Today we’re clearing up and getting ready to go. We’re
thinking about all the people we’ve met and places we’ve been, and what we have
and haven’t achieved. This morning we
went into town to get cash and presents and ingredients to try and make a cake.
We found a gift shop we didn’t know
existed and managed to find yet another local instrument to bring back to add
to the collection. Funniest moment was
being served courgettes by the armed guard at the supermarket as the stall
holder wasn’t there. It’s a bit
unnerving having a rifle waving in your face while you bend down to discuss and
choose vegetables.
We seem to have accumulated a lot of mess – Tom is currently
trying to sort out flipcharts which have bred on a daily basis. We’re taking last minute photos of everyone
and still deciding what can be fitted into this last day. It will be interesting what appears when we
empty the bags and boxes in our room – I suspect at least mouse droppings and a
few dead insects though Tom just found a lizard behind some papers in his
office.
We made a sticky toffee pudding African style – it’s not
easy trying to find ingredients here and what we bought wasn’t quite what we’re
used to. I’m quite impressed that I made something edible without scales and
only half the recipe constituents. We’ve handed over the left over crafts and
games and as the primary teachers are on strike today, the younger children are
happily playing snap with the cards I found at the bottom of a bag.
I feel so sad today, it will be a wrench to leave these
lovely people behind after just getting to know some and renewing friendships
with others. The question everyone is asking is ‘When are you coming back?’ – I
wish I knew. The hard part will be deciding what to do about some of the things
we’ve seen when we get back. Yes, I'm tearful - its such a long way and these are my friends I'm saying goodbye to.
We had a chat over lunch about our cultural differences –
particularly gender issues. Here a man and is mother-in-law often don’t sit in
the same room, the man cannot wear shorts in her presence and if he sees her in
the street, he calls to her from a distance. Not quite the same as Tom and my
Mum! There has been much amusement at my inability to behave like a proper
African wife towards Tom. He took me to
meet a lady at the market who was concerned the other day that he was shopping
– she was relieved to see me today. I can't get my head round it - or all the implications - but it seems like something that needs understanding and exploring.
So, I’m ending where I started, I love this country in spite
of our differences. After three visits I’m finally starting to get to grips
with some of the cultural chasms between us, and beginning to understand I have
to respect where some of the more challenging customs come from. The people we’ve met here are incredibly
accepting and welcoming to us, and they treat us with such respect – we need to
do the same for them. We also need to be
aware of where we can help - by supporting communities in the areas they
identify that sustainable improvements can be made. The reason why I support Global Care is
because I see an organisation that loves vulnerable children and will fight for
their rights, but that respects the cultures of the countries where it works,
and employs local people to develop sustainable projects. As they say here, God willing, I’ll be back….
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