Our Tales From Tanzania: For the grandparents

Page for stuff only the grandparents are likely to be interested in seeing......

June 9, 2017 Kids' Final Umoja Recital

Kids had their final performance with Umoja last night. Anderson wants to me qualify his and let everyone know that he did not want me to post it because he made a mistake, so I said I would. Tierney worked especially hard on her piece....not only was it her first classical song, but it was in German. Definitely not easy. So proud of them all.

March 18, 2017 Umoja Group Concert

Ash and Anderson's first performance on electric guitar (thanks for the photos, Reeve).

February 24, 2017 Umoja Concert

Tierney performs Lost Boy by Ruth B (again), but this time with Udine on ukelele and Hala singing as well (and no microphone issues!).

Anderson plays French Folk Song

Ashlyn plays Paganini's Andante

December 6, 2016 Sound of Music Tierney was in the school's performace as Marta (the 2nd youngest Von Trapp child). So fun especially because Webb and Jeff could be here to watch it with us. A few short videos and pics here

October 28, 2016 Umoja Concert

Anderson performs Perpetual Motion (guitar)

Ashlyn performs Allegro (guitar)

Tierney performs Cradle Song and Lost Boy (piano and voice) - despite some unfortunate microphone issues, she did really well. So proud of how she handled the difficulties.

(thanks to everyone that brought Lost Boy to T's attention....funny how several people sent it to her saying it was something they thought she'd like or that they thought of her when they heard it)

October 23, 2016 Intermediate French Homework

Tierney's French homework was for their groups to come up with some mnemonic way to remember the Passé Composé / Vandertramp verbs. I think they went above and beyond....

October 1, 2016 Secondary Swim Meet

Tierney's breaststroke (I was on the computer entering times, so this is the only picture I have of Tierney or Ashlyn swimming. Thanks to Darren Acomb for capturing it)

P.S. ISMAC came first

June 3, 2016 Umoja Concert
(youtube link here)
Tierney sings Moon River by Henry Mancini (from Breakfast at Tiffany's)
Tierney plays Minuet in G Major on Piano
Anderson plays Maysong on Guitar
Ashlyn plays Meadow Minuet on Guitar

The past two weeks we've also had two netball tournaments (Ashlyn and Anderson), soccer games (Tierney and Ashlyn), a cross-country meet (Ashlyn), and our final swim lessons for the term.

Tierney and Flora

ISMAC 12 and Under cross-country

Crossing the finish line!

Last swim lesson - T with snorkels and paddles ready

Ellesmere and Ashlyn ready for training

Curious what their swim workouts look like? No wonder they are hungry all the time.

March 12, 2016 St. Constantine's Primary School Swim Champs!

March 12, 2016 Umoja Annual Concert
Such a fun evening with all the group performances. As part of the music lessons the kids do one private and one group lesson per week. This is a showcase of what the groups have been working on.

Umoja Guitar Groups 1 (Anderson's) and 2 (Ashlyn's):

Go Tell Aunt Rhody, Song of the Wind, and Perpetual Motion is here

Umoja Guitar: Go Tell Aunt Rhody, Song of the Wind, Perpetual Motion from Lisa Coyle on Vimeo.

Umoja Guitar Group 2 (Ashlyn) and Voice (Tierney) Groups:
Hall of Fame, Riptide, and White Winter Hymnal is here

The highlights of the night were for sure Rhythm of Life and Livin' on a Prayer. Tierney and her friends showed their true rocker selves (here). It was so fun!

Umoja: Rhythm of Life and Livin' on a Prayer from Lisa Coyle on Vimeo.

March 11, 2016 Book Week for Primary at ISM: Extreme reading and dress as a book character

March 10, 2016 Tierney composing her first piece of music
T's music homework was to compose a song and then play it. I think she took it very seriously.

February 18, 2016 M1 Design and I&S (Individuals and Societies) Class Trip - 2 nights camping at Lake Manyara

I love any class trip that has scavenger hunts and competitions like these after getting the bus stuck in the mud. Twice.

February 5, 2016 Tierney singing Riptide

(I always ask the kids before I post anything of them, but seeing that T is away on another OP trip I'm going to go with the 'ask forgiveness and not permission' scenario)

Link to her singing Riptide acapella here

February 2, 2016 Primary Swim Gala Poster

Recognize this swimmer?

January 31, 2016 Ashlyn's Race at TALISS

I got a few pictures and a video from our friend Patrick of Ashlyn swimming at the TALISS swim competition.

Ashlyn's Backstroke Start

Ashlyn

January 22, 2016 Ashlyn's Passion Project: Swimming

Today Ashlyn presented her Passion Project. They did this to get ready for Exhibition which is coming up later this term. They had to pick something that they are passionate about (swimming), 'extend' it (synchronized swimming), and take an action related to it (create a routine), and then present it to the whole school (she did that via a video of the routine). I think she's ready for Exhibition!

Ashlyn's Passion Project: Swimming from Lisa Coyle on Vimeo.

January 16, 2016 Proud Mama Moments

Ashlyn and Avalon on a school marketing poster
(I wonder if they realized that this was taken on "crazy hair day"?)

Tierney is off again to Mandara Hut, the first hut on Kilimanjaro.

January 9, 2016

Anderson enjoying his new goalie gloves from Santa. Still no shoes though.

December 26, 2015 Grandpa Jeff's Birthday

These rock stars skyped Grandpa Jeff and sang him Happy Birthday. Do you think he recognized us?

(Thanks Grandma Sue for the fun Christmas presents)

December 19, 2015 M1 Drama class presents The Kidnap (a silent film)

The Kidnap: M1 Silent Film from Lisa Coyle on Vimeo.

ISMAC's M1 Class Silent Film for Drama Class with Amy Arora

December 15, 2015

M1 Design Class Raft Races

Tierney has a design class (think beginning architecture combined with graphic design elements). The teacher had them break into teams and make a raft made exclusively out of found/recycled products. It needed to have movement, steering and the ability to be tied to the end of the pool....and it needed to carry at least one person. Today they held their races. I was lucky enough to just be finishing up my swim lessons at the pool when they came in. So fun to watch.

Tierney's team's raft is actually in lane 2 (with the early lead)
but T was drafted as raft jockey for another team (lane 4)

Tierney's team's winning raft!

The raft Tierney was on lost all of it's flotation devices (water bottles) before the turn around. She managed to come back from 5th place for a 3rd place finish for her friends.

Swim Training Fun

Did you know that a kid can fit inside of a swim cap? .

End of term shenanigans

December 8, 2015 Umoja Winterfest

Umoja celebrated the holiday season with a Winterfest Christmas Concert. Tierney sang (a lot) and Ashlyn and Anderson played guitars. Very fun.

Tierney singing Mary's Boy Child

Silent Night (in German!)

Here is a video of two songs from the evening. Tierney and Sehra sing Mary's Boy Child (T says that Sehra had a space microphone which is why she seemed so much louder), And Jingle Bells where Ash and Anders play guitar while Tierney sang with the rest of her group. (out of focus at beginning - camera had trouble focusing in the low light)

Umoja Winterfest from Lisa Coyle on Vimeo.

Tierney singing Mary's Boy Child and All three on stage for Jingle Bells

I had a fun night setting up and tending bar with friends.
(We used old mosquito nets for the skirts.)

December 4, 2015

December 1, 2015

Tierney had a great weekend playing soccer and swimming for ISMAC at the Secondary Sports Weekend in Moshi. Add another night at a friend's house while we were still in the Serengeti and it makes for one very exhausted girl. I thought she was just tired when she told me she hurt her wrist playing soccer on Friday. When she woke up crying on Monday night, I knew it was a bit more serious. Luckily the soccer coach is also a doctor. Definite deep bruise and possible hairline fracture. We decide to wait a few days with the brace and see how it goes before we have to deal with going to get x-rays. Until then it's ice and ibuprofen. Fingers crossed.

November 30, 2015

ISMAC U14 Girls Football

November 24, 2015: Once Upon a Dream

This week was ISM's Primary School Production of Once Upon a Dream. Each class had at least one song to perform and Ashlyn had a small speaking role. It was so fun.

Those eyes

November 22, 2015

Ashlyn, our artist, happily at work drawing a kingfisher with her art set (Thanks, Sova!)

November 15, 2015

Here's Friday's Umoja Recital. It was Anderson's first performance and he was so cool and relaxed. I am so proud of how well they all did.

Umoja Nov 13 2015 from Lisa Coyle on Vimeo.
Anderson's first guitar recital.

Anderson: Twinkle Twinkle
Ashlyn: Perpetual Motion
Tierney: A Short Story

Practicing earlier that morning (Anderson wouldn't let me take his photo).

November 12, 2015

Anderson's first swim meet and the first meet that they are all able to compete in together.

Customized caps!

Anderson backstroke

Ash Dive

Tierney Freestyle

Ash Butterfly

Award ceremony silliness

Happy Crew!

November 8, 2015

Tierney had her level 1 Outdoor Pursuit (OP) trip over the weekend. They backpacked to the first hut on Kilimanjaro, Mandara Hut. It took them 6 hours to hike up with an early wake up the next morning to climb to the Maundi Crater before breakfast and then a 4 hour hike back down. Congrats ISMAC on making it in good spirits.