:) That is, I should perhaps not expect to have an uneventful week for some time. Wageni (Swahili for "guests") seem to be coming through all the time, and in the middle of September, adding to the activity, was a trip to Dar (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's bustling capital) for a dentist appointment. Shera (my student) and Joyce (her mom) both needed some work done, so Thursday morning (Sept 15) we piled into their silver Land Cruiser--later than we'd planned, with a friend and two of her kids, whom we hadn't expected to be coming along--and drove 7 hours, stopping for lunch and ice cream pops along the way. We stayed overnight at a Catholic guest house (which served a lovely dinner) and got up early on Friday to drive across town through hilariously (if you're not the driver) chaotic traffic to make our 8 and half-past-eight appointments. All said, there was not much time for leisure. :) It felt really good to get back home that Friday night, but the weeks following were a bit of a blur (for example, I started this post on Sept 18, and haven't come back to it 'til now!)
Shera and I struggled with how to catch up on work when we returned, but finally the physics is over and the papers written, and we are now on school holiday. Shera's younger sisters, Julia (14) and Christina (12), attend The Danish School in the nearby town of Iringa, so we follow their school schedule. Since it's a boarding school and usually has students who live far away, The Danish School has month-long breaks every three or so months (then longer for the summer). And yes, all the girls speak Danish like a native Dane :) ...actually, like Danes from a particular part of Denmark. They tell me there are a ton of very distinct regional accents, so it's odd to the Danish people who meet them and find out they're American--"but you sound like you're from Jutland!" or something like that. [Shera went to The Danish School up through 9th grade, which is as high as it goes...in Denmark this is when students have a lot of options for school or training in a trade, so that's decision time for the Danish students. Shera, on the other hand, began homeschooling at that point because she didn't want to go away for school]
David ("Dad"/Joyce's husband) returned at the beginning of this month from touring wealthy donors (he works for the Wildlife Conservation Society and has to do his own fundraising) around the Serengetti, Ngorongoro Crater, etc. watching leopards and hyenas and hares and lions...oh my. This is the first time he's been home for more than a week since I've arrived, so it's good to experience family life and dynamics with him present! He's a really energetic guy who loves to joke, often changing the words to well-known songs with funny (and cheesy!) results. He'd like to find a job that allows him to be around more and not have such an insane schedule...anyway, you praying folk out there might keep him in mind.
Speaking of crazy schedules, we've been packing and trying to get ready this week for a 2-week(ish) safari (trip) to Mahale National Park along the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. We're planning to go snorkeling, swimming, and generally have a chance to relax. I think we may be camping right on the beach, but I'm not sure. It'll be fun, but it's a long drive, which I'm not looking forward to at the moment. And preparations have been a little hectic, especially since Shera, Joyce and I have been compiling school info for Shera's college application. Houghton has agreed to give the family tuition remission since Joyce (and Shera too, informally) has worked so closely (and so hard!) with Houghton's Tanzania program. So the application is kind of a formality, but we want to get it sent in early to avoid the fee! So things have been a little wacky around here... I have felt, "Well, we're off from school, so there's not that much to do... but can I help Joyce with something? "...it's that feeling of, "isn't there something I should be doing?" :)
Oh, we also had a spiritual retreat the last weekend of Sept. with the local international, interdenominational church (the Iringa Christian Fellowship...ICF...kind of the expat church). It was down at Masumbo, just down the hill and across the river from the Moyers'. It's the campsite they own, where the Houghton students stay and where I lived when I was here the first time. It was a really good weekend...lots to think about. I also had the chance to get to know some of the local expatriates...a hilarious Aussie preacher named Ian and his Scottish wife Fionna, who is an architect and an expert in Scottish folk dancing; a fun-spirited young English woman, Miriam and her husband Andy, who are organizing public health work in the region; another English Andy who plans to build a house where bats will roost so he can collect their waste on nets for fertilizer (apparently it's really good for that), and his wife Suzy who runs Neema (NAYma) Crafts in town, a place where they brew and sell the Moyers' coffee, make paper out of elephant dung (yeah, it's a pattern for this family :) ), working with local women to give them work to help support themselves and their families...a microenterprise kind o' thing. Good fun and great to have extra social interaction, but wow I was tired by Sunday afternoon.
In other events...
--I've been driving! I've had the chance to practice with three of the Moyers' vehicles: an old burgundy-red Land Cruiser that always sounds like it needs to be shifted, even when you're in the right gear, an even older big clunky blue Land Rover (a 110, I think...), and the slightly newer silver-grey Land Cruiser, which is a PLEASURE to drive (as long as I can find 3rd :) ). Shifting on the other side is not at all a big deal; it's the weirdness of actually driving from the right side of the vehicle, and being sure to stay left when turning right that is harder to get used to. I haven't been on any regular paved roads yet; just to and from the farm called Kibebe, run by Richard and Victoria Phillips, an English couple who co-owned property with the Moyers until Richard's dad handed the dairy farm over to him about 3 years ago. It's maybe a 15-minute drive from the Moyers' house. Wish me luck as I venture into the Tarmac world on this upcoming trip to Mahale...
Perhaps there will be no uneventful weeks. :)
--My little house is coming along! All the walls are up, including the interior bathroom wall, so it's a matter of paneling the interior walls and ceiling, and installing toilet, sink, and shower. It's looking really good.
so. I would like to write more often... keep your comments coming--they make me smile.
A special thanks to Aunt Brenda for your encouragement. I want to keep writing! I lack the discipline!
Peace folks.
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