conversations and waiting....

Friday:

last night Mula, one of my roommates, and myself made a gourmet dinner of rice and beans. over such a meal we found ourselves conversing for nearly four hours.

Mula has recently graduated from the American International School here and is applying to universities in the states and Canada. in attempts to even picture what the American life looks like on a daily basis, Mula asked many questions. concepts of carpet, microwaves, vehicles, fast food, and education seem so unfathomable to a 22 year old guy who has never been outside the border of Tanzania.

he shared stories of his family. growing up in Tanzania, and the way of life he has come to know so well. coming from a family of six, Mula is the only member of the family, including his parents, who has completed a secondary education and attained a diploma. there were days when Mula begged his father to go to secondary school, with a glimmer of hope that furthering his education could somehow benefit his family and village in years to come. Mula's immediate and extended family compiled their resources of money (each making nearly $1,000 U.S. dollars per year) to make his secondary education possible, without a hint of jealously that they were unable to be educated just the same. Mula shared that his family and village never expected him to return, simply because the entirety of the people in his home village would be less educated than himself. he has since done differently, and returns home often.

Mula continues to have a strong desire to attend a university in the states or Canada to attain a degree in chemical engineering. he desires to return to his family and village to somehow create a better life for them with a greater knowledge of how to best provide and live in Tanzania.

how often we take for granted the concept of education. and even as i complete my degree now, and carry on with becoming a teacher, my view of education is not the same as Mula's. may i come to know it as an opportunity. to have attained such an education for myself and to provide much of the same for children to come.

Saturday:

waiting.

i'm beginning to realize how much Americans lack patience when we live our lives at such a fast pace and complete task in much of the same manner.

living in Tanzania has required my life to slow down in every way.
today i walked to town with a couple of friends.
we wandered the market looking for the best fruits and vegetables.
we walked to 'the coffee shop' and had lunch in an outdoor garden.
our waiter brought our drinks one by one.
and even our meals came one by one, while he proceeded to talk on his cell phone.
we asked for our drinks after completing our meal, and they soon arrived nearly 20 minutes later. our total time at 'the coffee shop' compiled to approximately 2 hours.

in between all of the waiting, Clive and Meryl, two old souls from church joined us at our table. conversation was embraced and before leaving we managed to be invited to their home tonight for tea and a game of crochet. how lovely!

we managed to find a lift to the bread shop and local grocery store across town, where we then waited for a taxi to drive us back home. bags full of fruits, vegetables, and breads, didn't seem quite fitting for an hours walk uphill. our taxi arrived 30 minutes later and through the rains we managed to land at home only six hours after leaving.

waiting.
learning to enjoy the experience while gaining patience.
now it's off to tea and crochet!