One last post… for 2007

December 31, 2007 by Stephen Day.

12/31/2007 7:34 PM

            It has been a quiet two weeks here at Msalato.  The English program concluded with graduation on December 20 and shortly thereafter Msalato became a ghost-town.  I enjoyed spending time with those students and getting to hear their learning process.  Many of the Tanzanian staff members at Msalato have returned to their villages to work their shambas. 

            Christmas was nice and quiet.  I had invitations from three Tanzanians to join them; however, previously I was invited to have lunch with a fellow missionary and a few others.  Also, I attended the Christmas morning service at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Dodoma.  It was a lovely service and I had a wonderful time at lunch.  My father recently asked me how Christmas was celebrated in Tanzania.  It is important to note that the country is about 1/3 Christian, 1/3 Muslim, and 1/3 indigenous beliefs.  Christmas was quiet, but there were plenty of secular elements of the holiday.  I spotted several plastic Christmas trees for sale in town and even saw an inflatable Santa.  Most businesses appeared to be open on Christmas, but I got the clear impression that all the Christians were in church.  The Kiswahili services at the cathedral were very well attended – in fact there were seats set up outside the main door and speakers for the overflow crowd. 

            Since Christmas I have been working on a few projects here, but otherwise, it has been very quiet.  Most of the other wazungus (those of European ancestry) I know are in Kenya at a conference.  Also, I learned that the car I have been driving has a serious mechanical problem – the lower suspension/control bar is cracked.  That would be somewhat easy to replace if the car was a Toyota or a Range Rover; however, the car is a Ford (the international version of the Explorer), so parts are a bit rare.

            Well, I look forward to going to language school because it means getting to see a different part of the country and, hopefully, I will learn some Kiswahili.  One thing is for sure – I have never been more eager for a semester to start in my life.

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