Nimechoka sana!

I am very tired.
This morning I arrived at our primary school (actually the Tanzanian word for this level of education is better, I think -- shule ya msingi, foundation school) at 10:15 a.m. for the school's graduation. I arrived late (the festivities were scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m.) because I have so many things in the air right now and had to get some work done.
The ceremony ended -- get this! -- at a little after 5:00 p.m. It was a long day -- frankly, too long. Too many folks spoke too many words. It was unfortunate because what should have been the highlight -- the awarding of the "leaving certificate" -- was done without solemnity, in a very rushed manner.
Things were so long that there was a break for a meal in the middle of the ceremony (the meal was meant to conclude the ceremony).
Despite all the problems with the graduation ceremony, it was wonderful to be part of it. It is the first graduation of the primary school, and the pioneers were proud to be the first. But now I am content to pour a cold one and rest a bit before I receive a guest from Morogoro, Mchungaji Joshua Magyar, a Lutheran pastor who was at language school with me. It will be good to catch up with him (he's from the US, having been most recently pastoring in Montana).

And Again, Thanks

Fundraising for books for our library through Books for Africa has been so successful, that we're already starting on our second round! Take a peek.

I was in Dar es Salaam these past days, and I'm so thankful for the help especially of Steve Meyo, SJ, a scholastic who serves as the academic dean at Loyola High School. He's been supportive since day one, and his help has been invaluable. I had the opportunity to meet with our book dealer, who has a great name, David Chacha. While in Dar es Salaam I also worked on our salary scale, and called back candidates for various teaching positions. Still working on hiring.

Also, while I was in Dar es Salaam, Sr. Eugenie, a sister from the DRC, asked to meet with me. She was concerned because one of the best students in the graduating class of Gonzaga (the Jesuit primary school in Mabibo, the poor neighborhood where Loyola High School is also located) who is interested in studying with us here at St. Peter's, is also one of the poorest. She wanted to know what resources we have available to help the young man, should he be accepted. Fortunately, many friends, family, and folks I've met along the way during the last year have helped us to be able to help some such students. If you'd like to help in this regard, feel free to go to the link to the Chicago Province Jesuit's development office website to the right of this entry.

There are a lot of other things we could use your assistance with, too. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to provide such assistance -- there are "niches" for every interest and for every pocketbook!

Thanks again!

So Much to Learn

It has taken me almost a year to get learn about textbooks. Who would have thought that this would be an area of confusion.

Each time I asked someone about textbooks, the answer was just a little different -- or at least seemed so to me. Today, finally, I've figured it out: There is no such thing as a standard issued textbook. They are all based on the national syllabus, but the teacher might be using one and the students using textbooks from four different publishers. I've asked faculty members at Loyola High School, Dar es Salaam, to help me identify what are the best textbooks. I'm going to purchase enough of these for each student to have his/her own.

While in D'Salaam, I also enlisted the help of two faculty members from the science department to list the needs for our first year in the labs.
Finally, today I juggled the finalists for our teaching positions with our schedule. If -- and it's a big IF -- everyone to whom I offer a job accepts, we'll be able to make it with 7 teachers. Details as they unfold!

Friday Funnies

I received an application today addressed as follows:

Headmaster
St. Peter's Clever Secondary School
PO Box 2175
Dodoma

I'm happy to know that St. Peter Claver is already considered a clever school!

Asanteni Sana!

Thank you very much to all the folks in Toledo who participated in Sunday's fund-raiser for books for us. I really do appreciate it.

A Visit to the OLQP Site

I had reason to be at the site 4 different times this past week. Things continue to progress. Here are some pictures of the classroom block. The first is a picture shot from the almost-completed wing toward the laboratory classrooms. The area in front of the curve will be where speakers for the morning assembly will stand. You can see in the second photo the view from the balcony of the laboratory wing. Finally, the view of the campus that Jesuits will have from our residence (when it is completed!).

BIG BUCK$ for BOOKS

My friends Rob and Dana, Pete and Mary, and Tom and Jennifer along with my sister Toni are hosting a fund-raiser in Toledo, Ohio, tomorrow. The goal is to raise enough money for a container of books to be sent to us.

I am so thankful for their generosity and the generosity of so many others who have helped in the planning and execution of the event -- not to mention those who have kindly donated to Books for Africa for our project.

We really appreciate it.

My great regret is not to be able to join folks at one of my favorite Toledo watering hole, Dale's (which is actually in Maumee).

Ihumwa's Big Dig

If you ever wondered how to catch an elephant, here is your answer! First you dig a BIG hole; then you put long branches over it, and then leaves over the branches. And then you wait. And wait. And in our case wait and wait because there are no elephants here.

This hole is actually for the biodigester for our waste water.

The Challenges of Hiring Teachers

We published an advertisement for teachers in one of the national newspapers and had a good response -- about 80 cv's turned in to date. I spent the weekend calling folks in for interviews, which we'll have on the 21st of this month. (I've put together a hiring committee.)

Many, many applications for employment are from folks who have done degrees in history and geography. I surveyed people to see which program of study is considered the easiest. You'll never guess the answer! On the other hand, very few applications for sciences, especially agriculture.

Now one of the other challenges I am facing is fraud. One of the applicants claimed to have completed a diploma in journalism and computers (an odd combination) at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland, Brisbane, Sydney, Australia. Now many folks here might be fooled by the document he submitted, but the first thing I noticed was the seal of the University, which is very much like the seal of the University of Maryland, USA -- complete with the emblems of the Calvert family, the founding family of MD. That was the first clue, and then I saw Brisbane, Sydney -- 12 hours drive from one another. Oh and the "stamp" is an image with an "M" with the words "images of UM."

Mind you, we have some good, honest candidates for teaching positions. Nevertheless, the lesson learned is "Hirer beware!"

Today's Visit to OLQP

Some sisters joined me and two scholastics (one is a scholastic from Spain, Alfonso, who is the cousin of my friend Diego Alonso-Lasheras, sj) joined me on a trip to check out the progress at the site. I was pleased. Things are moving along. Among the pleasant sights was the school chapel, the design of which will be quite nice. It will be a large chapel, seating over 1,200. Below is the first blessing from the sanctuary area.


Below is the classroom block as seen from the boys dormitory.

Below is the patrons' and matrons' lodging.

Kijiji, Mji, Jiji

Those are the different levels of municipality, from village to major metropolitan area.

Folks talk about Dodoma as an mji. Dodoma-town is how people refer to it, to distinguish it from the region of the same name. But Dodoma really isn't an mji, it is a kijiji, a village. I tell people that if they adopt this outlook, they'll never be disappointed -- once you start thinking of it as a city or city, the accompanying expectations will only lead to your disappointment.

However, because Dodoma serves as the political capital of the country, it means that when the parliament is in session it swells because the members are here with their staffs, etc. And now the members of the ruling party, the CCM, are gathering here to coordinate their efforts for the fall elections. We can hear the planes landing, and the green color of the party is seen at every turn. So sometimes the kijiji morphs into something approximating a mji.

"Overhaul Education System"

That was part of the headline of a story printed last Thursday in one of the national English newspapers, The Guardian.

This story gives you some indication of just why what we're up to here in Dodoma is important.

One of the conclusions of the report is that even graduates of universities have "problems with communication, analytical and presentation skills, which often translate into problems with competence." These, in fact, are the very skills that graduates of Jesuit schools often excel in.

As daunting (and even frustrating at times) as this huge project is, it is knowing what a difference St. Peter Claver High School at OLQP will make that makes me excited about the project.

What we are about to do will make a difference to some children, yes; but it will serve as a model along with the Jesuit school in Dar es Salaam, Loyola High School, for what schooling can look like, thus potentially affecting positively the education of thousands of others.