Questions for Sister Stephanie
Sister Stephanie Blaszinksi, a Sister of the Resurrection, was the first Headmistress of the Chief Wanzagi School in Buturu, Tanzania. Although Sister Stephanie does not consider herself a Founder of this mission school, that in fact is what she is. We are pleased to share this interview with Sister Stephanie upon her return from Africa.
Thank you, Sister Stephanie for speaking with us.
What did you expect to find in Tanzania? Was it what you expected?
Before we went to Tanzania, we (another Sister from Poland and I) expected that we would be welcomed as missionaries in the Diocese of Musoma, especially since the Bishop of Musoma, Bishop Samba, was the one who repeatedly asked for our Sisters (Sisters of the Resurrection) to open a Secondary School for girls. Through our Mother General, he formally invited us to come to his diocese where we were most needed and would be most wanted. Soon after we accepted his invitation, Bishop Samba died prematurely at 55 years of age. However, we still continued with plans to go to Tanzania because we thought the diocese was still expecting us. Although Bishop Samba had made arrangements for us to open a Secondary School for Girls, he didn’t write anything down that would have alerted his staff.
Meanwhile, our arrival was delayed because of the very stringent immigration rules in Tanzania. It took us almost one year to be allowed to go. It was so difficult when we finally arrived. Contrary to our expectations, there was no one from the diocese to greet us or to give us direction, etc. We were on our own except for the help and support of the Fathers of the Resurrection. In fact, if it weren’t for the Fathers, we would have had no place to sleep or stay. The diocese simply had no record of what had been decided by Bishop Samba. The diocese did not yet have a new bishop. No one knew what to do with us.
The two of us didn’t know the language, we had no permanent place to live. Plus, there were only two other non-African teachers in our whole area. No missionaries were teaching Secondary School. On our part, we also expected a huge openness to teachers, since teachers and teaching are very respected by the Tanzanians. But we were missionary teachers, so we were met with fear, and resistance. There was also a general mistrust among the people of “outsiders.” Fortunately, this has changed. We are now accepted by the new bishop and the diocese, by government officials, and by the Tanzanian people. Our school is now greatly sought after for its very high quality of education and values.
How has your experience with Chief Wanzagi School changed your attitudes and approaches to life here in the United States?
Now that I’m back in the United States, I find many of my attitudes and reactions have changed. I’m extremely conscious of the cost of things in the United States. When I compare what one could buy in Tanzania for the cost of items in the U.S., I see such a gaping difference. So much of what we buy in the U.S. is not necessary, and I think of the Tanzanians and how little even of the necessities they can buy, and yet they are happy and grateful for so little.
We have so much and such a variety of food, and we can be so “picky” about what we eat. Our students in Tanzania are happy with the same “ugali” dish (like a corn mush and brown beans for protein) 10 to 11 meals a week. In many cases, they are just grateful to have a regular daily meal. About twice a week, the girls get a treat—rice. On very rare occasions, the girls are served a very small piece of meat. (Many boarding schools in Tanzania have “ugali” for all 14 meals a week!) Again, we in the United States waste so much food, have a tendency to throw so much food away, to let it spoil or get stale, to eat only what we like, etc. But the Tanzanians try to use every bit of food they can get because it is so expensive and scarce.
I am also sickened by the big salaries of executives (and sports figures, actors/actresses, etc.). I cannot justify this when so much of the world cannot even obtain the basic necessities of life because of extreme poverty.
Most of all, my attitude toward water and its usage has profoundly changed. I have such a hard time with the careless and wasteful way we, for the most part, use and abuse water. In Tanzania where the school is located, we have no water supply at all, except rainwater. If you recall, last year, we had to send the girls home on a vacation, because there was no water at all. Right now, there is not a lot of water, so we have to be extremely careful with what we do have. Since I left Tanzania, the Sisters smile at me now, because I won’t leave even a drop of water in my glass when I have a drink of water. I utilize every drop because I think of the people in Tanzania and our girls, who have to conserve what little water they have, so even a drop of water is precious.
What was the most memorable moment(s) for you in Tanzania?
I have had many memorable moments including my fantastic farewell, but none is as striking as that first year when the girls were going home for a month and a half break between semesters. What teenage girl is not delighted to be out of school for a few weeks and go home? Well, our girls to the last one didn’t want to leave. After I gave them last minute instructions and everything was in order, they hung back, and each of the over 100 girls hugged me and lingered. It was so memorable because it meant they had developed a deep attachment to us and to each other. They were so appreciative for what we did for them—a community was being forged. This showed us, also, how eagerly and desperately our students want an education! They will come to class anytime—weekends, in the evening, holidays, whenever. This is very praiseworthy. This is a gift from God, a confirmation that what He had called us to be and to do was being forged in His way and His time.
What can we do to help the mission in Tanzania?
Your prayer and sacrifice are first and foremost.
Secondly, we need to build an all-purpose room for liturgy and assemblies so that the whole student body can come together to worship, to have programs, etc. (right now, we have these outdoors). We need a cafeteria/dining room (again, right now the girls eat all meals outdoors). So we need funds.
Thirdly, our water problem is so acute. As I said, we have no water supply except rainwater, and we do not have a lot of rain. There is a pipe system from Lake Victoria, 20 miles away from us, that runs through villages up to our school. The only problem is the pumps or pipes making up the system are broken most of the time. And at other times, there is no electricity for the pumps to push the water through the pipes. We would be looking to repair this existing system or to replace it, so we need much funding and financial backing.
We are fortunate that electricity is no longer a major problem because we do much with solar energy. We have solar panels on the buildings, and we have solar powered computers.
I have been so blessed to have been in Tanzania, and I will never be the same as I was before I went to Africa. I thank God and my Community, the Sisters of the Resurrection, for this great gift of mission, of discipleship according to God’s way not my way. Thank you for supporting us and praying for us.