My best friend, Cori, always says that she wants to be on "the African side of Heaven" and I have always agreed heartily with her...but today, that certainty was even more confirmed than before. This evening after teaching ESL to some local teachers, the four of us (Brent, Randy, Sarah, and myself) went to a Lutheran Church that Brent and Randy were invited to. We were expecting to just go and listen to the practice...so when we got there, we shook everyones' hand and sat down on the side to listen...when all of the sudden one of the men (who I later discovered to be one of the directors) grabbed my hand, pulled me up, and dragged me behind him to the front row right in the center. Then I saw him go back and get Sarah and the boys. He sat Sarah on one end and the boys behind us a couple of rows with the other guys.

So they started singing and I was trying to pick up a few words here and there when the girl next to me opens up this day time planner where she has the words to the song written...as I started following along, I think she was amazed that I could read the Swahili and follow (its not as amazing as it sounds...Swahili is completely phonetic!) because her and the girls around me looked and laughed as to say, "Wow, the mzungu (white person) can read!" Finally, Sarah moved over to sit next to me so she could follow along to...when the choir director stopped the choir and announced that the two of us were to "audition"...well, we got out of it with some seriously nervous laughter...

However, later, the director looked at me and said "It is time for you to present yourself." I just looked at him with a blank stare...but it didn't work. So I stood up and said, "Well, what do you want me to say?" He told me to say my name, where I was from, and what I was doing...so here is what I said....(remember, its phonetic!)

Hujambo. Jina langu Sara. Nina toca America. Ndyio kwanza nemefika hapa. Nahitaji kujifunza Kiswahili. Asante. :)

So if you want to see evidence of this...check this out: http://www.pagescornertanzaniapics.blogspot.com/