Updates

A few updates and then reflections to follow:

1. Last Friday marked the end of the first quarter of the school year at Loyola. With the end of the quarter came: final marks, report cards and parent teacher conferences in Swahili (more on that later).

2. Holy Week began on Palm Sunday which our parish celebrated with enthusiasm and a procession into the Church in the rain, through the mud. Last night we had Mass and Adoration for Holy Thursday and today we will go to the parish for Good Friday services, Easter Vigil tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. for many weddings, baptisms, confirmations and first communions . . . it’s known to be even longer, more crowded and definitely hotter than Easter Vigil in the U.S. because of all of these celebrations, but it is also known to be extremely joyous!

3. With the end of the first quarter came an opportunity for rest and relaxation as my community mates and I travelled about an hour away for retreat with the volunteers from Dodoma. This retreat focused on the four values of J.V.C.: social justice, spirituality, simple living and community. Each community planned a session and we held thought-provoking, challenging and affirming conversations on each of those topics, plus a session on current events and life as a woman in Tanzania. The retreat center was run by the Carmelite nuns who were wonderful hostesses. The center was also conveniently located just about a 1 1/2 from the beach which provided great incentive to get up and run each morning as the sun rose and to walk later in the day for sunset. We were also staying about an hour away from Bagamoyo which is a historic town in Tanzania known for its port and its roots in the Eastern slave trade routes. We took a morning to visit the museum and tour Stonetown Bagamoyo.  

4. Overall, things have been going really well for me- I’m growing mentally, emotionally and spiritually each day. It’s strange to not be “working for change” in the same concrete ways I had in college, but right now I’m living in the questions I had been asking for a while as I confront my privilege on a daily basis.