During the night a heavy pouring rain accompanied the sleep of us volunteers, taking away with it electricity and water. This morning, thanks to the early wake up call, the rain that showed no signs of stopping and the awareness that this wonderful adventure is coming to an end, we woke up tired and melancholic. The restaurant gate was closed, breakfast was not yet ready and we had to postpone the departure for Jumbi, the eleventh and the penultimate kindergarten of our trip. When we arrived at the kindergarten we found only ten children: the bad weather had dissuaded all the others from going to school and they too, like us, seemed to be struggling to get going. Without losing heart, we tried to involve them in the games and suddenly something changed. A smile magically appeared on their faces, we started to sing and dance together with them and the teachers and the atmosphere warmed up, despite the bad weather outside.
We then went to Stone Town, the capital of Zanzibar, to take a walk and buy something. The rain continued to not be kind to us and the city welcomed us with rivers of water that made us soaked from head to toe. But once again we did not lose heart: after a short stop in the shelter we ventured through the streets of this Arabian and welcoming city, letting ourselves be attracted by the colors of the little shops and the hidden corners, to discover a new world, very different from the one we had experienced so far in the villages and nurseries. Our perseverance was finally rewarded, the rain stopped and we spent pleasant hours together, accompanied by the smiles and greetings of the locals. Once on the way back I reflected on the fact that this experience and in particular this day taught me to face things with enthusiasm and optimism despite the unexpected, to savor the moments without haste, to look on the bright side, to draw a sense of authentic joy from the little things, to smile at life with all its nuances. In a few words: Hakuna matata!
~Noemi @ Zanzibar, Tanzania
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