Amsterdam and then... Chicago USA!

We are in the airport in Amsterdam waiting for our connecting flight to Chicago.  We just had a Starbucks and all is well.  

We are looking forward to coming home. Thank you for reading our blog. We could feel your support. 

Thank you to Sister Patrice for posting our blog each day.  See you soon.

School Project in Buyuni

Today we went to see the school that the sisters are building in Buyuni.  There has been much progress, although it is slow progress. 

The sisters own quite a bit of land surrounding the school and have planted sweet potatoes, mango trees, and bananas.  


The good news is that there is lots of ground water so there is the possibility of digging wells.

Homeward Bound (sort of...)

Today we traveled safely to Dar es Salaam and the Upanga  Mission where the sisters live.  The bus trip went OK, it's long and hot and we don't drink a lot of water, so when we get here, we are ready to rest. 


When Salvatorian Sisters or other sisters need a place to stay  as they journey through Dar es Salaam they can count on the hospitality of Sister Mecky and the sisters here. The pictures show the guest house with Margaret on the balcony. The other shows the main building. We are happy to be here.

Winding Down...

Only one picture today. It is our last day in Masasi and it was very hectic. 

Many people came by with gifts and letters to bring back to the US to pass on to others. We packed and put things in order and said our last good-byes.


The picture shows the women's group from the the parish church. They greeted us after Mass. notice they wear the same patterned dresses to show they belong to the woman's society.

Tomorrow will come early. We will leave at 5:30 for the bus station.

Last Day of Classes

Today was our last day of classes.  

As a review every student took one lesson to teach . Here are pictures of students leading the class. There was lots of laughter and learning.






In the evening we had our "graduation" ceremony and a big dinner.  
The last picture shows the sisters getting their dinners. 

There were speeches and words of thanks for a wonderful experience. Each student received a certificate to show their participation in the class.

Making a difference

Today was our last full day of classes. The pictures show the sisters sharing their life stories with each other. 



It is amazing to see people who could not speak or understand English three weeks ago talking and sharing together in English.



Below is a picture of Stephania. She was a student of Sr. Bernadette Klein when she came to Tanzania in the 1950's. Stephania and her husband Victor both became teachers and had long careers. They have over 22 grandchildren.  

Sr Bernadette made such an impression on them that they named their first daughter Bernadette.  It is such a blessing to visit them and hear about their lives. Another beautiful example of the Salvatorian influence in Tanzania.

Eagle Scout Playground

A while back, a young friend of Sr Barbara Reynolds built some playground equipment for the children in the sisters' kindergarten here in Masasi as part of his Eagle Scout project. It arrived in a container from the Salvatorian Warehouse.  


We had the joy of helping to assemble the equipment with Sr Paula.  You can see the teeter-totter and the swing set. They have reinforced the swing set with concrete to ensure safety. 



Here also is a picture of some of the children enjoying their noon meal and a picture of one of the classrooms.  The sisters do a wonderful job providing this education for the children of Masasi.

Time flies...

Class is winding down. Only two full days left and our short Saturday class. 


The sisters continue to put forth great effort! Sometimes we think they have more energy than we do.  



Today we worked together to read the book, "The Three Questions" by John Muth.

Sing along with Sue...

and Margaret... and a group of energetic Salvatorians!



Today was another great day in the class. During the third class each day we start with a song. Guess who is leading a song? 


Our next project was writing our life stories. The sisters enjoy sharing the stories of their journey to become Salvatorians. 


Tomorrow is Wednesday, and our Mass will be in English. Below, you can see a sister reading and practicing Mass responses in English.  


It was a busy productive class. It's also amazing to read their writing and hear them speaking in English. Everyone is making progress.

Cashews!

Awhile back we visited the cashew grove that Fr Jim cares for. 

It is an amazing undertaking. At this time of year the trees need to be spayed to ensure a good harvest. 

















The small tree that Fr Jim is standing near (below) is about 5 years old. It will already yield a harvest of cashews. 

Fr Jim also is able to employ some local families to help. This is a good source of income for them. 

This region is known for its cashews.

Makulani- The Novitiate House

After Mass this morning we visited Makulani, the novitiate house for the sisters. Currently there are 6 novices, three will take first vows in August. Two of them had been in our English class last year and it was great to see them again and doing so well.

The sisters do such wonderful work.  Sister Maxsensia was proud to show her rich harvest made possible by hard work and the tractor donated by the sisters with the help of many benefactors a few years ago.






The sisters truly do feed the hungry, clothe the people and care for the orphans.  The harvest will be shared with the village when their food runs low. The two boys shown in the picture with S Maxsensia are orphans. The sisters care for them and currently they are off to boarding school. They are both healthy with a bright future thanks to the efforts of the sisters.

The Salvatorian Family can be proud of the loving presence of the sisters here in Tanzania. 

And they say thank you to their American friends who have been an inspiration to them for so many years.

Saturdays

On Saturdays, we have one two hour class. The sisters have lots of work to do the rest of the day.  Here are two pictures of our class playing games - talking in English!  

Margaret played a card game and Sue taught Yahtzee and then the sisters played air hockey on the IPad. There was lots of conversation, cheering and laughter.

After class we went for a walk with Fr Jim as our guide through the area behind the Salvatorian property. We walked up high enough to have a terrific view of the valley and plains beyond.  What a beautiful part of the country.

Flags.... but no Fireworks

This is Independence Day in the Congo.  

After a lesson on colors, the flags of each country represented in our class were drawn on the board. 

In the first picture, Sister Hilaria from Mozambique is explaining what each color and symbol represents on her flag.

There were four flags drawn- Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, and the United States. 

Then we all sang our National Anthems.  We recorded the anthems on the iPad and listened to them together. Here's a picture of the sisters enjoying the celebration.

Feast Day Celebrations in Masasi

Today was a special day for the sisters here in Masasi. It was the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul, as well as the name day of Sister Paula, who is the provincial secretary. 



There was quite a celebration with laughing, dancing and singing, and a big meal with wonderful food cooked by the sisters. 

The picture shows the sisters at dinner. In the foreground on the left is Sister Sophia, the provincial, and seated across from her is Sister Paula. What a treat to be able to join the sisters and share their joy.

Masasi in Bloom

Our topic today is the beautiful flowers that can be found everywhere here at Masasi.  The sisters work hard to keep the grounds in beautiful shape. There are always fresh cut flowers at the altar of the sisters' chapel.  Even the poinsettia grow larger here.

Another day in Paradise!

Tuesday: Today we had a full class- 11 people. The last two sisters from the Congo arrived late Monday evening. They joined the class for afternoon session and jumped right in.  Lots of smiles and patient support.


The pictures show Sr Trojestina and her huge garden. She grows bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, and this year, she added watermelon. Most meals we have beans and fresh fruit from the sisters' gardens. They sure work hard, long hours.

We are quite a multi-language mix!

[Editor's Note: From S. Patrice Colletti:
Twelve hours on the road... On Monday and Tuesday, Sister Rita Vogelsang and I drove back to the Lake Traverse Reservation in South Dakota from Milwaukee, WI. While on the road, we didn't have internet access, so if you noticed a brief break in blog postings, that's the cause. Now we are home and I'm catching up on blog posts! Stand by for another posted soon after this one from Monday! Thanks for your patience.]

From Monday: the sisters are working on a saying from Blessed Mary of the Apostles. 

Please notice three different dictionaries- Kiswahili, French and Portuguese. 

We are quite an international group!   


This was the first class for our sister from the Congo. She is a great addition to our group.

Joyful harmonies

Today we celebrated Mass in the sisters' chapel. The picture of their chapel, below, was taken Saturday at the feast of John the Baptist. 


We wish you could  all be here to hear the beautiful singing of the sisters. The harmonies are amazing. It is also a joy to see Fr Jim Weyker everyday at Mass.

Sunday is a quiet day here. One sister from the Congo arrived yesterday. We are all happy to welcome her to our community.

Alleluia Translates Well

It's Saturday. We have one two hour class. 

We started with a song and Mother Mary's Triple Alleluia. (Thank you to Sr Jenada for the copies of this prayer.). 

Then we had fun with numbers in English as we solved Sudoku puzzles. 

The sisters work so hard. After class they were sweeping and cleaning and washing clothes.

Put your left foot in, take your left foot out...

...put your left foot in, and shake it all about!
Do the hoeky pokey as you turn yourself around...
That's what it's all about!!

(Now that we have firmly embedded THAT song in your brain for the next 24 hours.... we bring you the Tanzania update. 😀)

Our third class each day starts with a song or dance. Here we are enjoying the hokey pokey. 


This followed a lesson naming different parts of the body.

How do you say...?

We teach three classes each day. In one of the classes we divide into ability groups. 



Margaret works with the beginners and Sue works with other two groups because they can be more independent. 



We are thankful for the materials that Sister Virginia found. They are still helpful and the sisters enjoy the stories and exercises. Another great day of learning.

An Elephant?

Yesterday we had a problem with our internet connection. I was worried we wouldn't get it back. Then I reset the phone and it slowly restarted. Anyway, if we miss a day, it's just because we've lost our connection.

Here's our news for Wednesday:

Today we read the story about six blind men and the elephant. They all touch a different part of the elephant and think it's a pipe, or a pillar or a rope, etc. 

After reading and discussing, we acted it out. There was lots of laughter and learning.