“Anything is possible if you believe” + pictures!

This is the lesson we learned this weekend as we spent another restful weekend at Melissa’s host family’s house in Usa River. It has become out home away from home (Arusha) away from home (the US). Usa River has beautiful scenery and a great view of Mt. Meru on a sunny day.

We visited the orphanage again and there we met a lovely group of young ladies that attend the local primary school located on the campus of the University of Arusha.

Most of the girls were between the ages of 12-14 and it was great to get to know them a little bit. They had come to the orphanage to visit and play on the playground there. As they were leaving, they invited us to come and see their school. Next thing we knew, we were in a short church service before dinner that was led by the children. A group of 3 young boys stood on the stage and proceeded to open up the service with prayer followed by singing, scripture reading, a short sermon, and more singing. It was one of the best church services I have been to in a long time.

We then went to see the girls dormitories since most of them were boarders at the school. They are finishing up their studies within the next couple of weeks and if they do well on their examinations they will go on to secondary schools. When asked if they were nervous about their exams, they replied, “Why should we be nervous? We have been practicing.” I admired their confidence. The girls also had high hopes and aspirations for the future which was apparent in their future career choices. Many wanted to be nurses, lawyers, and accountants. When they asked us what we want to go when we grow up, one girl said that I would be a good hostess. We told them that we were studying about conflict and also about how to bring more peace to the world and they seemed to think that was a good idea.

On Sunday, we were invited to Mama Musa’s house. Mama Musa is the head nurse at the clinic where Melissa works. She invited us to visit her and in the Tanzanian tradition, had a lot of food prepared for us. We had roasted nuts, bananas, mandazi (doughnuts), potatoes, and cake.

Not the healthiest breakfast but it gave us a break from the cookies we had been eating all weekend and of course it was good. I will need to step up my workouts if we keep eating this well. At the end of the meal, Mama Musa gave us some sugarcane from her field to take with us. This was my first time eating sugarcane and it seems like a lot of work to cut it and peel it but I think it was worth it. You have to chew it to get the sugary water out of the cane and spit out the rest of it. The sweetness of it was right up my alley.

I am really enjoying the hospitality that Tanzanians are extending towards us, especially when it involves food. We have had so many good meals and met many friendly people. It has really been a blessing for us and I hope that we can extend the hospitality one day. It is an honor for people who seem to have so little, share what they have with us. Although Mama Musa’s house was small (basically a small bedroom, kitchen and sitting area), she did not hesitate to invite us in and make us feel at home.

After we left Mama Musa’s house, we stopped by the primary school to see the girls one more time. They were outside playing so we joined in for a game of net ball. We then showed them some yoga moves, exchanged addresses and phone numbers, and wished them luck on their exams.

Although it was only for a short while, the bonding experience we had with the girls was one that cannot be captured on film or pictures. It is one of those things you just keep a mental picture of and go back to it from time to time to remember the innocence and genuine kind spirits that do exists in this world. Sometimes it helps you forget about all the craziness that takes place, even if it is just for a moment.