battle.

i'm coming to learn that 'love the sinner and hate the sin' is quite applicable to teaching.

just when you've made it through the next set of directions Jack is off in the corner continuing the establishment of his lego creation he started before school.

me: "Jack, it seems you're not doing what was asked. do you remember what the directions were?"
Jack: "no!"
me: "Jack, were you doing your best listening when i was giving the directions?"
Jack: "no! i don't know what to do"

and so i love the chubby cheeks and brown eyes of the child, but pieces of me shrivel at their continuous inattention and behavior.

similar to the circumstance today when Anna chose to bite Jerry and then spit on him. or when Cosi decided other boys could be on his team at recess if they paid him 10,000 shillings.

it's moments such as those.
when you have to separate the behavior from the child and refrain from taking it personally.

loving them is worth learning this battle.

an african glimpse.

i have attempted to take pictures of the town life and landscape here in tanzania. however, this comes at a great risk, as many Tanzanian people ask for money if you take a picture of them and will become aggressive if you take pictures without asking.

here are a few i've managed to collect yesterday while riding in a car.

many gathering for a football (soccer) tournament in the streets.

a view out onto the main road in town. a small street view of the market. landscape driving from moshi to arusha.

it's all quite lovely.

an African thanksgiving.

our African thanksgiving was quite complete.

many of us shared a large meal, all coming from different parts of the world.

due to a turkey costing nearly $150 U.S. dollars here in Tanzania, we opted for chicken rather than splurging for the sake of tradition.

i attempted a homemade apple pie with no recipe in mind for the contents or the crusts. considering the altitude factors and small camper sized gas ovens which cook all sorts of uneven, it turned out well.

due to the lack of turkey itself being had at this Thanksgiving, we opted to throw a hand-drawn turkey on the cake in honor of the holiday.

a grand dinner, far different from the usual rices and beans left all of us roommates feeling quite full and content.

although i miss gathering with my family in these days, thanksgiving was well celebrated in the tropical heat of Tanzania.

Happy Thanksgiving from Miss Conlee's class to you.

Happy Thanksgiving from a few of us in Miss Conlee's class!

having only a few students also from America, i introduced Thanksgiving as a brand new holiday to many.

we read about Clifford's Thanksgiving visit to his big red mom.

we sang songs about being thankful.

and we practiced cutting out shapes to make turkeys.

paper everywhere. glue in my hair. creations that look far from a turkey. we celebrated.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

last day.

today was my last day with my P 3/4 class.

this is what i have come to learn about them all:

1. they all pick their noses.

2. they smell like turtles after recess.

3. they prefer to eat glue after it has dried.

4. their listening skills have not yet developed.

5. their awful cute.

here's to you P 3/4. you've been fun.

good morning.

i pass a young boys hostel on my walk to and from school each day.

generally in the mornings they are all being filed into line formation at the gate, dressed in white button up shirts, navy blue sewn trousers, and tennis shoes.

inspection is had by the adults over seeing the hostel. assuring their white shirts to be tucked in just so. standing up straight. shoes tied. eyes looking forward.

i seem to pass by every day at the same time. it has become routine that they look for me and i look for them, lined up in a row facing forward. each day, without being caught by the adult holding a whip, the boys near the front always mouth and sometimes whisper, 'good morning!' in my attempts to keep them out of trouble, i softly mouth back, 'good morning to you!' simple words. perhaps only the few they know in English, but upon exchanging greetings, these six and seven year old boys light up with smiles wide.

it has become my new favorite thing of the morning.

shanty town road.

i took a walk down a near by local road yesterday. it's incredible how just a walk away life looks completely different. people making their living by selling fruits and vegetables under a piece of tin held up by limbs.

trash can be found lying in the middle of the road and is eventually raked to the side where it is burned. this is only one large pile i found in passing.
there were many local shops. saloons. dukas. all keeping the town alive.

and on my way back a rainbow stretched in the sky. perhaps a promise and a hope for abundant life over the people in this place.

living simply.
making me once again thankful for the simplicity i'm learning here.
wearing mosquito repellent as frequently as deodorant.
laying my head down at night on a pillow case filled with my dirty clothes.
using a towel for a blanket.

living with little and finding i have enough.
it is well.