Last Saturday proved to be a really great day. You may not
know this about me, buy I am the most productive procrastinator you will meet.
Hence, my Saturday. I had three lessons to plan and zero desire to start them,
so, I began my laundry. I have devised a strategy for my laundry. The first
load is underwear for which I boil water, the second is Khanga, the colorful
and patterned fabric with which you can have outfits made and also use as a
wrap for going around the neighborhood (which also bleed like crazy, hence
their own load), the third load is everything else, shirts, leggings, and
skirts. For each load I throw the clothes in a bucket, add water and soap, and
let it soak for about thirty minutes. Then I fill another bucket with soapy
water and, one article at a time, scrub out the dirt, throwing it into a third
bucket to rinse. Once all the clothes are in the rinse bucket you wring them
out and hang them on the line. The process is methodical and there is something
incredibly satisfying about seeing how dirty the first bucket is to how clean
(at least they smell clean and that is all that really matters) the clothes
become.
After the three loads of laundry were hung I moved on to
bathroom duty. The bathroom is not so big and therefore pretty easy to clean. I
filled a bucket with soapy water and wiped down the toilet, seat and also walls in the bathroom, scrubbed the
bowl, and finally poured the remaining water onto the floor which I then
squeegeed out of the bathroom down the hall and outside (as close as we come to
mopping).
Still unwilling to start lesson planning, I began my chore
of the week which was to sweep and mop the floors. Around two in the afternoon,
Alyson and I headed to the Missionaries of Charity site about a thirty minute
walk from our house. I was interested to visit this place that has been a
source of real joy for her in the past year.
This home is caring for the poorest of the poor, in the
spirit (obviously) of Mother Theresa. The sisters are caring for the elderly,
crippled, disabled and orphaned. It was a beautiful place in more than one way.
There is a large courtyard around which are couches for the residence to sit.
Alyson and I made our way to each couch to greet the residents and hear how they
are and what news they had. Let me clarify. While I am mostly able to greet in
Kiswahili, I spent a lot of the time observing and smiling while Alyson, who is
far more proficient in Kiswahili, talked with her friends and informed me how
they are. It was a beautifully humbling moment to live out the JVC mission of
sitting in solidarity with the members of the community. I could do nothing but
sit, smile, love, and feel loved. We made our way back through the courtyard to
visit with the younger residence who are somehow disabled. I really enjoyed
myself playing football with them and throwing the ball around back and forth.
Again, I was unable to communicate with them, but the universal language of
smiles and gestures was enough. They generously gave me a gift of coconut
biscuits, which are delicious. Those were the boys, then we went to visit the
girls who were also excited to see Alyson. We brought books with us so we
passed some around and I was reading a Kiswahili book to one of the girls. What
a beautiful mission, to graciously and joyfully serve those who would have
little to nothing otherwise. When we left, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
I had found God and look forward to
returning.
Our Saturday night dinner tradition is to buy chips mayai, essentially
French fries scrambled in eggs garnished with cooked cabbage and veggies. We
watched a movie and read “snaps,” a collection of affirmations for each other
from the week. I felt both accomplished and graced at the end of the day. It is
good to have a routine, to have things that need to get done and be able to
accomplish them with out too much trouble.
In other updates, life in Tanzania is good. School is hard,
really hard, but I have a supportive community at home, in the teachers at
school, and in the Jesuits that I feel able to grow in the challenges instead
of becoming stuck in despair. Yesterday I went out to buy vegetables and eggs
all by myself, which is a big deal because I speak all in Kiswahili to our
vendors. I am happy and healthy and
can’t believe I am coming up on two months in country! As always, please email
me with updates and stories from your own life. Peace be with you.
Amani,
Allison
