It's that Look

Entry via Letter

Being a volunteer can be difficult at times, especially when acting as a teacher in a small “bush” school. Do the kids really listen to me as I fill their head with Biology facts, can they be expected to when none of the other teachers teach in the classrooms, and only come around on discipline days? I’ve pandered many a day (especially on boring plant biology days) why I sit here writing these notes when only one or two of the students will truly understand me. Then I get “the look”. “The look” comes in many forms and in many places, not just in the school but around the village as well. “The look” is what keeps me going on days when I wonder what the hell I’m doing here in the middle of a heat wave without air conditioning. What is this look? I’m glad you asked. “The look” is the wave of understanding that comes over a students face when he grasps the concept of photosynthesis. “The look” is also the appreciation and ear to ear grin that my neighbor gives me every time I make Chocolate cake, even when I add too much oil and we change the name to chocolate soup. “The look” is the pride and beaming glow of a student who can point out a mistake in my calculations and then show the class, in English, where I went wrong. “The look” is the high-pitched shrieks of laughter and red faced convulsions of villagers when they meet me walking around the village with my kitten Peps wrapped in a Kanga and tied to my back like an African baby. “The looks” are the stern serious faces of villagers as the stare into my camera, and the coos of approval and piles of laughter when they look at the resulting picture. “The look” is the wide puppy-dog eyes of a neighborhood girl who hasn’t yet eaten all day, but manages to sneak me a handful of cashews carried in the folds of her small shirt.

“The Look” can come from any place at anytime, and though I never expect where I will find it, I’m always thankful that I am here in Tanzania to inspire it.