Sunday with Mlay family

Dear Family and Friends,

'Tis actually Monday evening now, but want to share about our sharing with Mama Marieth (2001 guest in our home, church, and schools and Mwangaza partner several times since) and Baba Festo Mlay and family, truly our extended family who live on the grounds of Enaboishu LSS.  Mama is a most respected teacher of English there, every student's and staff member's Mama or Bibi (Grandma) and Festo teaches math in a nearby high school.

We always, if it hasn't rained for a few days, enjoy the walk to Enaboishu, as it entails passing along paths through fields and small roads-less-travelled.  Not so enjoyable, and hardly negotiable if it has rained in recent days, are the 2 streams which must cross by carefully balancing on the protruding rocks and the steep banks on either side.  Very fortunate and grateful that Saturday night and Sunday were both dry, with a clear sky and warm sun greeting us in the morning and staying with us until after returning home late afternoon.  To avoid calling undo attention to ourselves, Mike usually avoids pulling out the camera and playing tourist as we walk the back-ways, so you will have to image the pictures of the journey.

Once near the school and Mlays, however, we are rather well recognized, expect folks to call out "Teacher" and stop to share greetings, so out comes the camera. Thought of you imagining our paths from the photo-less description above and decided to reverse the process.  Imagine now, if you will, the story which describes this wordless picture (hint: it's all about the tree): 

Let's see how you did.  That very tall tree in the background, without limbs or leaves, was beginning to die.  It happens that it's wood is excellent for cooking, burning slow and hot.  So, boys with pangas (12 to 14 inch machetes, not unlike our corn-knives back on the farm) climbed the tree, stood on a limb, hung on with one hand, and chopped/panga-ed off the limb with the other.  Yes, the tree is at least as tall as it looks -- probably taller.  Grandpa figures he'll probably get in trouble when he lets his grandchildren climb 5 - 10 feet into the apple tree. 

(Since Mike likes to tell stories, feel free to send us your "imagined" version.)

Speaking of tall things, we received one of the best hugs ever from Marieth with our choice of special gift for her this year.  On our first visit in 2001, Mike was amazed watching her and other women bend 160 degrees at the waist to use a 2 foot broom (see it laying on the ground between the children?) to sweep.  A promise was made to someday bring her a broom with a handle, to which she replied "The men will think it is a spear and steal it from me!"  Of course, most brooms with handles are far too long for suitcases, but this year we found one with a sectioned handle that collapsed to a short length and could be removed from the bottom section. She loved it !

And finally for now, a few photos to help you picture (pun intended) that life at Mlay's has some subtle differences you might notice when you visit:

3-year old Granddaughter Faith is already adept at balancing and carrying items on her head

Several monkeys will assume you left the chairs for them if you move about

And their living room is a bit smaller than most of ours are (this is the hallway next to one bedroom; one of the two bedrooms for 7 people.

But please look again and see what is important, the love and laughter that fills their home and draws us back each time we get the chance.

Three days in Tanzania

Our Mwangaza hosts have helped us feel very much at home with warm welcomes, clean, secure and attractive grounds, and good flavors in the meals we have shared.

        

Main building with offices, computer lab, and reference library.        

Front of guest house, just down the hill from the campus.

Our kitchen is stocked and Mama has already prepared our oatmeal breakfasts and a couple evening meals.

Mike's camera memory card went on strike Thursday so missed capturing some amazing changes when grocery shopping in Arusha.  Experienced bumper-to-bumper cars, land rovers and trucks, innumerable motorcycles on both sides of both lanes and cutting between bumpers, and of course many folks on bicycles and walking also.  Seemed like every space not on a street was taken up with small stands and large wheelbarrows full of anything and everything to sell.  Memory card replaced Saturday afternoon, so some pix of city scenes will come later.

One sight I would definitely have liked to capture was the "Fort Des Moines Hotel" sign.  I had noticed it in previous years, but had more significance this year as Drake U. was playing American football in the stadium just across the street from the sign.  Also of note, there is no such hotel here, but don't know if there may have been one once upon a time.

We met Friday morning and afternoon with the Mwangaza Management Team as they brought us up-to-date on the computer lab, information regarding the Pilot schools and personnel, and the many happenings already going on -- a group is currently receiving room and board on campus as they attend a conference on hospice care nearby.  Also, Ngateu LSS (Lutheran Secondary School) teachers were scheduled for a 1-day seminar today (Saturday), led by John and Salome  -- and many other activities coming soon.

At Salome's invitation, Sharon was already leading a session of writing Thank You emails Saturday afternoon in the updated computer lab -- notice the flat screens!! Since there were only 11 teachers at this particular seminar, only a limited number of you contributors will receive an email, but John's and Salome's smiles are saying Thank You also. Each of the 5 Pilot Schools received a similar computer specifically to be used by the teachers who have participated in the 2010 (and/or '11 and '12) week-long seminars for teaching, researching, and communication with Mwangaza and us in the months from July to May of the following years.

As we are just finishing this on Sunday evening, will send Monday morning -- good thing the end of the world has not yet come -- and follow with our Sunday report soon, as we enjoyed walking to Enaboishu LSS to spend our afternoon with Marieth (our 2001 partner in DeKalb and TZ) & Festo Mlay and family.  What a wonderful extended family with so much appreciation for what God provides.

Peace and love,

Mike and Sharon

Safely at Mwangaza

Dear Family and Friends,

A smooth, but long of course, journey to Tanzania, with a few snatches of sleeping on board each of the flights.  Drake University's football team joined us in Amsterdam, as they will play a Mexican all-star team on Saturday in Arusha -- first time for American football here.

Sharon woke early but Mike slept late -- 9:45 for an all-time record!!  A joyful welcoming and itinerary meeting as the morning ended, then off to town for stocking the kitchen of the guest house for our weeks here.

Now it's taken Mike almost an hour to get reacquainted with the computer challenges here, as system won't recognize our laptop and Yahoo does not want to accept that we are writing from TZ.  But the new computer lab looks great and, with internet and electricity, is working very fine also.

More to come later -- we are already keeping our hosts from their work to allow us this access.

 

Peace and love,

Mike and Sharon