Differences in Tanzania

I thought it may be nice to tell you a bit about what it is like to live in Tanzania.

Everything is slower and takes longer to do. The things we take for granted...a washing machine, a clothes dryer, prepackaged food, a mop for the floor, a metal rake for the yard...are either non-existent or a modified version of what we have, or even just plain different.

At my house we wash our clothes by hand in a large basin in the backyard. They are then rinsed in another large basin and then rinsed again in a half a pail of water. Then they are hung on the clothesline to dry. If you want to pay our house mother Hannah, she will do your laundry for you. It would cost you about $2 or $3 to have her do this for you.

In Tanzania most of the yards are dirt. The dirt that is not being used for a garden are raked every morning and the leaves from the trees picked up and burned. I think that they do this because it is so hot and dry that otherwise it would be a fire hazard. At my house we had a small bundle of sticks that was used to sweep the driveway and other non garden parts. It was not much bigger than a dustpan broom. You were always bent over when you were sweeping as it had no handle. One of the first gifts I gave to Hannah was a rake with a handle. It is not a metal rake, but it is so much better and easier to use than what they had. I have kind of made it my job to sweep the driveway and walking area in the morning, so I am especially glad that I bought that first.

The floor in my house is all tile. When people in Tanzania wash the floor they wash it with a towel. They wet the towel and then bend at the waist and put their hands on the towel and move it back and forth. It looked very labour intensive, not to mention, hard on the back. The next thing I bought for the house was a mop and wringer pail. I am very glad I did, because when Hannah went to Kenya I ended up helping around the house and used the mop and pail on a daily basis. You have to sweep and wash the floor daily as the roads are dirt, and the yards are dirt and there was 7 or 8 people living in the house.

I also have a greater appreciation and understanding of just what the Apostles' feet must have looked like when Jesus washed them at the last supper. My feet are absolutely the most dirty and disgusting feet I have ever seen. I have taken pictures, but forgot my camera today. I will update the blog with photos next week.

Suppers also take longer to cook. Washing, peeling, chopping and then cooking the vegetables, as well as sauteing the onions before cooking the meat and then adding vegetables. I am sure that an average supper takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to make. Some of the cooking is done outside on a small charcoal burner and some on the propane stove in the house. Hannah is an amazing cook and the food tastes wonderful. She makes some kind of flat bread called chapote and some doughnut stuff that I forget what the name is but it is my favourite. Every night we have some meat dish usually with vegetables in it sort of like a stew, a starch dish like ugali, pasta, sweet potatoes or potatoes, as well as a vegetable dish where the main ingredient is cabbage. I usually help Hannah with the cooking when I get home from work.

We also have our challenges with water and electricity. Here the water is brought in by truck and it usually lasts about 1 - 2 weeks, depending on the number of people at the house. Once we were on water rationing for almost a week. You also don't drink the trucked in water. You buy water in bottle form for drinking. A case of 12 - 1.5 ltr bottles is about $6. Not a bad price at all. The electricity seems to go out almost on a daily basis and anywhere from 1 hour to all day. Fortunately, it is not used at all for cooking or for the water. We use lanterns in the evenings when the power is out and it is kind of nice.

Transportation here is an experience to say the least. We walk just under 2 kms to get to the main road where we can catch a dala dala. A dala dala is a 21 passenger van that comes by every couple of minutes. They are usually always full to overflowing. I have been in one with about 30 people in it and a couple of other volunteers hold the record for this stay of 40 people. Colton said he had his bum out the window as there was no other place to put it. It really is amazing to experience.

To get to work at the orphanage I walk 20 min to the dala dala. Catch one dala dala to the roundabout. Catch another dala dala to the police academy. Walk another 15-20 min to the orphanage. It usually takes me an hour to get there and an hour to get home. I love this time and you see so much when you walk. It is wonderful to walk, because you are also looking around and seeing all that God has done in this place. Sometimes, Kilimanjaro is revealed at just the right time for me to see it's beauty. At other times you may be joined by 5 or 6 little kids that want to hold your hand and count with you. One time I saw a lizard with an orange head and an electric blue body. I had no idea any such thing existed. God is amazing in all his creation!

Prayer: I am going on a safari tomorrow for 5 days. Pray that all goes well and that I am able to capture Tanzanian wildlife for the blog.

Fredrick's car is no working properly. The gas station put gas laced with kerosene in his tank and the car has not run properly since.

Fredrick and Hannah's children will be going back to Kenya on Sunday. Please pray for travel mercies and that they are able to settle back in a routine when they get home.

For the new volunteers = there are three. That their work projects are all that they hoped and that they are able to be of service here in Tanzania.

Also for a friend of my daughter's in Shawnigan who suffered a brain anourysm and is icu. Please pray for God' s healing touch and for God's hand to be on his family at this time.

Don't forget to comment. Take care and God bless you all.