The day has come

This past Monday, the first of 24 orphans moved into their new home. Baraka and Tumsifu are twins who lost their dad a year ago. They are three years old, but look half the age due to malnutrition. Their mother, left with 4 other children, was unable to care for them properly due to her mental illness. I first met them at Samaritan Village - they could not walk and did not make a sound. Now, just two weeks later, they are running around screaming their heads off. (I have a video of that in effect, but it'd take a day and a half to upload...so that'll have to wait)

There has been a whirlwind of events since I last updated. It has resulted in the loss of many of our volunteers. It's sad, almost tragic, that this is how we will end the volunteer program. All the times we've joked about how we should have a Survivor-type scenario with people getting voted off - happened all at once. Nonetheless, it is what it is and we do with what we have.



There was a beautiful rainbow out today - stretching from one side of Mt. Meru to the other side of our hill. Very picture perfect, unlike the ending of our program here.

On a different note, lots of things have happened with the "6 boys in Sekei". A week ago, I was about to give up on a few of them. After a strict talk with Joyce, Jacob, and Godi, their behavior improved. These boys have become some of my best friends here, despite the ever-present language barrier. (As I write this now, the boys are having more serious talks with OHS staff due to bad behavior, disrespect, and general guideline-setting for their time with OHS.) I'm going to miss them so much. We've laughed and worked together and fought and argued, but I think they now better understand our unique bond and relationship. It's hard, if not impossible, to know the personal influence, if any, I have had on these boys, but they have taught me so much about patience, poverty, persistence, loyalty, myself, Tanzanian street culture, and so much more. As my time winds down to an end, I can see its on the boys' minds as well. Emanuel asked me today, not when I will leave, but when I will return to Tanzania. Only time will tell.

We've been working on the cow pen, cementing the ground - hard, tiring work, but fun for sure. I've really enjoyed working along side these boys.

None of these entries end well or at all, but that's how it goes. Someday, I will return to this beloved place.

More on this later, I'm all out of Internet time for now!