This week has been a tough one, but I feel more peaceful now. My father has been moved to his own room and seems to be improving, although recovery will take some time. So many of you, here and in Tanzania, have responded with prayers. Fidesta and Aggie have begun nightly prayer time before we go to bed. I am not exactly sure what they are saying, but it sounds powerful. My students are also praying that my father will recover so that I may continue to be their teacher. My work here goes on, and I must say, it helps to keep my mind distracted.
Today is Independence Day in America and I am celebrating another sort of independence. Today, Aggie, Fidesta, and I escorted Yuda to his new school. Although he tried hard to contain it, his happiness was just pouring out, and I think he is walking now with more pride in his step.
This is his real life fairy tale
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I had written earlier about Yuda living alone with no food, no electricity, no love. I knew I had to move him to a safer place and thought that a boarding school might be best. I asked some teachers at school if they knew of any government schools with hostels (cheaper) but had no luck. Meanwhile some friends of mine in Cary responded that they wanted to help Yuda and Fidesta. Fidesta and I then visited a private boarding school in a town near their home. It has computers and many other electives and it costs about $1000 a year. It is a nice school. My friends agreed to pay the cost.
Fidesta had gone home at the end of the remedial session at school to wash Yuda's clothes and cook him some meals. She had planned to stay only a night or two, and then she would bring Yuda back to my place. However, Monday night she came back alone. The grandparents would not let Yuda go. They did not care if he lived alone or even if he went to school; they just wanted him to be available to do hard work. Fidesta said that Yuda was crying when she left.
Wednesday morning I invigilated an exam, and then Fidesta and I went to greet the grandparents. I prayed that God would give me the words to convince them to let Yuda go. I spoke with the grandmother in my simple Kiswahili and she agreed to let Yuda come visit me for one day. Yuda threw the little bit that he owned into a bag, and he practically ran and skipped all the way down the mountain. At home I got him settled. Actually, I gave him a ball, pointed to the children sitting in the field under the tree, and told him to go play. A few minutes later they had a soccer match under way. Meanwhile, Fidesta gave me her older brother's number in Dar (the uncle he lives with really seems to have the final word as to what Yuda is allowed to do). The brother said, at first, that I should take Yuda as my own child, but when I explained that I could not, he and his uncle were just as happy to hear that I would be sending Yuda to school. With their blessing, I continued my quest to change Yuda's life.
The new term begins July 5 at Shauritanga Secondary School, so Cheryl lent me the money for school fees until my friends are able to wire the funds. I went to Moshi and stood in line at the bank for more than an hour to pay the fees. I returned home with books for Aggie, a cheap radio for Fidesta, and a new life for Yuda (a bank slip that says that school fees have been paid).
Friday, Aggie, Fidesta, Yuda and I went shopping. First we went to the shops in town and bought a trunk, pink sheets (required for boys), and many other things. He stuffed it all in the trunk and proudly carried it around town. We got home around noon and Fidesta said it was necessary that Yuda go tell his grandparents that he was going to school. She also wanted to get some of his exercise books for him to use at school. We were tired and dirty (this is the very windy, dust season) and I had a head cold, but we boarded another crowded bus and made our way back to the homeplace. Fidesta and I stayed at the home while Yuda went alone to his grandparents' place. I told him that if there was a problem, he was to run away as quickly as possible. After awhile he returned. His grandparents were not happy. Grandpa threw stones at him as he left. Grandma and Grandpa told him to tell Fidesta to never come there again, or she would be killed because she had taken Yuda away. Fidesta said that they told her the same thing when she left to stay in the hostel at Mkuu. (She had to leave because men would come at night and knock on the wall of her home and call to her and her sister to come out. She was too afraid to sleep and too tired to go to school). So we took Yuda's bag of books, said good-bye to the man who farms the land, and left the homeplace possibly forever. Neither of the children looked sad, although I did take their picture in front of their home in case one day they would want to remember.
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