Saturday

Today was the funeral for S. Valentina. The procession of the van with the casket, six jeeps, and the bus from the school filled with family and Sisters and me left at 8:30 this morning. Along our slow journey the Sisters sang and people stopped their busy Saturday morning work to stand as we passed by. The funeral in Lukaledi was very meaningful--a beautiful, grace-filled Mass. There were 11 priests including the Bishop and the SDS Provincial, Fr. Ponder. After the funeral we walked to the burial site. The pictures show a bit of the graveside ritual. It was a blessing for me to be able to be a part of this, to represent our American SDS family and accompany them in their grief.

walking to the cemetery after the funeral

prayers at the graveside

Sisters and family bless the grave

two new graves next to each other --
S. Demetria, SDS, and S. Valentina, SDS

Friday -- "How to . . ."

Today we made presentations on "how to . . ." We had a lesson on transition words, like "first," "second," "next," "finally," etc. Then they chose something to teach us, wrote their rough and final drafts, and then performed them. It was a great day. Lots of learning and laughter.

vocabulary for each project

teaching us how to grow tomatoes

how to do your laundry

how to clean the classroom

watching ourselves on the iPad

everyone is interested in seeing themselves

Thursday

Once again we are filled with grief as another Sister has died. S. Valentina Mwenda had been ill and was in ICU at the hospital in nearby Ndanda. A Sister was with her, sitting vigil. It is very unusual for such young Sisters to die. Two funerals in a short time is difficult, so class was a bit subdued today. We still learned lots of vocabulary and some grammar, though.

After lunch, S. Amani and I went to town to the ATM machine and the store. The picture shows our mode of transportation--a bajaji. It's a three-wheeled vehicle and works quite well for trips to town. The Sisters all seem to have a favorite driver, and call to have them drive out to pick us up. It's a great system and affordable. The trip there and back cost $2.56.

S. Amani with our bajaji

Wednesday -- mealtime

Another part of our language class is eating all our meals together. We try to speak only in English and have learned a few phrases like, "Please pass the . . ." or "Would you like some . . ."  Our first few meals were very quiet, but now they are talking and sharing stories. The pictures show us at the table and some of the food we enjoy. Staples at lunch and dinner include rice, beans, ugali, and greens. You can see by the captions under each picture that we can also enjoy other specialties.

eating our meals together

Grace is enjoying ugali

beans

chicken

rice

greens

fish in sauce

papaya

Tuesday's lessons FROM the Sisters

Today we had a wonderful red juice made from the petals of a rosela plant. They said it has health benefits as well as tasting good. S. Maxsensia told me they use the seeds to make cooking oil, as well. I saw some growing last week, and when I went to take a picture, it was already harvested. Fr. Mukasa came by and showed me more plants growing in another area outside the Mission walls. The pictures show the plants.

I learned another lesson today. There are lots of crawling creatures here. You just get used to them and the lizards--unless the ants are marching in long lines into my room! Of course, I have bug spray with deet. But, wait! S. Amani brought some powder to spread around. It takes care of the ants and smells good and no harsh poison. We can learn a lot from our African friends!

Fr. Mukasa and the rosela plants

close-up of the plants

S. Amani spreading powder to stop the ants

powder on my doorstep and no ants!

Monday, Monday

In our third class today we began reading a book together, called Beatrice's Dream. It's about a young girl growing up in a slum in Kenya. Her dream is to become a nurse. There's lots of vocabulary and conversation. You may notice two additions to our class. These are orphan girls who live with the Sisters in the convent. They are on break from school and joined us. I hope they will learn some English, although they already speak some. And it's good for our students to get a chance to share what they know. I think we always learn more when we teach. So, another busy, amazing day!

Sunday Mass in Masasi

Went to Mass today in the Masasi town church. It was beautiful! Lots of singing and incense. Two and a half hours, and I went to the early, short Mass! At the next Mass they have a wonderful parade with the Eucharist through the area, stopping at the clinic, school, etc. The children wear special yellow and white outfits--yellow skirts or slacks and white shirts or blouses. They dance and spread flower petals. It is quite a celebration! The picture outside the church shows the rocky hills that surround Masasi. The Mission is the Migongo Mission, named for the mountain nearby. Can you find the cross on the top?

Outside the church

Migongo Mountain