Old Friends, January 21, 2014

Wonder of wonders, I woke up and felt almost cold.  The cloudy sky and occasional showers had cleaned the ubiquitous dust and bus fumes out of the air, and though I never did find out the exact temperature, it was definitely lower.  It was such a relief to feel on the edge of shivers instead of the having the usual sticky clothes and damp hair. Not, that this would last for long, but even a few hours in the morning were enough to refresh me in body and spirit.

In the morning, Moses Pulei, a former Whitworth student, came to talk to the students about the history of Christianity in Africa.  He had returned to Whitworth at the end of his doctoral program to teach for several years in the Theology Department, but then decided to return and work in Tanzania.  Since he is Masai, I never know if I should identify him as Kenyan or Tanzanian, as Masai traditionally travel back and forth with their cattle.  When he arrived at Whitworth, I was designated as his faculty adviser, so I have known him for almost 30 years and always marvel at the truly remarkable person he has become.  He keeps his identity as a Masai by owning a large herd of cattle, but he has improved his herd with a bull flown in from Australia.  While he was online watching the championship game between the Seahawks and 49ers, he was also talking on the phone with his good friend Mike Holmgren.  He has spoken at the Millennium Conference, rubbing elbows with the Clintons and other glitterati, and yet he moves effortlessly into village life when he deals with family matters.  Since he had just returned from Nairobi, where he had gone for his aunt's funeral, he was able to give us news of another one of our friends, Nicholas Sironka, who is still in Kenya, following his wife's death late last year.  After class, as Moses, John and I spent several hours sharing lunch and sodas together, I felt amazed and happy that in some unknown cosmic way, my life had intersected with Moses' and continues to be enriched by his friendship.

When we were here last time in 2012, Moses had warned us not to drink the local water even if we boiled it, not because it was extraordinarily polluted but because it contains very high amounts of fluoride.  At first,  I thought this would be a wonderful countermeasure to Spokane's refusal to add fluoride to our water supply at home, but the sad truth is that too much fluoride causes brown spots on tooth enamel. So, it's very common to see people here in Arusha with teeth that look as if they were heavily painted with prune juice and never brushed completely clean.  I haven't discovered yet, however, if the locals lack all dental caries.

The day ended on with a great triumph: I finally mastered the interplay of the two TV clickers and was able to find a Swahili news program.  John had been wanting Swahili TV to help him with his listening and speaking skills. Even though I can't really follow the narration very well, I can see that there have been horrific traffic accidents with many deaths.  Traffic safety is always one of our greatest worries in Africa. Keep your on with your prayers, chants, and thoughts for our well being.