A Song for Friday

The Sisters love to sing and add harmony to everything. Here's an audio file of one of our songs. We get lots of grammar and vocabulary lessons from them, as well as adding a bit of joy to the class.

Thursday. Focusing on classes

Today I will focus on our classes. We eat all our meals together, which gives us time to practice our English. We have three classes each weekday -- 9:00-10:30, 11:00-11:30, and 3:00-4:30. By the end of the day I am exhausted! We start the first class with something from that day's Gospel. We have heard it already at Mass, in Kiswahili, of course. Then we have a vocabulary or grammar lesson. For the second class, we start with a poem or saying from our Founders, and then we are divided into ability groups and work from the textbooks. The third class starts with a song and then we read and discuss something from the Reader or from the books we brought. They are working hard and everyone is speaking and writing something in English. The pictures show our groups during our second lesson.

S. Amani and her advanced group

Sue and her small group of beginners

Timeline time

One of our first activities is to create a timeline of our lives. There's a lot of basic vocabulary and we learn about each other's lives. The pictures show them working together so they can read the numbers in English and also answer questions like, "When did you first meet Salvatorians?", etc. Then we share them with each other. Everyone is speaking some English already. After our own timelines, we study the Salvatorian Timeline. So we are teaching English and also a bit about our founders and ministries.

Practicing reading timelines

Group sharing of timelines

Reading the Salvatorian Timeline

A very good first day

Today was our first class. We have six students. Two of them, S. Sesilia and S. Pascalina were in the class in past years. The other four are new to the class. They are candidates. The language abilities are quite varied, from very beginner to some skill. The pictures show Sue leading a song and S. Amani providing some guidance. A very good first day!

Monday, and ready for class

We are ready for our first class tomorrow. Our plans are written and checked over many times. A few of our students are back from past years. Some will be beginners.

The folks at the regional house are busy preparing to install the new leadership team. There's lots of work. I'm pleased to be here to celebrate with them.

S. Amani prepares for the first class

S. Maxsensia working on the laptop at the regional house

Sunday Celebration

Today is the celebration of Fr. Jordan Day. A big feast for us in Africa and all over the Salvatorian world. It started with a beautiful Mass, with at least 30 Sisters, 15 Priests and Brothers, some townspeople, and one American. The singing was amazing. There was a great dinner: tomato salad, chips (French fries), rice, and beef. In the afternoon, S. Amani and I cleaned and arranged the classroom, unpacked books and class materials, and began planning. Because of the funeral and because some Sisters are not here yet, we will start the class on Tuesday. Below is a picture of the empty, but cleaned, classroom.

We also said goodbye to two visitors from the Sisters' Generalate in Rome, S. Jacqueline and S. Marie Yaneth. They have been here for about a week for the Sisters' Chapter. The Sisters elected new leadership who will begin their work on July 1. Our friend, S. Yasinta, was elected the new Provincial here in Tanzania. So, she will be preparing for her new responsibilities and will not be able to teach the class with me. S. Amani and I will do our best!

The empty classroom

Dinner at the Regional House

Saturday in Masasi

Today was the funeral for S. Demetria. Almost everyone went to Lukeledi for the Mass and burial. I stayed behind. My jet lag is almost over. To help me stay awake, I took a walk around the mission. There's more to see; this is just some of the buildings. It is a beautiful community here in Masasi. More about that in other blogs. The weather is cool at night, but it gets hot during the day. Stay in the shade if you can. As my friend, Fr. Tigatiga says, "So far, so good!"

The chapel in the mission

The hostel provides housing for students and other guests.

The kindergarten, which serves over 90 children

Jordan Hall is a meeting space. Retreats are held here. Last year the Festival for our Founder was held here.

Masasi is the headquarters for the Salvatorian Sisters in Tanzania. The Provincial Team lives and has offices here.

The Sisters are building a school to teach tailoring. This building is just past the hostel.