What I didn't learn in Mwanza

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 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 told her 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 conversations 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 the tablet I have with me would suck. But I would have never expected to have this much patience either.