Rainy season has commenced, and at what perfect timing.
In our last few weeks here in Tanzania we all patiently awaited the rains to start here in Africa, whether it be waiting physically for the sake of our homestay families’ crops or rhythmically through song (insert ironically awesome reference to Toto’s Africa here- this one is for you Jada).
It is bittersweet that our group left just hours before the rains started but Adam and I find it particularly fitting. To us, as leaders of a truly special group of humans, we see this is as a good omen. Rain can sometimes bring out the gloomy and dark emotions in us all, especially through shifting seasons. It can also be the impetus to a fresh new start; give more room to swim for the fish (and people- I’m talking to you Aiden) in Lake Bunyonyi, provide more life for the crops that Mama Belga farms, fill up the water tanks allowing the students and teachers to stay in the class room rather than chote buckets during the school day, and provide more resources to those who needs to bucket bathe, wash their hands, or have a drink.
Throughout our three months together, Nkula as a whole and individually went through our own rainy seasons. Each and every student, somehow, time after time found the strength and light to move through those moments. Once they made it to the other side they saw the strength, positivity, rawness, and life of it all. We see this closure of our semester as a new beginning for every single one of us. As with all seasons, some things come to an end while others are given life- a new breath. With the end of certain aspects comes an entity that drives us to move forward into a mature, stronger, more conscious beginning with new wisdom and experiences.
We feel so grateful to have spent the last three months with such a genuinely wonderful group of people. We were sad to say farewell but happy to have had the time together and to hold witness to the never-ending growth, resilience, and awakening that you all took part in. We say baadaye, and not kwaheri. Tupo pamoja. Inaanza na sisi.