The "sherehe." (celebration) Last weekend the children of the school put on a program to celebrate Founder's Day for the man who began the Catholic order for this compound. The nuns and priests of our compound come from India, and it was a real hoot to hear an Indian nun singing an Indian type of song in English to an African drumbeat while Tanzanian children were dancing with Indian movements. Tessa's comment was "why are they wiggling their heads?"
During the program our landlord, one of the priests, asked me if Tessa would like to go up on stage and recite a poem. I said "she doesn't know any poems," to refuse him as I knew she would be too shy to give a public performance of any kind. His return comment was, "you bring her to our school for a month and she will get smart." Hmmm.
The kids at the gate to the school. Everyone was eager to pose for my camera. I wish I could give them all a copy of the picture.
Tessa's classroom. The kids all wear uniforms, so I just do my best to have her in white so she mostly matches the other kids when they take off their red sweaters. Isn't it amazing that kids here wear sweaters at all? Even when we think it's hot, they still can feel cool so it makes sense for them. I'm just wondering how long I can keep her white jeans and shirt truly white from the wear and tear of the playground at the school! We're fortunate the school has a playground - it is the only one I've ever seen in Musoma, but it makes American playgrounds look like Disneyland, and is totally void of anything remotely resembling safety.
Tessa outside her school building on her second day of school. The kids absolutely adore her. Everyone knows her name - from the smallest 3 year old to the oldest teen. Word got around fast about the little "mzungu" (white person) coming to school. She doesn't seem to mind the attention, but is starting to make comments about how her skin is different from theirs - it's a great open door for lots of good conversations at home.
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