“Haraka haraka haina baraka.”

The proverb above translates roughly from Swahili to “Hurrying hurrying is not a blessing” – basically, take your time. In the month since arriving here, I have recognized quite quickly that my conception of time and “Tanzania time” are two very different things. I am discovering that although I want to learn everything and feel at home here as quickly as possible, there is blessing, joy, and value in a slow but intentional learning process. I am learning to let go, to trust, and to enjoy every new experience, even when I’m exhausted from travel, sweating in the direct sunlight, losing count of bug bites, and trying to remember the right Swahili greetings!

The soccer field at the language school campus in Morogoro.

After arriving here on December 4th, we (the other 3 new JVs and I) traveled to a city called Morogoro to attend Swahili language school for two weeks. It was an intensive program and we learned so much; we really benefitted from having people with whom to practice all around the campus of the school. It also didn’t hurt that the school sits at the base of some impressive mountains- not a bad learning environment and an excellent intro to the beauty of this country. We even had some field trips – a day of hiking and a trip to a Masai cow market.

Hiking one of the nearby mountains with students and teachers from the language school.

View from the top of our mountain hike.

Working on my soccer skills once we reached the top of the mountain.

After we finished up our two weeks in Morogoro, we hopped on a bus and headed to Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania to spend retreat and Christmas with the JVs there. (JVC has two communities in Tanzania- one in Dar es Salaam and one in Dodoma). It was a bittersweet time, thinking about our families celebrating the holidays back home and enjoying the company of being together as a JVC family here. A big Christmas Eve meal was cooked (Mexican-themed – non-traditional in the American sense but delicious!) and many carols were sung- “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas” was a favorite for us East-coasters. We even listened to the Jimmy Buffet “Christmas Island” album while making French toast on Christmas morning, a musical tradition in my family when decorating the tree at home. The big event of Christmas was attending Christmas Eve Mass, and introducing ourselves in Swahili to the entire congregation. “Naitwa Barbara. Nitafundisha Loyola High School, Dar es Salaam.” – It may seem like a short intro but being on the altar in front of “watu wengi” (lots of people!!) made us all a bit nervous to say the least. The Mass began at 9pm and after the service and the gathering that followed, we made our way home at about 1:30am Christmas morning. Although the Mass was celebrated in Swahili, and I certainly didn’t understand most of what was said, the familiarity of the Mass structure and the joyfulness that was exuded by the congregation created such a welcoming and festive atmosphere.

Christmas Eve dessert in Dodoma with the other volunteers.

The Dar es Salaam community all dressed up for Christmas Mass.

We spent a wonderful Christmas week in Dodoma getting to know the city, the Jesuits, and the worksites of the JVs there, and enjoying the beautiful weather (so much cooler than Dar!)  Then it was time to return to Dar es Salaam and to move into our rooms and get settled as a new community.  I continue to be amazed, as we explore the neighborhood and go about the daily tasks of buying vegetables, cooking, and greeting neighbors, to see the relationships that have been formed here by the current 2nd year JVs. (We live in a community of four people; two of our community-mates have been living here for one year already, and two of us just arrived at the beginning of December.) They have been such wonderful and patient guides as we newcomers try to find our footing in this new home, new language, and new culture.

The transition continues as the school year is fast approaching – the first day of school is tomorrow!  Although the image of me in front of a classroom of students so soon is slightly overwhelming, I am looking forward to establishing a routine and a rhythm here. Wish me luck!

Wishing you “amani na upendo” (peace and love) this New Year from the whole JVC Tanzania family.