A solid day - but without classes. The morning was spent in preparation.
First, a memo for my students. When we know they have receive a reply to their email they will be given a memo from me, and are to make an appointment to use the Internet and complete the communication circle.
Then, a couple of pages of exercises for entry into QuickBooks.
After lunch the memos were distributed. Three students responded within about five minutes, and made their appointment for after classes. A brief chat with Mr Ojwang followed. He teaches entrepreneurship. He runs his own business, and has lived and worked overseas. Our brief discussion focused on what he sees as a major problem - English. It is the language of commerce, but politics here still sees it is a remnant of colonialism. It is taught in secondary school, but not used much at all. Even in Universities the English is often poor.
Next - a few hours were spent auditing. When you are accustomed to working in dollars, and begin dealing in Tanzanian shillings the numbers are huge. $100 is 80,000 shillings, so the salaries and wages here are in the order of 1.8 million or more a month. They are big numbers, but individually it is not much money at all. And or course, with such big numbers, being added manually, there is scope for errors. An error of 3,000 sounds big - but is only $4!
After class three students became four - and an hour and a half was spent on the Internet, responding to two emails and spending a little time on a web search. Given that it was the second time they had used the Internet they did OK. Media rich websites might be fine in Australia - but five minutes to load a picture here is a waste of time, and money. At an Internet cafe it would have cost about 1500 Tshs - and for that amount you could buy food for a day (or more). For us it was about 8mb of downloads/uploads - around 1000 Tshs.
In the evening we dined out. Friday night in our area the power usually drops out - so we eat out. It was raining a little, and there was a traffic jam. This was unusual, but a few times a year the President or Prime Minister comes through, and it is a case of 'make way for the king'. Preparations were being made, and traffic congestion ensued. To make matters worse, after getting fuel we had to return to Shukrani, and were ordered on to stop on a side road. About ten minutes later the official motorcade sped down the highway and we glimpsed the flashing lights in the darkness are they charged past. Normal service resumed - but bank up of traffic took a while to clear.
Our meal was at the Sombrero restaurant, and we chose from the menu (as usual). Here however, you make your choice, and then ask if it is available. Often it is not! SO the menu is what they can offer, not what they do offer. A selection from ten dishes listed may end up being a choice between two!
The meal was good, and so was the company. We dined with a lady (an ex-pat) who is a missionary here. She visits the remand prison, and works with the children in one of the poorer areas of town. Apart from housing seven children in her own home, she runs an inner city educational program teaching about 60 kids. After Easter she is going to commence a breakfast program for school children. In the area where she works many children are from one parent families (Dad has disappeared) or may be cared for by grandparents. Why does she do it? Because God directed here to come...How is it funded? God provides. She does not ask for money, but somehow the money comes. Sometimes there is not much of it, but God provides.
She is working in an area where we have not been, and with people we would not notice. Our knowledge of the place, and the people, is not yet enough to see the layers of poverty and suffering that are in this place. Some of the children she works with are physically and mentally disabled. There are few services for them. Around the local market we see kids playing, but do not know whether they are orphans or not. We know that some are, and one local pastor is challenging the ward officials to do something to help them.
The challenges that face this country are great. There are many things that need to be done - and few resources to do them.
There is a 'vibe' about this place - but there is also ongoing tragedy.
Earlier in the day we had met a representative of the Catholic Social Justice Commission here in Mbeya. One of his areas is the childrens remand prison, and a visit is being arranged for Good Friday. That will give us a glimpse at another part of life here.
First, a memo for my students. When we know they have receive a reply to their email they will be given a memo from me, and are to make an appointment to use the Internet and complete the communication circle.
Then, a couple of pages of exercises for entry into QuickBooks.
After lunch the memos were distributed. Three students responded within about five minutes, and made their appointment for after classes. A brief chat with Mr Ojwang followed. He teaches entrepreneurship. He runs his own business, and has lived and worked overseas. Our brief discussion focused on what he sees as a major problem - English. It is the language of commerce, but politics here still sees it is a remnant of colonialism. It is taught in secondary school, but not used much at all. Even in Universities the English is often poor.
Next - a few hours were spent auditing. When you are accustomed to working in dollars, and begin dealing in Tanzanian shillings the numbers are huge. $100 is 80,000 shillings, so the salaries and wages here are in the order of 1.8 million or more a month. They are big numbers, but individually it is not much money at all. And or course, with such big numbers, being added manually, there is scope for errors. An error of 3,000 sounds big - but is only $4!
After class three students became four - and an hour and a half was spent on the Internet, responding to two emails and spending a little time on a web search. Given that it was the second time they had used the Internet they did OK. Media rich websites might be fine in Australia - but five minutes to load a picture here is a waste of time, and money. At an Internet cafe it would have cost about 1500 Tshs - and for that amount you could buy food for a day (or more). For us it was about 8mb of downloads/uploads - around 1000 Tshs.
In the evening we dined out. Friday night in our area the power usually drops out - so we eat out. It was raining a little, and there was a traffic jam. This was unusual, but a few times a year the President or Prime Minister comes through, and it is a case of 'make way for the king'. Preparations were being made, and traffic congestion ensued. To make matters worse, after getting fuel we had to return to Shukrani, and were ordered on to stop on a side road. About ten minutes later the official motorcade sped down the highway and we glimpsed the flashing lights in the darkness are they charged past. Normal service resumed - but bank up of traffic took a while to clear.
Our meal was at the Sombrero restaurant, and we chose from the menu (as usual). Here however, you make your choice, and then ask if it is available. Often it is not! SO the menu is what they can offer, not what they do offer. A selection from ten dishes listed may end up being a choice between two!
The meal was good, and so was the company. We dined with a lady (an ex-pat) who is a missionary here. She visits the remand prison, and works with the children in one of the poorer areas of town. Apart from housing seven children in her own home, she runs an inner city educational program teaching about 60 kids. After Easter she is going to commence a breakfast program for school children. In the area where she works many children are from one parent families (Dad has disappeared) or may be cared for by grandparents. Why does she do it? Because God directed here to come...How is it funded? God provides. She does not ask for money, but somehow the money comes. Sometimes there is not much of it, but God provides.
She is working in an area where we have not been, and with people we would not notice. Our knowledge of the place, and the people, is not yet enough to see the layers of poverty and suffering that are in this place. Some of the children she works with are physically and mentally disabled. There are few services for them. Around the local market we see kids playing, but do not know whether they are orphans or not. We know that some are, and one local pastor is challenging the ward officials to do something to help them.
The challenges that face this country are great. There are many things that need to be done - and few resources to do them.
There is a 'vibe' about this place - but there is also ongoing tragedy.
Earlier in the day we had met a representative of the Catholic Social Justice Commission here in Mbeya. One of his areas is the childrens remand prison, and a visit is being arranged for Good Friday. That will give us a glimpse at another part of life here.
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