Being home and the American dream

We made it home after 34+ hours in transit.  O'hare was definitely a beautiful sight to us as well as seeing Tim and Kate waiting for us with the van.  We have been catching up with  family and friends and I actually went into work yesterday.  Still feeling the effects of jet lag, I have been up since 3:00 am this morning.  Today we leave to take Steph to college orientation.  WOW - The Engel family is on the move again.  Since I was up so early today, I decided to go through the 1200 pictures from safari and transfer my favorites to a folder to publish to facebook.  When you see the wonder of Tanzania in the landscape and animals, you can't really describe it fully.  However as much as I love the beauty of the scenery, it does not compare to the beauty or souls of the people of Tanzania.  Being home is wonderful - I enjoy the hot showers, the purity of the water from the tap, the lack of bui bui in my home.  I appreciate the freedoms I enjoy and the safety of my children.  I'm not listening for the whine of mosquitos nor do I worry about malaria. With all this enjoyment also comes the knowledge that I did not earn this place called America.  Over 100 hundred years ago, my ancestors made a choice to come here.  Because of this, I enjoy freedoms and simple gifts.
As we go through our daily grind, I'm not sure how many of us realize all that we enjoy simply because we were born here.  Yes, we do work hard to support our families but the simple gifts - clean water, public education for all, passable roads, fresh food, and so much more might sometimes be forgotten in our chase of having more.  I watched teachers so thankful for a gift of pencils or a ream of paper.  The enjoyment of being colleagues for the first time.  Our Mwangaza family so thankful for a book to read to their child or a cast-off piece of clothing that we had packed.  The joy and excitement of receiving a MCHS football shirt because it is the school that we teach at and now they can be fans too.  Simple gifts to us yet treated like precious jewels to them.  One can only wonder if in our chase of the American dream, how much of our souls we have sacrificed.  Do we recognize the simple gifts anymore?

Stuck in Washington DC

Well friends, our journey has been stalled.  First, it was an amazing safari experience for us.  We were incredibly lucky to see the big five, lions on a hunt, a lioness with her three cubs, cheetah sunning on a termite hill, a leopard at the crater, and a prowling lion yesterday on a sunrise journey through Tarangire national park.  Each time I go on safari in Tanzania, I fall more in love with the beauty of this country.  From the desolate landscape to the wonder of the crater, it is a landscape certainly designed by God.  It was a capstone to our two weeks of adventures.  It was also wonderful to see the safari through Steph's eyes.  She talked to the animals as much as Alexa does.  I think between the two of them, we have over 1000 pictures to go through.  Saturday night we stayed at the tented safari lodge, which Alexa and I stayed at during our first safari back in 2007.  The two girls shared a tent and I stayed by myself.  Not a problem, until the lights went out and I heard the mournful call of the lions throughout the night.  Then we had planned a sunrise journey through Tarangire.  I had the alarm clock so I needed to make myself leave the security of the tent in the dark to get to the girl's tent.  Did I mention the bats swirling around in the darkness too!  How I manage to get myself into these adventures is really beyond my understanding.  I did manage to walk to their tent and then stand outside saying, "let me in, let me in" We were totally stunned by the sunrise journey.  I can't wait to post pictures of the lion.  Then it was back to Mwangaza to say our goodbyes.  So hard, to leave our family again.  Even harder with Ishmael in tears and Rachel sobbing.  We sang, "Mungu Awe Nanyi Daima" - God be with you till we meet again. Rachel said prayer then it was back in the jeep.  These moments etch into our hearts until we do meet again.  Flight from Kilimanjaro was a piece of cake.  At Adis Abba, I was sitting by myself while Alexa and Steph went for water, a Grandma with limited English came up to me with her two year old and three year old granddaughters.  She asked the girls to address me in English to practice.  The next thing I know, I am holding two little girls while the Grandmother disappears from view.  I was left wondering if I was going to be adopting two little girls.  I didn't think Tim would appreciate this one.  How I manage to get myself into these situations is beyond my understanding.  Not knowing what to do - I dug out Steph's box of crayons and coloring book - Batman.  This was a huge hit with the girls but not with Steph.  Being OCD, she was not happy when her crayons were out of order and stuck in mouths and noses.  She decided it would be better to give the crayons and coloring book to the little girls.  The Grandmother did come back too -Whew!  However I have had to hear Steph complain for the next 30 hours regarding her coloring book and crayons.  The next flight was uneventful and 19 hours filled with videos and so we arrived in the USA to joy thinking we were only 5 hours away from home.  Not so - our flight has been delayed twice now!  We were suppose to be on the plane at 12:28 Eastern time.  We have been moved to a different gate and now to a different plane due to mechanical difficulties on not one but two planes.  At least being stuck in the USA, means starbucks, Dunkin donuts, and good food and water.  We know we will get home at some point today.  If not, I'm seeking a hotel with a hot shower!

Kwaheri Seminar

Today was the final day of seminar.  It is amazing our journey with our friends. It is again hard to put into words the work that has been accomplished in four days of seminar.  Today, I asked the teachers to finish the following quote.  I used to think ___________ but now I know______________.  To read their statements regarding their understanding of the strategies that we learned this week brought tears to my eyes.  This was a wonderful moment for the planners of this seminar, the facilitators, and the inspector of education that was with us for two days.  As much as yesterday was frustrating, today has uplifted our spirits.  At the end of the day, someone from the group spoke about Steph, Alexa, and I.  When Timothy spoke about Steph's contributions to the seminar, I was definitely one proud Mama.  We were each presented with Massai katanga and a Massai necklace from our group.  Steph was in tears at this moment.  To be given such a gift from people that four days ago were strangers to us can't be put in words either. At the end of seminar, we sang, "God be with us till we meet again" in both swahili and English.  Masonda wanted to sing it again in English as the words are so beautiful.  Then truly the hard part, saying Kwaheri to our new family.  I gave my final speech with tears burning my throat.  Inevitably we are asked when will you return, next summer??? Alexa and I skirt the question as we hate to disappoint anyone.  We exchange emails and say our final goodbyes.  Later we took our team to dinner at Khan's BBQ.  Our three partners have never been.  We have promised them a treat for being with us  for two weeks.  It was hilarious to see the expressions on their faces when we came to Khans.  When the Tanzanians are worried about their safety, you know you are in for an adventure.  Khan's is not much to look at but it is the best BBQ in Arusha.  Each time it is an adventure.  From painted tables on our first visit to power outages on our third visit to this time cats jumping on the tin roof.  Now this might not seem like a big deal but these cats made the roof shake, tremble, and sound like it was going to come down on our heads.  Through it all, William is cracking jokes.  He gives Stephanie grief regarding her germ phobia then later asks her for a baby wipe to clean his hands before eating.  Those two  truly have developed a great rapport. Now back to Peace house for our final goodbyes, packing up for safari tomorrow, and in three short days boarding the first of three planes for our return trip home.  I will probably not be able to write more on the blog as I'm not sure if the safari lodge will have internet.  Steph is very excited about the safari tomorrow.  She intends to sing to all the animals.  Thanks to all who have shared in our journey.  We wouldn't be here without your love and support.  Asante Sana,
Donna

Day 3 of Seminar

Well last night was one of those nights ~ First climbing the hill, a giant bug flew into my ear causing me to scream and scare Alexa because I jumped and landed on her.  Then I'm in the shower finally enjoying the right temperature when the power goes out.  Yet another moment of fun in Tanzania.  Today's seminar was a little more frustrating than the last two have been.  We finally reach a moment where I'm showing the chem team how they can use toothpicks to do flame tests for qualitative analysis of ions.  (Chem teachers back home will understand!)  When they tell me, we can't do it that way because our national exam is written using procedures (from the 1960's - with concentrated HCl, combustion spoons, and solids), I'm stunned.  But you have access to toothpicks, solutions will last, you don't have to use concentrated acid, which is dangerous to both you and your students.  They agree with me but they must do as the syllabus states.  I turn to the inspector and of course point out that this is illogical.  Most of the teachers do not have a prayer of getting the materials as it is written in the national syllabus.  The good news is that the chemistry team will write a letter from this seminar to the National Council asking if modifications to the syllabus can take place.  The teachers did enjoy the "commit and toss" activity today.  It was great to see them smiling and willing to toss paper around the classroom.  We have one more day of seminar.  Peter wishes that we could have two more days.  Timothy said to me tonight.  I now have a friend in America that I can email questions too.  I have promised to show him how to arrange his chemicals for proper storage before I leave.  We were able to buy Epsom salt today.  500 grams of Epsom salt = 30000 tshillings.  Justin, an amazing chemistry teacher that is part of our seminar, explained that he tells the story of chemistry.  He does not have electricity at his school.  He does not have most glassware or chemicals.  So to his students, chemistry is a story not a lab science.  This is when I am overwhelmed by the shear neediness of this country.  The good news is the Inspector that came today was very impressed with our seminar and wants to come back tomorrow to see more.  WHEW!  Also all funds have arrived - God's blessing to those contributing to this seminar.  My frustration aside, William reminded me of my own words today from one of my favorite camp songs ~ It only takes a spark to get a fire going.  I needed to be reminded by this when my frustration and anger at the sheer unfairness of it all tends to overwhelm me.

Day 2 of Seminar

Koosh balls do not seem understandable by our new colleagues.  They do not understand how to catch the ball when it is thrown at them.  However, they also do not flinch nor move out of the way.  Today I used an analogy of trying to hit the target when I’m blind.  I had Peter move to an area of the classroom while I kept my eyes closed.  I then threw the ball to where I thought he might be.  The squishy ball hit a young lady in the face.  She did not even try to catch the ball or duck out of the way.  I felt horrible and thankful that is was a squishy ball instead of a baseball.  Alexa was just astonished and William was flabbergasted.  “Why teachers do you not catch the ball?” he asked of them.  I think we will play catch tomorrow during lunch rather than Frisbee.   The analogy worked well though for teaching the teachers about the importance of rubrics.  Today’s topic was assessing student work and using a formative assessment called Fist to Five.  Our colleagues loved this technique. Our co-facilitators selected the techniques being modeled this week.  They have hit the target with what our seminar participants need each time.  Steph did a wonderful job with devotions this morning.  She gives the spiritual side and I tie it to what we as teachers need.  We used a reading from the Gospel of John regarding the gift of the Holy Spirit and becoming a living sanctuary for God.    The day goes by so fast while we are in seminar.  Also last night was the first night that I had LaLa Salama since coming to Tanzania.  I think I was finally able to relax with day 1 of seminar under our belt. A huge thank - you to the Science department members that have responded to our calls for help.  You are truly wonderful to respond quickly when we ask for your help.  Bre – your power point on voltaic cells helped five chemistry teachers learn today.  All wanted copies prior to leaving.   Tomorrow an inspector from the TZ Government will be back to watch us in seminar.  William says that I shouldn’t worry about impressing him! EEK~ William and I also had a discussion today regarding ELCT teachers doing these seminars on their own.  It was an interesting perspective to hear.  TZ teachers believe if Americans come and present during seminar than it must be very good because it is from America.  Ideas from America are always very, very good is their belief.  They will buy American products before anything from China as American is the best.  I wonder how many Americans still believe this?  We realized yesterday that we will be home in one week.  It will be wonderful to be back with our loved ones but we also know that we leave a part of our heart behind each time we say goodbye.  Steph is already planning her return trip.  She has fallen in love with Tanzania just like I did five years ago.  Perhaps this is what my journey has always been about – passing the torch on to the next generation. It would truly be wonderful if in her lifetime, Tanzania was free from malaria and the innocent ones had the same opportunities for growth and development that she has had.

Kwaheri Mwangaza and Jambo Seminar

We have not had access to internet very much for the last two days so I haven’t been able to post to the blog.  Sunday was one of those days where your heart is pierced so many times.  Longida arrived to give us his greetings.  He is currently not working at Mwangaza and has not yet secured a new job.  That is troubling to hear as he has three children.  He touched my heart when he said, “my heart was beating so fast when I heard of your arrival to Tanzania”.  It is so humbling to realize the love that the workers of Mwangaza have for us.  Andrew is still refusing to discuss our leaving.  Next Sunday will be a very hard day for him.  Loyishe spent the day taking pictures using Alexa’s camera.  He loves posing everyone and he really has a knack for it.  We discussed on Sunday again the baby coming late July or early August.  I brought up having a baby boy’s name since Mama already has Laura picked out for  a girl.  Loyishe said,”Boy name?” I gave an example of Benjamin and that was it for Loyishe.  If it is a boy, it will be Benjamin.  Hopefully, Mama likes that idea.  Salome and Allen drove us back to Peace House mid-afternoon.  It was a very quiet journey as Alexa and I were beginning to realize the enormous task ahead of us this week.  We did make Allen check the house for Bui Bui before leaving us.  If there had been a tarantula sighting, I was heading back to Mwangaza.  Luckily the house is for the most part Bui Bui free.  We walked down the hill after I made a delicious meal of spaghetti.  Unfortunately, we did not have internet access which was really disappointing to us.  We really look forward to any emails from home.  On the plus side, we were able to meet up with Timothy and Peter and were able to see all the progress that was made for seminar.  This was wonderful!! Timothy was so ready to present!  He has truly become a leader this week and a treasured friend.  Parting with him will be very difficult for me.  We had student helpers arrange desks, chairs, clean marker boards and carry our teaching supplies back up the hill.  As we were unpacking the suitcase, one young lady reached into the suitcase and pulled out the Koosh squishy ball that has the tentacles on it and jiggles.  The look of absolute horror on this child’s face when the ball moved in her hand was priceless.  She thought the ball was alive.  What an experience for us!  We re-assured her that it wouldn’t hurt her and we began to play catch with it.  This became an impromptu game of catch in the classroom with several students..  Alexa and I finally went to bed re-assured that we would be ready for the morning. 

I’m not sure how to describe the first day of seminar.  First, the alarm clock went off at midnight instead of 6:00 am.  No big deal – roll over and go back to sleep.  Can’t sleep because the mind starts to wonder.  What if the teachers do not come?  What if more teachers come than we planned for?  I haven’t yet learned to just give those worries to God but certainly TZ is a good place to begin and try.  We made sure we were fortified for breakfast and then off we went.  We sang all the way down the hill, “ This is the day” to give us courage and to prepare our spirit for any challenges that we would encounter.  Peace House is not centrally located so transporting teachers from their schools is an issue.  Teachers will need transport each day.  This is a problem in logistics but luckily William has worked very hard to find  a bus to bring the teachers to Peace House. Unfortunately the teachers did not arrive when expected.  Teachers were even late on African timetables so we had to adjust our plans.  Flexibility is the key for the first day of seminar.  The good news is that we were prepared for this and adjusted our plans.  I know that I can not adequately describe the joy and wonder of being part of this project.  I will never be able to thank those who gave of their gifts so freely to make this happen.  We are truly walking in God's light and even though we are a tiny ripple, we keep those ripples going.  We had such positive feedback from day 1.  The credit goes to Timothy, chemistry teacher at Peace House, and now a treasured colleague.  We were filling that teacher toolbox today! William had us sing the children's hymn - Give me oil for my lamp, keep me burning.  WE were burning today!  Alexa, Steph and I might never know the outcome of today's seminar but we were given a glimpse of God's plan for Tanzania today.  It is in the development of these teachers that hope continues to burn brightly for Tanzania.

New pics

Lizard poop, scary statistics, and being away from home

Just when you think that life can't give you more than you can handle.  A lizard poops on your laptop and head.  That is the situation that Alexa found herself in this afternoon.  We have been content with the lizards like Lightning McQueen because they eat the bugs.  However, it really is not nice when they crank up their tail and let it fly.  First, Alexa wasn't sure what had just hit her because after all we are in the banda and it is sheltered.  Then she looks up and sees the offender.  We have to stop asking ourselves, "what more can happen to us?" because God replies and we don't like his answer. We are beginning to feel like Job.  We are trying to be faithful but there are times with the spiders, the poop, the cockroaches, the flight through the air at the lodge, and  the sponsorship.... that we begin to wonder.  However, Joseph, our dear friend from Ilburo Boy's School traveled 10 hours to visit with us today.  He was one of the first students that we met in 2007 along with Henry.  Alexa and I were playing frisbee outside the gate of Mwangaza when they came by and we struck up a conversation.  We were able to meet him again in 2008 but did not see him in 2009.  Since 2007 he has been a penpal through emails and facebook with Stephanie.  Tonight they met for the first time.  It was truly a wonderful moment for these two young people and for Alexa and I to reconnect with Joseph.  He is a second year university student double majoring in economics and law.  He is courting a young lady.  His mama has given approval to him to court her based on her observations of her.  She knows how to behave herself in front of others.  We asked Joseph of news of Tanzania.  He shared with us the progress that the government has made in the battle against AIDS.  Condoms are given out at the University and every dorm room must be equipped with them. However with all the strides with HIV AIDS, the government did not make the strides with malaria.  He mentioned recent statistics that stated that every second  a child dies of malaria in Tanzania.  There are no words for that statistic.  When I think of the babies and small children that I have met on this journey.  These precious ones are at such risk.  I'm so glad that Nothing but nets received a donation this year from us.  He also mentioned the government is now providing mosquito nets to new mothers for their children and will also provide free netting until the child is five.  The difficulty is the Massai Domas.  It is very difficult for the Massai to change their way of life and the domas are not equipped for netting.  In good news, he mentioned the government is building more universities and community schools so more children have the opportunity to learn.  Thanks Be to GOD!  We travel back to Peace House tomorrow.  We have a plan for Allen to check our closets before he leaves to kill anything that still lurks behind.  Tonight was the last meal at the Ilburo Safari Lodge.  Our journey is half over already. LaLa Salama

Cards in the Banda

This afternoon Simon (John's son) and Anneth and Arnold ( Salome's children)  joined us for Go Fish and Crazy 8's in the Banda.  Along with some hershey bars to break the ice, we enjoyed playing these games.  I also went through my stock of children's books and found more books for Simon.  He is a very quiet young boy with a bashful smile that melt my heart.  When he went inside to show John all the books, John asked him, "Where did all these books come from"  His reply, " The madam that lives in the banda"  I told John that I gave him all the biology books that I could find including the Bui Bui book (spider book).  I don't need to see pictures of the spiders to know that they exist.  Andrew climbed up to our water heater this afternoon to see if he could fix it for us.  He has hope! Me - I've given up that we will have a warm shower until tomorrow night when we reach Peace House.  We had a few gifts to give to Andrew today.  Jewelry for the girls and Mama, Candy for the home, a cross to hang on the wall, prayer cards, and books for the children.  Alexa also had a crank radio  for him.  He was so thankful that it brings tears to our eyes.  When he hugs you, he doesn't let go. When he hugged Steph, he called her his daughter.  By this time, Alexa was in tears.  He asked when will you come again.  That is the hardest part for me.  I know with Steph and Matt entering the university years and with Andrew and Kate right behind them that my ability to come to Tanzania will be very limited.  I cannot promise Andrew that I will be back. Andrew refuses to say goodbye to us - There is no Kwaheri for him only Karibu Sana  and God willing we will be together again. With only one week left in Tanzania, we know that we will have to begin to say good-bye soon.  Loyishe has come to the banda to receive his gifts for his home.  It is so fun to see his joy in the crank radio.  He has to re-wrap the gift to show Mama.  Everything is precious to him.  New baby will come in July or August.  If it is a girl, Mama will name her Laura.  Loyishe says "laura come so we can hapana more babies"  Loyishe said 3 was nzuri sana but Mama had other ideas.  Mama would like a girl.  We can only hope that God hears Mama prayer and Loyishe prayer because he does not want 5 watoto (children)

Visiting Salome's House

Good Afternoon Rafikis,
I know that it is only 5:36 am back home on a Saturday morning but we are almost into mid-afternoon here in Tanzania.  We were back to cold showers last night  at Mwangaza.  So much for getting ourselves very clean.  However the trade off is that we do not have bugs in our shower.  I learned the Tanzanian word for spider today.  It is Bui Bui.  So I am going around telling everyone Hapana Bui Bui - no spiders.  Loyishe was working at Mwangaza today.  This was very good as we were able to sing hymns from the Tenzi Rohoni this morning with him.  He loves directing us and we love to hear him sing.  Steph found a bug bite on her hand this morning.  Good thing for malaria preventative here as it looks like a mosquito bite.  We also met Mr. Kavishe's youngest son Simon this morning.  He is in level 5 ( much like 5th grade).  I gave him the book "Gilbert the Great" and I enjoyed listening to him read.  It was a walking day for us as we traveled to Salome's house through the jungle and by the shamba's (farms).  Andrew was worried about my knees so he tried to take us through mostly level land.  It is very hard to describe our experience.  Think again, trails through  a national park with obstacles in your path.  We laugh a lot when Andrew comes to a fork in the road and has to think which way to take the Americans.  We also came across a hedge hog in the middle of the road today.  The hedge hog and the squirrel from yesterday have been happy moments for Stephanie.  We did sing " The lion sleeps tonight" as we walked through the banana fields.  Hopefully our singing keeps all the Pakas away from us.  We were greeted at Salome's house by her husband David and her two children Anneth and Arnold.  They have grown up so much in the five years since we first began to come to Tanzania.  Arnold is now 17 and Anneth is 12.  We brought them books, a recorder, stickers, and Alexa had a crank radio/flashlight for them.  David and Andrew were fascinated by this.  I guess it is universal - Men love gadgets.
Salome had a feast prepared for us of Mashed potatoes, spaghetti, minced meat, chips, cucumbers, green beans,  and watermelon.  Finally a green vegetable that was not cooked spinach.  It was heaven sent for us.  Salome also presented to Stephanie a massai blanket and to each of us  a beautiful traditional dress with scarf.  What we give in return does not compare to what she has given to us.  Mostly her friendship - she remains an inspiration to me.  I gave her a prayer card today with St. Francis of Assisi prayer on it as she truly lives this life with the work that she does at Mwangaza. One of Salome's neighbors is Boniface.  We met him on our first visit to Mwangaza.  He was a night guard with Kennedy.  He is now married with a 2 year old son.  I was so happy to see his child and to also give Boniface books for him.  I reminded Boniface that he needed to teach his son to read English like we taught him under the stars at Mwangaza.    One thing that I forgot to mention last night is that Kennedy is considering becoming a Christian.  He has been tribal with two wives up to this point.  I asked his brother what happens if he becomes Christian with two wives.  This is not our belief.  I found out that  his first wife would remain his wife but his second wife would be taken care of but would not be considered a wife anymore ~ ala  Sister Wives.  This is an example of an adaptation to convert more Tribal men to the gospel.  I presented Kennedy with a prayer card this morning to use when he goes for baptism.  We wait for Joseph and he is currently on a bus on his way here from University.  This will be a good night for us.  Hopefully we have hot water tonight!  Kwaheri

How old are you?

Good evening everyone,
At least for us it is almost time for Lala Salama.  Often Alexa reminds us of the time back home which is 8 hours in our past.  At that point, our minds can't adjust that is only 11:46 am at home but 7:46 pm here in Tanzania.  We went for a walk up to the soccer fields today.  This hill continues to become bigger every time I travel to Tanzania.  The view is priceless.  We also walked to a duka ( shop) today to buy kanga cloth for the PLC quilters.  I was able to find some beautiful material for our quilters to use this year.
We also traveled into town with Salome and Allen to the market.  No pictures as people do not appreciate it when tourists snap their pictures while they are doing their busy.  We visited our favorite curio shop.  It is always wonderful to see the owner of this shop.  Steph was able to find gifts for friends at home.  It was interesting to hear that since the government used up most of their money on elections, they are now taxing the tourist at the airport for their curios.  The owner made sure to give us a receipt that we must show at the airport for our goods or we will have a $200 American fine.  Tonight we have met Kennedy's older brother.  He is a special education teacher here on Ilburo Road.  His story is amazing and we have been so lucky to hear him speak about his experiences.   Now, he is Kennedy's older brother yet he has less gray hair then Kennedy.  Then he mentioned that he is 45 years old.  Wait a minute, I say.  How old is Kennedy?  For five years now, we believed  that Kennedy was born in 1963. Tonight we find out that he was born in 1968, which makes him the same age as my brother.  Since Kennedy's English is very low, we shouldn't be surprised by this mistake but I was still shocked.  His brother told him that I am his elder sister and he must show respect to me.  I'm thinking he won't be offering any cattle for me anymore now that he realizes that I'm too old for him.  I was asked today if anyone has offered cattle for Stephanie yet.  Oh my goodness, that would be interesting! Steph is quick to tell the young men at Peace House that I am her Mama so they must speak to me first before talking to her.  We did notice that as we spent more time in the computer lab in the library that more young men came to sit in the library facing the windows into the computer lab.  I'm not sure how much studying was happening. Not sure if I mentioned the mismatched socks yet.  Steph never wears the same socks on her feet.  They are always mismatched.  Now, girls at Ilburo school are exchanging socks to be like Steph.  How funny is this?  Hopefully the students don't think this is really how you wear socks in the states.  It is always amazing to us what American goods the people are wearing here.  We saw a child in a snow suit even though it was 70 degrees.  We saw a little boy wearing a boy scout shirt.  A cheesecake factory  shirt went past us today as well as an Abercrombie.  The best was a student wearing a Packers shirt at Peace House!  Kwaheri until tomorrow.

Home Sweet Home

Today after breakfast we returned to Mwangaza.  It was wonderful to have Allen pick us up at Peace House and to know that we would be with our family again for the weekend.  The volunteer coordinator also came by this morning to assure us that the house would be cleaned and sprayed prior to our return on Sunday.  To be sure of this, we took everything with us for the return trip.  Allen stopped at the supermarket for us.  While he guarded our luggage, we went through stride rite.  We bought cheese, spaghetti, sauce, water, and more Fanta Orange for the cans for our experiments.  Next week we will cook a little more for ourselves so we do not eat as much beans, cooked spinach, or ugali.  Grilled cheese, French toast, and spaghetti next week.  Upon arriving at Mwangaza, we had a lovely tea time and shared stories with the management team and Mwangaza volunteers.  They really enjoyed our stories of the time spent at Peace House.  It was a very good meeting.  Then it was time to go back to work.  Alexa and I finished the website lists for our teachers next week.  If anyone knows of a good site, please send it our way and we will gladly add it to the list.  We are weak in physics.  Kellee will be happy to know that we are sharing her directions for how to capture you tube videos with our participants.  We are hoping to walk up to the soccer fields in a few moments.  I think the Tanzanian weight loss plan is working but a nice long walk will certainly help out. I'm attaching one of my favorite photos of Mt. Meru from our front porch.  Kwaheri until this evening.  Almost forgot to mention that  a spider walked across the table while I was typing this at Mwangaza - Really God can you not give me a break here?

Frisbees, Experiments, and walks in the dark

Last night after publishing my blog, I realized that Alexa and Steph had not returned from the room and I had to climb the hill to our volunteer house by myself.  Too many this would seem simple but there are no streetlights in Tanzania.  I am crossing a field on a worn path similar to a deer trail with thorns and spiders on either side of me.  Then I need to go over the little hill and find the road.  This is no picnic when you do not have your torch with you and the other ladies also have both keys to the house.  There is no telephone to call for a taxi nor a way to call Alexa and Steph and beg for a torch.  Staying at the center is not an option as they eventually close the library.  So I had to put my chin up and pray that I would make it up the path without incident.  I'm honest enough to say that I sang under my breath most of the way either "Blessed Assurance" or "Awesome God".  I hoped my vocal talents would scare the spiders away.  Going up the hill was easy but it was inky black when I reached the top and I could not find the road.  Panic was rising when a motor vehicle began to drive up the road.  Aha, that was enough light for me to find my path.  I realized that even though I might be in the inky darkness somehow God's light will shine a path for me.  I arrived at the house without incident.  The two ladies were not very happy when I arrived.  Unfortunately the other inhabitants of our house - ant and roaches are still making their presence known.  As long as it is not a spider, I'm ok with it. Steph was not amused with the roach situation in her bedroom.  She sprayed "doom" and decided risking the effects of it later in her life was worth not sleeping with the bugs.  She also has decided that she will only be a missionary in "clean situations" - Good luck with that one sweetie.  I will admit that I often fall asleep with one hand around my cross and one eye on the look-out for spiders.  Tomorrow we will return to Mwangaza and we will not have these worries for three days.  We figured out our stove this morning and I cooked scrambled eggs.  Eggs are different here.  The yolk is white instead of yellow.   We had a wonderful day with our facilitators.  It was the best so far.  We did many experiments using household products.  I truly can not explain the joy in hearing our TZ partners articulate their segments that they will be sharing next week with their colleagues.  It was brought to my attention today that molecular geometry is difficult to teach.  They do not have models in Tanzania.  This causes my creative juices to flow.  What do they have plenty of? students.  I then used my partners to create different molecules.  Linking arms - single bonds, linking arms and touching feet - double bonds.  Then put your head together and we have a triple bond.  We were able to create HCN using their bodies.  We also showed how the molecule of water was bent using their bodies.  What I love most about this as it forces me to think outside the box.  Then I think - what would my students really enjoy -playing with models or acting out the molecular geometry.  I love hearing from my partners, "this is good" Joseph - our physics representative has been teaching for two years and has a diploma in engineering.  His school does not have any lab equipment so they can not do any experiments.  Alexa showed him today how he can use the rim of a glass filled half-way with water in it to make vibrations and pitch.  When he tried it he could not do it.  It was hilarious because Alexa could not figure out why?  Are the fingers different in Tanzania?  Our other two partners, Timothy and Peter could also not do it.  Then we realized they just needed practice.  Finally all three men were able to make the glass sing.  Steph was the only one to figure out the cartesian divers today.  It was a great moment for her to beat me to the solution. I'm not sure what Monday will bring - how many teachers will come or how successful we will be.  However for both the Tanzanians and Americans that have worked together these last few days, we have grown and learned so much from each other.  We have developed a lasting friendship.  We spent some part of our day sharing some of the American landmarks.  All were amazed by tornados ( a little scary that home was experiencing storms again), the Northern Lights,  Geysers, Buffalo, Blizzards, Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, and Sears Tower.  William thought John F Kennedy should be on Mt Rushmore as he was a great American President too.  We often hear this and have yet to figure out why.  I'm wondering if it was due to the Peace Corps or due to the fact that Tanzania became independent while Kennedy was president.  He also thought that the person who carved Mt. Rushmore should be carved there too for doing such good work.  William felt our partners should learn to play frisbee so we would be able to play the game on Monday.  I think this was because William also enjoyed the game.  They had cut our lawn today so I thought it would be safe from spiders to play.  Timothy, Peter, Alphonse, and Joseph loved the game.  William gave grief to Steph  and she gave it right back to him.  That was a great moment!  We played in the hot sun for about an hour.  Unfortunately in our excitement, we also forgot to take a key with us and our door automatically locks behind us.  Oh no!! Luckily Timothy was able to get a spare key from administration and we can once again enter our home. We decided to try to make french toast for dinner instead of facing beans, ugali, and cooked spinach.  After three days of beans, ugali, and cooked spinach, we just could not face it again.  We hope to avoid it next week too.  We plan on stopping in the market on our way to Mwangaza and picking up some rations.  Hopefully we can make spaghetti or grilled cheese sandwiches now that I know how to work the stove. Well this was a very long blog.  We need to go back to the home, finish preparations for seminar, and also pack.  Allen will be picking us up tomorrow at 9:00 am.  We promised Steph some shopping time in Arusha.  Her penpal Joseph arrives this weekend, we will visit Salome's family and celebrate with Anneth her confirmation.  We hope to also visit with Andrew's family and Ishmael.  Kwaheri family and friends.

Along came a spider

I think Alexa and I have often wondered since coming to Peace House, what will happen next.  Well, last night we reached our limit.  I was ready to find the nearest airport and come home.  Probably one of my greatest fears is spiders.  I'm absolutely terrified of spiders.  It is one of the reasons that I teach chemistry instead of biology.  Last night we went back to our home and Alexa opened her closet to find the largest spider she has ever seen on a shelf in her closet.  I could not even go into the room to see it - Think tarantula size.  None of us could kill it but we did not want it to move out of the closet.  So Steph and I had to walk back down the hill to find Timothy, the TZ facilitator for Chemistry to come back up the hill to kill the spider.  I'm sure we are a huge joke at Peace House.  According to him, this was not a large spider.  He used Alexa's hairbrush to push the spider into paper and then let the spider go free.  My concern is that it will come back!  The house is infested with spiders.  I sat up most of the night with a flashlight under my mosquito netting and praying that God would remove the plague.  Well, God answered my prayer by putting a large spider next to my bed when I woke up this morning.  The fact that God has a sense of humor - not too funny right now.  needless to say, I ran screaming from the room and woke up Alexa and Stephanie.  It took 20 minutes to find the spider and kill it.  Luckily William has taken pity on us and went into town to buy doom - Tanzanian Spider killer.  I distinctly remember telling Jim Talarico that I did not do bugs!  We have spiders, cockroaches, and mosquitos - oh my.  We did have a very good day working with our TZ facilitators and have made much progress on the Rhatiba.  Tomorrow will be the day to put the finishing touches on the Rhatiba and prepare for the arrival of teachers on Monday.  Hopefully tonight - I will be able to have LALA Salama.

Travel to Peace House

This morning we left Mwangaza to travel to the site of our seminar.  I managed to use the flip video as we traveled down Ilburo road.  It is always amazing to me how Allen can drive through the obstacles and the potholes in the roads.  I wanted to provide a little realism for our family back home by taping the journey today.  Alexa, Steph, and I laughed so hard when we watched the bouncing, jumping of the tape.  Even that does not convey Ilburo road.  Two years ago when we came to Peace House Allen used the back door entrance, which literally means taking the wrong turn and driving across the grasslands narrowly missing trees and bushes.  This time we took the front door entrance.  It was a good memory to laugh about this morning.  We were greeted warmly when we arrived at Peace House by their staff.  We were taken to our house which is larger than Tim and my first house in Romeoville.  It is unbelievable to me how much space we will have for the next four days.  We were also given a tour of Peace House and it was nice to see the chicken coops are built. We mentioned again the possibility of buying chickens from Mary at St. Dymphna.  Hopefully this connection will come to fruition.  After our tour, William arrived with the Physics teacher and we met the Biology and Chemistry teachers from Peace House that we will be working with this week.  It is very hard not to overwhelm these teachers.  We tried very hard to convey that we are here to share knowledge and expertise and the sharing is mutual.  We need to have honest communication from our partners if this is going to work.  We went through the Rhatiba and modified it based on their suggestions.  We will be eating our meals with the students in the dining hall.  Unfortunately for Steph, all meals consist of beans.  At lunch it was beans, rice, and orange section.  At dinner, it was beans, ugali, and cooked spinach.  As Steph is passing on most of the food, the head cook told her that she does not eat enough.  He doesn't know that she will go back for peanut butter on toast or oatmeal tonight.  Steph met the coordinator for music and devotions today.  She will work  with him tomorrow sharing devotion ideas and music.  He has asked her to share her music at the student's devotions this week. This is a great opportunity for her.  Speaking of Steph, she loves it here.  I knew she would fall in love with the people of Tanzania.  She has the "bug" now and talked today of switching her major to international relations so she can learn more in order to be a more effective missionary.  Almost forgot - We came across a beetle today.  It looked like the type that Timon ate in the Lion King. It was as big as Stephanie's fist.  She did not come close to it to find out if this is an accurate measurement.  Alexa took a picture so I am hoping that I will have one to post soon.  After our lunch, we welcomed the team back to our home to see the teaching supplies and resources that we brought with us.  The hand-held white boards were amazing to them as well as the squishy balls.  We discussed some ideas but then let them look through the resources.  They felt all were nzuri sana ( very good ) to use.  The difficulty will be what to use when.  They will meet as a team tomorrow to come to consensus and then after lunch, we will meet to discuss our options.  I hope by this time tomorrow, we will have a plan in place for Day 1.  After our meetings today, we walked around the loop and had a beautiful view of Mt. Meru.  It was gorgeous.  Again causing Steph to say that she could stay here.  We also had the opportunity to meet with students during their free time.  This was the most memorable aspect of the day.  It brings us to the heart of why we are here.  To answer these students questions about our country, to share information, to sing Roho Yangu, to learn English and Swahili  and many more opportunities allows us to feel connected to the children.  We also attended devotions with them where we heard a minister answer the students' questions.  The first question was, " Is it lawful for a man to marry his sister" and the second was, "If all of God's people's names are written in the book of life isn't the book becoming too heavy?"  Again, what an amazing perspective these question gave to us.  After dinner with the students and interacting with more of the teachers, we find ourselves in the computer lab for some internet time.  This will be very limited for us so I need to write quickly and hopefully convey all that is happening to us in one post.  Please send emails - I miss home and my family.  I think sometimes that it is easier with Steph here but that just also brings to mind the ones I left behind.  I wonder if Matt's mouth is alright, how did Kate do at her lacrosse game, is Andrew spending too much time on video games. Most of all I thank God for a wonderful husband to gives much more than he receives each day to allow me to continue in the work that I love.  Love to you all, Mom and Steph

Miracles and dogs

God bless everyone that received our  message and responded.  The impact on the future of Tanzania and their children is multiplied by ten thousand times your gifts.  William puts it best - Your blessing to Tanzania means God's blessing on you ten thousand times more. I think it shows how blessed we are that we can give so freely of the gifts that God has given us.  My eyes have been filled with machozi (tears) the last 24 hours.  Steph is beginning to use swahili and she has also decided to become a missionary with her pastoral degree.  Oh boy!  She will be leading the devotions for the teachers for the next few days.  We did not fall last night on the way to the snack bar.  This time we walked in the daylight instead of trying to discover our way in the dark.  We were also greeted by Kennedy and Edward last night as our guards.  Our suitcases are packed and we will head to Peace House Africa this morning.  Allen will be our driver.  It will be Steph's first look at Arusha town.  Now for the dog story - Last night Alexa and I stayed in the center until 8:00 pm.  She walked out ahead of me and I lingered to make sure the doors were closed tight.  As I was walking back to our room, I heard a rustling and saw gold eyes in the bushes. Luckily I had not drank a lot of water as it would not have been good.  So now I know what is meant by paralyzed with fear.  As the animals leapt forward, i realized it wasn't a cougar or small lion but rather two of Mwangaza's dogs, which we have heard growling at night but have not met yet.  My vocal chords became free from paralysis as I screamed " alexa - dogs" The dogs began to jump on me and Alexa yelled back, " Are they biting you".  Luckily they are not interested in eating Americans.  Alexa screamed for Edward to come help me  and Edward was very nonchalant about coming to my rescue.  Finally,  he called off the dogs.  From the safety of the balcony, Alexa  thought they were rather cute.  Cute is not the word I would use when they leap from the darkness. - Ala The Lions in the darkness.    It was yet another chapter in the life of a Tanzanian volunteer.

Picture of William and quilt

Creating our Rhatiba

Today was a day to learn about communication between our Tanzanian friends and ourselves.  We sometimes forget that our cultures though similar are still so different.  We are more blunt in the United States regarding time tables, finances, and expectations.  Whereas in TZ, what is often not bluntly stated is rather assumed.  I need to remind myself that God has a plan for our journey.  The Holy Spirit does guide our footsteps in Tanzania.  When I was in the midst of stress today planning our seminar, I tried to sing RohoYangu but the words were lost in my plea for guidance and blessed assurance.  I knew that I needed to compose myself before walking back to Steph and Alexa.  They look to me for strength and guidance.  As I slowly walked back to the center, a small child came from around the bushes and said, "Hello Madam - How are you today."  He was probably 5 - 6 years old.  As we began our talk, I noticed the battered book bag on his  arm.  I asked, "Did you come from school?"  " Yes, Madam"  I asked if he liked to read and he shyly said, "yes Madam".  I asked him to wait for me and went to the room to pick up some of the children's books.  He said his name is Obert and we sat for the next twenty minutes reading about insects, bees, bats, and silly alphabet poems.  As we practiced our reading together and I watched him struggle to read English and the joy when I said the books were his, I realized though God did not promise to relieve my stress, he did promise to guide my footsteps.  Miracles do happen and our seminar will prove to be a blessing to both the people of Tanzania and us.  On a positive note, we presented William Kiyuvo with the quilt created by the quilters of PLC as our thank you for organizing our seminar.  I love the quilt as it blends both of our cultures - African and American.  I will post pictures of William and the quilt later.  PLC quilters - please know the blessing you have bestowed upon William.  Your quilt is a treasure to him.

Preparations for Seminars

Jambo everyone at home.  Last night we went to the safari lodge in the dark for dinner with our torch lights.  I made Steph cover up her hair on the way to the lodge.  She received too many stares and pointing of fingers during church services.  We should have died her hair brown prior to leaving for Tanzania.  That is the one difference this time for me.  I'm more aware of the dangers with Steph in tow than I was on previous trips.  Back to last night, we decided to go to the snack bar  which meant walking in the dark.  Well, Alexa and I were trying to find our way with the torch, we missed the fact that we were walking down two steps.  So through the air we sailed and luckily we did not break bones or twist ankles.  As we limped towards the snack bar, I am reminded that God is good and we are always in his hands. Thank God also for tylenol pm as two tablets later, I did not feel a thing anymore.  Steph loved the samosa and spring rolls at the lodge last night but they were a little too spicy for me. Peaceful sleep ( lala salama) was wonderful last night - in fact so wonderful that after 3 hours I thought it was time to get up and begin preparing for the day.  Luckily I checked the alarm clock before leaving the mosquito netting.  I realized that it was only 12:34 am TZ time and I could sleep for a few more hours.  This morning, the rooster began crowing at 4:00 am.  One of these trips, I will find the rooster and present him to Rachel for her cooking pot.  A dripping hot shower greeted me.  I could either have a trickle of hot water or I could have a wonderful freezing cold shower.  Lightning Mcqueen, our shower lizard, has not come back for which I am grateful.  It was also a rainy morning at Mwangaza.  Rain is different here as we do not get the thunder or lightning just a continuous mist or soft rain.  John Kavishe, former volunteer with Alexa and now part of the management team here, greeted us after breakfast.  We began to share reading materials and ideas of professional development.  I brought along the materials from the last IL meeting as here in TZ, teacher evaluation is very important.  These documents will help Mwangaza develop tools to evaluate, gather data, and determine the needs of professional development in the ELCT schools.  This is always the most amazing aspect of our visit.  Although our countries are very different in many respects, we share the same needs in our schools.  Until later,  Donna

Pictures of Lightning McQueen - our shower buddy

New roomate

So we had a visitor to our shower this morning.  A little lizard has joined our group.  We did not want to squish it with our feet so we had to reach a compromise of where the lizard could reside.  I have some great video of Stephanie and Alexa trying to shoo the lizard to safety.  As that did not seem to work, I grabbed a ziploc and grabbed the lizard to drop it outside in the garden.   Hopefully the lizard will be happier in the garden and I know we will be definitely happier in the shower without the lizard.  Steph has named the lizard Lightning McQueen.

Spirit filled day

It is very hard to describe the joy of meeting one's friends again.  Ishmael probably said it best when he greeted us, " Should I cry or should I just be happy that you are here".  Andrew spent the entire day with us as he said, 'two years was too long to be separated".  After church today, the congregation gathered outside for an auction.  This time one of the bags held a live chicken.  The chicken was not too happy about the auction.  Hopefully the chicken is for eggs and not to go into someone's soup pot tonight.  We also today went to Sunday School class with Andrew.  84 children came to hear the story of Moses.  A couple of boys were fascinated by my white skin.  We sang songs with them.  We also met the church's evangelist.  An evangelist takes care of the church while the pastor is busy at another congregation.  On behalf of PLC, we made a donation to their building initiative.  After Sunday School, Allen's daughter and Rachel's daughter brought their babies to meet us.  Bryson is 8 months old and Shawn is 7 months old. Very touching to meet the next generation at Mwangaza.  We also had an opportunity to see Salome today and have lunch with her.  She was my partner from my original trip in 2007.  She is now a member of the management team at Mwangaza.  We have rounded out the day by playing uno with Loyishe and Andrew.  It was Andrew's first time playing uno.  At one point, he told me to "calm down" as I was saying "Uno" too much.  Steph's wondering where the monkeys are at but so far we  have not seen any at Mwangaza.

Pictures

Worship with Andrew

We had a wonderful night sleep.  we were awakened by the bells tolling for church.  Steph thought the bells would tell us what time it was but after she counted to 28, she realized the bells were signaling the start of Sunday services.  The bells rang for 10 minutes.  Andrew greeted us and walked us to church this morning.  As we entered church, the choir was singing.  The sermon today was on Sadaka, which is swahili for sacrifice.  It is always wonderful to hear the member of the church sing in perfect harmony.  Today we recognized "Rocks of Ages" and "What a friend we have in Jesus".  The church is beginning a building project too.  They are hoping to raise 50 million tshillings ($ 32,0000 American dollars) for a new steeple for the front of the church.  We will arrange next Sunday to make a donation for their building efforts. After church, we walked back to Mwangaza and Rachel had breakfast waiting for us.  We enjoyed tea, toast, and hard boiled eggs.  Steph was able to show Andrew some of her glow software.  Salome has come to greet us and it is wonderful to see her.  Andrew loved his new hat and is wearing it today.  Later we will go back to church with Andrew to help teach Sunday School.  His lesson is on Moses being hidden in the bushel basket.  We will share more with all of you later.  Hopefully I will be able to post a picture soon

Safe Arrival

Jambo from Mwangaza - It is 8:41 pm.  After a very long journey, we have arrived at the gates of Mwangaza.  It was wonderful to see Andrew meeting us at the airport.  Alexa was stopped in customs and had to open her bags but luckily she was able to convince the agent that she was harmless and only had nylons and children's books in her luggage.  Next, our bags were loaded into a van and we headed for the gates of Mwangaza.  Steph had a few moments of panic on the ride to Mwangaza.  Our driver could make a New York Taxi driver look like a grandma!  I had the unique experience of looking down into the river and seeing a gentleman taking his afternoon bath.  No shower curtains at the river.  We were greeted warmly by friends at Mwangaza.  The Minooka Football shirts were a big hit with Loyishe, Leiyo, Andrew, Ishmael, and Jophat.  They had to try them on and have their pictures taken with the shirts.  Loyishe's wife is having another baby!  Luckily I packed two baby blankets.  One for Rachel's new grandbaby and now for Loyishe's wife.  We walked to the safari lodge for dinner tonight.  Delicious guacamole and chips and we even had more than two chips each.  We will be heading to church with Andrew at 7:00 am and then to his Sunday School class.  I'll post more tomorrow  evening when we have more time and less jet lag.

First Flight

It was a long line at O'hare this morning.  Who travels at 4:00 am??? We waited in security for probably an hour and half.  However once we made it to our gate, we walked right onto the plane.  Then we waited on the plane for an extra hour because a group of 37 junior high students were stuck in security.  Nice nap time for Alexa and myself.  The flight was uneventful.  Big Bang Theory was on the monitor so I enjoyed it.  Dr. Dan - no scary men starting a fight on our plane.  It was a little confusing finding Ethiopian airlines at Dulles but we had a nice long walk through the airport.  At our gate, we found out that carry-on bags had to be 15 pounds.  Luckily they did not weigh my purse but they did weigh Steph's bag and it was too heavy.  We could either adjust or pay $60.  I paid the money.  One less bag to carry on the next two airplanes.   Blog will not be updated until we arrive safely at Mwangaza and if internet is working, we will be able to share more news with everyone.  Steph's drinking airborne to combat the fact that someone coughed on her - Hopefully she will be cured of her fears of germs by the end of our trip.  One last thought - when we were in line to receive our boarding pass, the man behind us heard that we were going to Kili.  He mentioned that was his hometown and welcomed us back to his country.  It  is these moments of shared friendship that we realize that we are on our way home again.  In the exchange of greetings and thank-you's, a common courtesy often missing in our country, people create bonds.  Our paths might never cross again but for a moment in time, we were friends.

Waiting to leave

Our bags are packed and are filled to capacity.  We can't wait to board the plane for the first leg of our journey which will be to DC.  From DC, we will travel to Adis Abba, Ethiopia then to Kenya and finally we will be home in Tanzania.  We can't wait to greet our family at Mwangaza.  It has been two years since we visited last with Salome, Allen, Andrew, Loyishe, Kennedy, Rachel, Ishmael, and all other family members at Mwangaza.  I'm looking forward to Pillau, chapati, singing in the Banda, worshiping with our friends, sharing meals, and sharing in the professional development.  We learn so much about our place in God's world when we travel to Tanzania.  Keep us in your prayers!
Donna and Steph