Karibu Tanzania!

Note: this blog entry was actually written on Jan. 18, but due to the aforementioned technology difficulties, it was a bit delayed in its publishing... 

“Habari za leo!”

“Nzuri. Hujambo?”

“Sijambo.” 

“Asante sana.”

Which is rather literally translated:

“What is your news of the day?”

“Only good news. Any problems?”

“No problems.”

“Thank you very much.” 

These were some of the first Kiswahili words we learned here in Tanzania, and we’ve found them to be very useful. We’ve found it particularly refreshing that there is only good news in Tanzania, and there are never any problems either—negatives are simply not part of the common language.  We have been trying to keep this positive perspective in spite of the large negative of not having internet upon arrival at the Lutheran Junior Seminary, a status which continued for a longer period of time than we would have liked. In addition, the electricity here is very temperamental—we have learned that the power companies will often shut off the electricity to an entire town for an unpredictable and undesignated amount of time. 

Still, despite these setbacks, our time here has been very good thus far. We have only just begun our Kiswahili lessons, but are finding them to be enjoyable and also challenging. The primary method of instruction is oral repetition and constant conversation, which is definitely a shift from the American mode of language learning. The plus to living “on campus” is that we are surrounded by native Kiswahili speakers, so we are constantly called upon to use what little we already know. Overall, everyone is encouraging of our slow progress. 

Last Saturday (January 15), we had our first trip with Pastor Hafermann: a visit to the Maasai cattle market.  The Maasai people are known for their cattle herding; without cattle, they have nothing. In general, they are kind and welcoming people, but this can be difficult to perceive at first glance. The warriors in particular appear very fierce with their traditional garb, long knives hanging from their belts, and wooden prodding sticks to control the cattle. It was a very good experience, though we found it a little unnerving to be the center of attention wherever we went.  Maasai warriors were everywhere and approached us with curiosity.  We found our personal space to be severely encroached upon, Pastor Hafermann was asked if we were for sale, and Emmanuel (Pastor Hafermann’s right hand man) provided the security we wished for to feel protected. While there, we got to try many new things—green coconuts, both meat and milk (which has the same chemical composition as human plasma, in case you wanted to know), and also goat thigh and liver.  We won’t go into the gory details of our lunch, except to say that we were accepted as honorary men for the day and allowed to eat with the Maasai friends of Pastor Hafermann, which meant that we were drawn into all of their customs of dining (read into that what you will). 

On Sunday, we got the opportunity to witness a Maasai wedding, the first in this particular village’s church.  Upon arriving at the village after a VERY bumpy car ride, we were immediately invited to share tea with some of the Maasai elders. This included receiving a blessing from each of the men.  They drink their tea out of little plastic cups with lots of milk and sugar, and they also eat chapatas (which we estimate to be like really thick lefse). After tea, we got a tour of the village, which included their new projects of a water pump and solar panels (which were installed by a tobacco company who has taken an interest in this village). Then it was time for the wedding service (which started more than an hour after it was scheduled to begin). 

We were seated at the very front of the congregation, next to the elders and directly in front of all the Maasai men. The concept of personal space is VERY different in Tanzania, which we experienced firsthand throughout this three-hour service. It was nearly 100 degrees outside, therefore, with more than 500 people crammed into this tiny church, it was a bit warm and, dare we say it, uncomfortable. Still, we greatly enjoyed the service, particularly the Maasai children’s choirs and watching all of the women dance and bless both the choirs and wedding couple. 

Although there were many similarities to weddings we have attended in the past—namely, communion, Lutheran liturgy, a sermon, Scripture readings, hymns, etc.—there were some notable differences. In particular, the couple are prohibited from openly showing emotion so as to fully convey the seriousness of their commitment and this big step in their lives. Along the same lines, the children in the choirs also appeared expressionless, but openly conveyed joy through their voices. Gifts were also presented as part of the service. 

An interesting fact to note: This village is still divided between Lutherans and pagans. As such, half of the people in attendance were pagans who came to see what this service was all about.  Startlingly, a pagan woman was possessed by an evil spirit in the middle of the service and needed to be carried out. We found out later that she was unable to be cured because she refused to allow her charms to be removed. Another Maasai woman told us that this was silly because she and others had become free from the power of evil spirits after beginning to come to church as believers. 

After the wedding, we exited the church and greeted every single member of the congregation, including the wedding party. This was overwhelming, as touching our skin held some particular fascination for the people. The children would walk up to us and timidly touch our arms and hands—for some reason, they think our skin is incredibly soft and are curious to see if it will break when they touch it.  Once the greetings were finished, we ate cow liver and lots of rice with the church leaders and other evangelists in attendance. 

The combination of these two days, plus residual jet lag, frustration with the absence of internet, and the major temperature adjustment left us utterly exhausted. Sunday night we went to bed around 7:30 P.M. and slept straight through until around 5:30 A.M. 

Overall, we are definitely enjoying our stay here, but it is still taking some adjustment. We are looking forward to visiting Mikumi National Park next Tuesday and Wednesday with Pastor Hafermann. Also, we are hoping to have more reliable internet access in the future, enabling us to be more regular in our blog posting. 

We wish you all the best and hope that you are not freezing in the frigid Midwestern weather. We are enjoying 90-100 degree heat and VERY HIGH humidity every day. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as you are in ours. 

Much love, 

Ellen and Laura