Miscellany

Part 1: Daily Life

As I’ve been here at Bethsaida for three weeks, it’s probably time to share a little more about where I am and what goes on. Bethsaida Girls’ Secondary School, located outside of Dar Es Salaam, is a home to over 130 orphaned girls, ranging in age from 13 to 20. The girls are here to complete Forms I-IV, roughly equivalent to grades 6-10. Each day, the girls follow the same schedule; routine creates discipline.

4:45 Wake up
5:00 Running
6:00 Cleaning
7:00 Classes begin
10:00 Breakfast
11:00 Classes resume
2:00 Lunch
3:00 Rest
4:00 Prayers
5:00 Duties (cleaning, gardening, animal care, etc.)
6:00 Cleaning, Studying, Misc. tasks
8:00 Dinner
9:00 Studying
11:00 Getting ready for bed
11:30 Lights out

When I’m well, my schedule looks similar, though I set my alarm for 5:30 and guiltily roll out of bed around 6:00, eating breakfast about the time classes begin. While the girls are in class, I work in the library, teach computer, or assist in English. While they clean, I try to help (though am nearly always refused), and while they study, I either answer questions or spend my time reading. I fall into bed, exhausted, around 10:00.

Surprisingly, the first hour after I wake up is my favorite. In that hour, life hasn’t yet begun, and I’m allowed to enjoy the silence and simple sounds of the morning (unless the wild chickens have gotten up early). I fear, though, that this newfound appreciation for the early morning won’t stick much beyond the time I leave here. There’s just something about my bed at home that makes me never want to escape its wonderful covers and warmth.

Part 2: Musiki

Right now, it’s 4:15 pm, and I can hear the girls’ prayers in the background. Prayer here, as I found my first day, is much different than at home. Walking down to the prayer hall (which also serves as dining hall, kitchen, and classroom), I expected to hear familiar murmurings of somber petition or soft praise. Instead, loud, jubilant, unrestrained gospel music filled the air, as the girls sang, drummed, and danced out their prayers. I was shocked.

Since that day, I’ve come to understand how much more natural it is for the girls to express their prayers in song than quiet meditation. They love music and sing constantly – while cleaning, studying, eating, relaxing. How could they do anything but sing for their prayers? Music offers them a chance to fully express themselves, and the plethora of songs provides for a range in tone and subject of prayer. Deeply rhythmic songs allow the girls to connect as a united community, while extended gaps between songs allow each girl to sing individually whatever is in her heart (imagine something like the scene from Harry Potter, where students sing the school song simultaneously though each uses a different tune).

The girls love all kinds of music, though – not just prayers. They have one CD player in the corner of the dining hall and 3 CDs they rotate through. I had a few blank CDs with me and surprised them last week with one I’d burned. Not knowing what they’d like, I included a variety of songs. As expected, they hadn’t heard most of the songs before, but there were a few they knew. When No Air by Jordin Sparks came on, they went crazy.

It was actually pretty funny – they screened through the first 5-10 seconds of a song to see if they liked it before moving on to the next one. Without fail, they stopped on every single R&B/pop song I’d put on the CD and skipped past all the others. They particularly loved Jay Sean’s Down and Beyonce’s Halo – especially once they understood she wasn’t simply saying “hello” over and over…

Part 3: Health Update

The past week has been pretty bad – I spent most of it curled in bed and managed to pick up a fever. I had a follow-up appointment at the clinic yesterday, and the doctor suggested I return home for continued treatment. As a result, I’m scheduled to arrive back in Atlanta on Tuesday evening.

I’m extremely disappointed to cut my trip short, especially as I have yet to see any lions, giraffes, or zebras. However, the girls here are actually wrapping up their annual examinations now, and most will leave by next weekend to spend the holidays with assorted relatives and friends. Selfishly, I’m glad to be back in time for Thanksgiving and looking forward to reliable electricity, hot showers, and machine washers/dryers.