Kituo cha Vijanna

Today was our first day at the youth center where we’ll be spending our next few weeks.  I am teaching one period of English to Form 7, or what we might consider eighth graders.  We (Sean and I) showed up today at 8am, and we were both expected to start teaching the next period. That was the first time we got our assignments and saw what we were teaching. That was not fun.  Thankfully I had a book to follow, so I taught a room full of maybe 30 students, many whose names I cannot remember or pronounce, about subjective and objective pronouns.  What? You don’t remember what those are?  Yeah, me neither.  Thankfully Mr. Daransky from my middle school days really crammed that grammar stuff into me – and I remembered after a major cram session (that’s one valuable thing I learned at college!).  So I wrote up a quick (and pathetic) “lesson plan” with scheduled breaks to stretch and breathe in case I got really boring… Thankfully for those kids, I sure did get pretty boring, and I had a nice little relief seeing them smile as I reached for the sky, reached for our toes, and mimicked their dance moves.

One good thing about Tanzanian is that this is an extremely polite society.  For example, the way one greets an elder is by saying “shikamoo,” translated literally like, I bow at your feet, or something along those lines.  So these students seemed to quiet when prompted and are quick to help when asked.  They also think I’m funny, or they are good at pretending that I’m funny, or even more so they are laughing at me – but whatever it is, I truly appreciate the giggles that break up any silence that comes from my inexperience as their English teacher.  Oh and how they smile.  I adore their smiles.  They will stare at me with these stern faces, but if I look them in their eyes and give them a silly grin, they sometimes get bashful but they smile back so brightly. 

So I will be teaching one hour and 10 minute long class Monday through Friday for the next few weeks.  I’m not especially looking forward to the teaching, but I am hopeful that this will be good practice for when I begin at Peter Claver.  I am also hopeful that I can soon learn to read the kids and see how they best learn.  (To my teacher friends out there, I need tips. Lots of them!! Also, I always respected you before, but now I worship you. Your job is hard.)

Today was full of firsts because we had our first official Kiswahili lesson with David our tutor and it went so well.  I’m starting to feel a little more comfortable using words I know. And I am absolutely sure that having David will speed up my learning. I’m so excited and thankful for him.

Our last first was our first community night with the Jesuits.  Every Monday evening we (Sean, Thomas, Jana and I) are invited for Mass, dinner, and fellowship at their residence.  I am so in love with these men and looking forward to getting to know them much better these next two years.  Mass was said by Fr. Shirima who kind of reminds me of my dear friend Fr. Cozzens, which makes me think of him when I see Fr. Shirima.  He speaks so beautifully and something about him just makes you think he’s so wise.  Mass was in their little chapel in their home, and we had “kitimoto” for dinner.  (Kitimoto is pork, literally translated as fire chair – much of Tanzania is Muslim, a religion and culture in which pork is not eaten, and so the saying goes if you eat it, you have to eat it quickly and run, hence, hot seat).  And later we played Uno and drank wine made in Dodoma.  It was such a lovely night.

Now it is late and I have to wake early (woof) again for class. Usiku mwema, good night!