Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5

From July 15-19, 2004, the campus of California Lutheran University became a satellite campus of Sakeji School as alumni gathered from five different countries and as many generations to spend time remembering their days at Sakeji, renewing old friendships, and making new friends too. These die-hard Sakejiites gathered from Capetown (South Africa), Oslo (Norway), Dumfries (Scotland), Saskatchewan (Canada), and various areas of the United States. (View a list of attendees)

Chenga Bwanausi, Kumi (Bwanausi) Tommerbakke, Dowa (Bwanausi) Ross and Mbamba Bwanausi

Thanks to the brilliant planning and organizational skills of Dowa (Bwanausi) Ross and Janice Bakke, the reunion was a special time of making new memories for everyone concerned, including the children and spouses of the alumni. Those who flew into Los Angeles were met with great warmth and enthusiasm by Mbamba Bwanausi and transported from there to the campus at Thousand Oaks, California-while being simultaneously regaled with one great Sakeji memory after another. Others came in their own vehicles, including one arrival by motorcycle on Saturday!

Almost all the attendees stayed in the same dorm. Those who came without their families were able to revert to their youth as they roomed together in the spacious ground-floor suites. It was a pleasant walk from the dorm to the dining room-nobody regressed to the extent of running at full tilt down to dinner! Meals were early at CLU-breakfast at 7:00, lunch at 11:45, and supper at 5:00. No problem for former Sakeji students!

After supper on Thursday the 15th, we met together and Dowa got the ball rolling with a quiz on "Sakeji Kids' Body Parts." Most of those present agreed it was harder than any quiz they ever had at Sakeji! Lois Anne (Sykes) Norris got the highest mark and was later honored with a prize. Dowa and Janice also surprised us with gift bags containing Sakeji-related memorabilia-75th anniversary tea towels, school crest pins, and Sakeji recipes (all courtesy of Margie Young), and also a CD of music by Matthew Raymond. This was followed with a time of introduction and sharing of Sakeji memories, most of which were accompanied by laughter and good-natured teasing. (Everyone was asked to share their favorite or least favorite memory, and also to reveal what special person they gave their fudge to!) The final entertainment of the evening was watching the first half of "Martin Luther," which any good Sakejiite knows practically by heart!

We also had plenty of opportunity that night and every night to browse through the display tables that had been set up in our meeting room, forming an informal museum of Sakeji memorabilia. From Tumina (the Lunda hymnal) to old Sakeji calendars, to Sakeji handwork, to photos and letters from faraway alumni who couldn't make it to the reunion, there was much to look at and reminisce over.

Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5