Habari: 23rd March 2014

Another two weeks have gone by, and these weeks were full of activity of which I’m still trying to catch up to. After teaching on Monday (10^th) and giving out work for other classes that week, on Tuesday we left early for the trip to Arusha. It’s a long enough trip, usually taking between 7 and 8 hours, and we made it in good time that day. On the way we saw lots of good looking millet between Dodoma and Singida, and after Singida until Babati, there were fields of beautiful corn as far as the eyes could see. It was a treat for the soul to see all of that beautiful corn, knowing that not only will the people in that area have a good crop but that they will also be able to feed others who are not so lucky. Closer to Arusha it was much drier but it rained while we were at the meeting and so on the way back here the grass had already become green. The road is beautiful almost all of the way these days – there is resurfacing going on still near Arusha but what a difference a good road makes in both time used for getting somewhere as well as wear and tear on the body.

I had a good birthday week and enjoyed all the greetings that a special day like that brings. I spent some of the day catching up on things that were delayed because of being away, and then in the evening was cooked a lovely meal which included birthday cake and ice cream. There was a celebration at the meeting in Arusha, and the students had a fun time singing Happy Birthday to me at school, too. Several of the students gave me cards, some handmade, and one class even managed to surprise me. I walked into their classroom and at first glance there were no students. As I walked in, I said out loud, “Oh, the students aren’t here” at which point they jumped from along the wall that I couldn’t see and from behind desks shouting “Surprise!” and then sang Happy Birthday. Of course they wanted to know how old I am, so I asked them how old they think I am. The answers ranged from 47 to 90 so it’s obvious their perceptions are skewed. Anyway, I’m grateful for good health and enough energy to deal with them, even on days when they’re hyper!