Our Three Christmas Miracles and the Haruma Center
We didn’t get up especially early. Sarri, Frances, Linds and I made our way to my favorite Chipati place to have breakfast. Chipati is one of my favorite foods over here. It’s kind of like lefsa, but it’s just made with flour and oil, so it’s greasier than lefsa. The place I like to go to is so fascinating. It’s hidden in the market and I have walked by it a million of times and never knew it was there. It’s a collection of tons of women cooking different things. They cook all of these foods right in front of you. Every time before we go we have to hunt for the best avocados. The locals don’t eat chipati with avocado, but I think it’s heavenly with avocado on it and with a little salt. Also they have the best chi yamaziwa (tea with milk). On the whole it’s a breakfast of champions!!
We sat there and had breakfast. The girls loved it. Then we made our way to the bus station because Sarri would be leaving to go to Matima for Christmas and New Years. We asked Aidan to help us find a bus for Sarri and she was off. Then we all had to go back to Dira to pick up Chrissy.
Chrissy decided that she would like to spend Christmas with some other Germans that lives in Moshi. She needed us to drop her off because she had too many bags to carry them to the bus station on her own so we just loaded everything up in the SUV. Chrissy’s dad passed away last Christmas in a car accident and she felt that she would have a better Christmas if she traveled away from Dira. She thought that if she were around different people and different scenery it would be easier for her.
After that we then met up with Inga to do our Christmas shopping. The night before when we were having dinner we had made a shopping list of all the different types of food and spices we would need. We grabbed potatoes, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, pineapple, mango, guava, papaya, and many other foods and spices.
Annika had arranged it so that our main dish would be duck. We decided that a turkey would be too expensive and a chicken would be too small. Most of the chickens over here are quite puny compared to the chickens we have in the states. It could be that they are not given the same kind of feed or that they are not pumped with steroids and things.
We had also decided that instead of buying everyone gifts we would each buy one gift and play a game. The rule was that the gift could not be too much over 3,000 tsh. Lindsey and I also spent some time shopping for the Christmas presents and looking around so that she would have some sort of idea what to get for her friends and family.
We came back to Dira right after that because Frances was feeling really sick. She took a nap and then she still didn’t feel better so we took her to the hospital. She came back with some medicine. The doctors told her that she had Malaria. Frances didn’t like the idea of taking all the pills that the doctors gave her. She doesn’t like to take pills and so the five different pills they gave her made her kind of unsure.
That night I decided to show Linds and Fran the wonderful world of kitimoto. We all went out Ross, Heather, Inga, Sunna, Aidon, Kennith, Onesmo, Annika, Puis Adam and Sandal. Ross is the cheese head, packer fan that lives next door to me had his girl friend came to see him for Christmas. Heather is working as an English teacher in Indonesia. She was really nice and pretty and I had a lot of fun getting to know her better.
I wanted us to have a pre- Christmas party so I invited Puis, a friend of mine who is a police officer, Adam and Sandal two of our Tanzanian friends that live at Dira, Aidon, Onesmo, and Kennith. Aidon and I have been friends since I came here two years ago. Him, Onesmo, and Kennith own a shop together. I have gotten to know them all really well. They are all really nice and have on many occasions went way out of their way to help me out with things like navigating the market and finding things.
We all just sat around the table eating kitimoto (fried pork) and chips and caught up on life since we had all been parted because Ross was in Dar picking up Heather and I was in Dar and Zanzibar with Linds. We also talked a lot about what the next day would hold.
Linds and Frances liked the kitimoto and I was happy that I would not have to disown them. Then we left to settle in to bed. Sunna who lives on my right had an extra bed so she let Frances share her room.
The next day we got up to go have chipati again. Annika had told me that she would give me a call when it would be best for Linds and I to go to the Haruma Center to present the children with their new shoes. We did this on the 24th. The kids were also receiving a Christmas outfit. We decided it would be best to give them the shoes the day before Christmas, so that they could wear them with the Christmas clothes. As soon as Anni gave me the call Linds and I were off.
When we got there Anni was a little frustrated because Mama Sheoveywa (don’t know how to spell it) wanted us to present the shoes but not all the children were there. We had no choice but to continue without all of them. All of the children sang Silent Night. It was really pretty. Then I got up to the front of the room and talked to the children. I told them my name and that I am teaching at Tumaini University, but that I am from Minnesota and that I am a member of Fish Lake Lutheran Church. I told them that my church wanted them to know that not only do we care about them, but God loves them as well, but we wanted to make sure that they had a great Christmas, so we raised money to buy them all shoes.
All the children knew that they would be receiving shoes from us previously. Annika took them each into the market in groups so that they could pick out a pair that they liked and that fit. We figured it was the only way to spend the money wisely and give them shoes they would like.
I also told them that on Christmas I would be coming back to give them each a present form our church as well. They were very happy! Then Anni and I started to hand out the shoes. The children had each written their names on a piece of paper and tucked it in their shoes, so it was really easy and clear to know who they belonged to. We called each child up and Anni or I would hand them their shoes and then they would walk over to me and thank me (of course me being the ambassador from Fish Lake and all) and then I would wish them a Merry Christmas. They were all so happy. It was quite a sight! The look on all of their faces as they shook my hand was priceless. These children basically have nothing. The Mama tries hard, but she can’t give love and affection to all those children and she also has so many other things to run and look after. Then there is Annika. She plays with them as much as she can, but the volunteers from the Berlin mission only stay for a year. Just when the children are getting attached to a volunteer they leave. But, on the other hand these children seem to be happy for what they do have. It’s a sad life, so knowing that you put a smile on their face should give you much joy.
They are so grateful to everyone from Fish Lake for helping them out. There was some additional money left over. So, Anni used some of it for a bike trip they went on. The children at the Haruma Center seldom get any fruits, so for the remainder of the money Annika will use it to buy the children some fruits once a week. Annika is a very health conscious person and she says that it’s good to have meals of Ugali and beans, but they need fruit in their diet.
Annika is also very grateful to everyone at Fish Lake. She loves to volunteer at the Haruma Center, but she gets so depressed to see how these children have to live. Also, the Haruma center is just one orphanage of many in Tanzania!
Stay Tuned For Part Two of
We didn’t get up especially early. Sarri, Frances, Linds and I made our way to my favorite Chipati place to have breakfast. Chipati is one of my favorite foods over here. It’s kind of like lefsa, but it’s just made with flour and oil, so it’s greasier than lefsa. The place I like to go to is so fascinating. It’s hidden in the market and I have walked by it a million of times and never knew it was there. It’s a collection of tons of women cooking different things. They cook all of these foods right in front of you. Every time before we go we have to hunt for the best avocados. The locals don’t eat chipati with avocado, but I think it’s heavenly with avocado on it and with a little salt. Also they have the best chi yamaziwa (tea with milk). On the whole it’s a breakfast of champions!!
We sat there and had breakfast. The girls loved it. Then we made our way to the bus station because Sarri would be leaving to go to Matima for Christmas and New Years. We asked Aidan to help us find a bus for Sarri and she was off. Then we all had to go back to Dira to pick up Chrissy.
Chrissy decided that she would like to spend Christmas with some other Germans that lives in Moshi. She needed us to drop her off because she had too many bags to carry them to the bus station on her own so we just loaded everything up in the SUV. Chrissy’s dad passed away last Christmas in a car accident and she felt that she would have a better Christmas if she traveled away from Dira. She thought that if she were around different people and different scenery it would be easier for her.
After that we then met up with Inga to do our Christmas shopping. The night before when we were having dinner we had made a shopping list of all the different types of food and spices we would need. We grabbed potatoes, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, pineapple, mango, guava, papaya, and many other foods and spices.
Annika had arranged it so that our main dish would be duck. We decided that a turkey would be too expensive and a chicken would be too small. Most of the chickens over here are quite puny compared to the chickens we have in the states. It could be that they are not given the same kind of feed or that they are not pumped with steroids and things.
We had also decided that instead of buying everyone gifts we would each buy one gift and play a game. The rule was that the gift could not be too much over 3,000 tsh. Lindsey and I also spent some time shopping for the Christmas presents and looking around so that she would have some sort of idea what to get for her friends and family.
We came back to Dira right after that because Frances was feeling really sick. She took a nap and then she still didn’t feel better so we took her to the hospital. She came back with some medicine. The doctors told her that she had Malaria. Frances didn’t like the idea of taking all the pills that the doctors gave her. She doesn’t like to take pills and so the five different pills they gave her made her kind of unsure.
That night I decided to show Linds and Fran the wonderful world of kitimoto. We all went out Ross, Heather, Inga, Sunna, Aidon, Kennith, Onesmo, Annika, Puis Adam and Sandal. Ross is the cheese head, packer fan that lives next door to me had his girl friend came to see him for Christmas. Heather is working as an English teacher in Indonesia. She was really nice and pretty and I had a lot of fun getting to know her better.
I wanted us to have a pre- Christmas party so I invited Puis, a friend of mine who is a police officer, Adam and Sandal two of our Tanzanian friends that live at Dira, Aidon, Onesmo, and Kennith. Aidon and I have been friends since I came here two years ago. Him, Onesmo, and Kennith own a shop together. I have gotten to know them all really well. They are all really nice and have on many occasions went way out of their way to help me out with things like navigating the market and finding things.
We all just sat around the table eating kitimoto (fried pork) and chips and caught up on life since we had all been parted because Ross was in Dar picking up Heather and I was in Dar and Zanzibar with Linds. We also talked a lot about what the next day would hold.
Linds and Frances liked the kitimoto and I was happy that I would not have to disown them. Then we left to settle in to bed. Sunna who lives on my right had an extra bed so she let Frances share her room.
The next day we got up to go have chipati again. Annika had told me that she would give me a call when it would be best for Linds and I to go to the Haruma Center to present the children with their new shoes. We did this on the 24th. The kids were also receiving a Christmas outfit. We decided it would be best to give them the shoes the day before Christmas, so that they could wear them with the Christmas clothes. As soon as Anni gave me the call Linds and I were off.
When we got there Anni was a little frustrated because Mama Sheoveywa (don’t know how to spell it) wanted us to present the shoes but not all the children were there. We had no choice but to continue without all of them. All of the children sang Silent Night. It was really pretty. Then I got up to the front of the room and talked to the children. I told them my name and that I am teaching at Tumaini University, but that I am from Minnesota and that I am a member of Fish Lake Lutheran Church. I told them that my church wanted them to know that not only do we care about them, but God loves them as well, but we wanted to make sure that they had a great Christmas, so we raised money to buy them all shoes.
All the children knew that they would be receiving shoes from us previously. Annika took them each into the market in groups so that they could pick out a pair that they liked and that fit. We figured it was the only way to spend the money wisely and give them shoes they would like.
I also told them that on Christmas I would be coming back to give them each a present form our church as well. They were very happy! Then Anni and I started to hand out the shoes. The children had each written their names on a piece of paper and tucked it in their shoes, so it was really easy and clear to know who they belonged to. We called each child up and Anni or I would hand them their shoes and then they would walk over to me and thank me (of course me being the ambassador from Fish Lake and all) and then I would wish them a Merry Christmas. They were all so happy. It was quite a sight! The look on all of their faces as they shook my hand was priceless. These children basically have nothing. The Mama tries hard, but she can’t give love and affection to all those children and she also has so many other things to run and look after. Then there is Annika. She plays with them as much as she can, but the volunteers from the Berlin mission only stay for a year. Just when the children are getting attached to a volunteer they leave. But, on the other hand these children seem to be happy for what they do have. It’s a sad life, so knowing that you put a smile on their face should give you much joy.
They are so grateful to everyone from Fish Lake for helping them out. There was some additional money left over. So, Anni used some of it for a bike trip they went on. The children at the Haruma Center seldom get any fruits, so for the remainder of the money Annika will use it to buy the children some fruits once a week. Annika is a very health conscious person and she says that it’s good to have meals of Ugali and beans, but they need fruit in their diet.
Annika is also very grateful to everyone at Fish Lake. She loves to volunteer at the Haruma Center, but she gets so depressed to see how these children have to live. Also, the Haruma center is just one orphanage of many in Tanzania!
Stay Tuned For Part Two of
Our Three Christmas Miracles and The Haruma Center
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