Before arriving to Dindano Village, I had mixed feelings about my week ahead of me. I love being exposed to the many different ways people live around the world, but I also love staying in one place for the entire month and building relationships with a specific group.
Sunday afternoon, after hiking 45 minutes up a mountain, our group was welcomed by a group of village kids who heard we were coming. They grabbed our hands and walked with us as we toured around our new home. To help you visualize what this tour looked like, it was…
-The kids nursery- Walk inside the school and set up sleeping pads on the floor of one classroom. Use the other classroom for classes each morning.
– The bathroom- Walk down a trail surrounded by grass taller than you, around the left side, to a whole in the ground.
– The shower- Walk behind the school where a shower was made with straw by a local that day we arrived and used probably once by everyone on our team.
The village kids thought shower time was Mzungu Anatomy class.
– The water- Walk out in front of the school about 50 yards to a pump where all the locals would come to fill up their buckets and carry back on their heads. We lucked out with the water setup
-The kitchen- Walk to the straw-roof hut on the right side of the school and build a “local fire” (I don’t even know how to describe it). We cooked breakfast/lunch/dinner over this smoke machine.
*This nursery is a volunteer opportunity Butterfly asks people participate in, but usually does not receive volunteers since you have to sleep up in the village.
Everyone stopped by the nursery our first day there and welcomed us with warm greetings and smiles. I instantly changed my attitude and chose to dive into relationships with the locals as much as I possibly could during my week.
What does diving in look like in Dindano?
-Waking up early each morning to welcome kids (close to 90), as they entered their classroom.
– Giving the teachers a break and offering to teach the daily lessons.
– Walking to the water pump and filling close to 20 buckets of water for the women.
-Asking the women to teach me how to balance stuff on my heads.
-Sitting with the girls on the nursery school porch and attempting to learn their language… A.K.A. having them buckle over laughing as I butcher each word J
– Letting all the boys borrow my phone so they can explore this little gadget I’ve never looked at the way they do.
-Asking a group of local women to teach me how to make sima- a porridge type of meal everyone eats. And then tasting it and faking every “Mmmmm!!”
-Than after that having them teach me all their other favorite meals to cook, plus teaching me how to make an “African Oven”- SO COOL.
-Allowing the same women to braid my whole head. This became quite a show for those who were passing by.
– Last, but certainly not least, encouraging the women to start their own businesses instead of sitting around.
I was able to set up a meeting with the chief’s wife to talk about Dindano Village being my first focus area for my business. She was so excited, I was so excited, it was a magical moment. I’m going back this week to give a presentation to the women who want to start learning how to make them and sell them. It’s amazing how this can all be a reality with me being here!! I LOVE IT.
From having mixed feelings to planning out my next step for the business. I have to remind myself that there is no reason for me to try and make things an issue when they’re not on the race. Look past the small things and live in the moment. So much comes from being present.
The shout out still stands:
If anyone back home is interested in helping with this focus business, reach out to me! If you know anyone who would be interested in this kind of project, send him or her my way! I may still be on the field, but I’m meeting people and making connections with people who want a project like this to move forward.
Enjoy & Give Joy
Contact me: [email protected]
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