Lugalo! Lugalo! We are Lugalo!

On Saturday, we tried to make it up to Gangilonga (a word from the oldest tribe, the Hehe, that means "speaking rock") but ended up going to the top of another peak higher than Gangilonga. We trekked through the prickly trees and made it to the top of the mountain's peak. There were boulders everywhere and the view of the Iringa area was breathtaking. Allen and I managed to climb up on some of the boulders for a scary perspective. I was literally trembling because of the height. We're still planning on going to Gangilonga in next couple of days. In the evening, Sunita joined us for a beverage at a local watering pool hole. Pool is played on the same size tables here. but the balls are smaller. Jan made it in town (with all of their luggage) that night. They made great time considering their hour and a half delay in Dar. Jan and her husband, Jim, went directly to a Rotary function and for the first time we had all "the boys" (Ally, Allen, Miraji, Shaina, and I) together for dinner. Good times!
The next day I thought I'd treat myself to something special, a massage at the Hilltop Lodge on the south side of the town. For 15,000 shillings (about $10) I had a nice 1/2 hour pampering. The funny thing was that they don't do massages on the weekends so we initially left. The registration lady came out and offered to try it herself. She kept apologizing, asking if I was okay, and talking the whole time. It was still a nice treat though. We went to the market after and laid down for the first nap I've had in a very long time. It was a lazy day. Until...
We headed over to Lugalo Secondary School, Saint Stephen's sister school, and met up with Jan, Jim, Sunita, Stan, and Ally. When we walked up we were greeted by the entire school singing us songs and clapping for us. Jan was presented with a necklace, earrings, a bracelet, and a wrap (a "conga". Sunita and Shaina were dressed in a conga as well. Jim and I were dressed in traditional shirts, and Stan was given a mask for himself and a conga for his wife, Betty. We met in the headmasters office before seeing the videoconferencing room (decorated in Saint Stephen's green and gold) and computer lab. Lugalo officials led us into a dining area where a gourmet meal was awaiting us. The ceremony that preceded the meal was a couple of hours long and included poems, songs, skits, and traditional African dances. (This is where I'm going to have a tough time verbalizing the experience.) It was incredible. By far the best experience I've had here yet. I was in tears (of joy) watching the dances and hearing the songs. It was too beautiful for words. Jan, Sunita, and Shaina got up and danced with the girls and we finished up by taking a million pictures with the students. (I'm still not explaining this the way it should be explained.) It may have been the most honoring event of my life. They said that their goal was to make us feel more Africanized. Did they ever! My cheeks were hurting from the perma-grin smiles and I could not stop my eyes from filling with water. I've been graciously welcomed by people before but never on this scale. We will be visiting Lugalo again on Wednesday for the teleconference with Saint Stephens. I'm very excited seeing the "other" side of the screen. Jim, Ally, Shaina, and I walked back to the flats and we finished the night with some great conversation before hitting the bed very early! We awoke this morning and made our way back to Kitchingani for the first day of headmaster training. We were originally slated to begin at 8am. It's now 10am and we're still waiting on half the class. As I mentioned before "time" in Tanzania is... different. Hope all is well back home! Remember to Check out Shaina's blog at http://sbuckles30.wordpress.com/