Goodbye

As we end our travels in Tanzania, we say the inevitable goodbyes.  At LOAMO on Thursday and Friday, every student in the school was taking exams for the end of the second term.   In the breaks between tests, we CGA members had to say our goodbyes to the beautiful LOAMO family.

On Thursday during lunch, the teachers from LOAMO put together a wonderful meal for the volunteers.  During this break, the chaperones of the trip were gifted with Maasai clothing and flowers, and the group was asked to sing our national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner”.  After we sang ours, the teachers sang their national anthem for us, beautifully.  Then, the headmaster, Nicodemus, and co-founder of the school, Loserian, each gave a speech to thank us for the work we had done.  During the entire break, everyone was smiling and incredibly happy to be there with each other.   It was phenomenal to see how much work they put in to that lunch, and how much they gave when they have so little, just to thank us for what we did.

On Friday, the real goodbyes began.  This was the last time we would ever see most of the kids. (Classes Six and Seven had a dance that we were hosting for them that night.)  Although most goodbyes are bitter, we were overwhelmed by all of the kids.  They were all hugging us and giving us sweet notes.  At one point, as I tried to write down my Facebook and phone number for students, others started to just unzip my bag, put in their note, and zip my bag back up.  All of the goodbyes were so chaotic that we had no time to cry and only time to say goodbye.  I wish that we had more sincere goodbyes; we had to say goodbye to about 200 people in about forty minutes.

We left right after lunch on Friday and went straight back to the guesthouse.  There, we all rushed to get ready for the dance that evening.  We cut fruit of all sorts, made pixie bread, and put up beautiful decorations to show how much we loved their school, staff, and students.  When we finished the decorations and putting out the food, all the running around and stressing to finish was well worth it.

The students arrived at the Maasai camp at about 4:45.  Every student had nice clothes on, and most of the girls did their makeup and hair.  It was so nice to see them in what they liked to wear rather than their bland, navy uniforms.  Everyone’s smile was huge and it made me so happy to see all of them so excited to be at the dance.  This also made me realize how happy they were to have us at their school and in their classroom.  I realized they weren’t just happy to get a break from their usual teachers and lighten their workload, they were happy to make new friends and grow close to us.  I wish I knew the kids better, but from how I do know them, I can tell that they are outstanding people.

At about 6:15, the power went out at the Maasai camp.  During this time, we went outside and a few LOAMO pupils gifted the CGA students with a bracelet and two roses.  At 6:30, it was time for the students to go home, so we said our goodbyes.  Nicodemus, though, was very adamant that the kids got on the bus and left at 6:30, because if they were not home on time, the school would never be able to throw a party like this again.  We held the kids’ hands through the windows, and as the bus pulled away, they slipped through our fingers.  This was our last glimpse of LOAMO, most likely ever. Although goodbyes were less sour than expected, knowing that we will most likely never see them again really is terrible. I hope I stay in touch with them because some of their stories really inspired me. 

Saturday, we got the privilege of going to a Maasai village. The parts of Tanzania we have been to have had a very wet climate, and not what I pictured Africa to be like. However, when we got to the village, it was the picture of Africa.  It was dry with a bumpy road, and as we were driving you could see animals along the side of the road.  Everywhere you looked, there were trees you never see in America and cacti of all sorts. At the camp, we learned about the Maasai culture.  Upon arrival, we heard a welcome song from the Maasai people.  Throughout the day, we learned how to make a fire (from elephant dung and a stick), went out in the bush, and got the opportunity to meet and bond with members of the Maasai.  We also had the chance to buy handmade jewelry from the some of the Maasai.  It was an amazing day.  All of their clothing is brightly colored, and every person has such a bright personality.

In my notebook for the trip, there is a quote that says, “The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”  I think this quote properly summarizes what I took out of the trip.  Now that I have seen what I have seen, I have a new outlook on life and the world.  Going home, everything is going to be different and that’s why I applied to come here.  I wanted to help people and see the world in a different way, and I think that is what I have done.