Jesuits in Eastern Africa - St. Peter Claver High School from Midwest Jesuits on Vimeo.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Snow
It's snowing here in the D. School has been cancelled at U of D Jesuit.
It cannot be blamed on the snow, but I've already had a mishap with my rental car -- I managed to knock the mirror off the passenger-side of the car last night as I was parking it in the community parking lot. This is my first accident since I was 16 years old. Even with all the challenges of driving in TZ, I was accident free. Feeling foolish.
It cannot be blamed on the snow, but I've already had a mishap with my rental car -- I managed to knock the mirror off the passenger-side of the car last night as I was parking it in the community parking lot. This is my first accident since I was 16 years old. Even with all the challenges of driving in TZ, I was accident free. Feeling foolish.
Upendo
Love.
I arrived to Detroit last evening and have already had a bit of personal drama -- I managed to take off the rear-view mirror on the passenger side of a rental car. Coming into the parking lot of the the Jesuit residence at U of D Jesuit High School and Academy, I didn't see a protrusion from a pole at the gate. This was in part due to the exhaustion caused by such a long trip, I think.
My departure from the SPCHS was very moving -- you would have thought that I was going away forever and not for just a month! Sister Beatrice surprised me by serving for breakfast one of my favourite dishes (a favourite among the Wachaga -- a soup made with goat meat and banana); then the students at their morning assembly had a representative give a speech, and then they presented me with a thoughtful chess set and very kind card. I asked them to give me another "safari njema" gift: to sing one of their favourite songs, based on the "love is kind" passage in 1 Corinthians 13. Here is their version sung in honour of the Our Lady Queen of Peace Foundation; it was filmed on the third day of their orientation.
I arrived to Detroit last evening and have already had a bit of personal drama -- I managed to take off the rear-view mirror on the passenger side of a rental car. Coming into the parking lot of the the Jesuit residence at U of D Jesuit High School and Academy, I didn't see a protrusion from a pole at the gate. This was in part due to the exhaustion caused by such a long trip, I think.
My departure from the SPCHS was very moving -- you would have thought that I was going away forever and not for just a month! Sister Beatrice surprised me by serving for breakfast one of my favourite dishes (a favourite among the Wachaga -- a soup made with goat meat and banana); then the students at their morning assembly had a representative give a speech, and then they presented me with a thoughtful chess set and very kind card. I asked them to give me another "safari njema" gift: to sing one of their favourite songs, based on the "love is kind" passage in 1 Corinthians 13. Here is their version sung in honour of the Our Lady Queen of Peace Foundation; it was filmed on the third day of their orientation.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Date-Challenged
Some weeks ago I received notification that my flight from Cleveland to New York was cancelled. My initial response to myself was, "How could that computer make such a silly mistake; I am meant to fly precisely one month from today." And 
then I got a sinking feeling. Yep, I had made all my domestic airline reservations for February instead of for March. Fortunately that one cancelled leg of many meant that I could cancel the entire ticket without penalty and rebook. Whew! That was close.
Last night I decided I probably should check exactly what time after midnight on Friday morning I am scheduled to leave Dar es Salaam. It was then that I discovered I leave at 12:45 a.m. on THURSDAY morning. I am so happy I checked. It has meant a busy day here today (I'm writing this at my desk during a brief lunch break).
Tomorrow morning I head to Dar es Salaam. I arrive in Detroit on this Thursday. I'll rent a car there and then head to Toledo on Sunday, where I'll be until Wednesday morning when I head to Cleveland. I leave from Cleveland for New York City on Friday afternoon, staying until Monday morning when I fly to Chicago, where I stay until flying to Los Angeles on the following Sunday. From there I fly to Calgary to celebrate St. Patrick's feast, leaving in time to arrive in London to celebrate St. Joseph's feast, returning to Dar es Salaam on Friday, 25 March.
It's a busy schedule, but I'm very much looking forward to sharing the good news about St. Peter Claver High School!
then I got a sinking feeling. Yep, I had made all my domestic airline reservations for February instead of for March. Fortunately that one cancelled leg of many meant that I could cancel the entire ticket without penalty and rebook. Whew! That was close.Last night I decided I probably should check exactly what time after midnight on Friday morning I am scheduled to leave Dar es Salaam. It was then that I discovered I leave at 12:45 a.m. on THURSDAY morning. I am so happy I checked. It has meant a busy day here today (I'm writing this at my desk during a brief lunch break).
Tomorrow morning I head to Dar es Salaam. I arrive in Detroit on this Thursday. I'll rent a car there and then head to Toledo on Sunday, where I'll be until Wednesday morning when I head to Cleveland. I leave from Cleveland for New York City on Friday afternoon, staying until Monday morning when I fly to Chicago, where I stay until flying to Los Angeles on the following Sunday. From there I fly to Calgary to celebrate St. Patrick's feast, leaving in time to arrive in London to celebrate St. Joseph's feast, returning to Dar es Salaam on Friday, 25 March.
It's a busy schedule, but I'm very much looking forward to sharing the good news about St. Peter Claver High School!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
Now that's an allusion not everyone will get!
The answer is sporadic! My days are long and full, and I don't have time enough to write much here presently. Yesterday I treated myself and tried to sleep in until 5:50 a.m. I got to our multi-purpose hall at 6:30 when the day at school began. At 7:30, when the students begin to move to the classroom assembly area, it began to pour rain -- buckets. We waited until 7:50, when I told the students to make a dash for it.
They ran to the classrooms, and I ran to my office, which I left at 6:00 o'clock last night in order to return to the MPH, where I helped to prefect the dinner. I moved on to "preps" (study hall), until 7:30, when I headed home to dinner with Martin and Kizito. This was a pretty typical day -- what wasn't typical is that last night I didn't return to my office and went to bed instead!
All of us Jesuits are leading such lives right now. Sossy has to worry about things here and the parish. My companion Kizito is teaching a class for a teacher who has fallen ill plus taking care of things as my assistant (AND, poor Kizito, will have even more to deal with when I leave for the States in six days!), and Martin is teaching two mathematics classes plus helping with practical matters in the Jesuit community and dealing with issues as the "clerk of works" for the building.
It is an endurance test, which I hope we all manage to pass!
The answer is sporadic! My days are long and full, and I don't have time enough to write much here presently. Yesterday I treated myself and tried to sleep in until 5:50 a.m. I got to our multi-purpose hall at 6:30 when the day at school began. At 7:30, when the students begin to move to the classroom assembly area, it began to pour rain -- buckets. We waited until 7:50, when I told the students to make a dash for it.
They ran to the classrooms, and I ran to my office, which I left at 6:00 o'clock last night in order to return to the MPH, where I helped to prefect the dinner. I moved on to "preps" (study hall), until 7:30, when I headed home to dinner with Martin and Kizito. This was a pretty typical day -- what wasn't typical is that last night I didn't return to my office and went to bed instead!
All of us Jesuits are leading such lives right now. Sossy has to worry about things here and the parish. My companion Kizito is teaching a class for a teacher who has fallen ill plus taking care of things as my assistant (AND, poor Kizito, will have even more to deal with when I leave for the States in six days!), and Martin is teaching two mathematics classes plus helping with practical matters in the Jesuit community and dealing with issues as the "clerk of works" for the building.
It is an endurance test, which I hope we all manage to pass!
Friday, February 11, 2011
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