A Day in the Life of TEP

Here are some of my favorite pictures that I was able to take during my internship in Bunju. I am so glad that I was able to Help out TEP in Bunju and shed light on some of the things the organization does on a daily basis. -Sean

Cassie helping out at a study session

Donated Soccer Balls to Hope and Joy

Enjoying a good cleaning

Study Session

Toothbrush donations

Fundraiser shirts being made.

Babu and Cassie hard at work

Library @ Olof

FANAKA Stationary advertisement

Hope and Joy Primary students

Katie hard at work teaching the students

Worth Living

As I sift through all my pictures to update Facebook and the blogs it sends me down memory lane. I can hear baby Donny's clapping hands, Sophie's sweet voice, the rumbling of the lorry's on the road. I can smell the meat cooking, fresh sea breeze and garbage burning. I can feel sickness in my throat and gut, happiness as Babu mumbles a story about his village and a deep purpose for this life I was given. It puts a knot in my gut that I can't seem to shake. As I move on with life here in the states this feeling will sneak up every once and a while but I just learn to live with it.

Many people go through life too afraid to risk loving because of the hurt that could come. I've had my heart broken but I survived. I think many people avoid traveling or getting to know new people because its too big of a risk. The more people you love the more risk there is they can hurt you. Risking that hurt is what makes life worth living. That knot is what reminds me that I'm alive.
-Cassie

Saying Goodbye

This doesn't get easier. It almost hurts a little more each time. I fear losing my family, friends, village, school, just about everything while I’m gone. I know I will pour myself into TEP to do’s on top of getting my life back together in order to stay busy because truthfully that’s my only coping skill. Leaving this place, these people, is hard on every volunteer. We all deal with it in different ways but we come back to our lives at least a little bit changed. It’s the support from my family, friends, neighbors and donors that keeps my pain at ease.  All I can do is wish for their continued support. For those of your reading this, I thank you, not only for me, but for all of us volunteers.

Chop Chop Timber

As I was busy finishing the ten thousand things before I needed to leave, I was looking around for my right hand man Mwenda to help me with the growing list. I met him behind the house along the road where he was spotting the soon to be falling tree that Babu instructed the fundi to cut down for timber. It was becoming clear that despite the extraordinary effort of shirtless Mwakioma up in the tree with a machete, it was going to take a whole lot more to get this huge tree down.

The ‘house men’ took the big sailing rope from the shed and wrapped it around the tree. Fabian in his church gear took the end and led the five others to take their stance. I watched from the side as they gave all their might at the rope to keep the tree from falling onto the road and neighboring house. The tree swayed too much for comfort and their footing looked less than sturdy. Albert was nearly horizontal when I thought it couldn't hurt if I stepped in; who doesn't want to try out their 4^th grade tug of war skills in real life? We tugged and tugged for what felt like forever as we all feared the tree would teeter to the wrong side. The tree seemed bigger than life and my hands weaker than ever before. Despite my fear, I couldn't help but laugh that Fabian was wearing his church clothes to do such a dirty job. One the count of ‘tatu’ we gave it our all and finally it seemed the tree was coming down our way. Before I knew it, we all dropped the rope and picked a route hoping it was the way out. I’ll never forget Albert’s face of shear panic, in slow mo “ruuuuun!”

We all made it out safely and managed to get ten sheets of lumber out of it. Every day in Tanzania my skills and knowledge are used in ways I never expect. Whipping out my tug of war skills seems to put a perfect bow on the last three months. It is this moment I’ll remember when I even think to doubt my contribution to this family. 

-Cassie