All That Matters Is That We Do Love

Each Sunday the brothers and some people from the village go out and play football (soccer). I joined them this past Sunday which was fun. I haven’t played soccer since the third grade so I don’t think I was much help, but my team did end up winning so there is that.

Sugar cane. The left side is peeled and ready to eat.
You suck on the juice (sugar water) and then spit out
the remaining piece

With always being surrounded by so many people who speak Swahili it is common for them to ask me a lot of questions in Swahili. I can practically feel the gears turning in my head when I try to figure out and answer one of the questions asked. It’s this feeling of wanting something, but not being allowed to have it. Like many who have learned or tried to learn another language, you may identify the main vocab word in the sentence, but nothing else. You miss out on the connecting words like “is, was, have, of, or, and, but, then, like, etc.” This causes you to end up guessing and only adds to the confusion. Little by little, though.

A wonderful and relevant Instagram post

However, the easiest part of Swahili is the pronunciation. I may not know what the word means, but I can pronounce it. This is because in Swahili each vowel has one sound. In English, each vowel has three or four. This is one reason why English is such a hard language to learn.

I told you how I would be helping assist Mr. Barack at teaching English at the Vocational school. Yeah, it’s simply full-on teaching. I don’t mind at all, but I thought it was funny. He either leaves to go into town (when I thought he would stick around for class) or he comes into class and acts as a student wanting to learn. However, the latter part is okay with me. I can tell he really wants to learn. He participates more than the students.

My big lesson that I continuously drill into their heads is the pronunciation of vowels. In Swahili, the pronunciation of the vowel ‘e’ is ‘ay’. So, when they try to pronounce the word ‘bear’ it comes out ‘bayar’. It sounds like they’re trying to rap like Flo Rida. “I put my hands in the ayer, ay, ayer, ayer, ay, ayer!” Am I right? 

So, this is problematic for two reasons. One: the last person you want any English speaker to sound like is Flo Rida. Two: If they say something in English with a Swahili pronunciation it most likely won’t make much sense and their message will be lost.

So, this leads me to drill the importance of pronunciation and the sounds of the vowels every class period. I will give them examples like “the boy received a present from his grandmother for Christmas,” followed by “My father has to present his ideas at the meeting.” Both sentences contain the same word which is ‘present’. However, even though they are spelt the same they are pronounced differently and this is important because if you say pr ‘eh’ sent you are referring to a gift. When you say pr ‘ee’ sent you are referring to the showing or displaying of something. We have the same vowel, but different pronunciation and, therefore, different meaning.

I think they will begin to understand; slowly, but surely.

I also just have simple conversation with them. I make them write down a question and then I answer. This gets them to speak as well as hear the language. The questions can be about anything such as “who was the first president of the United States;” to “what should I keep in mind for a face-to-face interview?” I think this is a positive lesson. It touches on multiple areas.

An interesting question arose the other day while teaching. It was the typical ‘are you married’ question, but it grew into a question about marriage equality and legalization; an interesting topic for both the students and me. I explained to them that in the U.S. it is legal for a man to marry a man and a woman to marry a woman just as it is legal for a man to marry and woman. Like most African countries, marriage between people of the same-sex is still very much taboo. The students were surprised. The conversation was a positive one, though.

The conversation made me think about the laws that deal with same-sex intimacy in places like Tanzania. After researching the topic I learned that same-sex sexual activity in Tanzania has been illegal since the 1800’s. Males can be sentenced to a term of 30 years to life in prison for taking part in same-sex sexual activity. Females can be sentenced to 5 years or fined 500,000 schillings. Not only is this terrible, but it makes me wonder why there is a difference in sentencing between males and females.

The banana man!
And yes, my hair is out of control!

Laws like this are present in surrounding countries too. Things such as corrective rape (the saddest thing I have ever heard of) make these areas very dangerous for people who are attracted to the same sex.

I made sure to end the conversation on this topic with “Who am I to judge?” You don’t tell me who I can love so I won’t tell you who to love. All that matters is that we do love.

However, even though I aim to teach my students as much as possible some days it just doesn’t work. Sometimes I find it is just better to play a game or to speak to them more as a friend rather than a teacher. One game my students at Saint Benedict secondary school have come to love is hangman; a simple, yet fun game where I can incorporate English. Additionally, when we play Frisbee I make sure that it’s just a fun and relaxed time. I have learned that sometimes the best lesson is just to put a smile on their face.

The other day when I finished teaching all of the students except one had run out of class to get ready for the next activity. Like most teenagers, they are focused on what is going on in their world. I don’t mind, though. However, there was one girl who stayed after.

She said “Mr. Joseph, I just want to thank you for teaching us.” Then she hugged me and ran off.

Heart overload. Feelings, what? Is this how it feels to feel?

This is what makes it all worth it.

Thanks for reading!

Taking Care of Business the Right Way

A nice melancholy overcast is settling across the southern Tanzanian sky this evening. I like the gloom. It brings forth a cool, relaxed and worry-free feeling. It is a great feeling to have at the end of a long week.

I spent the past few days working my usual jobs. On Thursday I made my way over to Nocagugu again only to find that my friend Raphael had gone into Songea earlier that day. I didn’t mind, though. It’s a good long walk out to the formation school and so it made for some good exercise. Today, Saturday, I went into Songea. I am beginning to prepare for my trip to Dar es Salaam and Arusha and so I wanted to grab a few things from town. I pulled out some cash to have on hand and bought a cheap pair of headphones. Those will come in handy on the 12-14 hour bus ride from Songea to Dar. I also ran an errand for Christa. She wanted me to pick up a few things for her from the post office and so I did.

The Zipper Headphone is
what they call them!

I wasn’t too sure on where to go to buy headphones and such so I asked a random man. His name was Vincent and he was extremely nice. He showed me around and where to buy certain things. I did end up buying a pair of headphones, but you have to try them out before walking away. You can almost guarantee they are knock-offs (they tried to sell me some free KLM airplane headphones) which isn’t bad, but they may not work.

It is never a surprise to me when buying something and finding out it does not work. This is very common and the first pair I had my eye on actually didn't work. Luckily the one’s I ended up buying do. If they stop working after the trip to Kilimanjaro then so be it, but I hope they get me through the long bus rides.

I also purchased a pair of shoes. Are they used? Yes. Do I care? No. They are a pair of white high-top converse which are just my style. I bought them from a street vendor for $12! New ones in the U.S. would probably be $60+. They look great and feel great and that's all that matters. I bought them to have a nice fresh pair for my trip to Europe.

For helping me, I bought Vincent some chipsi for lunch. We enjoyed the meal and some Stoney Tangawizi (ginger ale) in Songea.

In town, like most everywhere else, the toilets available to you are just holes in the ground. I have mentioned this before, but want to touch on it again quickly. As you can imagine, one must squat in order to take care of their business. However, even though this way is much more primitive and unsanitary, people who go to the bathroom in this fashion are doing so properly.

Contrary to popular belief, humans were not designed to take care of their business at a 90-degree angle like most of our modern toilets allow. By squatting you actually align your body properly and allow less strain on the inner organs. If you have never taken care of your business in this manner before it can take some time to get used to, I’d know. It feels weird and can strain the legs a bit, but, in the end, it works just the same or even better.

John and I coined the term the ‘orangutang hang’ for when one must do their business out in the bush. This also has happened. When you start thinking about it, though, if you were to put something like a rope or bar to help you stabilize while taking care of your business it would be extremely helpful. Honestly. It would also be much more comfortable. I’m starting to think there could be some good money in this idea. Watch out world, the Orangutang Hang is coming your way!

You may be thinking it is gross that I’m talking about going to the bathroom, but it is something we all do every day and considering it’s such a significant part of our daily lives I thought it may be worth talking about. Now, I highly doubt you all are going to start tearing out your nice porcelain toilets for something a bit different. I don’t blame you (Mom and Dad, please don’t!) Something you can do, though, is buy a small stool and place it in the bathroom. This will allow you to raise your legs a bit and help your body’s posture.

So that is that, just a quick tidbit on how to take care of your business properly.

While getting ready to head back to Hanga from Songea I was asked to get out of the dali dali (minivan taxi) by what he described himself as an immigration officer. He asked for my passport. I told him I didn’t have it on me (which I didn’t). Blah, blah, blah. I find this stuff bizarre, but if it is actually a normal thing then that’s fine. I am still skeptical, though. I told him that I had to get back to the monastery in order to pray. It wasn’t a complete lie, but it did work! He told me to pray for him. I’ll do that while also praying that I never get asked to show my passport while shopping in town again.

Monalisa. A student at Saint Benedict

I went to the debate at the secondary school again. It is fun seeing the kids get up and try and argue a position. I think the best parts, though, are when they just go all out. Some walk in with this swagger that most high-schoolers try to pull off.  It’s this “I’m super cool and know that I am right” sort of walk. There are the shy ones, of course, but the kids who bring in this persona just make you laugh. It’s not that I am laughing at them. It’s more that I am laughing because it reminds me of every kid in my high school and how almost everyone acts this way while they are young. Too funny.

Rather than bring one of my own books with me on the trip I’ll be going on in March I have found an old worn out one in the monastery. It is titled East of Eden. I have heard it is good. I will have finished The Things They Carried by the time I leave so it will be nice to have something to read while on the trip. Plus, now that it is already beat up I won’t feel bad about keeping it in my bag with all of my other gear.

A little bit of a shorter post this Saturday. Things are good over on this side of Africa. I hope the same is for all of you. Take some time to just sit and relax. The weather back in Minnesota probably isn’t very comparable to that of east Africa, but still take some time. Life is always moving so dang fast. We’re always going, buying, consuming, talking and because of this time just gets away from us. I read a post on Facebook about growing up in the 90’s and 2000’s and the post mentioned the word chillax. I remember using that word far too much back in my middle school days. Good times. However, it’s a good word to use right now. Just chillax.

To conclude, my sister gave me a blue bandanna to take with me to Africa. I wear it every day. Many people come up to me and ask for it. They always want the blue bandanna. More than anything else I have on me. It’s always the blue bandanna. Every once in a while I will hand out candy, help someone out with a few bucks and I always promise them that at the end of my stay I will give them a piece of clothing (because that has been my plan all along and so I will). However, it’s a solid no on the blue bandanna. They usually ask one more time just for safe measure. I smile because even though the bandanna is inexpensive and not a necessity they are asking for something that I’m just not going to give away. My sister gave it to me and because of this it has tremendous value. When alone in the middle of Africa it is nice to have something from my sister and so the blue bandanna will stay snug around my neck protecting it from the sun for the rest of my time here.

Thanks for thinking of me, Grace! The blue bandanna has definitely come in handy! J

Enjoy the day, everyone.

Thanks for reading!

Dada na Kaka

'Sister and Brother'

When I finish each blog I think that there will be nothing more for me to write about. Fortunately, that is never the case. I am always wrong since each week there are more and more stories and new things that happen. It’s really great. Not only does it make for an exciting experience, but my blog will go on! J

Though, before we go on, you will have to bear with me during the month of March. I will be traveling and away from the internet during the majority of the month so blog posts will be limited. I am sure I will be able to post a few, but it won’t be as it normally is. Hakuna matata, though. February, April and May will be filled with posts.

Passion Fruit is delicious!

With that being said let’s get into this mid-February post!

First, I hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine’s Day. From what I heard it seemed like most of yours were great which is fantastic. Whether you spent it with a special someone or not it’s a day where we all are allowed to chow down on chocolate and that, my friends, is a beautiful thing.

This week has been going well. My supervisor, Br. Paul, has been trying to ask the Abbey to allow me (and all volunteers from here on out) to eat with the monks rather than in the guest refectory. I don’t mind either way. In Katibunga you eat with the brothers and in Hanga you eat with the nuns who are visiting and the guest master, Br. Germanus. To me it doesn’t matter all that much. Both are fine. I just look forward to my rice and beans every day and so if that is there then I am a happy Joseph. I’m fairly certain I could eat rice and beans for the rest of my life and be fairly content. Not that I want to, but I think I could make it work.

There are about eight to ten nuns that work and live here at Hanga Abbey. They live in the newer guesthouse and some cook meals and do other jobs while some are here for school. There are a few who are learning to become carpenters and plumbers and I think that’s pretty cool. Most only speak Swahili, but there are a few from Namibia who speak English.

Considering nuns are called sisters I have always called them dada (the Swahili word for sister). So, for example, I will say Habari za jioni, dada (good evening, sister). I must be the only volunteer to have called them this because they find it hilarious and have made a point to call me kaka (brother) every time we speak now. I think the words dada and kaka are more for relatives, but I don’t know any other title to call them so I just go with dada. To them, it is a joke that never gets old and so we keep on calling one another dada and kaka.

Throughout Africa there are quite a few albinos. If this is a derogatory term for them (which I don’t believe it is) then I apologize. If you are unaware of what an albino person is it is someone who is completely white. They have white skin, white hair, white/red eyes. I don’t know too much about this condition, but it is a congenital disorder (existing from birth) where there is an absence of pigment in the skin and as well as a problem in creating melanin. This condition is unknown or feared by many because they are uneducated on the topic, but in reality there is nothing to fear. These people do suffer from other illnesses, though, and as you probably have guessed they have a high chance of getting skin cancer. I have seen a donation box where one can donate sunscreen and it will be given to the albino community.

Rain in the classroom

I do think that I have seen more here than in the United States. At first  I thought that was just because it is very easy to spot and, therefore, very noticeable. However, research shows that albinism is highest in people of sub-Saharan African descent. 

While teaching the other day it began to rain. Considering there is no glass to cover the windows this rain comes pouring into the classrooms. When this happens there is an immediate shift where all the students move to the far-side of the classroom and the lesson I am trying to teach is put on the back burner. In addition to the rain coming in through the windows it also falls on the tin roof which makes a deafening noise and so both of these factors make it almost impossible to continue teaching.

Rather than continue with my lesson on vowels, pronunciation and heteronyms I began to speak about my family. If you want to get these kids attention all you have to do is bust out your phone and show them pictures. Soon the kids who were talking or sleeping are practically tackling you to see the picture. So, this is what ensued after beginning to talk about my family and showing them pictures.

I showed them pictures of my Mom, Dad, brother and two sisters as well as my grandparents Donna and Tom. I happened to have some pictures with them on my phone. I am unable to pull up Facebook for obvious reasons so I couldn’t begin showing them my extended family.

My class loved it. Oh man, it was as if they couldn’t get enough. They asked for me to show them each person at least 5 times. They also loved being able to see my grandparents and parents. This may not make much sense to you, but all they have ever seen is me and so to see all of these other people (who are all white) is fascinating. Also, the different hair color was just too much. They thought it was so cool.

I love the books in the Hunger Games trilogy and in these books there are thirteen districts with one capital. In the capital there are people who have crazy hair colors, different skin color and more. This is what I feel it must be like for them when they see all of these photos. It is as if we are from the capital in the Hunger Games trilogy.

They also thought my Mom was one of my sisters, they marveled over my sister Grace because she is close in age and has the same name as a few, they couldn’t believe Abby’s hair, they thought my Dad was very handsome and I think some needed CPR after seeing my brother.

No joke, my brother gives Tom Cruise a run for his money and that is not me just being nice.  Not only is he a pilot, but this guy is like a 23 on a scale of 1-10. Now you know the kind of shadow I have lived in all of my life haha! So, Thomas, if you aren’t pleased with any American women there are plenty in Africa who would give you a call. No, seriously. They have asked for your phone number.

While at dinner the other night I overheard that there may be another volunteer from Italy coming to Hanga. I quickly asked if this was true and it just may be. However, they are unaware of when the volunteer will arrive. I have heard March, April and May. With my luck it will most likely be in May when I am planning to leave ha. Also, as you can tell, I constantly live in a state of not knowing because it seems as if nothing is ever for certain here. Ah, you just have to embrace it J

Now that I have begun teaching at the Vocational School I have been granted access to their very small internet room. They just got it up and running. I think most people have to pay, but they allow me to use it for free because I am a teacher. It is a slow connection, but it totally beats having to use a modem or go into Songea every week. I have also begun teaching Br. Germanus how to use the computer. I believe he is 52 years old and has never used a computer before. We have made progress, though. He now has a Gmail account and has sent emails!

Laundry time!

I have heard rumors that author J.K. Rowling will be releasing an eighth Harry Potter book. If this is true then we all can relax because we will know that there truly is a God who cares deeply for us. Another Harry Potter book would be amazing! At the end of the seventh book the main characters Harry, Ron and Hermione are all grown up, married and are watching their children go off to Hogwarts (the Wizardry School) for the first time. Supposedly this eighth book will follow the kids on their journey to Hogwarts and bring the entire series full-circle. It sounds good to me!

On the topic of reading, I have just completed the Lord of the Rings which is written by J.R.R. Tolkien. I love fiction books as you well know considering I just finished praising a book about magic, but now that I have read the main series like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Game of Thrones (which another book is about to be released) and others I think I feel myself getting more into the nonfiction realm of reading. My next book will be The Things They Carried which is on the Vietnam War. I believe the stories told are based on true events with a bit of fictional pieces added in. I think a book on the civil war would also be a good read.

To conclude, something I have mentioned in past posts is my growing love for podcasts. Podcasts are like listening to a TV program without the video. I am able to listen to Anderson Cooper news broadcasts, presidential debate updates, BBC world news, sports and many other things. It is great to have when you are in a part of the world that lacks outside information.

---- The next few paragraphs are less about Africa and more about me trying to pick an NBA team to root for. If you are not interested, you may stop reading now ---

One thing I have noticed, though, is now that football is over and baseball has yet to start there is a lot of talk about basketball and the NBA. I enjoy playing the game, but have never been one to sit and watch basketball with the exception being the glorious March Madness college basketball tournament. However, I feel as if this needs to change. I have friends who are obsessed with the NBA and I think it would be fun to have another sport to follow while waiting on the NFL and MLB to start up.

So, first things first, I must pick a team to follow. Now, I am totally a guy who is swayed by things such as the name of a team. I know, I know. It’s probably not what I should focus on, but once I begin following the team I then will get to know the players. I also care about where that team comes from. Take for example the New York Yankees and the Green Bay Packers, hate them both. Despise them. I am actually a bit upset that I even wrote those names in my blog.

The Yankees have a cool name, but are from New York and they are rivals with the Twins so I can’t be a fan. The Twins name is super cool. Having a name that refers to the cities they play in, that’s just smart. I love the Vikings (always have always will) and have to root for Minnesota so I obviously can’t be a fan of the Green Bay Packers.

So, basketball - I have narrowed my selection to three teams: The Minnesota Timberwolves, the Toronto Raptors and the Memphis Grizzlies. One of these teams will get the great privilege of having me as a fan. Yes, I know, it is a big deal.

So, first, all of these teams have stellar names. So, I begin leaning towards the Minnesota Timberwolves considering they are from Minnesota. However, this is my chance to root for a team outside of Minnesota and considering Minnesota is famous for having terrible sports teams and with the Timberwolves easily topping that list this would be my chance. They did pick up some great new players, but they still are just not that good. So, then I look at Toronto and Memphis. I grew up in Memphis and so I have some strong ties and good reasons to root for them. Yet, the Toronto Raptors are from the north and you have to love their name. A raptor, that is so cool. They are also the only Canadian team which is neat (the Memphis Grizzlies used to be the Vancouver Grizzlies before moving to Tennessee). So, I am stuck. Both Toronto and Memphis are new teams. They are around 20 years old. I will have to pick eventually and when I do I will let you know. If you feel like helping a brother out then give a shout out to what team you think I should root for in the comments section. Adios, folks. That is all for now.

* I recently received some very sad news about a friend and fellow Johnnie of the class of 2015. Justin Flascher recently passed away due to complications that followed a surgery for Crohn's disease. Rest in Peace, buddy. Until next time.

Thanks for reading!

Johnnie Red and White Looks Good in Tanzania

Saint John’s University’s soccer team sent their past soccer jerseys to Africa with John and Fr. Nick. This week I was able to distribute them to the boys on Hanga’s team and they were very excited. I met with the head teacher at the seminary secondary school and he brought me to the cafeteria where all the boys were eating. He and I made an announcement and then I was able to hand the jerseys out. It’s safe to say that the Hanga football club will be sporting Johnnie red and white this season. Johnnies go global! J

I have friends who teach at the Nocagugu formation school which is located out in the bush (about 8km from Hanga). I told them that I would visit them this week and so on Thursday I walked over there and spent the day with them and the school kids. It was fun and very peaceful. Hanga Abbey is located near the village and so a lot of noise, music and vehicles can be heard heading from Hanga into Songea. However, nothing can be heard from Nocagugu. It was nice to visit them and I will try to do so each week. I enjoy walking out there and when I get there they always make sure to serve some bread and tea and show me around which is nice.

There is a pineapple farm that the kids run and so they showed me to where it is. These farms are kind of funny looking. Pineapples grow from the ground and so when fully grown it looks as if someone has just placed a large amount of pineapples in a row. You are able to go to one and just rip it from the ground and what you will have is exactly what you will find in the store.

While at Nocagugu I witnessed some students being punished for goofing off. The teacher instructed another student to hit the kids who were goofing off in the head. It was not a full-on punch, but more of a solid knock on the top of the head. The teachers looked to me and asked how teachers punish kids in America. I told them that it is illegal for a teacher to strike a student and that we just have detention (or something along those lines). They were amazed. They could not believe teachers weren’t allowed to hit kids and I told them that doing so can cause psychological harm and suggested better forms of punishment. I doubt they will switch to a new form of punishment, but at least it made them think about what they were doing.

Now that I have begun to help out Br. Germanus in the garden I have been able to gather lots of fruits and fun foods to try. That is a big bonus to helping out in the fields. Additionally, Br. Germanus tells me each day “you do good work,” and proceeds to give me a large piece of cassava, sugar cane or some other food. It is a very nice thing to do, but it’s funny because a piece of sugar cane is quite big. It’s like carrying a really large stick of bamboo around. So, I am not too big of a fan on keeping that in my room. Also, I don’t feel like having hundreds of ants as roommates.

Instead, what I do is bring the food with me to Saint Benedict’s secondary school. What happens next is what I call the “sugar cane massacre”. Seriously, it’s hilarious to see. I hand over the large piece of food (sugar cane in this example) and one hundred girls swarm and tear it apart and begin to eat it. The sugar cane doesn’t stand a chance. It also benefits me because I don’t need a large piece of food and so this helps me get rid of it and they all love me for bringing food.

I have really enjoyed my time at the school and the kids seem to like having me around. In addition to tutoring them in English and playing Frisbee with them on days with sports time (that’s what they call it) they have asked me to come and watch their debate on Friday’s.

The Debate

Each Friday a class of girls debates a class of boys (two separate schools) on a topic. I have begun to attend these because they are fairly interesting and the girls want me to support them and secretly help them win the debate if possible.

I am impressed that a debate every Friday is a part of their curriculum and weekly schedule. This is the most structured educational activity I have seen in Africa. The motion debated yesterday was an increase in unemployment in Tanzania is due external factors. The boys argued for and the girls were against this statement.

As you probably have thought, I picked an interesting first debate to attend. With the debate topic focusing solely on foreigners coming to Tanzania and taking jobs I quickly became the center of attention. The boys, who were arguing in favor of this motion (saying the statement is true), spoke on how Europeans, Chinese and Americans come and take their jobs. The girls, arguing against the motion, made statements about the poor government, lack of education and other internal factors.

It was hard to hear a lot of what was being said (high school kids never stop talking) and their English as well as accents didn’t help, but I felt that the girls made a better argument. The boys had some great statements though they did not have any facts to back them. Without facts you cannot win a debate (sorry Donald Trump). Additionally, the boys were garrulous (ß GRE word) when it came to making their points. I can’t be too hard on them, though. I am sure I was the same when giving speeches in high school and probably in college as well. This will be the demise of my presidential bid in 2020… hahaJ #Kerber2020

I did not speak up, much to the dismay of the girls, but I did not feel as if it was my place to interfere with their debate and learning. However, if I had I would have made the point that most foreigners come for tourism and volunteering. Tourism brings in money and creates jobs while volunteering only brings aid to the country. Finally, the government asks for the Chinese and other countries to help create infrastructure so even though it is an external factor (the Chinese) that is working within the country it is the internal factor (the government) that is causing it to be so.

I enjoyed watching the debate and my students were very happy I was there and it is because of this that I will continue to attend. After the debate some of the girls came to me and said “Sorry, Mr. Joseph. We should have done a better job.” I laughed not because it was funny, but because they thought they had to apologize to me. I told them that I thought they had done a great job and that it did not matter who won or lost.

As for other work, in the carpentry shop I have been helping out with creating inlay. An inlay is a little piece of decoration that adds to the furniture. The symbol for the Hanga carpentry shop is a star and so I have been busy sawing around and gluing a number of pieces together to create this. I’m no protégé when it comes to woodworking, but I know more now than I did when I first arrived and that is what really matters.

Be Jealous

Br. Germanus, the guest master, has urged me into getting a Tanzanian phone. I did not want one because it’s just another thing to worry about, but he had an old phone that I could use and so I am borrowing that for now. I bought a SIM card and some talk-time so I can communicate with him if I need to. It’s a snazzy old-school Nokia phone. It’s something to be jealous about, that’s for sure! I suppose it may come in handy when traveling next month. Being able to check in will be good.

The past few days have been moto sana (very hot)! When I say very hot I mean sweltering. Just going outside was like entering a steam room. All this heat has brought some strong rainfall. The rain is clock-work. I swear, I would put money down that it is going to rain between 4:20 and 4:30pm this afternoon. Every day around that time the rain begins to fall. I don’t mind because after all the heat it’s nice having rain. However, it’s amazing how accurate and timely it is.

I feel as if that sums up the past few days fairly well. It looks like it will be a rainy weekend here. It makes for good reading, though. Saturday and Sundays are my days off from working (like most folk) and so I spend my time reading, writing and relaxing while listening to my podcasts that I have fallen in love with. Being able to hear about the American presidential race and world news is fantastic and allows me to get a glimpse into what is happening out there. As for reading, I am nearing completion on the book Lord of The Rings. If I finish all of my books I may just have to read the Bible haha J

A big shout out to my sister Grace and her friend Kate Sullivan! You two are the real Slim Shadys. Thanks for reading my blog and keeping up with me and my time in Africa.

Thanks for reading!

Tricky Words and Sweet Fruits

You do not want to overload yourself with work; however I do try to secure a number of jobs so I have good work to occupy my time. Sometimes you will encounter a situation where there is not much work at the first job you go to so this allows for an alternative. I have begun to help in the gardens this week where we have been pruning banana trees and planting soybeans. I have also agreed to help out at another one of the schools. A friend of mine named Barack teaches how to use computers and speak English at the vocational school. He has asked me to help him with pronunciation and thinks having me come to class would benefit his students as well.

The main goal is to just speak with them. This is a big problem with any language class, in America or Africa. You never actually use the language in real life. I took Spanish in high school, but once you leave the classroom you revert back to English and never even try Spanish. The same is done here. They learn English, but only use Swahili. Having me in class will help that. I just told him that they could ask me questions and we could talk about America or some specific topic. The topic isn’t of much importance, using English is.

Pruning a banana tree in the
banana plantation

Additionally, after my trip to Dar and Arusha in March I will come back for the tail-end of my service. After speaking with Br. Joseph who runs the clinic I think (you never really know) I will get to work in the sick-bay or testing area. I feel this would be more beneficial for both of us. An additional hand helping out with the sick kids and it is a more interesting and significant experience for me.

Last week my friend Raphael and I went into Songea to meet with a man he knows from Germany. Theodore, the German, is visiting until March and has been coming back to Tanzania since 1981. He is a really nice guy and understands Swahili and the country well. Therefore, on our way to Dar I think we will travel with him. He will be leaving once we reach Dar, but to have another person in our company will be nice when travelling.

The rain tends to come in the evening (most of the time) and so I have been able to sneak in a few of my long walks every now and then. Every once in a while I will get caught off guard by a storm moving in and that’s never too fun, but I usually make it back in time. Ruvuma, the province I live in, borders another which is home to one of the largest national parks in the world. I mention this because I believe we get to pass through it on the way to Dar. It’s always fun to see wild animals that you would never imagine seeing in America. Also, I can hear monkeys in the distance while out and about sometimes. I haven’t spotted them, but I can hear them. I don’t necessarily think this is because of the national park considering monkeys are all over Africa, but maybe. This also explains why everyone has a dog. They help chase the monkeys off when they get too close.

Passion Fruits

The ‘cool fruit list’ continues to grow as the seasons change. I have always been a big fan of fruit juice and so back home my Mom will pick up juice that is labeled things such as passion fruit or guava. I never had tried these fruits in real life, but they grow here and it’s awesome. Passion fruit has to be the lemons rival. The juice inside is so sweet. It’s delicious, but super sweet just like a lemon. The guava tree is growing and in April the guavas will be able to be picked and eaten. I also walk through the garden and pick up some advocatos to eat. It’s common to find some worms wiggling through them, though, and so after seeing them my appetite for advocato at that time tends to cease.

Another food I recently tried is cassava. I think that is how you would spell it. Cassava is pretty good and is eaten more for its energy source rather than taste. It doesn’t taste bad, but it is taken in the morning for energy throughout the day. Br. Germanos and I will chomp down on some while working in the garden.

Br. Germanos invited me to help vaccinate some pigs the other day. I suppose I wasn’t of much help, but I did get to see how it was done. Many pigs here were infected by a parasitic worm and so they asked Br. Germanos to come and vaccinate them. He injects them right behind the ear. Interesting for us and terrifying for the pigs who have no idea what is about to happen.

Cassava

My Swahili is getting better, but it is something that takes time. People speak too quickly which I feel is a problem for so many people trying to learn a language. In fact, it’s not that they speak too quickly. It’s that our brain does not know the words and, therefore, is unable to separate them when hearing them being said. If you are reading this then you are probably fluent in English like I am. Since this is the case, our brains automatically separate the words so you are able to understand when someone is speaking to you. We never actually stop talking; its continuous speech with our brain doing the work to decipher what is being said. This is why when you hear Spanish you think the person is talking 100mph when really your brain just cannot separate the words and so it sounds like one big phrase of gibberish.

However, I did learn how to say the S word in Swahili this past week. This is probably something you think I shouldn’t be stating, but I thought it was funny and actually a bit useful. Now if you get really ticked at that cop for giving you a ticket, stub your toe in church or are upset at the amount of work your boss just gave you there is a word you can use and they will have no idea what the heck you are saying. Kasheshe (Kuh-shay-shay) is that word.

Br. Germanos vaccinating some pigs

On the topic of language, I have been working at studying for the GRE. In back of the practice book I have there is a large list of words that this study company has pinpointed as words that frequently show up on the exam. There are three categories of words: words you know (apple), words you sort of know but may struggle for a dictionary definition (abate) and words you’ve never heard of (Paean).

Words you know are obviously easy, but even words you sort of know can be tricky because you don’t actually know the definition. You are just able to use it when speaking. Then the words you don’t know look as if they aren’t even from the English language. Ha! Good thing I have the quizlet app. It allows you to create a set of flashcards which are super helpful. I have some actual flashcards, but I guess I didn’t being enough (though, I thought I had) so I may use those for Swahili words.

Something I have noticed and thought I would mention is the amount of people who are unable to drive. There are plenty of cars and people who do however there are lots who do not. In America practically everyone you meet has a driver’s license. It’s actually kind of strange when they don’t. Yet, here, so many people use public bussing to get around that it is rare to see personal vehicles. In Dar es Salaam, the business center for Tanzania, there are plenty but not in the outskirts or the villages. Lake Nyasa is only a few hours from where I live and is one of the largest lakes in Africa. I have heard it is beautiful. The lake is called Nyasa in Tanzania and Lake Malawi elsewhere. Br. Germanos wants to plan a trip there in April and so I said we should. I then asked if he could possibly drive us to save money and time. He laughed and said that he did not know how to drive. Public bussing it is haha J

At Raphael's house in Songea.
Holding baby Christopher, his nephew

Supposedly there was a large carnival/festival taking place in Europe this past week. I believe it was called the Fasching Carnival. Christa, the older woman from Austria, wanted to celebrate it considering it takes place in Germany and so we grabbed a Safari lager and a few cookies from the nearby shop. It was nice to just hangout and relax.

Today is Ash Wednesday. At mass this morning we received the sign of the cross in ash, but rather than placing it on the forehead they put it on top of the head. Everyone has short black hair except for me so I think the priest was a bit confused on what to do. It ended up more as a big heap of ash in my hair ha. Hey, it works.

Well, with this extra free time I have I better get back to memorizing hundreds of vocab words so I can attempt to do well on some random company’s standardized exam that will hopefully impress a college enough for them to allow me to go there. Let the fun begin!

Thanks for reading!

To Help, To Learn, To Thrive…and To Be Alone

I believe the best way to approach a period of volunteering is through the concept of to help and to learn. Whether you are volunteering at the house next door or half way around the world, to help and to learn allows you to thrive. 

Many people come into a volunteer experience with the thought of how they will change the lives of the people they will be serving. This is okay, but does not include a vital piece of the experience which is you, the volunteer. Will you help the people around you? Of course and that is the main goal (or at least should be). Whether it’s treating a case of malaria or just making a kids day by throwing the Frisbee around you are enriching their lives. 

However, we must not forget how they, the one’s we are serving, are enriching ours. We come to help and while helping we learn. We learn a lot. I have a number of life lessons from the people I have been serving so, in a way, they are serving me as well. It’s a two-way street; a continuous cycle of an exchange of smiles, laughs, lessons, language, ideas, thoughts, culture or just anything. We are changing each other’s lives for the better. I cannot think of anything cooler than that.

The experiences of teaching, visiting villager’s homes, working in the clinic, speaking Swahili on long walks or spending a day in Songea all teach you something and it would be a shame not to take these lessons and use them to make ourselves and the world around us better. This is why it is so important to pay close attention. Being allowed a glimpse into another’s life is a very interesting and neat experience, but, if you aren’t fully present, the experience may just slip by.

So, with the right mindset and by paying close attention you not only get to help, but you get to learn. As a result, we are allowed to thrive in a volunteer experience (and any other experience as well). 

I am now the king of the castle. Well, if you call being a volunteer a king and a small guesthouse in southern Tanzania a castle. I believe I am the only one that is occupying the little guesthouse right now.

Last year one of my psychology professors split our class into five groups of five students. Each group was assigned a book to read. One of the books was about love, another about mindset and mentality and the rest on research done in the field of psychology. A great assignment, I think. My group’s book was titled Loneliness. “Dude, what a depressing book,” “I wonder if you will become lonely just by reading that book” and “I’m glad I didn’t get assigned that book,” were many of the comments that followed from people outside my group. Though, the funny thing was, I wanted this book and was excited to be assigned it.

I wonder why ‘loneliness’ and ‘being alone’ always cause so much worry. Well, probably because of the whole ‘human beings are social animals’ thing and this idea that loneliness leads to depression and worse. Okay, so I understood the comments, but I laughed too. This is because here I was reading about research on loneliness while others who had never studied it commented on the topic as if they knew so much. They do say ignorance is bliss. 

Anyways, I am rambling. So, one, I found it funny to be reading a book titled Loneliness (especially in public) and, two, it was a topic I wanted to learn more about. I won’t bore you with everything I learned, but just mention one thing. Not everyone is the same! Ka-Boom! 

Wait, what? Yeah, everyone is different and one of these differences is the amount of social interaction one needs. I can’t think of the exact term used right now (the book is sitting on a shelf at my parent’s house in Lakeville, MN), but the book told stories of people who lived in rural Wyoming and urban New York. Some loved it and some needed change. Some people living in the city that never sleeps thought they wanted to be in the big city, but found that they enjoyed a more remote life.

The point I am trying to get at is that this idea that we need constant social interaction is a bit ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong, some people do need and enjoy a lot of social interaction, but just because someone does not doesn’t make them strange. 

I heard someone once say “So you’re alone now so you must be lonely.” Being alone and the feeling of loneliness are two different things. Just because someone is alone doesn’t mean they suffer from what-can-be this painful feeling of loneliness. 

So, in the end, I probably have bored you. Sorry. I just find this topic fascinating in that it makes you think so much more about people and their differences, the feelings we all have and how we discuss them. A more in-depth look is always nice. 

I would say I am an extrovert, but alone time does not bother me. Being alone for several months can get a bit tiring, but that is where a strong mentality and mindset come in. I know, I know, you’re thinking “Oh Lord, please don’t get him started on another one of those psychology books.” Haha no worries, I will move on now.

For many of the people, though it’s mainly kids, the color of my skin is a fascination. A lack of exposure and education make it this way. I can’t blame them, though. I am sure I would be fascinated by a strange white guy walking through town if I were them. 

The reason I mention skin color again is because the experience of meeting and greeting these kids is a beautiful one. Some are intrigued, others captivated, more confused and some scared. I have experienced kids who laugh, cry, run away, or approach eagerly when I come close. I never know what is going to happen.

I do not know exactly what each is thinking, but I feel as if they must think my skin is different because it is white. I suppose for a four year old this is somewhat logical. So, when I extend my hand in greeting and they touch my white skin it is, for a lack of a better word,
beautiful. Their reaction is delight and amazement that our skin is no different after all. I feel the picture to the right highlights their reaction well.

Being the mzungu (white man) brings about a lot of attention and comments, both good and bad. This experience must be the best, though. 

The monastery uses a hydro pump in order to generate electricity. With so much rainfall the electricity has been fairly constant. However, the pump uses water from a nearby pond which tends to gather litter and mud quite easily. Therefore, they need to clean and remove that gunk from the pump and they have decided to do so this weekend. I am hoping I can complete this blog post before the electricity is cut. I think I will, though. The electricity should be back on by Monday or Tuesday I think.

Lots of work to clean the dam

As I was walking out of my class the other day one of my students yelled “Say hi to Obama for me!” I laughed. This comment is a common one. They think that because I live in America I know the president. If only. So, shout out to you, Mr. President. 

The situation in Burundi has escalated. The country that borders Tanzania is currently facing its worst turmoil since the 12-year civil war ended in 2005. The cause of unrest has come from Burundi’s current president wanting to run for a third-term. I suppose this is the problem a country faces when it elects a person who didn’t have much concern for human life when obtaining power. The same goes for when they want to cling to that power. 

Surrounding countries such as Uganda and Rwanda have presidents who have stayed in power for many years. I believe Uganda’s president has been in office for 35 years and Rwanda’s will be in office until 2035 (or sometime around then). Burundi president, President Nkurunziza, wants the same for himself and because of this the country is on the verge of another civil war. 

Now, I am happy with the American electoral system and the amount of time a president can remain in office. It seems to be good and that is obvious from looking at these other countries. However, from what I hear of the current candidates for president in 2016 we may need to reconsider some things. Of course, I am kidding, but our candidates have much to prove still.

At the hydro pump while rocking my Tanzanian pants

President Magufuli of Tanzania has proven to be a good leader thus far and may have a chance to prove his international presence with this new crisis in Burundi. Thousands of refugees have poured into Tanzania from Burundi and Tanzanian soldiers have been sent to Burundi (or at least the border) to try and help with the crisis. 

Other countries like Somalia have faced famine because of droughts. The lack of rainfall in many areas has caused millions to go without food or water. Even in places like Kenya and Tanzania there have been reports of food scarcity. This is because some parts of the country get lots of rainfall while others do not. From the looks of it, Songea is a part that receives lots. So, maize and other food has been brought by truck to parts like Arusha that have not received sufficient amounts to grow enough food.

To conclude, the Super Bowl is tomorrow! Man, I cannot believe I made it an entire year without the glorious National Football League. It will be hard to miss the big game, but knowing the season and agony of not being able to watch any football is over puts me at ease. I want Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos to end his career with a Super Bowl win. A great quarterback like him deserves that. However, if I am putting money on the game I would have to go with Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. We will see (or at least you will haha)! Enjoy the game, commercials and far-too-much queso dip, friends. 

I’ll see you next season, (American) football.

Thanks for reading!

Ya Mzungu Moja

‘The One White Man’

Tomorrow John departs for Mbeya where he will catch a flight to Dar es Salaam and then head home. This means I am back on my own. I don’t mind it anymore, though. I am so used to it now that it has become the norm.

Before John leaves he wanted to get a good look at Songea and have time to check it out more. With the transport to and from Songea taking so long it really limits your time actually spent in town so we decided to each get a hotel room in Songea last Friday. This allowed us to have plenty of time to check out the shops, spend some time away from the village and get a better feel for the city life. It was nice not to have to worry about rushing back to the dali dali (minivans that act as taxi transports) in order to get back to Hanga.

Close encounters on the road to Hanga!

In Songea we made sure to check out some shops, grab a few beers, use the internet (much faster and more reliable connection) and, of course, eat some chipsi. However, one of the restaurants we went to had an American burger on the menu. I was blown away. This was a rare find. When the time came to order I said I would have that. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any bread (who doesn’t have bread?) and so they didn’t want to make it. I then went with chipsi, but I was a little bummed. I will have to get back there sometime to try it.

While at this restaurant a few of the waitresses came around and started speaking with us. It was all in Swahili which made for a short conversation, but we had one of our small Swahili books with us. They then went about picking out words and we did the same. In the end, the main point that came across was that they liked my beard and thought I was handsome. John is unable to grow a beard and I have only been able to grow one since a year ago. Actually February 1^st marked one year with a beard – yeah, I remember really weird things like this. So, I suppose I am glad that I can grow one now.

The funny thing is that the same comment came up at school. Considering African secondary schools tend to have kids ranging in age from 15-30 you tend to meet some that are your age. Many of the girls my age have even gone as far as telling me that I should marry them. This is also not super uncommon because…

1. They think that I should have a wife by now and that I am weird for not having one.

2. They think the same thing about me not having children.

3. They think I should be continuously looking for a wife even though I am not.

4. Their resolve to all of my problems, or at least what they think are problems, is to just marry one of them.

I think it’s hilarious that they think these are problems and I also think it gives me a great insight into what they are currently thinking, what they want for their own lives and what the norm is in Africa. From my observations I would say that this is definitely the norm. Many marry young and everywhere I look I can spot a woman with a baby on her back. It’s very common which is why they think it is weird that I am practically the opposite.

Alas, in the end, I say no and continue on with my weird American lifestyle. J

Another thing the students love to hear are the names of my family members. My brother, sisters and parent’s names fascinate them. They love to compare their names with ones of my family. If they know the name they say them out loud and if not they ask me to pronounce them. A popular name is Grace and so when I tell them that I have a sister named Grace there are always a few girls that proudly stand up and shout that they share the same name.

I have also been asked about what tribe I am from or associate with. Everyone here recognizes a specific tribe that their family comes from. I tell them that I am not from a tribe, but my family name shows a bit of my ancestry. They then ask what my father’s name is (which is really asking what my last name is) and so I tell them what it is and where it comes from. They find it interesting that I live in America but have a German name. Ah, the world of migrating and immigration. It is not very common for these children so it is no surprise that they find it a bit funny.

So, before I get to ahead of myself, let’s go back to speaking about Songea once more. There we are in Songea and looking for a hotel. There are a few, but I am going to have to ask you to take that picture of the nice Marriot hotel you last stayed in out of your mind because these weren’t those. The one we picked was a standard African hotel I’d say, at least for this area. There was a bed, table, bathroom, tin roof and, to my surprise, a TV. The TV was one of those fat ones that everyone used to have back in the 90’s.

Hotel bathroom!

There was also a bathroom which could also just be called a hole in the ground. The funny thing was that my shower head and toilet (personal hole) was one unit. The shower water just ran into the same hole as where I would go to the bathroom. This isn’t a big deal, but John and I had a good laugh. There’s nothing quite like getting cleaned up in the same spot as you do your business.

We also both were able to experience load-shedding in a large city. We have both experienced load-shedding before (where the electricity is shut off from that part of the country), but it is an interesting experience when in town. You have a few lights about you while you are enjoying a beer and then boom! Pitch black. This is the true meaning of ‘buzz kill’.

Overall, the night in Songea was a lot of fun and we were able to map out the town a lot better. It was fun for him to see and I am sure it will come in handy for me now that I will be traveling alone.

Back in the village things have continued to go well. There hasn’t been much change since last time. However, there was some very sad news about one of the boys at the secondary school. He passed away due to a serious case of malaria. He told his teachers that he wasn’t feeling well on Saturday and by Sunday he had passed. This is why it is so important to report symptoms right away rather than waiting. If caught early, malaria can be treated. Additionally, this is why I believe many people come to receive treatment even when they only have one of the symptoms and it is an ambiguous one like a headache.

Though, this is where the hard part comes in for the doctor or nurse. You have a fine line to balance because you do not want to give someone a hard drug when there is no illness. So, it’s kind of a guessing game in a way. Still, even though his case wasn’t about whether or not he should receive treatment (because they all knew he should), after hearing stories such as the one about the boy on Saturday it becomes apparent that it is better to give the treatment whether they are sick or not.

Now that it is February my trip to Kilimanjaro looms closer. I have begun planning out my trip. I have made a friend here named Raphael. He actually will be travelling to Dar Es Salaam in March to visit his family. He has invited me to travel with him and even stay with his family a number of days before my final leg of the trip to Arusha, Tanzania. I think this is great and being able to explore Dar es Salaam sounds fun. Additionally, Fr. Francis (the Filipino monk that I met in Katibunga) has moved to Pugu which is about 30 minutes outside of Dar. I may visit him as well. So, March is shaping up to be a fun month of travel and exploring Tanzania. As we all know, things can change, but this is the plan as of now - to head to Dar in early March and then climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in mid-March.

I hope everything is going well back home!

Thanks for reading!