Pole na Majukumu

That is one of the secondary greetings one hears here -- or at least that I have heard often these last days. After the traditional Habari za asubuhi/leo/jioni/kazi/nyumbani?, etc. -- What's up this morning/today/this evening/with your work/at home?, etc. -- the second greeting might be something like pole na majukumu, sorry for all your responsibilities/tasks/duties.

My days have been filled with lots of tasks -- but the days have been for the most part delightful. Six of our seven teachers showed up (if anyone knows of an agriculture/biology teacher I'm in search of such!) and we've had some very good time together so far; but this time together requires a lot of planning on my part (even though I did remote planning for these days a year ago!). I am very happy with these folks, and I think we'll make a very good team.

We've met for two weeks now. Our meetings serve as a sort of crash course regarding Jesuit education and some details regarding the school. We've had some nice discussions of the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm and how we might make use of this teaching model at our school. The presence of our volunteers Sean and Laura has been invaluable because they can speak of their own experience of Jesuit education -- from a student perspective.

We've also had other productive conversations about the educational realities here in Tanzania. I'm thankful for the presence of a Jesuit scholastic who has been assigned to the school for the coming seven or so months, Maurice Mkhotya. He'll act as a sort of assistant -- and at times as my vicar.

Maurice is from Singida, which is about 3 hours away; he was an English teacher before joining the Jesuits. His contributions have been very helpful.

I meant to take pictures of the teachers today, but I was distracted (see above re: many tasks!).

My days start at 5 a.m., when I make the proximate preparations for our daily meetings -- reviewing my notes, getting materials prepared, etc. I then have morning Mass (today I was at the Brothers of Charity -- Upendo Brothers -- just outside of Dodoma proper). I grab a quick bite to eat and then continue getting things organized for our meeting that starts at 8:00 a.m.

The afternoon is spent with other tasks involved in getting the school opened: working on some continuing admissions issues, preparing orders for textbooks, reviewing teaching schedules, etc. In the evening I do more planning for the teacher meetings and do some correspondence.

My relaxation these days really has amounted to trying to keep up with family and friends. Folks have noted my presence on the Internet at odd hours. In fact, I am often texting or talking at 2 a.m. in the morning -- wireless broadband has been a great thing for me!

Things are only going to get more hectic, I know -- and I'm happy for that. I am eager to get my office moved from the parish offices to the school site and to be able to hire a secretary. I am not the most organized person, and having a secretary at this time will be a great help to me (I won't be searching through piles to find things, etc.).