Honeymoon

Greetings from Tanzania!

I arrived safely three weeks ago and have many initial experiences to share. To cover the basics, I arrived, the food is good, I am healthy and happy. Allow me to elaborate. The first two nights that we spent in Dar are a blur. I was jetlagged, tired, there was a lot going on, and we were meeting many new people. We visited Gonzaga one day. They were doing a bit of refurbishing, but it looks nice and will be ever better once it’s filled with the students. It is confirmed that I will be teaching English to standard three and ICT to standards three and four. I thought ICT was a computer class, but it is actually learning about all forms of communication including a section on computers (ya, I still really don’t know).

We traveled to Morogoro, which was an easy four hour bus ride. Morogoro is BEAUTIFUL. We stayed on the campus of the Lutheran Junior Seminary which contains the Swahili language school. Our days went like this: breakfast at seven, morning devotions at seven forty five, morning lesson at eight, tea time at ten, continue morning lesson until lunch at noon. We had a long afternoon break at which time I most frequently napped. At two thirty we began drills (saying the same phrases over and over for repetition) and ended for afternoon tea at four…does this sound like LOTR to anyone else?, “but what about second breakfast?” We would do our homework, or play volley ball, or nap again until dinner at seven. The evenings were free and we played cards and watched movies with other students in the common area. Our teacher, who is actually the director of the school, was awesome. He had a great sense of humor and understood where we were coming from as foreigners fresh in country. We learned a lot! Mostly the basics of grammar and greetings. My vocabulary has some growing to do. On the weekend we visited the Masaii cow market (you’ll have to look online for pictures) and also went on an incredible hike. It was a good way to ease into the country. The environment was fairly sheltered so the only Tanzanians we were interacting with were mostly teachers, who well understood our language struggle and were encouraging and helpful. We made good friends of our teachers, who are mostly our age and younger.

The four newbies on a hike in Morogoro. (Barbara, Ryan, Becca, and myself)

After two weeks we left for Dodoma. It was hard to say goodbye to the place and the people with whom we had become so familiar in Morogoro. The first order of business in Dodoma was to go on retreat with the eight volunteers (four in Dar and four in Dodoma). We stayed at a convent/retreat house where the sisters took great care of us. It was a good time to become more centered and begin to reflect on the other side of this transition, which is, being here. We had time to share our story, meet in our communities, and talk about some of the things we are going to inevitably struggle with while we are here. I was happy to spend time in our community, talking about the coming year and having that initial bonding time.

 

Barbara and I with our new friend and fellow graduate Henrick at graduation. 

Christmas was great. Since my family was able to have a mini Christmas before I left, I really didn’t feel homesick. Christmas eve we went to mass in the evening. It was all in Swahili, but there were a few songs that I recognized. The best part was a five minute rendition of Gloria, you know, GLOoOoOoOOOoOoOoOoOoOria. There was a children’s choir who danced and sang in the aisles of the huge parish. It was awesome. After mass we were invited over to the Jesuit residence for drinks and (literally) midnight snacks. Christmas day we spent at the Jesuit residence at St. Peter Claver High School just outside Dodoma. We cooked a huge meal for twenty five people. It was quite a dinner. It wasn’t a white Christmas; a torrential downpour would have to suffice. 

All the JVs (sans Barbara who's taking the pic) at our Mexican food themed Christmas eve dinner.

It was seven hours on a bus back to Dar Es Salaam and we managed to have no problems or delays. I was happy to unpack the suitcase (finally!) and get my room set up. We have been here three full days now and the honeymoon is wearing off. Slowly I am beginning to feel the shock of moving here, settling in, and calling Tanzania my home. It is good though. I am not unhappy, just acclimating. We have walked around the neighborhood and met many of the people who are friends of the JVs and some of the men and women who we consistently buy our food from. Today even we had a tour of the parish compound and learned about all the communities and schools the parish is a part of.

The Dar Es Salaam JVs with Dodoma in the background. (Barbara, Alyson, Erin, and myself)

For New Years Eve we are having a big party at our house. We have invited many neighbors, teachers, and Jesuits. It will be a really exciting evening meeting and greeting many people, but I am happy that we can welcome so many people into our home. I look forward to feeling a real sense of belonging. Even a few friends from the language school will come.

Phew, that was a lot. It felt like a lot packed into three weeks! Happy New Year! Peace.

And She's Off!

These past few weeks have been a roller coaster, to say the least. Just today I woke up hesitant, became stressed, felt both indifferent and overwhelmed, surreal, and finally blind excitement. And i haven't even left the US! I imagine at this point it is important to keep in perspective the things I can control. There is quite a bit that I cannot control, and that is a beautiful thing. Now that my bags are packed and I have left Denver, there is very little left for me to do but wait. 

Father Sean talked about waiting in his sermon on Sunday, the beginning of Advent. We must wait actively, not passively. We must be ready, because we do not know the day or the hour. There has been so much focus up to this point on tying up the loose ends of life in Colorado. Now I must actively anticipate the coming adventure. I must acknowledge my feelings and emotions, honor them, and keep my heart and mind open to all the possibilities of the coming days. This is easier said than done. It is my default, when I don't want to share my emotions, to say that I am tired. I will be exhausted, no doubt, but in that exhaustion I need to be able to recognize all the feelings and be able to share them with my new community mates so they can support me. 

It may be the new year before I am able to share all my initial experiences with you. I am looking forward to all the crazy and fun stories I can share as my life in Tanzania begins to take form. Until then I ask for your prayers to keep and open mind and an open heart, especially when it is easier to shut off emotionally. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! And I shall see you all on the other side of the world.

Peace

Give Your All To Me

          Most of you have probably heard (perhaps too many times already this summer) the song “All of Me” by John Legend. Well I have yet to overplay it, and I really like it! It’s a love song, and as I was listening to it today I thought how well it aligned with the invitation from God to love. One line goes, “Give your all to me, I’ll give my all to you.” Then I was thinking about this whole volunteering for two years in the example of Christ thing…If I am willing to give my all to God, to my community mates, to my students, and to the broader community, God will pour out all his love. Of course giving my all to God is much easier said than done. Though entering into this commitment of service is a good place to start. Another line in the song goes, “You’re crazy and I’m out of my mind.” I am crazy. But God is out of his mind! And I love it.

           Tomorrow I begin a month of traveling, in the middle of which is my initial orientation for JVC. It has been a mile marker to look forward to since I accepted my placement with the program. I am really looking forward to spending time with other volunteers and absorbing all the information about what exactly we’ve signed up for. I am mostly looking forward to having two weeks for the explicit purpose of being a JV, in prayer and in small groups all focusing on where we are and where God is and where we are going with God. On my journey my call to service is one that I understand comes from God, and I firmly believe this is God’s will for my life at this time. But since being accepted I have rarely prayed or brought my worries and excitement to God in prayer. It’s a fault I fall into often, but I take advantage of God’s presence in my life and only commit time to our relationship when it is set aside for me i.e. this orientation. I anticipate it being a prayerful experience. The challenge will be to keep up with the prayer once I am back home. If you were going to say a prayer for me, let it be that I commit more time to God in prayer.

           I want to thank everyone who has donated to my fundraising thus far! If you haven’t had an opportunity yet here is the link: https://jesuitvolunteers.myetap.org/fundraiser/sendmetoserve/search.do

You can type in my name, select it, and hit “sponsor me” on my fundraising page. Your continued prayers are greatly appreciated. I came across this quote in The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything

            “Fear not; the things you are afraid of are quite likely to happen to you, but they are nothing to be afraid of.”

Peace

Initial Thoughts

Greetings! I wanted to provide a thoughtful reflection on my commitment to the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC). It has been my desire since my senior year of high school to serve internationally. I am thrilled and overwhelmed that my dream is coming true. I am especially greatful that this journey will be directed by faith and guided by Ignation spirituality. It is my belief, informed by the Catholic Church and educated by the Jesuits, that God loves every human soul and calls us to do the same. In Tanzania, I hope to express that love by listening with an open heart, teaching with an open mind, and being evangelized by those whom I am serving.

            Through the JVC discernment process I have come to realize that my life experiences thus far have led me to accepting this position of international service. There is great consolation in believing that I am fulfilling God’s will for my life by moving to Dar Es Salaam and living among the poor in that community. In this program I am committing to building community, both within my house and in the neighborhood, witnessing faith, doing justice, and living simply. I anticipate these commitments will be a challenge at some points in the next two year, but I look forward to the ways that this experience will change me for the better. I can’t wait to be “ruined by the Jesuits.”

            Thank you for your support and prayers. I did not arrive at this point in my life without the love and compassion of you, my friends and family. My prayer these past few weeks (more to get through the last month of work than anything) has been:

The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.

Peace.