Now on to what you're here for...
Here's a little insight into my to-do list before I leave... (I guarantee it will continue to grow as the semester goes on)
- Learn how to (and possibly practice) strap an infant to my back with a strip of fabric.
- Learn how to make the vocal trill that women here seem to use to express joy.
- Figure out how the animals are killed here - I assume they do it in some humane way, but how?
- Learn how to make the amazing Chai tea that we keep having on our visits.
But on a slightly more serious note, how can I possibly update the past two days without this post dragging on for days? They have been 2 completely different, yet absolutely amazing days. Yesterday, we visited a Swahili village for a wedding. It was beautiful. They had the most simple decorations (fabric strips, flowers, and toilet paper) and the bride and groom sat in plastic lawn chairs - but it was the happiest wedding I've ever been to. After waiting 2 hours, the bride and groom's cars each pulled up and when they did, the women inside the church broke out into beautiful joyous songs - everyone was singing and dancing throughout the church. (It was nice to see that people weren't all confined to their seats like they tend to be back in the States in a Midwest Lutheran church!) As a surprise (to us and Pastor H) there were also two baptisms at the service - but that didn't change a thing, Pastor H just went with the flow. At one point in the service the woman sitting next to me must have noticed that I kept smiling at her little girl, so she handed off her infant daughter to me to hold. The trust was amazing. (And her daughter was absolutely adorable!) It seemed to be a theme, pretty much anyone went and grabbed anyone else's child to hold for awhile and then gave them back to their mother or siblings. Luka, his fiance, and 8-mo. old daughter also went with us to the wedding. Both his soon-to-be-wife and his daughter are the sweetest people - his daughter almost never cried and just took in all the sights and sounds. After the service, we processed outside (which appears to be the tradition here) where they had an auction for items that had been donated at the wedding.
Today was another, very different, experience (once again). We drove about two hours out to another Massai village for a service which included a blessing of the church building. The service included three very different choirs (two that had been brought in for the service/celebration and the local Massai choir). The service lasted upwards of three hours and, thanks to Luka, I actually could follow along for most of it. Once again, after the service there was an auction (I bought a very nice Kanga that I'll probably have made into a shirt or skirt or something and Luka bought a chicken). Then Luka and the four of us took some bubbles over to the kids and we had a field day. Once again, I was able to see how digital cameras can be a universal bonding tool - all kids love to see images of themselves frozen in time! To finish off the day we had some spiced rice and ate with our hands - note to self, cut fingernails before any opportunity to eat with your hands! On the drive back we had the addition of one chicken to our passenger list - it sat beside Tim and they became quite close friends. By the end of the drive back to LJS, Tim was able to quiet the chicken anytime it got upset - a very useful talent if you ever find yourself stuck in a car on a bumpy road with a chicken for over two hours!
I've noticed that each of us are starting to pick up a few words here and there. Tomorrow starts Kiswahili classes for us - we'll be paired off (Steve and Tim, Peter and Me) to start and go from there. Now we just need to build up some confidence and learn a bit more and we will be set. Soon the Tanzanians won't be able to shut us up! :)
Peace.
Luka's daughter, Christina, and I
No comments:
Post a Comment