheetah was the only animal we hadn't seen until we were leaving the Serengeti and one jumped across the road. However, by the time the car stopped he was already far away. It was exciting to watch him stealthily walk around.

The lazy lions who love to sleep in the day and hunt at night.

This lioness was perched on top of a huge rock. I felt like I was
watching Nala in the Lion King on top of Pride Rock :)

This lion was my favorite as he was so close to us. We were watching the migration of wildebeests in a couple pictures above and didn't even see this lion under a bush watching them as well. It was thrilling to watch the predator keep an eye on his prey.

This is our car stuck in the mud after it rained in the afternoon. We had to lift it up on a jack, and then find rocks and branches to place under the back tire. It was lots of fun in the mud...more for Jacob than me of course.



Not Wanting to Say Goodbye

     There are a few lines in a song by Switchfoot that say, “If it doesn’t break your heart it isn’t love. If it doesn’t break your heart it’s not enough. It’s when you’re breaking down, when your insides are coming out, that’s when you find out what your heart is made of.” Having to say goodbye to all my students, friends, and my Tanzanian family absolutely broke my heart.

Love.

It is a risk.

Every time, you risk getting your heart broken. Maybe that is why it is so special. Maybe that is why Jesus said that the world would know us by our love. It is that strong and fragile at the same time.

During packing, teaching last classes, and playing with the kids one last time before bed, you think to yourself as you are trying not to cry, if you have made a difference. Did my students learn any English? Did I enrich anyone’s life at all? Will they be okay after I leave? Who is going to teach them like I do? Who will keep the library going? Will little Eliza remember me? So many questions and fears run through your head. Whenever you're leaving a place, you just want to make sure that you leave things in a way that the footprints you made while there will start a path that others can continue to walk on after you're gone. I hope I have done that.

In one way you are reassured by a party given by the teachers where they give food, but most importantly their kind appreciative words. They make sure you know how they feel before you're gone. They tell you thank you for the specific things you did. Then when it is your turn to talk, you cannot. You just try to form a few words while crying, because really no words are good enough. In another way reassurance is given when you try to say goodbye and thank you to your Form 2 class, and all the girls cannot look at you because they are crying. It feels good to know that you mattered, but it hurts. Again, assurance is given when the father of your Tanzanian family sits in his truck crying after saying goodbye. Then, not having any money to buy gifts, buys them anyway for both your mother and father, and then brings them all the way to town to you having to pay an additional $7,000 shillings to arrive there on a daladala. It breaks your heart. It’s love.  

There is one quote that I think sums it all up that my friend Melissa used on her blog and I have read over and over in the foreword by Beth Clark in the book Kisses from Katie. It says:

“People who really want to make a difference in the world usually do it, in one way or another. And I've noticed something about people who make a difference in the world: They hold to the unshakable conviction that individuals are extremely important, that every life matters. They get excited over one smile. They are willing to feed one stomach, educate one mind, and treat one wound. They aren't determined to revolutionize the world all at once; they're satisfied with small changes. Over time, though, the small changes add up. Sometimes they even transform cities and nations, and yes, the world.”

Somehow, maybe not successfully, I am trying to do this is Tanzania, but making a difference can happen anywhere. Whether it is taking the time to invest in the life of a friend, caring for someone who is sick, getting your niece or nephew to smile after a hard day of school, calling your mother just to say hello, or not giving up on that one difficult student in your class who would rather be home, it is declaring that individuals are extremely important.

You are saying that how you care for someone helps determine how they will care for others.

You are saying that people matter.

That one life matters.
That love matters.

I want to be known for my love, the kind of love that originates in God and cannot be contained.

The whole family together one last time :(

Going to miss this...

Coloring away....thanks for sending the crayons and books!

Both mamas and all their adorable children

Eliza practicing her mothering skills with little Janette

A little game called "Punda Jacobo" which means Jacob the donkey

Little 4-year old Werema herding the sheep. This is his daily job instead of school.



English book club party at the house. We watched a movie, ate, and had a prize drawing.



My lovely Form 2 book club participants

A few of my Form 2 girls after some crying :(

The teachers

My Form 1 class

The Form 2 prize recipients for superior academic performance



The Form 1 prize recipients for superior academic performance



Form 1 and Form 2 students on my last day



Working and Playing Just a Little

The killing of the duck to eat...the kids loved it!

Mama Werema steaming the duck to get all the feathers off

Jeanette and I cutting up some veggies for dinner



The football team in their new jerseys looking so nice



The girls and I playing some football/soccer after the boys game...yes barefoot

The highest scoring student in each Form/Grade (1-4) and their gift from Jacob...
there were many jealous students as a result.

Me teaching our after-school English Book Club

Bronte (our Australian Missionary friend), Jacob, and I cruising on the Nile.

The stunning and treacherous Nile River



The first waterfall...I am in the middle and holding on for my life!



The first flip...I got stuck under the boat and had to be rescued by a safety kayaker.
I couldn't breathe for a little while and was absolutely terrified!

The guide for some reason does not look very scared in this picture

I am in the middle, and I think I was supposed to be paddeling but fell down
obviously in the raft

The rapids were so big and powerful. You think to yourself "How am I still alive?," but then you just want to go again...such craziness!

Every single day I think to myself, even now ten months later, how I got here. I cannot describe how fortunate and blessed I feel to be here, and to be doing what I have dreamed of doing. I posted so many pictures this time because hopefully all the pictures above will help to describe and explain my feelings and the incredible joy I find in my life and work. There are so many days when I think if I get another mosquito bite, or if another student does not stop doing other class work in my class while I am trying to teach, I might just have to quit. But, as always in life, there are those days that make up for everything bad that has happened; these pictures represent those days.

We have had these ducks waddling around the house for months now, and finally this past week we discovered why they are there. I had never seen anyone in the village eat duck before, but this week the family, especially the kids, had so much fun killing and eating one of the ducks. The kids chasing the duck and mama stuffing it in a pot to steam if before trying to remove all the feathers, brought so much joy to my day.

Mama Anna always gives her new baby Jeanette to one of her older children to take care of, and then they always come to the house to try and play with the rest of their brothers and sisters. This is okay, but Jeanette is always in the way because she is a baby. I love it because then she can stay with me and do whatever I am doing, which is usually cooking dinner. As you can see however, she mostly just sleeps the time away. It is such a sweet time though that I cherish.

Jacob was able to get jerseys, balls, and cleats for the school as well through a friend back in America. I cannot tell you how excited the teachers and students were about this. They maybe were even more excited about the soccer equipment and jerseys than the library and books…which is sad, but kind of hilarious I guess. We had a game to break in the jerseys between Form 4 and Form 2 and Form 1 and Form 3. Form 4 and From 2 won, barely though as Jacob scored a goal for the other team on accident. Let’s just say that soccer is not his best sport. The students loved it and laughed so hard though. I also got to play with the girls after the boys’ game. As a former soccer player, I absolutely loved it. However, playing in bare feet is rough to say the least. I had so many thorns in my feet after the game. Also, with fifty balls being sent we have been able to give them to other schools in nearby villages and use them as prizes for students. We gave the best student in each Form a ball for their hard work in having the highest average overall in all subjects on their mid-term tests. They were so proud of themselves that they wanted their picture taken. Although, one student asked Jacob how much the ball was worth. We think he wants to sell it to buy books maybe…too funny really.

Lastly, after mid-terms Jacob and I had a week off to rest. We decided to go to Uganda to raft the mighty Nile River. After seven daladalas over two days of travelling through Tanzania and Kenya we finally arrived with our Australian missionary friend Bronte in Jinja, Uganda. I cannot describe how absolutely beautiful it was. We stayed at a camp overlooking the Nile, it was just what I needed to refresh my mind and body. I had been rafting before in North Carolina or Tennessee, I cannot remember where really, but let’s just say this was extreme rafting. We even had to get out of the boat and carry it around certain rapids because they were too dangerous. It was so much fun though. When you first flip out of the boat and get stuck under it while still going through rapids, you think I am never doing this again if I make it through the rest of this, but then when you are finished, you just want to go again and again. Hopefully some of the pictures can better describe the incredible power and quickness of the river. I was terrified, but usually things that are hard are always worth it. It was incredible.

I hope you all are well, and as usual I miss you dearly. I cannot believe I only have a month left and will hopefully see you all soon. I cannot really think about leaving at the moment, but I know that God as he has always been will be faithful in my going as he was in my coming. Love you, Katie J

Fruits of Labor

Painting in the library...a quote from Nelson Mandela

After-School English Book Club

The classrooms after painting

Seeing fruit from a lot of labor is an amazing feeling. We officially opened our library almost three weeks ago! I cannot believe that it has been that long already.  I unfortunately and very sadly was not able to be there because of a little malaria issue but Jacob said that he was excited to be overwhelmed with student request for books on the first day the library was opened. He said he must have checked out books to two-thirds of the entire school. I was so happy to hear the great need and desire for books. Students are allowed to keep the books for up to three days, after which they may renew them for an additional three days or return them and choose another. Due to the limited number of books we have in the library (books are ridiculously overpriced here and made way too cheaply) students can only check out one book at a time, and we only have one copy of some of the books needed. We want to possibly purchase some more books before we leave in May, but for now we are working with the books that we have. We have elected two students to serve as school librarians, and they will help keep track of what student has what book, ensure books are returned on time, and that the books are taken care of.  So far students have done a great job renewing and returning their books. There are always a few though who don’t want to give up their book or just forget it at home. However, this is a huge improvement from previous years, as over 400 books donated by U.S. AID had been locked away in the headmaster’s office because of lack of teacher motivation to complete the work necessary to issue books to students and fear that students would steal textbooks. I worry that when we leave the library will be locked and students will not be able to have the books. I am trying not to think about it. Overall, the library is a great resource for the students and a great illustration of how generous people who love the Lord are. Jacob and I have also painted the outside of the classrooms cream and blue, and we are now working on painting the chalkboards. Most of the chalkboards are faded, have holes all over them, and are in generally bad condition. Another teacher has started to fill the holes with cement, and Jacob and I found some chalkboard paint in the town, so the chalkboards have become our newest project. I love seeing all the progress and the students benefiting from it. It brings such a different atmosphere to the school that it is valuable and worthy to be taken care of. Again, I will say thank you to you, because as you well know that none of this would be accomplished or possible without you. Please know that not only do I appreciate all your help and sacrifice, but so do the students and community!!! I love you and miss you as always! katie :)