School - Leah

Ever since we have gotten here we have been stared at and pointed to.  Since we are staying with a local family and not the expected tourist in the expected tourist locations.  I think that makes it harder for people to understand. We are definitely the wrong color for this area.  I have noticed and just accepted it.  Yesterday E started her new school.  She was so excited to be there.  We went to her new room and got introduced to her class and her new teacher.  Everything seemed fine.  Her new school is by far the best building I have seen yet in Arusha.  Very modern and clean.

New Vision School

Inside Courtyard

 Her Classroom

Shortly after we left she noticed that anyone walking by the room would point and stare or laugh.  She started crying because she then noticed that she was different from the rest.  Up until this point it hadn't really sunk in.  She is so blind to difference and aware of similarities. Add to that she hated the food.  They had porridge for snack and beans and rice for lunch.  They have rules that you have to eat everything on your plate so she gagged it down but it wasn't pretty.  Then just to throw fuel on the fire she saw several kids spanked with a stick.  This kid is so empathetic that this just did her in.  She got off the bus just sobbing and saying she doesn't want to go back.
Eglah, our host, and I tried to talk to her. We called the teacher and he thought that she was just homesick and wasn't aware of the pointing.  We talked to her about challenges and that people have to learn that she is like them and she needs to give them a chance.  We talked to Karen, our coordinator, on the phone. She also tried to talk to her.  There is no budging this kid. In reality, it is hard on me to be stared at all the time and I am an adult.  How can we expect a 9 year old to be able to handle it?
We decided to have her come to my school with me for a few days and make sure to point out the people staring at us.  Let her know that they don't know what to do with us.
Today she came with me to my school.  My school is much poorer than her school.  My room has no electricity (will write about this later), no doors, no windows.  Lots of mud and broken glass.  She was so much happier.  I had her bring a book and her journal today.  She sat in the back of the room and it looked like she was reading. She was actually taking notes about what I was talking about.  She actually took good notes and asked some really good questions about what we talked about after the class.
I think I have decided that she will continue to come with me.  I didn't like leaving her that far away from where I was teaching. Being in a different country and such a different environment I prefer her to be right with me.  I will see how the next few days go before I decide for sure.