October 30, 2007 by Stephen Day.

10/25/2007 9:24:17 PM

            The power went off about forty-five minutes ago and has not come back on.  I will be going to sleep shortly, but I wanted to share something with y’all.  I went outside a few minutes after the power went off so that I could lend one of my two flashlights to a medical missionary staying at Msalato who I knew did not have one.  I noticed quickly once I was outside that it was quite bright given that sunset was around 6:30, which it always is… (because I am so close to the equator).  In fact it was bright enough that I didn’t need my flashlight to walk to the missionary’s house.  One might assume that the brightness was coming from candles or fires, but nope it came from the moon.  It is a full moon out and so much light is coming from it that you don’t need a flashlight outside.  I noticed this last night as well, but tonight it just seemed even more powerful given the lack of any other forms of illumination.  Well, I am off to sleep now. 

10/30/2007 11:37:03 AM

            On Sunday, I was able to attend a Eucharist service for the first and only time in October.  I went with a few missionaries and four Msalato students to the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, which is the cathedral for the Diocese of Central Tanganyika (aka DCT, which is headquartered in Dodoma).  The cathedral was quite beautiful.  We arrived as the early service was winding down.  The early service is in Swahili and is very well attended.  In fact, there were people in the doorways of the cathedral trying to hear what was going on…. The first time I have ever seen that at an Anglican church.  The service that we attended was in English and led by the students from Msalato.  While the early service had at least 400 people there were only about 50 at the English service.  Most of those present were wazungu (Swahili for white people).  I enjoyed the service and found it quite familiar.  In fact, following the fraction we said the Prayer of Humble Access, which was exactly the same as the version found in Rite I of the 1979 BCP.  After the service there was another Swahili service that seemed to be just as large as the first one.  I quickly began to understand how this diocese can claim to have a membership of 500,000.

            On Monday, I had my first touch of sickness.  It came on fast and stayed with me for about twelve hours.  Thankfully, I think it has past.  Monday I also went to MAF (Missionary Air Fellowship) which is based in Dodoma in hopes of securing internet access for Msalato.  The college had previously used MAF for internet service before switching to the Aden Center (which is part of DCT).   I should learn if we can get access from MAF today or tomorrow.  If not through them, I am uncertain what we will do.  The only other option I know of is getting our own satellite dish, which a few years ago was estimated to cost at least $4,500.  That is a LOT of money.

            Internet access is not a luxury here.  It is essential to a theological school with limited print resources and is a key way to connect these students in rural East Africa with the rest of the world.  The internet is also essential to missionaries as a way to communicate with the faithful back home and to share their experiences.  Also, for some reason the terminal server, which is the brain for 90% of the computers here, runs at about 10% of its normal speed whenever there is no internet access.  That is a very serious problem. 

            I would appreciate your prayers.

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October 26, 2007 by Stephen Day.

I wanted to let you all know that internet access at Msalato is not going to be available for the forseeable future.  I will post when I can and how I can, but please be patient and check back often.

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October 25, 2007 by Stephen Day.

10/24/2007 12:37:25 PM

            It has been a while since I have posted.  Part of the reason why is because the internet has been acting strangely since last Saturday.  On Sunday the power went down both in Dodoma and at Msalato, so computers and internet access were both down.  Monday the internet was not up and yesterday and today the internet has been up, but the access has been absurdly slow to non-existent.  I hope to be able to post this soon, but it does not look promising.

            It has been a good week.  I have made a lot of progress on the problems that the people here have been facing (technological issues, at least).  The terminal server is up and running and about 95% of user accounts are useable.  There are a few remaining accounts are having some problems, but I am working with my predecessor to fix those.  One interesting thing is that the terminal server runs extremely slowly whenever the internet is down.  In fact, it operates so slowly that it is practically useless.  A very odd bug in this version of Edubuntu (the Linux distribution used here). 

            I have taken several new photos of the people here and of Msalato itself.  I look forward to uploading them and sharing them with all of you.  I am getting adjusted very well to the pace of life here and have found my hosts and colleagues to be very warm and welcoming. 

            This morning I was asked if I would be willing to teach next term.  I have been asked to teach basic computer skills to new students during their five month pre-term work and also to teach introduction to the Bible to diploma students.  These courses will not take place until after Easter so I have plenty of time to prepare.  In addition, I figure that I will offer informal sessions for current students to help them improve their computer skills. 

            My plans for the upcoming summer break are becoming more firm.  I will likely help out during December with English classes for students who need extra help with language.  This will take the form of having simple conversations with students to help them get a grasp for informal English.  Also, I will likely be traveling with another missionary in January for two weeks of language school where I can gain more familiarity with Swahili. 

            Tomorrow I hope to get a driver’s license and a stove.  I am very excited about both things.  I should be getting a water heater for my shower soon too.  These little things will make life a lot easier.  Well, I am going to get back to work now.  

10/25/2007 12:00:02 PM

            Well, I spent about 90 minutes at the Tanzanian equivalent of the IRS and learned that I didn’t have the right paperwork yet for a driver’s license.  I needed three copies of my West Virginia license, which I could not have done at the government office.  Also, we ran out of time to get to the bank and then to buy a stove.  So those two things will have to wait for another day. 

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October 16, 2007 by Stephen Day.

10/15/2007 9:03:01 PM

            What a great day.  I woke early this morning and was quite tired… I didn’t sleep well last night and I was worried about the situation with the network here at Msalato.  I wasn’t sure I could fix it… but low and behold – I got a lot accomplished today.  First, I learned that one of the hard drives on one of the servers was dead.  So I replaced it, but that didn’t solve any problems I was experiencing.  Then, with the help of my predecessor I was able to fix one of the two servers here (in particular this was the terminal server that drives all of the computers in the two labs).  Later I got advice about how to salvage the user accounts of the students and staff.  It will be a long process, but it will work.  I will have to have all of the students and staff members come see me and then I will create a new user account for them (eventually, I should be able to combine the new account with their old ones).  Anyway, today I was also able to get a fan for my home so that I can cool down on hot afternoons (summer is coming up here).  Well, I am going to get to bed and prepare for another good, productive day.

PS  the best part of the day was when I was surprised to get a phone call this evening from my father, whom I had not spoken to since I left home.  I will get a chance to talk to my mum tomorrow.  Well, back to bed.

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October 15, 2007 by Stephen Day.

10/14/2007 6:31:30 PM

            It has been a few days since I have posted, I still do not have internet access at my house yet, so posting and emailing is a bit less frequent than I would wish.  I am sleeping well now and in line with the time zone.  I am asleep by ten each night, which will certainly shock anyone who knows me.  On weekdays I am up at 6 am, which isn’t necessarily by choice because the girls’ school that is located adjacent to Msalato is loud and very active early in the morning. 

            One thing that I haven’t shared with all of you is one of the nicest things I have experienced since arriving one week ago.  Each night I have had dinner at the home of a professor/staff member whom has welcomed me into their home with a marvelous meal.  It has been amazing.  People have been so welcoming and loving.  In fact, last Wednesday I had dinner with a member of the faculty who was leaving Msalato on Thursday, he had been reassigned by his bishop to teach at another school.  So, on his last night at Msalato he welcomed me into his home.  It has been a great way to get to know my fellow staff members and their families.  Also, it has been a great way to introduce Tanzanian cuisine. 

            As for my work…. It has been one heck of a week.  I have found it very frustrating.  Students here at Msalato have not been able to access their user accounts or the work they have saved on the server for almost a month at this point.  I came very close to solving that problem last week when the main server used on campus started acting up.  Despite all of this the students have been very understanding and supportive.  I have heard no complaints.  Well, I look forward to sharing this experience with you more in the coming weeks and months.

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October 11, 2007 by Stephen Day.

10/11/2007 8:07:59 AM

            So I have been here a few days now and I am getting better acquainted to my new home.  This morning I went to chapel for the first time (Wednesday there is small group worship and Monday and Tuesday I was having jet-lag issues).  It was a wonderful experience.  The students were so filled with spirit and energy.  A bit of a change from typical worship experiences in the US.  I found it rejuvenating.  The principal of Msalato introduced me to the community and I was welcomed very warmly.  One of the neatest elements of the service came at the conclusion when the presiders went outside and stood to shake hands, as people came out of the church and shook their hands, they would in turn join the “reception line” and shake the hands of those who came out afterward.  I love this twist on the peace.  It was a wonderful experience.

            WARNING – Techno-babble — Yesterday I spent several hours trying to figure out what the problem was with the network here at Msalato.  Almost all of the student, faculty, and staff user accounts are invalid and so no one can log onto the network and retrieve their work.  It would appear that all of the user information is saved, it’s just that the network does not recognize the accounts for login purposes.  Yesterday I chatted with my predecessor via Google Talk to figure out how to fix the problem.  At his suggestion, I will be rebuilding the proxy server today, because it has backups of all of the user account information.  Yesterday I found that there was no Ubuntu 7.04 installation disc, which is the operating system that the servers and clients rely use, at Msalato and so I started a download of the image.  This morning after chapel I was informed that the internet went down last night so that download did not finish…. It is a 700MB file and the internet connection is not exactly fast. 

            I figured it might be helpful to share my daily schedule… as least as far as I can tell after about four days:

            6:00 am                       Wake up

            6:30am                        Start heating water for shower

            7:00am                        Shower with shower bag

            7:20am                        Chapel starts (approximate time)

            8:15am                         Chapel over… breakfast

            9:00am                        Work in server room/computer lab/ library

            11:00am                      Chai’ (tea) with the staff

            11:30am                      Work in server room/computer lab/ library

            1:30pm                        Lunch

            3:30pm                        Work on other things

            7:30pm                        Dinner

            9:00pm                        “Missionary Midnight” – prepare for bed

            10:00pm                      Sleep

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October 10, 2007 by Stephen Day.

I have been able to publish my first photos from Tanzania.  You can access them at http://stephencday.com/tan%201/index.html

These are photos out the window of my hotel room in Dar es Salaam looking out at a golf course and a pool and of my new home at Msalato Theological College in Dodoma.  Enjoy!

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October 9, 2007 by Stephen Day.

10/6/2007 6:14:25 AM

The equator is an interesting thing…. It is 6 AM and it is full daylight out. That is going to take a while to get used to.

Well, I arrived in Dar es Salaam last night at about 9:45 pm. I got my luggage (both pieces made it) and flew through immigration (my resident visa was waiting for me there). I walked out of customs and there was Sandy McCaan and there husband (the twoappointed missionaries from ECUSA posted at Msalato and two young American women who are also working at Msalato.

I went to a local ATM and got 200,000 Tanzanian Shillings (which is actually about $150 US…. But a lot of bills because 10,000 TSZ is the highest denomination bill. The McCaans dropped me off at my hotel, which is really quite lovely and I was checked in and in my room by 10:30 pm. I was able to get to sleep by a little after midnight. I hope to get to back to sleep soon. I just want to share some of my initial experiences.

Read the rest of this entry »

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October 5, 2007 by Stephen Day.

First, I figure I should explain the title of this post.  At the church camp I worked at and attended in West Virginia one of the songs that we sang before going into meals involved the name of the city I am in right now.  Invariably the song would conclude by empathizing the last syllable of this city’s name.

Anyway…

Right now I am sitting in the Amsterdam airport waiting for my flight to Dar Es Salaam.  It is 8:15 Friday morning (Amsterdam time).  I got up at 8:00 am (Eastern time) on Thursday.  The flight from Charleston to Detroit was uneventful.  The flight from Detroit to Amsterdam certainly felt long…. I am very ready to get into a hotel room, shower, and sleep. 

I am really excited to get to Tanzania.  I am ready to meet the people there and get to work.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me and my family.  Also, I would like to lift up in prayer two family friends – Ruth and Ed.  Please remember them in your prayers.

I look forward to sharing this experience with all of you during this coming year.  Have a great day!

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