first church service experience

This morning was quite the adventure! We didn't know exactly what time mass was @ the Franciscan Catholic church a couple miles down the road (we heard it was 8am). We decided to leave at 7 to walk out to the main gate of the school to wait for a Dala Dala because one never knows when one will show up! If you have never heard of a Dala Dala before they are famously known for packing as many people as they can onto these smaller than 15-passenger vans, and driving pretty crazily sometimes. However, they are a very cheap and usually pretty easy ride, as long as you don't mind being crammed into an already tiny space and being the center of attention the entire ride. (well, if you are white I suppose)! So we waited for 5 minutes and one showed up but it was so packed and we would never fit 4 more people on so we waited some more, and 15 minutes later, a half empty (hard to believe) dala dala showed up! We payed 200 shillings (about 20-25 cents) and it took us down the road and dropped us off. We had to walk about 3/4 mile just to get to the church and when we do we find out the service is at 8:30am so we had an hour to wait!
Andrea and I sat next to the church and read and we chatted with an Italian man who came to speak to us in Swahili. Andrea knows more than I do so she tried communicating with him...and then since I knew some spanish and it's similar to italian we communicated that way as well! It was quite the cultural experience sharing our names and where we were from and what we were doing in Tanzania. Then two young boys (who ended up being a couple of the acolytes, or servers in mass) shyly peered around the corner and came to see us!
The church was absolutely beautiful inside with tiled floor! (note, most churches are all open air) I was grateful for a chance to get on my knees and pray for a few minutes before mass began...10 minutes late because it's African time ;) Anyway, I know the structure of a Catholic service but I still couldn't understand a word the entire 2 hours!! Something interesting to make note of: there were 4 sections of the church and in the two back sections it was segregated: men on one side and women on the other. In the front two one was all children (where we sat) and the other side was the choir! There must have been 70-100 little children in front of us!! The cultural difference I noted was that the people are so much more expressive: in their dress (they definitely dress up for church!), and the singing (loud and many harmonies), and even clapping frequently! There is also two offerings taken.

After the service we walked back to the main road and waited for a dala dala again. Amazing! A half empty one came along again! We even had seats! The two young men taking the money standing by the door were laughing and talking, and staring of course. Well, who wouldn't stare...two nuns (one white, one black), and a white girl (me). (usually andrea, a white german girl is with us also)! The mama next to me is laughing as well because she obviously knows what they are saying....but all I could interpret was the thumbs up sign...and there are probably different meanings to it!! So we get off the bus and one of the guys shouts Nakupenda! as the dala dala drives off... hmmm...will I have to get used to guys saying "I love you!" HAHA.

It was about 10:40am-probably too late for tea but we checked anyway. The mama's in the kitchen still had coffeecake and hot water for us though! Then I studied until lunch at noon, and after lunch I sat outside my door in the sun for an hour and studied(then it was just too hot) and I studied until tea at 4pm. This time the snack was warm, roasted peanuts again!! I like snack times!!! I finished studying and most of my journaling for the day before dinner at 6-which consisted of basically the same thing as lunch, and every other lunch and dinner every day...rice, noodles, and chunks of goat meat in a sauce with tomatoes...the sauce mixture is very good!
For lunch I had papaya...which although it is perfectly fresh here I did not like as it was not very sweet. Anyway, after dinner I finished journaling and checked e-mail and am now writing this update!! There is always more to write on the weekends as it's always different...I doubt I will write much during the week as I have the same schedule everyday- class for 5 hours and tea and meal breaks, then studying, journaling and e-mailing!!
Not much is new... I have a rash that developed last night...its colorless but they are tiny little bumps all over 2 of my fingers on both hands as well as on my whole upper left arm... I'm positive this happened to me 4 years ago when I was here... a heat rash maybe?! unless it's the water or sheets... but then I should have more outbreaks of it... if it's a heat rash I doubt I shall ever get rid of it while I am here...I will just have to put on anti-itch creme every night!

Oh! I almost forgot the best part of the day.... Pastor Hafermann and Luka returned about 7pm from their long weekend away in a village!! It was so excellent to see them, and I don't really know why!!! I mean, girl company is obviously important and good....but I just love these two men...they are wonderful and I had only known them for a day before they left for the weekend! I'm just so intrigued by their wisdom and their stature...the way they carry themselves as dignified men of God!!! I cannot express what a refresher it was to see them and hear about their weekend for a few minutes! (I guess Luka had to change 5 tires)!!!

Well, I better get some sleep!!!

Have a wonderful day of rest everyone!!

amani ya Christu, (peace of Christ)
Alana