As the saying goes, "all good things must come to an end!" and our adventures in Tanzania came to a truly amazing end this morning. We slept in, had our last fix of the Swahili Sweet Pancakes and headed to the Autism Unit around 9:30. It was the first day Amber was able to join us. Mama Ella would not let Amber get away without saying her goodbyes! We were joyful to have her finally joining us. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by Abdala and Alpha. Alpha is particularly fond of Amber so it was no surprise that he followed her around most of the morning.
We exchanged our Shikamo's and Harbari's and then had plans to show the teachers how to use the sensory items we have toted along this entire month. We bagged them up and then began taking them out to use with the children. It was so interesting to see how each kid was stimulated by a different object. Gedion was infatuated with the noise sticks that had beads rolling down inside of it, Irene, who is obsessed with balls, fell for the Velcro toss and catch set, and Karime's favorite was chasing the bubbles. It was a true joy to see the smiles on both the kids and teachers's faces. The teachers were just as interested in the unique items we had collected as the kids were. Each one took a child and began showing them how to use the items. It was special and really made it worth the extra pounds added to our luggage to see how much the enjoyed the sensory items.
After "play time" we headed inside the classroom for Chai was the students and teachers. It was quite special to have them offer us Chai with bites, fruit, and biscuits. The school as it is has so little, so for them to share this small token with us, meant more then they probably understand. However, more then the bites was the next token that was shared with our team... Mama Ella read the most heart felt letter I have ever heard. She stated that on behalf of herself and the entire staff, they were so thrilled to have us come back to the unit and share more knowledge. They feel that we have prepared them for yet another successful year of teaching and welcomed us back for years to come. To show us just how serious they were about welcoming us back, they had three of the students present us with gifts.... A t-shirt that read "Karibu Tena Msimbozo Mseto" or "Welcome Again to Msimbozo Mseto" we were ecstatic to receive the shirts and know that they really do appreciate all of the information and items that we have brought to them the past two summers. It warmed all of our hearts and made us feel as though we were having chai and bites among family!
Until next year, we have said our best wishes and God Blesses to the center, the students, and this evening to our dear friend Christopher. Though we are sad to leave, we are anxious to get home, and know they we need to rest up before returning again. There is must to be done regarding special needs awareness in Africa and I think we are well on our way to building a strong team to help change the way children are educated here :)
Our plane to Kilomonjaro leaves at 9:30 tomorrow so we are headed to the airport bright and early. We are expected to land in Ethiopian around 7:30 before heading off to Washington D.C. 10:30. Once to D.C. We've got a few hours to kill and then are heading to KC for a much needed reunion! Yah yah yah! I can just hear my bed calling my name :) can't wait to hug my little baby Zuri!
Love and thanks for reading!
Marily Kaff, Amber Olson, and Nicole Maupin
We exchanged our Shikamo's and Harbari's and then had plans to show the teachers how to use the sensory items we have toted along this entire month. We bagged them up and then began taking them out to use with the children. It was so interesting to see how each kid was stimulated by a different object. Gedion was infatuated with the noise sticks that had beads rolling down inside of it, Irene, who is obsessed with balls, fell for the Velcro toss and catch set, and Karime's favorite was chasing the bubbles. It was a true joy to see the smiles on both the kids and teachers's faces. The teachers were just as interested in the unique items we had collected as the kids were. Each one took a child and began showing them how to use the items. It was special and really made it worth the extra pounds added to our luggage to see how much the enjoyed the sensory items.
After "play time" we headed inside the classroom for Chai was the students and teachers. It was quite special to have them offer us Chai with bites, fruit, and biscuits. The school as it is has so little, so for them to share this small token with us, meant more then they probably understand. However, more then the bites was the next token that was shared with our team... Mama Ella read the most heart felt letter I have ever heard. She stated that on behalf of herself and the entire staff, they were so thrilled to have us come back to the unit and share more knowledge. They feel that we have prepared them for yet another successful year of teaching and welcomed us back for years to come. To show us just how serious they were about welcoming us back, they had three of the students present us with gifts.... A t-shirt that read "Karibu Tena Msimbozo Mseto" or "Welcome Again to Msimbozo Mseto" we were ecstatic to receive the shirts and know that they really do appreciate all of the information and items that we have brought to them the past two summers. It warmed all of our hearts and made us feel as though we were having chai and bites among family!
Until next year, we have said our best wishes and God Blesses to the center, the students, and this evening to our dear friend Christopher. Though we are sad to leave, we are anxious to get home, and know they we need to rest up before returning again. There is must to be done regarding special needs awareness in Africa and I think we are well on our way to building a strong team to help change the way children are educated here :)
Our plane to Kilomonjaro leaves at 9:30 tomorrow so we are headed to the airport bright and early. We are expected to land in Ethiopian around 7:30 before heading off to Washington D.C. 10:30. Once to D.C. We've got a few hours to kill and then are heading to KC for a much needed reunion! Yah yah yah! I can just hear my bed calling my name :) can't wait to hug my little baby Zuri!
Love and thanks for reading!
Marily Kaff, Amber Olson, and Nicole Maupin
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