Leroy's Art Blog

Monday, Nov. 7

I left Mwanza by car with Morris, the Peace Corps driver who had come to Mwanza to drive the PC Director around to visit volunteer sites upon her arrival for our student empowerment graduation. That was yesterday.

So many thoughts, today. Seeing the outdoor market, so bright with its little pyramids of tomatoes, watermelon, mchicha, bell peppers, the women sitting behind each pyramid in their flagrant colorful kangas... Passing the local café where I ate ugali and samaki, sharif, samosas and donuts, spooning sugar and coffee into boiled milk... Mwanza where Jonathan sells his cards, complaining because there are no tourists today. Driving by the Nana Hotel where we stayed overnight and had breakfast on graduation day with a few of the course students, and then VETA where we had the graduation ceremony itself... It is so vibrant and ALIVE. It has left its mark in my being, and I know that I will be remembered here, also.

Morris, nice guy that he is, wasn’t talking much. A raging toothache had kept him from sleeping the night before, and halfway through our drive to Arusha he began to experience the headache and alternate fever and chills of yet another bout with malaria. Our route, the most direct route, took us through the Serengeti and Ngorongoro National Parks, the reverse of our family safari in August. Past the hippo pond, past the stream with all the crocodiles, past many recognizable stream crossings. We even stopped for lunch at the same little restaurant behind the Sarena Lodge. But we were clipping along at 80-90kph, making time. Mwanza to Arusha, where I again stayed in the Meru House Hotel, in 9 hours instead of the 3 days of our safari in the other direction.

Morris and I separated in Arusha – he to get medical attention, me to catch the express bus to Morogoro. Unfortunately it left at 6:30am, so I did not have the chance to do the special shopping for Tanzanite that I’d wanted to do. Hopefully I can make up for that in Dar es Salaam next week.

But the major event that suffuses my mind as I leave is the experience of the graduation. All the pieces came together, like time-lapse photography of a jigsaw puzzle assembling itself. Atiba (Proj. Mgr of TechnoServe and guest speaker) arrived early on Friday. He’d met the other speakers (Christine, Dir. of the PC in Tanzania, and Pam, Dir.of USAID from the embassy) in the airport in Dar, so they talked together. Atiba and I talked, got the summary reports on the course printed and bound, looked over the beautiful certificates he had brought, then went to Kassara’s home in Nyakato to celebrate Eid ul Fitr, the breaking of the fast of Ramadan, with him and his family. Much good food and discussion. There was also a wedding that took place that afternoon in his courtyard, where we were very interested observers. It involved prayerful exchanges with the groom and his friends while the bride waited in a separate room to hear that the celebration was concluded and the women sat in the back and watched. I have to admit that I have not found the appeal of Islam during my two years in Tanzania.

A mixer had been planned for the evening at the Nana Hotel, for Atiba, Christine, the instructors, and Pam who didn’t show up. It also included Ryan and Brian, the other PCVs from nearby sites. It was a pleasant time, and gave ample opportunity for Atiba to discuss the project and its future with Ann Mtayangulwa, coordinator of the project, and I think I made some points meanwhile with Christine.

The graduation ceremony went off quite well. The students arrived on time, and had prepared poems, songs, and a thank-you speech to break up the monotony of three speakers. But Atiba conducted his speech as a dialog with the students, which was a hit with them. Christine talked about the Peace Corps and the importance of small business and what they had accomplished. Pam gave a hard-hitting talk on the necessity of protecting themselves from HIV/AIDS, and the power of women to advance the development of Tanzania. I talked about what the students have LOST by taking the course – especially the ability to say that Tanzania is a poor country without economic opportunities. We gave out certificates to everybody, and $60 awards to the best three business plans.

Then we broke for lunch. The students ate separately and then had a DJ to provide several hours of music. The guests and instructors ate, had several beers and plenty of time to talk about the project, why and how it should be continued. I handed out the 16-page descriptions of the project that we had printed yesterday. With their stiff backing paper, clear plastic cover and spiral binding, they really did look pretty snazzy!

Not a bad show at all. Lots of good memories to carry with me and to think about today.