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JOURNAL
Jennifer Tina » Insiyah
Insiyah Nomanbhoy
Cupertino, CA
Pre-trip entry:
In 3 days, I'll be on my way to the mysterious continent of Africa. When I first heard about this opportunity, I knew I had to do it. I felt like this opportunity was almost created for me because I've always dreamed of helping people in need. Once I become a pediatrician, I want to travel to a third world country and help those people who don't have proper medical care. This experience is a taste of what it is like to help people in need. These last few months have been a blur from my 8 pg application to finding out I was chosen to the first few meetings. I remember thinking how incredibly warm, kind and supportive everyone was and how unbelievably lucky I am to be part of this amazing experience.
When I think of Africa, I think Lion King. It's funny how I say I'm going to Africa and not Ethiopia and Uganda. All the countries of Africa are grouped in my mind, despite completely different cultures, terrains and languages. I spend so much time daydreaming about the delicious food I will taste :) I am most looking forward to meeting amazing African women and children, and building connections that will hopefully last for a lifetime. I don't think I can ever prepare myself for AIDS and poverty stricken Africa. How is it fair that I never have to worry where my next meal is coming from, when there are millions of people who die from starvation? Do I really deserve to be in perfect health when so many people are born to die? I am afraid to come back to my affluent life in Cupertino, after having made connections with people in the opposite situation.
My trip still hasn't hit me. That's probably why I'm so calm. And by calm I mean not screaming and jumping up and down like a mad hatter. Not yet at least. My family is running around like crazy, trying to get me ready. My dad got a flu shot sent here from Chicago since they aren't available here yet. He won't have me getting sick. Both my parents have terrified me about getting rabies. I have strict instructions to stay 20 ft away from every animal (the cure for rabies is multiple painful shots in the stomach so I will be extra careful). I've traveled alone many times, but never to such unfamiliar countries. When I go to India and Sri Lanka, I have enough relatives and friends to spoon feed me and pamper me if I get sick.
I'm really scared about getting sick too, but for different reasons. The actual lying in bed and suffering doesn't worry me so much. I'm more worried about getting behind in school. I'll be missing 7 days of school= academic suicide. Just kidding, but it will be really hard catching up, especially with college applications and all my other commitments. I'm trying to get about 5 days ahead before I leave and take most of my tests early. I don't want to be doing school work on this trip while I could be exploring and meeting new people.
During freshman year I also missed 7 days to go to Saudia Arabia for Hajj...but that was freshman year. This is senior year and I probably would be stressed even if I wasn't going to Africa. The worst thing I can do is get overwhelmed. I just need to take it one step at a time and really prioritize. I need to cut down on AIM (the ultimate time waster) and limit daydreaming. People have tried to calm me by saying, "Don't worry, you'll get a great college essay out of this." If I was just doing to get into my dream school, I would feel sorry for myself because that is such a waste of an amazing experience.
I'm thrilled to be part of this delegation. It's awesome that Save the Children has included kids like Tina and me on their incredible adventure. Kids are rarely taken seriously and encouraged when they want to make a difference, but we have so much to offer just because we're young, smart and motivated. For example, very few adults are as comfortable with technology as we are (Not to offend any adults out there). I hope that I can motivate other kids just like me to build connections and strive to make a difference.
Thanks for reading my first entry. Stay tuned for more :o)
9/17/04:
AFTER 24 HRS OF TRAVELLING, WE ARRIVED IN ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA EARLY THIS MORNING...(FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 17)
AHH I WAS DEFINITELY A ZOMBIE AFTER THE FIRST 10 HR FLIGHT TO HEATHROW..WHILE GETTING A SANDWICH THE GUYS WERE MAKING FUN OF ME B/C I WAS PAYING WITH AMERICAN DOLLARS. THE SAD PART: THEY WERE TALKING TOO FAST FOR ME TO REALIZE IT. THEN OUR FLIGHT TO ADDIS GOT DELAYED 3 HRS. WHEN WE FINALLY GOT ON THE PLANE, THERE WAS SOME BAGGAGE PROBLEM AND THEN SOME TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES- ENGINEERING PROBLEM...WE FINALLY TOOK OFF WITH A BREIF STOP IN ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT. WE WEREN'T ALLOWED TO DISEMBARK AND IT TOOK ABOUT AN HOUR TO TAKE OFF AGAIN...THEN 4 HRS LATER WE REACHED ADDIS. I THOUGHT IT WAS HILARIOUS THAT THE GUY WHO STAMPED MY VISA WAS LISTENING TO BRITNEY SPEARS AND MARIAH CAREY...
WHEN WE FINALLY GOT OUR LUGGAGE AND WALKED OUTSIDE, THERE WERE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE ALL BUNDLED UP WAITING FOR THEIR PARTIES. THEY ALL STARED AT US AND SOME CHILDREN TRIED TO GET INTO OUR VAN. I THINK I DRIFTED OFF IN THE VAN B/C THE NEXT THI NG I KNEW, WE WERE UNLOADING AT THE HILTON...
IT'S A REALLY PRETTY HOTEL AND EVERYONE IS REALLY FRIENDLY..ESPECIALLY WHEN I WAS TRYING TO MAKE AN INTERNATIONAL CALL THE LADY HAD TO EXPLAIN TO ME 5 TIMES WHY THEY CHARGED $15 FOR 3 MIN. SOON AFTER CHECKING IN, WE GRABBED SOME BREAKFAST...I FELT SORT OF HOMESICK JUST THEN...I'M NOT USED TO WORRYING ABOUT GETTING SICK AFTER DRINKING SOME JUICE.
AFTER GETTING SOME BREAKFAST, TINA AND I STARTED SETTLING DOWN WHILE WATCHING SOME SORT OF MTV EQUIVALENT...WE SAW DR. DRE, EMINEM, SNOOP, WHITNEY HOUSTON, BLACK EYED PEAS. I FIGURED THAT THEIR MTV WOULD FEATURE A LOT MORE AFRICAN MUSIC, BUT I THINK THAT IT WAS JUST A SPECIAL CHANNEL FOR THE HILTON...IT'S CRAZY TO THINK THAT THE KIDS HERE LISTEN TO THE EXACT SAME MUSIC THAT WE DO, EVEN THOUGH THEY LEAD DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT LIVES. THEN WE FELL INTO A DEEEEEEP SLEEEEP...
WE WOKE TO A STRANGE RINGING SOUND AND WEREN'T ABLE TO PROCESS IT FAST ENOUGH TO PICK IT UP...LUCKILY WE LOOKED AT THE TIME AND BASICALLY RAN DOWNSTAIRS FOR OUR INTRO SESSION.
WE MET UP WITH THE REST OF THE DELEGATES AND SOME OF THE AWESOME SAVE THE CHILDREN STAFF...THEN WE WENT FOR LUNCH TO THIS ITALIAN RESTAURANT WHICH ALSO WAS AN ART GALLERY. I SERIOUSLY WANTED TO BUY EVERY PAINTING ON THE WALL...BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO SPEND ALL MY SPENDING MONEY IN ONE SHOT..
ON THE WAY TO THE RESTAURANT...I WAS JUST WATCHING THE STREETS AND THE JUST THINKING "WHY AREN'T THEY IN SCHOOL?" THEN THEY STARTED SAYING SOME ENGLISH WORDS: "HUNGRY" "I LOVE YOU" "PLEASE"... THE DRIVER PULLED FORWARD PEOPLE...THESE LITTLE CHILDREN CAME UP TO THE CAR AND STARTED BEGGING...I WAS BUT THEY FOLLOWED THE CAR FOR A WHILE. I JUST WANTED TO GIVE THEM MY WHOLE BAG. IT ISN'T FAIR THAT I'M RIDING IN A CAR AND STAYING AT THE HILTON WHILE THEY ARE BEGGING FOR FOOD AND MONEY.
AFTER LUNCH...WE WENT TO THE SAVE THE CHILDREN FIELD OFFICE TO MEET MORE STAFF AND ENGAGE IN A WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT DISCUSSION. SOME OF THE STAFF WERE ACTUALLY WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN EMPOWERED SO IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING TO HEAR THEIR POINT OF VIEWS. SOME OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT: WHY EDUCATION IS SO IMPORTANT TO EMPOWERMENT...WHAT RITUALS AND TRADITIONS HINDER/HELP WOMEN FROM BEING EMPOWERED (WE DISCUSSED THE IMPACT OF RELIGION VS CULTURAL TRADITIONS)..WHAT IS SAVE THE CHILDREN ACTUALLY DOING TO INCREASE EMPOWERMENT. THIS DISCUSSION REALLY BROADENED MY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE SITUATIONS IN ETHIOPIA... NOW I'M OFF TO DINNER...THANKS FOR READING MY ENTRY.
9/19/04:
Yesterday I felt like I lived a week in one day. I can't do the day
justice. It was unbelievable, amazing, and heart wrenching all at the same
time. I'm not going to go into details. I'll just highlight the day.
In Debrazethe we went a center for orphans, many of whom HIV/AIDS
orphans. They are all starting school on Monday so they were coming to the
center to pick up supplies. Many of them were coming with their sisters or
grandmothers and I even saw one grandfather with his grandson. I didn't
know how to react to the fact that they were all orphans. When they
started begging, I just froze. They were asking for pens. I had 20 pens in
my pencil case; why couldn't I just give them some?
Next we went to Modjo and we were welcomed in the towns HIV committee.
The first thing I remember noticing was this adorable little baby one of
the women were holding. We shook hands with the whole committee. It's
interesting; in Ethiopian culture while shaking with the right hand they
hold their elbow with their left hand. It's the proper way to shake. The
committee included us in their coffee ceremony and everyone lit candles
and had a moment of silence for those who have died of HIV/AIDS. They made
us feel like we were part of their group, inviting 2 of us to lead the
bread cutting. Then we sat in a circle with some of the women. At first I
just noticed how beautiful they all were, and how warm they were to us.
Then I realized all these women are living with HIV. They had formed this
committee to support each other and take care of other HIV patients. We
asked them their stories and what they are feeling. They asked us if they
could receive ARV(anti-retroviral) drugs. I later found out that Ethiopian
government doesn't allow it, because once a person starts treatment they
can't stop or their condition will worsen dramatically. The government is
afraid that it will run out of resources.
Then we asked the women if they wanted to tell us anything. They said,
"Don't forget us." That just brought me to tears. How could we ever forget
such strong, courageous, beautiful women? I can say right now that I will
never forget them. Those couple of hours that I spent with them
drastically altered the way I think. It was an honor to meet them; they
were really inspiring.
When it was time to leave, we hugged and I could feel that we had gotten
so much closer to these women. It was really hard to say goodbye, knowing
that we would never see them again.
I later found out that the woman carrying the baby, along with almost the
entire committee was HIV+, but the baby was HIV-.
After Modjo we went to have lunch at Safari lodge, a really posh resort. I
felt like I had entered a different country; it was the complete opposite
of what we had experienced earlier that day.
Then we went to the OSSA Voluntary Counseling and Testing clinic where the
youth group leaders were also meeting and receiving training. While the
adults were off doing their thing, we were having an interesting
conversation with some amazing kids. These kids undergo training to
educate the community about HIV/AIDS. When asked why they are doing this,
they replied that they want to help their people fight this virus. Their
friends and family are affected everyday. At first the kids were really
shy. Then they started opening up to us, asking us questions. One told us
that we don't look American and I explained to him that Americans are not
all white people. We talked about the bay area being really diversified.
One boy said he wanted to live in America. Then we asked them what they
wanted to do with their life. They want to be famous musicians like Usher.
They were really interested in Reggae and Rap music. I'm really glad we
got to talk to the youth; they were inspiring people who really cared
about their co
mmunity. Before leaving we exchanged addresses, promising to write to each
other.
Then we went to the HBC (Home based care) where volunteers (ages 20-27) go
to HIV/AIDS patients' homes to care for them. They have a kit that they
take with detergents, medicines, gloves, gauzes etc. They bathe, give
medicine, and counsel the patients. When asked their biggest challenge,
they replied that some patients deny that they have the virus. If the
patient dies, sometimes they even prepare the body for burial and collect
funds for a coffin. These volunteers are true angels. Some of us tried to
tell us how much we admire them, but I don't think that was translated to
them.
Although translators are extremely helpful and really great, I really wish
I knew Amharic. I want so much to talk to these people and just have a
natural conversation. Even so, it is amazing how warm everyone was after
having known me for less than an hour.
We returned to the hotel and Tina and I sat in our room, overwhelmed and
depressed. I am so glad I have her support; if I didn't have her to vent
to I would have gone insane. I felt sorry for some of the adults who were
trying to drown their heartache, having to go through it alone in their
rooms.
We went to Fasika, a traditional Ethiopian restaurant, for dinner. Our
hosts, the food, and the dancing were all amazing, but it was a little too
much for me to handle after our day. We came back to the hotel to find the
cyber cafe closing in 10 min. We grabbed some comfort food and settled
down in our beds to fall asleep to the sound of Shrek and Donkey.
I still feel like I haven't conveyed what it was actually like to be here,
experiencing these things and meeting these wonderful people. In the US I
complain about things that are so miniscule compared to the problems the
people we met today face. I have NOTHING to complain about. Even so these
people are brave and stong; they support each other. It is proof that with
support from each other, we can achieve anything.
9/21/04:
Yesterday was the day I had been waiting for...the day Tina and I could go
to the school in Hundura Mara, Wiliso that Castilleja School raised the
money to build with Dancing for a Difference.
It was a long walk through the mud...about 3 km, the distance some of the
children have to walk to get to school. We walked through cattle herds and
little gardens, getting a better sense of the way these people live. We
met a little girl, Zetatute, who goes to our school. She was really
adorable, about 8 yrs old and really shy. We asked her some questions and
she followed us for a little while. She had about twice as much mud as I
had on her legs and I remembered the terrible statistics that we heard the
night before about how well over 50% of children are affected by parasite
infections.
Then we met another little girl carrying her brother on her back. Her
father said she could not go to school because she had to take care of her
brother. The way he said it seemed like it was obvious, but it was so sad
for me. Then we met a first grade boy, Shelameh, who was on his way to
school. He attended the 2nd shift and he was carrying some brand new
exercise books. We walked with him to the school and found out that he had
earned 3 burr- less than 50 cents herding cattle for 2 months. We earn
about 3 burr a minute. Shelameh spent all his earnings on those exercise
books. The children started school last week, but learning started
yesterday. He said he was really excited to learn and the part he liked
the best about school was the furniture. At first I thought he meant the
playground equipment, but he meant the tables and chairs. Such little
things that we take for granted are so exciting to these kids.
We passed a filthy little stream and learned that this was where the
village got their water before a well was built. It was obviously
contaminated and caused a lot of sickness.
We went in the school and met the head facilitator who explained how the
school got started and how everything works. There are over 200 kids,
about 50% girls. They teach 6 subjects, including aesthetics, English, and
the local language Oromifaa. He explained how the attendance for girls
increased so much after building a separate latrine for girls. All they
needed was a bathroom to come to school. There was one female teacher who
I wish we could have talked to.
We went in a classroom, and I just was amazed by the enthusiasm of both
the teacher and the children. The teacher was literary jumping up and down
and I almost wished I could be part of that class. When he asked a
question, every hand shot up and they all called out "Me, pick me, I
know!!" in Oromifaa. When he called on a student, he/ she got up and said
the answer. Then they all said yes and clapped. It was adorable and I was
so inspired by the attention all of them were paying.
Next we met with a group of parents, 2 husbands and 2 wives. It was kind
of awkward at first, but once we introduced ourselves and they saw how
unbelievably excited we were to be there, they showed their excitement
too. I was so impressed at how involved they were in every single step of
building this school. They actually decided as a village that they need a
school and they approached Save the Children. Then they were involved in
the actual construction. The community contributed 10% of the salaries of
all the teachers= 200 burr=25 $. They told us that other parents were
skeptical that the school would actually happen, but now that they have
seen the results, they are willing to give everything they have for the
education of their children. Some are even willing to donate seeds for a
school garden. When we told them we had never walked so much to go to
school, they told us they were honored that we had made so much effort to
come and see the school and they thanked us very graciously. They were
incredulous
when we said how impressed we were that their children were so
enthusiastic during class and that sometimes we fall asleep in our
classes. We asked which subject they thought was most important and they
replied that all of the subjects are equally important; they are just
happy that their children don't have to walk for hours to go to government
schools. Their kids can read and write in 4th grade when gov school kids
can't. They credited this to the teachers and the school, but then I said
it is also because their kids are very intelligent. They were glowing with
pride.
Hanging on the walls were some beautiful little woven baskets and we
offered to buy them. They didn't want to charge us; they wanted it to be a
gift. I was amazed by their generosity. It would be really cool if we
could get more of the baskets to auction off and send them back the
profits.
Then we watched some kids drinking water from the well. I noticed
immediately how much shyer they were than the urban kids. They did not beg
and they were very quiet. Even so they followed us almost all the way back
to the street.
Though it was a long walk and I was up to my knees in mud, it was so
satisfying to see the impact Castilleja School made on these kids and
their parents. What an amazing day.
9/24/04:
Our last night in Ethiopia was very emotional. I had become very attached
to the Ethiopian people and their great warmth and generosity. I prepared
myself to for the next day which I knew would be very hard. We would go to
Mother Teresa's orphanage for children living with AIDS.
Before entering we were warned to bring no cameras or tears. I had made
up my mind to not go to close to the children in fear that they would get
too attached to me and think I was taking them home. I was also afraid of
getting too attached to them.
First we met the person in charge, Sister Mercy Me, and amazingly kind
and down to earth woman with an Irish accent. As soon as they saw us, a
mod of toddlers raced up and claimed their property. I had a warm little
hand wrapped around each of my fingers. I immediately sensed their need
for attention. They happily led me along, singing and laughing and just
looking up at me for a smile and some signs of affection. One of the
little girls on my hand linked hands with another girl on someone else's
hand, not wanting to break the chain. Soon there were about 20 of us all
linked, walking through the buildings. We passed some flowers and one
wanted to pick some flowers with out letting go of the chain. Everyone
halted, not wanting to leave her behind. These kids looked out for each
other like family members, sharing my fingers. In a way, they are forced
to be each other's family because they have nobody else. When we reached
the cribs, a sister separated the toddlers from my fingers and shooed them
outside. I looked into the cribs at the tiny little angels. Some of them were too weak
to move, while others watched me, squirming to be picked up. At first I
was afraid to pick them up, but I realized how much those babies needed to
be cradled. I wanted to make them feel safe and happy for the few minutes
I spent with them.
Every single beautiful little boy or girl in that orphanage basically had
a death warrant and all they did was to be born. It was hard leaving the
babies; I could have gladly stayed with them for a couple weeks, just
holding them in my arms.
We next went to see the school. As we moved from room to room, to a
higher class, the number of students decreased. It struck me that these
kids are lucky to live to the age of 14. Even so, they were so dedicated
to learning and improving their quality of life. In the 4th grade, we
asked some kids what they want to be when they get older. One said a
doctor, one a lawyer, one girl said an acrobat. Tina and I were so
impressed with their vitality that we proposed a pen pal relationship with
Castilleja and this class. Sister Mercy was thrilled, saying that we would
make such a big impact on these kids. The thing is, these kids have no
idea the impact they made and continue to make on our lives.
Trip to Uganda and stay in Uganda:
We got to the airport at about 2 pm and checked in our bags. It seemed so
easy and I was relieved. 6 hrs later we were still in Addis airport. Our
plane had come, and then turned around and went back. Although our
delegation was clearly exhausted and annoyed, we had some quality bonding
time with Boggle, Egyptian war, Spoons, and Cosmogirl. We reached Nairobi
around 11 pm and stayed the night there. We finally reached Uganda the
next morning, having missed a meeting with the US ambassador. We were
wiped and we checked in and left for lunch.
After lunch we went to a program called Straight talk. I admit I was not
looking forward to this meeting but the minute we met Sanyu, I was
energized. Straight talk is a program for kids to learn about sex and
write letters. It started as a newspaper. Then they started young talk for
kids under 14. They now have newspapers in different languages, radio
shows, clubs, and school programs. They also have parent talk, farm talk,
and tree talk. The website for this program is www.straight-talk.or.ug. I
recommend checking it out.
I was amazed when Sanyu pulled out binders and binders full of letters
from readers with really personal questions and answers. I was also
surprised when she said that most of the letters she gets are from boys. I
know that girls in America ask their personal questions to teen magazines,
but we lack a program like this where American kids can openly talk about
sex and get real information. I think the problem is that people don't
want to talk about safe sex because they don't want to encourage the
subject of sex at all. However, if they had role models like Sanyu giving
us advice and information, I think kids would be encouraged to hold off on
sex for longer. The success of this program comes from accepting the
reality, that many kids are sexually active at a young age. I was
thoroughly impressed with Straight talk and I was even more impressed when
we visited some schools, whose kids read the newspaper and discuss it in
class and in their youth groups.
This entry is to be continued when I get back to the states for lack of
time.
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