Secret

Do you know the secret of how to make an entire nation happy and ecstatic in an instance? In one click? Just wait for the moment when Tanesco switches the power back on! This is something unreal, something out of this world, something that speaks volumes about us, humans, here in Tanzania, and indeed elsewhere in the world, where the power over things like electricity and our, us minnows, dependance on it, makes for this strange relation where we accept the matter of things as it is, and see the commodity for which we pay and we should be provided unfailingly, as a rare luxury. Getting ecstatic when the power is restored instead of demanding a permanent solution to this abnormal situation! So sad. 

Simple Man

One of the qualities I consider as essential to my identity and comfort in life. Just to be a simple man. Sitting in the shadowy corner and doing my things in unassuming way, away from people's attention, away from spotlights, away from clapping hands... And the warm sensation of satisfaction filling my heart whenever I am able to do something worthy of my personal accolade.  A simple man. Oh, how I dream of disappearing completely from the public life and responsibilities! How I dream of following my lifelong inner call of leading a secluded life as a hermit. I hope one day, God willing, it will happen. Entering a life I dream of, far from people's eyes and completely standing in the presence of the One who created me, saved me and still tolerates my follies day by day... Will it ever happen? Will it happen?

New Vocation?

I'm surprised, as much I disliked spending any amount of time in the kitchen at home when I was a child and a youngster, showing no signs whatsoever of any kind of cooking talent which I didn't care to deny, and at the same time displaying my passion for cleaning and washing at home, making things set in order  - that these days I feel like I am about to discover a new vocation - that of a chef in the kitchen. It is at least amusing! Well, starting of course as apprentice, trying to cook this and that, simple stuff, reading and learning, putting necessary equipment, basic to be honest, to enable me pursue my new hobby, my new passion... I wonder if it is not a temporary thing, but I hope not. Today is Sunday, nothing much to do, so decided to cook this and that for my friends coming over for lunch. Hope they like it. These are samples of what I am about to do today...

Mlimani City

I have noticed just recently that some of my friends call my place in Kiabakari - Mlimani City (Mlimani in kiswahili meaning on the mountain, thus making the whole expression - a City on the Mountain). It is not by chance that they like to use this combinaton of words as the 'real' (arguably) Mlimani City is a huge (by Tanzanian standards) shopping mall off Sam Nujoma road in Dar es Salaam, in the vicinity of Dar es Salaam University, called 'Mlimani' itself as it has been located in the hilly countryside, back then on the western outskirts of Dar es Salaam - by now almost in the middle of it, as the city expanded rapidly in the short time, reaching some 5+ million inhabitants...

Happy Day

I can only imagine how happy a day this is going to be for many families and individual parents who joined our educational adoption program of Foundation Kiabakari. This is a day when we start to dispatch educational adoption info cards on each individual child under the program to their respective parents worldwide. A very happy and exciting day for me, for our Foundation and for the new parents!

Closing In

Sending completed dossiers of children under our educational adoption program to the Foundation's headquarters in Krakow, Poland, for registering and dispatching to respective sponsors worldwide. I am very grateful to all those magnanimous people who came to our aid and joined the program by adopting our children. As we speak, we are closing in to number 50 of children already taken care of by our sponsors. This makes me really happy and full of praise to all those friends who are with us. Praying for them, wishing them well and hoping that you, who are reading these words, will be touched by this message and join us as well. Come one, together we can make a real difference in lives of our children in Kiabakari! God bless you all!

What I Ever Wanted...

Riding on the wave of yesterday events and amazing meetings in silence of this peaceful morning, grateful so much for being blessed with new amazing friendships, true gems of humanity which graced my life on many levels, I'm working on educational adoption program at the moment, finalizing dossiers of children under the scheme, ready to be dispatched to their respective sponsors...

I Miss You

One of those evenings, one of those days when my nostalgia for Ireland hits me back hard and I feel deep inside how I miss those wonderful moments with my great friends there... Someday... someday... God willing I will go back to where my missionary roots belong, from where my journey to Tanzania began in 1990. Miss you, guys, over there... and love you much! Here it is to you with my feelings of love, respect, gratitude and my best wishes! Take care!

Passion Fish

Reading one of the reviews of a book 'Zapach Malin' which, by the way, I intend to buy and read at the earliest opportunity, it struck me that the book reminded me very much of a movie that I considered as my Top Ten movies of my life... movies that greatly influenced me and impacted on my way of seeing things, understanding the world, reality, suffering, relationships, people, our limitations and the power of human spirit and will... The movie will soon celebrate the twentieth anniversary of its release in movie theaters in USA and elsewhere in 1992. This is 'Passion Fish'. Watched it several times but always with the same tension and passion. I simply love it. And Mary McDonnell (who I am a huge fan of) with Alfre Woodard are simply outstanding... This is a trailer of the movie. If you have a chance to watch it, please do so!

Reliving The Past

Living in Tanzania for twenty years now and witnessing the wind of change sweeping through this country and East Africa, I found it extremely stimulating and interesting to go slowly through a set of vintage photos recently published by the National Archives of the United Kingdom. What a marvelous piece of photo evidence of the yesteryear...of the past that is on side long gone and on the other side still present and alive in people (some of them) I personally know. This is the link to the website with those photos. Tanzanian album - which is the fifth largest in the whole archives of photos from colonial era Africa -  is here. A sheer pleasure to relive the past!

Feeling Blue

Evening falling over Dar es Salaam...and along with it a reflective, bit melancholic mood creeping in my soul. Far from Kiabakari and its permanent troubles, challenges and stresses, looking at my life in retrospect with mixed feelings, yet the prevailing amazement is the leading tone... I found this song of Peter Gabriel's a suiting background for my mental travels over hilltops and valleys' floors... It took him a long time to perfect it and deliver as a finished project... same as it takes me so long, too long sometimes, to accomplish anything in my life and most of those are nothing but unfinished projects or projects that are permanently underway...

Diaspora

Just came back from a very interesting and mind and heart stimulating meeting with my compatriots living in diaspora - or just happening to be due to the character of their work in this part of the world, with global angle in their attitude and lifestyle. Still under deep impression, this unexpected and unplanned - in its timeframe and setup - meeting gave me a lot of personal satisfaction and joy, several layers of food for thought and caused a genuine admiration for those brave ladies I was blessed to meet and share thoughts and opinions on broad spectrum of life agendas over a nice lunch in downtown Dar es Salaam, together with my Tanzanian friends, including my friend and artist, Florian. Surely, my family of loved ones and friends expanded today with the priceless gift of friendship with them, which I will try to repay in kind through my prayers, well wishes and blessings for my new friends. It amazes me on daily basis how wonderful this life is when one is open for new challenges, new horizons, new friendships and humble enough to accept them with open heart and mind. Thank you, Lord, for this undeserved and unexpected wonderful gift!

Time Out

This is a day I was waiting for since I came back from my long North American trip in mid-December. On my way today for a few days rest, taking my time off from daily chores and duties and switching to meetings, rest and mental work, in particular - working on my new book in hiding. There is no other way to do so. Daily bombardment of things and challenges in Kiabakari makes impossible to concentrate and work in full focus and calm environment. I'll be coming back with new posts but it may not be every day. We will see how things pan out. Take care, all of you, my esteemed readers!

Marathon

Today we broke a record once again. This time the Holy Mass of the consecration of the new bishop of new diocese of Bunda - Rt. Rev. Renatus Leonard Nkwande - took five solid hours, including speeches and gifts presentation. All in scorching sun and unbearable heat for many (some of ladies fainted today). Yet everybody is happy including the Prime Minister who delivered a nice and funny at times speech. The Chairman of Tanzania Episcopal Conference and the Metropolitan of Lake Province in one person gave a great word as well. We came back to eat at home as the organized chaos prevailed and I had enough sitting there in this heat with no water and the bleak perspective of getting food in the foreseeable future... Kiabakari has become today the closest parish of Diocese of Musoma - to the episcopal seat of Bunda, mere 30 kilometers!

Kiswahili

Walking down the memory lane today again...how money times these days... Anniversaries, reminiscing past events which influenced the present... Today, if I remember correctly, but I am pretty sure I am spot on on this one - twenty years have passed since I crossed the threshold of Maryknoll Language School in Makoko area of Musoma town (then, now it is Musoma Municipality). My relationship with kiswahili language has begun officially. Now you may call it love affair...

Uneasiness

After the Mbagala military depot blast in May 2009 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, followed by Wednesday's blast at Gongo la Mboto military depot in Dar es Salaam as well, a looming feelings of uneasiness, fear and uncertainty took grip of many, especially those living in the vicinity of military camps in Tanzania. Myself included. My mission is located just a few hundred meters from 253 KJ artillery base in Kiabakari and the very thought of their weapons depot going off one day just scares the living daylights out of me! I do hope that after those two fatal incidents in Dar es Salaam military and civilian authorities take appropriate measures to make sure this kind of explosions never happen again. And the outdated and post-expiry date ordnance is disposed of,  defused and exploded in some remote areas under control of military specialists. I pray daily for those who lost their lives in Dar as Salaam, for those who were injured and for all those who were left traumatized or lost their homes or properties.

175th Birthday

Congratulations to my brothers and friends from Butiama, Kahangala, Kraków, Kitchener and elsewhere on the joyful occasion of the 175th Birthday of their Congregation of the Resurrection! Will be joining my neighbors in Butiama this evening for the Anniversary Mass at 6.30 pm, sharing in their pride, joy and gratitude to God and people. Let us join them in this worthy moment in our prayers and best wishes! The link to their history is here.

Photo Albums

Not sure if you know about the existence of my photo albums webpage in the Internet. There are so far more than 4,000 pictures in 81 theme albums organized chronologically. Though the webpage needs an update (the last two years), still it is worth giving it a quick look to know the history of my life and missionary vocation in particular, and thank God for His Mercy and blessings in my life and lives of others I am honored to serve. So, welcome to the world of pictures, and enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Bro!

February 17 is the birthday of my three years younger and only Brother, Christopher (Krzysztof). Wishing him well and praying for him and his beautiful family in a special way today. Happy Birthday, Bro! May Good Lord bless you abundantly and keep you and your family close to His Sacred Heart! Forty five and counting, and still going strong! Well done! Prayers appreciated for him and his family, my dear readers!

E.T. Phone Home...

I have been waiting patiently for Tanzania Telecommunications Ltd. to graciously heed to my desperate calls for them to come and fix my dead landline at home in Kiabakari - since January last year. Last Monday I went for the umpteenth time to TTCL main office in Musoma and left frustrated again after being given yet another set of vague answers... What a surprise it was to see them coming this morning to my house, luckily finding me home as I have had just arrived from Bunda where I went for the regular confessions of Cloistered Carmelite Nuns!

Proclaiming Love Of Life In the Face of Death

Yesterday along with a few people who have been friends with our foreman in construction projects - Mr Sayi Tumaini - we traveled to Malili - half distance between Kiabakari and Mwanza, to take part in the funeral of Sayi's Mum who died last Saturday after a very long battle with cancer...

Clad In Warmth

Tomorrow is the 'exciting' Valentine Day. Yet another commercial twister to spin spending in a dead market season between Christmas and Easter. In Tanzania, Valentine frenzy picks up gradually year by year, copy&pasting what others have been doing elsewhere in the world. I don't celebrate Siku ya Wapendanao (as they call it here in Swahili language) as I believe love is an all-weather, all-seasons sensation, decision, attitude, feeling, commitment... not a once-a-year jerk of conscience reminding one to proclaim love to the loved one and then remaining as a living routine, blunt relationship devoid of spark, connection and passion...

Crossroads

"Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him". (Sir 15:17) Someone once said: 'Having chosen once, I have to choose every day..." ... Well, I guess it is not enough to choose every day. Not only every day, but every hour, every second, every time I have to make a decision which way to go, what to say, what to do, what to choose, how to react, what to think, how to understand someone or something - in which light - Divine Light, light of faith or simple enlightenment of my human reason? What is the outcome of my decisions? I am free to choose... surely my past experiences, my past choices, things I am used to do, will influence somehow my present decisions or will incline me to tend to choose something over something else... but still I am absolutely free at the end of the day to choose... and I have to live with my decision... and some of them are irreversible and I have to live with the outcome of these decisions forever... This freedom God has given us out of His love and respect for us is scary...

Pleasant Surprise

Last evening, when I was done with daily chores, I was busy writing a review for  an e-book for my Kindle I bought on Amazon.com last week and have been reading it since then. The review was meant for a web service LubimyCzytac.pl as I believed the book was worthy mentioning in a public sphere like that...

Lourdes

On this day the Catholic Church celebrates the 19th World Day for the Sick. The day our thoughts and heart make a pilgrimage to Lourdes in France, to Our Lady, the Health of the Sick, to join other pilgrims present their for their annual pilgrimage, and with Her and through Her intercession, we meet anew the sick living among us, we pray for them, renew our commitment to assist them as best as we can, and we pray also for people of health services worldwide, thanking them for their professional work and sacrifices and surrendering their efforts to the Lord for a special blessing...

Weekly Top 40

I guess since last Friday this is a Number One on Weekly Top 40 of my filmmaker who is so dumb and suffers a brain fade that he cannot remember what the f..k he did with the master tapes of graduation day footage aaaargghhh &%^$@!*&% It's a massive unimaginable disappointment for all of us. This was the very first ever graduation in our pre-school and now he lost those tapes and can't remember what has happened! Or maybe some bad will involved too? Who knows? Anyway, understandably all of us are genuinely p...d off with this situation!

Photo Session

Last Monday, on February 7, 2011, the doors to standard one classroom opened officially and our graduants from Blessed Maria Teresa Ledóchowska Pre-School crossed the threshold of the classroom for the very first time. This marked the actual opening of our Blessed Edmund Bojanowski Primary School in Kiabakari. A genuine milestone and hallmark in my life and struggle to make the dream, the vision of Divine Mercy embracing the whole human person right here in Kiabakari, on the Divine Mercy Hill and around it - come true...

Bless Me iPhone For I Have Sinned

Just read the news on BBC about the iPhone/iPad application developed for those who want to prepare thoroughly for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The link to the article is here. I can imagine how much confusion this app will stir especially among those who are not Catholics or are Catholics who do not go to confession often. They may think this application will substitute the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I guess pastors should be ready to inform properly on this issue as the hot topic of old - that of the validity of confessions through the internet or phone conversation may rise up again and cause a lot of chaos.

Nanotechnology Era

Two months without water and counting. A new Kiabakari record. I have no choice but to rely almost entirely on rainwater from now on. Plus driving to Musoma to bring clean water for drinking and cooking - 500 liters each trip. Repairing gutters as we speak, purchasing additional plastic 3 thousand liter tanks, repairing cracked service water tank behind stores. 

Countdown

Since the day bishop of Musoma passed by shortly before Christmas and we were able to set the date for the opening of the St. Gemma Galgani Convent in Kiabakari (which I've been 'doing' since I returned from my North American fundraising trip, the time I live in now is nothing but a countdown to that day, April 10th. Living under one roof with a multitude of sisters is difficult enough for anyone, living with them for more than a year is a heroic feat, believe me. I am aware this time was difficult for sisters themselves as well. I hope Merciful God has pity on me and help me to finish this project as soon as possible and make sisters move to their new house. I hope too He considers this time spent together with sisters in my house as a sufficient equivalent of Purgatory and grants me a straight access to Heaven after being able to withstand the pressure and challenge of living together with this flock. Countdown continues... The day of freedom is coming...

Then

The First Reading of today's Fifth Sunday of the Ordinary Time Year A speaks to me with incredible clarity and force: "Thus says the LORD:Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!" (Is 58:7-9a)

Dark Side OF Life

Plunged into darkness and abyss of uncertainty, clinging to resignation to Lord's Will, as my body gave up this night and was unable to wake up with horrible headache, high bp, nausea and couldn't go to church. Thought the day of departure has come...Feeling better now a bit, still I surrender myself up to the Lord and His Providence. May His Will be done. Listening to gregorian chants to immerse myself in serenity and worthy emotions and repeating the words of Thomas Merton prayer as I do so often in my life in last few years...

Three Incredible Days

On February 5 every year the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Agatha of Sicily. It is somehow strange that one of the most venerated Saints in the Pantheon of Catholic Saints throughout the centuries is not known to many! Her name is pronounced among the seven prominent Catholic Saint women in the First Eucharistic Prayer in the Holy Mass. What better display of veneration and love for a Saint can be if not placing her or his name in the Mass Canon?!

MasterCard

Having breakfast this morning in silent ambiance, alone at the table, for the first time since January 2010 (all sisters gone to Musoma Cathedral for the celebration of World Day of Consecrated Life) - priceless!

Pot Plants

Went this morning to our diocesan offices in Musoma to check for any official mail for the parish and the sisters. When I passed the diocesan bookshop and turned left towards the entrance to Bishop's office wing of the Curia complex, my eye caught the view of something unusual that was not there when I was there last time...

Your Desperate Cook - Knives

Desperately hoping my filmmaker's brain fade cures itself miraculously somehow and he finds finally those sorry master tapes of the graduation footage, I spend my time waiting reading, praying and getting my brain itself interested with new ideas. This is what I found trying to learn more about kitchen knives as I prepare myself slowly to embrace a new reality in my life - mastering the kitchen world, once my sisters vacate the house and I am able to breathe a sigh of relief and happiness! Enjoy!

The Weakest Link

Sitting in Musoma in scorching heat for the umpteenth hour now, waiting for my filmmaker to overcome his dementia and massive failure of his brain memory. Packed all Tv and dvd equipment to drive back to Kiabakari to work on the documentary movie on the educational adoption program and the graduation day in our pre-school. Then suddenly he said he could not find the master digital tapes of the footage of the graduation day. Ouch! So now the whole family, staff of his office and friends are trying to locate where the hell he did put those tapes!? Without them all is lost. And I will have wasted the whole day waiting for his memory to kick in back to life if he fails to locate those tapes... Life sucks sometimes...

H2O

So, the inevitable that was looming over my mission has happened. We ran out completely of water in our main house tank (not the new one, which is not operational yet and anyway it will not supply water for house consumption). What lies ahead of us now at home is hauling water from Musoma 3 or four times a week, 500 liters at a time. I will start on Monday, unless there are healthy rains today or tomorrow which will fill up the tank a bit at least. And knowing that Water Authority have not paid their debts to Tanesco, we may be facing a long period of struggle to survive - both at home and in the construction works. Not mentioning pre- and primary schools which need water as well. Please, pray for rains! And for some sanity for Water Authority officials and the intervention of the government to rectify the situation! How can you live without water???

The Rock City

My first short trip to Mwanza city, some 185 kilometers from Kiabakari, this year. Meeting a couple who brought a special gift from someone in UK who did a magnanimous gesture of fundraising money for children in Tanzania, while climbing Kilimanjaro Mountain a year ago with serious spinal problems along with our dr Jadzia from our health center in Kiabakari (while she was still with us). She made it and raised money for two places - one in Arusha and the other in Kiabakari. So, today I meet those people who brought almost five hundred British pounds being our share of the total amount to hand over to me on behalf of that heroic Polish woman in UK. It is a very touching moment for all of us and I will make sure that the hard earned funds are spent wisely in Kiabakari for educational projects for our children in Pre-School and Primary School. The link to the fundraising webpage is here. Thank you, Maja!

Rider On The Storm

What an awesome pleasure it was to ride into the storm yesterday afternoon, heading to Musoma Post Office to get a long awaited parcel (sent as a gift on my 20th anniversary of work as a missionary in Tanzania) by my fantastic friends in Poznań, Poland, along with the packet containing my high blood pressure drugs that I am about to start taking to combat this brand-new condition to me, which arrived conveniently at the same time...

The Point Of Death

“My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live (...) “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded.”" (the whole episode at Mk 5:21-43) The words of Jesus to the little girl: "Little girl, I say to you, arise!" are immensely encouraging to all girls in Africa, in Tanzania, and in our region of Tanzania in particular, who live in a male dominated society, ruled by male biased rules and customs, discriminating the girls and women in many areas of their lives, mainly in education, healthcare, employment, payroll, ownership of land and property...

Wee Hours

I am very excited and happy that my life and rhythm of the 24 hour cycle of the day is coming back to normal. I love when I wake up in the middle of the night startled by an idea or a thought, an urgency to note a breakthrough in writing a book or solving a serious problem... This is what happened right now and I don't feel tired, rather content and creative...