Reading Suggestion

If you're looking for a good book about post-colonial Africa, I can suggest Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles. I just finished it -- and wish I'd known about it two years ago.

Here's a review.

Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire

One of the disconcerting things I face occurs at this time of the year. Folks love to play Christmas carols. Some are religious and others are the seasonal secular songs about sleigh rides, city sidewalks, jingling bells, white Christmases, etc.

It will be a busy time leading up to Christmas and the days following. In the next month, I have to organize the academic reports for this year, schedule the school for next year (a more difficult task than last because we have more streams to schedule), and the orientation of teachers and students to worry about.

In some ways, I shouldn't worry so much. I spend a lot of energy, for instance, going through the logistics of the arrival of our incoming students. Where will they first report? What business should happen where? All of these things are things I catch myself thinking about when I wake up at 2:00 a.m. in the morning. But I shouldn't worry so much because people are patient and are, frankly, accustomed to less than organized affairs like arrivals. I shouldn't worry so much, but I cannot help myself.

The scheduling as difficult as it is has always provided me some measure of enjoyment. I first did school scheduling at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio. I learned from Rich Clark, the principal who got me started in school administration. Scheduling is, in fact, a puzzle -- one that can be solved. And after the hair pulling and head banging are finished, the scheduler can take great comfort in seeing the beauty of solution.

There are those times when that beauty masks some difficulties. Like the time when a missing period in a program meant that a whole group of seniors weren't scheduled for a science lab period. That presents a puzzle within a puzzle -- How to correct their schedule without having to re-schedule the whole school? (Incidentally, the problem would be easily handled here -- you'd either just inform the students and the teacher that the lab will be held on Saturday or you'd do a simple switch with another class and be done with it.)

Back to the Christmas carols. Those secular ones are meant to tug on heart strings -- even if they're not meant to, they do. There is a tug on my heart strings right now, but it doesn't come from carols but from reviewing the year. I recently had occasion to review a video of our students from their first week here. How they have grown! But not only how they have grown, how we have all progressed along the road. It has been in many ways a difficult road filled with obstacles but none has been insurmountable. What we have all (students, faculty, staff) put up with! But nevertheless, we continued. And here we find ourselves at a signpost pointing the direction for the future.

So even as I wilt at all the tasks ahead of me, I couldn't be more satisfied with what we've been able to accomplish with our own hard work and with so many friends. And of course with the grace of God, always already there for us.

Here It Is Decmber.

So many connectivity problems -- that combined with a cold that has kept me down for weeks (until the wonders of z-pack!) and so many things at the end of the year and in preparation for next.

Many folks review their charitable giving as the year comes to a close. Please remember us as you do so! We're certainly appreciative of any assistance. (You'll find the link in the right side of this page.)

Prayers for Advent blessings.

The Music of the Wagogo

Among my small frustrations is that our students are not so interested in the traditions of their ancestors. You cannot make someone to be interested in such, but you can encourage (and be filled with disappointment knowing that in 20 years they'll wish they'd listened!).

Here you can see how beautiful the local music is. Only rarely do I have the chance to hear it -- and I must prefer the traditional music at Mass, too -- instead of blaring organ music.

Rose Muhando

From the moment the buildings first started rising from the ground, we have had a frequent visitor to the school concerned about securing a place for her child, who in fact did well on our entrance examination

Her name is Rose Muhando, which meant nothing to me. But to Tanzanians hers is a well-known name because Rose is the leading gospel singer. A brush with celebrity!

Ee Mungu Wangu, Unifundishe...

"Oh my God, teach me..." or "Lord, teach me..."

These are the first words of a prayer commonly said by students at Jesuit schools throughout the world -- St. Ignatius' "Prayer for Generosity."

Our students wanted to do something special for our friends at Walsh Jesuit High School; they chose to sing the prayer for generosity for them.

As at any high school, there are varying degrees of enthusiasm for singing. It's a great song, with a wonderful tune that stays in my mind the whole day. Incidentally, our students sing the Suscipe, another prayer of St. Ignatius, at the preparation of the gifts at Mass. (Unlike the dirge so popular in the United States, our version is a march.)

TravellingI

This evening I'm in Dar es Salaam. Tomorrow I fly the London and then continue my journey west over the Atlantic.

Our students wished me safe travels this morning.