As previously mentioned, Fr. Donnie’s revolving door of “guests” swung open a couple weeks ago, providing me with another a new acquaintance. From the moment of his unannounced arrival (the pastor dropped him off in a hospital van!) I could tell that this was going to be an interesting experience. Simon, a 70 year-old evangelical radio host from Nairobi, Kenya, decided to grace us with his presence until Easter. Not knowing their reasoning at the time, I soon found out why Fr. Dan and Fr. Michael didn’t hurry back to the village after hearing of Simon’s plans.
Ughh Simon, where to begin…Well, let’s just put it this way, he’s essentially a child trapped inside an elderly man’s body. He talks nonstop, whines when he doesn’t get his way, and is probably the most self-absorbed individual that I’ve ever met. Thirdly, Simon is afraid of the dark. He sleeps with the lights on (draining ALL of our solar power by about 10pm). Finally, Simon seals every window shut and covers each of them with curtains because he believes that “witches will come through at night.”
Although Simon’s personality bugged me and I find him annoying, I understand that these characteristics are simply minor inconveniences. The truth is that Simon really bothers me because he took advantage of Fr. Donnie’s generosity and hospitality. For example, he single-handedly depleted the priests’ beer supply in just about a week (it usually takes them over a month). Every night, “Simon the Mooch” complained on cue bout a reoccurring headache that always seemed to follow his drinking. The first few times, I attempted to calmly explain that he may want to lay off the bottle, however, he usually took exception with that, replying “beer is good for you…give me another, grandson” (I’m 99% sure he doesn’t even know my name). At first, I thought his comments were funny, but they gradually became more burdensome than anything else. Thus, in an effort to avoid his nightly nagging, I gave him a Tylenol PM to put him to sleep (I’ve got to admit that I tossed around the idea of slipping him a couple more to put him out for good…).
Well, to my disappointment, Simon did wake up each morning, resulting in the continuation of this reoccurring nightmare. Last night, after a long evening that featured Simon eating an entire bowl chicken by himself (this was supposed to be a major Easter dinner treat for everyone), I was left with an empty stomach and a really bad taste in my mouth. However, that all changed unexpectedly. During the end of one of his rants, emphasizing how he was “greatly appreciated by the whole village”, Simon instructed me to grab a pen and paper. As Simon enthusiastically spewed all of his useless garbage, I waited for him to take a sip of his 4th beer of the night (he was making sure to clean out the fridge before leaving…pretty classy dude). When the moment did arrive, I politely asked him for his e-mail address. Simon cockily responded “I’ll do you one better, Grandson”…Feel free to give our pal a ring:
Cell: +722-441-1248
Monday, April 25, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Good Friday Edition: Top 10 Ways to Avoid Getting Hung from a Cross
I’m not gonna lie to you, this week has pretty long. My internet package expired on Saturday, and that wasn’t resolved until last night (worst possible timing with the playoffs in full swing). Additionally, we’ve got a new “visitor” (I’ll tell you all about him on Monday or Tuesday), who decided to drop in last Friday, and won’t be leaving until the day after Easter. Anyway, with the entire village in Holy Week mode, “Resurrection-Mania” is in full-swing. Below is this week’s Top 10 Ways to Avoid Crucifixion. Enjoy…and yes I think this confirm that I’ve officially lost my mind!
10.) Make Concessions
-“Look, I’m not going to waver on any of the ‘Son of God’ stuff...However, I’ll lift the ‘No Meat Rule’ AND give you Friday off…C’mon who doesn’t love long weekends???
9.) Break out the Secret Weapon...The Easter Bunny
-“What if I told you that a bunny will come on Sunday and give you a bunch of chocolate…Just come to Church dressed nicely!”
8.) Point out the Competition
-“Uh Hello, has anyone actually taken a look at this guy Barabbas?!”
7.) Stall-
-“Hold on a second, can we push this crucifixion back a few hours?” (Wait it out til 3…I hear that a big storm was on the way).
6.) Idkkkk-
-Sorry, can’t think of one here. Keep going, you’ve got plenty of reading left…
5.) Pull the Unreliable Judas Aside-
- “Look man, if you even think about betraying me, then I’ll tell everybody you prefer kissing dudes on the cheek over handshakes!” (I don’t care who/what you are/believe…that just weirds me out).
4.) Take Away Pontius Pilot’s Bowl of Water…-
-…Thus, making it impossible for him to “wash his hand” of the situation.
3.) Identity Change-
-Lose the beard and the long hair for a while. Sure the swaddling clothes and the technicolored dreamcoat play well in the historical context of the Bible, but I’m trying to get Jesus out of an execution here…There’s no way around it, the 70’s Hippie Jesus look makes you stick out anywhere…especially way back when in Jerusalem.
2.) Call in the Closer…
-“And now introducing the ‘greatest man to ever come from a woman’ (best quote of all time) John the Baptist!” Aside from the fact that everyone thought he was crazy, I honestly don’t know a whole lot about this guy. However, I heard the “greatest man…” line while dozing off at church once and have been hooked ever since. I’m sure he’d be a valuable asset. Besides, are you telling me you wouldn’t want to hang out with a guy who’s got an awesome nickname like that?
1.) Pull a Reverse Lazarus
-During your long and painful struggle carrying the cross, find a weak spot in the crowd. Use the encounter with Mother Mary or Mary Magdalene (Sorry, I sorta forgot this part…and I’m having trouble with Wikipedia) as a distraction. Finally, take a dive, hit all the on-lookers with a large dose of blindness, and book it out of there. “Now ya see me…now ya don’t!”
*Well, after this gem, I think it’s pretty evident why I never got above a C in Religion!
Happy Easter!
10.) Make Concessions
-“Look, I’m not going to waver on any of the ‘Son of God’ stuff...However, I’ll lift the ‘No Meat Rule’ AND give you Friday off…C’mon who doesn’t love long weekends???
9.) Break out the Secret Weapon...The Easter Bunny
-“What if I told you that a bunny will come on Sunday and give you a bunch of chocolate…Just come to Church dressed nicely!”
8.) Point out the Competition
-“Uh Hello, has anyone actually taken a look at this guy Barabbas?!”
7.) Stall-
-“Hold on a second, can we push this crucifixion back a few hours?” (Wait it out til 3…I hear that a big storm was on the way).
6.) Idkkkk-
-Sorry, can’t think of one here. Keep going, you’ve got plenty of reading left…
5.) Pull the Unreliable Judas Aside-
- “Look man, if you even think about betraying me, then I’ll tell everybody you prefer kissing dudes on the cheek over handshakes!” (I don’t care who/what you are/believe…that just weirds me out).
4.) Take Away Pontius Pilot’s Bowl of Water…-
-…Thus, making it impossible for him to “wash his hand” of the situation.
3.) Identity Change-
-Lose the beard and the long hair for a while. Sure the swaddling clothes and the technicolored dreamcoat play well in the historical context of the Bible, but I’m trying to get Jesus out of an execution here…There’s no way around it, the 70’s Hippie Jesus look makes you stick out anywhere…especially way back when in Jerusalem.
2.) Call in the Closer…
-“And now introducing the ‘greatest man to ever come from a woman’ (best quote of all time) John the Baptist!” Aside from the fact that everyone thought he was crazy, I honestly don’t know a whole lot about this guy. However, I heard the “greatest man…” line while dozing off at church once and have been hooked ever since. I’m sure he’d be a valuable asset. Besides, are you telling me you wouldn’t want to hang out with a guy who’s got an awesome nickname like that?
1.) Pull a Reverse Lazarus
-During your long and painful struggle carrying the cross, find a weak spot in the crowd. Use the encounter with Mother Mary or Mary Magdalene (Sorry, I sorta forgot this part…and I’m having trouble with Wikipedia) as a distraction. Finally, take a dive, hit all the on-lookers with a large dose of blindness, and book it out of there. “Now ya see me…now ya don’t!”
*Well, after this gem, I think it’s pretty evident why I never got above a C in Religion!
Happy Easter!
Monday, April 11, 2011
I Think This One May Actually Be Worth Reading!
Over the weekend, I was helping Fr. Donnie clean his house. As we were going through all of his stuff, I came across a 4-page article that had been buried under a stack of papers. After reading the article, I learned about all of the impressive accomplishments that Fr. Donnie had achieved throughout his time in Tanzania. In my opinion, this summary best exemplifies all of the hard work that Fr. Donnie has put into improving the lives of the African people. Thus, I decided to type it out and post it below. Unlike most of the useless nonsense that is typically found on this blog, I think that people will actually get something out of this. With that in mind, grab an extra coffee (sorry, every once in a while my Dunkin Donuts withdrawal rears its ugly head), and take a few minutes to read it for yourself...
With a twinkle in his eye, Fr. Don Sybertz led the way through a blue door into a small compound a stone’s throw from the Ndoleleji Mission. His Research Group, four men and a woman of the local Sukuma tribe, was waiting and on cue burst into a welcome song. With a grin on his face, Don joined them in their dancing and melodic chant. The beautiful songs continued for almost an hour, with Don explaining the meaning and symbolism. The Research Group are some of the brightest members of the local Catholic parish. They shared with this much loved Maryknoll Father the task of collecting African myths and proverbs and interpreting them as Africa Christian Theology.
Born in NORTH WEYMOUTH, Massachusetts in 1928, Don has been living in Tanzania since 1955 as a Maryknoll missionary. With a lifetime’s love and appreciation of Africa, especially the Sukuma tribe, he is deeply inculturated into African folklore and recognizes its parallels with Christianity. A fascination for the subject and being an expert speaker of the Sukuma language, he fully appreciates their oral traditions. He has made a continuing study of how to relate Scripture and the African proverbs, wisdom sayings, stories and parables of the people. This has resulted in the publication of several books in Swahili as evangelization aids for the Tanzanian Church and a major book in English.
One of Fr. Don’s books, “Towards an African Narrative Theology” is published by Orbis. The books’ introduction explains the priests’ journey:
Welcome to a journey into the heart and soul of the African people and cultures. This is the on-going African journey of enculturation and contextualization – rooting the gospel in local African cultures and societies. The guides on this journey are African proverbs, sayings, riddles, stories, myths, plays, songs, cultural symbols, and real life experiences. Through this particular story of an African narrative theology of enculturation we hope to communicate to a wider audience the experience and wisdom of the African people and cultures. This is a concrete step in sharing the theological insights and praxis of the African Church with the World Church and the world society.
This expatriate missionary holds great respect for what he has seen and experienced in Africa and feels compelled to tell others. When asked if it is valid for expatriate missionaries to construct an African Theology, his answer is:
Yes, because we are not writing our own theology from the top down, but we are transmitting the theological reflections and insights of the African people and communities from the grassroots, from the bottom up. This is a process of constructing a local participatory theology. We have tried to codify African experience and wisdom through oral literature and traditions such as proverbs, sayings, riddles, stories, myths, fables, plays, songs, prayers, homilies, sermons, personal testimonies, dreams, and cultural symbols to integeate them with the Christian faith.
In the book there are thousands of proverbs listed, as well as quotes from local African clergy. Sister Anne Nasimiyu-Wasike, L.S.O.S.F. states: The oral literature of the African people is their unwritten Bible. This religious wisdom is found in African idioms, wise sayings, legends, myths, stories, proverbs and oral history.
The theologian Rev. Mbiti adds: Proverbs are a rich source of African Religion and philosophy. They contain and point to a deep spirituality, as well as theological and philosophical insights. In this case they form a bridge between traditional African religiosity and biblical teaching.
Four African proverbs and their biblical parallels show the striking similarity between African wisdom and biblical wisdom.
1.) Sukuma (Tanzania) Proverb: What goes into the stomach is not lasting.
Mark 7: 18-19: Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes into the sewer.
2.) Sukuma (Tanzania) Proverb: To laugh at a person with a defective eye while you hide your own defects.
Matthew 7:3: Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eyes, but do not notice the log in your own eye?
3.) Fipa (Tanzania) Proverb: God’s rain falls even on the witch.
Matthew 5:45: Your Father in heaven sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
4.) Kuria (Kenya/Tanzania) and Ngoreme (Tanzania) Proverb: One person is thin porridge or gruel; two or three people are a handul of stuff cooked corn meal.
Ecclesiastes 4:9,12: Two are better than one…A threefold cord is not quickly broken.
In 2007, Don published a small book “Tears of Joy: African Story about Heroes and Monsters.” The story is a creation myth for the Sukuma people who were in danger of being swallowed by a monster Shing’weng’we who was slaughtered by a hero child Masala Kulangwa who became King and Chief of the whole world. John P. Mbonde reviewed the book and this is an extract from his review:
A story, a tale, a myth such as the Sukuma myth of Shing’weng’we and Masala Kulangwa meticulously narrated in Tears Of Joy, can still be used more effectively than a scientific explanation to teach certain metaphysical truths and to give very powerful moral lessons to young people.
It is incredible that after 51 years of extensive research on the rich Sukuma cultural traditions and oral literature (stories, songs, proverbs, riddles, myths, folklore, ect.), the author Father Donald Sybertz, M.M., a Maryknoll Missioner living in Shinyanga, Tanzania, has every reason to rejoice and be congradulated for having such a good command of the Sukuma language and finally helping the full, definitive version of this myth to see the light of day in this 27 page booklet.
In this book, Tears of Joy, the monster appears in the village in the form of a large pumpkin which kept on growing and growing all the time until it become so enormous that all were truly amazed. People ran to get their weapons. The pumpkin suddenly burst open and a monster with long claws and sharp teeth came roaring out. All the people, elders, men and women, boys and girls, children and babies, even cattle and goats were swallowed.
It was the son of the lone woman who escaped from being swallowed by the monster who later killed the monster with a stone. The name of this courageous boy is Masala Kulangwa. It was a great achievement for him and for all the men and women of his Sukuma Ethnic Group who came out of the stomach dancing and singing: “Masala Kulangwa killed him. We are all free and alive again. What a man this Masala Kulangwa is.” They made Masala Kulangwa their Chief and King of the Whole World.
This myth touches the metaphysical problems of death and afterlife. Shing’weng’we is diabolically a terrible monster, apparently unconquerable and without mercy. Every human being must fall victim to him. This is the law from which no one can escape. The monster’s stomach is the symbol of earth (from which comes all fertility). It also symbolizes the tomb where everybody will sooner or later be swallowed (common death).
Father Don Sybertz and his Research Group continued their song and dance. It was an awesome experience. Their joyful faces, swaying bodies and perfect harmonies were just a taster for the visitor, the tip of an immense iceberg of knowledge, faith and understanding which has been carried through generations. It is a testimony to the enthusiasm and intelligence of Father Sybertz that he paid attention and wrote it down for a worldwide audience to appreciate and understand. And to encourage evangelization in an African way.
With a twinkle in his eye, Fr. Don Sybertz led the way through a blue door into a small compound a stone’s throw from the Ndoleleji Mission. His Research Group, four men and a woman of the local Sukuma tribe, was waiting and on cue burst into a welcome song. With a grin on his face, Don joined them in their dancing and melodic chant. The beautiful songs continued for almost an hour, with Don explaining the meaning and symbolism. The Research Group are some of the brightest members of the local Catholic parish. They shared with this much loved Maryknoll Father the task of collecting African myths and proverbs and interpreting them as Africa Christian Theology.
Born in NORTH WEYMOUTH, Massachusetts in 1928, Don has been living in Tanzania since 1955 as a Maryknoll missionary. With a lifetime’s love and appreciation of Africa, especially the Sukuma tribe, he is deeply inculturated into African folklore and recognizes its parallels with Christianity. A fascination for the subject and being an expert speaker of the Sukuma language, he fully appreciates their oral traditions. He has made a continuing study of how to relate Scripture and the African proverbs, wisdom sayings, stories and parables of the people. This has resulted in the publication of several books in Swahili as evangelization aids for the Tanzanian Church and a major book in English.
One of Fr. Don’s books, “Towards an African Narrative Theology” is published by Orbis. The books’ introduction explains the priests’ journey:
Welcome to a journey into the heart and soul of the African people and cultures. This is the on-going African journey of enculturation and contextualization – rooting the gospel in local African cultures and societies. The guides on this journey are African proverbs, sayings, riddles, stories, myths, plays, songs, cultural symbols, and real life experiences. Through this particular story of an African narrative theology of enculturation we hope to communicate to a wider audience the experience and wisdom of the African people and cultures. This is a concrete step in sharing the theological insights and praxis of the African Church with the World Church and the world society.
This expatriate missionary holds great respect for what he has seen and experienced in Africa and feels compelled to tell others. When asked if it is valid for expatriate missionaries to construct an African Theology, his answer is:
Yes, because we are not writing our own theology from the top down, but we are transmitting the theological reflections and insights of the African people and communities from the grassroots, from the bottom up. This is a process of constructing a local participatory theology. We have tried to codify African experience and wisdom through oral literature and traditions such as proverbs, sayings, riddles, stories, myths, fables, plays, songs, prayers, homilies, sermons, personal testimonies, dreams, and cultural symbols to integeate them with the Christian faith.
In the book there are thousands of proverbs listed, as well as quotes from local African clergy. Sister Anne Nasimiyu-Wasike, L.S.O.S.F. states: The oral literature of the African people is their unwritten Bible. This religious wisdom is found in African idioms, wise sayings, legends, myths, stories, proverbs and oral history.
The theologian Rev. Mbiti adds: Proverbs are a rich source of African Religion and philosophy. They contain and point to a deep spirituality, as well as theological and philosophical insights. In this case they form a bridge between traditional African religiosity and biblical teaching.
Four African proverbs and their biblical parallels show the striking similarity between African wisdom and biblical wisdom.
1.) Sukuma (Tanzania) Proverb: What goes into the stomach is not lasting.
Mark 7: 18-19: Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes into the sewer.
2.) Sukuma (Tanzania) Proverb: To laugh at a person with a defective eye while you hide your own defects.
Matthew 7:3: Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eyes, but do not notice the log in your own eye?
3.) Fipa (Tanzania) Proverb: God’s rain falls even on the witch.
Matthew 5:45: Your Father in heaven sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
4.) Kuria (Kenya/Tanzania) and Ngoreme (Tanzania) Proverb: One person is thin porridge or gruel; two or three people are a handul of stuff cooked corn meal.
Ecclesiastes 4:9,12: Two are better than one…A threefold cord is not quickly broken.
In 2007, Don published a small book “Tears of Joy: African Story about Heroes and Monsters.” The story is a creation myth for the Sukuma people who were in danger of being swallowed by a monster Shing’weng’we who was slaughtered by a hero child Masala Kulangwa who became King and Chief of the whole world. John P. Mbonde reviewed the book and this is an extract from his review:
A story, a tale, a myth such as the Sukuma myth of Shing’weng’we and Masala Kulangwa meticulously narrated in Tears Of Joy, can still be used more effectively than a scientific explanation to teach certain metaphysical truths and to give very powerful moral lessons to young people.
It is incredible that after 51 years of extensive research on the rich Sukuma cultural traditions and oral literature (stories, songs, proverbs, riddles, myths, folklore, ect.), the author Father Donald Sybertz, M.M., a Maryknoll Missioner living in Shinyanga, Tanzania, has every reason to rejoice and be congradulated for having such a good command of the Sukuma language and finally helping the full, definitive version of this myth to see the light of day in this 27 page booklet.
In this book, Tears of Joy, the monster appears in the village in the form of a large pumpkin which kept on growing and growing all the time until it become so enormous that all were truly amazed. People ran to get their weapons. The pumpkin suddenly burst open and a monster with long claws and sharp teeth came roaring out. All the people, elders, men and women, boys and girls, children and babies, even cattle and goats were swallowed.
It was the son of the lone woman who escaped from being swallowed by the monster who later killed the monster with a stone. The name of this courageous boy is Masala Kulangwa. It was a great achievement for him and for all the men and women of his Sukuma Ethnic Group who came out of the stomach dancing and singing: “Masala Kulangwa killed him. We are all free and alive again. What a man this Masala Kulangwa is.” They made Masala Kulangwa their Chief and King of the Whole World.
This myth touches the metaphysical problems of death and afterlife. Shing’weng’we is diabolically a terrible monster, apparently unconquerable and without mercy. Every human being must fall victim to him. This is the law from which no one can escape. The monster’s stomach is the symbol of earth (from which comes all fertility). It also symbolizes the tomb where everybody will sooner or later be swallowed (common death).
Father Don Sybertz and his Research Group continued their song and dance. It was an awesome experience. Their joyful faces, swaying bodies and perfect harmonies were just a taster for the visitor, the tip of an immense iceberg of knowledge, faith and understanding which has been carried through generations. It is a testimony to the enthusiasm and intelligence of Father Sybertz that he paid attention and wrote it down for a worldwide audience to appreciate and understand. And to encourage evangelization in an African way.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The WitchDoctor
Over the last few weeks, the big news in Tanzania and Kenya has been about this 76 year-old witchdoctor who claims to have the cure for AIDS. Mchungaji Ambilikile Mwasapile or,“Babu”(grandfather in Swahili) is a retired pastor from a rural village outside of Arusha. According to multiple sources, the “cure” is essentially a cup of tea mixed with an herb. Thousands of people from the surrounding areas (including this village) have taken the journey to see him. Unfortunately, at least 52 people have died from various complications (I'm assuming that a bunch of sick people living in already unsanitary living conditions presents certain health risks). Moreover, during last week’s trip to Shinyanga, we encountered a huge crowd outside of the city’s main hospital as we were picking up one of the villagers. Later, we found out that the government was investigating one of Babu’s patients. The crowd had formed outside of the medical facility because one of the fifty-two bodies was being autopsied. To his credit, Babu only charges 500 schillings (about 30 cents USD) per person. Although this price is not outrageous, I’m going to leave my opinion on the matter at the door because as the saying goes…”If you’ve got nothing nice to say, then don’t saying anything at all!”
Okay, well enough of the facts, (we’ll leave that to the official SeanWhiteTZ Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Nicole Nalepa. Check her out on the western Mass NBC affiliate, WWLP 22News. And yes, contrary to popular belief, people do live west of Natick. Sure most of them are married to their cousins, but I digress…). Personally, I’m more interested in the whole concept of a “WitchDoctor.” Furthermore, if I don’t have a job by the time I come home, I may be exploring this occupation more seriously…Can you say Craig’s List??
Name: SeaNzungu
-If you can't beat 'em, might as well join 'em.
Description/Appearance: Off the top of my head, I think the best way to describe a WitchDoctor would be for you to close your eyes and visualize the “Jesus Guy.” Every summer he stands outside of Fenway, holding up signs and passing out those pamphlets that urge us to “Repent” or else we’ll be subjected to eternal damnation. Anyway, the point here is that he’s a marketing machine…and as much as you don’t want to admit it, you’ll never truly be able to erase the image of the “Jesus Guy” from your mind.
Product: Deodorant
I’ll keep this short and sweet. When priority #1 is putting food on the table, personal hygiene takes back seat. I’m not gonna lie, I had been warned about the BO, however, my faulty intel had assured me that I’d stop noticing the smell after a few weeks. Well I got here in Feb. and it’s now April…not much has changed. If anyone feels compelled to contact CVS and request like a 1,000 packs of deodorant(Norty, this could be a golden opportunity for P&G to control the East African market!), I think I could coordinate a sweet UN Peacekeeping-Style ” Deodorant Drop!”
Okay, well enough of the facts, (we’ll leave that to the official SeanWhiteTZ Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Nicole Nalepa. Check her out on the western Mass NBC affiliate, WWLP 22News. And yes, contrary to popular belief, people do live west of Natick. Sure most of them are married to their cousins, but I digress…). Personally, I’m more interested in the whole concept of a “WitchDoctor.” Furthermore, if I don’t have a job by the time I come home, I may be exploring this occupation more seriously…Can you say Craig’s List??
Name: SeaNzungu
-If you can't beat 'em, might as well join 'em.
Description/Appearance: Off the top of my head, I think the best way to describe a WitchDoctor would be for you to close your eyes and visualize the “Jesus Guy.” Every summer he stands outside of Fenway, holding up signs and passing out those pamphlets that urge us to “Repent” or else we’ll be subjected to eternal damnation. Anyway, the point here is that he’s a marketing machine…and as much as you don’t want to admit it, you’ll never truly be able to erase the image of the “Jesus Guy” from your mind.
Product: Deodorant
I’ll keep this short and sweet. When priority #1 is putting food on the table, personal hygiene takes back seat. I’m not gonna lie, I had been warned about the BO, however, my faulty intel had assured me that I’d stop noticing the smell after a few weeks. Well I got here in Feb. and it’s now April…not much has changed. If anyone feels compelled to contact CVS and request like a 1,000 packs of deodorant(Norty, this could be a golden opportunity for P&G to control the East African market!), I think I could coordinate a sweet UN Peacekeeping-Style ” Deodorant Drop!”
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Gold Digger
Wow, I just Google’d “What’s the date” and still can't believe that it's already April! I didn’t do a whole lot of traveling this week because we spent most of the time working on the research project. I won’t bore you with the administrative details, however, I’ll just let you know that it’s moving along quite nicely!
On Tuesday I went to Shinyanga with Fr. Donnie to do some errands. Due to the fact that this trip was filled with distractions, we didn’t exactly get everything done on the list. For example, we stopped the Tanzania Immigration to re-new my visa until August. To our surprise, the officers informed us that I would need to physically leave to country and come back in, if I wanted to stay. So that means I can either go take a long bus trip to Nairobi, Kenya or make the leisurely journey to two of the most spectacular vacation spots on Earth, Burundi (had a civil-war in the 1990’s) or Rwanda (I think we all know what happened there). Anyway, let me know if anybody has a preference.
With that said, we did successfully accomplish one major objective: we tracked down the “gold-digger”. As we left around 7am, Fr. Donnie explained to me that a woman, who had worked as one of his researchers, fled Ndoleleji after taking a substantial amount of his money. Primarily concerned about her well-being, Fr. Donnie repeatedly contacted the woman, but failed to reach her every time. Recently, Fr. Donnie had received word that the woman was working in Shinyanga as a potato farmer. Dog the Bounty Hunter (I mean Fr. Donnie) and the rest of us invaded the woman’s neighborhood. After grabbing two random kids who apparently knew the woman and throwing them into the truck, (the total number of passangers now being 14…including Fr. Donnie and I), we were directed to where she usually works. Unfortunately, we were unable to confront the woman, but now there’s like 10 witnesses who gave the same account…As far as I’m concerned the case is closed!
On Tuesday I went to Shinyanga with Fr. Donnie to do some errands. Due to the fact that this trip was filled with distractions, we didn’t exactly get everything done on the list. For example, we stopped the Tanzania Immigration to re-new my visa until August. To our surprise, the officers informed us that I would need to physically leave to country and come back in, if I wanted to stay. So that means I can either go take a long bus trip to Nairobi, Kenya or make the leisurely journey to two of the most spectacular vacation spots on Earth, Burundi (had a civil-war in the 1990’s) or Rwanda (I think we all know what happened there). Anyway, let me know if anybody has a preference.
With that said, we did successfully accomplish one major objective: we tracked down the “gold-digger”. As we left around 7am, Fr. Donnie explained to me that a woman, who had worked as one of his researchers, fled Ndoleleji after taking a substantial amount of his money. Primarily concerned about her well-being, Fr. Donnie repeatedly contacted the woman, but failed to reach her every time. Recently, Fr. Donnie had received word that the woman was working in Shinyanga as a potato farmer. Dog the Bounty Hunter (I mean Fr. Donnie) and the rest of us invaded the woman’s neighborhood. After grabbing two random kids who apparently knew the woman and throwing them into the truck, (the total number of passangers now being 14…including Fr. Donnie and I), we were directed to where she usually works. Unfortunately, we were unable to confront the woman, but now there’s like 10 witnesses who gave the same account…As far as I’m concerned the case is closed!
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