A belated Happy Valentine's Day/Single's Awareness Day/Hallmark Holiday or whatever you choose to call it! A quick blog post on how I spent the weekend, which was quite full and quite entertaining!
The weekend began on Friday evening when Beth, Mary Beth and I invited our friend Jerome over for our Friday night tradition of chips mayai (french fries and fried egg mixed together - basically Tanzanian fast food). Now Jerome is a bit of a DJ/rapper in his own right, and as Mary Beth is a classically trained singer, there was only one possible result from this combination - we had to make a song! So Jerome busted out a beat he had created, and throughout the night Jerome rapped, Mary Beth provided vocals for the chorus, and even Beth threw in some back-up vocals into the mix. As all this was being done on my computer (and as nobody should ever have to endure the sound of my singing voice), I was in charge of mixing the song and will be given co-producer credit on "My Name" along with Jerome. Apparently after playing it to some co-workers, it has been decided that we are going to edit it a bit more and then try to get it played on the local radio station. Fame and fortune in the music biz, here I come!
Saturday I woke up early to attend a cultural day with the kids from Mkombozi. After an hour delay in arriving and then a surprise two hour mass, one of the interns was feeling pretty ill so I escorted her home before the cultural activities could commence. After a relaxing afternoon, I met up with my friend Scott from England to grab a drink and watch some rugby. A few of his friends, however, had invited us to another locale and we decided to meet up with them instead. The Watering Hole, as it is called, has a large video screen set up outside to show movies. In the Valentine's Day spirit, the night's feature was the one and only Twilight. I think about an hour in Scott and I turned to each other with the simultaneous thought of "We should have picked the rugby." Either way, it was a fun night and I enjoyed sitting under the stars, relaxing, and enjoying the distraction of a movie-theater-esque night out.
Valentine's Day brought a nice community day. After a 1.5 hour run in the morning in training for my upcoming half-marathon (which based on the soreness that continues to this day, we'll see how successful I am in that goal), we spent a few hours cleaning the house and then ate a nice big brunch. Thanks to a large care package of Valentine's Day candy sent from friends in Boston (thanks guys!), we then kicked back and let ourselves drift into a sugar-induced coma while watching our Valentine's Day movie choice, Runaway Bride. That evening we stopped by the Jesuits for a bit to make calls home - complete with an amusing incident of Beth getting locked in and me needing to hop their gate to set her free - and Fr. Balige treated me to a drink at my favorite local spot called Glacier. We talked about my placement, community-life, and life in Tanzania in general while live music played in the background. Fr. Balige has become a good friend and it was the perfect way to end a full and fun weekend!
That's all for now! I hope you all had a great February the 14th weekend however you chose to celebrate. Amani na upendo!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
5 things I’ve learned in the last month:
1. The Indian Ocean is the warmest ocean I’ve ever set foot in.
2. According to the teachers at Mary Goretti Secondary School, by Tanzanian standards, I am a phenomenal dancer.
3. Hand-washing clothes takes FOREVER.
4. Goat meat may be my favorite kind of meat.
5. When there is an engine problem on your bus and “it should take 15 minutes to fix,” you’ll probably be sitting on the side of the road next to a rural village for 2+ hours.
As my blog title states, this past month has been one of lots of travel and lots of transition, with an abundance of highs and lows, which I will try to cover briefly below.
After starting to feel a bit restless and stuck in Moshi with nothing really to do, retreat came at the perfect time. Our Moshi community trekked five hours by bus, half hour by dala dala, and another half hour on foot to arrive at the retreat center in Tanga, beautifully set right on the Indian Ocean. We spent the next few days with the JV community from Dar, lounging in the unfathomably warm Indian Ocean, exploring the surrounding beaches, and enjoying the time to get to know one another better.
Retreat Center in Tanga
We then journeyed on to Dar to celebrate the Christmas holidays, spending Christmas day visiting neighbors in Mabibo, singing and dancing at the Swahili Christmas mass, and exchanging Secret Santa limericks (the one for me included the rhyming of “gruff” and “not so buff”). It was interesting to spend time in Dar and recognize the differences between communities: the crowded neighborhood feel of Mabibo vs. the space and freedom we have in Moshi; the sweltering heat of Dar vs. the more temperate Moshi weather; the history in the long lived-in Dar house vs. our new and still slightly sterile Moshi home. Day trips to downtown Dar and out to the slice of paradise called Kipipeo Beach highlighted the trip. It’s a real blessing to share our two years with a sister community in-country and I look forward to seeing them a few times each year for our various retreats.
Returning to Moshi, we spent New Year’s Eve at the Jesuits and rang in the new decade as a Moshi community (along with Christen, a JV from Dar, and her father). Beth and I spent the first few days of the new year at a homestay in Uru village, a village at the base of the mountain outside of Moshi. We hiked through forests to waterfalls and cooked meals over open flames, making friends with our wonderful hosts and some of their neighbors (I fell in love with a little boy named Isaiah, who they had dance for cookies and who would hug me while calling me his “mzungu” – Swahili for white person).
Since returning to Moshi, I have begun my work placement at Mkombozi Center for Street Children. It is a wonderful organization with a very vibrant and energetic staff (who I look forward to getting to know much better as my Swahili improves). I share an office with Anna, our Swedish communications director, and we wage battle daily with a flock of chickens who try to invade our office and constantly make their looming presence known right outside our door with incessant clucking and cuckooing (the rooster is the worst). My role here will be split between working with the director to manage the fundraising and create a full time fundraising position (60-70% of my time), and in a few weeks I will begin working with the children’s programs as well, probably in sports and arts (30-40% of my time). I am hoping that the combination of the two will provide a good balance of learning about and contributing to the organizational aspects of an international non-profit, and getting involved with the direct social work aspect of the organization.
My second week of work I was presented with one of the harsh realities of life on the streets for our children, as one of our former kids (who I had met a few times the week before) was found beaten to death one morning. He had been in a school in Nairobi for children with mental disabilities, but was home on holiday and came to our center often as he found it more of a refuge than his home. Unfortunately on the streets a lack of understanding about his disabilities may have led to a misunderstanding about something he said or did, but I’m not sure we’ll ever really know. I am still processing the truths that such a tragic accident reveal about the struggles of life for children here, the blessings of my own childhood in the states, and everything in between.
Even with all that’s been going on, I still find myself missing Boston and missing home at times. Being away from friends and loved ones during the holidays was a new experience (I even missed the freezing Boston winter!), and I continue to adjust to the separation caused by living thousands of miles from the States. Call it “culture shock” or simply adjustment, it’s all a part of the transition. While these two years will eventually “fly by,” days in Africa can at times be long. But I can feel my spirit beginning to settle as work picks up and Moshi starts to feel like home. Friendships continue to grow as we meet more people, and I eagerly anticipate the day when I really feel established here.
I hope this New Year is treating you well, wherever you may be, and I will try to be better about updating my blog with more frequent (and shorter) posts.
Amani na upendo! (Peace and love!)
P.S. For a taste of music still popular in Tanzania, find here the playlist from my recent bus ride from Arusha to Moshi: Celine Dion power ballads, old-school N’Sync and Enrique Iglesias, and a smattering of 90’s of hits from Boyz II Men (it’s easy to forget how good they were). Then repeat this three times over, and you have a Tanzanian bus ride playlist. A Peace Corps friend of ours looked slightly horrified when she thought this was not the bus driver’s playlist, but my own personal playlist for the bus ride. Sadly, my personal taste in music is not so refined.
*I may write more about this later as it was probably my favorite day in Tanzania thus far, but for now, I'm including one more picture from this past Saturday when our JV community went hiking to the Marangu Falls (mini-cliff jumping/diving included).
Moshi JVs in Marangu
1. The Indian Ocean is the warmest ocean I’ve ever set foot in.
2. According to the teachers at Mary Goretti Secondary School, by Tanzanian standards, I am a phenomenal dancer.
3. Hand-washing clothes takes FOREVER.
4. Goat meat may be my favorite kind of meat.
5. When there is an engine problem on your bus and “it should take 15 minutes to fix,” you’ll probably be sitting on the side of the road next to a rural village for 2+ hours.
JVs are patient people!
As my blog title states, this past month has been one of lots of travel and lots of transition, with an abundance of highs and lows, which I will try to cover briefly below.
After starting to feel a bit restless and stuck in Moshi with nothing really to do, retreat came at the perfect time. Our Moshi community trekked five hours by bus, half hour by dala dala, and another half hour on foot to arrive at the retreat center in Tanga, beautifully set right on the Indian Ocean. We spent the next few days with the JV community from Dar, lounging in the unfathomably warm Indian Ocean, exploring the surrounding beaches, and enjoying the time to get to know one another better.
Retreat Center in TangaWe then journeyed on to Dar to celebrate the Christmas holidays, spending Christmas day visiting neighbors in Mabibo, singing and dancing at the Swahili Christmas mass, and exchanging Secret Santa limericks (the one for me included the rhyming of “gruff” and “not so buff”). It was interesting to spend time in Dar and recognize the differences between communities: the crowded neighborhood feel of Mabibo vs. the space and freedom we have in Moshi; the sweltering heat of Dar vs. the more temperate Moshi weather; the history in the long lived-in Dar house vs. our new and still slightly sterile Moshi home. Day trips to downtown Dar and out to the slice of paradise called Kipipeo Beach highlighted the trip. It’s a real blessing to share our two years with a sister community in-country and I look forward to seeing them a few times each year for our various retreats.
Returning to Moshi, we spent New Year’s Eve at the Jesuits and rang in the new decade as a Moshi community (along with Christen, a JV from Dar, and her father). Beth and I spent the first few days of the new year at a homestay in Uru village, a village at the base of the mountain outside of Moshi. We hiked through forests to waterfalls and cooked meals over open flames, making friends with our wonderful hosts and some of their neighbors (I fell in love with a little boy named Isaiah, who they had dance for cookies and who would hug me while calling me his “mzungu” – Swahili for white person).
Since returning to Moshi, I have begun my work placement at Mkombozi Center for Street Children. It is a wonderful organization with a very vibrant and energetic staff (who I look forward to getting to know much better as my Swahili improves). I share an office with Anna, our Swedish communications director, and we wage battle daily with a flock of chickens who try to invade our office and constantly make their looming presence known right outside our door with incessant clucking and cuckooing (the rooster is the worst). My role here will be split between working with the director to manage the fundraising and create a full time fundraising position (60-70% of my time), and in a few weeks I will begin working with the children’s programs as well, probably in sports and arts (30-40% of my time). I am hoping that the combination of the two will provide a good balance of learning about and contributing to the organizational aspects of an international non-profit, and getting involved with the direct social work aspect of the organization.
My second week of work I was presented with one of the harsh realities of life on the streets for our children, as one of our former kids (who I had met a few times the week before) was found beaten to death one morning. He had been in a school in Nairobi for children with mental disabilities, but was home on holiday and came to our center often as he found it more of a refuge than his home. Unfortunately on the streets a lack of understanding about his disabilities may have led to a misunderstanding about something he said or did, but I’m not sure we’ll ever really know. I am still processing the truths that such a tragic accident reveal about the struggles of life for children here, the blessings of my own childhood in the states, and everything in between.
Even with all that’s been going on, I still find myself missing Boston and missing home at times. Being away from friends and loved ones during the holidays was a new experience (I even missed the freezing Boston winter!), and I continue to adjust to the separation caused by living thousands of miles from the States. Call it “culture shock” or simply adjustment, it’s all a part of the transition. While these two years will eventually “fly by,” days in Africa can at times be long. But I can feel my spirit beginning to settle as work picks up and Moshi starts to feel like home. Friendships continue to grow as we meet more people, and I eagerly anticipate the day when I really feel established here.
I hope this New Year is treating you well, wherever you may be, and I will try to be better about updating my blog with more frequent (and shorter) posts.
Amani na upendo! (Peace and love!)
P.S. For a taste of music still popular in Tanzania, find here the playlist from my recent bus ride from Arusha to Moshi: Celine Dion power ballads, old-school N’Sync and Enrique Iglesias, and a smattering of 90’s of hits from Boyz II Men (it’s easy to forget how good they were). Then repeat this three times over, and you have a Tanzanian bus ride playlist. A Peace Corps friend of ours looked slightly horrified when she thought this was not the bus driver’s playlist, but my own personal playlist for the bus ride. Sadly, my personal taste in music is not so refined.
*I may write more about this later as it was probably my favorite day in Tanzania thus far, but for now, I'm including one more picture from this past Saturday when our JV community went hiking to the Marangu Falls (mini-cliff jumping/diving included).
Moshi JVs in MaranguThursday, December 10, 2009
Oh, Moshi, You're My Home!
My life in Moshi has begun! (Bostonians, I hope you get the title to this post.) Beth and I arrived safe and sound after smooth travels (minus my expertly packed backpack being unpacked and searched at LAX and Beth being quite thoroughly frisked at the Amsterdam airport) at Kilimanjaro airport one week ago. Our wonderful community mates Talia and Mary Beth picked us up at the airport and brought us to what will be home for the next two years.
We lovingly call our house in Moshi “The Estate,” thanks to the three porches that border about half the house, our four bedrooms and five bathrooms, and our sprawling grounds of mango trees and vibrant flowers, all watched over nightly by Exaudi, the Maasai guard who lives in our basement (and just so happens to own a bow and arrow). We also share our house with a host of lizards and geckos, of which the plain ones we have taken to calling “Gary” or “Little Gary,” and the multi-colored ones “Rainbow Beasts.” They are fun additions to The Estate, but slightly startling when you lift the toilet lid at 3am and Gary darts out.
While I can hardly believe we arrived in Tanzania a week ago, it also already feels like home and that we have been here for months. Our first few days were filled to the brim, from unpacking and taking trips into Moshi town, to wedding celebrations and birthday parties. Our second night in Moshi we attended the wedding reception of Mary Beth and Talia’s colleague which was a wonderful welcome to the community and a great celebration to begin our two years. Highlights included the goat cake (a roasted goat which is danced in and then the bride and groom feed to each other like a wedding cake) and the dancing of presents to the bride and groom (particularly fun when they specifically asked our group of white folks to all dance through).
The past few afternoons have been spent reading and lounging at The Estate, primarily due to the sky opening up periodically and unexpectedly, unleashing rainstorms the like of which I’ve never seen, only to abate approximately 10 minutes later. Adventures in cooking have sustained us, and my inner fast-food junkie and sweet-tooth (care packages of US candy and chocolate will be hugely welcomed) continue to adjust to the new diet consisting of rice, beans, and vegetables. The other night I actually found myself cooking a curry rice and vegetable dish and saying, “It would be great to add some green peppers to this.” As my family and roommates can attest, that is undoubtedly the first time those words have ever escaped my lips. Make note: Baby vegetarian’s first words!
Tonight we had our weekly dinner at the Jesuit community with our primary contact in Moshi, Fr. Belige, and the three Jesuit scholastics – Albert, Christopher, and Jose (s pronounced like a z). We celebrated Talia’s birthday the other night with these four and it was enjoyable to see the brotherly interaction of the three scholastics who I foresee becoming close friends.
Early next week I am overjoyed that Nicholas Ford, a good friend from BC and an outgoing Tanzania JV from Dar, is coming through to say hello and goodbye, and a few days later we leave for retreat and our first Tanzanian Christmas with the Dar es Salaam community. Following Christmas, Beth and I will undertake homestays in the rural villages outside Moshi, and then will begin work in mid-January. I have yet to visit my work placement, Mkombozi, but am excited to see the facility and join such an incredible organization.
I could go on for days, but feel like I should stop here. Before I do, I would like to share one anecdote Beth and I received from our friend Tom during our East Africa history lesson. Tanzanian culture holds the belief that the remains of the world’s oldest man were found in Tanzania, and this created a societal mindset of Tanzania being the birthplace of humanity. For this reason, anyone coming to Tanzania is actually seen to be returning home as a brother or sister, and therefore are to be warmly welcomed as family. Such a beautiful mentality to have when meeting others and welcoming them into your life. I have undoubtedly felt this spirit among the Tanzanians we have met so far, and I am sure I will continue to find it over the next two years in my new home.
We lovingly call our house in Moshi “The Estate,” thanks to the three porches that border about half the house, our four bedrooms and five bathrooms, and our sprawling grounds of mango trees and vibrant flowers, all watched over nightly by Exaudi, the Maasai guard who lives in our basement (and just so happens to own a bow and arrow). We also share our house with a host of lizards and geckos, of which the plain ones we have taken to calling “Gary” or “Little Gary,” and the multi-colored ones “Rainbow Beasts.” They are fun additions to The Estate, but slightly startling when you lift the toilet lid at 3am and Gary darts out.
While I can hardly believe we arrived in Tanzania a week ago, it also already feels like home and that we have been here for months. Our first few days were filled to the brim, from unpacking and taking trips into Moshi town, to wedding celebrations and birthday parties. Our second night in Moshi we attended the wedding reception of Mary Beth and Talia’s colleague which was a wonderful welcome to the community and a great celebration to begin our two years. Highlights included the goat cake (a roasted goat which is danced in and then the bride and groom feed to each other like a wedding cake) and the dancing of presents to the bride and groom (particularly fun when they specifically asked our group of white folks to all dance through).
The past few afternoons have been spent reading and lounging at The Estate, primarily due to the sky opening up periodically and unexpectedly, unleashing rainstorms the like of which I’ve never seen, only to abate approximately 10 minutes later. Adventures in cooking have sustained us, and my inner fast-food junkie and sweet-tooth (care packages of US candy and chocolate will be hugely welcomed) continue to adjust to the new diet consisting of rice, beans, and vegetables. The other night I actually found myself cooking a curry rice and vegetable dish and saying, “It would be great to add some green peppers to this.” As my family and roommates can attest, that is undoubtedly the first time those words have ever escaped my lips. Make note: Baby vegetarian’s first words!
Tonight we had our weekly dinner at the Jesuit community with our primary contact in Moshi, Fr. Belige, and the three Jesuit scholastics – Albert, Christopher, and Jose (s pronounced like a z). We celebrated Talia’s birthday the other night with these four and it was enjoyable to see the brotherly interaction of the three scholastics who I foresee becoming close friends.
Early next week I am overjoyed that Nicholas Ford, a good friend from BC and an outgoing Tanzania JV from Dar, is coming through to say hello and goodbye, and a few days later we leave for retreat and our first Tanzanian Christmas with the Dar es Salaam community. Following Christmas, Beth and I will undertake homestays in the rural villages outside Moshi, and then will begin work in mid-January. I have yet to visit my work placement, Mkombozi, but am excited to see the facility and join such an incredible organization.
I could go on for days, but feel like I should stop here. Before I do, I would like to share one anecdote Beth and I received from our friend Tom during our East Africa history lesson. Tanzanian culture holds the belief that the remains of the world’s oldest man were found in Tanzania, and this created a societal mindset of Tanzania being the birthplace of humanity. For this reason, anyone coming to Tanzania is actually seen to be returning home as a brother or sister, and therefore are to be warmly welcomed as family. Such a beautiful mentality to have when meeting others and welcoming them into your life. I have undoubtedly felt this spirit among the Tanzanians we have met so far, and I am sure I will continue to find it over the next two years in my new home.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Conquering Blogophobia
So with only about 4 hours left before I get on a plane bound for Tanzania, I have reached the point of no return and am giving this blog thing a shot. After two years of living with the lead editors of The Heights at BC, I had hoped that some of their literary courage would have trickled my way, but alas, no such luck. Up until now my blogophobia (defined by the always reliable and legitimate Urban Dictionary as "Fear of blogs and blogging") has aided in my procrastination to give birth to this "public journal" of sorts, but I am now finding myself excited at the prospect of writing in a pseudo-public space about the challenges and adventures I am about to experience.
With that said, welcome to my blog! I am hoping this will be a forum where I can provide a bit of insight into what my world will be these next two years as a Jesuit Volunteer in Tanzania, allowing you, my friends and family, into the experience to walk alongside me. At times it may not be pretty, but I anticipate finding an abundance of love, beauty, and humanity in the journey ahead. I will be the first to admit that creative writing is not one of my strong suits so please bear with me as I attempt to convey the days ahead with brevity (I tend to ramble when I write) and hopefully a bit of wit (although if a post is particularly witty, it's probably safe to assume it has been ghost-written by one Reeves Wiedeman).
While the internet provides the world at my fingertips and will be the fastest means of communication, I am also hoping to rediscover the increasingly lost art of letter writing, or snail mail. Former JVs have said receiving letters is always a welcome treat and enjoy responding to letters, so please find below my mailing address for the next two years (care packages are of course always welcome too):
Paul Wendel
JVI
Moshi Jesuit Community
P.O. Box 1605
Moshi, Tanzania
I will leave you here, my friends, as I head to finish preparations for the 25 hours of travel that will take me 9,806 miles to my new home. I look forward to sharing this journey with you and thank you for being a part of it!
With that said, welcome to my blog! I am hoping this will be a forum where I can provide a bit of insight into what my world will be these next two years as a Jesuit Volunteer in Tanzania, allowing you, my friends and family, into the experience to walk alongside me. At times it may not be pretty, but I anticipate finding an abundance of love, beauty, and humanity in the journey ahead. I will be the first to admit that creative writing is not one of my strong suits so please bear with me as I attempt to convey the days ahead with brevity (I tend to ramble when I write) and hopefully a bit of wit (although if a post is particularly witty, it's probably safe to assume it has been ghost-written by one Reeves Wiedeman).
While the internet provides the world at my fingertips and will be the fastest means of communication, I am also hoping to rediscover the increasingly lost art of letter writing, or snail mail. Former JVs have said receiving letters is always a welcome treat and enjoy responding to letters, so please find below my mailing address for the next two years (care packages are of course always welcome too):
Paul Wendel
JVI
Moshi Jesuit Community
P.O. Box 1605
Moshi, Tanzania
I will leave you here, my friends, as I head to finish preparations for the 25 hours of travel that will take me 9,806 miles to my new home. I look forward to sharing this journey with you and thank you for being a part of it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
