Upendo ni nuru ya maisha (Love is the light of life)

Mambo! Response: Poa!

I hope that you are doing well! I am on my sixth day in Dar es Salaam, and am doing well myself.

I arrived here in Dar on Sunday morning excited and nervous about this next step. Travelling was pretty easy, with the most eventful thing being a haphazard visit to the men’s restroom (in my defense, I was frazzled after saying a tearful goodbye to my family:). I met Shea in the London airport, and it was incredibly calming to have him join me. We arrived in Dar and met our new community-mate, Gretchen, along with the two JVs that are about to leave, Emily and Christen. These girls have been teaching us the ropes ever since. It is fun to see them thriving in this reality, with the knowledge and hope that I will some day live and interact like they do.

The first day we unpacked and went to a mass in our neighborhood (called Mabibo) with only children. It was adorable, and we got a beautiful welcome. Welcoming here is a very big-deal and wherever we go, we hear “karibu Tanzania”, or “karibu” to enter a house, begin eating, etc. Since the first day, we have been pretty busy learning Kiswahili, meeting friends, getting to know the Jesuits, going to the city and to the markets, and learning every-day tasks like buying food, doing laundry, cooking, etc. At the market on Thursday, I bought some cloth called Katenge to be made into skirts and dresses. I also bought some beautiful African Kanga, which is cloth that is used for everything- towels, clothing, shawls, head-wraps, etc. My favorite has the message: Upendo ni nuru ya maisha. It roughly means: Love is the light of life.

Life here is very different, and I am finding that I am adjusting well. So far, it is a simple, yet intentional lifestyle and I think (and hope) that I am going to thrive in it. The people here are incredibly nice and hospitable. Yesterday, we went to Coco beach with some of Christen’s (leaving JV) high school students who speak English. I met a girl named Nyambisa and we became fast friends. I played a little futboli (soccer) with the boys on the beach, and also touched the Indian Ocean for the first time.  The students were wonderful! I am excited to get to know the Loyola students through Shea and the Jesuits.

On our second day here we visited the school where I will be teaching, Gonzaga Primary. I met the Sisters that run the school and I think that it’s going to be a great environment. The headmistress, Sister Ugeni was incredibly warm and made me feel very welcome. Teaching here is apparently very different than in the United States... I’m still nervous about teaching, but I will worry about that later. Right now I am just focusing on responding to greetings without offending anyone!

Lastly, I do miss all my friends and family SO much. My access to internet is going to be a little more limited than I thought. Therefore, written letters are probably going to be a really nice venue for communication. E-mails are wonderful too, but please excuse late responses; I will try to e-mail back as quickly as I can.

LOVE YOU ALL!

"choosing my pain by choosing my joy"

My mantra over the last two months has been a sentence that my wise friend, Fr. Larry Gillick, conveyed to me when we were having a conversation about saying goodbye to friends and family. I was telling him that I feel that my life has been a series of painful "see you later-s" over the last six months or so. I am tired of goodbye. And I'm tired of the heartache that comes with not seeing people that I love for a very long time. While I was enjoying my little pity party, Fr. Gillick reminded me of something that I was starting to forget: I am choosing my pain by choosing my joy. It is a choice that I am making to say goodbye to family and friends (one incredible source of joy) for a while, to pursue another joy- even more relationships and a life of intentionality in service. I am "leaving"* many communities that I love (family, the Dream Center, Creighton, friends, the DR, etc.) to pursue further communities in Tanzania.
I firmly believe that the love that I have received and given throughout my life will only help me to love more fully in Tanzania. It is impossible to go to this new place without bringing my family and friends with me: "i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)"-- ee cummings
And so, it is with this tension in my soul, my heart, my core, that I begin a new phase of my journey. Thank you for reading! Please feel free to engage in the conversation that this blog is meant to be.
Much LOVE.


*I think that 'leaving' is also an interesting word to use here, and I've struggled with its usage in this entry and in my day-to-day language. My wonderful friend Aimee helped me to see that I am not really "leaving" in the sense that I will lose my connections and relationships with people. Physical presence does not necessarily indicate closeness, especially when bonds of love and friendship are strong and deep. I will be able to remain in contact with loved ones to share experiences, thoughts, ideas, challenges, and joys. AND I will be back. So, there is a sense of balance and perspective that is helpful when saying goodbye seems especially difficult.