I was able to eat dinner and do dishes without being interrupted by the power going out tonight!
Yesterday and today were on opposite ends of the spectrum of people interactions for me.
Yesterday morning, I took a “costa” bus to Arusha. The trips seem to start off with the new people—including me—coming on board standing until people get off. The narrow aisle in a crowded bus means people squeezing by to get off. Then, we get to take an open seat. I sat down next to a young mama and her 4-ish-year-old adorable boy on her lap. We shared a few words in Kiswahili, but it didn’t go on beyond my language limitations. Yes, the boy called me, “mzungu,” white person, which is not uncommon, and not just by children. So, I told him my name was “Mama Anya.”
I made it to the office of TAA Finance to visit my former student, Liz, who is co-founder of this civil society organization.
Liz and me at the TAA Finance office
As they are just getting off the ground, Liz is willing to be my research assistant on a part-time, hourly and mostly project basis, for some additional income. Thus, she isn’t dependent upon the organization when they haven’t built up their revenue stream to a sustainable level yet.
Liz was one of my former Form 3 (9th grade equivalent) biology students at the MaaSae Girls Lutheran Secondary School. We’ve kept in touch, and I last saw her in February 2020, before Covid hit hard. I would consider that she was one of the top 3 or so students in biology, but she also had a sense of agency that isn’t common for Maasai girls who have grown up in the rural areas where patriarchy is strong. I also taught her basic computer skills. Now, she has professional capacity for all her business and financial accounting programs!
We had lunch with the guy from Canada, Jerome, who is trying to set up a small scale, appropriate technology machinery company to make hay bales. The machine not only makes bales that retains food value of the hay, but it can also be income generating as an itinerant baler and make bales that can be sold. I’m sold on the business model. And Jerome is sold on Liz’s business skills that can help him navigate the bureaucracy that hinders entrepreneurship Tanzania—especially by expatriates. Here’s his baler at work in Kenya.
I did get to overview my project with Liz and discuss the description of how I saw her role in this project. What is so Providential is that she has the skills to manage the hiring, taxes, and government regulations for the four future co-curriculum developers/lesson plan writers. Being trilingual in Kiswahili, Kimaasai, and English, she is a great asset to this project. She also drives, and she is willing to have a few trips where I would reimburse her per kilometer at the rate that covers fuel and cost of ownership. I know she drives well, as I arranged for her to help me stop by the largest supermarket in town to get some things that I couldn’t find locally and take me back to the university. Then, I wouldn’t have to navigate the costa bus back home with a big, heavy bag. So, she is huge blessing to this project.
Today, I worked from home. The only words I spoke were greetings to the few people that I passed after work when I took a walk at the end of the workday and before the sun went down. Working from home means that I am close to my teapot and a bathroom that I know has toilet paper, and I get to wear shorts! Skirts are required on campus, so it is nice to be at home. It seems that Covid prepared me to be comfortable with solitary days.
Mungu akubariki! (God bless you!)