Getting to know the Karanga Village

I could keep my excitement at bay no longer. At 6:30am I threw the curtains back to get my first glance at Mt. Kilimanjaro. The towering mountain greeted me with clouds and has been evasive since my arrival. I have been in Tanzania for a week now and am living in the Karanga Village, along the Karanga river. The country is covered with corn and sunflower fields as far as the eye can see, with rivers and waterfalls tucked along side the road in Mt. Kili's shadow.

It is quite an exquisite sight, though Tanzania's true beauty lies in the people. The people are filled with such a genuine joy it is hard to put into words. I have recently spent time with a man and his wife who have taken children off the street and provided shelter, food, clothing, and placed them in school. What is most remarkable is that this couple has given these children a loving family. They are currently 35 children strong (ages 5 - 19) and receive no stipend or any form of payment. The children are smart, full and happy. At first they were timid, but then greeted us with songs and radiating smiles. As is part of the Tanzanian culture, we brought food - bread, cooking oil, corn meal, etc. The man showed us around his home, after which we left for the fields to play games with the children. The girls sat around chatting and braiding some of the volunteers hair while others left to play soccer. The field was lined by sunflowers, the black dirt was hard and riddled with rocks. They used large boulders for the goals and many of the children played in flip-flops. They were amazing (me...not so great).

On Sunday, we were welcomed into their church which they are currently rebuilding as the wind took it a few weeks ago. The man said something that stuck with me. He told us that it is his choice to be happy and while he does have good days and bad, life is short. It is his choice that he is happy and that is the life he wants to live.