2010 whoa

Here it is February 12th, 2010 and I'm nestling into what feels like my first quiet, free moment without distraction since the New Year bell rung. Where have the days gone? The last time I blogged was November with nostalgia and love for my old village. Three months have passed since then; in that time, I wrapped up my first school year of work here at Peace House Secondary, I spent nearly a month back in the US for Christmas break, we all crossed over into a new decade and am now at Peace House starting another school year with 115 new Form 1 students. Whoa.

It's nice to take a break and a deep breath.

The last few months have been wonderful and strange and joyful and sad. Yet again the roller coaster that is life...



We closed school last December having just discovered our first student pregnancy here at PHS; she was subsequently expelled as is TZ policy. Back home over Christmas, my family hung out with Hunter's family in our favorite place, the Western North Carolina mountains. We traveled the BVI's serenely on a catamaran. Hunter got robbed on our first day back in Arusha. My house girl was diagnosed with cancer our first weekend back. My brother got engaged a week later and will be married this Fall to a sweet girl named Michelle. My Dad turned 67 yesterday. The same day, one of my best friends gave birth to her first child: a beautiful, healthy baby girl named Elsa. I had my favorite life skills class yet with our Form 3 girls on managing emotions. The class ended with singing and dancing and sheer silliness. That's when you know you've taught a good class, making your students feel safe, cared for and free.

*With our new Life Skills team*

I'm supposed to be in Stonetown for the Sauti ya Busara Music Fest this weekend, something I've not missed since coming to TZ in 2005, but I opted to stick around instead. I just didn't feel right splurging when my housegirl and friend Mary's cancer status is unknown. We hope to receive the biopsy results next Wednesday. Amazing to find out there is only one hospital in all of Tanzania treating cancer. Apparently, the TZ government covers the care and implementation, but the actual radiation is up to the patient to purchase. A little different from home eh?! We are praying all the cancer is gone completely, and that a trip to Ocean Road Hospital in Dar is not in the cards for gangsta wetu, Mary. It makes me sick to my stomach that all that time I was home, reuniting with family and friends, eating and drinking, hiking and sailing, enjoying fireworks and fireplaces, Mary was suffering, staying with her pastor undergoing intense maombi or prayers, taking village potions, sweating at night, losing hope by the day as her growth grew bigger and bigger.

My momma always said: life isn't fair. She was right. But we can try to make it a little more fair for a few.