Iringa

Sunday, January 20, 2013

First of all, Happy Birthday Mom!  I hope you had a great time at Champp’s!  I know you are 78 or 88, but I cannot remember which.  If I am nearly 65, I suppose it isn’t 78, since I think I would have heard about it if you were 13 when I was born.  No, wait.  I must be 55.  Hmmm.  Then I was 13 when Chris was born.  But he cannot possibly be 42!  Yikes, let me out of here before I get in real trouble!  Happy Birthday anyway!

Mwa Moody (a name bestowed by the Tanzanians) and Dr. Saga picked me up at 8:30 this morning.  We managed a cup of kahawa at the Lutheran Center before we went off to Kihesa to church.  The service was to start at 9:30 am, but “TIA” (this is Africa).  So we listened to a terrific Young Womens’ choir and a kids’ choir for about 20 minutes before the robed officials came in.  Dr. Jane Casselton, MS4 at Tulane traded the title of Dr. for Mchungaji (Pastor) for the day.  She was also made an honorary member of Kihesa, having been to Tanzania and her church’s (St. Mark’s, N. St. Paul) companion congregation 6 times, first when she was 15!

The Youth Choir was truly joyful, with choreographed dance steps with their songs before church started.  They danced to the songs the Young Women’s Choir sang too.  They had the moves!  The kids of each choir could really belt it out.  What fun!  I always love to hear our kids sing at home, but I think they could really take a lesson.

The kids started out very quietly for one of their songs then really sang jubilantly, dancing with great joy.

We all got to introduce ourselves.  I can finally say, “Jina langu ni Daktari Ken,” without stammering.  Besides English, many know my only other fluent language is, uh, Pig Latin.  “I-may ame-nay is-way Octar-Day En-Kay.” 

It was a relaxing day, a walk with friends, a nice conversation on the porch of the International School and some time to do some work and thinking.

Monday, January 21, 2013

One fairly frequent but still disconcerting thing happened yesterday.  A young Tanzanian man followed me a ways, then started up a conversation.  This is the standard way this is done.  Ultimately, he asked me for a job because he wanted to go to school.  I have no jobs to offer.  I did tell him he should go to DIRA (the diocese office) to ask for help.  Naturally he said he had already been there.  We parted ways as we walked on, but this left me with a twinge of discomfort, perhaps somewhat due to my Scandinavian heritage.  He was able to ask, despite knowledge I was unable to offer.  There is no end to need here.  Some of those who receive are scammers – I don’t believe the young man was, but I do not know.  I do know that most are not.

Modern Tanzanian

Here is another example.  One of the visitors here was approached by the fiancé of someone he knows and trusts.  The young woman called and said she was very sick with malaria and needed some money.  The amount was not consistent with malaria treatment, however.  What she really needed it for, under the guise of illness, was to pay her tuition.  It is sad that we need to keep our guard up so tight. 

Here is  a photo I hope you appreciate.