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.

Week one at the orphanage

Hi All,

Week one at the orphanage is complete.

The orphanage is run by Sisters from the Catholic Church. There is approximately 50 children 5 and under. I think there is about 22 that are between 2 and 3. It is a very busy time almost all day long. The place that I am staying is about 1 hour walk/bus (dala dala)/walk from the orphanage. I get there about 9 am and stay until about 4pm. The 3-5 yr olds are in school for the morning, so my morning is spent with the 2 yr olds.

When I arrive they are usually outside playing. There is swings, slides, monkey bars and a little manual merry-go-round.

There are usually no toys outside for the kids to play with, only the playground equipment.

At 10am the kids go inside, get there hands washed and go and have a cup of warm milk. After the milk they all go potty. Then it is outside to play again until 11am when they come in, get there hands and face washed and go have some lunch. Then it is back to the bathroom, legs and feet are washed, undies are changed to more absorbent ones and then it is nap time. They usually sleep until 2 or 2:30pm.

They older kids come from school at 12:30. They change their clothes, wash their hands and face and then have lunch. After lunch they too go for a nap.

When everyone wakes up it is time to have a drink of warm milk and then outside to the playground until about 4 or 4:30 when they come in and get a bath and into their jammies. They have supper about 5 and I think they go to bed about 7.

There is a lot of hitting by the children to other children when their feelings have been hurt or their treasures stolen. There is a lot of crying as the children have long days and they are tired most of the time, and feelings get hurt easily.

My day is spent mostly playing with the children, cuddling them and soothing hurt feelings. They are a lot of fun, but boy, they are high maintenance as well. About 1/2 of the children have runny noses on any given day and sometimes they have an accident and need to be changed. There are little potties brought outside when the children are on the playground for easy access. I am really impressed with all the children - for the most part all the 2 yr olds are toilet trained.

Sometimes I help the ladies wash some clothes. They was all the clothes by hand. First in a tub with soap, then a rinse tub and then another rinse tub. Then the clothes are put out on the clothesline to dry.

They butchered a cow within the last couple of days, and today I helped to cut it up. They cut it all up into chunks, like stew meat and then saved all the bones for soup. Not much gets wasted here in Africa. Even the stomach lining or pouch was cut up for use.

One day some people brought a bunch of balloons for the children to play with. That was fun! The kids had a great time, except when someone stole their balloon or it popped. Fortunately there was more than enough to go around a couple of times.

The kids are well cared for and for the most part very happy. It is a pleasure being able to love the little ones. I even have a favorite or two, but I try not to show it.

Prayer requests: For all those at the orphanage - the children and the workers, that the love of God is demonstrated by both. Also for all the children who are sick, either with a cold or worse - may they know and feel the healing power of our Lord and Saviour.

For the other volunteers - that they make a difference in the lives of those that they touch and also come to know a difference in their lives as well.

For my host family - Fredrick and Hannah, that they be reunited with their children in Kenya and that work enables them to all live under one roof.

Please feel free to leave comments and thanks to those that have already. They mean a lot to me.