A typical day in Milingano

I usually get up at around 6.30am but have been lying awake for at least an hour prior to this - the housegirls arrive at about 6am to start sweeping the ground (why?!), the cockerel begins to crow at around 5am and a radio begins to play at a similar hour so sleeping in is not an option! I emerge sleepily from my room, eyes half-open, squinting into the sunlight and am accosted by the housegirls who precede to test me on every Kiswahili and Kisamba greeting under the sun as I make my way to the toilet. Breakfast is at 7am- often a strange combination of a hard-boiled egg and porridge, which sets the bowels moving! After our morning teeth cleaning ritual, Emma and I set off for school. We usually know when school is about to begin because the children come careering down the path outside our house singing and dancing to start the day. Such joy!

When we arrive at school, we have the privilege of watching the assembly. This is just an incredible experience and brings tears to my eyes every single time I see it - hundreds of children standing in line singing the national anthem in such beautiful voices, with the Usambara mountains rising behind them and the sun peeking out over the ridges! Beautiful. I just can't believe I am here.

I spend the day teaching the children. I teach Standard 3 and Standard 5. Standard 3 are the equivalent standard of Year 3 in the UK but the average age of the class is about 12 years old, because primary education is not compulsory and so children enrol when their families can afford to finance them. Standard 3 are enthusiastic, energetic anf eager to learn but are also a little high-spirited and quite hard to control! They are a large class and there is a very broad spectrum of abilities meaning that it is quite a challenge to tailor my lesson to everyone. Some of my lessons are definitely more successful than others! The most amusing has to be one which was being observed by the TEFL coordinator. The children had had a farming lesson on the shamba all morning in torrential rain. They came straight from this to my lesson and were absolutely soaked through. Their teeth were chattering and they were literally shaking with cold. I tried to overcome this by commencing the lesson with a mini-aerobics class, but this had little effect on the temperature of the tiny children! I pressed on, conscious that my lesson was being observed, but the children proceeded to remove their clothes, item by item, and make a temporary clothes line across the classroom! I ended up with a class of 50 almost naked children, shaking and trembling, and refusing to sit down due to their wet underwear! A very successful lesson!

Standard 5 are a little easier to manage, mainly due to the fact that the class is a little smaller. The children's average age is about 14, but again, there is a very broad spectrum of ages and abilities. They love games and competitions, mainly because I give out sweets to the winners! They are incredibly bad losers though and I am often faced with a large proportion of sulking children! Both Standard 3 and Standard 5 are obsessed with tests and as I walk to school each morning I am greeted by shouts of "Teacher Jenny, testi leo, testi leo."

At lunchtime, we wander back to the house. As usual, we are greeted by every single person that we encounter on our way and we must stop and chat to them all so as not to be considered rude. We start with the usual Kisamba greeting and then move on to a deluge of Kiswahili greetings too! The locals enjoy testing our linguistic knowledge and I like to think that they are impressed by our progress!

After lunch, it is back to school for more lessons. The children are usually a little tired and grumpy by this point because many children walk for hours to reach school each morning and then do not eat lunch. This means that holding their attention can be difficult and so it is wise not to introduce new topics at this time.

After school, we often teach netball. This is great fun! The girls are incredibly energetic and enthusiastic! They play with constant smiles on their faces and never tire or complain! Emma is a PE teacher in the UK so I tend to step back and let her use her expertise, but I love helping and sometimes even join in to help (?!) the losing team!

After this, we return home for showers- a bucket of hot and a bucket of cold water that we pour over our heads! It is incredibly refreshing and may even actually surpass a power shower to be honest! We then open the dreaded MAKTABA! This is the toy and book library, but unfortunately it is not as serene and lovely as it sounds! We stand in a tiny room behind metal bars whilst the children charge at us, fighting and screaming. It can be pretty stressful but also quite amusing! There are some children who know which toy they want and can clearly say "Teacher, football" or "Teacher, box"- these are the easy ones! Most just stand and point at what they want whilst we try, unsuccessfully, to guess what they are pointing at! This can go on for a very long time and it is difficult not to get frustrated! It is very rewarding though when the children begin to learn how to use the toys and successfully complete a puzzle or play a game - it brings joy to my heart! Maktaba lasts for an hour and, at this point, we begin to shout "Maktaba is ashiaaaaa!" As soon as the children hear these words, they echo them repeatedly! Collecting the toys can be a bit of a chore, but we have a couple of children who like to 'help' by snatching toys from the others and hitting them if they fail to comply!

After this, we eat dinner and have our daily 'tea and ginger biscuit' ritual! When we go to Tanga once a fortnight, there is a Western-style supermarket where we are able to purchase treats such as ginger biscuits and Jackers. This has provided much joy but the biscuits are expensive and so we ration them very strictly! Unfortunately, last week, I tried to offer our watchman, Zakaria, one biscuit but he misunderstood me and took the entire packet from my hand!! We were both very distressed and snuck into the cooking area later to steal a few back!

Zakaria usually arrives at about 6pm (12 Kiswahili time). He can only be described as a 'complete delight'. His high-pitched greetings never fail to make me chuckle! He lights out way to the toilet, even at 4am, and he regularly saves us from spiders, cockroaches and even bats! After dinner, we usually have a group of boys who come to our house for tuition and games. We sit outside with them and games include giant snakes and ladders, drafts and kerplunk! By this time, we are pretty sleepy but we then begin to plan our lessons for the next day, by the light of our kerosene lamps. This is often accompanied by some power ballad singing, since I have been fortunate enough to find someone with a mutual love for Heather Small's 'Proud' and a similar lack of ability in the tuning department!! We also play cards, face charades (amazing!) and scrabble. It really is wild here, as you can tell! We usually retire to bed before 10pm because it is dark, there is no electricity and we have had a long day!

27th November

Well, I have written all this in the present tense but, sadly, it really should have been set in the past because we left Milingano this morning. I have had the most wonderful three months. This placement has surpassed my expectations and it is an experience that I will treasure forever.

I will miss the people of Milingano with my whole heart. Their unwavering enthusiasm, limitless energy, unbridled joy and constant kindness and hospitality have made me feel so welcome. I have never felt such a part of a community as I have here and I hope that somehow I can replicate this feeling in the future. Milingano primary school is wonderful. We received a warm welcome each and everyday from both children and staff. The headteacher is doing an incredible job and can only be described as an 'absolute joy'.

The last 24 hours in Milingano were absolutely amazing. I have never before wished that I could freeze time in the present moment to this extent. Our leaving party was wonderful - the singing, dancing and speeches brought tears to my eyes. Our party had been going to be cancelled as the headteacher's eldest son, who lived several hours away, had died two days before but he came all the way back to Milingano just for this party. We were told that this was testament to how much we were liked and how much of a difference we had made to the community but, really, it is just another example of the kindness, generosity and selflessness of the people here. They have inspired, impressed and humbled me immensely. I am sitting here with a lump in my throat, missing Milingano greatly already. I think that the only quote in my extensive library that can make me feel better at the moment is "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." I don't want these amazing memories to fade- I hope that the colours stay as vivid, the smiles as bright and the friendships, both with volunteers and villagers, as strong.