Market Day!

Jambo everyone!

Today, March 13, we went to the market in Sanya Juu. We were each assigned a specific item to buy (for example: rice, vegetables, or spices) and were given 10,000 Tanzanian Shillings. 1 USD is equivalent to 1,600 Tanzanian Shillings. We all bartered for our items which was exciting, but also scary at the same time. Not being able to communicate well was definitely a challenge, but with a limited vocabulary from Tim, hand gestures, a notebook and pen, we managed to get pretty good bargains. For instance, one pair bought garlic for 200 shillings instead of 500. It was a good experience to meet even more local people than just the children at the school. Some of us even made more than one rafiki (friend)! After the market, we went back to Faraja for lunch. We talked with Pastor Kileo, the Head Teacher, about his life, how the school is run, and how disabilities affect children in Tanzania. One powerful message that stuck in all of our minds was that "disability is not inability." Even though most of the children are different in some way, they are all independent, hard-working, and open-minded, which is something we all admire. For example, during playtime, Michael was amazing at soccer even though he is a double amputee. He insipired us all with his fearlessness, agility, and speed. Other children played on the playground, talked, or did wheelies in their wheelchairs. They really enjoyed the hand games we taught them and loved the new basketball hoops that we had assembled yesterday. We certainly are having as much fun as they are, and we are all making new friends.