July 11: Meeting Eline

Today, we worked until 11am.  We swept with the kids, taught the morning lesson, sang a few songs, had teatime, and played with the kids until our ride picked us up.  Usually, it’s the same routine, different day, and it was nice to have a bit of a change this morning!  This woman, Eline, picked us up from Longuo.  She was a very nice Swedish woman in her mid-late twenties.  Eline is employed by Mosaic International (the American company who partners with BCC) and she has been living in Tanzania for 8 months now, working as the Language Therapist for BCC.  In November, she will be moving to Romania for a year to work with the other NGO there.  As the language therapist, Eline travels to all 11 centers, working with the children at each one. 

            

Today, she brought us to two different centers.  We went to the two centers where the mothers of the children also make and sell crafts.  We saw bead and kitengue crafts.  It was cool to watch the mothers make crafts and to see some of the other centers.  The majority of the students had severe disabilities and were unable to respond to greetings; but the volunteers and caregivers did their best to interact with the students.  One of the centers had two volunteers from Belgium who we spoke with for a while.  They are doing a general Tanzania Volunteer program and randomly got placed with BCC.  This center was also located next to a primary school.  All the students ran up to us to have their pictures taken when we got out of the car.  Then they held our hands and walked us around.  It was nice that this center was located next to a primary school because the primary school students would play with the students with disabilities, and I believe this type of inclusion practice is beneficial for the students.

            

After visiting the two centers, we went to this Indian place for lunch with Eline.  I don’t usually like curry, but I ordered this mixed vegetable curry, which was actually very good.  When we were done eating, Eline left us to get back to work and we walked around town for a little bit before heading home. 

           

I was going to go to KCMC to get internet, but for some reason I was so tired and decided to go home and nap instead.  I slept until dinner—which was chips maiya for the third time this week (totally unhealthy but totally yummy) and now I’m just going to watch movies and read until I fall asleep. 

            

Tomorrow I am working until lunchtime, then we have a reflection session, and then I am staying at our professor’s house to cook dinner with Francis’s wife!  Adrienne, Ume, Grace, and I all thought that would be fun!  

The kids from the primary school at one of the centers