maliza, maziwa, zaliwa

At this time I have acquired enough Swahili vocabulary that some words blur together in my mind. For instance, the words in the title of this posting sound alike enough that I have to concentrate in order to use the correct one: maliza, maziwa, zaliwa respectively mean to finish, milk, and to be born.

Lately, I have also noticed having to pay particular attention to nguvu, ngumu, nguru which mean strength, hard, and kingfish.

It is as though I am in a kind of vocabulary soup that is thick enough that I am no longer just a beginner, but still too rich for me to handle with ease.

Turning the situation around, though, Tanzanians struggling to learn English have it worse. I recall one of the workers at our school trying to hear the difference between wet and wait. Kiingereza ni ngumu sana (English is very hard). -Earl

What I Do, What I Am

"It is so easy to come to believe that what we do is so much more important than what we are", from Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, Joan Chittister

There are different kinds of difficulties, doubts, and frustrations in coming to a place like Tanzania to be of service. One of those is that despite the best of intentions, effort, and training, you may not really know much about the effect that you are having, the consequences of your being here. You may not be able to see whether you really are creating any positive results (or negative ones either, for that matter).

I think this is particularly true for those of us who are doing something such as teaching, in which we are attempting to touch and to influence the minds of other human beings. That's a hard enough task on your own home turf. But try doing that in a setting where you struggle to understand the native language, relationships and social expectations are murkily understood, and organizational behavior can be baffling.

From time to time I step back from the business of everyday work and life and routine -- as with most Americans, to me being constantly busy is what feels "normal" -- and loosen my grip on whatever it is I'm trying to accomplish. I remind myself that what I am matters as much as what I do, if not more so. It matters because it is my values, attitudes, and character that impel how I speak and act in the world, that determine what I care about and how I treat people. It matters because it is one of the few important things that I can actually be certain about and change (if I am honest with myself). And in the end it may very well be that it is not the activities I carry out that count the most but the presence that I bear as I share life with these Tanzanians. -Earl

Netball Games

A competitive team sport called "netball" is commonly played by female students in Tanzania. It's very similar to basketball, but one difference is that there is no dribbling! The player who has the ball can only take a step and a half. She then has to either pass the ball or take a shot. It seems that opposing players can block the ball but do not try to steal it. Overall, the game is a lot less aggressive than basketball and looks fun.

I had never heard of this game before coming here. However, according to an article in Wikipedia, netball "is the most popular team sport for women in Australia and New Zealand and remains a popular women's sport throughout the Commonwealth of Nations", of which Tanzania is a member. - Earl





Above, the winners celebrate with candy.

[Photos by Roger Angst]

Form 1 Students' Debate on Swahili

A while back the English teachers for the Form 1 students, Mr Roger and Mr Komba, organized a debate conducted in English as a way for students to practice their oral skills. Interestingly enough, the debate topic itself was "Swahili should be the medium of instruction in all secondary schools in Tanzania".

The debate was held in the dining hall of the new girls' hostel [dormitory], with some of the other teachers attending also. I was impressed by how well some of our students can speak in a public setting like this! The funny looking microphone is just a prop, not a real one.

[My own take on the topic is that the use of English as the teaching language is a massive failure. Tanzanians should switch entirely to Swahili and push the development of this African language, which is what they are truly able to communicate in. However, Tanzanians themselves are very much split on this. -Earl]

[Photos by Roger Angst]

African Stations of the Cross, XIII and XIV

Stations XIII - XIV

Kanisa la Yesu Kristu Mkombozi [Jesus Christ the Redeemer church], Magomeni neighborhood of Mtwara. -Earl

African Stations of the Cross, Nine - Twelve

Survival Stuff We Brought to Mtwara

Now that we have been here for a year here are some thoughts about a few items that I'm glad we brought with us. Some are difficult to come by, others were good to have at hand for immediate use.

Katadyn Water Filter. This is a Swiss-made filter that works so well it purifies the water with no need to boil first. You just pour water into its upper container. After some time the water percolates via gravity down into the lower container. I clean and check the filter once a month, which takes about fifteen minutes. The three ceramic elements -- some people call them "candles" -- are recommended to be replaced after six months, but they are supposedly good for 50,000 liters. At an average of eight liters per day, which is roughly what Diane and I use, that means the elements could last for more than fifteen years! I would be very pleased if they actually hold up just for the three years we expect to stay.

Mosquito bednet. As things turned out there was already a mosquito net provided for our bed, but it's been good to have an extra for guests and one that is treated with permethrin.



DEET insect repellant. In a tropical area like this there are mosquitoes year round. Malaria is endemic. I don't use repellant all the time but I find DEET works well in keeping the bugs off me when I need it. It's part of a multi-layered defense against getting bitten, together with mosquito wire on the windows, taping up the gaps in outside walls, wearing long pants, using a bednet, and rarely going out at night. Even so, I've probably been bit at least a thousand times. You cannot eliminate the risk but you can manage it and reduce it quite a bit.

Flashlights, solar- or hand-powered. With frequent power outages in our neighborhood and non-existent power in some places, having good flashlights is a must. Diane has a HybridLight, which is solar-charged and has a battery backup. I have something with no name that is hand-cranked. Both are used regularly and work well. They avoid having to purchase and dispose of batteries.

Power adapters, voltage converters. In Tanzania there are two kinds of power outlets: the round two prongs used in Germany, Spain, and other countries; and the square three prongs from the U.K. Likewise, appliances and equipment come in both flavors. For that reason alone, adapters are needed. Add into the mix our two flat prongs from the U.S. and you really do have to have adapters. They are available locally but it's good to have several when you arrive. Also, the local ones are sometimes of questionable quality.

If you bring anything electrical that only runs on the U.S. 110 volts, such as Diane's SonicCare toothbrush, then a voltage converter is also needed because the electricity here is 220. Luckily, our laptop charges on either voltage. I understand that's the case with most portable computers.

Rechargeable batteries with charger. These are for our digital camera, which takes two AA batteries and consumes a lot of power. Again, having rechargeables means avoiding buying and disposing of regular batteries. They don't last forever, though. After one year the ones we brought with us pretty much stopped holding a charge. We had to get new ones.

Swiss Army knife. I like the Tinker model, which has two blades, a bottle opener, three screwdrivers, an awl, etc, all of which I have used. This model is a nice balance between size and function.



Small water bottle. There is lots of good bottled water sold, so you can always reuse the bottles. I prefer something that is more durable, like the Nalgene one-pint made of Lexan, pictured here.

Ear plugs. They don't block noise but they do reduce the intensity quite a bit, enough to make a difference when you are trying to sleep on long airplane rides, at noisy airports, and through late-night music, speeches, and gatherings in the public field near our home.

U.S. currency in large denominations. $100 and $50 bills get a much better rate than the smaller ones. We changed some dollars for Tanzanian shillings as soon as we cleared immigration. The rest is stashed away in case the ATMs stop working for withdrawing cash from our U.S. bank account.

Dark Chocolate. For chocolaholics like me, this is a basic food group, if not a survival item. Just kidding. 8-D Actually, I've had very little good chocolate like this since arriving. But thanks to Patti in L.A. we received this particular bar a few days ago. If you ask anyone to mail chocolates to you, have them put it into a closed plastic bag. There's a good chance it will melt on the way.

There are other extremely useful items that come to mind -- such as sturdy zip-lock plastic bags, duct tape, materials for learning Swahili and about Tanzania, etc -- but they are not as immediately needed. I may comment on a few of those in another posting.

- Earl