It was privileged

I have never thought in my life that there is a day I would have a chance to fly an Airplane.

That is due to the fact, in any standard I am not fit for it as in my studies, I have never focus on those science subjects that might allow someone to attend a pilot course.

In short I was allergic to physics and geography, therefore there was narrow possibilities of having a chance of even trial.

By the way, in Tanzania is very difficult for somebody to invite you for the flying while he knows that you know nothing on aviation matters.

But in 10^th July this year after having dinner, which accompanied by sandwich, salad, juice and skimmed milk, that trauma was proved wrong when Mary Anne wife of Assistant Professor Richard Eason asked if I would be ready to fly over Bangor sky?

I spent some minutes to think about, as it was 6:30 in the evening and being not sure if my insurance would cover whenever accident might happen. But at last I agreed with her idea knowing that I am going to be a passenger.

To be sincere I was thinking how the flying is going to of success. It was Prof. Rick who brought be again in the world from a deep thought when he told me that is going I am going to be pilot for the trip.

It was hard to believe what he meant until he stepped on trainee position living space for the pilot to take off four people Cessnna 172 from Bangor International Airport.

Knowing that I was scared and shocked, Professor Rich pleased me that he will be their to support whenever I went wrong as on trainee side there are pedals and sterling that used to control airplane while on the ground and on air.

Thereafter we proceed with checking plane stability and decided on flying direction from control towel where Professor Rick experienced pilot and trainer for more than 30 years was communicating with.

As everything was in order, Professor Rick informed control towel that we were flying from Lima (lane position) towards western side of the Bangor International Airport.

On that first flying trial, we spent about two hours on air flying over Bangor, Brewer, Bar Harbor, Southern Mountains in the Acadia National Park and Orono taking different pictures for references.

I and Prof. Rick, we landed safely on 9:05 and going straight at their cool and pleasant residence surrounded by thick forests, birds and Dear at Orono.

While at home to night, having known that I was with my MacBook and probably I would like to chat with some friends, I was direct connected to the Internet.

The house of two, Rick and Mary Anne that night was cool like nobody was there as everyone was busy with his or are computer.

But such a busiest situation did not stop Mary from asking different questions about Tanzania and the people of Tanzania, bearing in mind that last year they had a chance to host a fellow journalist Rose Athuman from Tanzania.

I tried my best to explain what I know about Tanzania as I was suspicious to know more about Maine and America in general and their feeling on hosting students whom their not familiar with.

Their response to such a vague question was simple and clear that “we are happy for it as we learn a different culture from ours”. 

They proceed saying that, normally they tend to host students from Japan who stayed at their residence for even three weeks.

“We always host students from Japan who have language problem for even up to three weeks. So we are used to it as it helps to make our house warm,” said Mary Anne in a smiling face.

Rick apart from being Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is also Puzzle designer the activity that has enable them to travel in the difference world puzzle conferences held each year either in US, Europe, Asia or Australia.

He mostly use his spare time at home designing his puzzles, but such a hobby does not stop them going out every weekend for music shows.

It was through such a conversation that took us up to mid night we reached to the agreement on what should be done in the next day and where should we visit?

That’s how my first day at Rick and Mary Anne’s home ended.

The next day which was Saturday, our day as usual started with breakfast and thereafter I was accompanied with Mary Anne to different parts of town including Macys and Wal*mart for small shopping.

From the morning we went back home for lunch where Rick was waiting for us ready for the hiking trip at South Carnage Ridge at Acadia National Park through a tourist town of Bar Harbor.

Our hiking, which was mostly based on exercise, was a bit fast being controlled by chronometer stopwatch to get at the top of the mountain through forests, rocks and ridges.

In general I will never regret living with Rick and Mary Anne over the weekend as I feel to be at home. 

They are more of African values and culture than western assimilation that claimed to be of some kind of selfishness.

They are loving people, whom they can leave with any as far as he matches their characteristics of being charming and smart on brain.

Rick and Mary Anne to me were good parents, as I was given a chance to suggest on what I would like them to do for me.

Sincerely they were free to share anything and ready to learn on what they think you know better. For instance, they are not familiar with Africa, therefore they were anxious to know how Africa especially Tanzania looks like? What type of food Tanzanians eat? Culture, language, norms and belief! There were also interested to know how the rest of the world including Tanzania perceives America?

The most controversial question to them was how Tanzanian journalists are selected for the course and if other faculties are involved in the process?

It is quite clear that the program might be of controversial for many Americans especially university staffs, as I would not expect such a question to be asked by Rick and Mary as they had already host previous participant.

In short living with American family will be a memorable thing to the rest of my life, as I won’t regret anyhow.  

It is from such experience I opt to say that book should be judged by its contents as cover might present wrong perception.

Rick and Mary Anne have proved that Americans have qualities and spirits of human kind likewise Tanzanians and Africans at large.