Updates

July 10, 2010

Thanks for all your prayers and good wishes.  My father is showing improvement.  In fact, I am happy to say he has not been such a good patient because it shows his spirit is still there.  He refuses to lay in the bed during the daytime.  He insists on sitting up in a chair.  He also insists on feeding himself although his coordination is not so good.  My brother says that my dad is very aware of what is going on, but has much difficulty speaking and he cannot write.  Monday he will be moved to a nursing home near my parents home for rehabilitation for a month or two.  It will be much easier for my mother to have him closer to home, but I know it is hard for her to be alone in that big house after so many years together with him.  His heart surgery will be scheduled after several weeks of rehab, maybe about the time that I am scheduled to go home.

Things continue to be busy and life very full here in Mkuu.  How often do you wash your hair in the US and have the rinse water turn brown?  Every day here during the dry season, although I guess I am lucky to have water in my bucket to wash it with.  Food, not so exciting.  The other day I must have had a craving for high fructose corn syrup and red 40, because I ate a whole package of Twizzlers that my sister-in-law had sent me.  The girls are great cooks and Aggie knows how to spice up the beans, but ugali (stiff porridge) loses its appeal pretty quickly.  The girls were laughing at me because we had vegetable sauce with ugali the other night and I saved my piece of okra and my other large piece of vegetable (looks like a yellow tomato) for last, just like Tanzanians do with their few pieces of meat.  I taught them both how to make banana bread on a hot plate (double cooking pot method to make a little oven) and Fidesta regularly makes it for me now.  Mchaga people are known for ndizi (green cooking bananas) and avocados.  Because I like both, I tell the girls that I am Mchaga Marekani (the American branch of the Mchaga tribe).  Fidesta has taught me a few kichaga words and I entertain the bibis (grandmas or old women) at the market with my delightful conversation.
Yuda is in school, and I cannot wait to talk to him and find out how he likes it.  Unfortunately, I cannot pick up a phone and call, or even text, or send an e-mail.  In a couple of weeks I will take a small crowded (understatement) bus to Shauritanga to visit him.  Fidesta returns to the hostel tomorrow and school begins Monday.  I am sure she will return to visit me and Aggie often, and she will stay with me after taking her national exams in October as she awaits her results. Her scores on these exams will determine whether she will be accepted at an A-level school. I bought several review books for Fidesta and Aggie to share as they study for exams.  Aggie seems to have adjusted to the environment and seems to be happy.


It is much colder here than in Dar or Morogoro and definitely NY and NC in July.  I use two wool blankets at night and even take a lightweight one to school with me during the day.  The buildings do not have heat and most of the windows are missing or broken, so it can be very windy in the staff room.  Some days I walk up the hill to school and the sun is shining and there are no clouds in the sky but it feels like it is raining.  I think the wind is blowing snow off the ice fields of Kibo peak and carrying it right over our school.

More good news.  My students are getting a new physics teacher Monday.  He is a university student from Moshi.  Hopefully he will help them learn some physics topics before the exam.  I have prepared notes on current electricity because I was planning to teach them, but now I will gratefully give them to the new teacher.  We also have a new headmaster.  He begins Monday as well.  He is experienced and seems nice.  He stopped by my classroom when I was teaching yesterday just to say hello.  My one concern is that we will have a whole week of celebration and school meetings this week, and I will not be able to teach my form 6.  We'll see.

Thanks again for all of your kind words.  They really meant a lot to me.  Hopefully I will see many of you in September when I come home to visit the good old USA!  I cannot wait!