We Were Wrong About Everything

....except for disconnection from society.


So here we are. It's been more than a week since I crash-landed in the BEAUTIFUL Arusha, Tanzania. I can promise you one thing, this place does wonders for your soul. At this point, I think it's absolutely imperative to know that we had no idea what Tanzania was like. Because yes, everything is new, and yes, I am overwhelmed, I guess I'll just tackle the issues as they come.

Family (Familia)

I have always had the understanding that family can mean more than blood. However, the people of Arusha have taken that to a new level. If you have children, you introduce yourself as Mama "first name" or Mama "name of your first born". So for instance, my mother would be Mama Carol or Mama Andrew. Everyone, please start calling her that. My new mother is Mama Esther or Mama Derrick. I have three brothers: Derrick (16), Dionne (12) and baby Darrell (pronounced Dah-Rail). Aside from the technical number of children that live there, there are about a million others constantly circulating through the house. The others sleep there, eat there, or sometimes just come to play. To paint a picture, I wandered into our living room yesterday and came across Mama Esther holding a 3 year-old girl. I asked her what the girl's name was and she replied, "I don't know, this is the first time I've seen her." So that's African babysitting for you.

Food (Chakula)
These people literally never stop eating. No matter how many times you say "Asante sana, lakini nimeshiba, nimeshiba", they never believe you. ( Thank you, but I am full). I think we had seven full meals yesterday. And Mama Esther told me, "when you leave for America, you will be fat. That's how they'll know you're African."

Home (Nyumba Yangu)
Before leaving for Africa, I was informed by my study abroad program that I would be living in a home with no electricity and no running water. Somehow, in the middle of all of this, I ended up in what must be one of the most affluent homes in Arusha. I have hot showers every day, electricity with only a few power outages and clean, bottled water available always. Of course, this is not the case everywhere. Many people don't drink water because "water is money". The larger you are, the more obvious of your upper status. There are many young ones out on the streets, but it's hard to tell which ones are homeless and which ones are just playing. I realize I'm living in a very fortunate situation, but here in Arusha, the poverty is so evident it's hard to comprehend.

I'll post pictures soon so you all have some idea of my Tanzanian life because, let's be real, it's too much to put into words.