"Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become."

Mambo! : )

I hope this blog finds you well, human being. 

     I have finally moved into my ‘apartment’ here at St. Severin’s and am writing from here.  I know I updated my blog recently in a little tangent regarding sacrifice in a monetary way and such things, but now I will give you an update on what I’ve been up to.

So, to start.. I have to say again that Nancy has been such a lifesaver. She reminds me so much of my mom and I’m already so comfortable with her. She also has been on many missions, mostly in Mexico, and gave me some clearance on what’s been up here.. I have been really struggling because I do not feel like I’ve been really on ‘mission’. All I’ve been doing is nonstop visiting families, locals, priest, parishes, hospitals, etc. But, I haven’t been ‘ministering’ to them, in the way I have been taught and have done. But, Nancy reassured me that THAT IS MISSION. These people are so dumbfounded that we would give up our time to be here that they just want to be around us. We are treated like royalty and they do not want us to really serve them. They want to just soak us up. Many just want to hear about America and if it’s all it’s cracked up to be.. it’s so different from the other missions I’ve been on. I’m used to receiving just as much as I’m giving, but I haven’t felt like I’ve given much yet..

Speaking of which, we stayed in another BEAUTIFUL hotel in Mwanza last week.. I mean, breathtaking.. Honeymoon destination type deal. I was spoiled for (most likely) the last time. I had fish fillet, instead of full tilapia with bones and such, and delicious other foods and more than comfortable accomdations. We went to one of the most visited tourist locations here in Tanzania, Serengetti National Park which, hopefully you’ve seen my pictures on facebook, was like a massive zoo without fences. It’s just natural! There were dead animals and all that stuff. The only human intervention is if many are dying off (they try and see what is going on) and during the dry season (now) they burn a lot of the grass to make it grow quicker . Let’s see.. some of the animals I saw (and this is not a comprehensive list): Wildebeest [thousands upon thousands], impala, giraffes, hippos, elephants, lions, zebras, vultures, warthogs, tortoises, and one black mamba (one of the most dangerous snakes in Africa) It truly reminded me of the Lion King! The ride was bumpy and crazy but it was definitely a once in a lifetime experience that I greatly enjoyed!

Junk hit the fan after that, to put it lightly.. the group has just not meshed properly and the complex arrangement of personalities is probably the major factor in that. We just aren’t destined to get along very well haha So, Nancy, Father and I sort of made a pact and left the group to go have a drink at the hotel I stayed at last time in Mwanza and then we returned back to ours. The rest of the group went to the Serengetti another day (it was awesome, but not for $120 again awesome..)  and we laid back, helping Fr. w/ errands and what not.  Nancy and I explored some of the backstreets of Mwanza and met up with some very fun guys who tried to sell us everything in their shops. Boney was my favorite and he said he is going to add me on facebook, how fun. Hahaha

We returned home on Sunday and had quiiiite the trip. One of the ferries had broken down, so there was only one running across Lake Victoria.. so, what was supposed to take about 45 minutes took us about 3 hours.. and then only 30 minutes after that, one of the two cars in our group broke down.. if anyone knows car lingo, the timing belt snapped? I believe.. So, Fr. took three of us to the closest town, dropped us off and got a mechanic to come and fix it.. Meanwhile, I felt sicker than I have the entire trip. My allergies were worse than they’ve ever been in America or any place.. to the point that I was becoming nauseous and feeling very ‘out of body’. I thankfully was able to be in shade with Nancy and Rosemary, but it was a rough afternoon. What was to take us about 4 ½ hours managed to take about 12. It was crazy. I was supposed to move into my apartment when we returned home, but since our arrival time got pushed from mid-afternoon until midnight and I was feeling so terrible, I waited. I slept for almost 11 hours and felt much better in the morning. That day was a relaxing day.. some of us went to town and bought some toilet paper and water and then when we returned home, two of Fr.’s nieces, Happiness and Flaha decided to braid my hair.. but they got bored about halfway through so what started off as pretty great turned ugly fast hahaha I felt bad taking it out right away, so I left it in for the day and took it out before leaving for  St. Severin’s.

I arrived here at my apartment Monday evening and immediately felt very emotional. Most of the Americans had been driving me crazy, but they were at least company..and English speaking company on top of that! Here I was, all alone.. most of the people around here speak English (since the school is an English primary school) but not conversationally well.  It was hard. And for the first time, I cried for my mom and/or grandma to come and comfort me. Lame, I know. But, I’m still a kid! These adults are all 50 and up and here I am 21, staying twice as long as any of them. And without any companions. Karen has her husband, Ken. Nancy has her best friend, Carol. Rosemary doesn’t have anyone, but she’s been here before and has known Fr. for 9 years. I really hit rock bottom for a few hours and my hopes that school in the morning would help didn’t turn out so well either.  No administration decided to tell me that they were testing all week.. so my three classes that I have lesson plans for were all cancelled. I had one class first thing that was more of just an introductory to me type-deal . I supervised one class of Form 6 kids while they took an exam and then I graded some of the principal’s tests for him.. They surely did not do well. I think it’s difficult for them to learn in English, but here, if you speak English—it shows you are educated. It’s kind of terrible but for these kids to have a successful life and have any hope to move out of this tiny village, they have to speak it. After I finished with that.. there was nothing for me to do. And no one gave me any instruction, I asked several times. They are so laid back here and just go with the flow (the lack of time schedule really bothered me, but I’m slowly getting used to it..okay, let’s be real, I’m not.. not being on time really bothers me) I am hopeful that things will get better.. it’s just hard to not be busy when you’re alone and no one fluently speaks your language. Father is only a 20 minute walk away (I made it later this afternoon when I was done)  but Karen, Ken and Rosemary go home tomorrow (Wednesday the 26^th) and Carol and Nancy follow next week.. so, I really will be alone here soon. The month of July will be challenging. I’m hoping that my increased introvert time over the past year will help my brain stay focused on the task at hand and not be too jealous of my fellow companions already going home. I do wish I was going, to be honest. But, I know that I will probably learn so much more about myself and life in general in these next four weeks than I have in the comfort and safety of the Americans and Father at my side 24/7.

Fr. Simon is such a blessing. Not only for giving me this opportunity, but what a guy. I truly did not know him very well when I said yes to this mission trip, but, boy am I glad I did. He is incredible.  I can’t wait to tell you all about him in person and hopefully have him to Altoona sometime in the near future when he has break at school. Everyone will love him.

I got to talk to my grandma TWICE this week! What a blessing. What a woman. Love you, gram. Bushels and pecks. See you later, alligator. 

Please pray for me as I have some anxiety about these upcoming weeks. The lack of running water, heat, bland/boring food, and language barrier don’t bother me half as much as my heart does as it aches for home.  Pax.