Digging out 45-year old photos

Singida welcome sign on the Dodoma road, 1965.

I'll be searching for my house at what was then 
Government Girls Upper Primary School, Singida, 1965.

Note:  I rearranged the blog postings to match the road trip sequence -- disregard the dates of postings.

Landing in Arusha

After 17 hours aloft, getting grounded with a Tusker – still as refreshing as ever.

Meeting new travel companions, Kevin & Dan, on right

Arusha -- Cycles, cellphones, and people everywhere

Hellish Road, Day 2, Saturday

Windshield visibility zero at times on a 7-hour, bone-rattling, teeth-throbbing, rib-bruising, dust-choking road trip from Arusha to Singida.  Dust looked like snow. Then, a full moon over Lake Singida.

Singida and Village Circuit on Sunday, Day 3

We settled into the Social Training Centre in Singida for three nights. On Sunday, made a circuit to Makiungu, Dungunyi, and Puma, where other PC volunteers had been posted.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

Favored dining spot in town

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

Bob, Al, and Dan's PC house at Makiungu, abandoned now for some years.

 

 

 

Makiungu classroom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Makiungu school  boys

 

 

 

 

Encouragement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sr. Justina from Nigeria, Makiungu Hospital administrator, studied at Boston College in 1980s.

Kevin showing Fathers Emanuel & Pascal photos of Bob's from 1965-7.

Puma School

I found the school!

With no maps of Singida town and nothing looking familiar, I poked my way toward where my mind’s map said it was, and bit by bit it came into focus. The Government Girls School long ago disappeared, but in its place is a vocational “college,” more like a secondary school. The buildings remain, including my house, and are generally used in the same way – dormitories, kitchen, dining room, classrooms, staff houses. New buildings have expanded the campus and changed the overall feel of the place, but surprisingly, some things have not changed: the classroom I remember is now blue not pink

My former house now has electricity, a satellite dish, water and a lush garden, including a pawpaw tree outside Mary's bedroom window.

Gardener Laghtness apparently works at my former house

Pink classroom is now blue. Later I will post the 60s photos to compare.

English teacher Aisha and me in front of what looks like the same bulletin board in the office!

School assembly area

Cook still uses wood and doesn't even wear a mask. I choked getting close enough for this photo.

Dining room before set up. Girls used to hold dances here too.

Kwaheri Singida -- a Last Look

Exploring Singida yielded few familiar scenes in the town which has expanded enormously since 1966. The Urban district has a population of about 120,000, and in the 1960s I imagined it was about 5,000, but that's just what it felt like.

Fr Carroll's former rectory is now the office for a social service group, Singida Inter African Committee (SIAC)

Shops up the street, where we used to get supplies

The Chief's house, near the Girls' School

Mosque that was under construction in 1965

Nyaturu houses outside town.

The road I remember, from Dodoma

  

 

The unforgetable rocks of Singida

Our hosts at the Singida Social Training Centre, Sr. Hilda and her manager, Luce

On to Shinyanga

Good roads now till Mwanza. A day in Shinyanga. Visiting a project turns into community event.

The Ebeneza project has requested funding from the Friends of Tanzania. Previously the group purchased cows, which produced 2 new calfs. New request is for chickens -- eggs to be used for orphans they support, as well as for sale.

Joseph, our host, assembled the Ebeneza children and others to meet us and describe their needs. One group of 31 widows would like five sewing machines, which would help them support themselves.

Another group led by Pastor Massawe, who has moved here from Dar es Salaam, plans to open a school in January and is seeking funds for the nursery school classroom building.

Driver Dan and Kevin, the best travelers!

Ebeneza cattle project -- handshakes all around

Ebeneza kids with Kevin & Dan, and widows

The widows group

Rev. Massawe and colleagues

If you don't have a cycle, make one!

Across the Serengetti in a Day

Starting out from the Stopover Lodge at the western gate, in a Toyota Rav 4 we trekked along washboard roads and worse, to the eastern gate seeing lots of groups of animals. Only two blown out tires, but several kind helpers along the way. Lunch in an elegant lodge. Darkness came before we reached the gate and we had some talking to do to get out.

Tons of wildebeest

Wary Impala

Warthogs doing what warthogs like best

Cliches, but real!

First flat.

A climb to lunch, Seronara




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Leaving Ngoronoro Conservation Area, but not in time for the gates