Pole sana (I’m very sorry)! My long over due blog post has finally arrived!
The last time I posted I was staying in Imiliwaha with the Benedictine sisters, and as it happens, I am staying with the sisters again now (**Update: didn’t get this posted while staying with the sisters, so after a 19.5 hour trip that included our car breaking down, we are now in Dar Es Salaam), but this time it is just a short stay as we make our way to the airport to fly out to Rwanda. In between our stays here, we spent a full month with the brothers in Hanga, Tanzania, about a 5 hour drive from here. A long time has passed and so much has happened since I last posted, but I will do my best to make up for lost time.
We left the sisters on August 8th with a great deal of fanfare. Brother stani held a goodbye party for us at the health center, and even gave Hannah and I matching kangas, and a matching shirt for Bob (Don’t we look cool?!).
As we made our way out to the car, we were met by a large group of the sisters who sang and played the drums for us. The mother superior even came to say a special goodbye, and invited us to come back anytime, for as long as we wished.
With all of our luggage, a driver, and a sister that was sent along just to make sure we arrived safely, the car was packed full. Still, the 5 hours were made better by the heaping basket of chicken, cake, mandazi (similar to donuts), popcorn, and pop that the sisters sent with us. As we spilled crumbs of cake and chicken on our laps, and giggled at the snoring sister beside us, we knew we would miss the amazing hospitality and loving sisters of Imiliwaha.
We didn’t have long to be nostalgic, though, because we soon realized that Hanga has it’s own unique charm. In fact, despite the close relationship and proximity of the two monasteries, they are extremely different. Most important to Bob, Hanga is much warmer and we no longer needed jackets, boots, or wool socks. Most important to Hannah and I, the Hanga Abbey is not set off on its own like the Imiliwaha convent, but is surrounded by the small village of Hanga, which means there are shops that sell chocolate!! At around 50 cents or less per bar, Hannah and I bought out the shop during our time there. Hanga is also special because it has a close, and longstanding relationship with St. John’s University. While this is the first year that Imiliwaha has begun taking in BVC volunteers from our school, SJU grads have been heading to Hanga since 2005. Two priests at St. John’s even got their calling to join monastic life while volunteering there. This year, we got to meet up with the super-duper dynamic duo, Pat and Frantz (Are they this wonderful because of the impact I had on them while all of us served as leaders for first-year orientation at CSB/SJU? Its possible…). In addition to sending Johnnies to Hanga, several monks from Hanga have also come to SJU to study at the school of theology. There is something very special about traveling halfway around the world, to a rural village in Africa, and seeing people wearing CSB/SJU sweatshirts. While we were there, there were also volunteers visiting from Italy, Germany, and Austria, so we had to chance to make new friends from around the world.
When I read a short tutorial on how to write a good travel blog, the author said you should never simply list off all the things you did. But, that is exactly what I am going to do. So, despite what is apparently bad form, I hope you enjoy the following highs, lows, and interesting stories from my month in Hanga.
- At the seminary run by the Hanga Abbey, Bob had the opportunity to speak with the students about his life, the challenges he has overcome, and how they can use his story to help them through their own struggles. He also touched on ways that they could make life better for people living with disabilities in their own communities. For Tanzanians, it is almost unheard of to see someone with a disability as successful and well traveled as Bob. The students all seemed very interested and asked him all kinds of questions (for everyone who knows Bob, you know he loves to talk, so it was a great experience for everyone involved).
- Our first saturday in town we were invited to the St. Benedict’s Primary School graduation. The celebration included a mass, special songs and dances performed by every class to say goodbye to the graduating standard 7 students, speeches, and skits. In total, the graduation lasted a whopping 6 hours! While it was a fun time, I think the kindergartners sat through it with less fidgeting than we did. At the end, all of the standard 7 students marched up in graduation gowns and received their diplomas. In Tanzania, education is only guaranteed through 7th grade. Two days ago, standard 7 students across the country took an exam that will determine if they are able to go on to secondary school. Students only get one chance to take the test, and if they fail, their education ends there.They will go back home and help with housework, or have to go find a job- in fact, several young kids who didn’t pass are employed in Imiliwaha doing tasks such as gardening and watching cattle. Imagine having your future rest on how you perform on a test when you are just 12 years old!
- The following day, a man from town named Michael invited us into his home for dinner. We went there with one of the previous priors of Hanga, Fr. Otto. One of the most interesting take aways from the night came when we asked about the many muslim families we saw at the Catholic primary school graduation. He told us that in Hanga, the christian and muslim families live peacefully together, and all students are welcome at St. Benedicts. In fact, he told us there are two mosques in town, and when each was being built, the abbey donated money and building supplies to the project. As prior, Otto even attended the celebration when the second mosque was completed.
- Hannah and I had the opportunity to go with the Italian volunteers to a Msalaba Mkuu, where we hiked and shopped for little trinkets and souvenirs. Despite my early insistence that I would NEVER EVER ride on the back of a piki piki, I caved and Hannah and I paid around the equivalent of one US dollar for the motorcycle driver to take us on 30 minute trip. The shop there is run by women who have escaped abusive husbands, and all of the proceeds from the bags, jewelry, and other items they make go to support them and their families. After shopping, we made the trek to the top of the hill (mountain? precipice? Really high rocky thing? I haven’t brushed up on my topography lately) where there is a giant metal cross. We watched the sun begin the set, and then hiked back home just in time for dinner.
- Perhaps the biggest event to happen last month was the celebration for the brothers taking their finals vows. Every room in the guest house was filled as buses packed with family, friends, and performers arrived for the celebration. A mass was held, food was served, and there was lots of singing and dancing. At one point, people are able to bring forth gifts for the new brothers, and families in matching party dresses would come forward singing and dancing, carrying money, maize, and even live chickens. Per Benedictine tradition, these gifts are then given to the abbot to be distributed amongst the community. In the end, the monks trade in the short robes they wear during the years between their first and final vows, for the official thick belt and long robes of a Benedictine brother. As a part of the festivities, Pat even sang in the choir at mass, and Frantz performed a dance he choreographed with boys from the seminary!
- Our time in Hanga was in no shortage of celebrations as we also got to celebrate Pat’s 23rd birthday! In an attempt to give him a special birthday, Hannah and I asked a woman who runs a restaurant in town with her sister if she could help us bake a cake. Elifrida went with us to get the ingredients and helped us mix them up. To her suggestion, we threw in 15 eggs, 1kg of sugar, 2 tubs of butter, and about two or three handfuls of sugar. It seemed a bit odd, but Hannah and I figured she knew what she was doing. As we were about to pour it in the pan, Elifrida asked us if it looked right. Confused, we asked her why she was asking us, since we were following her direction. She then told us that her sister actually owns the restaurant and she has no idea how to make a cake. Hannah and I broke out in laughter. We baked the cake for about 3 hours during which time we listened to music, painted our nails, and cut vegetables with Elifrida. As you may have guessed, the cake didn’t turn out, but we ended up with a great story. Bob told us that the cake wasn’t so bad if we just referred to it as flan. Frantz told us it was the first time he has tasted scrambled eggs in cake. Luckily, the birthday boy, Pat, is a garbage disposal and will eat pretty much anything. Over the next two days he finished off the whole cake.
- In our final weekend we took a trip to Mbomba Bay, a small village on Lake Nyasa (aka Lake Malawi). We stayed at a place called “BioCamp” where Frantz, Pat, Hannah, Br. Vincent and I stayed in tents, and Bob got a small bungalow. Though I am usually not a big fan of fish, even I have to admit the catfish we ate at most meals was delicious. We also swam, canoed, hiked, and relaxed next to a fire under the stars. When it was clear, we could see Malawi off in the distance. It was a wonderful, relaxing end to our stay with the Benedictine brothers of Hanga.
In a few days we will head to Rwanda where we get to meet up with a Bennie/ Johnnie couple who are living there, as well as hiking a volcano to see gorillas and chimpanzees! So long as I am not eaten by a gorilla, I promise to get my blog up in less than a month and a half next time 🙂
The Bennie Abroad 