tid-bits…

Sanu!! That’s hello in hausa.
As I have mentioned before, the predominant religion in this area is Islam. They are devoted Muslims. The first time I witnessed worshipers praying on the road, I was stunned. Once it’s time for prayer, they stop wherever they are and pray. About ten minutes before the time, some roads leading to the mosques are barricaded. In Katsina town, all the churches are located within the same vicinity. This is because in the past the area was where brothels were located. The brothels were then demolished. The land was then termed unholy by the indigenes and they could not erect any structure there because of their belief. So the land was sold to Christians and they built churches there.
I visited a number of places.

 

Gidan Bala
‘Gida’ means ‘house’ in Hausa. So literally it means ‘House of Bala’. Its a small village close to Funtua. We spent a weekend at the place and interacted with the indigenes. We were there on evangelical outreach. The people are farmers. The grow pepper, mostly, along with other vegetables and grains like corn. The vicinity in which we were in was a large expanse of land with three cluster of houses spaced apart. Their animals like goats, cows and donkeys were so healthy and fresh compared to the ones I see in the south. The people are homely and are quite united. They go to the farm in the morning and come back in the evening. What I loved about the place was the fresh air and the natural state of the place. The smell of soil and the sight of the beautiful donkey.

sc, faith,
Dandume
Dandume is another place near funtua. They are known for sugarcane. I visited a corp member in this place. There was sugarcane in abundance. There was also the large expanse of land. There is a secondary school in the area as well.

Matazu
Matazu is near Dutsinma. They have alot of vegetables like carrots. Watermelons are also very cheap, especially on market days. These communities are so sparsely populated, everyone knows who’s who. A stranger is easily noticed.
The predominant occupation is agriculture and animal husbandry. There is alot of land for agriculture though the soil isn’t as arable as the soil down south.

Well, that’s all for now. Later!

MEMORIES…

Well, congratulations to all the ‘Batch A’ corp members. I hope you are having a great time at camp. Don’t worry, it will soon be over. Enjoy it while it lasts. I would like to go down memory lane and share a couple of experiences with you. My official first day at work and my visit to the orphanage.

 My official first day went ok. I wasn’t exactly excited but I was optimistic. I was wondering how I would be able to communicate with the students in the school I was posted to. I took my time to get there. I didn’t rush. I went to the proprietors office and she directed me to my class and laid a stack of textbooks on my so called ‘teachers table’. It was an apology of joined pieces of wood. Though the chair was quite comfortable. There were eleven students in my class and I asked them to introduce themselves.  I taught them though some are quite rambunctious nevertheless they were obedient and were under control. They were more interested in jokes than work which is quite normal. Towards the end of the day, one of them farted which sent the whole class running outside. They also asked for my name which sounded like ‘Koopfer, flis fwat is your name?’ (Corper, please what is your name)

When I asked them to recite the multiplication table, I had to control myself not to laugh out loud. Hearing ‘pour ties one, pour… pour ties seben, tiwenty wan’(four times one, four,…four times seven, twenty one) . Their accent was so thick, it was strange. All in all I had a fair day. They seemed quite welcoming though they were watching almost every move. I guess it’s natural when you have a stranger in your midst.

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My visit to the orphanage

As part of our community development scheme, my group visited the orphanage. It’s a walking distance from the stadium. I had never visited an orphanage before so I was happy about the experience. I had a new outlook about life. The children were so beautiful and handsome, it was heartbreaking to know that such kids didn’t have a family and had been abandoned by various people. If you still have someone call family, whether biological or not, it’s a blessing. You don’t have the right to be ungrateful.

These kids don’t have the privilege to call anyone mother or father. I feel it’s like being robbed of a precious time of one’s life. But I also believe it’s all part of Gods plan and God has a purpose for each of them. Life is too short to just exist and not live. So live life and influence those around you for the better. Do the right thing and treat people well. It’s unimaginable to me for someone not to have a family. And if it’s your capacity, touch the life of a young one around you.

One of the members of the management addressed us and told us how people bring abandoned children to the home. Also how as at year 2012, over thirty of them were relocated because they were of-age. Some were taken to universities and colleges. Others were taken to skill acquisition centers so that they would be integrated into the society as they had not had the experience of family life. There were about seven toddlers and six babies in the home when we visited. The officials also asked for our opinions on how to improve the home. It was a touching visit for me even though it was quite brief.

I hope to share more later!