End of Placement Report
Juanito Fuentebaja Estrada1
VSO Volunteer, Pemba (October 3, 2009 - October 3, 2011)
The recent happenings in the Island leads me to a deeper realization to ask myself on what I have done in my two years here Pemba . Reality wise, I admire my co - volunteers sharing their successes after their few months in their respective placements. Compared to what they have done, mine is not even a quarter of what they have achieved.
However, my reflections brought me to the state of being grateful despite of the several house break ins and up to the point that I have nothing left to wear, an accident that slightly misaligned my spinal lumbar vertebrae when I slipped in the slope for fetching my water, ridiculed for my Kiswahili, a long overdue allowance, chased with a knife on my way to my work in the shamba, cheated several times in the sokoni, stoned because I was mistaken for somebody, and worse somebody told me “you cannot stay in Pemba for long, for you do not understand the African culture”.
Sometimes, along the way during work, I am drenched and soaking wet in the rain or endure the heat of the African sun cycling back to my house hungry and almost dehydrated. Being sick, alone, and very weak even to make fire to boil water is not easy. The adjustment period was almost unbearable; you need to understand on how the different systems work and sometimes it will not work based on your expectations.
However, when I saw or meet the Pemban boys (Alain, Andre’, Jorum, Sylvester, and Les) it always make me happy. Meeting them in the airport or hosting them a welcome dinner was always a pleasure to me and it is always a joy to hear them telling me their wonderful volunteer stories. It also breaks my heart if they are not treated kindly especially in their respective working areas or if they feel that they are discourage because some things will not work despite of their efforts to give their best. Visiting them in their respective homes and I see that they are living comfortably is always a bonus of joy to me.
When I missed home, especially my nephews and niece, I always find pleasure when children especially in my neighborhood playing together which was a rarity when I arrived here in Wete. Boys and girls now play together and it all started just because of the simple plastic thing called “Frisbee”. I didn’t know that Frisbee can make a difference in their lives in a society that is strictly patriarchal. They eased my homesickness when they will meet in the street and kiss my hand and say ‘”shikamoo”with toothy grin when two years ago they will shout mzungo or mchina and confused. They are my true askaris ( guard ) when I am not at home, they watch my nyumba na bustani ( house and garden) both from the roaming animals and people with busy itchy hands.
My biggest disappointment in my placement is that I have to navigate almost on my own to find the right people and right places so that I can start to work. It took me almost a year to find them but they are now my diamonds in my placement. They are rare and indeed, a treasure that is almost hard and difficult to find. I am happy that Les (my buddy) correlates with them well and I was not ashamed to introduce my gems to him. But my gems are not yet fully polished, I am still working on it and I hope that soon when I bade them my goodbye, they are sparkling and their glitters will charm others and I hope their radiance will multiply.
When I meet teachers blurting “participatory learning “and “gender equity “ it lifts me to my heavens. Seeing them using objects or molding clay models in their Science and Math classes is always a joy when some of them before will not joined me before n in my training sessions because I have nothing to offer them for snacks and per diem. And it is sweet to hear when I meet pupils coming from their classes greeting me in their few memorize English such as “good morning and how are you” even if they cannot understand the next English questions or greetings that comes out from my mouth. But their confidence and eagerness to speak the few memorize English that they have is always a delight to me.
However, there are still teachesr that I observed sleeping on the top of the teachers table while students watched them, students writing on the board on behalf of their teachers who are busy gossiping under the mango tree but still I am hopeful that the few teachers who are dedicated and work with passion will ignite them with enthusiasm and determination in their work, to provide their students a quality education. From the dedicated teachers who patiently accommodate me in their schools and attend the trainings even without nothing in exchange just because they have the passion in their hearts to learn, I realized that quantity is better than quality.
Washing my clothes in the spring down the slope, sweeping and cleaning my house always draw curiosity especially among men. They always asked if I have a wife and if they will know I don’t have, they will readily offer their sisters or their young daughters and even their widowed mothers! Now, when I am at the well, I can see men washing their own clothes, fetching water and surprisingly some of them are now holding the brooms!
When, I arrived here in my placement, I found a house. An empty house. A house where I do not know where to sleep because when it rains it pours but during summer nights, the holes in my roofs becomes my gateway to the Milky Way. An experience which I didn’t enjoy before coming to Pemba. A house with nothing but dust is now my second home, where the local bring the stranded tourists especially those who do not how to communicate in English , where the mama’s bring their watoto for first aid and most of all my fellow volunteers and I feel safe and secure during our weekends. The house is now a place where mind discuss ideas, where both the locals and volunteers converge. Now, I have an African home, when before I am just contented by the extra ordinary shows of the acrobatic skills of the vervet monkeys as the Indian crows chase them for stealing the eggs from their nest, now children knock in my doorand ask me to teach them karate in which I will answer them in my broken Swahili with a smile , that I do not know. Tonight, as I am about to start writing this simple piece of mine to say thanks to your my friends, the Pemban flying foxes starts to fly in the horizon,and I learn that you can always have a home and always we long for home – a home where we feel secure, comfortable and being loved.
My friends and acquaintances are my pillars of support for my stay here in Pemba. For countless times, they readily shared with me with their hard earned resources and blessings. In the past two years, I did two fundraisings to support my work here. The first was one dubbed as “A Walk for Africa” was dedicated to commemorate my brother’s death who was murdered a few weeks before I left for my placement and on my second year I did the “ Gift for Africa : Education, Empowerment and Environment “. As a gift to my supporters, I personally planted thousands of mangroves and still planting in the coastal waters of Wete.
The airport guards and inspectors who were very stern and strict to let me passed and confiscate my things including my pasalubong of ginamos and daing (salted fish) and make me always paranoid are now friends who help me carry my things and put in the scanner always put me ahead of theothers which I always politely refuse because they said that Mwalimu (a title of respect) is tired and have lot of things to carry and needs rest. Then, they will asked me in whisper for their sawadi ( gift ), usually they asked for box of condoms which my Dada Vero always prepared for me when I visit Dar before going home to Pemba and distribute it in the hospitals and during my field visits. Because of the condoms, I befriended and gained respect and trust from the Arabs who will visit my house in their kanzo and kofia during night time so that nobody can see them asking for condoms and they will share with me their haluwa ( sweet meats ) and kahawa ( brewed Swahili coffee ) and their funny stories and of course they will not forget to talk business in which I learn a lot from them why they are very good traders and business men.
Despite of all the challenges in the placement, the pilots of Zanair and Coastal always treat me with luxury that sometimes they let me seat in the pilot seat and let me hold for the whole duration of the flight the paper folder to protect them from the glaring rays of the setting African sun at 4, 500 feet above sea level in eight seater Cessna. The flights makes my heart always to beat faster because there were instances that we have to follow the coastline in order to reach our destination due to thick clouds or we had to go back from our original destination because mid air the plane smells gasoline. But most of the time, we will go back midway from our destination just to retrieved a small piece of paper or a parcel needed by someone in our final destination. But where on earth that the airline company will give you a call to come to the airport earlier than schedule because you are the only passenger and they will bring you home alone!
However, my Pemban life will not be complete without taking the slowboats. One of them, the Serengeti which caught on fire and fortunately nobody was injured when it happened. The Spice Islander I was not fortunate for it became a part of the gruesome naval history. It is notoriously known as the floating coffin for it is always overloaded and because of its corroded and rusty body. I lost some personal friends, students, workmates and occasional house helps. Sailing with the Serengeti and Spice Island were always an opportunity for me to interact with people with diverse backgrounds and situations. People, farm produce and animals mixed but nobody complains despite of the heat that bathed us with sweats and emits various scents but still everybody have a smiling face to greet and entertain. In a short while, you will find yourself listening to their stories like an old trusted friend and children will start to call you “uncle” and share whatever food they have, ugalis, wali or simply mboga and fruits. Through their stories I always learned a lesson or two and it will always remind how to be grateful for I am humbled by their life stories of defeat, betrayal, and triumph. Their stories always make me hopeful and optimistic about life.
My stay in Wete made me stronger, more vigilant, discernable, and understanding. I made a lot of acquaintances, identified few trusted and loyal friends, and supporters who shared with me the same vision and advocacy. I am forever grateful to those people who during my early days in Pemba males sure that i am safe and well. VSO Tanzania, especially to Douglas Taylor, my senior program manager, VSO Bahaginan, special mention to Judah Aliposa, my program manager adviser, my volunteer representative Elizabeth Ruff and my Big Brother Kevin Brown who were instrumental why I stayed here in Pemba longer, their generosity and kindness were beyond compare, My Miti Ulaya Teachers Resource Center Family especially Mr. Mmanga who help me see the realities of Pemban life, my ever supportive cousins Diego and Manang Bing, The Pemban guys, Pepe, Norge and Mairelli, Sigrun and Eivind, and Hajj, Andre Slomp, Alain, Tina, the Peace Corps Doug and Dave,and Brennan. Former VSO volunteers and supporters whose visits inspire me more in my work, Ate Ruby and Kuya Rodel, Neillus and Pat, Tiss and John, Mr. Pascal and family, the Dutch Princess Sandra, Jorum, Sylvester and Les and friends whose names were not mentioned, ahsante.
To my sounding boards and confidantes, Manang Elgin and Dr. Gaitan, and my VSO Tanzania batchmates, maraming, maraming salamat po ( thank you very much ) and to my family especially my Tatay and Nanay, your love and support is my strength and to the ONE above, I owe everything to YOU and thank you for giving me this opportunity. Believe me, doing volunteering work with VSO is an addictive one! Join and experience the high of volunteering life by sharing skills, changing lives and most of all volunteer’s life is like a cup of kahawa, bittersweet, full of challenges but makes you optimistic and hopeful always and humbled.
As I start my placement extension, the story continues and I hope to share it again to you soon. God bless us all.
1 A VSO Bahaginan volunteer based in Wete, Pemba, Islamic Revolutionary Gov’t of Zanzibar, and United Republic of Tanzania assigned in Miti Ulaya Teachers Resource Center of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. He works as a Content and Methodology and Language Advisor.
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