Nawapenda

Hello Everyone!

I hope that you are all doing very well in your respective places and thriving in your lives. I miss friends and family from home and wish only the best for any and all who read this.

My time in Tanzania thus far has been flying by. I can’t believe that it is already well into the second semester of my first year at Gonzaga. I’ve actually been feeling that I am getting the hang of teaching lately... with the realization that the use of the word ‘teaching’ is probably an overstatement. I can hold the attention of 42 third graders for about forty minutes and like to call it teaching. It is small steps. I still love my children fiercely and find incredible delight in sharing their lives, their wisdom, their worries and their joys. Of course we have our ups and downs with one another, but I am lucky to say that most days and weeks end in a sense of gratitude to know and love these children.

I’ve been taking Kiswahili lessons for the past month or two with my community-mate Shea. Our teacher’s name is Madame Goudila and she is a Kiswahili teacher from Loyola High School (where Shea teaches). Our lessons have been helpful and I’m feeling more comfortable in conversations using Kiswahili. Of course, I have quite a lot of language-learning to go, but I am feeling much more able to communicate in greater length with my neighbors and friends than I was even a month ago.

The picture that I’m including below is of two of our favorite neighborhood children and me. Amos and Donny are brothers and I get to see them about once a day... more if I’m lucky. Amos is one of the sweetest and most respectful children that I’ve ever met in my life. He greets Shea, Gretchen, and I with, “Shikamoo Uncle/Auntie” which is a greeting of great respect. He is also always seen helping his parents in everyway that he can. His younger brother Donny is also a character and has recently begun to follow us all around the neighborhood. They are special, beautiful children.

I realize that this is a very short update on my life here recently. There’s been an underlying, grounding feeling of peace within me over the past few months. I feel that I’m in a space that is challenging and joyful for me; mostly a healthy balance. I feel that I am always trying to find equilibrium: I’m diving into relationships in Mabibo while aching for friends and family back home; I’m devoting time to my personal self-care while spending energy on my students, my JV community, and the larger community; I’m finding joy and real life here while witnessing much suffering and a shocking reality of death as well; I’m at peace and also passionately moved by my experiences and the people that are shaping them.

In short, I’m extremely grateful to be right where I’m at, tensions included.

Nawapenda (I love you all),

Cat