Songs and Sundays

Church and other thoughts:
On Sunday we had a non-program day, which is like a pseudo weekend. It’s a day where we don’t have classes, but do have optional organized activities. We get them every 5-10 days depending. Sometimes on Saturday or Sunday mornings when we do have class (which is much more often than not) while we are at breakfast at 7 am we will think about how our friends back in the USA are probably out on a Friday or Saturday night (the time difference) hanging out with friends knowing that they can sleep in till noon the next day. Our lack of weekends is more often humorous than painful, so we laugh if off and go to class where we learn about lions and giraffes, and rhinos, oh my!
But this Sunday, for the first time, we had a non-program day on the actual weekend which allowed us to go to church. We went with a few staff members to the Catholic Church in Rhotia. There were five students who went which was lovely because sometimes when we go out into public all together (all 28 of us) its incredibly overwhelming. We were still quite a spectacle, but at least it was less cumbersome to maneuver and we could more easily interact with people. We arrived a bit early so that we could get settled without there being a million people around. I wore the shirt I got tailored here and a long black skirt (mostly we wear skirts in town out of respect for their cultural norms and modesty). The church was painted in greens and blues and had simple stain glass windows made by the community. It was a beautiful building. There were gobs of children everywhere, whispering and pointing and staring at us from every corner of the room. The pews were plain a wooden with no backs, but with places to kneel. The service began as the choir entered singing and a little group of younger kids who kept the rhythm with a walking clapping sequence (the choir was all young people 16-25-ish). This set the tone for a wonderful alive energy during the whole service. Although everything was in Swahili it was soothing and beautiful just to be there absorbing and watching everything that was happening. It brought me back to going to church in American Samoa for the same reason, just to take it all in. The choir sang often and we stood and sat and prayed many times during the service. I could follow the general sequence of events and watched as closed communion was performed and the choir sang and did little movements to their songs (think dancing, but appropriate for joyful church). We were thanked for being there and then went to meet some of the important people of the church afterwards. It was a wonderful experience.
It is very interesting to be the first group of students here at this camp in Rhotia. Essentially we are making the first impression. Sometimes it feels like a lot of pressure to be the ones forming this picture of “Americans” for the people in this village, but it is also a gift. I am amazed by all different aspects of our interactions with the people here. Sometimes we are welcomed at church and people want to talk with us and hear our story. Other times it is challenging when little Tanzania children see me and run up to shake my hand and ask me for money, or pens, or candy. Through all of it, I try to understand where they are coming as I wish they would do with us as well. Maybe in time the children here will learn that we are not here shower them with material things, but rather to build a community and an understanding and help repair their school and work with them on different projects. Perhaps every semester that comes here and reinforces our intentions will generate a community understanding about us and our purpose here.
Well that’s all for now. We have exams tomorrow and the next day (which I really should be studying for, but I have been and needed a bit of a break), Friday to prepare for our expedition, and then we go one expedition for a week in Serengeti National Park. I can’t tell you how ecited I am to get out, do some fieldwork, and camp for awhile. I probably won’t write until I get back so enjoy life until next time!
The sun is shining on pink bougainvilleas outside the library window,
Sara