On August 11, I flew into Dar es Salaam (and we got to see the coast from the plane... so beautiful!) I had some problems getting my visa, and my driver (who had been waiting for 2 1/2 hours) was within 10 minutes of leaving, but thank the Lord he hadn't left yet! We drove 2 1/2 hours through traffic to get to the hotel, and then my driver left me on my own. I don't think I have ever felt so utterly alone in my life. The only person I knew in the country was my driver, and he hardly even spoke English! I went on the internet to call my parents, so that their voices could soothe the ache of loneliness. Less than 2 minutes into our conversation, the internet went down. I felt the Lord prodding my heart saying, "Stace, why don't you turn to Me to find comfort?" Honestly, I was just frustrated the internet wasn't working, and I just wanted to hear my parents' voices! But I finally consented to get out my Bible, and Philippians 4 was brought to mind. I was greatly encouraged by verse 19: "And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." All of a sudden, I knew that I was not all alone in a new country, but I was in the presence of the God who goes before me, beside me, and behind me. And He was going to meet ALL of my needs because He is more than capable! And that is comfort that lasts, whereas the comfort that comes from talking on skype is only temporary.
The next day, my driver brought me to the ocean (by special request!). We only stayed there for about 5 minutes, and it wasn't the nicest stretch of beach, but it was absolutely wonderful just the same :) My driver then brought me to the bus where I spent the next 11 hours. It was quite exciting though! Here are all the things I saw: two men wearing Vikings jerseys, a man wearing a Timberwolves jersey, and a man wearing a Twins jersey (who would've thought there would be such a strong Minnesotan presence in Africa?!). I also saw giraffes, elephants, antelope, and baboons. The moment I first caught site of the animals, my eyes popped open and I may or may not have gasped. The Tanzanians around me thought this to be rather funny. Unfortunately, I do not have pictures of any of these because I chose to sat on the wrong side of the bus, and we were just moving so fast.
I finally arrived in Iringa, which is beautiful. It's high up in the Southern highlands (and it's rather cold... especially at night!), and there are beautiful flowers all around. It's much more modern than Uganda was, and everyone speaks Swahili. I'm living by myself in an apartment about a 15 minute walk away from the school, but I'm hoping to do a home stay with a family from the school after this month is up. I just miss being in a home!
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| this is my bathroom |
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| and here's my bedroom |
The past week, I've been doing training for the IB program, which is the program that Iringa International School uses. All the planning and the teaching is done by the inquiry approach, which is what I learned in school, so I'm excited to see it put into practice! I also met my cooperating teacher, and she is just a bundle of spunk and creativity, so I am looking forward to learning a lot from her! I also met the other teachers, and they are all super friendly, which has been a blessing! I've gone over to their apartment quite a few times for supper or to get a warm shower, which is always so nice :)
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| some of the beautiful flowers! This is my favorite stretch of the walk to school :) |
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| sunset my first night in Iringa! |
-The Lord will equip me to be the best student teacher I can be!
-I will get connected with a family who I can live with
-I will fully be able to transition to life in Tanzania
-I will shine forth Jesus in all that I do
Love and miss you all so so much!
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