First, I can't believe 10 days have passed since I have written. I have thought to write each day or evening but found a stack of National Geographic DVDs in my living space left by someone who was here before me and have enjoyed "dinner and a movie" quite happily for at least the last week. In addition to this I've enjoyed some British TV on DVD including the likes of Agatha Cristie's Mystery! series Midsomer Mystery, Poirot and Miss Marple. Love those shows and how they play out! Thanks to Caroline for the use of her collection.
Where to begin? Last Thursday Caroline came downstairs in the morning when she arrived and asked "Tom are you up"? through my open windows. I was and opened the door. She had news: someone was planning to visit the center on the following Monday. And not just anyone. Someone was coming from the Planet Wheeler Foundation to do a site visit at the Umoja Center! Wow. This was big news. The Planet Wheeler Foundation was created by the Wheeler Family in Australia after the family sold what is referred to as the "travelers' Bible" the Lonely Planet Guide. Here they were in Arusha and they were going to pay us a visit on Monday. "Let's get busy, we have work to do"! Caroline exclaimed.
I have been spending time working on a funding proposal for our "wishes of wishes" really since I arrived here. That project morphed to be specific to finding funding for additional computers for the 2010 class which we plan to increase from 40 students this year to 80 next year. I shifted focus from the computers to work on a public relations/marketing piece about the center that we could give to the foundation when they visited. The beauty about the work I am doing now is that nearly everything I write for one proposal can be manipulated to create another piece of work. I am finding while doing this work the effort is greatest at the start when things have to be created but once something is done it can become your next project piece. I love that.
I really worked hard (I can't call writing work!) putting together the proposal and everything I thought of just came out onto the key board so effortlessly. Amazing how rewarding and satisfying things can be when you enjoy doing them! By Saturday the document was nearly ready and Caroline took it home to proof it and add her 2 cents to it. By Sunday Caroline was out running around town having color copies made, having the document bound and prepared for the foundation visitor. For comparison sake, one copy of the color and bound 19 page piece cost over $20US to produce at one of the few color printer/copy businesses in town. I spent the day at the center organizing and cleaning my living space and directing a student Caroline hired to do a "deep clean" of the center from top to bottom. My efforts moved upstairs to the office and before I knew it I was sweeping and dusting and getting things in order. Let me tell you, it needed it bad! Nothing like reveling in a clean space.
I put the books we hauled from Usa River on the shelves and I can say our little library really looks the part. We now have four large proper book shelves (thanks to a student who is a carpenter) fully stocked, cataloged by the Dewey Decimal System ala Caroline and James, a student hired to assist. We placed students' work (art, poetry, papers written on human rights and life skills) on the walls along with posters we have accumulated on issues like anti-corruption, human anatomy, public announcements on HIV/AIDS, gender equality and even an Australian tidal pool poster and pictures of sea creatures found off the Australian Coast. Though not relevant to anything we do, and destined for the trash by someone else, I found the color in them better than the dreary painted cement walls. Caroline gave me a bad time saying "Oh I see you have your Dog Whelk and Periwinkle up" (two pictured sea creatures on one of the posters). I told her it was all about color. Ironic that I am the color blind one. The posters hang in the kitchen.
I have to say Sunday felt like one of those I had when I was in high school after throwing a BIG party that I was not suppose to have--cleaning furiously before my parents arrived home from a trip to Lake Tahoe. There was a real sense of need to get things in order so that when our visitor arrived things would be looking smart with things in their place.
Caroline was beside herself all morning on Monday anticipating Mark's arrival. I kept saying "just relax, I can talk, I don't mind this stuff" and she seemed to feel a little more reassured. About 5 minutes before his arrival I said "I CAN'T DO THIS"! and Caroline just about fell out of her chair. I had a good laugh.
Mark arrived shortly after 1300 and we gave him a tour of the center. He was such a cool guy! Not a bad job flying around the world giving money away, huh? He engaged with the students asking questions about their projects on the computers and asked the beginners' class as they talked about gender equality "Who speaks better English the guys or the girls"? The guys replied "The guys do" and the girls also replied "The guys do"! Gender equality has along way to go in Tanzania! I could tell Mark was full of information and we had a short but productive Q&A during his 45 minute-or-so visit. I presented him with our "work of art" and sent him on his way (to Rwanda that evening) for yet another leg of his journey wishing him safe travels.
Within 10 minutes of his departing, Caroline's mobile rang. At first I thought there was something terribly wrong as I watched the color drain from her face and and tears come to her eyes. "Can you repeat exactly what you just said again, please"? She asked the caller. Then it was clear to me she was speaking to Mark. It had nothing to do with the Planet Wheeler Foundation but instead it was Mark offering a $10,000.00 gift to the center from his own family's foundation! I can tell you we danced, we sang, we cheered, we cried ourselves around the office for not just minutes but the rest of the afternoon. The students helped us cheer and one could have probably heard us all the way out to Njiro Road! SUCCESS! In fact, my first proposal and my first donation. Indeed, it was the first foundation gift for the center as well. I like this work.
Caroline, Joseph (the Tanzanian English teacher) and I split at 1700 and went down to the Njiro Complex to Boogaloo Bar to celebrate! We actually stayed for a few hours laughing and summing up the work and the excitement of success. Joseph and I shared a "goat arm" which Caroline (a vegetarian) and I always have such a laugh over because naturally, goats don't have arms--only legs, but the menu offers goat "arm". A couple of plates of "chips" or french fries and we were all happy. A very drunk Mozambiquan gentleman walked to our table and invited himself to join us. What can you say? We invited him to sit with us. His English was not very good as Mozambique is a former Portuguese colony so English is not the second language there. He repeated many times "very nice, very nice" and "I'm going to say something very special" (which he never did) and used his hands more than any Italian I know! The guy was funny but also very inebriated. I lipped to Caroline "hurry up with you beer and lets go". She did while I fetched the check and we were on our way back home.
Monday ended with the most amazing rain storm. It poured buckets and I enjoyed the sound of the rain, the fresh air and watching the dirt being flushed away from the patio. I called it a night.
This day rocked!
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