Refine: Remove Impurities or Unwanted Elements; To Make More Subtle and Accurate

On Thursday Valery asked if I would accompany her to the Songea airport where she caught a small 12-seater airplane to Dar (I’ll be flying out of Mbeya because it is less expensive). I did so along with Br. Cassian and Br. Nolasco. We stopped for lunch and then saw her to the airport.

After, Br. Cassian had to run some errands in town and so Br. Nolasco and I decided to grab a beer at the local bar in Songea. The Safari Lager is my favorite here so that is what I had.

Sitting down and speaking with Br. Nolasco had to be one of the greatest conversations I have had this year. This conversation was one that left me wishing I had recorded it.  Afterwards, I quickly jotted down a few notes on what we spoke about and so that is what I’ll write about today.

First, Br. Nolasco is a Tanzanian monk who was born in a village near Njombe, Tanzania. After joining the monastery he was invited to study in Washington State and then helped form a community in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He currently resides there, but is visiting the Abbey this week. Br. Nolasco has a master’s degree in psychology and the community in Oregon runs a home for people who have committed crimes but have been deemed psychologically unfit and after serving some time are sent there to be reoriented into society.

Br. Nolasco is also close to the Jesse-Theis-Nice. If you know Jess Theis then you understand what I am talking about. That guy is nice. Jess has to be one of the nicest guys out there and so it is obvious that if Br. Nolasco is like him in this way then he must be pretty nice himself.

The first thing I want to discuss is the change in life from Njombe, Tanzania to Oregon. I asked him how it was to be born in a small village and then to now live in the United States. He told me three things: it is hard, he is thankful and that it is much better in the U.S.

He said it is hard because of the culture shock and the loneliness. Even though he comes from Tanzania we must understand that this life is what he knows and what he grew up with. Also, his family is here and so just like I am alone in Tanzania he is in America. In addition, he had to deal with immigration just as I have which is always a stressful piece of business. We both understand why immigration is difficult, but simply understanding it does not make it fun.

A subtle reminder at the secondary school.

However, he is extremely thankful to be living in America. He cannot believe that he is living there after having grown up here. It is a dream to be able to have been educated in America (where the education system is much better) and to be able to reside in rural Oregon. He told me that if I ever hear someone complaining about wanting to go back to Africa then they are lying. “America is great.” This isn’t to knock Africa because it too is great. However, he expressed that the opportunity that is available to the people in the first-world is much greater than that of the third which makes it a much better place to live. I have also noted this because it is extremely obvious.

The children who grow up here know nothing else and so they are happy. Yet, once they are adults and find out about the outside world it can be a hard blow. In some cases, (emphasis on the word some) ignorance is bliss.

The people here head out into the field every day in order to pick maize, sugar cane, rice, bamboo or some other crop and then bag it in order to be able to sell it in town. This allows them to make enough money to eat (rice, beans, ugali) and that is it. They then head back into the field each day for the rest of their lives. There is not much else when the chance to grow and seize an opportunity is so low. While I was young I had a new dream job and image of what my life would be like every day. I cannot imagine how it must be to know most of those things are not remotely possible when living here. Be thankful for the opportunities you have been, are being and will be given.

As the conversation kept on he told me about his first experience with the noise of the highway and cars. He remembers writing to his family back in Tanzania and telling them how loud the highway was at night. He couldn’t believe the amount of cars. He remembers thinking that there must be more cars than people. In fact, in this observation he may be right.

Another factor that played a part in his culture shock is the wealth. He told me about how it was to be surrounded by so much wealth and not having any access to it. This is because he was both a monk and a foreigner on a visa permit which does not allow you to work, but it still is an eye-opening statement. It is hard for us to see and we tend not to think about it very much because we were born into it. This is what we grew up with and know; especially if you identify with the middle or upper economic class.

I am unsure how this view relates to the poor and lower class of America, but I would imagine it to be similar. African poverty is really on a whole other scale. It is extreme. Though, this isn’t to say American poverty isn’t poverty because it is. The amount of wealth that is stored, currently exists in and on display in America is substantial. To come from a village where you help your parents cut bamboo each day in hopes of selling it for some money and then to compare that to America must be so difficult. How crazy it is that 1% of the population controls most of the wealth when there are people who have none. It does make you think.

We do not need communism. No, what we need is to be able to create an opportunity for all.

As the conversation progressed I found myself trying to apologize or clarify some of the things Valery had said on the car ride to the airport. I was not doing so because her viewpoints were incorrect, but rather to just inform him that there is a large amount of misunderstanding which led to the comments that were being said, many of them in a strong manner.  

He laughed. He told me that he completely understands. He actually was very nice about it.

I will paraphrase some of what he said…

Man, she has her own views and that is great. What I like best is that she is honest and truthful. You have to remember that I have lived in America for quite a while now and have met many people with the same viewpoints as her. You are right, though, when you say much of it comes from misunderstanding. It’s important to refine your thinking. This is why it’s great you are living in Africa. You are able to get a better understanding of what life is like away from America. These things help you refine and improve your thoughts which help your comments and ideas become more accurate and intelligent.

In America, you can get just about anything you like. Not everything, but much more than what you can get in Africa, as you have seen. You want a burger, pizza, sushi, coffee, whatever; all you do is head to the grocery store or fast food restaurant. In addition, you have the opportunity to become something. Your education system allows for that. Your society and its structure are highly developed and so it is much easier. I won’t say it is easy, but it is easier. You don’t know anything else because you grew up here. You begin to wonder why the rest of the world, especially Africa, doesn’t do what you do. Well, your country has been continuously developing for centuries whereas ours is very new, only a few decades. We are still learning how this is all done. When we were at lunch this afternoon and Valery ordered chicken and commented on how long it was taking, becoming angry that they did not have the first thing she wanted and then made the joke about them killing the chicken in the back and cooking it up…well, even though she meant it as a joke, we all must be patient with how things are done here. They probably were killing the chicken in the back. In America, you really don’t know where the food at the super market comes from. You just know it will be there when you go. The convenience, simplicity and ease are wonderful. That is not here. To become enraged at the waitress is not going to do anything. This is because they obviously don’t have the item you want, she probably doesn’t understand most of what you are saying in your angry outburst and it is not easy to get all the ingredients that make up the item you would like. We are still learning.

The above passage is a mixture of his comments and my thoughts from what he had discussed. This is not an exact quote, but an accurate sample from what we spoke about. To conclude this conversation I have to add something he did say which I loved…

““Have you ever been in a conversation where you didn’t have all the answers? The person you were speaking to was asking you something and all you could say is “I just don’t know, I don’t have all the answers right now.” Well, that person who doesn’t have all the answer right now is Africa. America is developed; they know how to do things and its answers are concrete. Things are organized, well-documented and complete. So, when someone questions why Africans do things this way instead of that it is because we are still trying to figure out the answers.””

I thought this was a phenomenal example. It was as if someone had filled a pitcher full of knowledge and was pouring down upon me. It is conversations like these that make me so happy to have lived and volunteered here. Wow.

A few things we can take away from this conversation:

1. Each person has an opinion and that opinion has value.

2. Each person’s opinion is shaped by their experiences and understanding of the world around them which is why many differ from yours (sometimes by a lot).

3. Each one of us needs to refine our thoughts and opinions before angrily screaming them at our next door neighbor (or at a Trump rally). We MUST remove the uneducated and misunderstood layers and replace those with accurate ones. WE MUST.

4. Refining and improving our ideas and thoughts about the world is the only way we will be able to fully understand others and help each person and country grow and prosper.

5. Patience is a virtue. We must be patient with others. When teaching someone how to drive they will most likely fail their first few times. This is because they have to try it out first. You know how it’s done and so it is easy for you, but they do not. And even then, you are not a perfect driver. America is a good example. We know how to do many things, but must be patient with countries that are younger and need time to learn. It’s also good to know that even though America is great, it is not perfect and so we, too, must continue to refine.

Great roads constructed in Tanzania by America!

6. We should be grateful for what we have and I mean for everything we have. I am talking about much more than just the motorcycle that is sitting in the garage. We must be grateful for the things we own, of course, but also the ones we don’t. The Super Target, the phenomenal roadways (really, they are phenomenal compared to Africa - oh and traffic lights are super nice too), the massive sports stadiums, the police and their ability to keep order, the gym, schools, your job, relationships and many more.

7. Finally, we all just need to take a second to calm down. Short fuses and hot tempers are rarely needed. Some things just can’t be done the way you want them and to yell, scream and pout will only raise your heart rate and stress levels.

8. I wish Br. Nolasco could speak with each presidential candidate.

Why I love conversations and experiences like these is because they teach me things one cannot learn from Harvard, Yale or Princeton. You could have the smartest professor and best book, but it is the experience that will really shape and help you understand.

Have you ever watched the TV and found yourself saying “Oh, that can’t be that hard!” when you see someone perform a certain task. Well, you have never done or experienced it and so how would you truly know. Then, when you do try the task the reality of how hard it is becomes known and finally discovered.

I could use many different examples, but I’ll use one that is closely related to living in Africa – the lack of internet. This is not me complaining (it has become the norm and I am too used to it for complaints) this is just an example.

The scenario tends to play out as somebody reads about how different it is not having access to the internet for a long period of time and responding how easy it would be for them to go without WHILE they read the article on the internet. The point is not coming across because you have not actually experienced it and because of this it becomes hard to truly understand. Heck, you are using it while reading the article so how can you say it would be easy.

In the end it may be easy; however my point is how is it possible to truly know without trying?  I feel this is something that happens to people planning to volunteer in another part of the world. You really have to sit down and think it out. Considering you don’t experience it in America you should ask questions about how it will be without it in Africa. Whether that is internet, certain foods, friends, family, air conditioning, etc.

Then there are situations in which you truly cannot experience. For me, that is being a woman and how it must feel to give birth. I cannot do it and so before ignorantly and naively commenting I better think it out and try to better understand it. And for those who can experience something while others cannot – help the other understand rather than angrily throwing it in their face. I have seen so many fights over someone not understanding another. Well, let us help them understand so we can get somewhere rather than constantly fighting. Sheesh.

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Alright, time to wrap this blog up. Sorry for how long it has become. If only it was this easy to write my 15 page essays back in college.

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It is very common for people to take a bathroom break on the side of the road in Africa and so that is what we did on the way home from Songea on Thursday. All of us, after having a beer, had to go. One Safari Lager makes another – you know what I mean.

My love for the sisters here continues to grow. It is so fun to hang out with them because they will laugh at everything. We were watching Isidingo, the one TV show I’ll actually pay attention to, in the refectory yesterday evening when one of the characters was being a bit scandalous with another. I just leaned over to Sister Saima and said “Tisk, tisk…lead us not into temptation, am I right?” and she just lost it. Ah, it’s really too funny.

As my European trip looms closer with each passing day Christa has asked me how much am I here and how much am I traveling already. A good question that I feel each of us could be asked when approaching a trip. You know that feeling you get when a few days from traveling and your mindset is switched from ‘at home’ to ‘on a trip’. I’d say I’m at 85% ‘at home’ and 15% ‘on a trip’. Still very much here and that’s where I want to be right now. The problem arises when you feel closer to ‘on a trip’ and you still have 10 months of service left. Probably a main reason some decide to end it and go home.

I know I spent today’s entire blog on a single conversation, but I just had to. As for the rest of my week, it was good. The debate on Friday actually took place this week which was nice. My students did great. They are beginning to grasp the concept of my leaving and so it has become a bit harder to see them knowing each day is one less, but that is life and I must return home at some point.

The next three blogs will be posted from a different place. Wednesdays will be here in Hanga, Saturdays will be in Mbeya and then the following Wednesday I hope to post from Schiphol Airport (if I can get internet) which is located in Amsterdam. I’ll write that blog while in flight over Africa.

Tanzania has begun to load-shed again. The electricity is being cut off to certain parts of the country throughout the day to conserve energy. In addition, major flooding in Moshi and Dar es Salaam has caused problems. So, if you need me and I am not responding it most likely is because I do not have electricity and, therefore, internet. It tends to work best when I don’t need it and be cut off when I do haha J that’s life.

To conclude, remember to always refine those thoughts and opinions of yours. If you have trouble grasping this concept then just think about how you wash your car obsessively during the summer.

Remove the dirt, scrub it down, remove the dirt, soap it up, rinse it off and polish, baby. Polish till your heart’s desire…or until you find the small dent or scrape that your idiotic kid probably did while driving the other day. Then you can actually spend time refining those opinions you have about that kid and continue on polishing your car. You can always take it to Nova-Chek auto repair tomorrow. J

Happy May, everyone! Also, welcome WR Laquon Treadwell to the Minnesota Vikings!

Thanks for reading!

You Don’t Deserve Less, They Deserve More

“It is not easy to move back and forth between different worlds, but I have had to learn that the grace and generosity I share with my friends on the margins is equally important for friends and relatives at home. Just because they aren’t as regularly exposed to the tensions doesn’t mean they deserve less respect or love. My lifestyle needs to be an invitation, not a bludgeon, that helps others to choose simplicity and generosity because it is appealing.”

This quote comes from page 129 of the book Friendship at the Margins: Discovering Mutuality in Service and Mission (Resources for Reconciliation) by Christopher L. Heuertz and Christine D. Pohl.

I read this book for the theology class I participated in over the internet this year. I read this particular piece while in Zambia, but thought it would better fit in a blog towards the end of my service.

What a powerful quote. I wanted to share this because it targets a topic that brings forth a strong emotion as well as something I feel needs to be spoken about. The emotion and feeling I am referring to is frustration. Frustration tends to bring its friend Anger along as well.

Moving back and forth from the third world to the first can be and usually is difficult. I find myself becoming frustrated at others comments and complaints. I become angry that they can’t see or understand what I have and I am annoyed when my experiences and lessons are so hard to explain and for others to grasp.

However, then I reread this quote. The grace and generosity we show our family and friends should be shown to all and vice versa. The care I show the people of Zambia and Tanzania should be what I show to my family and friends at home. Just because my family and friends are better off doesn’t mean they deserve less. It’s just that these people deserve more. They deserve more than what they currently have and that isn’t much. This concept can become entangled in our minds and we can find ourselves becoming frustrated with others for having something we do not.

Thanks Phoenix Group!

We need to straighten our thought process. Is it good to hoard, follow greed, become gluttonous and focus on only ourselves? No, I would argue it’s not. Though, why I like this quote so much is that it helps us see that even though you are better off it doesn’t mean you deserve less. You and they are both beautiful creations which deserve the same. What we can see is that they don’t have the same and, therefore, they deserve more.

This is why I was very happy to hear from my friend Adam. Adam is the one I will be visiting in Europe during the month of May. Adam owns a company called Phoenix Group. He made a donation to my service and with that donation I was able to buy notebooks, pens, pencils, whiteout paste, scissors and mathematical sets for both primary and secondary school children. In fact, I bought so much I cleared out half the shop as well as made the largest purchase the store has seen. It made me happy to be able to bring this to both the public school in Hanga as well as Saint Benedicts. The kids were overjoyed. Thank you for your donation, Adam.

Once again, you don’t deserve less, it is they who deserve more. By providing school supplies for hundreds of children we are acknowledging this and helping.

Father Gregory, who I believe to be close to 100 years old though no one knows for sure (his birth year was never documented, but he tells me he was a grown up in 1928) has not only absolutely obliterated the life expectancy in Tanzania (50 years), but is one of the founders of Hanga Abbey. He enjoys speaking with me and constantly tells me that I am living a “life of adventure” and is happy to see me in Tanzania. The man is very kind.

Yesterday, he came to me and asked if I could help him. He is trying to create a path or road to the nearby waterfall so the abbey and villagers are able to access it for water and electricity. He is in need of $100. I know I said that I hoped to be done with traveling into Songea, but I think this reason is worth a trip to the ATM.

It can be difficult to admit, but I feel it is hard for many of us to give away our goods and resources to others because, well, we want it for ourselves. This is natural, but when we actually see what life is like for these people we are able to realize that they do deserve more.

Another great quote that I feel covers this well is, ““In response to the excuse offered by those with resources that they don’t know anyone in help, Wesley explained, “One great reason why the rich, in general, have so little sympathy for the poor is because they so seldom visit them. Hence it is that…one part of the world does not know what the other suffers. Many of them do not know, because they do not care to know: they keep out of the way of knowing it; and then plead their voluntary ignorance as an excuse for their hardness of heart.” Voluntary ignorance is as dangerous as it is easy. Choosing not to see and avoiding thinking about the consequences of our decisions or lifestyle do not make us blameless. Opening our eyes to the global realities and moving beyond our areas of comfort can become avenues leading to deeper discipleship, compassion and justice.”” (Heuertz & Pohl, p. 58, 2010).

Choosing to live a better more simple and wiser lifestyle can have great effects on the world and the ones we share it with. Choosing to visit the poor and to work alongside them can have life altering and worthwhile lessons we could not learn elsewhere. Choosing to give a small portion of your wealth (whether that is money, a particular skill, time, etc.) to another who is in need can do so much and help in ways you never knew. We are blessed and we should share that blessing with others because they too deserve the same as us.

On a walk to Nocagugu

As I mentioned in my last post, an older woman by the name of Kersti (pronounced Casty) has arrived. I helped orientate her to the village. On Sunday she asked if we could go on a walk and I said yes. As we were walking I found out two main things about Kersti. The first was when I was speaking about my Dad’s job. I told her that he works for the company Le Creuset which sells high-end cookware and is based out of France. Oh, she raved. She told me how much she loved Le Creuset and how she has so much of it back home. It sure is popular, Dad!

The next was when I explained everything my siblings were up to. She told me that my parents had instilled good values in us (which I agree) and I responded in my sarcastic and joking tone “Well, we are the Kerbers” as if we are super special. Kersti asked me to repeat my last name and when I did she just stopped and said “Well, the Kerbers are pretty special because I’m one.”

No joke, folks. I am walking next to this 67 year old German woman in Tanzania and we share the same last name. She spells it Körber, but she says it is pronounced the same. It’s obvious my last name is straight out of Germany.

To my surprise another woman showed up on Monday. Her name is Valery and she is from Miami, Florida. She is 32 years old, is a nurse, backs Trump 100% and does not have a favorable view of Minnesota because of the speeding ticket she received there a few years back. Even though I am not a Trump supporter and love Minnesota, I suppose we are all entitled to our own opinions. Valery told me she had climbed Kilimanjaro before arriving in Hanga and so I was excited to speak with her about it. Valery is a nice woman and I have enjoyed her company, however she has some very strong viewpoints that are…mm…towards the negative end of the spectrum. It was a little bit of a bummer to hear she didn’t enjoy the climb as much as I, but I suppose we all have different experiences.

I do not want to spend much of my time on negativity, but there are lessons to be learned. I have showed Valery around, taught her how to clean her clothes by hand and discussed the regular day in Hanga as well as all the need-to-know pieces to life here. I have enjoyed it all so much so to hear her complain about it was a little tough. “What did you expect,” kept entering my head, but I know the change can be hard. In fact, she dislikes it here so much she asked her boyfriend to book her on a flight back to the U.S. tomorrow. He did so.

Enjoying life on Kilimanjaro! 

So, her month long stay has been shortened to three days. I guess Africa isn’t for everyone.

While walking around she asked if we could go to the supermarket to buy some chicken breast so we don’t have to eat rice and beans. I told her there is no supermarket here like in America. She said that we must be able to buy chicken breast, though. I told her you may be able to buy the whole chicken. That is, the chicken which is alive. Ha, just being honest.

It hasn’t been all bad, though. We did have fun cooking dinner for the guest refectory last night. We decided to buy some eggs, tomato, onion and pepper and scramble it all together. It turned out to be quite good. The sisters enjoyed it as well. All the vegetables make for a colorful end product and so we named the dish ‘The Parakeet’. Parakeets are colorful, aren’t they? The others don’t know what a parakeet is so it also makes the dish sound super creative J haha. That was a lot of fun.

The one downfall at dinner was when Kersti and Valery were speaking openly about how they have been suffering through the rice and beans and lack of variety in food. They both have been here less than a week and they were complaining about how they miss their pastas, wine, pizzas, and all the other stuff one can get in the first world.

The reason I mention this is because you all must hear how this sounds, right? They are openly complaining about how hard their past two days have been in front of people who have lived this way their entire lives! I was thinking in my head “AHH am I the only one that hears how terrible and self-centered this sounds!”

I do not mention this to be critical, but rather as a lesson. We must open our eyes and ears to this and be able to learn from it. If we do not we will never be able to move forward in our help.

If you are blind of your own actions and your words fall deaf upon your ears then the struggle to learn will be much greater due to the inability of simply being conscious of yourself.

In helping others you will most likely face a challenge or two, but to be oblivious of the fact that there are others who have encountered worse is an unfortunate misstep in this process.

In addition, by being aware of your actions and words we should not become self-absorbed, but rather self-aware. In order to understand ourselves and situation better we must be aware of how we react and the things we say to better ourselves and the people around us.

I would agree that it is normal to focus in on oneself and it is easy to notice the change and hardships in one’s own life. However, when self-absorbed, your thoughts begin to turn inward. You begin to think about only yourself and quickly forget the others (the primary difference between being aware and absorbed). The result is that you forget the ones you have set out to help and fall into a world that is all about you. This is no good at all.

The quote at the beginning reminds us to show grace and generosity to our friends and family just as we do to the ones on the margin. I want you to know that I am and that I understand where they are coming from. However, the quote also states that our lives should be an invitation into choosing a life that is simple and generous. I guess my invitation will just come with some lessons attached to it (which I feel is best anyway. From these lessons we are able to learn about and achieve a simple and generous life). J

We must be able to open our eyes, ears, minds, hearts and hands. In helping raise others up we must first have the power to simply focus on them and understand their lives and the hardships they have faced. This will help us not only put things into perspective, but allow us to help them in receiving what they deserve – our help, love and care.

They deserve more so let us not inhibit our ability to help them by focusing on ourselves.

Cooking up a mean dish.

Yesterday, Tuesday, April 26^th marked the day Tanganyika and Zanzibar became one country. This took place in the 1960’s and when it happened Tanganyika changed its name to Tanzania. The day is a national holiday and so it was fun to have the day off from work. The past couple of days for me have been busy and so it was nice to be able to pump the brakes a little.

The past week has been a difficult one for the surrounding schools and monastery. Another student has passed from complications of what they believed to be either malaria or the flu. Another thought is that typhoid may be infecting the students through the water. In addition to the 13 year old boy a sister who I knew prior to Kilimanjaro passed. She was sent to receive treatment while I was away and this week she passed. She had fallen ill with malaria. It is very sad and hard to see disease run rampant and destroy so much in its path. The students out at Nocagugu are scared now because of this and many have come in to get tested for malaria. I hope the issue is resolved soon.

That is all for today. I am going to post this and then head into Songea in order to pull out some money for Father Gregory. Valery would like to search for some type of meat to cook on her last night here. I told her I would help. Cooking is fun so I look forward to that. Enjoy the end to your April, friends. See you back here on Saturday J

Thanks for reading!

The Role Gender Plays in Africa

The past couple of days have gone smoothly. If you read this blog frequently then you most likely understand my daily and weekly routine. Unfortunately, there were no major stories or events that happened in the past days. That’s quite surprising really. I suppose it had to happen at least once before I left and so here my experience becomes somewhat calm in one of my final weeks.

I spent time in the clinic as well as at Saint Benedict’s Secondary School on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Today, Saturday, I’ll work on getting this posted to the internet and then head out for a nice walk. You know how much I like those and a Saturday afternoon is the perfect time for one. It’s a sunny 70 degree day here in Tanzania so it will be nice.

As I mentioned before there is nothing overly dramatic or wild happening here. I did attend the debate at Saint Benedict’s on Friday. However, it was canceled after a three hour wait. The debate was to be about whether or not the students felt bride price should be kept in society. Three schools instead of two would go about debating this topic. Unfortunately, but not very surprising, one school just never showed up. The other school strolled in two and a half hours late and appeared unfazed and acted as if they were right on time.

I get that time is relative and I am very aware that things are taken much slower and easier here in Africa. I know that now better than most. However, if there is one thing that will always stick with me it is timeliness. I went out to see if the other schools were coming and noticed the boys just meandering and slowly walking towards the school. I told them they were late and better get a move on. They looked at me with a confused expression on their face. Almost as if no one has ever called them out for being late. In fact, they may never have been.

Stampede the door!

Once one of the schools had arrived we all stayed in the large classroom for another half hour until enough time had passed for them to just go ahead and cancel the debate. It’s funny because they take forever to get an event going, but once it’s over the rush to get out mimics a stampede. Like I mentioned in my last post, everyone is budging and pushing to get out only to find that there is nothing to rush out for.

It was also a bummer to hear the debate was canceled because I thought the topic was quite interesting. Bride price is still very much a thing here in Tanzania and most likely much of Africa. You are able to see a very small piece of it in our Western society, but it is not as prominent as it is here. In America, the bride’s family may pay for the wedding (which is a tradition that I believe has gone by the way-side in recent years – I obviously have no idea, though) and there is no paying the parents of the bride for their daughter.

In Tanzania, a man will offer a price and negotiate with the parents of the woman he wants to marry. At least, in this society, he should. That is how it is done. If the price is right then the marriage may take place. I have heard of prices going in the hundreds of thousands to millions of schilling. Since women are not property, many people are finally seeing the problems in this and feel it should be abolished, but others find it a part of their tradition and culture.

A good debate for young students to have, unfortunately, due to lack of punctuality, they were unable to.

One of my students who likes to play Frisbee with me during sports time is Blandina (pronounced: Blan-dee-nah). Her sister Monica is a year younger, yet takes full control during these debates I have mentioned. Monica is a great debater and I always have to laugh because at every debate she is a main speaker while a large amount of girls never attempt at debating the topic.

Noticing this, I asked Blandina to take me to Monica so I can commend her confidence and debating skills. I mention this because it is so funny how they react.

“Monica, you do such a great job debating. I love your confidence.”

“Ah, don’t tell me. Don’t tell me. Really?”

“Yes, of course. I think you do a very good job in these debates.”

“Ah, you are kind. You think so? Thank you.”

I just have to laugh at the “Don’t tell me,” statement and questioning of my compliment.

Now that I have complimented them they want to make sure that their friends know. I spend my time at the Trade School on Wednesdays and so I don’t see my Saint Benedict students then. So, on Thursday I’ll show up and the girls will approach me and state rather than ask “Joseph, I know you missed me.” They state this after just whispering to their friends which I can only imagine is a conversation on how they can prove I missed them or like them better than the other girls.

I, of course, act as if I don’t see this secret conversation happening right in front of me and always say “yes, I missed you very much.” This causes a roar of laughter and many comments of “see, I told you he missed me.” It’s really funny. By the age of 23 I am well aware of all these sly (or what they think is sly) tactics by girls. It is funny seeing how obvious it all is now and comparing it back to my middle school days where I couldn’t figure any of it out.

Girls are confusing J

After the debate was canceled there was a football (soccer) match set up for Saint Benedict to face Corant, a boy’s school from the village. I haven’t mentioned Corant much because I have only been there once and because it sits far back in the village. This was an exciting moment for all the students. They boys rolled up in these dala dala (Tanzanian mini-bus taxis) with the music roaring and a good portion of the boys hanging out the windows. They all filed out and got ready for the match. There is one form (grade) of boys at Saint Benedict even though it is a girl school. The boys played football and the girls faced off in netball. Netball being a game that uses a basketball rim with no net.

The boys showing up for the match.

I asked the girls if they could play football if they wanted and they said they could, but never do. It’s primarily a boy sport and netball a girls. It is evident gender roles are still very much a thing in African society.

The match ended in a tie. 1-1. Football (soccer) is called the ‘noble sport’ for being one of the only sports that allows for a match to end in a tie.

On Thursday an older woman from Germany, Casty, arrived for a short visit. I did not know she was coming. She is 67 and is a retired pharmacist. She is volunteering through Pharmacies without Borders. I swear, there are so many ‘… without borders’ programs nowadays. Doctors without Borders, Pharmacies without Borders, Students without Borders, Students without Frontiers. I’m surprised there isn’t Garbage Men without Borders. Hey, that would actually be a good idea. There is such a big problem with litter and garbage disposal here that they could use a hand with that.

I think these programs are wonderful, but had no idea there were so many. Anyway, Casty is here for the next two weeks. I am still king of my small rundown guesthouse over here. She lives next to Christa in the new guesthouse built in the last year or two. Being 67, she has many stories about her children and seeing that I tend to be the only one around able to speak English and willing to listen I hear lots about them. She has a daughter in Seattle, a son in Cape Town and her husband back in southern Germany. Casty has a very vibrant personality which leads to long conversations.

I have helped connect her phone and tablet to the internet, however somehow her tablet continuously disconnects. She contacted her son who told her to buy a router just for the tablet. After hearing this I just said, “Your son has come up with a wonderful first-world solution to this problem.” This was not meant to be mean, just honest. I have no idea where you are going to find a router, where you’ll be able to connect it and what internet source you’ll use. There is no way the connection and strength of the Trade School is strong enough for another router and it would be pretty unfair to all the other people trying to use it. I have given her the password required for the internet so hopefully she can reenter it.

Having lived in Africa for a long period of time now a number of my things are beginning to fall apart. Random things like my watch band and a small piece of my phone case (a flap that covers the speakers at the bottom) have randomly fallen off. Once I notice it I think to myself “out of everything, how does that break?” Anyway, I have been able to find super glue at the local shop. Who would have thought they would have super glue? It works like a charm, though. I’m a big fan of super glue. Works on practically everything and holds for a long time. Repair job complete.

I have heard the sad news of the death of music legend and icon, Prince. It’s sad to lose such a huge Minnesota rock star at the age of 57. The old TV with one channel that sits in the guest refectory is able to pick up BBC for one hour each morning and the press coverage of his death is enormous, President Obama and other celebrities chiming in. It’s also crazy to see downtown Minneapolis on the TV here.

*A very BIG Happy Birthday to my brother, Thomas. 27 years old and making the most out of life. It’s great to see. Thanks for being such a great role model and older brother. I look forward to seeing you a little more this year. I will try to visit the Air Force base in June.

Thanks for reading!

Being Victorious

Acknowledging the small victories is imperative when living and serving in Africa. In fact, it’s important wherever you are. There are many times when I feel as if there is so much that needs help and the task is overbearing. Then there are times when I wish I could do more to help. It’s a battle.

I have witnessed starvation and hunger, droughts and thirst, disease and illness, the uneducated and curious, poverty and the lack of funds and many more things while abroad. Witnessing these and others has the ability to make you feel inadequate and insufficient. Almost as if you were hired for a job working on computers only to find out you know nothing about computers.

What I mean is that there are times where I will just sit and think over the privations each person here faces far too often. The struggle grows from not knowing or being unable to completely eradicate the problem. Knowing there is a lack of clean drinking water and not being able to physically do something in helping create more is tough. The struggle grows when thinking of the corruption that has stolen so much of Africa’s wealth, the Panama Paper tax havens that allow billionaires to avoid contributing and the companies that create a fake vaccine only to fill their need for greed at the cost of other’s suffering. 

It’s a difficult hurtle get over.

Still, we can. 

The small victories in your everyday work are of a value that even the billionaire’s and their tax havens can’t buy.

Granting yourself a little bit of time to admire the work you have put forth can do a lot of good. Leading a game in class, helping vaccinate 50 children, building 20 desks or just being present at sports time may not be monumental or earth-shattering actions, but they do help. They are victories. To be victorious we must overcome something. We must defeat it. 

These are victories because we are overcoming the struggles of everyday life. We are laughing when we could be sulking. We are healing when we could be sickening. We are showing support, building up others and helping the one’s around us become better and lead healthier and happier lives. 

There are so many people who need help and so to think you alone will save Africa or the world is ludicrous. However, having ideas on how to help and putting these into action is a great way to start. These ideas and small ways of helping are what win the battles that will eventually lead us to winning the war. The small victories that are accumulated by so many volunteers are what help the most. This is what keeps me going forward. It’s easy to quit. The one’s who make the most difference are the ones who fulfill their duty and take it to the end. Too many things are left undone and so completing the job is best. 

One of my victories is using games in class. I could lead a strict lesson on English where most of the kids are lost and confused, but that would get us nowhere. Instead, I have found that teaching through games such as hangman, pictionary and a board race are much more effective. It is fun for the kids and they don’t even realize they are learning. It helps in getting them to participate which I believe to be the main struggle. One can incorporate quite a lot into each game and it allows the students to be creative. 

So many lessons can be learned from hanging a man.

The other students wait to see the picture their classmate drew, the word they want guessed or prepare for a race against their friend to see who can answer a question the fastest. It’s fun to take part in. Most of the students’ days are made up of sitting in class while listening to one of their teachers drone on. These games help spice things up. A game helps brighten their day and if that is the only victory I get all day then I am okay. It is worth it.

The students are required to attend mass every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. One thing I have noticed throughout my entire time here, both in Zambia and Tanzania, is that there is a mad dash for the offering and communion. I call it organized chaos. Organized because no one is talking and there is a place where the dash ends (the alter), but chaotic because everyone tries to get there first. This causes a massive pileup. In America, we all filter into a nice orderly line and things go smoothly. There is no such thing here.

It just amazes me that this happens because you would think someone would finally be like “hmmm, this doesn’t make any sense. Things would be quicker and smoother if we had a single line.” This thought has never come up, though. I just wait till the end to get communion so I’m not crushed into a pile of bodies. Everyone knows communion is over when the mzungu is sitting down.

The same goes for exiting the church. Everyone piles up at the door and squeezes through. You would think there was something exciting outside with how hard everyone pushes to get out. Alas, there is nothing. Everyone is budging and pushing for no reason at all. Once again, I just wait till I’m the last one out.

Last week I was battling an illness, however I am back to normal this week. I feel good. 

I was able to make it into Songea today in order to complete some errands I have been meaning to get to. I believe (and hope) that was my last time heading into Songea. It is fun to head into town and get away from the village for a few hours, but now that my time is wrapping up I don’t see why I would need to go there anymore. I also feel as if there is a target on my back whenever I do because of immigration officers. It’s just easier not having to deal with them and so I keep to myself in the village. 

Alas, they have found me here too. Immigration stopped by the monastery yesterday and so I was called into Fr. Novatus’s office. I had to show my passport, answer some questions and clarify that I am just visiting.

“Why are you here?”, “What are you doing here?”, “What do you do back home?”, “When did you arrive?”, “When do you leave?”

It’s getting annoying and a bit absurd. Immigration laws have been tightened because of illegals from other countries crossing the border without admittance. They should think about posting an officer at the borders rather than having them wide open…hmmm…I don't know...that could be an idea.

God Bless the hands that craft these scrumptious cookies.

There is a nearby village called Salla-Bon-Koo. I have no idea how it is spelt considering I have only heard the name read aloud and never written. It’s a popular spot for people to ride their bikes and there happens to be a small hill with a cross on top. When living in a village these things become major attractions. I think I will head there one of these days just for fun. Hopefully the rain behaves itself.

Quick shout out to Joyce who works at the small little shop in Hanga village. She whips up these mean cookies which are only 250 schilling (12 cents) and they are darn good. They literally may just be dough which signals to me that my taste buds are dead ha, but they are delicious. I’m going to be stopping by and snagging some of these for my last weeks.

Now that I am the only one in the guesthouse again Mamababy, the woman who keeps the guesthouse maintained, was like “ah, mimi na Joseph!” (Me and Joseph) haha so yes, it’s just us now. She doesn’t stay in the guesthouse, but she is the one who maintains it so I have gotten to know her well.

That’s all for now. It seems as if the Minnesota Twins have found their fire. I know they just fell to the Brewers last night, but it would be great to see them win back all those lost games.

*Google just let me know that my blog is at 4,985 views. This post should break 5,000. Thank you to all of you who continue to read and keep up with my adventure. I thoroughly enjoy writing this blog and you all are the great motivation that keeps me going. (I, myself, probably account for 1,000 of those views, but I'm feeling pretty good about my blog right now so I'm just going to forget that piece :) ha!)

Thanks for reading!

On The Mend

Last Sunday I woke with a number of aches and pains. My head had felt like a hammer had been used on it and the rest of my body was feeling similar. It’s never fun having a week-long headache, but my symptoms are finally beginning to subside. I at least felt like a human being when I woke yesterday. Ha! I went over to the clinic to get some tests done considering they received this new machine from the government that can analyze your blood. My blood and the components (WBC, RBC, HMG, PLT etc.) looked good. The malaria test which is done by analyzing a sample of my blood under a microscope was inconclusive. They didn’t find the parasite, but this could be because of my current prophylaxis (meds to prevent malaria). Christa became sick with malaria a few years back and had to have three tests done before finding out she had malaria. Yeah, I wasn’t going to spend my last days here in pain and worry.

Looking for Malaria under the microscope

I took the antimalarial pills whether I had the disease or not. With under a month to go it was recommended. It seems to me that whatever has been going on inside has packed its bags and begun to leave. The headache was faint yesterday and just about gone today. I became a bit dizzy and congested the past week, but these along with the shivering and other aches and pains have gone. With the shower only pumping out ice the number of showers taken this week was low.

Before resting, I was able to finish out my classes for the week as well as head over to the secondary school for sports time. I just sat and spoke with my students rather than run around, but it was nice to just hang out with them.

I was planning to head into Songea today in order to take care of some errands I have been meaning to get to for some time now. I decided against the idea because I thought it probably wasn’t best getting on a crammed bus just yet. I should be able to get in to town next week.

Other than those few things I have just been resting. A week becomes long when all you do is lay around. I’m not a fan, but it was needed. I am feeling much better and so things should reboot this coming week.

I have been able to get in some good reading which was nice. Apollo is a very good book and it is interesting to see how many obstacles the scientists and engineers had to overcome while planning to send man to the moon. Not only is getting to the moon extremely hard and costly, but the government (yes, even JFK) wasn’t fully onboard. Kennedy, as we all know, finally came around which helped. The number of failed launches and tests that were initiated by NASA and the space program was quite high. Obviously, these failures did help them in noticing the problems and, in the end, aided NASA in their final goal - getting an American to the moon.

This is something to note, though. We failed many, many times in getting a rocket off the ground. The world was lucky the Americans had a worthwhile and grand goal, but I don’t think North Korea has the same in mind. We laugh at their failed attempts of launching rockets, but we must be aware that we were in a similar boat in the 60’s. I hope to never see North Korea launch a rocket, but underestimating an opponent is for the foolish.

I do have to say one of the most impressive ideas that led to a successful lunar landing was the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous (LOR). Having a module separate from the shuttle, navigate its way to the surface, land, takeoff and reconnect back with the shuttle was widely thought to be a harebrained idea and, therefore, it was widely rejected. In the end, it would be one of the main reasons we ever were able to make it to the moon considering landing the entire shuttle on the surface of the moon would most likely have ended in failure.

My parents brought us kids to the Kennedy Space Center when we were young. I remember it being a ton of fun. I think I’ll need to venture down there again sometime soon.

Before bed I sometimes play the card game Hearts on my computer to wind down the day. Being sick this past week has allowed me more time to play. I have now achieved the best score possible and officially beaten the computer. I need friends. Ha!

Thanks for reading!

Overcoming a Life of Challenge with Laughs of Joy

There are a few sisters who come from Namibia each year to study at the Trade School in Hanga. Two are currently here with one studying plumbing and the other electricity. An older sister from the same convent in Namibia has stopped by to pay a visit and check in on her fellow sisters. She has only been here a few days, but must leave to visit other sisters who are attending school elsewhere. I was in the refectory when she was speaking with Br. Germanus about the time she wants to leave. He was telling her how there ‘maybe’ a car ready for her sometime in the next day or two and then he gave a range of hours it may leave. This is typical here and it only results in delays and postponements. The sister looked at him and said “No, I don’t want maybes, I want a precise time.”

Once I heard this I think I shed a tear. Way to go, sister! It felt good to hear someone asking for a precise time. She told me if all I get are these ‘maybes’ then I’ll never end up leaving. I laughed and agreed. It’s true. It is very hard to pin down a time on things here and so you must take control of the situation yourself. I think she lit a fire under the brothers butts because soon she had the Prior and Procure in speaking with her. She leaves today. Ha!

Another person who is departing is the Italian volunteer who has been here only a short time. Antonella is heading back to Italy on Friday. She told me she must get back to attend school.

Eating goat meat

Considering she is leaving, Christa set up a dinner for us at Saint Monica’s (the small restaurant in the village). She had them prepare goat meat and chipsi. There are a large amount of goats in this part of the world (or at least where I have stayed during my time here). Even so, you must order the goat meat ahead of time and so she had. It was really good. It is similar to most other meats, but did have its own flavor. It was fun to try.

Afterwards, we went for a walk around 7:30PM. It is dark at this time, but it is one of the only times you can spot the bush babies. A bush baby is a type of monkey. They have small heads and big eyes. They like humans and so they will peer down at you from the trees. We were lucky to spot three of them while walking. They were jumping from the branches that hung over our heads.

While at the refectory this morning we were discussing chiefs and different tribes throughout Tanzania. I mention this because the chiefs in Tanzania differ a bit from those in Zambia. In Zambia, chiefs still hold a large amount of power. You must speak with them before moving ahead with any plans that involve their area or village. In Tanzania the chiefs are not as powerful anymore. The president and government are the people with the authority. Chiefs still exist and are very much present, but they mainly just mingle with their tribe. The tribal languages still exist even though Swahili is the national language. There are many tribes and, therefore, many languages.

Though, the language I focus on in class is English. Teaching has been going well. While teaching at Saint Benedict’s Secondary School I try my best to incorporate a game into the lesson. I have mentioned before that hangman is a favorite. It works well too. I can pick a word and then incorporate that into my lesson. If I want to discuss nouns, verbs, heteronyms, synonyms, antonyms or most anything involving the English language it works. It helps keep their attention as well.  I also allow the students to come up and choose their own word and have the class guess. This empowers them and allows them to get time standing in front of the class. I think that is beneficial.

One of my students in front of the class

The students at Saint Benedict’s Secondary School are a little younger than those at the Trade School, but they participate and respond much more than their older peers. At the Trade School it can be difficult to get them to participate. I will ask them a simple question and most will just stare at the board. I understand English is difficult and it’s not as if I am some protégé at Swahili, but they have been studying English for some time now. Yet, they are lost when I ask, “What is wrong with this sentence?” The sentence could be “I’m student at the University of Minnesota.” The simple mistake is that we have left out the indefinite article “a”. Kiswahili does not have articles like English does, but all the more reason to teach it in an English class. This makes Swahili even more difficult for us English speakers. Well, at least when trying to speak in Swahili I feel like I am constantly creating incomplete sentences. That’s just how it is, though.

When out on my long walks I have noticed a girl named Mary wandering about by herself. She also tends to be carrying a large piece of sugar cane. She will always quickly approach me and then just laugh and hold my hand. She speaks to me in Swahili. When I cannot understand her I will respond in English which she then repeats.

Mary is fun to be around and when I take out my phone to snap a picture she marvels at it. Mary may be mentally challenged, but she does not lack in personality, kindness and laughs. I always find her to be in the happiest of moods even though she faces the toughest of challenges.

People who are mentally challenged in this part of the world are not sent to school. In fact, I don’t believe they are looked after much at all. I am sure some are, but I have never seen Mary with anyone else and whenever I do see her she is always wandering about. It must be incredibly hard living in extreme poverty, but then to have an extra challenge added on top is something I believe we cannot even begin to understand.

I have met people in the same condition as Mary while in Zambia and Songea town. Knowing these people deserve the most help and receive little to none is heart-breaking. It’s incredibly difficult to witness the state in which they live. My friend Raphael whom I travelled with to Dar es Salaam has hopes to one day join the monastery and start a house for people with mental disabilities. I hope his dream comes true.

Mary and I

In these past couple of days I have come down with some illness. After messaging my Mom we believe it to be either the flu or malaria. It is difficult to know just which one you may have while living here. Whatever it is, it hasn’t been too kind to me. Even though I have begun to feel a little better I have started taking my emergency pills that are prescribed in case I come down with malaria. Those suckers should knock out whatever is happening on the inside. I’m still blogging so I guess that’s a good sign ha J

I just checked the Minnesota Twins record for the first time this season and all I have to say to that is “Yikes!” Even if I have said some un-fanlike comments about them in the past I am still very much a fan. I sure do hope they begin to turn things around soon.

Well, that’s it for now. I hope everyone is enjoying their April.

Thanks for reading!

The Art of Volunteering

Following midday prayer is lunch and that is just what I have come back from. Midday prayer has added a nice break in my day. The prayers are read out loud in Swahili, but I still enjoy. Like I have mentioned before, the pronunciation of Swahili words is easy. The formation of sentences and the meanings cause me to get stuck. So, I am able to read along with the prayers although I am unsure of the meaning of most of what I say. It’s from a prayer book so it can’t be that bad J

I have now switched my status from ‘relax and leisure’ (if you can call climbing a massive mountain leisure) to ‘active duty’. I have begun teaching, playing Frisbee and going to the debates of my students at Saint Benedict’s Secondary School. In addition, I have spoken with Mr. Baraka about teaching at the Trade School and I will be, but not until next week. I came to school this week ready to teach only to find the classrooms empty and kids just sitting around. After asking around I figured out that the first week back is for cleaning the environment.

I was surprised they needed the whole week to do so. I have stopped by each day because that is where I am able to receive a small bit of internet and have found that nobody is cleaning the environment. I have taken this as an excuse for not having (or wanting) to hold class. It can be frustrating for a guy like me who enjoys structure. It’s just another thing one must get used to when living in Africa. There is no set time on when things will start, even when those things are school.

Graphing the child's weight

I have put in time at the clinic as well. We held a children’s clinic this past week which was fun. I just walked in and asked the nearest lady if I could help. If Gertrude, the nurse I was speaking to, was Minnesotan her response would have been “Oh, you betcha!” They quickly put me to work. I was in the vaccinations room. The mothers would record the weight of their child on a card, I would take it and record the number on a graph so they know if their child is a healthy weight or not. After, we gave vaccinations for all sorts of things. Pneumonia, measles and rubella were the top diseases we vaccinated against. Others received some for tetanus, rotavirus and one for bronchitis. I have injected a vaccine into the arm and butt; however these were going into the side leg. I didn’t feel comfortable with injecting a squirming baby into the side of its leg so Gertrude did it this time. I recorded what child got what vaccination in a big book.

The clinic was packed. Hundreds of people were there and so we had a lot of screaming babies. When one starts the rest follow suit real quick, especially when they see the needle.

My return to Saint Benedict’s Secondary School was nice. I went to sports time and brought my Frisbee along. They were happy to see that I had returned. A few of the girls hugged me and this led to the other 300+ girls to giggle and comment something in Swahili. I guess that is what is to be expected, though. They are middle and high school age and so I am sure that some girls give other one’s crap for liking to hang around me.

Vaccine for Pneumonia

At sports time I noticed many of them were playing a game they call La-day. Two girls stand at different ends while one is in the middle. They throw a foam ball that is packed with cloth on the inside at the girl in the middle. Yeah, it sounds bad, but they love it. If the girl in the middle catches the ball then she gets to chuck it at one of the other ones. They thought it would be fun if I played and so I did. The countless hours of playing catch with my brother Thomas came in handy. I must have caught 90% of the balls thrown at me which led me to chuck it at the one’s doing the throwing. All of the girls were laughing so hard. They all ran away as fast as possible in order not to get hit. Like I said, the ball was really soft. It did not hurt to get hit, but it sure was fun to throw around. Winner winner chicken dinner.

I attended the debate my students hold each Friday. I enjoy going. The majority of volunteering is exactly what you think, working various jobs and helping out where it is needed, or, in other words, getting your hands dirty. However, I have found that there are other areas of volunteering that don’t necessarily require me to get involved, but matter just as much. The art of volunteering is finding out that there are a lot of great things that make up what a volunteer does.

One of those things is going to the debate. I have made it a requirement to just watch the debate rather than chime in with every argument I have to the topic being discussed. I want the students to debate the topic, not me. I go because I want to support my students and so I just sit in the back and watch for the hour or two. I think just being present sends a good message.

Another area that is similar to the debate is when I help someone set up a Skype account. It’s not the most intense or crucial work, but it matters nonetheless. I was at the Trade School trying to access the internet the other day when one of the sisters asked if I could help with setting up a skype account so she could speak with her friend in Namibia. I did so and we were able to get her online so she could call her friend. The happiness it brought her made the time I put into setting up the account worthwhile.

Sister Saima logging into Skype!

There was quite a funny piece to this story too. When it came time for her to select a password she needed help. I asked her what her favorite food was so we could go from there. She replied, “Bread! I love bread!” We both laughed. Hey, that’s fair, bread is pretty darn good. So, the word bread along with some numbers is now her password. I told her to just think of her favorite food if she ever forgot her password haha!

The other day a pipe in one of the rooms in the guesthouse came loose and began spraying a small amount of water. I noticed it, but it wasn’t until the morning which meant it had been spraying all night. It’s amazing how a small amount of water can accumulate so quickly. I always put a towel down by my door each night so I don’t have any creepy crawlers journeying into my room while I sleep. I was smart to do so. When I removed the towel in the morning it was sopping wet. I followed the trail of water to the other room. We were able to get somebody to come and help tighten the pipe. All is fixed now.

In the guest refectory there is a small TV that has only one channel on it. I tend not to pay attention to it most of the time considering the shows are all in Swahili and the acting is atrocious. No, really. My high school had a video club that produced a small segment for the school to watch each week and that was bad, but I would rather watch their acting than this. You would understand me better if you saw for yourself.

Though, luckily each evening at dinner there is a show called Isidingo that comes on. Christa, the older Austrian woman who has been here for quite a while, and I have kind of grown into it. The show is produced in South Africa and is in English. It’s one of those soap operas so the story line and plot move along very slowly. It has become a joke between Christa and I to guess what will happen on each episode and so it is fun to watch every once in a while.

The most recent book that I have been reading is titled George Washington by William Roscoe Thayer. I have been saying how I wanted to read a book on one of our past presidents and so I thought George would be a good one to start with. Though, I am guessing what drew me towards this particular book was my frugality. When I was young my parents constantly told me how important it was to save money and so I do. It just so happens that I hate spending it too. I am beginning to realize this may be why all of my past relationships have failed. Ha! J I never spent enough of that cash.

Oh well. Anyway, as you probably have guessed, this book was free and so I downloaded it. I didn’t expect much, but have found that I really enjoy it. It’s a wonderful biography on the first president who, I think, gets overlooked far too often. George was the man. The real MVP of America. I need to read more on other presidents, but Washington has to be one of my tops for now. George Washington was a great leader who cared about the country and its people and made sure to appoint the right people to office rather than just his friends. He wasn’t really feeling a second term, but the people liked him so much that they asked for him to go another four years. He did.

So, George Washington was pretty much the opposite of every candidate running for president in 2016.

Interesting fact: George was stricken with smallpox when he was a young man which left him with pox marks on his face for the remainder of his life. I don’t know about you, but I don’t see any pox marks on the one dollar bill, folks. All the painters and sculptors have omitted this detail from their art work.

Also, the American Revolutionary War’s main reason for taking place was not because of independence, at first. Great Britain was trying to oppress the freedom and rights of the colonies and they weren’t having any of it. King George III still rolls over in his grave thinking about the Stamp Act. Taxation without representation, come on man! Kings…fools, I tell ya.

However, after a while they thought it may be best to secede and become independent. Most people were on board, but there were some loyalist still around. Guess where they lived? New flippin’ York. This doesn’t affect my view on the state of New York, just their baseball team. Add one more reason to hate the Yankees. Their jerseys might as well be red coats!

For living in the 1700’s there is a decent amount of documentation on George Washington. However, it makes me think about how the biographies of presidents from the current generation will look. “And here is a selfie of President Anderson when s/he was in the seventh grade.”

Alright, that is enough about George. The next two books I have queued up and ready to go are Apollo by Catherine Cox and Charles Murray and Collected Poems by Dylan Thomas. As you know, Apollo is about the space missions and America’s race to the moon. It looks really good. In addition to Apollo my grandfather Tom sent me a book titled Collected Poems by Dylan Thomas. A famous poet, Dylan Thomas is able to create great imagery through the language he uses. I look forward to reading more!

For all of my Game of Thrones fans!

In other news, gas and oil has been found in Tanzania and therefore a number of companies are coming over to start collecting. Tanzania is rich in natural resources, but it seems they lack the knowledge on how to collect. It is a bit sad because some of the resources that are going to be gathered reside inside the national parks. There goes some more of our beautiful earth.

The temperatures are still high in comparison to Minnesota, but winter is coming. It isn’t nearly as hot as it used to be. A sister who is visiting from Namibia had visited the U.S. before and so I asked where she had stayed. She told me Duluth, Minnesota. I laughed. No way. I told her I am from Minnesota and she couldn’t believe it. She said she doesn’t like the snow. I told her I think Tanzania is too hot. J We all have our preferences.

Sound the hallelujah chorus, yesterday I received my passport back from Fr. Novatus. His friend from immigration was able to take it to the border of Mozambique and get it stamped. I will be able to stay in country longer and leave when I must. All is well.

To conclude, the clinic just had two women give birth. I was told both babies are girls. I responded to the nurse, “That’s wonderful; the world is a better place now!”

Thanks for reading!