An eventful week

A lot has happened in the past week! Here are some of the highlights:

Starting to figure out my way around Arusha – I can now give directions to our house, even using some Swahili words

Ordering a taxi in Swahili and having it show up at the right time and in the right place

Discovering that the easiest way into town is to walk down the hill (a 15 minute walk) and take one of the many taxis waiting at the bottom

Attending a meeting with some of the parents of Umoja’s outreach students – local Tanzanian kids who will start their violin and piano lessons in a few weeks

Having someone say their phone number in Swahili, writing it down as they said the numbers and actually getting it right

Trying to memorize my phone number. If anyone’s wondering, it’s sifuri saba nane nne tano tatu tano tano saba nne  -- figure it out!

Enjoying a delicious dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant with Danielle and Tiana and her daughters

Having pizza with Liza and Danielle at the Masai Café

Dancing at Via Via!

Hearing live music at the Blue Heron

Signing up for Swahili lessons

Going  running through the coffee fields next to the International School (only once so far, but planning to make it a regular practice)

Learning to read alto clef since I have a viola student

Saying goodbye to Liza, who is off to grad school in London. I will miss her! As will so many other people! But we are excited for her as well.

Trying to organize a safari

Cooking a few quick but good meals and learning a few food words including mkate, mboga, ndizi

And of course, teaching a full week of private lessons and groups.

This evening Danielle and I were present at a very special occasion. Tiana invited us to her house for the “Minuet graduation” for her daughter Elsa, who has been one of Liza’s violin students and will now be one of mine. Elsa played for us the three minuets by J.S. Bach from the first Suzuki book, with Liza accompanying her on second violin. In the background, through the living room windows, we could see the sun setting over the hills. A beautiful setting and beautiful music. It was so amazing that in the midst of our busy and somewhat frenetic lives time stood still while we listened to a young girl play Bach. A moving testimony to the power of music to bring people together in community and to bring peace and joy into our lives. Also a testimony to the importance of supportive, encouraging parenting that celebrates the milestones, large and small, in a child’s life.

Now it is Sunday night and I am writing with the kitten curled up in my lap. A new week begins tomorrow. More adventures ahead!

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Swahili time

So… I’m gradually learning a bit of Swahili. It’s slow going. The other night I actually managed to order a taxi in Swahili! That’s a start. Unfortunately although it’s possible to come up with words to say it’s much harder to understand what other people are saying. I am hopeful that as time goes on it will become easier.

One very interesting thing about Swahili is the way people talk about time. Instead of a new day beginning at midnight it begins at sunrise, or 6 am. (Since Tanzania is close to the equator the sun rises and sets at approximately the same time all year.) Basically, you count up from the bottom of the clock instead of down from the top. For example:

7 am is saa moja asubuhi  (1:00 in the morning)

noon is saa sita mchana  (6:00 midday)

9:30 pm is saa tatu na nusa jioni  (3:30 in the evening)

midnight is saa sita usiku (6:00 at night)

Usually people use English time when speaking English and Swahili time when speaking Swahili. So when confirming the time of something, it is not unusual to say “eleven o’clock – saa tano.”

In general Swahili is a fascinating language. I’ll keep you posted as I learn more!

New home!

Danielle and I have moved to a house which we are sharing with Thembi, a writer from Great Britain. Thembi has lived in Tanzania for many years. The house is located up a winding, rocky dirt road near the top of a hill. Although it seems remote, it is actually not that far from work! But it's a whole different world. It is quite rural, with many little shops along the road. When I get a chance I'll take pictures of our "hood." We can buy fresh vegetables right at the end of our lane! And apparently there is a woman at the end of the land who has a shop where she makes fantastic chips. I'll have to check it out soon...

 

My bed, with mosquito netting of course (very cozy)

front of the house

a view of the whole house. The two windows furthest left are my room.

Garden

Pictures of ISM, where I teach Monday through Friday

Car park and front kiosk

front gate

Music building

sign in the hall outside music studios

First week of teaching!

Ahh… I’m so glad it’s Saturday evening, and tomorrow is a day off. The first week of teaching violin was, for  the most part, excellent.  I saw 23 private students and taught 2 group classes.  My students range in age from 4 to 54 (?) and in level from very beginner to quite advanced. A lot of this first week was about getting to know each student a bit and figuring out how I can most effectively work with him or her.  A working relationship with a student takes time to develop – and since Umoja’s  curriculum emphasizes the Suzuki method, it means developing a relationship as well with parents, who are very much involved in the process, especially in the early years.  

Not everyone started this week, so in a regular week I will have about 30 students and teach three group classes. A key element of Umoja is the outreach teaching which will start in September. On Saturdays we teach local Tanzanian kids who would not otherwise have access to music lessons, and we teach at a church in the centre of town which is easier for them to get to.  That will be a new challenge for me, as Swahili is the first language for these families – although the kids are learning English in school .

I am enjoying the cross-cultural aspect of this job. This week I taught students from Holland, Germany, Macedonia, Israel, India, Ireland, France, and Australia, all of whom are living here in Arusha. Most of them are growing up here and speak Swahili fluently, as well as English and their language of origin. I am definitely having language envy! I’m trying to learn at least one Swahili phrase or group of words each day. It will take a while though. I need to write a whole blog post about Swahili; it is such an interesting language.

Liza, the director of Umoja and an amazing violin teacher, has been around this week and will be here about a week more, but then is leaving for graduate school in London. She is not only immensely helpful but also inspiring, and also fun to be around. I’ve learned a lot from watching her interact with students, as well as seeing how she has adapted to life in Tanzania through her six years of living here. She will still be very much involved with Umoja and will be here periodically.

Today there was a meeting with all the parents and teachers to talk about plans for the year. The year ahead looks exciting and busy. I’ll write about events as they happen!

And of course, a lot more happened this week besides teaching. One major event was moving into the house where Danielle and I will be living. Tomorrow I plan to take some pictures, and then I will write about it. At the moment I’m sitting at the big desk (apparently it used to be a massage table, but I wouldn't trust it to hold anyone's weight) in my very cozy room. It feels great to have unpacked, finally.

Pictures to follow when I have a faster internet connection!

Hey all! I'll write an update soon. Meanwhile, thought you'd enjoy this picture. It's the front of a menu from a Japanese restaurant in Arusha.

Catching up...

A lot has happened in the past couple of days! Friday was fairly quiet, and I actually got a chance to practice violin (not the small one! see below) and study a bit of Swahili (nasema kidogo sana!). Friday night our roommate-to-be Thembi invited Danielle and me out to a barbecue restaurant. We met a few students from the US and Canada who are volunteering in Tanzania. We then went for drinks at a place called Empire where (note to self) there will often be live music. It was a lot of fun to go out and meet new people.

Saturday (yesterday!) we met Liza, the director of Umoja, and were whisked away to Tiana’s beautiful house for teacher orientation and training. After going over the group class curriculum I have more of an idea of what I’ll be doing and am very excited!  Umoja has both Suzuki-based instrument lessons and a traditional Tanzanian music ensemble, and part of the vision and curriculum is to integrate the two. As well as instrumental techniques we will teach ear training, rhythm, improvisation and performance skills. Each student will have a private lesson and a group lesson each week.

Saturday evening was a “meet and greet” at a local restaurant where we met some of the families who are part of Umoja. I met some of my students and their parents. Everyone is so hospitable and welcoming. It will be a while before I get people’s names straight though. Tomorrow we continue with teacher training and Monday we start teaching!

I’m starting to make plans for things to do in my spare time – if there is any! One of the first things will be a day trip to Arusha National Park, which is the closest park to Arusha.

very small violin

Meet and Greet with Umoja families

Umoja teachers! David, Liza (derector), Danielle, Tiana, Alison

An excellent day

If anyone had asked me a few months ago to describe some of my longed for but seemingly impossible dreams, one of them would have been to be out with friends listening to live African music in Africa. And that is exactly what happened this evening! Tiana, one of the Umoja staff, called and invited Danielle and me out to Via Via  for a drink, so off we went. Via Via is a great place: friendly people from all over the world and live music on Thursday nights. Tonight the band played some of my favourite styles: Soukous and Reggae. I couldn't believe I was actually there!

Tiana was born in Madagascar, has lived all over the world, and has been in Tanzania for ten years. She is a great resource, and her enthusiasm and energy is contagious. Among other things she will help with finding a way to get to Arusha National Park for a day trip, and knows someone who makes drums – and I may be able to meet with him and make my own drum! How exciting is that! Another dream come true.

Earlier today Danielle and I met with a woman who is looking for people to share her house and to live there while she’s away. Both of us felt very much at home from the moment we walked into her house: it’s casual, comfortable, lots of artistic touches, and two dogs, two puppies, and a cat! Thembi, the homeowner, seems like an easy person to get along with and I think it will be an ideal living situation. We will be able to arrange for a driver to take us to and from work and to other places as well. We’re about 99% ready to say yes. I’ll keep you posted.

We also spent some time at the school today organizing our teaching rooms and moving stuff around. The picture below is of Danielle outside the music building at International School Moshi (Arusha campus). That is where we'll spend our work days.

But before we got to ISM we had an impromptu safari! Annette, the Umoja administrator, who has been most helpful and hospitable (we are staying in her guest house for now), had driven us to meet Thembi at her house, which is up a steep hill through a lively rural village area. On the way back we took a wrong turn off the main road and found ourselves further and further away from civilization, into an area of arid planes, lone trees, and Masai people herding cattle and goats. The road was narrow, twisty, and treacherous in some places, but thanks to Annette’s expert driving and four wheel drive, we made it through. I wish I had taken pictures! I think Danielle took some video footage so I hope to be able to post it later, along with a video I took at Via Via.

So it has been a great day. The power cut out at 11:30 tonight, but I happened to wake up a few hours later and it's back on, so I'm charging my computer and writing.

Usiku mwema!

Karibu!

Hello to all! I'm in Tanzania! All went according to plan: flights were on time, luggage arrived, immigration papers were in order, and here I am! My fellow teaching-fellow Danielle and I are staying temporarily in the beautiful guest house belonging to Umoja's administrator, who spent today taking us to change money and get set up with sim cards (my phone doesn't work -- will get a new one soon) and to see where we'll be teaching and get rooms organized. We will be teaching in the music building at the Moshi International School, Arusha campus. The school is in a beautiful, peaceful setting. I will have about 35 private students and some group lessons, which sounds ideal.

I'll write more soon, when I have pictures to post. Meanwhile, here I am at the airport retrieving my luggage. I am happy to be here and excited to get going! Lots to figure out still.

Departure day!

Luggage is packed, laundry is done, goodbyes have been said... So, how to spend the last few hours before leaving for the airport?

I'll start by saying that the six weeks since I returned from New Orleans have been outstanding. Marlee's visit, trips to Duxbury and Ann Arbor, an awesome backyard party, music festivals (Afrofest in Queen's Park, Waterloo Jazz Festival, Latinfest, Kitchener Blues Festival), African drumming classes, drum circles, playing violin at church, barbecues, the First Annual GSO Second Violin Retreat Day, dancing, theatre (First Dance -- an excellent show), movies (including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2), squash games, restaurants, patios, live music, and getting together with many dear people. I couldn't have asked for a better time.

There are also things I haven't done: for one, practicing violin. Aargh! Hopefully it won't take long to get back in shape once I start teaching in Arusha. (I start a week from today, believe it or not!) Also I did not learn nearly as much Swahili as I had hoped -- but that will be easier when immersed in the environment.

Yesterday began with commissioning at Waterloo Mennonite Brethren Church. When a member of the WMB faith community is going on a missions trip, whether specifically with a missions organization or out into the world -- because all of life is about mission, being God's hands and feet wherever we go -- that person has the opportunity to speak briefly about what they'll be doing and then the congregation prays for them. Having imagined the moment for so long, standing up there on the platform felt a bit surreal! It means a lot that people will be thinking of and praying for me while I'm away. I also appreciate that many people came to talk to me after the service. Lots of hugs. I'd like to believe that none of us go out into the world alone. Much of the time I do believe that.

Although at several points it looked like it would rain yesterday, it didn't and the day was perfect for lunch on Ethel's patio with friends (Ethel's is the neighbourhood summer hangout!), and a couple of hours with Brian at the Blues Festival.

The day ended with a wonderful, magical drum circle in Waterloo Town Square, just as the sun was setting. How amazing to sit in a circle with people of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life, becoming a community by creating rhythm together. For more information about drumming events in KW, check out Creation Africa's website: http://www.creationafrica.com/Home.html

I also spent some time last night trying to make my luggage lighter (but I'm sure one suitcase is still overweight), and talking to family on the phone and skype.

This morning I have one errand to do at the bank, then I will pick Brian up from work and he will drive me to the airport. Toronto - Amsterdam - Tanzania! The big adventure begins!

"All her life she had been at war with the ordinary, the everyday, but now she realized how strongly it had captured her allegiance and her heart." [Starhawk, Walking To Mercury]

There is truth in that quote, these last few days before departure. Though I have never been one to embrace the ordinary, or routine, I find myself cherishing the details of day to day life. Sitting on the porch with my two cats. Drinking the day's first cup of coffee while checking email and Facebook. Barbecuing dinner in the back yard. Going to the gym. Walking uptown. Familiar cafes, restaurants, stores, people. Driving around in my little blue car. 

One of the gifts of preparing to go away for a long time is the heightened appreciation for my life here. Not that I've ever taken it for granted, but I am seeing it through a different lens. And it is good. Full of large and small annoyances of course, painfully uneventful at times (though not often, in truth), but mostly a life of colour and diversity and, as I have said before, more love than I ever could have imagined. I am appreciating this perspective right now. 


So here are a few images from ordinary (and not so ordinary) life:

Tilly and Kira

Fabulous Feuerwerker-Otto family

Wonderful extended family of the heart

A few friends. This one comes out upside down every time! No idea why.

parents

garden

 

rooftop patio

orchestra

a picture where Brian and I both look good!

work