Days turning into a week! September 18th through the 24th

Moses, Charlotte, Grace, Ruth, David at Msalato Theological Seminary

Excuse the melting of days together into one entry but the last seven days have gone by quickly.  We arrived at St. John's only to find our small apartment not ready.  A gracious host has been allowing us to stay in his home. We are comfortable but very anxious to move into our apartment.  A little bit about the campus.  It has campus housing for students, a main area with administration, store, church, library, and three or four classroom buildings.  Campus housing for faculty ( people from western countries and people from Tanzania and Africa)) is provided within the campus.  There is a security gate but little fencing around the campus so every large home has a very high fence and a locked gate.  There are three main roads which are dirt and at the moment very dusty. The majority of staff are not here because the university will not start until the 19th of October. This is actually good for us because we have much to purchase for the apartment and repair before we can move in.
This past Monday we went to visit Moses and Ruth at Msalato Seminary and see their new baby.  The baby clothes I brought were a good fit for Grace their little girl.  It was really great to see them again.  They are two gracious and loving people.  Afterwards we walked around their seminary and met up with our neighbor from St. John's who had taken us with her while she saw a good friend who also worked at the seminary.  It was a wonderful visit.  Later in the week on  Thursday we visited the seminary to observe their English classes.   We had lunch with Sandy Mccann in her home and she drove us back to Dodoma on her way to a meeting in town.
For most of this past week though our soon to be neighbor, an Australian in the Geology Department, who is living next to our apartment,  has been wonderful.  She has taken me shopping, explained the prices and best buys and shuttled me across town and back.  The streets here are small, filled with dirt and sand, hot and crowded with all sorts of unexpected items.  It can be quite a challange to navigate them but she does it with ease and a good horn.
The shopping here can also be difficult.  Nothing is under one roof or even a roof.  Most of the little stores are really just make shift sheds with a door and tin roof.  Nothing is lined up neatly or with any reason.  Streets or stores are always in repair with dirt, bricks or hand carts in the way of your car .  In some of the shops there is not room inside so one must stand outside and ask for items to be passed to you.  Once in a blue moon we will find a shop with air conditioning or fans.  That is a blessing indeed!! In all my years of shopping this is the only place I have been that I do not like the experience. Immediately once home I wash my feet, hands and face to cool off and take the dirt and sand off.  Coming to Dodoma has proved to be a hard move but one I know God has prepared us for and he will guide us through to the end.

Faculty housing at St. John's University