The Nest

My mother used to use a French phrase regarding the patience needed while working on a project:

petit à petit l’oiseau fait son nid. Little by little the bird makes its nest.

Indeed that can be said for this project. We did reach an important milestone in December when we received our school registration number from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. On Thursday Madam Lydia, the new assistant headmaster for academic affairs and government relations, and I stopped by some of the government offices -- the municipal office of secondary education and the zonal chief inspector's office. In neither place did we have to wait, which was a gift. After these visits, I spent yesterday preparing a report which will serve as the first step to get the school registered to be a site for form two national examinations. Slowly but surely.

As I write this our students are scurrying about the campus doing their weekly chores. Some are hoeing in the school garden, others are watering trees, still others are cleaning the dormitories, the classrooms, and the multipurpose hall. One group was transported to the village of Ihumwa, where they are helping with a building project at the Catholic parish. Our students embrace work with joy -- it is great to hear all the chatter as they set about doing what needs doing. You give them some general direction and they figure out the rest for themselves -- usually doing a very good job (though I always thing the classroom building could be just a little smarter!).

Last night I wanted to go out for a bite to eat with Kizito. There is a new restaurant not so far away, 4 Points, and I wanted to try it. Well, in order to get to that restaurant, we had to pass the new hotel of the parents of one of our Form I students, the Mushi family. They saw us stop to ask some folks walking for directions and waved us in to their parking lot. It wasn't the evening I expected, but it was a very nice evening nevertheless. I explained to our hosts that we were there as customers but looked forward to being a guest in their home some day. (They were relieved, I think that we were willing to pay for our meal -- although they have been successful in business, owning two well-regarded clothes shops, I think they've been stretched a bit financially by the opening of this hotel/restaurant).

On Monday I head to Mpwapwa with Sossy to begin the process of purchasing some cows -- the famous Boran-Friesian mix (the Boran is an indigenous breed that has more sweat glands, making it suitable for the heat; the Friesian, related to the American Holstein is a good dual purpose breed). That same day work on the cow shed will begin. The picture is of a pure Boran. Again, I can't help but be amazed that a kid from Anderson Parkway, Toledo, Ohio, is thinking about Boran-Friesian mixes and other such things! It does tap into my Connell family roots though -- my father grew up on a farm.

You can expect more news later today.

The Steady Trickle

237 families showed their intention to have their child joing Form I by placing a deposit. I knew that not all of those families would show up, but I had expected at least 210 students -- the number for which we budgeted -- to show up. Imagine my disappointment when only 180+ students showed up!

I have spent the last two weeks contacting possible candidates, following up with folks whom we offered spaces but whom we didn't hear from, testing potential candidates, etc. (I use "I" very loosely -- my secretary did much of this work. Thank you, Redempta!) Well, I am happy to report that we are now just a couple of students shy of 210. And we didn't compromise on qualifications to get there (I chose not to accept a number of students who did not meet our admissions criteria).

We can all breathe a sigh of relief.

This morning our students have their first work assignments. They're all about the campus doing various chores -- it is very nice to see their commitment to maintaining their school, their home.

As promised, pictures to follow at some point.

Because of the generosity of Rotary International, Toledo, OH; The Loyola Foundation; the school communities of Fairfield Prep, St. Xavier High School, Cincinnati, and Gonzaga College High School, Washington, DC; and the Jesuit Community of Scranton, PA, we now have a second school bus. The first, purchased last year, was donated by the Chicago-Detroit Province of the Jesuits. The buses are used for the transportation of employees and also for the transportation of our students to their service sites.

FYI, still not feeling well but I'm trying to be strong like the people here are. You charge on with life despite illness, which is just part of living.

Update: Not as strong as I thought! I was back in bed for most of Sunday. But now it's Monday morning, and I am feeling as if I have the energy to get through the day.

Malaria II

Last year at this time -- the first full week of classes -- I was diagnosed with malaria. It began with vertigo and progressed to achy joints, a headache, etc. For the past few days I have not felt well. The symptoms just described haven't been present but I have experienced extreme lethargy and a general feeling of, well, ickiness. Yesterday I also developed a skin infection, so off to the doctor I went.

My doctor is a Benedictine monk who practices at a small Catholic hospital just north of Dodoma. I was surprised that he was not so concerned about the skin infection, but he sent me immediately to the laboratory for tests for a number of things.

Yep. I have malaria. I'm also hosting some parasite. Both easily treated -- but I've been put on 3-days bed rest, too, which isn't so easy for me. I'm staying in bed today, but I'll try to venture for a few hours to my office tomorrow -- if only to save me back.

I always feel like a baby when I get sick here. Most folks just charge on. As a friend in Morogoro once told me, "Sickness is a big part of our life here." One of the few parts I'm not ready to embrace.

Mwanzo ni Mgumu II

The Start is Difficult II. Almost all our students have arrived -- some stragglers, however. The start this year is smoother than last, but there have been some small difficulties to contend with. It was an unnecessary rush to get things completed at the last minute. Thank God for Kizito, SJ, who really pushed the contractor's workers to get the job done.

Our new faculty members have arrived -- I think we'll have some stellar teachers among them.
The laboratories are almost complete -- I think they'll be the envy of many schools.
Our chapel is not any further along than it was 3 months ago -- I think its' unfortunate that a chapel that was originally to be dedicated June 2011 and then September 2011 will probably not be completed for Easter 2012.

What are the bright lights these days? First have to be our extraordinary volunteers (and I'm not writing that just because their parents read this blog!). I can always depend on Sean and Laura, and sometimes I take their generosity for granted. They've been so helpful. Cristina, the other American volunteer from the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, is digging right in. And Roland, our Jesuit Missionary Volunteer from England, provided a great service by setting up a scheduling program. In fact I downloaded the same program from the Internet but didn't have a clue what to do with it -- he managed to make it work for us.

Another light is the rain -- if that isn't a contradiction. The rain has come right on time each time things begin to dry out. Last night's started with a huge downpour and moved to a gentle, soaking rain. Keep it coming, God -- and the nighttime storms suit us just fine, too. As we say here, mvua ni baraka. Rain is a blessing. As we are wont to say here: Mungu ni mwema: Kila wakati! God is good: All the time!

It was the Tuesday of the first week of class last year that I came down with malaria. Let's hope I stay healthy during these coming weeks.

Pictures later, I hope. (Laura's camera broke, so I'm letting her use my not-used-enough camera with the understanding that she shares snaps with me). Among the pictures I hope to share is one of a dead cobra -- a huge one has been seen around (I tried unsuccessfully to run over it with the car at night last week) and Victor, SJ, killed a small one (in our courtyard!) last weekend.

That's the news that's fit to print.

Sad Happy New Year

Today we bade farewell to Sr. Immaculata, SCIC, our school nurse who will leave tomorrow morning for her new assignment as director of the Catholic dispensary in Kongwa, a village just under 70 kilometres from us.

I can't imagine anyone doing as good a job as Immaculata did in establishing our school nurse's office. To those who needed comforting, she provided it. To those who feigned illness to get attention, she managed to give them attention and yet help them get beyond "faking it" to get such attention.

When we Jesuits (Kizito, Soreng, Waweru, and I) lived above the school offices in the first days of the school, Imma would often stop by at the end of the day and visit for a few minutes before walking back to the convent. Those moments were marked by joy.

The celebration today was wonderful. We went to the sisters' house for the noon meal. They had prepared a feast. We began with a prayer led by Sossy, and then the sisters sang a great version of Psalm 133. This was followed by the feast (kiti moto (pork), pizza, pasta, fries, and ndizi mzuzu (fried bananas) -- get what I've been saying about loads of carbs?!)

After dinner we had some fruit and then the cutting of the cake. This is always done with great ceremony, and today was no exception. One of our scholastics, Anthony Ochen, was given the honour of carrying (balancing) the cake atop his head following a line of dancing sisters. He was given this honour principally because of his name -- the foundress of the Ivrea Sisters was Blessed Antonia Maria Verna. Upon arriving to Imma, he knelt and folks followed the custom of singing the words Kata keki, tule! (Cut the cake; let's eat!) while Sossy, Sr. Imma, Sr. Maria (the superior and director of boarding) and I cut the cake.

After enjoying the cake Sossy, Sr. Maria, and I all spoke of Imma's joy, generosity, and competence before she said a few words of farewell.

Indeed, a sad happy new year.

Home Again, Home Again

I arrived home last evening after the twelve hour bus ride from Moshi. The ride yesterday was difficult because the leg room was so little for my long legs. I manage to get my left leg out in the aisle for most of the trip, but my right knee suffered, jammed against the seat ahead of me as it was.

I did manage to finish two books. The first is an incredible history of the colonization of Congo by King Leopold II -- King Leopold's Ghost. I realize I am behind the times regarding this book -- it was written over a decade ago. To quote Joseph Conrad's account of this same time in his Heart of Darkness (which I must now reread after last reading it for a Conrad seminar as an undergraduate at Loyola University Chicago): "The horror! The horror!" I can't begin to describe just how horrible it was; however the horror is matched by incredible courage, too. This is a book worth reading -- an example of a wonderfully written history.

I also read cover-to-cover Teach Like a Champion, a book sent to me by my friend MB -- meant to assist me in assisting our teachers to improve their practice. And it comes with a DVD chock full of examples! I can't wait to present some of the skills/strategies when our teachers return after our annual break.

I returned to find that the rains continued during my absence -- our verdant campus was a welcome sight, believe me. And just to assure me that this was no mere vision it poured last night, POURED.

Speaking of....I don't know why the flood in Dar es Salaam did not get reported in the western press. It has devastated that city, especially the poor, and it will have affect the rest of the country adversely as well. Take a look at this blog to see the devastation.

Incidentally, though rain is a blessing in areas like ours, it can at the same time be incredibly destructive. Many, many people lose their homes because they are constructed of mud. The "foundation" "melts" after too much rain and the house comes tumbling down.
Many people are left homeless -- of course, here that does not mean "on the streets" or in a shelter because folks tend to look after one another.

My next days will be spent on reports and scheduling (which I've delayed but can no longer put off.)

Merry Christmas!

Update: Here is a story about loss of homes nearby. The official quoted is a friend of mine (the author must come from a people without the letter "r" because my friend's name is actually Buretta, not Buleta!)

5:14 AM

Am in Moshi, at the foot of Kilimanjaro, on my way to Nairobi.

Yesterday's trip from Dodoma was 11 hours; today's to Nairobi will be about 5.

The last days have been a bit difficult.

The cold I caught in Toledo remained for some time, sapping me of a lot of energy.

One wing of our dispensary was to have been completed during my time away, providing us a place to move the school's administrative offices. That was not done. We moved on Monday with so much still needing to be done -- and the work that was done is of poor quality (e.g., tiles not properly sloped, creating pools of water when it rains).

I have grade reports to complete and a school to schedule.

There are bright spots, thankfully. Like students thanking me for a great year as they went on their annual leave. And the rains have arrived. October's rain was a teaser; this is the real thing -- heavy rains almost every day.