Umoja ni Nguvu

Translation: Unity is Strength (Swahili methali (proverb))



Tuesday Feb 5th


This morning at breakfast I discovered a toaster (which, supposedly has been sitting in the same place for the past month but I somehow never noticed)…so I had toast, with peanut butter on top… but don’t worry, it was Tanzania peanut butter so it’s natural and nothing is added…it’s much healthier and I enjoy it! I refuse to buy, let alone eat any more American peanut butter… I still feel sick just thinking about it! I also had some of my instant coffee that I bought yesterday at the market!! It is a wonderful treat in the mornings as breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day!! :)

I was excited that the rest of the new people were able to start learning Lesson 1 today with their teachers!!

The morning went well, and for tea we had one of my favorite snacks: biskuti (shortbread cookies)! Right before lunch I learned a few Swahili proverbs that have an overall theme of community/unity and I was supposed to think of a proverb from where I come from, and I couldn’t think of any phrases on the spot of course, besides the word Independence/Individualism…as that is what America seems to be all about…everything is about the individual. It seems like such a self-centered way of living…ok- not seems, it IS. This is one of those topics that I could also talk about for hours, but today I got very frustrated as it became even more apparent how opposite some of the ideals/values are of these two countries… the problem I think, is that too many people believe that Independence and freedom are synonymous… but one can be dependent and still free… Jesus came to give us freedom, and freedom in Christ is true freedom. Jesus taught us how important community is-as God created us to be relational people!
*Galatians 5:1~ It is for freedom that Christ has set us free…
*Galatians 5:13~ You…were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

Therefore, it’s more about interdependence…because Christ frees us from sin to obedience (living in the Spirit…what does that mean? Galatians 5:22-23); from self-indulgence and selfish ambition to serving one another in love!!

I don’t know if I mentioned that on Sunday, Barbara told me, “that’s one thing about being in Tanzania…everyone looks out for one another and everyone shares food.”
I was a little late (to lunch… and well, I mean by American time) as I was talking with my teacher. She brought up something interesting today.
She said, one difference that I see between Tanzania and America is that in America, people are not “friendly” (and by this she means, we say “heyhowareyoubye” without taking time (2 min) to actually care), but people give money to poorer countries and help them out. In Tanzania, everyone is friendly, but the few rich people do not do absolutely anything to help the people here in need.


Well…I probably thought way too much about this proverb all day long and probably could have written more, but I’m wiped and need to take a break from my own brain…if that makes sense! I think that I am also so mentally exhausted because every day my mind is on overload with thinking/observing/reflecting…not to mention trying to earn an entirely new language in 2 months…

After lunch I worked on another blog post until class at 2:30. This was my worst lesson so far as I definitely found my weakness in Swahili grammar… it was awful. One part of the Exercise gives short answers and we have to come up with a question. Any time I am asked to make a sentence it is ridiculously tough for me…because I almost always make things harder than they should be (I don’t know why, I just do!), and I do not to well with such broad/vague instructions…which is why it takes me extra long when a professor is not specific about what is to be in a paper! I felt terrible for my teacher…I must have looked pathetic…whining quietly sometimes! Haha There is either SO much to choose from, or I don’t know enough vocabulary… I was very close to getting up and leaving and saying, I’m sorry but I can’t do anymore of this today…but I was almost done with the Exercise and then I would be moving on to a new lesson so of course I wanted to finish. I was so grateful to hear the little ding-a-ling (bell) ending my day at 4pm!! I was frustrated and upset with myself and crabby and sick of this roller coaster ride of up one day and down the next…but, alas- “Jipe Moyo,” or take heart! as is a Swahili phrase that I learned! I like this because it reminds me of John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world.” Hmm. Okay. That seems simple enough. Jesus has overcome the world, yet all my problems/troubles, or even one (to me) seems like too much sometimes and I don’t feel like letting go to let God…

After class at 4, I came back to my room and was thankful for Tae-Bo again as it felt very good to exercise and work off some stress! I showered quickly before dinner and as I was leaving, Chuma- one of the head teachers here, handed me two letters!!! THANK YOU to a couple of the wonderful women in my small group!! It was absolutely perfect timing after my terrible afternoon!! I thought it took longer for snail mail to get here, but the post-marked dates from Iowa were Jan 21 and 29! I came back to my room at 6:45 to start writing and at 7:45pm the power goes out randomly, but then I hear some thunder almost right after so I assumed it went out because a storm is coming…however, it is still out and nothing has happened. It’s a lot more eerie when the power just goes out and it’s silent outside (besides all of the insects)! Amy Grant keeps me company when the power goes out at night…it’s weird because the 2-3 times it has gone out at night for some reason it puts me in an Amy Grant mood!! She was/will always be one of my all-time favorite singers though…I grew up listening to all the cassettes of music she had, and then almost all of her CD’s also!!
Well~ it’s been an hour and a half already as its 9:15pm…I think I will study and go to bed EARLY. Tonight I am making myself. I have no excuse…no distractions as the internet is obviously not working. If it comes back on I will post these two tonight…otherwise it’ll be another day yet! I apologize! Oh- and now I am completely unable to put up pictures…I do not know what happened since last week!

Also: ate 2 bananas today….that’s more bananas than I’ve ever eaten my life I’m pretty sure (at least of the life that I can remember)!!! :)

And I almost forgot…MeeHa gave me my nickname finally!!! She has been giving us another name just for fun…Sister Aileen (from the Congo) is “Mwalimu” and it is a big joke between the 5 or so of us short course students as Sister Aileen has far surpassed everyone in learning kiiswahili!!! Anyway, my nickname is “Hodadi” (pronounced Ho-dodd-E) and it means energetic/able/effective and I told her I accept it and that she should not call me peanut butter anymore!! :)


taking heart,
Alana :)