If You're in the Neighborhood

Have you ever heard of the "Great North Road"? It also is referred to as the Cape (as in Capetown) to Cairo Road. Well, it goes past the Jesuit parish here -- though its route through Tanzania is disputed, and Morogoro also claims that it goes through that city. In any case, it is paved in front of our compound, but about a mile away it turns into a horribly pot-holed road -- not so great except the size of the potholes.

It is amazing to think that I live on the same street as someone in Capetown or Cairo.

If you happen to be traveling along the road... Karibu sana!

Jealousy

A friend recently wrote to ask if I was "jealous" regarding all the fundraising for Haiti. He didn't mean it as such, I don't think, but I found it offensive -- at least really inappropriate.

Well, I just did have a tinge of jealousy. Why can't my favorite musician have a benefit for OLQP?

Licence to Drive

I asked on Tuesday night what it takes to get a licence to drive. The answer: “Oh, just give Mzee Januari two passport photos, your present licence, and 10,000 shillings (about $1.50 USD) and you’re set.” I was worried I had to surrender my California licence. “Oh, no – they just want to know that you’ve driven before.” So I gave Mzee Januari (Mzee is a term of respect for an older person; Januari is a factotum who has been a long time collaborator of the Jesuits here).

This is another thing to like about this country! No DMV!

My asking about a licence opened up the conversation to traffic laws and traffic police. Many of the tales had to do with being stopped by the police and entering into a conversation such that the officer forgets why he/she originally had you pull over (they stand on the side of the road and motion you to the shoulder). One of my companions mentioned being pulled over because he was not buckled up. I said, “But the daladalas have no seatbelts, and they drive so carelessly. Why aren’t they pulled over?” “Oh, because they’ve already paid in advance.” Foolish me.

This is what a driving licence (notice, folks, that I'm trying hard to use British spelling conventions) looks like (It's a little red book -- no Maoist aphorisms, though):

Fauna

What I've seen during recent visits to the campus: puff adders, mongooses (or something mongoose-like), and scorpions. Oh my.

I've made an addition to the Student Handbook: "Students are to remain on cleared paths."

Colleagueship

I've written about it before, but I experienced it anew last evening. The people who work here at the parish all came together last night for Mass and a party. After some great food was eaten -- and some drinks were drunk! -- the dancing began. As you can see, fun was had by all -- even Horace, the young son of the parish secretary turned his frown upside down.

There were problems with the cd player. Finally, we found a song that didn't skip: pole, samahani -- so sorry, please excuse me. I thought the words were, pole, samaki -- so sorry for you, fish. "Pole" is a great expression; it means "sorry for you," distinguished from the "sorry" meaning "I apologize."

Spes Gregis

A little Latin for a change: hope of the flock.

Students from Standards IV and VII at the Jesuit primary school here in Dodoma, St. Ignatius Primary School, recently visited the OLQP site.

I didn't accompany them on their trip (this photo was taken by Claire Ball, and English volunteer who arrived just about a month ago), but from all reports they were very excited.

A Video Update on Progress at OLQP

I headed out to the OLQP site today, expecting to be slip-sliding in mud because we had such a heavy rain last night. They didn’t get as much rain at the campus (which is about 10 miles away from the Jesuit parish, where I live). A lovely day. Here are some videos that capture the progress. Petit à petit l’oiseau fait son nid – that’s’ French, not Kiswahili: Little by little the bird makes its nest.

While on the campus I was particularly struck by how “chirpy” the birds were. As Bart Murphy told me in Morogoro after a few rains brought out the green and the buds, “It doesn’t take much for nature to be thankful.” Incidentally, I saw some spectacular birds – all we manage to see here at the parish (named for its ward kiwanja cha ndege -- ndege being the word for both bird and plane), really, are sparrows.