The Two Month Mark!

Yesterday marked two months in Tanzania! Time sure is going by quickly!

I cannot believe that I have been in school for four weeks already. I don’t even know what to say except that I am totally in love with it! I know almost all of my students’ names and even the names of some students that aren’t in my classes. I feel like a real part of this school community now.

One of the greatest things to happen since school started is that I am teaching religion to Standard 6A on Friday mornings. I was not sure I would be teaching religion and honestly wasn’t sure I wanted to. But 6A is literally the best class ever; I know I’m not supposed to have favorites but I think this class might be it. There are only about 20 students in the class (which is small; most classes are about 35) and they are all fairly outspoken. The way they view the world, God, and faith is refreshing. During our first lesson together two Fridays ago, I asked them to write down questions or topics they wanted to learn about within the realm of religion/God/faith this year. They asked questions such as:

-Is God male or female?

-Is God in Heaven or on Earth?

-Why is God so good and perfect to us?

-How do we know what Jesus looks like?

Their genuine desire to know the answers to these questions and many more like it is really awesome. I am inspired by and appreciate their desire to ask questions about the religion and faith that they have grown up with.

 In class this past Friday, we discussed the question of whether God is male or female. Not wanting to influence them with my own opinion, I allowed them to express their views on the subject, which resulted in a very mature, student-led discussion. It was the coolest thing to watch these Standard 6 students talk among themselves about God.

 And the opinions/beliefs varied greatly. Their answers included: God is male because the Bible says “He” and “Him,” we can’t know if God is male or female, God is not distinctly male or female but a spirit, and God is both male and female. Eventually I weighed in just to say that God is whoever they need Him/Her to be in their own lives so that they can live in right relationship with Him/Her; their personal belief in this case is valid and valuable. The most important thing is simply that they have some kind of relationship with God.

Besides having that awesome class with Standard 6A, here are some other highlights of my time in Tanzania:

-I went to the kitchen party (like a bridal shower) and the send-off party (like a rehearsal dinner) for my co-worker who is getting married. It was really neat to be a part of these Tanzanian celebrations (pictures to be on Facebook soon!)

-My co-worker is teaching me Kiswahili during my free periods and I am becoming much more comfortable with the language.

-I took a public bus, called a dala dala, into the heart of Dar es Salaam letters by myself to send out some letters. It was a success; I didn’t get lost! Haha

-A student drew me a picture and wrote me a letter addressed to “Teacher Leener”

-A few of my students have come on Saturdays to visit me at our home and play Jenga and read storybooks

-I introduced myself correctly at our first school PTA meeting in Kiswahili!

 

It's been a wonderful two months full of highs and lows and everything in between! I can't wait to see what the next two will bring.