The Staples of Arusha

Love, Respect, and Resilience is what this community and culture stand on. Not only do they live by this but the people here display these traits at every waking moment. No matter what a family or someone has gone through, they choose to come out as a better person, filled with love and respect. These qualities are the first words to come to mind throughout our whole group when describing anything here. Whether it’s in the classroom, on home visits, or little things in our daily routine we have received more of these qualities than we could have ever asked for.

This year I have gotten the lucky opportunity to teach Class 5, which is mainly made up of 10-11 year olds. From the moment I walked into the classroom, I knew love was a staple. I saw it in the first couple of days from the teachers going the extra mile and checking in on the students even when they had ten other things to do, to  the kids taking care of David who is on crutches because of a broken toe. But for me, I could feel the love through the smiles that light up the room when I walk in or the shy but sweet looks I get when I am teaching. Not only is love a staple in Class 5 specifically but it can be seen from all angles of LOAMO. The compassion that is displayed here on a daily basis is eye opening; it has shown me that even when life is throwing everything it has at you there is no excuse to not throw kindness and love back at it.

Although teaching has never come easily to me and being silly isn’t usually my go to, this class has brought it out of me. Within the first two days this class had me on the floor doing pushups with them and singing the national anthem to them as loud as I possibly could. Through me being a complete dork it has showed me how much these kids cherish and love these two weeks. To them it means having nine extra people there to love on them and laugh with them, a little more than usual.

Even though these kids are all smiles on the outside every single one of them has a story that is waiting to be told to the world. Glory Manase story’s is one of 39 students from Class 5 that is finally being shared. Glory comes from a family with three other siblings, one sister that is 17, a brother that is 15, and a baby brother. Glory’s mom used to work at the school in the kitchen which provided a steady income for her family for 16 years along with her husband’s steady job. Unfortunately, this ended about two years ago when Mama Glory was having pain in her back, she went to the doctor and found out that if she wanted to get any better she had to stop working all around. Soon after that, her husband lost his job as a security guard because they needed a school certificates and he had only go to school until Class 7. All of this abruptly put a stop to the steady income they had. Since them the only way they have been making any money is from their three cows which is extremely on and off for a family of five. With no flow of money they have started to make sacrifices that no family should have to make. For example, this will be Glory’s last year at LOAMO because they can no longer afford the tuition. Another problem is they can no longer pay for exams for the older daughter, with this at risk it could also mean that it would be the end of the 17 year olds schooling. When Mama Glory said this it was like a switch flipped in her emotions. She went from having this can do attitude and pushing through everything to feeling extremely guilty that she maybe couldn’t give her kids the life she has hoped. As she was explain I wanted to just give her everything I possibly had and comfort her. That’s when it came to me. We are so beyond blessed to live our life with everything constantly planned out for us. I know for most kids elementary to high school we don’t usually get a say in whether or not we go to school. But here that could all change in a matter of a day or two. The grit and resilience that poured out of Glory’s house was astounding. The effort and choice that they make to never give in to self-pity and they just keep pushing through all the hard ships is definitely something that you don’t see at home.

With our first week her coming to a close I am feeling so blessed to have the opportunity to be back. The opportunity to wake up every morning and give all of my self and more to these kids that deserve nothing but the best is something I will never take for granted. All of this has motivated me to be on 24/7. Whether that is with the kids, working on lesson plans, or on the home visit. With a week left in the amazing country I will push myself to go even further with my goals and make deeper connections than ever. I cannot wait for another week filled with overwhelming love, indiscernible respect, and utter never ending happiness.