Asante Sana Wazungu!

With only a few days left in Tanzania, I thought it was time to begin to recognize all of the wazungu who have volunteered their time and efforts while I was here. I have been overwhelmed with the amount of interest and support shown by so many of the people I have met along my travels. Whether moral, financial or artistic each contribution made a huge difference and at times kept the project going along much more smoothly than had I done it alone.

I want to thank Joe, Becca and Nikki for showing me what a difference a coat of paint can make. Their work at Patandi in Mary's classroom paved the way for the painting at Oloseva. I also want to thank Joe for coming up to the school to visit and taking the time to learn more about disability education in Tanzania. His excitement for the project and for disability education in general helped to remind me why building St. Dymphna is so important.

Since I last posted pictures of the classroom at St. Dymphna a lot of progress has been made. The white coat of paint and the red letters made the classroom look better, but after seeing the mural at Patandi I knew that I couldn't stop there. To move further though I had to recruit some help as my artistic talent is rather limited. I had dreamed up an idea of an under the sea theme but wasn't quite sure how we were going to accomplish it, I knew it would be difficult to find someone to paint fish, so I had to figure out a way around it. It turns out that a coloring book, lamination and velcro can solve many problems. Once the fish problem was solved I still needed some help with the painting, thankfully, Mandy and Rachel came through and helped to paint the ocean and color the fish. They went a step further when they came up to the school a second time along with Michelle and added sand, seaweed, and a fantastic sun. I hope that you agree with me when I say the room looks fantastic. It is so much fun to see the children inside working in a bright and inviting environment.

I also need to thank Ingrid (who I don't have any pictures of other than of her dancing with Said and I won't do that to her). When I was stressed and having problems with the bank and dealing with all of the frustrations of getting things going here, she kept me calm by forcing hamburgers down my throat. I don't know that I would have been able to emotionally get through it as well as I did if she hadn't been my mom from the land of Oz. I also have to thank her for lighting a new fire in my heart and soul and brainstorming with me for our next venture. This trip is certainly not the last of our collaborations.

And finally of all my mzungu friends (and I'm sure I'm leaving some out so pole sana) I have to thank Bryan. Bryan came along on this trip with little knowledge of what he was getting himself into. He didn't know the language, he didn't know the culture, and he certainly didn't know about the copious amount of food he would be eating while he was here. And while he hit a few bumps along the way, for the most part he was a phenomenal volunteer/partner to have with me. He deserves the most thanks for putting up with the brunt of my frustrations and for keeping me sane in my most insane moments. He also deserves much of the credit for my survival of dysentry and my subsequent illnesses. He was there every step of the way whether it was taping the outlines of letters, cutting out fish, video taping the progress, entertaining me with his drumming, refusing to force feed me thirty potatoes when I was ill, or reminding me that all of this was worth it--he made everything a little bit easier for me. I will forever be grateful for his support, understanding and patience.