Silence Is A Way Of Communication

A couple of weeks passed since my last post. A lack of word is a word itself. A lack of post can speaks volumes. In my case it means an intense period of time for me, full of responsibilities, travels, things to do, matters to take care of, decisions, stresses, challenges and lot of work - on the upcoming jubilee, graduation, opening of projects, finalization of registration, insuring and servicing our donated motorcycles, drilling the borehole and water quality testing in government lab etc... And by saying - a lot, I mean A LOT!

Leka Dutigite

As I go back home tomorrow (home meaning Kiabakari), I wish to dedicate this great song to my personal secretary, Mr Amon Bigarama, who hails from Kigoma. I plan to go there in the nearest future. Before this happens, let me play this one to him. The title of the song means - let's go do some good, do some work, do something important. After the fundraiser, it is time to go back to serious work. Leka Dutigite!

Halftime Over

As I feel better and better each new day, I reckon the halftime is almost over. After six months of hectic schedule and huge challenges with little or no rest, my body gave up and I got sick...

Rest A While

Tomorrow's Gospel, taken from Mark 6:30-34:


"The apostles gathered together with Jesusand reported all they had done and taught.
He said to them,
"Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."
People were coming and going in great numbers,
and they had no opportunity even to eat.
So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.
They hastened there on foot from all the towns
and arrived at the place before them.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things."

Rest a while...

Quiet Morning And The Long List

Saturday again. I like to wake up very early on Saturdays, much earlier than on any other day. Around 4-5 am I'm usually up to make for slow and balanced start for another hectic day. It is no different today...

Ordnung Muss Sein

The first two weeks after my return to Kiabakari were a bit stressful and overwhelming. The calmness returns finally and things look like they fall in proper places, with everybody busy in their field of responsibility. Denise and Thomas in the school, Agata and Zuza in the health center, working on the project. Myself busy with craftsmen and construction workers at the health center, the school and at home.

We meet at the table mainly, for meals and sometimes in the evening for a chat or to watch something - a movie, news on TV or a concert on DVD.

Dust settled down, calm restored, sense of purpose, sense of belonging, sense of responsibility of each one of us. There is time for everything now. Prayer, work, rest, moments together and seclusion. 

This is the way I like things to be. Ordnung muss sein!

Just a few quick photos taken today from my construction frontline. 

First Celebrate, Then Decorate!

Okey! Done with the chain of fantastic celebrations and feasts, time to get down and get dirty! Painting time! Decorating time! Though the famous (in Tanzania) commercial of paints manufacturer Coral says quite the opposite - 'First Decorate, then Celebrate!', we do things our way. First we celebrated Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, now it's time to decorate!...

Mistake

Yes, I have to admit, I made a mistake in preparing the inscription on the entrance wall at the main gate of the new sisters' convent in Kiabakari. I feel bad about it, to be honest. Just one word in wrong place, but to repair the mistake we have to take off the whole plastered piece on which we put the complete text as any attempts to change the sequence of words will destroy the balance and centrality of the inscription... aaaahhh!

Hit Again

Thought I was careful enough to sleep under the mosquito net and keep the house off limits to mosquitos. Nevertheless, for the last two days I've been feeling strange and the condition got worse and worse as hours passed. This morning I went for checkup in our health center and found out that I got hit again by malaria...

Kαιρός

At the threshold of a new month. Staring at the known and unknown that is about to be thrown at me in March 2011. I can see lights that I can tell and identify... I see vast pools of darkness of the unknown that is to be revealed in front of my eyes and soul in due time... A very intense time this month is going to be. No doubt about it... A lot of social activities on my personal life level - with birthdays of my beloved ones (my late Mum's birthday for instance) and friends... A time to begin annual lenten campaign of fast and prayer and detachment... A time to complete preparations for the move of my sisters to their new house and regaining my freedom again... A time to open officially a main water tank in the presence of the representative of German embassy in Tanzania... A time to work intensely on my new book to get it ready by the end of April and send to my publisher in Poland... A time to work on preparations for the annual pilgrimage to Diocesan Shrine of Divine Mercy in Kiabakari on Divine Mercy Sunday (this year connected with the beatification of the Servant of God John Paul II)... A time to deal with hundreds tiny challenges day in day out... A very intense time...

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...

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...

The Busiest Day

Isn't it a bit weird that Saturdays are busiest days of every week for me? As far as I remember correctly, in Polish, European and American parishes I know, Saturday is quite an easy going day, the day of rest and little things to go about...But not for me. Am I sane?

Don Quixote

I feel today like Don Quixote setting off for his quest to attack windmills... Going through bills of quantities and various requirements for the projects under way, it has become painfully clear and obvious to me that I may look like Don Quixote trying to accomplish something so complex with very little at my disposal... It is going to be very interesting to see actually how these tasks will be completed... At the end of the day... the candles are burning, prayers are being raised to Heaven and I keep faith, hope and steel resolve to make it happen. Still, your kind prayers appreciated!

And On This Rock...

I will build my...tank...

Amazing workers I am privileged to have, I have to say in full praise! They were able to pull an incredible feat. To finish laying concrete slab as a base for the water tank in less than 20 hours with such huge problems with water, borders on impossible! They are trashed now completely, so after paying them their dues and thanking with all my heart, I couldn't but wish them a good night, haha...

Night Watch

Keeping a night watch with my commandos - workers who lay concrete base for the main water retention tank at the side of the shrine. Note that we do not have such a luxurious equipment as concrete mixer. Everything is done manually. So, to boost their morale and keep fatigue away, we made some coffee for us so we don't fall on our noses into the pit, and after initial several hours of concrete mixing and pouring by means of water buckets filled with concrete in half and passed from one to another all the way down to the pit where 'mafundi' (masons, experts) were - and a dinner break, we set off with second mix of concrete. Hopefully, if we do not run out of water, which is quite possible as the water level in my home tank is dangerously low, we may finish the job by today's (yes, it is today already) afternoon...

Gentleman's Handshake

Feeling a bit exhausted mentally. It's been a delicate moment, this evening, when I sat with my friend and foreman and talked about money. Labor charge to be precise. For the school project and for the water tank project. It has been always tense conversation throughout past 15 years, whenever we sat down to talk about money. In times like these friendship simply seizes to exist....

Ambivalence

This is exactly how I feel getting ready for my return flight to Musoma early afternoon today and then a short drive (some 40 km by car from Musoma) to Kiabakari. Ambivalence is a right word to describe my state of mind as I brace what awaits me there back 'home' in Kia (as we got used to say in short)...

Dark Matter

Packing has never been tougher than this one today...It has never taken me so much energy, emotions, strength of will and time to pack that few wee things I take with me back to Africa...I feel like I am not ready to go back yet...that I need a few days of rest and give myself a chance to wind down high wired emotions...These few things I put to my bag made it so heavy to move that I suspect there may be some dark matter involved in it...