The Sunrise Running Club

                                 Primary and Secondary Boarding School Student Runners

Life starts at sunrise here in Mwanza, Tanzania! Each morning I wake to children praying and singing with their full heart at 4:45 a.m.  Then I meet a group of enthusiastic runners for a 6 a.m. sunrise run prior to their 7 a.m. class.  The above is a picture of my first runners, and each day we add two or more interested participants.  The runners guide me through the neighborhoods that border the school.  Often on our runs the children meet friends and family members on their way to government or other private schools or places of employment. 

The students have a long a rigorous day, they are in class from 7a.m. to 2 p.m.   They lunch at 2 p.m. with an hour of prayer, song, and dance.  They return to the classroom for additional study periods.  At 4 p.m. they have recess followed by prayer and song.  Often recess may entail further studying, washing their clothes, or varied chores.  At dinner, they pray and sing before and after each meal.  After all the dishes are complete and washed, the students circle around a television to watch an hour of news which is then proceeded with additional studying and concluding prayers and song.  I'm tired just writing about it!  

Last night during my tutoring session with the boarding primary school students, we were experiencing a "power outage."  We used several lanterns in order to see their work. Periodically, we had to flick visiting bugs from their work - a comic distraction to say the least.  Returning to my room with a "torch"  (flashlight)  and nestled under my mosquito net, we were honored with electricity around 10pm...and then "there was light."

Usiku mwema - Good night!