Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Vtech
Hey,
just a quick note. This is a great article on the Virginia Tech shootings by Ravi.
http://www.rzim.org/resources/essay_arttext.php?id=21
enjoy
just a quick note. This is a great article on the Virginia Tech shootings by Ravi.
http://www.rzim.org/resources/essay_arttext.php?id=21
enjoy
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Nimelala fofofo
Yesterday and Today I've had a stomach ache and sunburn which have made life uncomfortable, strange bowel movements etc...ugh. But its been great to spend some time with the training teachers here, Im teachning some guys the guitar. They are quitre musically quick, quicker than anyone i've ever taught anyway. They probably have just never really had the chance to try out any instruments, although some of them have.
Life is so casual in Africa it seems, but it is also very harsh. The plants are strong and wiry, the insects huge and tough, and of course the mammals have a hard time too. The women do a lot of the work here, much more than at home, they are often out in the fields farming while the men sit and talk. The men get a lot of part time work. The kids get it pretty hard, with lots dieing of sickness and disease. Education is hard because there are too many kids and the government doesn't support the teachers enough, with like 60 children per teacher. You hear about lots of corruption of aid from overseas by government officials and politions who expect bribes.....
Nimelala fofofo. I slept like a rock in Swahili. Its been good sleep here, its really warm at nights so you don't need many blankets.....
Its really good to meet some people who are walking with god here, and to worship with them.
Life is so casual in Africa it seems, but it is also very harsh. The plants are strong and wiry, the insects huge and tough, and of course the mammals have a hard time too. The women do a lot of the work here, much more than at home, they are often out in the fields farming while the men sit and talk. The men get a lot of part time work. The kids get it pretty hard, with lots dieing of sickness and disease. Education is hard because there are too many kids and the government doesn't support the teachers enough, with like 60 children per teacher. You hear about lots of corruption of aid from overseas by government officials and politions who expect bribes.....
Nimelala fofofo. I slept like a rock in Swahili. Its been good sleep here, its really warm at nights so you don't need many blankets.....
Its really good to meet some people who are walking with god here, and to worship with them.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Mererani
Yesterday we went to church in Mererani. PC, the father of the household dad and I are staying at called it the wild west of Tanzania, and it really is. Its definitely the roughest town I have been at yet, kids all over the streets, gangs, and apparently lots of killings. It’s a mining town and 5-6 years ago it was a peaceful town, but then some South African companies bought up some mines and caused trouble so Im told. These mines are the only place in the world you can get the stone Tanzanite, so it’s a tight market.
The church we went to visit there was only small a few years ago, but it now has over 800 people who are their members. Dad spoke at their church and they enjoyed it so much they asked him back that evening, and I also played a song on an electric guitar there which was fun. I got to met a lot of the people there and some dudes who were both my age called Tumaini and Haneyst, who both have a heart for the young people there. It’s a rough town, and Haynest and his sister are orphans, while Tumaini’s father left his family at a young age, but they both have compassionate hearts to see the place changed for good. Pray for them, OK?
African roads are dodgy as, but we survived with the keen skills of PC, who actually used to be a cop in NZ. He showed us this notorious bridge which has people drive off it all the time, and the huge gashes in the protective barriers which are proof. The bridge is about 50-100 metres high!
Its been an interesting weekend to say the least, but to, Monday, I have an upset stomach, ugh….
The church we went to visit there was only small a few years ago, but it now has over 800 people who are their members. Dad spoke at their church and they enjoyed it so much they asked him back that evening, and I also played a song on an electric guitar there which was fun. I got to met a lot of the people there and some dudes who were both my age called Tumaini and Haneyst, who both have a heart for the young people there. It’s a rough town, and Haynest and his sister are orphans, while Tumaini’s father left his family at a young age, but they both have compassionate hearts to see the place changed for good. Pray for them, OK?
African roads are dodgy as, but we survived with the keen skills of PC, who actually used to be a cop in NZ. He showed us this notorious bridge which has people drive off it all the time, and the huge gashes in the protective barriers which are proof. The bridge is about 50-100 metres high!
Its been an interesting weekend to say the least, but to, Monday, I have an upset stomach, ugh….
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
WATSAP?
Ive had a greta few days getting to know the students of the college here in EN Gedi. There is a Leaders school and a teachers training school, each of which have about thirty or forty students. They are very friendly and were very interested in the photos from NZ. They are very commited to God and the worship in the mornings is powerful. They dont need a sound system at all, their voices are so loud you can hear the music well from our room which is quite a distance from us. The first moring, yesterday, the music brought tears to my eyes even though I couldn't understand it. It was just so powerful and sincere.
I also went for a run yesterday afternoon with PC who we're staying with. It was very hot, but a great oportunity to see the area. They are quite a few Massai people living arround us and lots of farmers etc. There are some people at the end of the road who break rocks. Thats what they do. Just break these big boulders all day. They get about 1 to 1.50 US a day. The run was great though and my sneakers were red from the dust by the time we were back.
Ive had a greta few days getting to know the students of the college here in EN Gedi. There is a Leaders school and a teachers training school, each of which have about thirty or forty students. They are very friendly and were very interested in the photos from NZ. They are very commited to God and the worship in the mornings is powerful. They dont need a sound system at all, their voices are so loud you can hear the music well from our room which is quite a distance from us. The first moring, yesterday, the music brought tears to my eyes even though I couldn't understand it. It was just so powerful and sincere.
I also went for a run yesterday afternoon with PC who we're staying with. It was very hot, but a great oportunity to see the area. They are quite a few Massai people living arround us and lots of farmers etc. There are some people at the end of the road who break rocks. Thats what they do. Just break these big boulders all day. They get about 1 to 1.50 US a day. The run was great though and my sneakers were red from the dust by the time we were back.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Kenya and Tanzania
The horizons in Africa are amazing because its so flat with sporadic hills, it gets hazy and the sunsets are singularly fantastic...wow, Im in awe. The hills futher in the background become bluer and bluer until they almost blend rught into the sky.
So we arrived in Arusha on Tues afternoon, its a lovely place, but poor and very dusty. Apparently they are awaiting the short rains which come after the dry season which we are at the tail end of now.
Arusha is quite tropical really, lots of green all around which is different to the part of Tanzania we saw on the road down from Kenya. On that journey we saw lots of Massai people looking after their cattles or just walking seemingly aimlessly along the road. There we some very young kids farming the cattle and just sitting round the road, walking alone or in twos, all in their traditional dress. In NZ the Maori people don't often dress in their traditional clothes which is totally understandable, but the Massia wear it quite casually, walking with other ragularly dressed friends.
Dad gave his first lectures today, and had a few very hard questions. I think the class of pastors and leaders were just trying to suss him out, and he did well answering I guess. They are nice people though, very friendly and engaged in everything that is said. The class is in english so it must be hard for soem of them.
Africa is not as strange as I thought is might be, its just some other peoples home. Underdeveloped? Well, technologically and economically, yes, and surely health wise. But they still see the world in the same way we would see it in their situation.
Well, I can't seem to be able to upload photos at the moment, I have no idea whats going on with it but its just not working. I might email them to a friend to put up.
Caio
So we arrived in Arusha on Tues afternoon, its a lovely place, but poor and very dusty. Apparently they are awaiting the short rains which come after the dry season which we are at the tail end of now.
Arusha is quite tropical really, lots of green all around which is different to the part of Tanzania we saw on the road down from Kenya. On that journey we saw lots of Massai people looking after their cattles or just walking seemingly aimlessly along the road. There we some very young kids farming the cattle and just sitting round the road, walking alone or in twos, all in their traditional dress. In NZ the Maori people don't often dress in their traditional clothes which is totally understandable, but the Massia wear it quite casually, walking with other ragularly dressed friends.
Dad gave his first lectures today, and had a few very hard questions. I think the class of pastors and leaders were just trying to suss him out, and he did well answering I guess. They are nice people though, very friendly and engaged in everything that is said. The class is in english so it must be hard for soem of them.
Africa is not as strange as I thought is might be, its just some other peoples home. Underdeveloped? Well, technologically and economically, yes, and surely health wise. But they still see the world in the same way we would see it in their situation.
Well, I can't seem to be able to upload photos at the moment, I have no idea whats going on with it but its just not working. I might email them to a friend to put up.
Caio
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
To Tanzania
Im sorry, but I really havent had much time to use the computer because Dad has been using it to suss out his notes, but here is some of my journal of the journey to Tanzania:
The Kenyan flight was crazy. The plane had come from Hong Kong and was packed, the overhead luggage compartments to the pint of explosion if touched.We were awoken in the morning at 4:30 for breakfast and the dawn over Kenya was amazing. We just caught the sunrise before landing in Nairobi and the colours were beautiful. We were sitting on the west side of the plane, so could only see the sun’s effect on the clouds, but that was enough. The clouds were like solid objects and seemed to be sitting absolutely still in the air, totally different from the clouds of NZ which are always on the move. Mt. Kenya was sticking out of the clouds, it’s a huge mountain as tall as Mt.Cook in NZ.
The air was clear and cool at the Nairobi airport at 6:20 in the morning. It was a walk from the plane to the actual airport building, but the sun was just coming up. The were quite a few army planes at the air field as well. I noticed the luggage machine driver txting on his cellphone.
We got on the bus from Kenya to`Tanzania, Nairobi to Arusha. The main road right the way through East Africa is badly riddled with pot holes, which makes for an interesting journey as your driver is move concerned about avoiding them than swerving in front of other vehicles. In the first few minutes of our bus trip we saw three giraffe which was amazing. We also saw some Gazelle, Ostrich, and Camels, as well as cows and goats (but no sheep). It was an amazing trip, there were massaii people on the road everywhere in their blight colours against very dark skin, they are beautiful people. The landscape of Kenya is like nothing I've ever seen before.
The Kenyan flight was crazy. The plane had come from Hong Kong and was packed, the overhead luggage compartments to the pint of explosion if touched.We were awoken in the morning at 4:30 for breakfast and the dawn over Kenya was amazing. We just caught the sunrise before landing in Nairobi and the colours were beautiful. We were sitting on the west side of the plane, so could only see the sun’s effect on the clouds, but that was enough. The clouds were like solid objects and seemed to be sitting absolutely still in the air, totally different from the clouds of NZ which are always on the move. Mt. Kenya was sticking out of the clouds, it’s a huge mountain as tall as Mt.Cook in NZ.
The air was clear and cool at the Nairobi airport at 6:20 in the morning. It was a walk from the plane to the actual airport building, but the sun was just coming up. The were quite a few army planes at the air field as well. I noticed the luggage machine driver txting on his cellphone.
We got on the bus from Kenya to`Tanzania, Nairobi to Arusha. The main road right the way through East Africa is badly riddled with pot holes, which makes for an interesting journey as your driver is move concerned about avoiding them than swerving in front of other vehicles. In the first few minutes of our bus trip we saw three giraffe which was amazing. We also saw some Gazelle, Ostrich, and Camels, as well as cows and goats (but no sheep). It was an amazing trip, there were massaii people on the road everywhere in their blight colours against very dark skin, they are beautiful people. The landscape of Kenya is like nothing I've ever seen before.
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