It’s funny how some things people do
here that would be very different to an American who recently arrived don’t
stand out to me anymore. I’ve gotten used to some of the mannerisms of people
in this culture, how to greet and appropriately respect others, how to show up
later than the announced time, etc. As I held a sleepy 2-year-old on my lap
this afternoon for a few minutes at my house as we watched a movie, I realized “nap
time” isn’t a concept mothers have here. When the baby (1 month – 2+ years old)
gets tired or fussy, it goes on the mother’s back, wrapped snugly in some cloth
which is tied in front, and the mother can continue working. I haven’t ever had
a baby on my back and don’t think I would trust the cloth to stay attached to
me and protect my baby, but recognize the practicality for mothers here who
need to walk or work most of the day and want their baby nearby.
However, there are also some similarities
between our cultures which either go unnoticed by me because they are similar
(so they don’t make me feel uncomfortable or out of place), or make me really
excited, depending on the situation. Last week the highlight of my week was one
of these similarity moments when it was clear to me how football (aka soccer)
is appreciated worldwide. Girls from the secondary school nearby challenged our
girls to a football match, so we created a roster and even borrowed uniforms. I
was pumped for the game; soccer games were a part of my growing up, both as a
spectator and a player, and I think my excitement that day was quite noticeable!
I was the proud ‘team mom’, I guess, since no one else was there to take photos
and make sure all the girls had water J I also lent my cleats to
Claudine, a new student who is a superb soccer player, and when she put them on
her face lit up so brightly! The game got off to a great start as Claudine scored
a goal within the first 2 minutes, as we showed their team that we meant
business. Not only was our team superior to theirs, but our sidelines were too;
the other 30 students came to support the players and they were African-style
cheerleaders (clapping and dancing as they loudly sang church songs). I LOVED
THE MATCH! It’s always great to see the girls (my students) when they are expressing
themselves and doing things they love – singing and playing football are two of
those things.
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| The Mwana Nshuti football team is the best! |
I am so grateful to be here…it is
different enough but other times I realize how many similarities there are as
well. It is certainly stretching but also rewarding (as well as enlightening,
thought-provoking, and many other things!). With the past week being Valentine’s
Day and also MCCers from Bujumbura in town this weekend, I was lucky enough to
have delicious restaurant food 3 times: Indian, Korean and ‘American’, not to
mention spending quality time with people.
Work-wise, I found out yesterday that
the school year closing ceremony will be March 9th, a bit later than
the ‘end of February’ that was the “date” for the closing ceremony prior to
this announcement yesterday. I happily began to plan more English lessons. Then
this morning I found out that the students aren’t consistently coming and
apparently the director doesn’t mind … so maybe I shouldn’t plan so many
English lessons. Honestly attendance has been low this whole month, probably
since they’ve learned all the sewing lessons and now we are starting to teach
the newcomers (why there is overlap between the groups of students I don’t
understand…), so they can come if they have material to sew or decide they want
to learn more English. Luckily some students did show up this morning, just a
bit later than normal, and we had a good lesson. I’m a novice at teaching
English but I think they (at least the ones who continue to show up) are doing
well and they can often express their ideas in English. And like most teenage
girls, they love photos with friends.
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| Photo time after English class! (thank goodness for self-timers on cameras - much more reliable than many people here!) |
Every day I am reminded of the fact
that virtually nothing goes according to plan or the way I think it will happen.
I know that can be true about life no matter what, but I think it is especially
true here. I’m learning that it’s good to be flexible and go with the flow,
though, because otherwise you might miss opportunities to talk with people or
support others in their work/life. And, after all, there is always tomorrow (or
the day after tomorrow) for those things you think need done, right?
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