An unusually busy day in Tanzania
8:00 am- Wake up
8:05 am- Boil water for coffee and oatmeal
8:20 am- Fill buckets with water, powdered soap and clothes
8:22 am- Do laundry
9:05 am- Hang clothes to dry
9: 15 am- Take compost out and dump in the ditch across the road
9:17 am- Take the garbage to the neighboring compound and burn it
9:35 am- Return and wash the dishes. Begin boiling water in the kettle to be filtered for drinking
9:50 am- Greet Shea (community mate) when he wakes up and chat with him while he has coffee
10:30 am- Greet Gretchen (other community mate) when she emerges from her room. Continue boiling water to be filtered
10: 40 am- Get dressed and gather things to go to Loyola High School
10:50 am- Leave for Loyola. Greet Baba Gaspar, Mama Mboga, Isaya, Dickson, and other friends along the way
11:05 am- Enter multipurpose hall and listen to Nati (Jesuit friend) while he mixes music
11:55 am- Leave Nati and head toward the Jesuit Residence to use the internet
12:02 pm- Arrive at the Jesuit Residence and try to get caught-up with the cyber world
1:12 pm- Leave the Jesuit Residence. Head for home
1:25 pm- Arrive home to help community mates finish making beans and chapatti for lunch
1:45 pm- Welcome Benard (friend + electrician) into the house to fix a problem with our electricity
1:56 pm- Welcome Peter (one of Shea’s students) into the house to join us for lunch
2:05 pm- Welcome 8 more of Shea’s students into the house for Skittles (gift from Gretchen’s mom), water, and UNO. Postpone finishing lunch
2:08 pm- Determine through broken Kiswahili that Benard needs a ladder and clothes that can get dirty in order to find the problem with the electricity in the roof/ceiling. Apologize profusely
2:10 pm- Welcome Joha (one of my Standard V students) into the house so that she can teach me how to make henna (a dye put on the skin that can last for a few days to a month)
2:12 pm—2:59 pm [whirlwind] - Marvel at Joha’s ability in the kitchen as a 12-year-old. Continue to apologize profusely to dusty, cob-web riddled Benard as he climbs in and out of the ceiling and maneuvers around a houseful of rambunctious 11-15 year olds. Realize I’m more of a hindrance than a help to Joha and resign to watch her and refill the skittle bowl for her. Listen to the boys run in and out of the house while alternating between UNO and football. Continue boiling and filtering water for ourselves and our guests.
3:00 pm- Wait for henna to cool and thicken outside while talking with Joha and playing a new card-game
3:11pm- Apologize again to a slightly-battered looking Benard. Promise to feed him when he’s finished
3:32 pm- Say goodbye to the 9 rambunctious boys. Continue to wait for henna to thicken... add flour to speed-up the process
3:52 pm- Welcome Hodgie (another of Shea’s students) into the house
4:05 pm- Begin to have henna applied to the insides of my hands by Joha
4:20 pm- Realize that Benard is going to have to go to buy a new piece to fix our second fuse-box. Give him beans and chapatti from lunch. Wait for henna to dry on my hands and play cards with Joha
4:50 pm- Say goodbye to Joha
4:55 pm- Say goodbye to Hodgie
4:56 pm- Say “see-you-soon” to Benard
5:00 pm- Eat a piece of bread with peanut butter
5:03 pm- Welcome Evelyn (another of my Standard V students) into the house to play Jenga and UNO with Gretchen and I
5:10 pm- Talk to parents on the phone
5:25 pm- Welcome Benard to the house once more. Play with Evelyn and Gretchen
6:10 pm- Say goodbye to Evelyn
6:20 pm- Say goodbye to Benard and thank him SANA
6:22 pm- Sit
7:00 pm- Go to Mama Mboga’s and Moody’s to buy an egg, peanuts and a mango
7:10 pm- Boil the egg. Cut the mango. Roast peanuts on the stove
7:30 pm- Eat the egg, mango, and peanuts
7:45 pm- Begin a movie with Gretchen and Shea
9:55 pm- Finish movie. Listen to music and chat with Shea
10:15 pm- Get ready for bed
10:25 pm- Attempt yoga
10:45 pm- Sleep
The henna that Joha applied to my hands! Flowers, hearts, Tr. Catherine, and a 'J' for Joha :)
