WINTER BREAK! (part one)

We closed Shaloom for the month of June for "winter break". June is one of the nicest months of the year, with regard to weather. The rains have ended and the temperatures are cool. All of the government schools close in June, so it was recommended that we follow the same program, even though Shaloom is a private school. I thought the kids were ready for a break, and so I decided it would be a good time to visit a few friends around Tanzania. The dry season is best for traveling.

Fastjet is a fairly new airlines, serving in Tanzania, Kenya and now Zambia, with very nice planes and exceptionally low rates, if you purchase your ticket a couple of months in advance. For the same price, you can take a 1 1/2 hour plane ride, or a 15 hour bus ride. I opted for Fastjet! On Wednesday, June 4th, at 8am, I flew  from Mwanza to Dar es Salaam to begin my three week vacation. One of my Benedictine friends, Br. Cassian, met me at the airport and we went to the Benedictine house close to the airport for lodging. There were no set travel plans for the next three weeks so my vacation unfolded one day at a time. All I knew for sure was that I didn't want to travel by bus alone, and there were certain people I wanted to be sure to visit. As luck would have it, or maybe it was Divine Intervention, Fr. Denis Ndomba was also staying the night at the Benedictine house, on his way from Kenya back to his monastery in Sumbawanga. One of the places I wanted to visit was Mvimwa Abbey in Sumbawanga! Fr. Denis and I had been close friends in the US during the five years he studied there. Last year, when he returned to Tanzania from the US, he was elected Abbot of Mvimwa Abbey. Abbot Denis made the arrangements, and him and I were on a bus to Mbeya at 5am the next morning!

Mountainous terrain during most of the journey

One of two stops along the way for necessities

The weather in Mbeya was much cooler than in Dar es Salaam! It was actually cold during the night and early morning, which was quite a relief from the heat in Dar. We stayed two nights in Mbeya at a Benedictine house, run by Br. Gasper Toke. Fr. Denis and I both needed a break from traveling before we got on another bus bound for Sumbawanga, a 6.5 hour ride. I spent the time leisurely wandering around the grounds and learning about the work the monks are doing to help the people in the area. Br. Toke received a grant, making it possible for him to have a well dug 80km deep, which provides an ample supply of water to the guest house and the gardens on the property. The water is also available for local people who are in need, at no cost. The gardens throughout the property are very well maintained by a woman who walked to the guest house one day asking for work. She told Br. Toke that her house had burnt down and she had no one to help her. All she wanted was to take care of the grounds for the monks, and get food in return for her services. She didn't expect any payment. Br. Toke was so touched by her humility that he hired her for a small salary, food and medical attention, when necessary. John, the cook, has been working for the Benedictines for many years. I met him in 2008 when he was working at St. Placidus house in Dar es Salaam. I think he is one of the sweetest men I've ever met. He's always smiling and giving hugs. He baked mandazi (sweet biscuits) for Fr. Denis and I before we left for our bus ride to Sumbawanga. He does his best to keep the guests comfortable and well fed.

St. Benedict House

gardens in the back of the house taken from the second level

Br's Guido, Bonzi, & Damian, me. Abbot Denis & Br. Gasper

St. Benedict House chapel

watering pond for the gardens

 

well and water tanks

The gardener

John, the cook

Br. Toke took me for a visit to a local vocational training center, where the students are all either physically or mentally challenged. There are currently 29 students enrolled and boarding at the center. We were greeted by Sr. Anna Marie and five of the students. The remaining students were visiting with their families for the month of June. The two sisters who run the center have a special arrangement with a priest in Sumbawanga. The priest searches out these special children in his parish so that they might have an opportunity to attend the training center. These children are almost always "pushed aside" by the family and society in general, and never considered when they reach the age to begin an education. The children range from 12 to 18 years of age. When the priest locates a child, he notifies the sisters and the sisters make the 6.5 hour ride to Sumbawanga. They go to the home of the child, meet with the family and try to persuade the parents to allow the child to go to the center, get an education and learn a trade. The children are given a basic education and then taught gardening, tailoring or carpentry skills. The center also maintains a large vegetable garden and cultivates corn, which they grind into flour on site. They also raise chickens, which provide them with eggs to sell or eat.

Br. Toke with Sr. Anna Marie and the students

Working in the garden

Br. Toke with some of the students near the corn field

Sr. Anna Marie and Michael

Carpentry students and teacher

At 6am Saturday morning, Abbot Denis and I were on a bus bound for Sumbawanga. Watch for the next posting to learn what transpired during the following days.

1ST PARENT - TEACHER MEETING!

Today, May 28, 2014, Rehema and I (as a team) had our first parent-teacher meeting. Rehema is quite experienced at these meetings since she's been with Shaloom, as the assistant teacher, for a number of years now. I was not sure how successful the meeting would be because I continue to struggle with the language, but we were blessed, and the meeting was a great success! I had prepared progress reports for each of the students, which would have been difficult enough in English, but given the fact that they needed to be written in Kiswahili, it was necessary to ask for help editing the reports. Thanks a million to Corine, one of our SMA Dutch lay missionaries, for always being available to help! She also helped edit the speech I prepared for the parents/caregivers. I provided each of the families with an envelope containing their child's school papers and art work completed since January, as well as a workbook to be used at home during our month long break in June. The meeting was scheduled to begin at 9am, but didn't start until 10:30 because everyone hadn't arrived until then. Actually, that's pretty normal for Tanzania, so it was expected. All of the students attended, as well as all but one of the caregivers!

Rehema

Mektilda-Shaloom Care staff member

 The following are photos of the students, accompanied by their parent or caregiver. The first is Justina, her little brother and her mother. Justina is the little sister of one of last year's students, Bernardo. She's pretty quiet and sweet, but every once in awhile she acts up in class, to the surprise of Rehema and I both! Next are Naomi and Thobiasi Isack, accompanied by their mother. I did a home visit to their home last week. I learned Naomi and Thobiasi are the youngest of eight children. Their main sources of income are selling eggs and chickens. Life is pretty rough for the Isack family.

Justina with her family

Naomi and Thobiasi with their mother

Next we have Omari and his aunt (mama mdogo in Kiswahili). I did a home visit to Omari's home the week before last. Omari lost his parents to Aids when he was an infant so he lives with his aunt and her two children. His aunt is expecting another child any time. They live in a one room shanty with very little to eat. When I visited them, it was the first time I wasn't served a meal, which is pretty rare here. I'm glad Omari's aunt didn't serve me a meal; I was spared the guilt I usually experience for eating food that could be eaten by the family. The next photo is of Magdelena, accompanied by her mother and sister. Magdelena is our newest student. I don't know too much about her yet because besides being the newest student, she doesn't attend very regularly. Maybe that will change now since her mother has visited the school.

Omari and his mama mdogo (with Mwaju in the background)

Magdelena with her family

Dolli and her grandmother are pictured next. Dolli has missed a lot of time at school due to health problems but she's a bright student so I think she'll do alright. At the end of our meeting, Dolli's grandmother said a long prayer of thanksgiving for Shaloom, the staff and the teachers. It was very thoughtful... Next is little Mwaju and her grandmother. We call her little Mwaju, or Mwaju mdogo, because we have two Mwaju's in the class. Little Mwaju was out all last week because she was hit by the swing in the play yard on Monday, the 19th, and her forehead was cut pretty bad. I was out that day for an SMA meeting so Rehema had to handle things on her own. She is very capable, though.

Dolli and her grandmother

Mwaju mdogo and her grandmother

Bonifas is pictured with his grandmother, too. Bonifas lost his mother last year to Aids so he just moved in with his grandmother at the beginning of this year. He's one of our more advanced students. We think he is 7 or 8. No one is sure. His grandmother is a volunteer at Shaloom Care House. She helps with the home visits for the families with Aids...Our next photo is of Jeremia and his mother. Jeremia is a sweet little boy but isn't real interested in learning. We're never too sure how old these children are but we're thinking Jeremia is closer to 4 than 6, if he's really 5. He seems to be catching on the last month so maybe he'll surprise us.

Bonifas and his grandmother

Jeremia with his mother

Peter and Mwaju Mkubwa (big) are pictured with Mwaju's mother and baby sister. Peter has been raised most of his life by Mwaju's mother, although we have met Peter's mother, too. We're not sure if the two children are even related. We don't know what the situation is at home for Peter but he sure seems to be a happy boy! He's one of our students who is infected with Aids. He goes for monthly treatments and doesn't show any signs of being sick... Aglipina is pictured next with her mother. One day, at the beginning of the school year, Aglipina and Justina remained after class, waiting for their mothers to pick them up, when we got hit with a thunderstorm! Aglipina just curled up in my lap and fell asleep as we waited for the storm to let up. It was nice to know she was that comfortable with me.

Peter and Mwaju with Mwaju's mother (baby on her back)

Aglipina with her mother

Last, but surely not least, are Shalon and Kasi. They are twins, although they say they're not. Their grandmother wasn't able to make it for the meeting but the kids came anyway. They began with Shaloom kindergarten last year, part way through the year, but they weren't ready yet to go on to Primary One in January so they are repeating the class. They are a little ahead of the other students, but not too much. Both of the kids have a lot of personality! I've heard that their grandmother has a distillery in the yard and brews beer for the family income. Sometimes during playtime, Shalo plays like he's "under the influence". It makes me sad to think about all that they must be exposed to. But they really seem to enjoy learning! Thank God!

Shalon and Kasiline

So now you've met our class. The only one missing is Buseleke, who lost his mother in April and hasn't attended school in the past couple of months. He's the second youngest of six children so we don't know what his poor father is going through right now. We hope, eventually, he will return to Shaloom.

Funeral of Phaustin

James, Krystina and Phaustin

Phaustin-Shaloom Care House tailor

The first photo above was taken just before Krystina returned to the U.S. in May 2013. The Shaloom Care House staff had a "going-away" party for her. There are only a few members on the staff at Shaloom, so we are all like "family". Phaustin, who is the shorter man on the right, was the tailor for Shaloom. He made the school uniforms each year for all of the children registered with Shaloom. He also made a skirt for me last Spring. I think he also made the dress which Krystina is wearing in this photo. If not, he certainly could have because he was a very talented tailor. On May 11, 2014, we lost Phaustin to an unknown illness. He had been at home or in the hospital since last October, trying to recover from whatever was troubling him. Because I was away at language school from August through December 2013, I only had a few months to get to know Phaustin, but in just that short time I could see that he was a kind, caring, good and happy person. I learned from others who knew him well that he had encouraged them, shared his faith commitment with them and was interested in the well-being of others. He was in the process of building a house in Mwanza,  and had planned to marry this year. I understand that he sacrificed a lot to build the house on a very small salary so that he and his new wife would have a place to live.

Phaustin's funeral was an experience I will not forget. Family and friends came from miles around and were a constant support system for the grieving, close family members. I have learned that most family members stay at the home of the deceased person for at least three days, and as long as five days, in some cases. Although this brings emotional support for the close family, it also brings an added financial burden to the family who provide food and drinks during this time. Food and drinks are even served to all who come for the funeral service. It is customary to give a donation to the family to help relieve this burden. 

There was a memorial service held at Phaustin's house in Mwanza first, where the catechist from his parish church led the mourners in prayer. Everyone was served a plate of rice and a cup of tea here and then all those in attendance took a half hour ferryboat ride to Sengerema, to the childhood home of Phaustin. Since Phaustin worked for Shaloom, which is a care facility under the diocese of Mwanza, two Land Cruisers, owned by the diocese, were provided to transport the body, and a few family and friends, from place to place as the memorial service progressed. Once we arrived at the family home, Phaustin's body was, again, placed in front of the house under a tent. Family and friends were given the opportunity to briefly pay their last respects to Phaustin. The coffin was only opened briefly, due to the fact that there are no services available in Tanzania to preserve the body. 

After about an hour we moved to the parish church for the funeral service. Most of us walked the long, rough path to the church, while Phaustin's body was transported again by car. Once we arrived at the church, the body was placed in front of the building for a period of prayer, and then brought inside for more prayers, readings and speeches. There was another brief period after the prayer service to view the body once more. It is customary for women to process past the coffin first, followed by the men.

 After the funeral service the coffin was transported to the cemetery. Final prayers were said at the grave site. The coffin was lowered into the ground with large branches and then covered with dirt. Everyone remained until the end. When we returned to the house, a meal of rice, beans, vegetables and bottled water was served to all. Many women had remained at the house to prepare the food. There were a number of huge kettles placed between stones, over wood burning fires, set all around the property. On this day I learned how to eat rice without eating utensils, which is very common here.

Good-bye Phaustin. May you Rest in Peace.

EASTER IN TANZANIA

THE LORD HAS RISEN, ALLELUIA!! 

My first Easter in Tanzania was memorable. Now that I have lived here for over a year, I've come to know that very little in Tanzania is like it is back home. Our Easter celebration began Saturday evening at 8pm with the Vigil. The electricity was out, as it often is, so it was very dark at the school where we celebrate mass until our new church is built. A fire was started outside the building and the Easter candle was lit. We processed into the classroom with the choir singing and those who had candles lit them, as well. The first three readings were read by candlelight. Between the third and fourth readings, the power was restored. After the homily, Fr. Janusz, our SMA Regional Superior, baptized five young adults. Baptisms and weddings are generally celebrated during the Christmas and Easter Seasons. There were many more baptisms celebrated at our two larger SMA churches. The adults are baptized during the Vigil, while the babies are baptized during the Sunday morning masses. We were very happy the electricity continued to work through the end of the mass. With all the singing, dancing and preaching, the mass ended at 11:30pm. In spite of the few challenges we experienced, it was a beautiful celebration!

Venant, our Catechist, reads

Corine, SMA Dutch lay missionary, reads

Fr. Janusz baptizes one of the candidates

The Easter morning mass began at 9am. There were only two babies baptized at this mass. The choir performed beautifully and at the end of mass they continued to sing as they processed outdoors. They also did a special little performance outdoors. The small children played with the drum, adding their part to the festivities.

Klemente, Juvi & Ana

Following the Easter morning mass, Corine, Mara and I drove to the village of Malimbe to celebrate with another lay missionary, Marga, and her boys. Marga is a Dutch lay missionary who has been running a project, with her husband, for street boys called Upendo Daima (Unconditional love) for the past 15 years. Approximately 60 of these boys live at a 4-acre center called Malimbe Family, where they are given food, shelter, an education and, most importantly, love. 25 boys are currently staying at the Back Home House, where the Upendo Daima staff try to reunite the boys with family. The boys are taught acrobatics, dance and other activities. These young boys have had more hardships in their short lives than most people have in a lifetime. It's great to see the work that Marga, her husband and the staff are doing to try to improve the lives of these kids. On Easter, all 85 boys performed for a group of about 40 guests, including staff members and visitors. After the boys performed, the staff served a meal to everyone. Following the meal, the boys and some of the visitors colored approximately 150 eggs with felt-tip markers. Then the eggs were hidden outdoors for all of the boys to find and eat. We also did some dancing. Everyone seemed to have a great time!

An acrobatic performance-very well done!

Some of the boys perform a dance

David, a German volunteer, distributes eggs to be colored

Mara and the boys dancing