Waiting at the Gate

Looking back at the school gate from the road.

I'm leaving work before dark! It doesn't happen often, as I usually stay at the school to keep the library open until the students go to dinner at 6:30, and it gets dark pretty quick after that.  Today, though, I really needed to run some errands in town, including buying fruit and vegetables at the market, which closes at dark, so I managed to escape a bit early.  It wasn't easy; anytime the students see me packing up they suddenly have ten more questions and three more urgent crises, which is why I usually leave while they're eating. I did it, though!  It was a beautiful evening, so I took a few pictures as I waited out by the road for my boda boda (motorcycle taxi).

Looking down the road towards town.

Looking up the road, up the mountain to Monduli Juu.

Becoming a King in Bible Class

We had another fun day in Bible class this morning! We have finally finished our study of the Parable of Jesus, and now we're starting a new study on the King of Israel.  Today, we talked about Saul being chosen as the first King of Israel.  We made crowns to imagine what it would be like to be chosen as a king or queen.  We had fun with glue, scissors, crayons and colored paper decorating our crowns.  

We had a big class today as we had visitors; Tammy's brother, David, is visiting along with his two oldest children.  

Everyone's busy!

Our class is held in the conference room in the administration building.

I wish I had thought to get a group picture of everyone in their crowns before the triplets left, but at least I got this crowd! 

Beth texted me later that evening and told me that Jackson refused to take off his crown until well after he got home, and that included while going out for lunch in town.  

I made a crown, too, when we had an extra, and I had it with me in the library after class.  A few of the students tried it on.  Here's Omega modelling it: 

Graduation 2019!

All of the graduates along with the TCS board members, the headmaster, the District Commissioner, and a few of the teachers. 

On October 26th, we had our very first graduation at Alpha Omega!  Four years ago, this group of students started out at a brand-new school.  It must have been a bit strange to be the only class on campus, but they stuck it out.  Each year since we've added a new form as they have progressed, so now we are graduating our first form 4 students.  

Graduations here in Tanzania are an event.  It turned out to be a combination graduation/science-fair/talent show/church service/dinner, and from what I've heard of other local graduations, ours was quite tame and sedate.  (There was a fashion show that was somehow part of another local high school's graduation last weekend; some of our students wanted to do something like that, but Lewis said ABSOLUTELY NOT.  Also, a couple of our students had signed up to salute the graduates with a break-dancing demonstration, but Tammy 'accidentally' edited the program to where it turned out to be a poetry reading).  Graduations are an all-day commitment, and since once people get food they tend to leave, 'lunch' is always the last thing.  It was scheduled for 3 pm, but I knew that we'd be lucky to see food until at least five.  (I was right.  I had a snack in my bag.) 

Graduation gowns and hats are more of a university graduation thing here in Tanzania, so all of the graduates dressed up in white shirts and black trousers or shimmery black skirts.  There was a lot of last-minute scrambling as some of the boys realized at the last minute that they didn't have any clean socks and some of the girls realized that white blouses tend to be rather see-through and need an undershirt.  I spent a while in the girls' dorm rushing people out so that we could start photos only an hour or so late. 

While the Form 4 students took got ready and took pictures, guests could walk around campus to see tables set up by the younger students showing various projects.  The once above was a demonstration of various settlement types and ways communities can be organized.  Quite a bit of my tape, staples, glue, etc. was 'borrowed' for this particular project. I did stop by to be a practice audience for Baraka's whole spiel.  Later, I got this picture of him going through the demonstration for Nancy Smelser, one of the founders of the school. 

There were other tables with physics, chemistry and biology demonstrations, as well.  I was supposed to go back and buy some homemade soap from the chemistry team, but I never made it back that way. 

   

Another major difference in just about any big even here in Tanzania from similar events in America is the dancing.  Graduates do not walk sedately in.  They dance up the aisle.  In unison.  They'd been practicing their routine all week.  Thankfully, it was fun and happy while still being in good taste. 

Once everyone was settled with the graduates in their seats at the front, the parents, guests, and teachers in their places, and the school board, administration, and speakers settled on stage, we got started with the ceremony.  My role for the day was as one of the photographers, so I was moving around quite a bit.  

   

The ceremony involved four speakers (one of the parents, Mr. Songoyo; Tammy's brother David, Dr. Smelser, the school founder, and the District Commissioner).  The speeches were interspersed with a few rather cheesy songs sung by some Form 2 students to the form 4 students, and from some Form 4 girls to the parents.  They had taken some songs and personalized them; my name even ended up in one of the Form 2 songs.  It was a song about how various groups of people were saying goodbye to the Form 4 students and wishing them well, including a rather long section with this teacher says goodbye and that teacher says goodbye.  There was also a really hilarious play somewhere in the middle, acted by a combination of Form 4 and Form 3 students.  

David Reese giving an encouraging speech to the graduates.

Dr. Smelser and Mr. Bernard Kulanga honored Lewis and Tammy for their five years of service, which was certainly deserved as they've dedicated so much time to these students over the last few years.  The students had all signed a big picture of an elephant for them. 

Finally, we go to the part in which the graduates walked across the stage to receive their School Leaving Certificates (Tanzanians tend to like extremely literal names for things...). I joined a small crowd of photographers on stage to capture the moment for each student.  After everyone received their certificate, they were then called up individually for awards for various accomplishments (school government positions, etc.) and academic awards for the top student in each subject.  The top two students, Regarn and Pamela, won all of those; we all rather got the giggles when Pamela ended up having to go in circles as she won award after award.  They don't really use the term 'valedictorian' here, but the top three were clearly recognized:  Pamela Innocent, Regard Richard, and Moureen Simon.  

The ceremony finally ended, and the celebrations began.  Food was served; it was the typical Tanzanian party menu of pilau (spiced rice), chicken, cabbage, kachumbari, and watermelon. I spent most of the rest of the evening taking photos of groups of students.  I've now made a google photos account for the school and I'm going to show the students how to access so they can download photos on their phone after leaving school if they want.  

Two of the boys, Aloyce and Joseph, their father Narda, and Lewis and Tammy

I didn't get in many pictures myself, but I did get this one with one of my students, Aloyce.  We all had new dresses made for the occasion.  I bought the fabric in Iringa back in August and I've been looking forward to having it sewn.  There are such great fabrics here that it's a constant temptation to buy way too much.  

Overall, the day was long but went very well.  It was a great celebration of the hard work the form 4 students have put in over the last four years and a nice event for the community.  The students aren't leaving quite yet, though; they still have their big national exams in a couple of weeks before they're completely done, but the tradition here is to have the graduation when they finish classes, so preparing for it is not a distraction from their exams.  

It's going to be strange for the school once these students leave; we've never had students not come back before.  I am wishing all of them the best as they go on to further their education or find jobs. 

Frog Hopping to Assembly

Teacher Ilampa is teacher on duty this week, and he had a novel and funny way to deal with students who were late to assembly.  Those that weren't yet to the assembly area had to stop where they were and frog hop the rest of the way.  I heard to commotion outside from where I was working in the library, and came out to take a few pictures and laugh with the hopping students. 

Dust Storm!

I was teaching form three this afternoon when the wind started blowing.  Now usually, a bit of wind wouldn’t disturb us; it’s often a bit windy here at our campus on the hillside.  But the wind was rattling the windows and bending the trees, enough that the students started to glance over their shoulders at the windows behind them a bit nervously.  A strong gust blew right in the open windows, and the students scrambled to gather papers that were blown off their desks and shut the windows. 

Within a few minutes, the wind blew in heavy clouds, darkening the day considerably.  But these clouds were an odd color, with a sickly yellowish tinge, and low.  They cast an odd enough light that my class was rather derailed for a few minutes as everyone commented on the odd clouds and fidgeted nervously.  Finally, after nothing further happened for a few minutes, I told them that if we died, they would die having learned a bit more grammar, so sit down and be quiet. 

The odd clouds grew an even deeper yellow-brown color as the wind continued to gust, but by the time class was out twenty or so minutes later, the worst seemed to have passed and the clouds were lightening to closer to their normal gray.  I caught a picture of the last of the dirty clouds as I walked back to the library. 

We later heard that it had been a huge sandstorm, and we had only caught the very edge of it.  Friends in Kisongo (thirty-minute drive away) and out near Kilimanjaro sent pictures; at the Arusha airport, the clouds were so thick and full of dirt that you could hardly see the planes!  I’ve never seen anything quite like it and judging by my students’ reactions, it’s not too common a thing here in Monduli, either. 

Here are a few photos from other people: 

The clouds coming up from the valley towards the school campus; I couldn't see this angle from the classroom, but another teacher took this photo. 

The storm passes over the Arusha airport.

This photo was all over the news--someone took a photo from a plane of the storm passing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

JOY!

Today's Sunday School lesson was the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, from Luke 18.  We had our usual students (Jackson, Deborah, Glory, Grace and Gladness) as well as two student helpers, Stephanie and Paulina.  We talked about the way the two men prayed and how we talk to God. 

When talking about prayer, we talked about JOY as a model for prayer;

J: Jesus

We talked about thanking God (Jesus) for all he has done for us and for our blessings. God is great!

O: Others

We talked about praying for others that we know are sick, sad, lonely, or in trouble.  We can also pray prayers of thanksgiving for our friends and family that have good things happening in their lives!

Y: Yourself

We talked about praying for the things we need in our lives. 

For each letter, I had glued a big, colorful letter to pieces of paper, and we wrote things we could pray about in each category on them.

After talking about prayer, we went around the table and all the children prayed.  I thought they would all be too shy to pray aloud, but everyone participated enthusiastically and we had a really nice prayer.

We finished off Bible class with words searches and coloring pages, which the kids always enjoy.

After Bible class, I went back to the library for a while to get a little work done.  Some of the boys (high school students) were hanging around, and they saw our JOY letters and decided they needed to be permanent decorations in the library, for some reason, and taped them up at the top of the blackboard.  I think they mostly just wanted to excuse to climb on chairs, but it does look nice up there. 

The internet was working pretty well (well, for here) today, so I let the boys watch the football (soccer) highlights of the week.  They're all big fans of not only Tanzanian teams, but also the English league and La Liga, the Spanish league.  They really miss not always being able to get the scores every week while they are at school, so this quickly drew quite a crowd!  Of course, little Jackson was right in the middle of it.  At six years old, he's already a huge soccer fan! 

2019 Parents Meeting

Oscar MC-ing a recent parent-teacher meeting.

The last Saturday of every month is Parents' Day at Alpha Omega.  This is when any parents who are able to make the trip can come on campus and spend the day with their child.  Boarding school can be a bit hard on kids, who are away from their families for at least nine month out of the year, so they really look forward to visits from their family.  Unfortunately, some parents live too far away or for various other reasons don't visit, so it can also be a hard day for some students.  We have been encouraged to see, though, some students with local family adopting a friend for the day, and inviting a friend who doesn't have close family to come sit under a tree and chat with their family and share the snacks their mom brought.  

On one of the parents' days every year, usually in September or October, we have a PTO (parent-teacher) meeting, during which the school administration shares what's been going on at the school and makes announcements about plans for the next school year, and parents are given a chance to ask questions, share ideas, or discuss problems.  

Ilampa (deputy headmaster), Godfrey (headmaster) and Lewis (school manager) sit at the administration table

Headmaster Godfrey speaking to the parents

Cleanliness

Here in Tanzania, most schools do not employ full-time janitors.  We do have some maintenance guys for the heavy work that needs to be done, and there is a woman who cleans the administration building and offices.  However, most of the cleaning around the school is done by the students.  There is a time slot on the schedule in the morning before class as well as an hour in the afternoon two or three times a week for cleanliness, as the students call it here.  

The students are divided in 'families', named after Biblical cities since Lewis was in charge of the naming.  The families meet once a week to talk about school issues and offer peer counseling and such, and also each family is assigned a different area of the school to clean. 

Today I got a few pictures of the form one students giving their classroom a very thorough cleaning, including mopping the floor and washing (throwing water at, anyhow) the windows. 

Preform Interviews for the Class of 2023

Many parents and family members waiting for the Headmaster to make an announcement.

Although it's just September, we are already busy preparing for the next school year.  Today, we had our first day of Form 1 Interviews (it's an exam, not an interview, but that's how it's generally referred to here).  Students who would like to attend school here next year come to take an entrance exam.  We had about eighty students try the exam today, and we'll have another day next weekend, as well as an opportunity to take the exam in Dar es Salaam or Mwanza (the two biggest cities in Tanzania, one on the east coast and one in the far west on the shore of Lake Victoria) for students who live too far away to travel here to take the exam.  We have openings for forty-one form one students for 2020.

Since our students have done well in the national exams the last couple of years, we can now be more selective about incoming students.  Let's hope we get lots of good candidates today!  I don't usually come up to the school on Saturday, but I wanted to open the library for the parents of the prospective students to see if they toured the school, and it's nice to walk around and meet some of the students that I may be teaching soon. 

Those who are selected early enough will be invited to come for a short pre-form class in November and December.  It will be five weeks to practice English and see if the students like our school environment and can do well here.  I will be teaching English for preform again this year just as I did last year. I look forward to meeting my new students! 

My Sunny Living Room

Since I moved into my own apartment last March, I've been slowly decorating and acquiring furniture.  A lot of things I've just done without for a while, knowing that the Shorts would be selling a lot of their furniture and such when they started preparing to move.  My living room finally feels complete now that I have a bookshelf.  It used to be in Michela's room, but she packed up her books and knickknacks last week, so now I have it.  It's nice to have a place for all the odds and ends that accumulate, and the room finally feels complete.

I love my living room early in the morning as the sun streams in! Also, believe it or not, that is a very demure and understated couch by local tastes.  I'm fortunate to have one in neutral colors that's not bright orange or purple or red.  

Must Have a Photo Right Now!!

Evarist and Sharon rushed into the library right before evening devotional.  They begged me to take their picture with this thing.  It was very very important that they get a picture with it.  

I'm not sure what it is (looks like a wooden scooter toy?), where they got it, what they were doing with it, or why they needed a photo.  They have never asked to see the photo and never mentioned it ever again.  

Teenagers are weird. 

Green Curry!

In my adult life, I've lived mostly in large cities: Milan, Wuhan, Nashville... I love being able to eat all sorts of international foods and be around a mix of cultures.  Monduli is quite different.  If I want to eat out, there's chicken and french fries or chips mayai (basically a french fry omelet).  That's really about it as far as options.  There's a bit more in Arusha (Chinese, Indian, Greek, pizza), but not everything, and I don't get the chance to eat out there much anyhow.  I don't mind cooking, but I do miss easily having a wider variety.  So, I've been trying out some new recipes. 

One of the foods I particularly miss is Thai food, which is not available even in Arusha.  However, I found that curry pastes are available!  I bought green curry paste (a mix of all the spices) and coconut milk, and made some pretty good green curry!  It's not really all that green looking, but it tastes good.  I put chicken, mushrooms, broccoli, and bell peppers in it this time and ate it with rice.  Green curry is one of my comfort foods, so I'm really excited that I can now make it at home! 

Another Tuesday with Form 3

There's never a dull moment around here! Here are a few of my form three students trying to be artistic and cool in the stairwell.  

Gravy and Biscuits

Every now and then, it's good to get a taste of home.  I don't make gravy and biscuits too often because I really don't need to carbs, and bacon is pretty expensive here.  I had a quiet, chilly September Saturday night, though, so I made some.  It didn't turn out as good as I'd hoped; my bacon wasn't fatty enough to really give enough grease so the gravy was a bit bland.  Still, it was nice to have a truly southern meal!

In the biscuits above, you can see the one I pinched to try the raw dough.  Whenever my mother and I were every baking biscuits, we'd always pinch a bite of the salty dough.  Do any of you do that?

You can see a bit of my kitchen here.  I have a built-in range on the counter, but it's not hooked up to gas.  I also have the freestanding stove, and I really didn't need both just for one person.  The freestanding one has an electric oven, one electric burner, and three gas burners, and is hooked up to a small gas cannister that I can lift myself.  The built-in one would be hooked to a large outdoor gas can about three times the size of the one you can see.  So, I chose the freestanding one to have the oven and because I can call a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) to go pick up a new gas canister for me, while the big one would require a car and two people to move it. 

Busy Library

Another busy day in the library!  The library is crowded this Wednesday afternoon!  Above, one of our form three library workers, Baraka, checks out books for his classmates. 

We received several big white folding tables in the container shipment, as well as these blue chairs.  Three tables (only two so far, but another is promised), as well as a set of blue chairs, have been assigned to the library.  The students are really enjoying the new workspace! 

Here's a wide-angle shot of the library.  In the foreground, you can see the two unabridged dictionaries we received.  The students have been REALLY impressed that there are so many words in the English language!  Of course, already several form one boys have lugged one of the things over and claimed that they were checking it out as their weekly story book.  I have a feeling they won't get tired of this joke for a while. 

Nembris and Anneth, two of my form three students. 

Salum and Norman like to be hams. 

While everyone's having fun around me, I'm trying to get through a little grading, checking some recent homework assignments. 

There were little scraps of paper inside a lot of the books; I'm not sure exactly what for.  However, these students don't waste much, so Innes and Denisa are using the small scraps to make colorful bookmarks.

See? Look, we're studying! Really!