Leroy's Art Blog

Thursday.
Last night was a validation of my time here. The instructors and Coordinator of the entrepreneurship course wanted to give me a send-off before the graduation and my departure this weekend. Everyone was there, and we got together at the Wanda Hotel – an old, pleasant hotel in Mwanza. We still had a lot of details to discuss for the graduation, but it all seems to be falling into place now.

We sat on the porch and drank beer, ate a light dinner and talked. We toasted each other. They gave me a beautiful, embriodered batik African shirt, and matching batik fabric for Myrna. The whole evening was just very warm and friendly. They take a lot of pride in the program, as they should, and they kept saying how important I was in creating the program and in assisting throughout the year.

It is true that it was my initiative that got it all going, but only with tremendous support from the schools and from our partner, TechnoServe. But they are the ones who did the work and made it happen. I use the analogy that they created an explosion, and I was fortunate enough to be the person who held the match.

But I did help grease the wheels, even here at the end. There were several schools who were balking at providing lunch money and transportation for their students. Those problems tended to melt away when I went along to explain the program and why the contribution was needed. Like it or not, white skin plus age carries prestige here, no matter how much they would like to be rid of all residual colonial influence.

We do have a slight problem. The conference center seats probably 120 comfortably. As of now, it looks like we have about 150 or 160 people coming, counting students, instructors, speakers, and headmasters plus some parents and friends. Could be interesting.

Today I stayed home to finish writing the Grant Completion Report, and modifying it into a Project Report that we can use to publicize the project and hopefully create some local financial support among the schools and businesses. Otherwise, I’m about ready to clear out. I’ve been giving stuff away, the suitcase and refugee bag are full, my walls and bookcases look bare. My dining table/desk is an absolute mess though, with all kinds of odds and ends of tasks that aren’t quite complete yet.

The last thing that really troubles me is that I have not been able to find a new home for Hodie when I leave. I’ve talked to everybody I can and posted notices with her picture in the internet cafés, but to no avail. I do not want to give her to a Tanzanian, who will try to chain her outside and make her fierce to use as a watchdog. She is a good watchdog, actually – woke me up a few nights ago when a guy was trying to climb over my courtyard wall. Tanzanians don’t understand that a friendly pet can also be protective. For that matter, they don’t even understand the idea of “friendly pet.”