Kwaheri sasa
During my second week in Tanzania, my host mother taught me the phrase “Kwaheri sasa,” meaning “Goodbye for now.” It stuck with me as I journeyed through my nine weeks with TFFT, and I dreaded the moment when I would finally have to use it. Inevitably, that moment did come, and I am now back in America and back in college. I say “Goodbye for now” instead of “Goodbye,” because the former implies that this separation is only temporary. I promised the children that I would return, and I will. This is why I say “Kwaheri sasa.”
Goodbyes are always tough, and I felt lucky that mine were spread over the course of a week. First came closing day at Usa River Academy, where the majority of TFFT’s students attend school. Over the course of the summer, I co-taught two days days a week and tutored struggling students three afternoons a week. As the weeks went on, the relationships I built with the students became even more meaningful. There are certain moments in which I saw childhood bliss and joy and love come together and result in peels of laughter. I remember being tackle-hugged by Namayani, a tiny and brilliant Class 3 student, when I arrived at school one Friday morning. This became our tradition, and I always anticipated her run-leap-hug sequence. Here we are, one week before the end of the term. Over the course of laughter-filled lunches, rowdy math classes, phonics-filled tutoring sessions and intense games of football, I fell in love with our Usa River scholars. What an outgoing, hilarious, and precocious group of students!
My second round of goodbyes came during my fifth and final trip to Matonyok. I felt incredibly blessed to spend a total of fifteen days at the children’s home. Mama Emmy’s personal strength, boundless love, and trust in the goodness of humanity deeply moved me. She and Ndmeno, her husband, have forever changed the lives of the forty children they now care for. They are living proof that one person really can make a difference.
This final trip to Matonyok was unique, because the seven older students who attend school at Usa River Academy were home for term break. I think that Ema and Israel, the two boys in Class 5, were surprised when their “math teacher” showed up in jeans and a t-shirt, eager to chop grass with a machete and feed the cows! I enjoyed getting to know them better in a home, not school, environment. These seven are the big brothers and big sisters at Matonyok, and watching them interact with the younger children was a beautiful sight. They are certainly role models, both for the younger children and for me.
During my final visit to Matonyok, I read stories to the children before bedtime. It was a beautiful and intimate way to close a magnificent chapter of my journey. I do not know how old these children will be when I see them again, and that thought scares me. Right now, there is such innocence and curiosity and childish bliss. I want to see them again while this is all still intact, because these children are perfect just the way they are.
Before I knew it, my final day in Tanzania—and another round of goodbyes—had arrived. This picture of the TFFT team was taken at my goodbye lunch. In this group, I found not only co-workers, but also mentors and friends. Hellen, my host mother (standing beside me), is truly part of the TFFT family. She became my confidante and comrade throughout my nine weeks in Arusha. I will miss her, and the entire TFFT team, greatly.
Fittingly, my last set of goodbyes was saved for the triplets, Helena, Yusufu, and Matayo, who first inspired Meghann to found TFFT. Meghann met the triplets when they were four, and they are now twelve years old. I had the pleasure of tutoring each of them over my nine weeks, and it is easy to understand how Meghann fell in love with them. I did the same. I look at the triplets and I see unbridled energy and joy. I see the incredible obstacles that they have overcome and the many challenges that still await them. Most importantly, I see hope for bright and fulfilling futures. This is a hope that TFFT has given them and will continue to nurture as they mature into young adults. I pray that I also gave hope—even just a little—to them and to the other students during my nine-week internship. I can certainly say that the children gave me hope, and I will continue to carry that with me.
For the unimaginable joy that I experienced, the expressions of love that I witnessed, and the passion for education that was fueled, all I can say is Thank You.