Thanksgiving at the Duncans'

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  Having Thanksgiving dinner was a bonus for me this year; Mom cooked Thanksgiving dinner in August before I left so that we could celebrate together.  

The Shorts and I drove to Kisongo, a town about a forty-minute drive away (almost to Arusha) to have dinner with a missionary family there, the Duncans.  The Duncans (Philip and Bekah and their sons Micah and Nathan) work on the farm that supports the School of Preaching (ACSOP).  They arrived in Tanzania the same week I did.  If you'd like to know more about their work, here is their blog: https://havegodwillgo.com/.   Ralph and Twyla Williams, Canadians (but who lived in Memphis for thirty years) who live up in Monduli Juu (up on the mountain that Monduli is at the base of) and Margaret Thompson, who is a veterinarian who works for a Christian organization in Karatu, were also there.   

I should have taken a group photo, but it seems I have mostly pictures of the food.  I did get a couple of photos with people, but Michela would only be in them if I promised not to post them publicly. :)

Turkeys are not a native species here; the only turkeys for sale and brought in just for foreigners at holidays, but cost nearly $100 USD.  We all decided we were happy forgoing turkey, so instead, we had both chicken (roasted and barbecued) and guinea fowl.  I took broccoli salad, bacon glazed carrots, and jalapeno roll-ups.  We had plenty to eat, in true Thanksgiving fashion!  

Kilimanjaro at a Great Distance

I'm not sure how well you can see it, but the mountain in the foreground on the left is Mt Meru, the second highest mountain in Tanzania, which we can see most of the time as it's just north of Arusha.  Behind it, you may be able to make out a shape in the distance--Mt. Kilimanjaro.  Kilimanjaro is more than 100 kilometers (just over 62 miles) away, a good three-hour drive, so it's almost never visible this far.  For that matter, as it's generally hazy around the mountain, it's rarely visible from a good deal closer.  But sometimes, when the sky is clear enough, and the light is just right from about five to six in the evening, from just the right places along the Arusha road, we can see it when leaving Monduli.  On Thanksgiving Day, the conditions lined up just right, the only time they have since I've been living here (but then again, I'm rarely going into town at that time in the evening).  

Rebecca's Birthday

Veronica, Radhia, Jackline, and Rebecca

There's a tradition here in Tanzania that people dump water on the birthday person.  I know I've mentioned it before, but I had another chance to witness it on Rebecca's birthday.  She was prepared: she packed a change of clothes and a towel before going up to the school, and her friends did not disappoint her.  I think the second set of clothes might have ended up rather damp as well.  Remind me to hide on my birthday...or at the very least to not carry my phone or any papers around! :)

Rebecca's birthday fell on Thanksgiving Day again this year (tends to happen occasionally with a late November birthday), but we stopped to sing and present her with her gifts before we left to celebrate Thanksgiving at the Duncans' house.  We were in a rush, as always, so she took the gifts with her in the car to open.  She absolutely loves Agatha Christie mysteries, so she was really happy that I'd found one she doesn't have!   She also took the opportunity, since it was her birthday and she could get away with it, to wear a long, flowy flowered dress.  One of her favorite presents was a pair of high heels; she's definitely the sister most into glamour these days. 

Tammy and I decided Lewis needed some quality time with his children since he's been working a lot lately.  Or at least that was our excuse to stick him in the back. :) 

Playing and Working

I'm really enjoying teaching the Preform students!  They're a good group of kids.  I was wandering around a bit during free time this afternoon and stopped to watch some of the boys having a lively game of ping pong.

The boys later were commandeered and put to work; there are bags of corn to be cleaned for supper!  They are pouring the corn over a mesh table; any bits of trash are sifted out.

Preform Final Exams

And we have reached the end of the nine-week Preform program...time for final exams!  Once we have the results, we can evaluate how the students have been able to handle the work during preform, which will help us to decide if they will be able to handle the work as full-time students in January.  Most of them will make it, but there may be a few that just aren't able to keep up, and it would be better for them to find a school better suited to their level than to struggle and fail here.  The education system here has made it very difficult to repeat grades or to move school after year two.   

I've really enjoyed teaching them for this term, and I look forward to seeing them back in January!  

My Students Hamming It Up

Me with Mary, Monica, Shyrose, Bilihuda, Jackline, Veronica, Gabriel and Omega.

On one of the rare days that I had my big camera with me at school, I let my preform students have some fun taking pictures after class (not just a free for all--I let only one responsible student hold the camera so as to avoid accidents passing it around). I'm glad to have these memories of my students being silly and having fun.  As you might have seen, I'm using the first picture of me with a group of the students as my cover photo on my 'My Life in Monduli' facebook page. 

Welcome to my world, and enjoy the photos! 

Evance is very serious and detail-oriented; he always asks the best questions in class.  He really wants to understand everything.  

Shyrose, Mary Douglas, and Bilihuda

(Back) Lowasa, Esther, Ombeni, Abigael, Shyrose, Theresia and Bilihuda (Front) Mary Douglas and Monica.  Since they are in preform and not regular students yet, they don't have Alpha Omega uniforms.  Many wear their primary school uniforms. 

Two of my native Monduli students.  Shyrose is my neighbor--her family lives across the street from me.  Her mother works for the Catholic charity that runs the daycare for orphaned children that is on our street.

The peace sign is apparently universal.

Foibe strikes a pose

Theresia, Monica, Abigael, Bilihuda and Shyrose in the back; Esther and Mary Douglas in the front.

Ombeni and Michael...facepalming is actually pretty common when Michael is around.  He's one of the youngest students, but he's also one of the smartest and he is a complete ham.  

Athuman, Ombeni, Omega, Dismas, Gabriel in the back, Michael in the front

Posing with Calreen and Jackline 

Isack and Ombeni

Peter and Martin

Dismas and Athuman

Lowasa and Olotai 

My students. :)

Sunday Mornings at the School

A beautiful sunny Sunday on campus

Sunday mornings start early; the church service for the students held in the dining hall on campus begins at eight.  The area churches generally start at ten, but their services often last for three or four hours, while ours is about an hour and a half, so there are trade-offs.  Ours is so early for several reasons.  For one thing, ours is finished before the church across the street begins, so some of our students go there afterwards to help with teaching a Bible class for the children.  We have an optional Bible class afterwards, so an early start gives plenty of time before lunch, and the students have plenty of time to study in the afternoon.  

All of the students are required to attend the morning worship service, but the Bible class led by Lewis, a leadership class led by Fielden Allison, and attending the service in Swahili at the Ngarash church are all optional, so tend to be the more dedicated or interested students. 

During the service

Several of the students participate in leading worship alongside some of the teachers who are members of the church of Christ; these days, the students do everything except the main sermon (and sometimes do that, too), including the communion meditation, which here in Tanzania is generally nearly as long as the sermon.  Everything is done in English except the singing; we sing in English occasionally, but in Swahili at least eighty per cent of the time.  I've recorded the singing a few times; I'd like to add the recordings to a blog post but the times I've tried the internet hasn't been strong enough to handle uploading a larger file like that.  Sometime when I'm in Arusha on wifi I'll give it a try again.  

I had a very cute helper keeping up with my bag while we waited for Bible class to start.

Arusha Market

I've posted pictures more than once before of our local market in Monduli, but for even better selection, we sometimes go to the big fruit and vegetable market in downtown Arusha.  They have broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, limes, leeks and a variety of other things that aren't available in Monduli.  Michela is by now a good market shopper; she knows what good prices are and how to bargain.  

The setup feels a bit chaotic; there are narrow aisles with people pushing past and stopping to bargain, and the stalls start at about shoulder level and go up, so we have to yell up to the proprietor perched high above. It's an important part of Tanzanian life, though, and worth it for the good food!

Tanzania Christian Clinic

Just down the hill from the school is the Tanzania Christian Clinic, which is under the oversight of Tanzania Christian Services, the non-profit founded by Drs. Danny and Nancy Smelser, as is the school.  Fortunately, I've only been a patient once so far, in October when I was sick.  I love the view down the driveway; a small mountain in the distance is perfectly framed.   There's a website for the clinic, if you're interested in the work they do there or reading past newsletters: Tanzania Christian Clinic. 

You can see the school buildings behind the clinic.

Wednesday Afternoon in Class

Welcome to Wednesday afternoon in my classroom!  I took a few photos while my students were busy with a group activity.  While the classrooms upstairs have normal layout with rows of desks, these downstairs have levels to provide something like stadium seating.  It has its pros and cons--it is easier for everyone to see the board clearly, but it's hard to rearrange the desks for groupwork.  The desks have metal legs, which make an awful racket on the tile floors, and they're quite heavy to lift up and down the steps. We make it work pretty well, though! 

Nevil, Peter and Daniel...also known as The Ones that Never Stop Talking

Lowasa, Athuman, Olotai and Gabriel

Rebecca has been attending my class; she's fairly close in age to these students and has been making friends.

Chemistry Practicals at AOCSS

On Wednesday afternoon, I went down to the science lab.  The form three students and teacher Ilampa were hard at work on their chemistry practicals.  Alpha Omega has a focus on the sciences, so the students really value their time in the lab.  Many students hope to be doctors or engineers (and also pilots, for some reason; I guess it sounds cool), so they need a good base in biology, chemistry and physics.  

Teacher Ilampa explaining the procedures of the experiment.

Wilson is very excited about his results (or cheesing for the camera...probably that.)

Rehema is hard at work.

Students listening to Ilampa explain the lesson.

Looking back up from the lab building to the classroom building.  It's a beautiful afternoon on campus.