Reflections and what I learned in Tanzania

I am happy to be back home from Tanzania. I enjoyed my time there and even left a piece of my heart there forever. My experiences there have changed me and who I want to be. But there is no place like home and I can say that I am so grateful for our country and the leadership we have had- even though we may not agree with everything our government does it is so much better here than in Tanzania.

Here is my list of "luxuries" most Americans have-but Tanzanians don't:
Running water in our homes that you can drink without fear of getting sick from it
Reliable electricity
Toilets you can sit on and flush
Toilet paper, Kleenex, and disposable diapers
Movie theaters
Fast food
Safe buildings with building codes
High quality "free" public education for k-12 for all-and laws requiring all children to go
Garbage pickup
Toys for children
Pets-dogs you can pet without fear of getting rabies or other diseases
Quality products
Emission laws
Paved roads most places
A daily hot shower
Welfare programs for the needy
Modern medicine you can rely on
"Quality" television reception and many choices of shows
General knowledge of AIDS, how it is spread and how to avoid getting it
Credit availability
The list goes on and on....

Things Tanzania has that I wish we had:
Lions, elephants, giraffes and zebras that will walk right up to your car
Little to no materialism
Happiness for the most basic things
No stop lights
No PDA in public whether gay or hetero- it is the law and if caught you have to pay a huge fine
Happy friendly African children who love white people and wave and yell MZUNGU! Then if close they like to give you five and bones and hugs

But some of the richest people I know live here in Tanzania. Nia and Jonas Tiewe established a company called TAFCOM. They help people who no one else will- people who been affected with AIDS. They are rich in love and service and spend their lives making a difference with what they have and what is donated. They care for the most desperate- they listen to their tragic stories and try to cheer them up, they give of themselves physically and emotionally and financially knowing they will never be repaid. They share what they have hoping that it will be enough. I came hoping to make a small difference -hopefully I accomplished that but I came home feeling like they made more of a difference in my life- I want to be different and more like them in many ways- more appreciative of the small things in life, more willing to share what I have been blessed with physically, financially, emotionally and spiritually, more contentment with life as it comes, more willing to listen to others and give them support and encouragement. This is what I hope to become.  Thanks for reading. More pictures to be added soon:)
Peggy

Last Email! -July 1

This will probably be my last email before we leave to come home!
Today was our last day at placements. It was kinda sad.. actually
really sad! The teachers were so nice to us and gave us both
kangas.. which are a type of cloth women wear that has a
meaningful saying on it. The kids were as cute as ever and so
so hard to leave. I made my class cards and they probably didn't
even understand haha. I read the cards to them so hopefully they
got the message :) I wish I could just bring them home so you
could meet them all! We also gave each of them their picture so
they can keep that memory of what they looked like as a child.
One of the many things we take for granite. Yesterday was such
a special day. After lunch me, Jen, and Dana went back to the
 Tuleeni Orphanage that we visited on Wednesday. They seemed
surprised to see us again. We brought some of our clothes and
thread so we could teach them how to make bracelets. They
picked up on it super fast! We probably only spent a couple hours
with them but we grew so close to them. I had the opportunity to
talk with some girls my age there. It's like we became best friends
by the time we left.. They made me and mom a card and were
constantly asking if mom was okay since she was sick at home.
They also sang to us and put my name in the song before we left.
It was extremely hard to leave. The little kids were so adorable.
I can't describe how incredible those teenage girls are.. some of
them have been there for 4 years and take care of all the little ones.
Mama Faraja takes care of them but has her own home where she
spends most of her time so the kids are on their own a lot. The girls
all have such big dreams and ambitions which I think is really cool.
Three weeks definitely went by fast. I'm excited to see everyone but
I will miss it a lot here. I've met some incredible people and have
become close with many. I have learned so much from them. This
experience for sure had more impact on me then I probably had on
anyone. I will never forget this experience. I love you all and cannot
wait to see you!!!
-Erika

Every day the kids eat/drink porridge