We have been told to write about the things that we have learned here in Mwanza.
Because a) everyone else is already doing that and b) I can't write a
blog about those things, it would be a book Instead, I decided to do
something different and write about the things I didn't learn. It also
features the things that I may have learned but will probably never
understand.
Here we go:
1) That a city with this much heat and this little rain can look this
green. They say that Tampere-Mwanza project has a lot to do with that
and every time the project is mentioned, the environmental issues are
mentioned first. It is hard to believe that we can really have such and
influence and make such a difference somewhere 7.000 kilometers away.
2 That people can actually be this friendly. Random people say
"karibu" or "welcome to my city" without trying to make you buy anything
or having any other second thougths. Random people on the street stop
to wish you a good day and to ask you how you are doing. And they are
really waiting for you to answer. This is not a coincidence - it happens
all the time. People even look at you in the eyes when they are talking
to you. And all this is not meaningless crap or just a habit, people
say and do things because they care.
3) That there is always time. On Monday we visited two schools, both
really far away from where we live. We visited teacher Zacgarua
Alberto's lovely new home and spent 2,5 hours there. In the evening we
came back here and worked until 9.30 pm. Yet we were never in a hurry,
never under stress and never tired. Back home, there is never enough
time, the time runs so much faster.
4) That the children here dream big. But when you ask them why they
want to be doctors or lawyers or teachers or whatever it is that they
want to become, the answer is often the same: So that I can help other
people and give something back to my community. I may be exaggerating
when I say that the way of thinking is the exact opposite to the one in
our world, but not much. A lot of this comes from the teachings of
Julius Nyerere, but not all.
5) How much you can learn to appreciate things like staying healthy
for another day, getting even a small amount of food when you're really
hungry or water when you are thirsty, having a good time with friends...
6) That you can feel so much different without the overflowing amount
of entertainment and (usually unnecessary) information coming from
everywhere that you get used to or even dependent on in our world. And
you feel so much better without the unbelievable amount of negativity
that you find everywhere in Finland. You find yourself thinking more
clearly, your emotions becoming stronger and your senses working a lot
better. Of course the lack of hurry & stress helps a lot, too.
7) That many things don't really matter that much even though you may have thought otherwise.
8) That they were able to put together a team like ours without
actually knowing us that well. Four people who didn't know each other at
all before we came here (ok, Jasmine and me work at the same school and
we live quite near each other, but we didn't really know each other too
well until we came here). The chemistry is great, we work hard but
we're also having fun at the same time, On our free time, what is it
that are we doing - hanging out together. Four strangers have become
four friends for life.
Well, this project has an amazing leader at Tampere in Mama Vesa, Mrs. Leena
Viitasaari, and it shows. It is easy to be a worker when you have such a
great boss. Kaisa has become our leader and the mother of the house
after overcoming malaria. She has made things easy for the rest of us
here. Jasmine is the best I know in her area of expertise and thus such a
pleasure to work with. Yes, she is crazy just as the doctor said, but
her personality is what makes our house become alive. And I really don't
know what to say about Ira, the other one of our excellent teachers
here - I'm just so thankful that after many twists & turns,
coincidences and good luck, we have met and become good friends. I'm so
going to miss our discussions and I'm so going to miss you.
9) That anybody, anywhere, anytime, would welcome me & my friends
with such open arms as the people here. The children (who BTW are
really, really smart and eager to learn things), the teachers and all of
our new friends. We will always remember this month, and that is
because of you. We will stay in touch, via email, regular mail, Facebook
or in spirit, but we will.
Before coming here, New York City was my favourite place in the
world. The reason was, that whatever you wanted to see or do at that
particular moment, you could find it on one island and usually within
walking distance. But if I could choose one place I could travel to
during the rest of my life, I would come here. Want to know why? To meet
all these people one more time.
In the end, that is all you need.
P.S. 10) I would have never imagined how much writing a blog with a
tablet would be this difficult. But I would have never expected to have this much
patience either. Anyway, thank God I'll never have to do this again.
By: Ilpo Rantanen
Post Post Scriptum Scriptum. We three ladies thank Ilpo for his words and couldn´t agree more, in everything he said. Ilpo has been the voice of a reason in our house and team, and the one who creates a good, relaxed atmosphere. Thank you Mwanza, we hope we will see again. As Mr. Albert from Sahwa said: "Mountains can't meet, but people can".
(Kaisa, Ira & Jasmine)
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