Sending Packages

Not to steal the show from those kiddos... But some people have asked about sending packages and I just made a page to explain how that works. Look at the top bar on the blog for the link, "Sending Packages," if you're curious.

My Class

Wow. I am finally teaching in Tanzania, after all the preparation and training time! We had six days together this week and last, so we’re getting to know each other and I’m getting a sense for academic levels. It’s fun having third graders; they are very mature people:).

One unique experience teaching at Haven of Peace Academy is assemblies. We have two each week. There is singing (worship and school-themed), prayer, celebrations, and announcements. It’s a unifying time for which I am thankful. I am also teaching from the Bible, which is exciting and an area for prayer (wisdom!) at the same time.

New Slideshow & Photo Link

Hello! I just started a new slideshow with photos from Tanzania thus far. The same photos are in a picassa album as well. The next photo update will have real live kids and my colorful classroom!!!

I'm taking a minute from prepping for Monday right now. Monday is the first day of school! After four weeks of orientations I am happy to get to work.

This week has been interesting... getting used to a new school with different organizational patterns and curriculum philosophy. I have a lot more freedom here in what and how I teach, though the standards are high. There is a lot of "feeling things out" yet to come.

It has also been a challenging week, as I got tired and overwhelmed... setting up my class/curriculum, associating with all new people... and felt spiritually buffeted. I am looking to Christ for the affirmation/strength/love I need. He blessed me with a new friend, who has been here many years and can identify with my stuggles specifically. She encouraged me with scriptures and prayed with me, which lifted much of the cloud, enabling me to get to work and look forward to meeting those kiddos!

How to Make a Pizza in Africa



Meet my housemates:

Emily, Ali, Rose, & Kara


1. Mix dough and sauce ingredients from scratch.
2. Attempt to turn on oven, discovering that neither the gas nor the electricity is actually hooked up.

3. Consider options: Try cooking pizza on stovetop? Clean out clay oven in yard and look for firewood? Ask a friend?

4. The choice my housemates and I chose this Saturday was to ask a friend. We called the first friends, and they didn't even have an oven. But, they did have the cheese we needed. The second friends were heading to a BBQ, but were very willing to let us use their oven.

This is a bajaji. It is the most exciting
form of transportation ever. Like a golf
cart with a Harley engine, bajajis can zip in
and out of traffic and lanes and go up dirt
roads. I feel like I'm on an Indiana Jones
adventure each time I take one!



5. Two housemates catch a bajaji to get the cheese; Three housemates catch a bajaji (see photo to right for explanation) to start baking the pizza.

6. Discover friends' oven is extra small; tear pizza crust apart to fit in different pan.

7. Bake, thankful to the landlord that he promises to turn on the generator if the power should go out.

8. Cheese, housemates, and friends arrive. Sauce and cheese applied to pizzas.

9. Enjoy the fruits of the group effort, flexibility, and innovation!!



Gecko Blessing!

As I said, there is a lot of new flooding my days and mind. It's very exciting and fun, yet naturally has an overwhelming side. Saturday, after our first week of cultural training, we went shopping... very useful, but overwhelming to me even in the states! So I was tired. Photographs and texts also reminded me of my dear lovely family and friends in the states, living life, me apart. I felt a bit melancholy for the first time since arrival. However, I did find a gecko in my room! I'd been wanting to see one there, as they are SO CUTE and eat bugs. God may have allowed him in to help balance me out. :)

Today our training group attended church "on the penninsula," a church named Coco Beach. It is layperson-led, situated along a glistening shore. The message was another blessing, highlighting King David's perception of God's character: soveriegn and loving. I'm trying to focus on who God is as I start to live and work here.

And Sarah Has Landed...

Almost speechless, I greet you from Dar es Salaam!! Almost speechless because there is so much I'm taking in: Swahili, a storeroom full of 3rd grade curriculum, new relationships, temperature increase, bajajis and dala dalas (not dalai lamas) for transportation... lots!!

...So much so that I keep forgetting to take photos. I will get there, but for now I offer three photos and a little update.

The Flight... went very smoothly. I got in some reading, then went in to my "traveling zone," where I'm pretty happy to look out the window and ponder which beverage to order when the stewards next come. Not much sleep though, in the 40+ hours of travel, so I roamed Amsterdam in a trance during my layover.

Arrival... perked me up! All the colors! The beautiful skirts! Bananas on heads! Palms waving and vendors shouting! I actually felt more culture shock in Amsterdam, with the red light district and street canals, than in Dar. Mexico and Bolivia have similar sights, smells, and sounds.
  

Me & My Mosquito Net
photo courtesy of my artful roommate Shelly



The Hotel... We are staying at Jangwani, a luxury hub with a generator during the day while the electricity is out, two pools, access to the Indian Ocean, and breakfast each morning. However, my new house-mates and I are considering moving into our house early, so we can get used to it. I'm praying for wisdom.

The School... I've been to Haven of Peace Academy (HOPAC) twice. No photos because I was distracted by all the new. Darla, another teacher, gave a tour and lots of insight from 17 years in Kenya/Tanzania, which was an act of Providence, as I had some burning questions about curriculum and life in Dar. My classroom is tiled and has a long row of windows looking toward the playground and a baobab tree.

And now for that third photo... Is it a leaf? Is it a moth? No, it's Super Leaf-Moth!

A Dios!

One of the lovely visits with lovely friends
...and an amazing piece of art.

"A Dios" means "to God." (in Spanish, no Swahili this time)

So I commend you to God as I fly away tomorrow!

It's been a grrrreat last month, with friends, family, BBQs and potlucks, lots of good hugs, and rest. Also, I just printed out my work/residence permit, so I'm cleared to fly! My car sold too, so I feel all taken care of. Thank you God.

Now it's time to see what He has planned ahead.

The next post should be from Dar es Salaam.