I've been adopted!

With only two week's notice of my impending arrival, Theo (MTCEA Principal) secured a place for me with a wonderful family that lives on campus. Everything seemed to be on track until several days before my arrival in Nyabange. Theo emailed to say the family could no longer take me in as they had no adequate room for me. The father had returned from Uganda three weeks before after completing his degree in Business Management and was in the midst of resuming his duties as manager of the Musoma Press. This left no time for him to adequately prepare a room for me.

The alternative: to stay with an elderly widow who lives in the next village. For various reasons, Mike (CR, MCC TZ) felt that this would not be a suitable arrangement and perhaps the original family could be persuaded to take me in. After discussing the situation with Juma, the father, he agreed that I could stay with them with the condition that he would first build an additional room for me. As we speak, the back building of their home is being extended to accommodate two large rooms and a storage area. Baba Juma has assured me that he planned on doing the renovations in the near future but with his absence (he was in Uganda studying for three years) he could not afford to do the work. Once my time here is complete, his two boys will have a beautiful room to sleep in while the second bedroom will be reserved for his elderly parents and other guests that pass through their home. Until the construction work is done, I am staying at the Guest House on campus with my 'two' sisters – in the African way, they have moved in with me so I won't be alone.

Juma, my 'father', works as the manager of the Musoma Press while Rebecca, my 'mother', is a full-time housewife. They have two boys and two girls: Makeme, 17, is away at secondary boarding school and Pasko, 15, and Neema, 14, will be joining him in January. Clara, 11, attends the local primary school and will keep me company once the other two leave. Baba Juma introduces me as his 'dada mkubwa' (oldest daughter). I have all my meals at their house with them and am trying to spend as much time at their home so I can get to know them better. I am truly grateful for the way they have accepted me into their family.

Prayer Request: Please pray that our resident permits will be granted within the next week. The Musoma immigration officials assured us they would be ready this past Monday. Turns out we were misinformed and the paperwork must now be processed in Dar es Salaam, located on the other side of the country!

Teaching ESL

I have made it through my first week of ESL classes thanks to the helpful advice of my mother and Tante Cha and many prayers from all of you! I managed to persuade the Academic Dean, Carren, that it would be better to place the Certificate (Beginner) and Diploma (Intermediate) students in separate English classes. As a result, my weekly schedule consists of two one hour afternoon classes from Monday to Thursday focusing on conversational English. My greatest challenge has been preparing appropriate lesson plans and encouraging the students to speak freely, not just in response to my questions. They are quite used to sitting and receiving instruction versus active participation.

We had somewhat of a breakthrough yesterday when we played the game '20 Questions'. I split the Diploma class into four teams and each team had to choose a person from the Bible while the other three teams had to guess who their person was. The object of the game was to ask as few questions as possible to find the correct answer. Once they understood, we were off and they became so engrossed in the game that they kept passing me their next name idea. We had some heated discussion when one team gave incorrect answers in an attempt to mislead the other students and win the game.

I am diligently reading through the many ESL teacher books I brought along and have a major project looming before me: Carren and I have decided to give credit for my course. That means I must put together a course outline for the remaining eight weeks of the semester for her approval and come up with mid-term and final exams, all by Sunday! It's a daunting task but I'll get it done with some help from home (hint hint) and your continued prayers. My abilities and creativity are being put to the test - that is exactly what I asked for when I decided to do SALT…

Quick Guide: The Ins and Outs of Daily Life

If there is no running water, you… bike it up from the lake:
The community pump for Nyabange broke down several months ago and no one has been able to organize the villagers to pay for repairs. In the meantime, the situation has created a burgeoning business among bike owners who strap large yellow buckets (two to five at a time) onto the back sides of their bikes and cart up litres of water from Lake Victoria on a daily basis, dropping off their heavy loads at the doorsteps of the local population for a small fee. The existing indoor plumbing is out of order for the near future and, as a result, I have quickly learned to make the most of 'cup and bucket' showers and the closest outhouse.

Before and after every meal, you… wash your hands:
My parents would be so proud: I'm finally learning to wash my hands before and after every meal. At first, I found this to be somewhat of a nuisance until I realized that most people eat part or all of their meal by hand. This includes the mainstay of the Tanzanian diet, ugali: a thick cream of wheat/ porridge made from cooking ground maize and water. Most households have a wash stand next to the dinner table. It consists of a bucket with warm water, a bar of soap, and a second container to catch the used water.

When common household appliances are missing, you… make due:
For the duration of my stay in Nyabange, I will be washing my clothes by hand. I was forewarned but, for some reason, it didn't sink in until I was sitting in front of a bucket of water and a pile of dirty clothes. I watched as Agnes soaked the clothes and demonstrated the best techniques for washing. Let me tell you, it is not easy. You have to bend from your waist down (I gave in and accepted the stool that was offered) and rub the clothes with your right hand/ wrist against your left. After a while, your back is sore and your wrists are aching. Agnes reassured me that within a few months, I'll have built up enough stamina to do a whole load on my own!
No stoves mean fires for cooking. The locals use small 'jikos' that pots and pans are balanced on top of while charcoal fires are lit underneath and fanned into flames. Most women are up by 6 in the morning to make certain that breakfast is ready on time and warm water for bathing is available. Breakfast is served by 7:30am – chai ya maziwa or chai rangi (tea with milk or black tea), bread, honey, boiled eggs. Lunch at 1:00pm and Supper at 7:00pm or later – various varieties of starch (ugali, rice, potatoes, pasta in that order), a meat dish (usually fish or beef), seasonal vegetables and fruits, and pineapple avocado juice (you have to try it – it's quite delicious!).

Extreme Safari

I have arrived at my final destination - the Mennonite Theological College of East Africa, located just outside Musoma, in Nyabange. It was a long safari (journey) filled with car trouble, exotic animals, and pot-holed 'roads'. Although we left at a reasonable hour, our progress was slowed by some trouble Curtis and Carla were having with their vehicle, something about a leaky fuel tank. Once they heard funny noises coming from under the hood, they decided to turn around and head back to Arusha to get it fixed. Mike, T, and I continued on to Mugumu, driving first along the Ngorogoro crater, then across the vast Serengeti.

It was absolutely fascinating! Animals I've only seen at zoos or in books were running across the road or looking bored as we passed by - water buffalo, hippos, giraffes, ostriches, antelope, monkeys,... We didn't have much time to stop and observe along with the other tourist types but it gave us a taste of the year to come. The roads were bumpy at best and washed out at times. We had the truck in four-wheel drive almost the whole way and the locals just watched us skitter along, trying desperately to stay on track. Lack of street lights and signage makes driving at night nearly impossible so the boys drove as fast as they dared before the sun disappeared. We made it to Mugumu with a few minutes to spare before total darkness set in.

The journey provided a cross-section glimpse into the extreme changes in landscape although the living conditions remain similar: mud huts scattered between brick buildings, cows and goats herded through the countryside by young boys, women carrying jugs of water on their heads, men huddled in circles around checker/ chess boards, people pushing bikes loaded with goods to sell at the local market,...

We met Theo, the College Principal, and several other staff members and enjoyed a short tour of the campus - it has wonderful views of Lake Victoria. They are in the process of renovating various buildings and completing the women's dormitory. We met Theo's wife, Agnes, and their three children, William, 6, Joyce, 3, and Lucille, 5 months. I haven't quite processed the fact that I've finally arrived at my assignment location; it only started to sink in as we wandered the streets of downtown Musoma. I'm looking forward to being in a routine and settled in with my host family. I'm discussing my teaching schedule with Theo and the Dean of Students this afternoon and meeting my host family later today. And finally unpacking my suitcases!

Thank-you for all of the emails - this is the first time I've had access to the internet in five days and my inbox was bursting with new mail! I love hearing from all of you and getting the latest news from home. Thank-you!

I fell in love with Africa...

To celebrate the conclusion of our Kiswahili lessons, Mike took myself, Peter, and Fairchild to a campsite located in the mountains outside of Arusha, Maa'sai country. The place belongs to Daniel, an aquaintance of Mike's, and has no running water, a squatter version of a toilet (insert mental image here), no lights - you get the picture. Nothing I'm not used to from home but Fairchild had never stayed in a tent before, let alone a campsite without running water. I think she was serious when she asked about showers. After bouncing around on an over-inflated air mattress, I rolled out of bed and watched the sunrise from the edge of our site. It was amazing with Mount Meru in the background and the expanse of the Rift Valley illuminated before me.

After a quick breakfast, we headed out on a two hour hike with two Maa'sai guides. We traipsed down the side of the mountain and up and over the next before coming to an opening with a view over a larger part of the valley. It's the end of the dry season here, so everything is dry, dusty and brown. Even so, it was breathtaking! We even managed to catch our first glimpses of African wildlife - a giraffe and some baboons. We didn't realize how far we'd come until the guides pointed in the general direction of the camp. Two hours turned into two and a half before we made it back, exhausted but thrilled with the views we had seen.

Challenge: Kununua Capatulla Mmoja Sizi Tatu!

Our Kiswahili lessons came to a close this morning and Maguy decided it was the perfect opportunity for us to practice what we had been learning over the last three weeks. We headed out to the local second-hand clothes market, a long row of tin roof-covered concrete pads covered with piles of clothes and their owners sitting in the midst of them. Upon our arrival, Maguy promptly let us out on the curb and we were left to fend for ourselves.

Our mission: 'kununua capatulla mmoja sizi tatu' (to buy one pair of shorts size three) for no more than TSH 2500,- (approx. $2.50 CA) Unfortunately, theory and classroom conversation don't always work that well in the real world and mispronunciations are a common occurrence among the three of us. The locals find it quite amusing. I found that out first hand today as I tried to negotiate a better price for a pair of boys shorts. When I ran out of Kiswahili words, the lady I was bargaining with switched to English with a knowing smile. I managed to close the deal in Kiswahili and feeling a sense of accomplishment from a small milestone, Icontinued down the row of vendors loking for another deal.

The market is filled with people buying and selling used clothing shipped in from all around the world. Some even have the price tags attached from their last home. The idea is to be at the market early on Tuesday and Friday to get in on the newest shipment. As bales of clothing are cut open, hands start grabing at whatever looks appealing. Many times, a person will purchase a handful of clothing for next to nothing, make their way to their own spot and sell the items for double or more what they paid originally. I simply stood back and watched as the sellers yelled out what they were currently selling and groups surrounded them, searching for a much-needed shirt, skirt, pair of pants. You can buy just about anything here - it's second-hand heaven...

TZ: Up Close and Personal

The transportation system I described in one of my earlier posts became a lived experience for me this afternoon. We stood by the side of the road and hailed an oncoming 'basi' or 'ice', squeezed into the remaining seats and headed to our first transfer station. A large part of this system is unofficial with no bus stop signs, very little signage on buses, and no real bus shelters. You have to rely on the direction the bus is coming from, the colour of the stripes on its side and the hurried cries of the 'conductor'. Personal space is not an option with everyone crowding in and more passengers trying to secure a spot, even if it means hanging out the window! At one point, our 'basi' had 30 people squeezed into it, the only way all of us fit in was with the sliding door open. I was so grateful that Lucia, one of the local MCCers, was along for the ride, making certain we got on and off the right buses. Tomorrow, we make the drive on our own...

This past weekend was a nice break from daily Kiswahili lessons and meetings/ orientation we've been having so far. We had an opportunity to visit the St. Joseph orphanage outside Arusha, a project supported by MCC and run by Sister (as everyone calls her). She started the orphanage single-handedly in 2000 and is now caring for 40 children who have lost both parents. The property the orphanage is located on consists of two dorms (one for the girls, one for the boys), a three-room schoolhouse, a dining hall and semi-outdoor kitchen, a large garden, and a hand-dug well. The progress made is impressive but once you meet Sister you understand why the place has come so far. She is a diminutive woman, barely 5'4", and a fireball of energy and enthusiasm, overflowing with love for 'her' children. She is an awe-inspiring example of the people who care deeply for Tanzania and her future.