Wrestling with Stereotypes

Well, I have to say that being here marks the first time I’ve truly been a victim of stereotype. In the past, I’ve asked my friends what they would stereotype me as, but I never truly fit into one. I was always proud of that factor because it indicated that I didn’t resemble any particular group; I was always just me. :D

But now, I am keenly aware as I walk about how people perceive me to be the “rich American lady”. It bothers me that Americans are immediately assumed “rich” just for the sole fact that they are from America. It makes it seem as though you don’t even have to work hard in America to have wealth. Instead, the mere fact that you are from America means you are “rich”. This bothers me because in no way am I considered “rich” in America. In fact, if I had been living on my own prior to this trip, I would probably not have had such a great quality of life based on my income at my minimum wage jobs. The cost of living in America is so high, that it’s necessary to make a large annual salary just to have the necessities. In fact, in order to make this trip possible, I worked 2 official jobs (day care worker and waitress) and countless unofficial jobs (pet sitting, house sitting, picture scanning, babysitting, etc.) and I’m also being supported by many generous and wonderful people who have chosen to sponsor this mission trip. I have worked hard for what I have now and I have sweated and stretched myself to the limits to get here and have money left to start me off in graduate school.

But, of course, I cannot in any way compare my situation back home to the situation of the people here. Here, people live in homes with dirt floors and most do not have electricity or running water. Even the people who do have running water and electricity do not have it all the time because it is constantly going on and off (sometimes for an entire half of a day). Almost no one has a car, a laptop, a camera, or any kind of electronic device besides a cell phone. When I first arrived, I was shocked at how little was here, but now my perspective has changed. Compared to many, I am living the “high life” at the pastor’s house.

What I’ve realized is that it all comes down to understanding context. In the context of America, I am not considered “rich” by any means because the cost of living is so incredibly high. But, here, the cost of living is so low I guess I could be perceived as being “rich”. But, of course, my situation is not due to the fact that I come from America, this is the result of my hard work and countless hours dedicated to working (yes, I have worked a twelve hour day on multiple occasions).

The situation reminds me of how in America, we have the assumption that Asians are automatically smart in Math and/or Science. But, we forget that in countries like Korea, the students do not have extra curricular activities after school. In fact, the students go straight from school to tutors who work long hours with the students in order to help them understand the concepts better. In their culture, it is necessary to understand those concepts in order to be successful. Also, we sometimes forget that although many Asians are good in Math and Science, not all can be. Everyone has their own individual talents and thus not everyone ca be good at everything.

I hope that during my stay people's perceptions of me will be changed. I hope to be known for my faith and not for how much money others perceive me to have, or because anyone thinks I'm famous, or any other reason. I'd much rather be known for being true to myself and true to my God.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing, and perfect will." Romans 12:2

Blessings, peace, and love,

~Christine

Solo Trip to Town, Karate, Mild Illness, Rock Garden, and Pizza

What a strange mix of things ^^. Haha!!!

So, it's been a little while since I have last posted and so much has happened, so I'm going to try and quickly update everyone now!! Haha!!

Well, For the most part Wednesday was completely uneventful and I just taught school and read mostly. Thursday, school was fine, but the exciting thing was that I made my first solo trip to the market. I was so nervous, but I tried really hard to make sure no one else would notice. I got to the bus stop and hopped on the first bus that came by. My immediate fear was, "oh no!! What if I got on the wrong bus!!??" and my second thought was "Well, surely all buses must pass through town..." and my third thought was "Well, even if it doesn't go to town, the minute it diverts from the path to town, I will get off and I will walk until I either reach town on foot or am able to catch a bus that actually goes to town." Thus, I was prepared for anything. After arriving in town, I had to walk around a little bit before I found the supermarket that Matt had recommended to me so that I could buy items for the pizza that we were going to be making and also I wanted to check about buying granola bars (because I only have 2 left...Sad Day!!!) Well, I found it, and although it's larger than most supermarkets here, it is still tiny compared to US supermarkets and didn't have all that much in the way of foods I recognized. However, I was able to discover that they sell chips and chocolate. Thus, whenever I want, I can have a few reminders of home. However, I was very disappointed to find that they don't sell granola bars. I even went to a few other supermarkets, but they don't sell granola bars either. *sigh* Well, I got my purchases (just mozzarella cheese which turned out to be processed, sad day, but it was SOOO much cheaper than the real mozzarella. And oregano spices to put in the sauce). I got on the Kihonda bus for the return trip (I checked and double checked) and then I rather unintentionally made a big deal out of where I needed to get off by pulling out my Swahili phrasebook and reading off the Swahili for “I’d like to get off at ____”. I noticed that while I did this, the whole bus went silent, but I really didn’t care because I knew that the bus would stop where I needed it to and I wouldn’t have to worry about getting lost. Also, on Thursday while I was running at the International School, I ran into the man who in charge of the sports at the school. I asked about karate because I had seen on the school’s website that they offered karate, but he said they don’t have it anymore. Then he asked if I would like to teach it!! I was ecstatic!!! Hopefully, there will be enough students who are interested!! :D

Friday, school was fine. Classes 6 and 7 had tests and Class 5 worked on catching up on their work since we got behind. With them, some days are good and some days are bad. I’ve realized that I can’t trust them to work in pairs because they talk and don’t work and I can’t trust them to even work alone because they don’t think they understand my directions. Thus, I’m having to do lots of teacher led work with the hope that the students are catching on to what my expectations are. I don’t mind doing this most of the time, but it is frustrating when I give them the right answers on the board and they still get it wrong. I just don’t understand! All they have to do is copy! Oh well…

Friday, things took a nasty turn and I started feeling unwell. I had noticed the few days before that every time I touched my face or my arms or whatever, my skin was on fire, but I figured it must because I was hot. Also, I was so tired that it was hard to do anything, and I figured that it was just because I was still suffering for jet lag and catching up on sleep. But, now I really think it’s because my body was fighting off an illness hardcore and I’m pretty sure that I had a fever. Friday afternoon I was exhausted and didn’t want to move and I was experiencing some mild tummy problems (yes, I will put it that way to save you from the TMI moment). I’m not sure if it was something that I ate, but I really didn’t feel too well. Friday night, I felt like I walked through fire. I was sweating bullets and waking up about every one or two hours because I was so uncomfortable and my skin was on fire. By morning, I was exhausted. But, after relaxing for the morning, I was feeling much better and crazy enough, I really just wanted to run, so I went to the International School and ran. Yesterday afternoon, the family arranged for me to be able to go to the Rock Garden with my Swahili tutor. We took a taxi there and then we walked back to town and caught a taxi from there. It was nice, and very small, but I’ve included some pictures below so that you can see:

When I returned, I immediately got to work on making the pizza that we were supposed to make on Friday, but it got to be too late. It was quite the adventure and I was SOOO proud of myself when we finished. The dough actually rose the way it was supposed to and we were able to cut up mini sausages and pineapple to put on top. I was able to get the sauce just right with all the correct ingredients. And, in spite of not having an oven, we were able to cook the pizza quite well by sticking the uncooked pizza in a small pan and then covering it with a lid that had coals on top of it (thus creating a mini-oven). The only problem was that we had to make 3 small pizzas instead of one big one, so it took FOREVER to cook them all, but the result was FANTASTIC!! It was so great to have that as an American treat!! Pizza and a Coke, such an American dinner in a third world country. Haha!!! :D

The pizza in the frying pan and topped with a lid full of coals to create an "oven". Haha.

Pictures of one of the pizzas we made.

Two of the pizzas we made all cut up and ready to eat!! :D

Well, I guess I shall leave things off there for now. This morning was just church and I stayed again afterwards for the youth service. This afternoon, I ate lunch, journalled, did homework for my Kiswahili lessons, and took a quick nap. Now I’m posting this blog (because the electricity finally came back on) and I still need to grade the tests for Class 6 sometime before or after my lesson. Tonight I also plan on practicing karate. :D

“ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

    “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:1-8

Blessings, Love, and Peace,

~Christine

New Things and Challenges

Well, today I learned how to play a new game!! Net Ball!! This afternoon, after a nice nap, I went to the Morogoro International School to run and I had been told that a volleyball team met at 5pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays to practice, so I was hoping to make some new connections through that. However, after running, I got the the volleyball court just before 5pm and no one was there. So, I waited for a little while, but no one showed up. So, I decided to do 6 more laps around the soccer field and head back. I was kind of bummed. But, as I was passing the school on my way back to the house, some of the students called out my name from the field "Madam Christina! Madam Christina! Come play with us!" So, I went over to see what they were doing. I found out that these girls get together every Tuesday and Thursday in the evening to play Net Ball at the school and they asked me to join them. It was SO much fun!! I made some mistakes, but it was really cool learning how to play! The goal is to throw the ball to your team mates across a court all the way up to a goal where someone shoots. But, because they only had half a court, my team just had to make 10 passes in a row to get a goal. It may sound easy, but it was not. In the end the score was tied and we all went home very happy! YAY!!

School is going well. My classes 6 & 7 are WONDERFUL!! I've really got a rhythm going with them and I feel like they are making good progress. In contrast, class 5 is digressing at an alarming rate. Today, I was grading their work from Friday and Monday and I was horrified at what I was seeing. After grading three students' books, I was ready to throw in the towel and just not even look at the others. Almost none of the students completed any of the homework that I had assigned and the grammar was appalling. I will have to re-teach the concepts again more slowly I guess and hope and pray that the students gain some form of understanding. *sigh*

Also, much to my dismay, I have discovered that there are HUGE cockroaches in Tanzania, just like at home. This morning I was cleaning up my room and out of the corner of my eye I caught something crawl under the bed. I knew what it was immediately and I ran for the shoe. The vile creature made its way across the room, but I was not able to get it before breakfast. But, after breakfast I found the huge nasty thing feigning death next to the fridge (I guess it could feel my hatred and desire for its death from the other room). I took my chance and pounded it with the shoe and then threw it in the toilet. Unfortunately, the water is off again, so I couldn't flush it away...*sigh*...at least it's dead... :'(
What makes is so incredibly ridiculous is that I'm more terrified of that cockroach than I am of the swarm of bugs that dive-bombed me while I was showering last week.  


In general, I'm doing well personally. I'm trying desperately to catch up on sleep because I missed out on so much the first week. I didn't sleep except for maybe an hour during my 24-hour travel here and I only got about 2 hours of sleep the first night here (because of the time change, not for lack of exhaustion) and I learned the first week that jet lag is a beast. The heat, of course, doesn't help and even just sitting around in it in the afternoons is wearing on the body. There's no air conditioning and the water doesn't always work (meaning some days it's only on for a few hours), but I don't have problems with that. So far, I rejoice at any new interaction that I get to have with others because it means that I'm beginning to formulate real connections here. I've finally gotten in contact with other American missionaries that Matt told me about and I will be joining the for Ultimate Frisbee some Saturday. (Not this Saturday because I will be going to the Rock Garden with the family because we didn't go last weekend due to the funeral). I'm figuring out things slowly, reading a lot (I've finished almost 4 books since leaving the states) and I've nearly filled up 1/5 of my journal that is actually bigger than most journals (I'm wishing I had brought more than just 2 now).

Well, for now, I'm going to leave you with  some pictures I took of students at the school:

Class 7 working hard!!

Picture of the school from my desk which is located outside of class 4 and I share it with two other teachers.

Some students talking to teachers outside of class 7. 

The administrative building behind the garden.

The playground area. (also where I played Net Ball)

Pictures of some students from class 2 (I think! Haha!) who have grown very fond of me. :D

Students lined up to receive their "porridge" during break. The porridge is pretty similar to Cream of Wheat, but is more watery.

Students enjoying their breakfast during break.

An English curriculum book for class five and my Swahili phrase book that I use to help me practice when I'm not grading.

"Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things." Jeremiah 33:3


Blessings, Love, and Many Hugs,
~Christine

Funny Litle Tidbits

So, I thought I would share some funny little tidbits with y'all that I hope will make you laugh.

So, aside from being asked if I was Celin Dion, or someone else famous, I receive a lot of attention because I am white. When I am walking by myself, (usually because I'm going to the International School), the people will call out "mzungu, mzungu" which means "white person". Hahaha!! Can you imagine being in America and every time you see someone of a different background, calling it out to them? "Black person!", "Hispanic person!", "Arab!", "Asian!". Haha. Also, it's particularly interesting to pass a particular place (I'm assuming they make bricks there because there are so many bricks laid out on the ground and piled up), but the will call out "I LOVE YOU!" I'm not really sure how to respond to that....LOL. I just smile and wave to be polite and then keep walking.

The next thing that makes me smile (and I wrote about this on facebook), but it's so funny at school how all of the children call me "madam". They are so well trained that as I enter the classroom and student will call "stand up" and then all of the students will stand up and say "We are standing up. Good morning Madam." And to that, my response is "Good morning class, how are you?" Then they say "We are fine, thank you. And, how are you?" to which I respond "I am fine. Thanks
you. You may sit down". And, anytime they want my attention they call "Madam!", "Madam!", "Madam!" On Friday, the students get to play sports, so I was playing frisbee with some of the students and any time they wanted to throw the frisbee to me or wanted me to throw it to them they would call "Madam! Over here!" It makes me smile! :D

Well, just a little update on my life here. This morning the family went to a funeral or ceremony for someone in the church who had a brother who had passed away. Although I was invited to join them, I felt funny about doing so seeing as I did not know the family or the man who passed away. I just hope that didn't communicate the wrong message that I don't care or something. I don't know...I think I would've felt funny either way, going or not going.
So, I read a bunch this morning and cleaned my room. You wouldn't believe how much dirt has accumulated on the floor (and then, maybe you can). After cleaning, I read for a while. I'm SOOO glad that I brought my Kindle with me. It really makes things so much easier because it doesn't take up very much space and I can download books whenever I want to!! This afternoon, Nathan and I watched Howl's Moving Castle after lunch and then I read some more. At quarter to 4, the pastor and I went to town where we made a few purchases. I have really wanted to buy a dress that is similar to what the locals wear. I didn't bring very much clothing (not even enough for one week really because I sweat so much that I don't like to wear my skirts more than once before washing them), so it's nice to have something else to add to the wardrobe. Funny enough, the majority of the clothes that I brought are blue or orange and the dress that I bought is blue. So, I guess it fits right in, but I'm feeling like I need some more color in my wardrobe. many of the women seem to just purchase stretches of fabric and wrap it around themselves, so I might see into buying something like that. They have such BEAUTIFUL fabrics here and I would like to have a couple things that are so colorful to wear. Pastor and I also went to visit the house of a child who has not shown up to school for the first two weeks and he wanted to see if everything was OK. She lives in old Morogoro which is a much more run-down looking area because it is older. The houses are much smaller and it kind of made me sad to think about children who grow up there as opposed to nicer areas, or really compared to kids in America. Idk, it just got me thinking a lot.
On the way back, I had to stop and pick up some more internet vouchers because I used up the package that I had bought already (I think it's because I had to download some things, such as the Rosetta Stone Program, and I bought some books off Kindle, and I think that used up a lot of the internet usage I had purchased). However, now that Matt has told me how to work the internet, I feel much better because now it only costs me about 10,000 Tsh for about 1 week's worth of internet. So, somewhere around $6. I guess that's not too bad?

Well, I guess I'm going to wrap this post up now!! Church tomorrow!! :D

"Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life." Psalm 23:6

May the LORD bless you and keep you,
Christine

Random Musings of a Tanzania Missionary

Ok, so I just have to start by saying that it is SOOOO crazy to me that I post these blogs and then everyone reads them. I know that I shouldn't be surprised (because I know you all love me and are interested in what I'm doing), but it's still hard to wrap my head around it. In my mind, I am just an average person following the call that God has placed before me. I was thinking about this the other day because one of the teachers asked me if I was Celin Dion. HAHAHAHA!! She pretty much pulled out a book and pointed to the picture and asked if that was me. I tried to tell her no, that I was just an average person, but she flipped to another page and pointed to a picture and asked if that was me. Once again, I tried to explain that I was just an average person from America and finally she understood that I was a missionary.

Although the whole scenario made me laugh to myself, it made me think about who I am and why am I here. I am just an average person. I laugh, I cry, I complain, I say mean things, I am capable of so many good things and so many bad things all at once. I need food and water to survive and when I am hurt I bleed just like everyone else. The only true thing that makes me special or in any way extraordinary is God's presence in my life. If it wasn't for Him and the calling and desire that He placed in my life all those many years ago, I would not be here doing this right now. If it wasn't for the way that He perfectly lined up the events in my life, I would not be here right now. Every night, as I am falling asleep, I thank God that He provided me with this opportunity to come here and to do the things that I am doing. Thus, I cannot take any credit, but only reflect all of the praise and glory back to Him. So, for now, I am here, and all I can do is listen to Him and trust Him that He has wonderful plans for me here.

I would like to say that if anyone would like to ask me any questions about my experience so far or about Tanzania specifically, or whatever, I'll be more than willing to answer them as best as I can. Just post your question as a comment and I'll answer when I get on next!! :D

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

Peace, Love, and Blessings
~Christine

End of First Week in Morogoro

Well, today marks the end of my first full week in Morogoro. So far I am loving it!! The family is great, the food is good, the housing situation is good, the teaching gets better every day. While I was running today, I was thinking about how I'm going to be here all the way until June. Right now, that seems like such a long time, but it's only a few months. I'm only just now beginning to make my place here. Soon I will be making real friendships with people and I will have a real sense of belonging here, but that's still coming. Right now, I'm still an outsider.
People stare at me as I walk by and I wonder what they think of me, an upbeat smiling white woman. I especially wonder what they think when I'm walking over to the International School to run (I've only been over there to run twice now-yesterday and today), but I really stand out with my pony tail, wearing my running shorts, t-shirt and running shoes. All the women I pass have short hair, and are wearing long skirts (to their knees or longer) and nice shoes. Although, I was told by the pastor's daughter that it would be fine for me to wear my running clothes out and around, I am very self conscious (more so then I've ever been in my life). Although, I guess I've never had so many people outright stare at me at once.

Well, now that I have rambled on, I've decided for the blog just to walk you through a day in my life here in Morogoro.
During the week, I wake up at 6am. I do my yoga routine for about 30 minutes and then get dressed and have breakfast. Breakfast is 2 pieces of plain, un-toasted bread, with jam on them put together like a sandwich and maybe some hotdogs. (maybe they're sausages, but they look and taste like hot dogs, haha). School starts at 7:30am, and it's only about a five minute walk from the house, so we leave sometime around 7:25. Assembly lasts about 10 minutes and then classes begin at 7:40am. The students stay in their classrooms and the teachers cycle through to teach their respective classes. There are 9 40-minute periods throughout the day in addition to a 20-minute break. I teach only English 5, 6, and 7, so I have plenty of time to sit around and lesson plan and grade. I've had SOOO much grading to do (and it's really my fault for not realizing I had to grade daily). For example, today I spent about 3 1/2 hours grading and only an hour and a half teaching. I was so exhausted after grading so much, but I feel rather accomplished now and on top of things!! YAY!! Right now, though, we get out early (at 1:40pm), but in February, we will have to stay longer to help the students who are struggling and need extra assistance. Thus, there is no lunch break and we eat lunch when we get home.
After lunch, (at least this has been so for the last few days) I have been making strong efforts to get my laundry done. It takes a while because you really have to scrub the clothes in the soapy water, then you have to rinse them in the clean water (which you have to trade out occasionally because it gets too soapy), and then you have to wring them out and hang them on the clothes line. Each day I got about 1/3 of the laundry done and it took about 45 minutes - 1 hour each time. You may thinking that I brought too much laundry, but really I did not. I only have about 5 skirts and about 15 tops (including my running shirts and t-shirts) in addition to my towels, bras, and underpants (which yes, they get hung out on the line too for everyone to see...oh well, haha). I haven't even worn everything yet and yet it still feels like it takes me FOREVER!!! I takes a whole day for the laundry to dry, so I bring the laundry in at night in case it rains and then hang it out again in the morning. After laundry, I exercise (either karate in my room or running at the International School). Then, I return to my room where I blog, read, journal, skype, or whatever else I feel like doing. Dinner is around 8:30/9pm-ish and I am always starving by then (I'm soooo glad that I brought some granola bars and Luna bars with me. I wish I had brought more!!!! Someone please send me some!! HAHA!!!!) After dinner, a member of the family reads two chapters from the Bible (someone different every night. Tonight is my night!!) and then discusses what it means to them. Then we pray together and go to bed at about 10:30pm. Of course, I still have to shower and lock down my room (meaning locking all the doors, moving one of the heavy chairs in front of my front door and closing the curtains to the windows. Also, I lock up all of my "important things" in my backpack and sleep with the keys tied around my waist. I'm not too afraid of anyone breaking in and taking anything (although the household helper did run away the other night, so I'm being extra cautious). There are so many safety measures that the family takes: they have multiple doors with multiple locks in addition to the locked gate outside. Also, there is a night guard. I'm not sure that anyone could get it (knock on wood) if they tried. By the time I finally go to sleep under my bug net, I am exhausted and promptly pass out. Just more for your information, not that you probably care too much, but I don't sleep with any sheets because it is so warm here. It's summer and the weather is a lot like summer in Louisiana: VERY hot and VERY humid (although it's not so humid as Dar es Salaam) and there is no air conditioning. It's actually not as bad as it sounds because there's almost always a breeze.

Well, that is a day in my life here in Morogoro! Hope you are having a wonderful week and have many exciting things planned for your weekend!!

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the filed grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?...Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:28-31 & 34

Love, peace, and blessings,
~Christine

Teaching In Morogoro

Well, today I have finished my second day of teaching at the Wesley Primary School here in Morogoro. Here is a picture of the school. (of course I will have more pictures and ones with kids in them before long!)

Teaching English has not been too bad of an experience so far. I have my lesson plans made up through Friday and I am set to go. The students are very shy and it's hard to get them to speak up in class, but I think that with time, they will become more comfortable with me. The most successful activities that I've done have been speaking in pairs and completing written activities. However, I did not realize that I would need to grade their work EVERY day, so I'm a little bit behind in that. By the end of today, I will have finished grading Class 6's work. Hopefully by tomorrow I will have caught up with Class 7 (which only has 10 students), so that shouldn't be too bad. However, Wednesdays are my heaviest days. Instead of only teaching 1 period of English for classes 5, 6, and 7, I have to teach 2 periods each (so 6 classes total). But, I have high hopes for being able to get everything I need to done. Before I know it, I'll have my definite routine down and things will run more smoothly.
Yesterday, Nadina and Nathan brought me to the International School where I will be able to run in the afternoons. Today will be my first day running in over a week and I am SOOOOOOOO excited!!! We also went into town and hiked up to the Rock Garden. However, we got to the rock garden too late, so we decided to save our money and pay to visit it sometime over the weekend.

It looks gorgeous from what I could see, and I'm very excited to go. We hiked a little further up the mountain after the rock garden before heading back. Here's a picture of where Nathan and I raced up to the white fence before turning back.

Last night was rather uneventful, until it was time to take a shower. Oh my gosh, I've never seen so many tiny flying bugs in the same space at one time. Not sure where they came from, but were probably a product of all the rain we has yesterday morning. Anyways, They were all over the walls, the ceiling, the sink, the toilet, my room, the floor. I took the fastest shower I could manage because they kept landing on me and it was terrible!!! I couldn't wait to get into bed and under my bug net after all of that. This morning, I woke up and most of them were dead. I should've taken a picture because it was the craziest sight you've ever seen. The bathroom floor was littered with their little dead bodies. I swept it up as best as I could this morning, but had to sweep again this afternoon because some had still been alive in the morning and were dead by afternoon. I'm just glad they didn't last too long.

Today teaching was better, but of course it will continue to get better as I settle into a routine and learn all of the requirements for the school. This afternoon, it's raining and I'm guess I'm glad I haven't left to go run yet because it would not be fun to get caught in a storm. However, I hope that I don't have a bug problem again. *sigh* I do have to say that was quite a traumatic experience.

Well, I'm going to leave things here for now. Here are some pictures of the pastor's house and my bedroom/bathroom(sans thousands of dead bugs)/closet.

Pastor's house. My room is just inside the door on the left side of the building.

 View from outside my door.

 View from the front porch.

 My sitting area (right inside the door). I've been known to open the door (because there's no air conditioning) and sit reading here.

 My bed with the roses some ladies from the church gave me.

 The roses from the ladies of the church.

 My desk and bed covered up by the bug net (aka, the best invention EVER). :D

 My desk.

 My closet is a series of shelves that is 3 high. The bottom level is shoes and my yoga mat, the middle shelf contains the small number of clothes that I brought, and the top shelf is my toiletries/bugspray/first aid kit.

Well, I hope that gives everyone a small peek into my life so far here at Morogoro. In spite of the no air conditioning, the crazy bugs that attack me in the shower, and the rain that wakes me up at 4am, I am very happy and excited to be here. The good things that I have far outweigh the bad and I am looking forward to having a very nice time here. I pray that you are well and that you know that God's walking with you wherever you are.

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Isaiah 58:11

Blessings, love, and peace,
Christine

First Few Days in Morogoro!!!

Well, here I am in Tanzania!!! I’m going to go ahead and pre-write this post so that I will not have to use so many precious minutes online. I just bought some today, but had no idea how quickly those vouchers would be used up! Already I need to go back to the store and purchase more. But, learning takes time and soon I will get the hang of things.

So, in case you didn’t know, I am staying with the pastor and his family. (Although, of his 6 children, only his daughter Nadine and his son Nathan are at home now. The others are either away at school or married and back in the Congo). So far, they have been absolutely wonderful and generous towards me. My room is built off of their home and has a very nice sized bedroom that has a desk and a shelf covered with sheets that serves as a closet. The room has plenty of space for yoga stretching and also practicing karate!!! (YAY!!) A few hanging curtains serve to separate my room for a sitting area where I have spent quite a bit of time reading. The view from the house is absolutely STUNNING!! It looks out at the Uluguru Mountains and they are tall and majestic. Pictures do not do them justice in any way.

Friday was my first day at the school and the pastor introduced me to the head teacher. The head teacher gave me the materials that I would need in order to make my lesson plans so that I could begin teaching on Monday (tomorrow)! The school is very nice, the teachers were very warm in greeting me, and the students are very well behaved. I’m very excited to begin teaching them so soon!! On Fridays, the students get out of school early and have a chance to play sports. As I was sitting outside at the desk where I was making my plans, I was soon surrounded by a bunch of first class girls. They were so shy at first but soon they warmed up to me. We went out onto the playground and joined some other girls playing net ball, which is a popular sport here. However, I had so many children holding my hands that I could barely move, so I was content to just watch the others play.

Yesterday morning, Nadine and I went into town and I was able to exchange my American dollars for Tanzania shillings and also purchase vouchers for the internet (however, obviously I need to buy more). I purchased a 5,000 Tsh card, but that only lasted me about 20 min. Thus, my attempt to skype my family failed miserably, but I will make sure that next time I have enough credits to stay on longer. At least I got to see them and they got to see that I am here and also I showed them a virtual tour of my room.

This morning I went to church with the pastor and his family. It was WONDERFUL!!! The singing was great and upbeat! I hope that once I have been here for a while and become more familiar with the language and songs I will be able to join the choir. This afternoon I read for a while in my little sitting area with the door open. It was wonderful to have the breeze coming in through the doorway and to be able to look out at Tanzania! This afternoon, I went on a walk with Nadine and Nathan around Morogoro. It was such a wonderful afternoon (not nearly as hot as yesterday) and it was nice to be out, walking around. I can’t wait until Nadine shows me how to get to the international school tomorrow. They have a track and I will be able to run finally after a week off!! It feels more like a year!! For now, I must get back to lesson planning because I teach first thing in the morning! School starts at 7:40 am, so I will get up at 6:15am so that I will have enough time to do my morning yoga routine and get dressed and eat before I have to be there.

So far, I am very content to be here, finally! Everyone that I have met has been very kind towards me and I can’t wait to get to know them further during my time here. Words cannot express how grateful I am to be here and how much I know that God is going to bless this time.

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24

Blessings, love, and peace,

~Christine

First Day in Morogoro

I do not have much time to write now because I will soon run out of pre-paid internet credits that were given to me by the previous missionary teacher. But, I am here in Morogoro and it is AMAZING!! I can't wait to upload pictures because it is absolutely stunning here. The pastor and his family have been so wonderful thus far in helping me get situated. I honestly couldn't have asked for a more fitting assignment.
The school is just a few minutes walk from the pastor's house and it is very nice. Today the pastor introduced me to the head teacher who gave me the materials that I would need to make my lesson plans. I will be teaching classes 5, 6, and 7 and helping them prepare for the exams that they will have to pass in order to enter secondary school. I have already finished the lesson plans for class 6 (equal to grade 6) and have made a nice sized dent in the lesson plans for class 7 (equal to grade 7). The students are enthralled with me and my hair. During the afternoons on Fridays they have a time to play sports. I went out to the play area to try and meet the students and before long I had a huge group of them surrounding me; three of them holding onto each hand. It was amazing!!

I pray that all is well with you and that God blesses your life. Don't be afraid to answer His calls because He will bring you amazing places and show you many wonderful things!

"He has shown you, oh man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God." Micah 6:8

Blessings,
~Christine

Goodbye For Now, But Not Forever

Throughout the course of the last week or so, I've been saying good-bye to so many people. I guess in many ways, I've acted as if this trip is goodbye forever. But, it's not really. As my time of departure comes closer and closer, I realize that I'll only be gone for 6 months! Before I know it, I'll be back in the states. So, I guess this means that this is just goodbye for now, not forever. I love you all and pray for God's presence in your lives to show you the path that you are to follow. I also pray for you for the strength to chase after that path, no matter where it may lead or how scary it may seem. God is always with you and He is holding your hand through it all.

Well, I guess the next time I post I will be in Tanzania! Get excited!! Until then, I leave you with this Irish blessing:

"May the roads rise to meet you,
May the winds always be at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
The rains fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand."

With much love,
Christine