In Memorium, Mwanza, Drinking with Nuns, and Twenty Limping Boys
The memorial service for the one year anniversary of Naftali Basigwa’s death was tough. I won’t go into too much detail out of respect but despite the discomfort it feels as if there was a certain amount of closure for all those who knew Naftali, specifically with the children and Margaret. Some “snapshots” that will be with me forever:
- Sarah, in her stoicism, refusing to let anyone see her cry to the point of being lead out f the room with her face covered.
- Mary, so mature for her few years, openly crying during everyone’s accounts of the Naftali died, but still eager to be the first child to speak despite her pain. I am still haunted by her words and her ability to speak them.
- Head Teacher Njagi, who didn’t know Naftali, urging everyone in the community to continue to raise the children as Naftali would see fit.
I prepared a slideshow of pictures of Naftali set to music to show. The speakers of the computer did project too well into the room but it seemed like people liked it. The memorial service ended up being about four hours long and ended with a large meal for the entire community. In this time it seems like healing took place.
The day after the service Tammi, Kelly, and I departed for Mwanza, Tanzania to visit our friend, Sister Jennifer who has been placed at a Montessori Training Center ran by a sister from the Sisters of Divine Providence, named Sister Denise. We decided to travel by bus. I have never travelled anywhere by bus. Let’s say it was definetly an experience. It’s kinda like traveling by airplane but slower and stinkier and with no bathrooms and with out the luxurious leg space offered by the airlines. We were set to depart at 9:30 PM from Nairobi and travel through the night. Our friends from the Sisters of the Incarnate Word in Karen dropped us at the station at 8 PM and we boarded the bus at 9 PM and didn’t depart until 11:30 PM. Yes, a two hour delay without one word from the bus line.
What we had read to be a 11-12 hour trip soon became a 16 hours. You heard correctly: from Nairobi to Mwanza, roughly the equivalent of Galveston to San Antonio, took almost the same amount of time as a flight from Houston, Texas to Nairobi, Kenya.
You’ll about what happened at the border and on our arrival in Mwanza from Tammi.
Sister Denise was a firecracker of a woman. She is a nun from Switzerland and speaks German really loudly. It was really intimidating but she was a really nice woman. I was sick the whole time we were in Mwanza and she kept giving me medicines whose labels were in German. On the second night, she said “You’re a man, I’ll give you a whiskey tonight. That should clear everything up!” Being a rum man, I was a little nervous. That night we went to her house and she started digging through the cabinet saying that people always bring bottles of alcohol to her as gifts and she rarely drinks, so I was welcome to it. She sat two bottles of whiskey, a bottle of sherry, a bottle of grappa, and bottle of Bailey’s type alcohol on the table with a sake’ glass for me. She said she was going to prepare cocktails for the ladies.
Let’s just say I slept well that night and felt a little better in the morning.
The next day we went to Saane Island which is a wildlie reserve on an island in Lake Victoria. It was pretty neat. Aside from the sad looking caged hyena and lion, we had a good time. We got back in time to go dinner with Sister Denise, Isabella and Maya (two girls Sister Denise took in, and who attend her school), Bettina (a girl from Switzerland volunteering at the Training Center), Sister Jennifer and some other lady at a restaurant on the beach of Lake Victoria. It was spectacular. You will have to see the pictures.
We sadly departed Mwanza the next day for our long trek home, this time it was a meager 15 hours.
We scheduled our return home for the twenty oldest boys circumcision ceremony that was supposed to happen early the next morning (Saturday). We arrived home and found out it was to be rescheduled for Monday, so we left with Margaret, Cyrus, Felista, Miriam, Sam, and Mary Anna to visit Margaret’s grandmother, only to find out on the way that the doctor wished to perform the procedure on Sunday. So we turned around, made purchases, and headed home to begin preparing the boys for their big day. I was placed on a panel with Cyrus, Samuel, Joseph, and Wabogo to discuss with boys the procedure and what it means. I kept thinking “This happened to me when I was 8 days old! What do I have to offer to this 5-14 year old boys?” I thought of somethings to say, I’m not sure if I helped or not.
The next morning we piled twenty nervous boys into the small van and headed to the doctors office.
It was a harrowing morning. It took nearly 6 hours to “work over” ten of the boys, who I then escorted home.
Needless to say it was a rough day. The boys were in pain that they never thought would go away. But they still ate and became their oldselves by the days end, only now with considerable limping.
Things were good until yesterday, Wednesday, when the nurse came to remove the bandages and examine them. The boys became scared that it was happening again, and some couldn’t be consoled. It became necessary for Joseph, Cyrus, and I to hold down a number of them for the routine examination. It was clear afterwards that the boys were shaken up and so was I. I keep seeing Josiah in my head screaming “Hapana, Hapana” (“No,No”) at the top of his lungs while being restrained.
Needless to say, my son, if and when I have a son, will be snipped well before he learns the word “no”.
Heartbreaking.
I must apologize for the lack of multimedia this week. We went to the Sarit Centre (Center!) and their glorious internet was down. So here we are at the Nakumatt. We have 430 pictures waiting to be uploaded. Let’s hope nothing worthy of recording happens this week!
We love all of you and miss you, you have no idea how much we miss you.
Here’s Tammi:
So much…
Our Trip to Mwanza, Tanzania
It was not until I was awake in a bus at 3 in the morning that I realized that I have no idea where I am and that it was a little strange to travel in a third world country at night in a bus with lots of rain and lots of fog and bad, bad roads. Either way we all sank into our seats and fell asleep the best we could. When we got to the border we got told that our visas has expired, we had gotten a six month visa before we left but apparently that is not good enough because at the airport they are only allowed to give us a three month visa and we were not aware of that until we got told at the border that if we were found with an expired visa that we could be arrested. So he lets us go and tells us that we will have to buy ($25, we think) another visa on the way back in to Kenya. So fast forward to the border to get into Kenya and we borrow 3500/= from Kelly thinking that is $25 and that will be enough but low and behold it is $25 each thus $50 and the guy at first asks us for America currency and we say we have not been in America for almost 4 mo. so he says ok and we give him the 3500/= and he says ok that is enough for one I need another $25 and it just so happened that God was so with us because we had left over Tanzania currency, 70000/=, and Michael has just that amount in his wallet. So off we go and not 15 min. down the road we get flagged down by two police officers, now this is not uncommon, we had this happen all the time on the way to Tanzania, they would just come on with guns and walk up and down the aisle and then we wait forever but then we are on our way. However this time was different we are told that we must all get off the bus with all our things and we are to get into two separate lines, girls in one and boys in another. So we find ourselves on the side of the road with our luggage in our hands getting patted down by people with guns. We were a little scared, ok I was a little scared but all in all we were fine. So needless to say when we got pulled over by the police with Charles (the driver) on the way home because we did not have insurance and we were told that we would have to have the car impounded we were not scared in the least. Margaret took care of the situation and we were on our way soon enough.
Almost forgot to tell you the best part of our journey. When we got to Mwanza we quickly found ourselves with no Tanzania currency and no cell phone and no idea where the nuns lived. We got out of the bus and tried to call Sister Jennifer but our cell phone was a no go and we were stuck. We found a taxi driver that spoke a few words of English that was willing to take Kenya currency (we did not get too ripped off) and he took us to where all the other white people hang out (a very nice hotel) and we asked a women at the desk if we could borrow her cell phone and we got a hold of the Sisters.
Now on to the beauty of Mwanza
Mwanza, Tanzania was amazing, such beauty, it was breathtaking. The house we stayed at was really a dorm house for teachers coming to the Montessori training center, it over looked Lake Victoria, which is a spectacular view. The Sisters were so hospitable, the food, weather and town were all very nice. Sister Jennifer was so happy to see us and Sister Denise (a nun from Switzerland) was so happy to learn about us and she was quick to show off her Montessori school. She has started a nursery school, Primary and now a secondary Montessori school. All in Africa! She has been in Tanzania for 25 years and believe it of not has never heard of Oprah. Sister Denise was also quick to take advantage of Michael’s knowledge of the computer. He designed a very nice brochure for her training center and said he would work on a web site for her. The last night we were there we ate dinner on the beach of Lake Victoria. Never did I think I would be playing volleyball in the sand of Lake Victoria, unbelievable! God only knows what is in store for us but we hope Mwanza is a part of it.
Other things
*About a 15 minute walk from the House of Hope you can see a group of Zebras, about 50-100, just hanging out. They have been there for a while and we really enjoy our walks with our Zebra friends.
*We have a group of frogs that sing us to bed at night. All the rain has given them a sweet song to sing. Sometimes it is so load we laugh while we are dozing off to bed. Sweet dreams of happy frogs.
- Sarah, in her stoicism, refusing to let anyone see her cry to the point of being lead out f the room with her face covered.
- Mary, so mature for her few years, openly crying during everyone’s accounts of the Naftali died, but still eager to be the first child to speak despite her pain. I am still haunted by her words and her ability to speak them.
- Head Teacher Njagi, who didn’t know Naftali, urging everyone in the community to continue to raise the children as Naftali would see fit.
I prepared a slideshow of pictures of Naftali set to music to show. The speakers of the computer did project too well into the room but it seemed like people liked it. The memorial service ended up being about four hours long and ended with a large meal for the entire community. In this time it seems like healing took place.
The day after the service Tammi, Kelly, and I departed for Mwanza, Tanzania to visit our friend, Sister Jennifer who has been placed at a Montessori Training Center ran by a sister from the Sisters of Divine Providence, named Sister Denise. We decided to travel by bus. I have never travelled anywhere by bus. Let’s say it was definetly an experience. It’s kinda like traveling by airplane but slower and stinkier and with no bathrooms and with out the luxurious leg space offered by the airlines. We were set to depart at 9:30 PM from Nairobi and travel through the night. Our friends from the Sisters of the Incarnate Word in Karen dropped us at the station at 8 PM and we boarded the bus at 9 PM and didn’t depart until 11:30 PM. Yes, a two hour delay without one word from the bus line.
What we had read to be a 11-12 hour trip soon became a 16 hours. You heard correctly: from Nairobi to Mwanza, roughly the equivalent of Galveston to San Antonio, took almost the same amount of time as a flight from Houston, Texas to Nairobi, Kenya.
You’ll about what happened at the border and on our arrival in Mwanza from Tammi.
Sister Denise was a firecracker of a woman. She is a nun from Switzerland and speaks German really loudly. It was really intimidating but she was a really nice woman. I was sick the whole time we were in Mwanza and she kept giving me medicines whose labels were in German. On the second night, she said “You’re a man, I’ll give you a whiskey tonight. That should clear everything up!” Being a rum man, I was a little nervous. That night we went to her house and she started digging through the cabinet saying that people always bring bottles of alcohol to her as gifts and she rarely drinks, so I was welcome to it. She sat two bottles of whiskey, a bottle of sherry, a bottle of grappa, and bottle of Bailey’s type alcohol on the table with a sake’ glass for me. She said she was going to prepare cocktails for the ladies.
Let’s just say I slept well that night and felt a little better in the morning.
The next day we went to Saane Island which is a wildlie reserve on an island in Lake Victoria. It was pretty neat. Aside from the sad looking caged hyena and lion, we had a good time. We got back in time to go dinner with Sister Denise, Isabella and Maya (two girls Sister Denise took in, and who attend her school), Bettina (a girl from Switzerland volunteering at the Training Center), Sister Jennifer and some other lady at a restaurant on the beach of Lake Victoria. It was spectacular. You will have to see the pictures.
We sadly departed Mwanza the next day for our long trek home, this time it was a meager 15 hours.
We scheduled our return home for the twenty oldest boys circumcision ceremony that was supposed to happen early the next morning (Saturday). We arrived home and found out it was to be rescheduled for Monday, so we left with Margaret, Cyrus, Felista, Miriam, Sam, and Mary Anna to visit Margaret’s grandmother, only to find out on the way that the doctor wished to perform the procedure on Sunday. So we turned around, made purchases, and headed home to begin preparing the boys for their big day. I was placed on a panel with Cyrus, Samuel, Joseph, and Wabogo to discuss with boys the procedure and what it means. I kept thinking “This happened to me when I was 8 days old! What do I have to offer to this 5-14 year old boys?” I thought of somethings to say, I’m not sure if I helped or not.
The next morning we piled twenty nervous boys into the small van and headed to the doctors office.
It was a harrowing morning. It took nearly 6 hours to “work over” ten of the boys, who I then escorted home.
Needless to say it was a rough day. The boys were in pain that they never thought would go away. But they still ate and became their oldselves by the days end, only now with considerable limping.
Things were good until yesterday, Wednesday, when the nurse came to remove the bandages and examine them. The boys became scared that it was happening again, and some couldn’t be consoled. It became necessary for Joseph, Cyrus, and I to hold down a number of them for the routine examination. It was clear afterwards that the boys were shaken up and so was I. I keep seeing Josiah in my head screaming “Hapana, Hapana” (“No,No”) at the top of his lungs while being restrained.
Needless to say, my son, if and when I have a son, will be snipped well before he learns the word “no”.
Heartbreaking.
I must apologize for the lack of multimedia this week. We went to the Sarit Centre (Center!) and their glorious internet was down. So here we are at the Nakumatt. We have 430 pictures waiting to be uploaded. Let’s hope nothing worthy of recording happens this week!
We love all of you and miss you, you have no idea how much we miss you.
Here’s Tammi:
So much…
Our Trip to Mwanza, Tanzania
It was not until I was awake in a bus at 3 in the morning that I realized that I have no idea where I am and that it was a little strange to travel in a third world country at night in a bus with lots of rain and lots of fog and bad, bad roads. Either way we all sank into our seats and fell asleep the best we could. When we got to the border we got told that our visas has expired, we had gotten a six month visa before we left but apparently that is not good enough because at the airport they are only allowed to give us a three month visa and we were not aware of that until we got told at the border that if we were found with an expired visa that we could be arrested. So he lets us go and tells us that we will have to buy ($25, we think) another visa on the way back in to Kenya. So fast forward to the border to get into Kenya and we borrow 3500/= from Kelly thinking that is $25 and that will be enough but low and behold it is $25 each thus $50 and the guy at first asks us for America currency and we say we have not been in America for almost 4 mo. so he says ok and we give him the 3500/= and he says ok that is enough for one I need another $25 and it just so happened that God was so with us because we had left over Tanzania currency, 70000/=, and Michael has just that amount in his wallet. So off we go and not 15 min. down the road we get flagged down by two police officers, now this is not uncommon, we had this happen all the time on the way to Tanzania, they would just come on with guns and walk up and down the aisle and then we wait forever but then we are on our way. However this time was different we are told that we must all get off the bus with all our things and we are to get into two separate lines, girls in one and boys in another. So we find ourselves on the side of the road with our luggage in our hands getting patted down by people with guns. We were a little scared, ok I was a little scared but all in all we were fine. So needless to say when we got pulled over by the police with Charles (the driver) on the way home because we did not have insurance and we were told that we would have to have the car impounded we were not scared in the least. Margaret took care of the situation and we were on our way soon enough.
Almost forgot to tell you the best part of our journey. When we got to Mwanza we quickly found ourselves with no Tanzania currency and no cell phone and no idea where the nuns lived. We got out of the bus and tried to call Sister Jennifer but our cell phone was a no go and we were stuck. We found a taxi driver that spoke a few words of English that was willing to take Kenya currency (we did not get too ripped off) and he took us to where all the other white people hang out (a very nice hotel) and we asked a women at the desk if we could borrow her cell phone and we got a hold of the Sisters.
Now on to the beauty of Mwanza
Mwanza, Tanzania was amazing, such beauty, it was breathtaking. The house we stayed at was really a dorm house for teachers coming to the Montessori training center, it over looked Lake Victoria, which is a spectacular view. The Sisters were so hospitable, the food, weather and town were all very nice. Sister Jennifer was so happy to see us and Sister Denise (a nun from Switzerland) was so happy to learn about us and she was quick to show off her Montessori school. She has started a nursery school, Primary and now a secondary Montessori school. All in Africa! She has been in Tanzania for 25 years and believe it of not has never heard of Oprah. Sister Denise was also quick to take advantage of Michael’s knowledge of the computer. He designed a very nice brochure for her training center and said he would work on a web site for her. The last night we were there we ate dinner on the beach of Lake Victoria. Never did I think I would be playing volleyball in the sand of Lake Victoria, unbelievable! God only knows what is in store for us but we hope Mwanza is a part of it.
Other things
*About a 15 minute walk from the House of Hope you can see a group of Zebras, about 50-100, just hanging out. They have been there for a while and we really enjoy our walks with our Zebra friends.
*We have a group of frogs that sing us to bed at night. All the rain has given them a sweet song to sing. Sometimes it is so load we laugh while we are dozing off to bed. Sweet dreams of happy frogs.
posted by Michael & Tammi at 5:15 AM
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