Umeamkaje?

That's the morning greeting. Literally: How did you wake up? And the polite response is "salama" --peacefully, even if you didn't. I didn't. Our neighbors have watchdogs that yip and bark the whole night and last night there was a nightclub going full blast. I finally managed to get to sleep soundly sometime around 3:00 a.m., only to be awakened by the muezzin at 5:00 a.m. It took me weeks to get used to the trucks braking in Morogoro; I trust I'll become as desensitized to these new sounds -- in the meantime I'm thankful for the white-noise application on my iphone.

I concelebrated the 7:30 a.m. Mass this morning. The church is built for about 1,400 people and there were hundreds of people standing along the sides and outside. The choir was amazing as usual. Before the final blessing I said a few words: Nimejifunza Kiswahili Morogoro. Ni vigumu sana kujifunza Kiswahili; kuna maneno mengi! Siwezi kusema wala kusoma kiswahili vizuri, lakini nataka kusema kama waswahili; kwa hiyo nitajaribu kujifunza kwa bidii. Translation: I studied Kiswahili in Morogoro. It's hard to learn: There are so many words! I don't speak or read Kiswahili well, but I want to speak like Swahili speakers. Therefore, I'm going to try very hard.

The applause I received was amazing.

I did pray part of the Eucharistic Prayer and was told afterward that it was perfectly read in unaccented Kiswahili. People are kind.

A funny story about why I need to learn it: In the sacristy before Mass, the catechist pointed to a bucket filled to the brim with water. Well, I know how important the tradition of washing hands is here, so I washed mine. What he was asking me do, however, was bless the water.

Today will be spent getting settled, writing my homily for tomorrow's Mass, and visiting with my friend Ibariki (from the verb kuibariki, to bless --as in "God bless Tanzania," the national anthem. Incidentally, the national anthem is a prayer -- a prayer that all citizens of this country, whatever their religion, can pray together. Rather nice, that.). Ibariki is a student at the University of Dodoma who is from Morogoro. I'll get a little pumzika (rest) in, too.

Jumapili Njema! Have a good Sunday.