A Few Updates (sorry for the lack of creativity)

This blog is long overdue and therefore, probably not as coherent or complete as it should be. Bear with me, here are a few updates on different aspects of life here:

1.  I just finished my fourth week at Loyola. Wow. Ok. I now have a pretty good grasp of all of my students’ names and a preliminary sense of their personalities. The variety of levels of ability in each of the classes is a challenge, especially when it comes to speaking English. It seems that even 11-15 year olds understand the universal language of a sticker, so it’s nice to have that trick up my sleeve when behavior is poor or participation is lagging. For the most part, though, my time in the classroom has been wonderfully challenging. I continue to grow in my appreciation for all of the educators in my life. As the daughter of two educators, I thought I had a healthy appreciation for them already, but there’s nothing like standing in front of a class of 38 students everyday to give you a taste of how much energy it really takes to be a teacher. So, thank you, to all of the educators reading this- for your energy, your commitment and your respect!

2.  This past week I took the dala dala(public transportation ‘system’) by myself twice! This was a necessary step toward an increased feeling of independence which I have missed deeply. It’s funny to think that the 14 year old who travelled into Manhattan everyday on her own would become a 22 year old intimidated by something called a ‘dala dala,’ but alas it was a surmountable challenge which left me highly satisfied despite a few mistakes along the way. Both trips were to Posta (the only Post Office in Dar es Salaam)- one was to send mail, the other to pick up a package from a thoughtful, fabulous family member! I made different mistakes each time, but learned what not to do next time and made some Tanzanian friends along the way! It was simultaneously liberating and terrifying to be the only mzungu on the dala with no way of communicating with anyone but those around me. It forced me to trust strangers and was an excellent lesson in humility.

3.  I am becoming more and more comfortable with saying the responses at Mass in Kiswahili! Granted, I use a little book to guide me along, but my goal is to be comfortable saying the Nicene Creed in another month without the book. Admittedly, I have been using the homily time as an opportunity to memorize the creed . . . probably not the most reverent action, but it is definitely more productive than trying to understand the spoken Swahili homily, at least at this point. Given the fact that I still stumble over the whole “consubstantial with the Father” part in English, one month might be a lofty goal for Swahili, but it’s worth a try! I do attend daily Mass at Loyola in English, so it’s nice to be able to participate in English during the week and practice my Swahili on Sundays.

4.  My cooking skills are expanding each week as Cait and I prepare dinner for the community each Tuesday and Wednesday. This week we made homemade eggrolls(which were delicious!!!) with a peanut butter sauce and chapati and a spiced vegetable/egg medley another night. Other things which have been added to my repertoire are: homemade biscuits, banana pancakes (Dad, aren’t you so proud? I’ve finally overcome my fear of flipping a pancake!!), ginger Asian vegetable salad and homemade hummus (I’ve come to an unexpectedly high level of appreciation for Tribe and Sabra and even canned chickpeas and food processors after hand mashing a 1/2 kilo of chickpeas into a paste).

5.  I never expected that I would be glued to a copy of The Economist as intently as I was upon receiving one from a family member, but my information intake has been radically reduced with limited internet access and I found myself reading it with unprecedented intensity. I loved reading news about the Inauguration and Obama’s new cabinet and even news about the conflicts in Syria and Mali. Somehow, I forgot how much I love politics and international affairs while in the middle of this international experience, weird how that happens. It’s even more interesting to read about the news from this geographic vantage point. So, if anyone’s feeling generous . . . I’d love old copies of the NYT, The Economist or other news sources!