It's been a couple months since I began blogging on NNN, and I would like to thank everyone for all of the wonderful comments I have received. Many times, in addition to receiving a comment from a reader, I will also receive questions. I have decided to use this blog posting as a way to answer some of the more common questions.

Before I go into the details, I do want to point out that I refer in this article to "muzungos" or "the white man." It is not intended as derogatory, it is a part of the East African culture. In the Swahili language, "muzungo" translates into "the white man."

It is very rare for East Africans to see people of European or American descent, and as a result, visitors often become instant celebrities. I cannot begin to count the times that I was in a populated area and began to hear "muzungo" from children and adults alike.

I remember walking though the village one day when a child came up to me and said "hi muzungo." I smiled, returned with a pleasant hi, and carried on.

Now for your questions...

What did you eat while in Tanzania and Uganda?

I will say that the best meal I had while there was my final night in Uganda. At the Kampala Sheraton, I was able to enjoy steak, pasta, cooked to order omelettes and even a cold beer, but that was also a luxury hotel.

Generally, our food consisted of rice, bread and either a fish or beef stew. The difference between American and Tanzanian stew is the freshness of meats.

In many parts of Tanzania, electricity, and consequently refrigeration is a luxury. "Butcher shops" consist of small, wooden shacks along the roadside. Meat often hangs in the sun for a day or two, and it is the same for fish, all in the company of a multitude of insects. Meat is often very overcooked in an effort to kill any disease.

Besides these staples, we also enjoyed matoke, which is a dish made of steamed plantains (a member of the banana family, but m... [Read More]

I arrived in Itoju village a day or so later than planned and was looking forward to relaxing. After riding across Uganda and into Tanzania in a minibus (that had seats as comfortable as a rock) with seven other people and enough luggage for a small army, relaxation was overdue.

The next few days went very smoothly, which was a nice change from the prior days. I was finally able to experience the culture firsthand, as I lived with the Kiguta family during my stay in Itoju.

Lake Victoria; in search of African wildlife

A couple days into our stay, our group walked down to Lake Victoria, the world's second largest freshwater lake. It looked like a short walk, but took about an hour and a half. It's hard to believe, but Avitus recalled of the days as a child running to the lake after school. It was hard enough to walk the path, let alone run it.

Once we made the lake, we relaxed on a mountain peak and enjoyed a soda. We then boarded the boat which was to take us out on the lake. The boat had two crew members – one to drive and the other to bail water. I was less than thrilled to get in the boat, but I had no worries – Avitus said it was a good boat!

A few days later, it was time to board the minibus again and travel to Rubondo Island National Park. Avitus said it would only take a couple hours – good enough for me. I was looking forward to experiencing African wildlife up close, as all I had seen in Itoju was a few monkeys and birds, and the occasional lizard/tarantula in the house.

About one-half hour into the trip, the "good" road suddenly ended. There were piles of dirt everywhere, and we began what ended up to be a five-hour journey through the jungles and mountains of Tanzania. I believe our top speed was 15 km per hour. Of course we had no worries, the road got better soon, or did it?

We arrived at Rubondo a few hours late, and only spent an hour or two on the island. We did not get to view mu... [Read More]

In Swahili, Hakuna Mataka translates into the phrase "there are no worries." I can't even begin to count how many times my travel partners and I heard Father Avitus and other native Tanzanians say "no worries" to us. I laugh at it now, but there were times throughout our travel that I, and I'm sure others, had a slight bit of concern. Let's see, where do we begin?

Uganda and Tanzania, like many East African countries, have a strong military presence. I was greeted with this presence upon my arrival at Entebbe International Airport. After a major issue with luggage, I had mine (others were not so lucky) and we boarded the SUVs and headed to our guest house in Entebbe.

As we neared the main road, we were stopped by the UPDF (Ugandan People's Defense Force, or Ugandan Army) for a search of our vehicle. This was the first time I heard "no worries." For an American citizen, having several military officials walking up to your car with AK-47s wasn't your traditional everyday activity.

The next day, after multiple issues with gathering the lost luggage and getting supplies for the school in Kampala, we were finally on our way. We left Entebbe about 4 p.m., with about three hours of daylight left.

It is very dangerous to travel the region at night because of poor roads, poor drivers and banditry. In some parts, it is even illegal to travel at night. Many of us were questioning the decision to leave versus staying in Entebbe another night, but we had no worries, so we left.

East Africans have unique driving skills. Basically, anything and everything goes. The sign says 50 k.p.h., so why not go 100 k.p.h. There is a car coming in the other direction, so why not pass into oncoming traffic. There is a major curve in the road, but why not pass...you might get lucky and make it. All of these experiences were blessed upon us, but hey, we had no worries.

The issue with the extreme speeds by our driver on poor roads was in part to make the bo... [Read More]

One of the first differences I noticed at SHSS upon my arrival is that all of the students spoke English, and some very fluently. All rules are enforced very strictly by the staff, including the rule that "No student will speak the native language while on the grounds of SHSS."

The purpose behind this rule is that by knowing the English language, students will be able to succeed in the world beyond Tanzania. Most residents of Tanzania do not speak it, yet in neighboring countries such as Uganda, it is widely spoken.

Many of the students of SHSS travel great distances to attend school. Remember the days when your parents told you about their multi-mile journey, uphill both ways, to attend school? That may have been a stretch for you and me, but for many Tanzanian children, it is a reality.

One of the students walks over two hours each way just to attend, but that doesn't stop him. Bikes are provided to students who live far away, but they are not given out for nothing. Students must prove that they are willing to succeed. If they can do this through improvement in grades, they are given a bike. If their grades fall, the bike is taken away.

The students at SHSS are guided by seven core values. These values ensure academic success for the student and also teach them valuable life skills. SHSS recognizes the fact that the children of SHSS are the future leaders of the villages of Tanzania, the country of Tanzania and beyond.

Corruption is highly prevalent throughout East Africa (more on that to follow in a future post). Subscription to a system of core values will help to break the system of corruption for future generations.

The core values at SHSS are:

• Academic Excellence
• Faith
• Leadership
• Service
• Integrity
• Gender Equality
• Perseverance

The students attend an eleven period day Monday through Friday, 7:15 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., with Saturdays slightly shorter. Their ... [Read More]