Sasa najua kiswahili kidogo (Now I know a little Swahiili)

Today was only day two of Swahili class, but I already feel like we are all learning so much. For the first half of the morning, we had a large group lecture-style class then in the afternoon we broke off into our partnership pairs (my group for this week is me and Peter with Abraham as our teacher). Most of our afternoon lesson was spent just talking with our teachers (in English, primarily) and getting to know one another. It was phenomenal. We talked about our families, differences between here and the States, religious life, politics, etc. It was especially interesting to hear Abraham say how deforestation is such a serious problem for them. Before this trip, social and environmental problems that I've heard about in my Poli Sci classes have been just that, abstract concepts that exist in far away lands - but now they are becoming a reality, they are things I can see on a daily basis. I took my first trip to Morogoro today with Anna. It was good to get off of the sheltered campus of LJS. The city is such a different feeling than the villages that we have visited. I saw so much that made me want to change the world - huge holes in the middle of the streets and sidewalks, mini buses crammed with over 25 people, and so much more that I know hints at a bigger problem of dire poverty.
But at the same time, Tanzanians amaze me with their endless hospitality and almost flawless ability to coexist despite huge differences and a history of oppression. The country has been relatively peaceful since their independence in the 1960s even though many of their neighboring countries have experienced genocide, dictators, and widespread violence – so they are obviously doing something right. We have been nothing but welcomed by everyone here. The people we meet in the villages have opened up their communities and their hearts to us without fail and the city dwellers in Morogoro were kind to us as well. When I think about the history of it, Tanzanians have no reason to trust white people or Arabs – there is such a history of oppression and slavery. (When telling us about the large Arab slave route through the area, Pastor H even told us about how he and Luka found shackles left on a tree here at LJS from the slave route – the Arabs would lock up and leave for dead anyone who could not keep up.) In the U.S. we ask for reparations and hold the history of slavery over the heads of the white majority. But here, people live together peacefully. Maybe that peace is a result of the dire need for development and a necessary cooperation to achieve it. Maybe it just comes out of a different culture that chooses love and forgiveness over hate (something the world could definitely use!). I couldn’t really say what causes it right now, perhaps I will gain a better understanding of it all by the time I leave. Either way, it is a hospitality that exists throughout. Even on the bus to Morogoro the man sitting beside me tried to strike up a conversation with me - which reminds me why I was posting this… my trip to Morogoro!
Well Anna and I took the bus (it stopped on the street outside LJS to pick us up and dropped us off at the ‘bus depot’ in Morogoro). After we were dropped off, the man who had attempted a conversation with me shouted goodbye to me as they drove past us on their way out of town – I never expected to hear my name shouted on the streets of Morogoro, much less after I’ve only been here a few days. We walked a couple blocks to the supermarket/grocery store to pick up a few necessities. The whole time we were out, men would call out to us and ask us to be their girlfriend or greet us as they passed. Then we went to the market so Anna could buy some shoes. The market was such an experience! We walked into what seemed like a hole in the wall – it literally was an opening between two stores that led to a three-foot-wide path lined with small stores. In the shoe store, the two workers were talking up a storm with us! When they found out that I was from America, they both said ‘President Bush’s country!’ – I initially responded with a small response of disgust but then I thought about it for a bit and realized that they were happy about President Bush (it seems as though Tanzania is one good thing he did in office). Then I mentioned Obama and they got even more excited – people here seem to adore Obama (many have told us that we can only vote from here if we vote for Obama). After talking with the men in the shop for a bit, we headed off to the tailor that Anna has gone to a couple times to have shirts made. Outside, the shop had two, old fashioned sewing machines (nothing like the computerized one I use at home) and the inside was filled with fabrics (Kangas and Kitangas). I was in heaven! Anna and I both impulse bought some beautiful fabrics. Then we got back on a crowded bus and headed home. When I got back I had an ‘appointment’ to teach Omega (one of the Swahili teachers) some Spanish. We ended up talking about languages and I found out that he knows 6 tribal languages, Swahili, English, a bit of Massai, and a few words in Spanish, German, and Korean. I was astounded! In the U.S. we think we know so much if we are fluent in two languages and here is a kid who knows a total 8 languages almost fluently and can almost understand about 4 more. Now that is amazing, to say the least. I understand that part of the wide variety of fluency comes out of a necessity for communication among the people here but even in the States, where we need to be able to communicate with our Latino neighbors and immigrants, a vast majority of our citizens don’t know or care to learn even the least bit of Spanish. But Omega and I ended up doing more of a language exchange than a teaching session – we swapped words, Spanish for Swahili. Tomorrow we will probably have a more ‘formal’ lesson. I apologize for the volume of my writing today. It seems like the more I am here, the more I notice and the more it makes me think. I honestly wish I could somehow write down all of my thoughts as they occur to me, but these thoughts just come and go so quickly in my mind that I find myself loosing my train of thought more often than ever before. So I will end this before it turns into a full-out novel. Tomorrow is a new day that will (like always) bring new adventures, I can’t wait.

Peace.