Where they welcome you like royalty

Mambo! Life is good in Tanzania. I can't believe we've been here six days already! The internet continues to give us problems, so I haven't been able to write as often as I would like, but I've been keeping a journal so I can update you on all we've done so far.

Saturday was a beautiful day. We had Swahili class in the morning, from 7:45-12:00, with a tea break in the middle. Most of us continue to struggle with learning the language, but fortunately our teachers are very patient with us. We learned how to say the names of different professions, and went a little more in depth with some of the grammar concepts. In the afternoon we went to a house to help dig a latrine for a family that had recently moved in. We took turns with the digging while the rest of the group entertained the kids living around the area with coloring books, stickers, and bubbles. I spent most of my non-digging time trying to learn some Swahili words from Maria, the woman who lives there. She probably thought I was crazy though since my memory for any word had about a 10-second duration. She would point to something she had already told me the word for and of course I couldn’t remember it, but I guess the human brain can only take in so much. We came back in time for dinner, after which Lindsey, Kim and I did some sunset-watching/stargazing. Our version of the Wartburg Choir had another rehearsal. We put on quite a show, thanks in large part to Katie, or music ed major, without whom we would probably be a lost cause. A small group of us spent the rest of the evening watching Twilight. I guess we don’t have to fully commit ourselves to African culture 24/7...

Sunday was a big day. We had our first visit to a Massai village. We left around 8:30 in the morning and drove about an hour-and-a-half to a village called Lalangi. The people there were extremely welcoming. They invited us to come sit in the shade, and then we were served bread and tea. It was an unusual experience eating as the guests when they themselves were not eating or drinking. We sat for awhile, and then went for a walk to see where a well was to built. It was a bit of a hike from where we were, and it was tough to imagine them having to walk that far just to get water, but a well is an extremely valuable resource for a village to have. Unfortunately they are expensive to build, and there are a lot of dishonest people who offer to build them but end up taking the money and building wells that aren’t actually functional.

Around 12, the church service began. My favorite part was the children’s choir. They were amazing, and our group of 13 paled in comparison when we sang our songs. But we did sing, and the villagers seemed to enjoy it. The service lasted about 2 ½ hours, and even though I didn’t understand a word of what was said, it was a great experience. After the service we were able to shake hands with everyone as we gathered outside. Items that were donated for the offering were auctioned off, and Lindsey bought a chicken, which she gave away to a family. We spent some time playing with all of the kids. They get really excited when we take their pictures and then they can see themselves on our cameras.

The meal was served around 3:00. In the Massai culture it is custom for the men to eat first and the women second, but we were given special status and invited to eat first. The meal consisted of rice, goat, and a mix of peppers and tomatoes. I was able to serve myself, which wasn’t the case for everyone, and some of the girls were given pieces of meat they weren’t thrilled to have (intestines, stomach, etc). In the interest of truly taking in the whole experience, I tried the goat meat, both a “normal” piece in our minds, and the intestine. Yep. This vegetarian tasted goat intestine. Not something I would eat more than a bite of, but it actually wasn’t as bad as one might expect. And some of the girls weren’t keen on eating a plate of it. So all-in-all the meal was an interesting and memorable experience.

After the meal, the Massai men agreed to sing and dance for us, which isn’t something they do very often but they made another special exception to their normal customs on our behalf. There was some chanting, jumping, and dancing, and it’s something you have to see to actually appreciate. Kim was invited in on the action, and got to show everyone some dance moves. I'm not sure who was more amused, us or the Massai women. She must have impressed them enough because the men jumped up and down for her, which they do during celebrations or as a sort of mating call. It was a great end to the day in the village.

I don't think the magnitude of the days events really sunk in for me until later that evening as we were reflecting on the experience. Pastor Hafermann raised the question as to how would our own churches and communities respond if a group of foreigners who don't even speak our language showed up and asked to take part in our services. I think we all agreed that our response probably wouldn't include offering them the best seats in our a churches, or serving them a meal that is better than what we normally eat ourselves. I would like to think that someday I could be as selfless and as gracious towards complete strangers as these people were towards me, but I think I have a long ways to go before I get there. I think that's part of why we're here though - to learn these types of things about ourselves and take what we learn back home and grow in our own faith as we move forward from this experience.

Yesterday and today we have pretty much the same schedule. Swahili classes from 8-12 with a break for tea at 10. We have a break until 2:30 when we go back to class until 4:00. We have tea again at 4, and then head over to the orphanage. The Swahili continues to be challenging, but we really have learned more than we realize. We still amuse ourselves with the words we invent as we try to say the right words, and often times say something that is completely different from what we had intended ("give birth" rather than "sit" or "little frog" instead of "food" for instance...not naming any names). But the teachers continue to be very patient with us. We'll finish our classes tomorrow morning, but I'm hoping to continue studying the language and trying to learn more since we still have two weeks to spend here and communicating with people is a nice ability to have sometimes.

I really enjoyed the time at the orphanage yesterday and am looking forward to going back today. I mostly spent time with the younger children who were 1 or 2. The liked having stickers on them, and when that got old they thought it was funny to put the stickers on me. It's one of those experiences of having completely mixed feelings - happy to be able to spend the time there but also feeling like I should be able to do more for them.

Our weather has been a little less humid the last couple of days. We've had some rain but nothing that has interfered with any of our plans. There was a thunderstorm last night that was nice to fall asleep to. All the girls seem to be doing well. For thirteen girls spending as much time together as we do we have all been getting along really well. We've been taking our malaria meds religiously every morning, and hopefully they're working because the mosquitos have been feasting on us, or at least on me. Although Swahili classes have been good, I think we're all excited for the things that lie ahead on this trip. Tomorrow afternoon we're heading to Mikumi Game Park where we'll spend the night and go on a safari on Thursday, something I know I've been looking forward to and I'm sure the others have as well.

There's a chance the internet access could improve so I could write more often, but if not I'll do the best I can. Hope all is well back home! Love and miss you all!

Peace.

Here are a couple of pictures - one from the Massai village and one of our view from the Seminary. Not a bad sight to wake up to every morning!