Journal by: Mimi Gendreau

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

We started out with breakfast and getting ready for the morning. Eric went with Moses to work on the water project air valve construction. Ryan, Eitan, Carlos, Garza and I walked down to the Secondary School for teaching assignments. Ryan, Eitan and I had assignments in English and Garza in Biology. Carlos started in the carpentry workshop and met many other students during his work. We returned for lunch and everyone exchanged comments about their morning assignments. Then we all went down to the kitchen area to work. Eric and I moved sand to a better position with the help of students. This was a good opportunity to meet students and exchange some information about each other. Eitan, Carlos, Garza and Ryan worked in the kitchen helping to finish the wall with Moses. They also met with students who assisted.

After our construction work, everyone returned to recoup before our meeting with a guest and dinner. I sat out on the front porch reading and saw two teams of oxen pulling wagons walking past the Mission House. What may seem like an outdated mode of transportation in our country is very much in use here in Pommern where a truck and fossil fuel energy is too expensive for the average subsistence farmer. People work very hard in Pommern where motorized transportation and mechanized tools are not easily accessible to the local farmers. I then watched Eitan and a small boy playing soccer with a “ball” made of plastic bags tied together in a bundle. The little boy was so enjoying the game with his makeshift ball showing his wonderful smile. I also noticed how much and quickly we Global Volunteers influence the young children in Pommern because the little boy started using the same expressions that Eitan used in describing plays- “Nice!” It struck me that this little boy was so happy and carefree with a makeshift ball and so often our children at home are not happy even when they have so many manufactured new toys. This is just one of the important values that we can learn and bring home from Pommern.

Our guest for the evening was Barnabas who is a district coordinator of the primary school. He discussed the education system in Tanzania. We asked him many questions about the curriculum, uniforms, teaching in English and the challenges of education in Tanzania. He also asked many questions about each of our countries’ educational systems and other challenging issues. It was a very interesting discussion particularly because we have an international team allowing a discussion about 4 different countries: Tanzania, Mexico, USA and Canada. We may have a consensus that Canada has very few problems which is why everyone is so nice in Canada and we should consider moving there! J

We had another great dinner by Mama Tony and our nightly meeting with Edward. Everyone reported on their day and all expressed that they were pleased with their work and experiences. Another wonderful day in Pommern!