Monthly Archives: July 2010

An Orchard in Monze

Posted on by

 

On our last full day in Monze, we spent our morning planting a garden for the Malambo School. We planted a total of 16 trees. Regardless of the type of tree, be it an orange, lemon, avocado or guava tree, the process was always the same. For each tree, we would start by digging a one meter deep hole. For me, this was the hardest to do. The soil in the ground was especially hard to dig through. And the shovels, hoes and picks that we were using were heavier than they appeared. Next, we would pour manure into the hole, mixing it with soil and grass. The grass would decompose, eventually becoming fertilizer for the plant. Finally, we would plant the tree and water it. The Malambo School gets is water from a small well located about three hundred feet from the school’s campus. Most of the water had to be transported in the two-liter water bottles that we had brought with us. Because each tree needed a total of 40 liters of water, this would have totaled to 280 trips to the well!
The morning would have been truly challenging had it not been for the many children and adults that came to help us. Creating that garden required some serious physical might, and I must admit that we would not have finished in time without the community’ s help. Apart from providing fresh fruits and vegetables for the school and the people who live near it, the trees can help strengthen the school community. As witnessed today, simply creating the garden required a community effort. Men and women alike wielding shovels and picks dug over a dozen holes. Children carried water back and forth between the garden and the well. Without a doubt, maintaining the garden will require as much if not more participation from the people of the community. However, the effort put in is directly related to the community’s benefit. The fruits will be sold by the school, thereby providing an alternate funding source for the school. As a result, the garden also provides for the community.

-Raissa

 

Cultural Cooking

Posted on by

 

After the school day was over Elizabeth told us that we were going to different homes to help prepare dinner.We were divided into groups of 2 or 3 and dropped off at various houses. My group consisted of Catherine, Dominique Leach, and me. We came to the house bearing gifts of thanks for this opportunity. We gave the family ground corn (which is a staple in their diet), tomatoes, a dishtowel, oil, a bowl, and peanuts. As soon as we got there we began to cook.

First, Catherine ground dried pumpkin leaves in a very large mortar and pestle. Febby, the woman that we were cooking with sifted the leaves to get the finest pieces and placed the rest into the mortar and pestle for more grinding. This continued for about three minutes and then we began to work on the peanuts. Dominique tried to grind the peanuts and when she started, Febby instantly began to laugh. Her family then came over and also began to laugh at Domique’s technique. They tried to give her verbal instructions but it didn’t work so I gave it a try. When I started, one of Febby’s sons told me to go fast, so I did. But, everyone just laughed. After a good 2 minutes of fast grinding, Febby told me that I’m supposed to go slow and pound hard.

Once the peanuts had been ground to perfection by Catherine, we boiled a little bit of water and stewed the peanuts and pumpkin leaves for 6-8 minutes. Once the stew/sauce was finished, we began the nshima ( is a cornmeal product and a staple food in Zambia). We boiled more water and then added the ground corn in small amounts. Once the mixture acquired the consistency of porridge, Dominique stirred the mixture in circles as it began to become more like mashed potatoes I took a turn stirring. As soon as I began to stir in circles all of Febby’s family began to laugh, again. Eventually someone showed me how to properly stir, the same motion as rowing a boat. Once the nshima was finished, we went into Febby’s home and ate our dinner. It was a wonderful experience to have a chance to see how to prepare Zambian food and to see what Febby’s family think of our cooking skills.

-Grace

 

The LearnServe Zambian Alphabet

Posted on by

Andrew and Amein, Amein

Bwangi, Baboon’s blood, and Brightone
Chiki-chiki Chikumbuso
“Do what I do!”
Elelphants
Francis and Frisbee
Good googley moogley
Hips and Haggling
Idikina and “I am fine and how are you sir!”
Journaling
Kelly and Kwacha
Lemon trees and Lusaka
Mafia, Monze, and Mozbe
Nshima and Ngombe
“Oh my Lord!”
Phillip and Plant a seed
Quilts
Reflections
Self evident, Seriously displeased, Suspicious trees, and Shooting stars
Team Supreme, Twister, and “TREE!”
Uncle Jesse
Victoria Falls
Wasps and World Bicycle Relief
Oxen chasing Ty’Ronn
Yelping at dogs and cats and chicks and grasshoppers and picking up a tarantula, by the way
Zambia

-Emma came up with this idea and typed it up. Everyone helped to come up with the phrases.

 

Lessons learned while teaching

Posted on by
Today was our last day at Malambo School. Though our interactions with the students were very limited, we slowly but surely started to form a bond with them. My first thoughts of the 7th grade were that they would be eager to learn and easy to get to know. My thoughts quickly changed as I realized that the students were shy. Even when we had called people up to tell us their names they spoke softly. At first, I thought that this would be a complication but there were certain students that made-up for others. There were three students that I remember most: Twaambo, Omeck, and Tyson.
Twaambo was the class clown but he also was one of the smartest in the class. Whenever we would ask a question he would be the first one to raise his hand. When we were asking the students questions about the story we read to them, Twaambo quick to raise his hand for every single answer.

Omeck was a quiet student, untill you got to know him. Omeck was very good at drawing. During our collage lesson Omeck’s work was both creative and interesting. I believe that Omeck was able to open up to us through his drawing. When I first saw his artwork on the board I started to talk to him about how amazing his work was for a kid his age. For that particular assignment he got the highest grade in his class for shading.

The smartest student in his class, would have to be Tyson. He would always help the other students with classwork. An example of this is when we were teaching the students about measurements, instead of staying in his seat once he was finished, Tyson helped the other students that were struggling. I found this a symbolic significant as it reflects on how the community as a whole helps each other out.
-Ayinde

Sense of Accomplishment

Posted on by

During the two weeks I have been here in Paraguay, I have learned so much.  Through trips to Isla Pucu and Santa Ana, I learned that I have a good life and that I should not take it for granted.  This trip has opened my eyes to see beyond my enclosed surroundings.  I learned the value of friendship and you do not have to know the same language to share memories.  I feel like I have a sense of accomplishment because I helped children who live across the world from me. The joy we put on their faces gives me uproar of happiness. 

During the week, my Sports team took many walks through the Santa Ana neighborhood.  On these walks, I saw different walks of life.  It felt like the best thing was being able to give clothes to low-income kids.  I truly feel like I have done something special in the lives of the children, and I also think that by helping, I have helped future leaders of Santa Ana and San Jose as well.

-Austin

Health Day

Posted on by

When I got to Paraguay, I thought that I had an idea of what to expect. I thought that people would be poor, but not at like this. I discovered a new side of poverty. Last Friday was Health Day at a local school. At first, I didn’t really want to go because I heard people had lice, and I wasn’t interested in getting lice. At the school, the older students played with and attend to the younger kids until snack time. During snack time, everyone got in line and one by one, they started washing their hands. We gave each child a bag of soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and other toiletries. All had huge smiles on their faces. They knew that they had someone that really cared. What impacted me the most is that these kids walked the streets with not shoes and dirty clothes, going from car to car asking for money. I left both sad and terrified about their everyday lives.

-Perla

Field of Dreams

Posted on by

As our time in Paraguay comes to a close, I can’t help but be impressed by the maturity and commitment of the LearnServe students.  Working with the students in the medio ambiente group (environment), I saw a drive and motivation that really struck a chord.  Upon arriving at the site, there was a swampy, rocky field covered in trash that served as the playground for one of the primary schools.  It was no playground. The children entertained themselves by fighting, pushing, or trying to play futbol in any open area. Using mostly recycled materials, such as tires and bottles, a playground was slowly erected. Our students worked tirelessly to hang a giant tire swing to a tree, a regular swing made of tire from another tree, a rope swing on a branch. They also dug trenches into the ground to build a bench and a tire pyramid, which was not easy considering the ground was 20% dirt and 80% rocks and trash. Then everything was painted to give the area a bit of color.  

On the last day in Santa Ana, the students were supposed to be participating in a sports day.  However, after seeing on Thursday that not everything at our site had been finished, this group of incredible students decided to miss out of the futbol games and relay races to build a soccer field, complete with goal posts and all.  Their dedication paid off when the students were released for recess and were given a chance to play on their new playground.  The excitement in the air was almost tangible as all lined up to use the new equipment. Giving the students a new playground is not just giving them a place to be kids.  It gives them motivation and hope to see that a group from as far away as the US cares enough about them and thinks that they are important enough to come down and work this hard for them.  The LSI students, along with our counterparts from Paraguay, really made a difference in the lives of those school children.  

-Talia Shnider

Victoria Falls and Safari

Posted on by

On Monday, I saw THE MOST AMAZING thing I have ever seen: Victoria Falls! People call Victoria Falls one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. I am truly blessed to have seen it. I knew I could go far in life but this is as far as I could have imagined. I walked the bridge, felt the water, and got soaking wet. It was GREAT to watch the falls and feel raging water.  I know it’s pretty weird but I felt powerful to be able to see something so amazing. I was experiencing an opportunity few get to experience. Being at Victoria Falls made me think I was dreaming; watching the mist transform into a Skittles-like rainbow was astounding to me. I love everything about Victoria Falls, from when we first got off the van and were welcomed by an odd looking baboon to the 2 ½ hour safari where I saw gorgeous zebras and fat hippos! It was a wonderful day and I’m glad I have pictures and my journal to look back on and remember these moments.

-Paige

Strength

Posted on by

While working at the Chikumbuso project, I felt I truly interacted and made a difference. There were a few children that I befriended during the three days we were there. One boy named Crispin gave me a crown he made out of chip bags, simply because I liked it. Then today he came up to me with a bracelet he made for me. The fact that this child, who barely has anything of his own, is so willing to give what he has made to a complete stranger really amazed me. We came to Chikumbuso to teach them, but I have learned a lot about generosity and kindness by working with the children of Zambia.

Shortly before we left, a girl came up to me and told me that she was going to remember me and gave me a bracelet. She later asked if I would be her best friend, which prompted two other girls to do the same. I’m still wearing the bracelet she gave me, but to me it is more than a friendship bracelet. I wish that there was more that we I could have done more during the three days I was at there.

I had no doubt that the widows were happy to have visitors at Chikumbuso. As I was standing in line in the Chikumbuso store to buy bags, the two widows who made the bags I was holding came up to me and gave me hugs. In the back of the store a large group of widows was singing and dancing loudly and cheerfully, I couldn’t help but smile. They weren’t begging, they were putting in their hard work and used the money to better their lives and their entire community. I wish I could buy all the bags in the entire store, just to see them smile. Looking at how overwhelmingly happy these women are, one would think that they live perfect lives. In reality they have suffered so much more than I could even imagine; one woman told how she lost both her child and her husband in the space of a week. Their optimism and ability to continue through suffering is inspiring to me and I wish I could share what they have shown me with the rest of the world.

-Rachel

Soccer, San Jose & Santa Ana

Posted on by

Soccer isn’t a sport in Paraguay, it’s a way of life. I have not found one person who doesn’t like soccer here. Everyone has a favorite team, whether it be Olimpia or Cerro (the two major teams here) and plays soccer in the street, in the park, and in the house. So, when Paraguay played Japan in the round of 16, everyone went crazy. People tied Paraguayan flags onto cars, painted their faces, and wore their favorite jerseys. At 10am, all the groups stopped their work in Santa Ana to watch together, crowded around a couple of televisions. I take that back - the whole country stopped working to watch. During the game, I heard no cars in the street. Everyone was inside their house watching the game or listening on the television. Whenever Paraguay got the ball on offense, people screamed “Vamos, vamos,” and when Japan got the ball on offense, everyone screamed “No! Para la pelota!” I have never watched a more exciting game of soccer in my life. The best part of the game was the shoot out. Everyone was nervous, yet excited.  Some kids started singing songs about Paraguay, others chanted “Paraguay!” and others just stood quietly and anxiously. Before every kick, the group became silent, only to cheer immediately afterward when Paraguay scored. This happened four times, and at the fifth time, everyone jumped out of their seats and started dancing, because Paraguay had just advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time. People were cheering, crying, laughing, but most of all happy. Everyone in the building had a big smile across their face (only to have it disappear when they realized Paraguay is playing Spain in the next round). The streets exploded with noise too. Honking cars and cheers of “Paraguay, Paraguay,” erupted everywhere, and did not stop. The whole day was crazy about the game. 

The San Jose and Santa Ana students we are working with are very different.  the San Jose students attend a private Catholic school, wear nice clothing, have big houses and learn English in their spare time.  The Santa Ana students live in a village with sewage in the street, a couple of pairs of clothes, and limited access to schooling and medical care.  One of the things they both share though is soccer.  San Jose students play on the school team, and the Santa Ana students play in the street, but both love the sport.  Everyone has a jersey of their favorite player and wears in one game day.  The people in LSP are the odd ones out.  Soccer isn’t as popular in the US, but we still serve as a mediator between the two groups in work and in sport.  Both groups want to share their love for the sport with us and watch us enjoy their pastime.  So, during the game we sat with both groups, cheered on Paraguay and celebrated with them.  By helping them realize that they are alike in more ways than they think, we brought together two very diverse groups.