Tanzania Daily Routines

 

Daily Routines

I was flagging in the first week here possibly due to jet lag, something I have not previously experienced in Africa on arrival. On the first two days after meeting in the morning with Misoji the Education Secretary on Thursday and Melina the Development and Link Officer on Friday I left early to go to my accommodation and rest. I was still waking at 3am till the middle of week two when I slept through on some mornings to the alarm at 5.24am.

The day is early as Bishop George and I jog a few kilometres. I was walking for the first week as my back was in pain. I was finally able to keep up with him by Wednesday of week two. I am no longer a 10,000 steps a day guy. I figure with age this can reduce and so this year I am down to 8,000 steps daily from 8,500. Amazingly, most days I reach and exceed this amount. My Google Fit app aims for me to get 150 points a week for cardiac fitness and weekly without fail I do achieve this goal, I am actually physically fitter now than at any time in my life.

So after returning from the exercise it is generally around 6am and time for a shower. I have the only hot water in the house here and have hardly used it. While the temperature here is no hotter than the time I usually visit it is oppressive and a cold shower presents no difficulty. I have been having showers in the evening to cool down as well.

I prepare breakfast as I am quicker in the bathroom. Breakfast consists of Espresso Coffee, a boiled egg and a slice of toast. Day in and day out and no problems with this standard meal. The coffee pot is one I brought in 2022 as the six cup pot was too small and having the Bialetti 12 cup ensures a great start to the day. Coffee is not one sacrifice I am preparedtomake. 

Bialetti 12 cup

Morning Chapel from 7.30 has staff and students from the vocational college

Morning chapel is at 7.30 and then all staff go to the "Hostel" for breakfast which is catered and paid for by the church. Since I have already eaten I attend only to be social, but do occasionally have a chipati with lemon juice and a coffee bag, but am aware I have already eaten so try to avoid a second breakfast. The food here is generally chipati, rice cakes, cassava, boiled eggs occasionally and soccutus which is a bean and maize dish which is loved by the locals and especially the bishop. 

People work through till 1pm and religiously leave again for the hostel where lunch is catered and subsidised by the church. I will often be encouraged to leave my desk. While I am 5kgs heavier this year than last and this is noticeable to people here who call me "fat" they still worry that I must eat because when I do, my servings are small compared to some of the meals I see people eating. It is back to work at 2pm and most people are finished by 4.30pm, except the senior leaders who work through. Wednesdays there is a mid week service from 3pm which is actually the best music of the week. There is little music and lots of accapella singing which is superior to the choirs singing on Sundays with almost distorted amplified music accompanying.

I have had a car available to me, allowing me to come and go as needed without having to wait for Bishop. I have left early quite often to rest and attend to personal needs. I have taken to afternoon walks on occasions I have left early to exercise my back. By Thursday of the second week all pain had gone and I was jogging in the mornings. 

Rising Lake Victoria has covered seating at Tembu Beach  in water

Tembu Beach is in walking distance for an afternoon walk

The house where I stay has a housekeeper, Christina. She is a woman with three children. Her youngest is about four and in the last two years she often had Eliza her daughter here as she was still feeding. She lives in very poor circumstances. I visited her family home and met her parents last year after her mother  returned from hospital in Mwanza after weeks hospitalised with a cardiac condition. Sadly she informed me her mother had died in October.

Christina cooks the evening meal which generally consists of rice or ugali (for Bishop), greens,  beans and a meat protein (chicken, beef stew or fish). Occasionally on a Friday Bishop will get takeaway pork and chips, a real treat.

Weekends vary. Last year I worked six Saturdays delivering a leadership program. This year I am down to demonstrate to lecturers at the theological college how to deliver the Preliminary Theological Certificate translated by Moore College in Sydney to Swahili. So the next two Saturdays will be spent teaching the faculty two units of the course in English and leaving them to figure out how to do the Swahili version. Otherwise Saturdays is resting, attending to haircuts, pedicure occasionally and any other activities.

Sundays of course is church and a 7am start atthe English service. I will not be preaching on this visit due to time constraints.