There’s something about Mother’s Day that’s SO nice. One reason for that may be that we take the time to acknowledge what wonderful influences the women in our lives have been, be they our birth mothers or other women who helped shape us. Even though this holiday is hardly celebrated here in Tanzania, I did get a couple phone calls from women who look on me as a mother in the sense that I’ve helped and supported and encouraged them in some way in the past. It was really nice to be told that they were thinking of me and wanted to know how I am. Just that much, but very affirming.
Everything is going well at school. I had been lobbying for a staff meeting so that we could all be on the same page as far as what is expected of the students as well as having an opportunity to contribute to the betterment of the school. I should be careful of what I ask for: We had a meeting last week, four hours long! But it was very good, with everyone’s concerns brought out openly and clearly, and I think we’re all happier for it.
Last Sunday we took a drive up to the University of Dodoma and this time we were able to see much more than during our previous excursion. So far there is only one faculty, that of education, but we saw all of those buildings with classrooms, dormitories, administration, etc. This is a huge faculty, and there are already some 20,000 students there. We were also able to see the new part of the university that is now being built, this one the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. This is a very extensive and ambitious project as well, with lots and lots of new buildings going up. I think I heard that there is one more faculty that is still to be built but I can’t remember which it is. The word is that there will be 40,000 students when it’s all finished. That should make this town hop a little!
I don’t exactly like to think of having more traffic because it’s nice to have few cars on the streets. However, having more traffic might actually work in a driver’s favor. Why? Because it seems like pedestrians and cyclists are so used to having the roads to themselves, a driver really has to be on the alert in order to avoid them. When I drive into town I usually come home marveling at the many times one has to give way to those on foot or on bicycles, when I thought the roads were for cars! Anyway, it makes for interesting driving.
