Flipping through my SST journal from six years ago has helped to add some perspective to my current experiences in Tanzania. I'm actually impressed with my 20-21 year old self's analysis and introspection, and I'm surprised by the threads that run through that writing and my current experience. As I've stated before, I love questions. …
Safari Jnema!
I had the great pleasure of hosting my parents on their first trip to East Africa! For those who spend extended periods abroad, it is a great treat to have friends and family come visit the life we've made for yourself in a new land. (prepare for a long post and many photos...) My parents both …
International Women’s Day
My birthday always come around and I am reminded less of myself and more of all the wonderful strong women I share this world with. International Women's Day (IWD) falls on March 8th each year and is "a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call …
Ngazi kwa ngazi..
Level by level, rung by rung, step by step, little by little. A Kiswahili phrase I learned from the local Maasai boy who was basically my personal guide up Raspberry Hill and down to the Themi Hills waterfall. A phrase I often pair with another popular Swahili saying: pole pole meaning slowly. These concepts are very familiar …
Step it up..
There is nothing quite like an hour long African aerobics step class to conclude a day of work. No matter what my mood is, how lethargic I am, or how scrambled my mind feels from the day, my spirits are always higher as I stretch my fatigued legs on the half mile walk home in the evening's …
Some things are easy…
Waking up to a car horn blaring some 50 feet from my bedroom window or listening to a dog fight outside our gate at 3am are common occurrences that fall under the label "extremely frustrating." I have been harboring a lot of frustrations lately. Things that get under my skin that are simply a part …
Celebration and purpose..
The sunlit room full of primary school students hushed quiet as Neema presented us with a finely written letter of thanks on behalf of the school for our gift of new chalkboards. Their song and dance celebration of thanks continued on even after the electricity went out and the speaker system went silent. Their excitement to …
Rebooting for the new year..
Welcome to 2017. Last year concluded very well. December felt like a long month of mostly holiday vacation, very little structure to my schedule, and lots for fruitful free time to spend with my thoughts, my hobbies, and my developing Arusha community. Christmas was delightful in Nairobi. I basked in the time with friends, the abundance of yummy …
The Chalkboard Project
The work ethic, ingenuity, and can do attitude of Tanzanians is undeniable. Things here are often pole pole (slowly slowly), but when a goal is financed and the start date is set things can really hit the ground running! Wednesday Dec. 21st we asked if we could help the Arusha Integrated School by fixing up …
Chalkboard Project Funding
Nine chalkboards in Nine classrooms are in dire need of repair. Students at the Arusha Integrated Primary School where Johanna and I teach, rely entirely on the notes, lessons, and tests written on the chalkboard by their teachers. In the couple weeks I have spent teaching here, it became very clear that the awful condition of the chalkboards …
Rays of Cobalt Blue 