I have been here just a week, but it seems like it has been months (in a good way). The location is almost exactly what you might picture “Africa” to be like; grass huts, dirt roads, barefoot children with secondhand clothes. The community, both the Salesians and the Gumbo community, are very welcoming and kind which made for an easy transition into a completely new part of the world. Within the Salesian community, there are three priests, one deacon (becoming a priest in December), nine sisters, three brothers, five Pre-Novices, another volunteer from India, and the four SLMs (Luke my site partner, Grace and Caitlin who are staying for a few weeks before heading off to Maridi, and me). As you can imagine, there is never a dull moment.
The days begin with meditation, prayer, and Mass each morning, followed by my duties of teaching and website management. I also started taking Arabic classes, which is spoken by the locals, many of whom don’t speak English. By mid-afternoon all of the children come out to play, and the oratory begins. Within the first day of playing futbol with the kids, I became known as Messi (an Argentinean soccer player) because I wore the jersey of his club, am white, and have long hair like him. Today, after playing with the Don Bosco Senior team, I was asked to play in the match they have on Friday, and said yes though I have no idea what the match entails.
As far as my teaching duties go, I am teaching English, Methodology of Study, and Good Manners to the five Salesian pre-novices. They are all Sudanese men ranging from 19-25 who are beginning their journey to become Salesian priests. It will be quite a challenge, as I did not expect to be teaching these subjects at this level, but hey, its what the Salesian mission is all about! I was also tasked with updating and maintaining the website for Don Bosco Sudan and South Sudan (donboscosudan.org), so feel free to give any comments or suggestions on it.
The food here is all very good. Breakfast is usually small, with some bread and eggs. For lunch and dinner (the leftovers of lunch are dinner) we always have rice, with some sort of chicken or vegetable dishes as sides. The best part however, is the abundance of fresh fruit that grows on site, including passion fruit, guavas, papayas, bananas, and custard apples. I have yet to find something I don’t like.
There is so much more I could tell about, but here’s a start and thanks to all for the continued prayers and support!
The days begin with meditation, prayer, and Mass each morning, followed by my duties of teaching and website management. I also started taking Arabic classes, which is spoken by the locals, many of whom don’t speak English. By mid-afternoon all of the children come out to play, and the oratory begins. Within the first day of playing futbol with the kids, I became known as Messi (an Argentinean soccer player) because I wore the jersey of his club, am white, and have long hair like him. Today, after playing with the Don Bosco Senior team, I was asked to play in the match they have on Friday, and said yes though I have no idea what the match entails.
As far as my teaching duties go, I am teaching English, Methodology of Study, and Good Manners to the five Salesian pre-novices. They are all Sudanese men ranging from 19-25 who are beginning their journey to become Salesian priests. It will be quite a challenge, as I did not expect to be teaching these subjects at this level, but hey, its what the Salesian mission is all about! I was also tasked with updating and maintaining the website for Don Bosco Sudan and South Sudan (donboscosudan.org), so feel free to give any comments or suggestions on it.
The food here is all very good. Breakfast is usually small, with some bread and eggs. For lunch and dinner (the leftovers of lunch are dinner) we always have rice, with some sort of chicken or vegetable dishes as sides. The best part however, is the abundance of fresh fruit that grows on site, including passion fruit, guavas, papayas, bananas, and custard apples. I have yet to find something I don’t like.
There is so much more I could tell about, but here’s a start and thanks to all for the continued prayers and support!
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