The last few weeks we spent with the Mbuyis were a wonderful experience. We not only got to know them better as a family, but we got to share a little bit of our culture through activities and a little travel near the end. Here are our collected final experiences!
Visit #3-March 26: Cards & Memorization
Short on ideas for entertainment, me and Logan decided something a little mind-challenging would be fun to bring to the Mbuyis' house, in the form of a pack of playing cards.
Upon arriving, we recieved a happy bit of news: Seraphin has recently found work in a packaging warehouse thanks to the networking community of his church, and the job is expected to pay relatively well.
Our first game was card war, which was simply using card hierarchy to see which one could win. On beginner's luck, Carmel remarkably won three straight games against me and Logan, to our amusement. I think this luck will help her be more enthusiastic to try more American games based on the experience.
However, it was our second card game that truly impressed me. In a game of match, we had a whole group of cards turned upside down, leaving Carmel and Seraphin to find matches. Surprisingly, Carmel again displayed a remarkable intution and selection towards which cards were located where she needed them. She ended up winning again against us boys, to our amazement. I wonder whether her enthusiasm is what helped her memory easily adapt to the new challenge, or whether she has always had inherent selection abilities. I know that she's been playing plenty of learning games on her electronics, and I decided I wanted to try this again with another game the next time.
Vist #4-March 31: Headbandz and Identification
Our next visit, me and Logan decided to bring something fun to do with the family. Quickly stopping by Wallgreens' Pharmacy, we picked out an interactive game called Headbanz. The game is basically attaching a plastic blue headband around your head, and selecting an unknown card to place in a slot on your forehead, allowing others' clues to help you guess the answer. We also brought Easter-themed candy like M&M's and Gummi Worms.
Thankfully, all of the kids were home tonight, as their parents were busy. We set down immediately to start playing the game. During the game, we found ourselves trying hard to help give each other additional clues outside spoken semantic ones to help them guess their answers, such as gestural or heptic touches to help illustrate the object and/or animal that was their card.
I feel like not only did we help introduce the kids to a new method of elimination and selection in terms of grouping, we also learned how in touch they are with our language's connotations, even beyond that of just names. Landry was one of the highest scorers in the game, and I have to wonder whether his avid interest in learning helps with his international translation. For our next visit, I agreed with Logan that it had to be something outside of their home, one that would help them learn more about our culture by activity.
Visit #5-April 4th: "Noah" and Post Service Assessment
Our final visit started off a little nerve-wracking. We had previously tried to set up a time to visit the Mbuyis on Thursday, but their schedules prevented us from properly getting to hang out with the family, so we elected to wait until the next day. When we showed up, we found the house was empty at the time we planned on meeting. After a few minutes from a quick phone call, we found that they were just running late. Upon their arrival, me, Logan, and the kids decided to go see the blockbuster "Noah", due to its religious themes and the nearest convenient showing coming up relatively soon.
During our ride over, we learned that the Mbuyi kids (Camel, Luwara, and Landry) had done very little traveling since arriving at the Quad Cities, but that this was their second movie outing, aside from the one with their church.
During the movie, some graphic content and heavy scenes started to make me wonder whether we had chosen something that was too intense. I looked over at Carmel several times, but she seemed strangely entranced by the movie, even as its themes and characters got darker. I think their connection with family made them especially interested in Noah's portrayed family, as we discussed the conveyed relationship messages of equality and justice that he displayed towards his sons differently throughout the movie afterwards.
At the end of the movie, we cheerfully yet exhaustedly drove the Mbuyis home, dropped them off, and said goodnight to their parents, thanking them again for their kindness and welcoming nature. I dearly hope that we'll be able to visit them again in the future.
ASSESSMENT
At the end of this experience, I can definitely draw out some specific traits about our visits that made the experience an educational one on both ends:
For one, the visits always had a high level of competence: the Mbuyis had a very quiet social life since moving to the Quad Cities, but it was one that was rich with interaction and international learning. They were always welcoming to anyone who showed up at their door, and respected our suggestions and activities with full acceptance. Not only that, but even when they displayed forms of misunderstanding some of our terms and speech, they used humor to convey their perspective, as I learned when I found myself baffled to remember my high school French education towards Seraphins' fluent speech.
Furthermore, we found ourselves constantly practicing active and interactive strategies to get a feel for the Mbuyis' home life. As one or two family members were often busy during the times of our visits, we had to do a little background check on the boys from Seraphin in order to find out more about them, since they couldn't be here most of the time. However, our interactive discussions helped us learn more about the Mbuyis' beliefs, interests, and skillsets they had acquired since moving over here.
Our last major theme would have to be that of ethnocentric connection. During our visits, we found we had more to relate to the Mbuyis than we initially thought. They shared a wealth of knowledge about their surroundings and terms in the five months they've been here. They share a distinctly Midwestern faith, friendly demeanor, and sense of adventure in all that they do.
I feel that this experience has made me want to continue seeking out opportunities with the World Relief Program, especially considering the wonderful experience I have had throughout these past months. It also makes me wonder about what kinds of friendships I could forge through the International program here at Ambrose, based on the things we may or may not have in common. But if there's anything valuable the Mbuyis have helped teach me...it's that it's never too late to ask.
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