Karibuni!!

Mambo, from Tanzania!

These past two weeks have been absolutely incredible… definitely a whirlwind, as expected. Since I arrived on Dec 5^th, I’ve been sweating non-stopped (seriously, I didn’t think a human could sweat this much), eating MANY meals with neighbors and friends, and trying hard to begin to understand this new culture that I will be a part of for the next two years.  It’s kind of like a weird time-warp stage… I’ve been here for two weeks, but it feels like I just arrived AND that I’ve been here for months. Strange, but awesome. Rather than going on and on about general life here, I thought it would be more interesting to share a few stories with you from my experience so far. Hope you enjoy!

Lost in translation
Language here is going to be a struggle, and I’m already feeling frustrated that I cannot communicate or express myself as openly, honestly, and easily as I can back in the states. Caitlin and I have had three Kiswahili lessons so far (taught by a woman who teaches at Gonzaga and lives nearby), and they’ve been very practical in terms of being able to purchase mcheze (rice), maharage (beans), and other staples at the Duka (little shop across the road from our house)… but I still find myself dumbly gaping at folks who greet me while I’m walking, unable to get the correct responses straight. I am getting better, and can survive a brief, friendly exchange of “Mambo!” “Poa!” “Safe” “Vipi Safe”… somewhat. But any time the conversation gets a BIT more deep, I just smile and chuckle, shaking my head. Even my name is a struggle… most people call me “Bet” or “Beti” or “Betany”. I haven’t decided which to introduce myself as… thoughts? What’s amazing, though, is how patient and welcoming people have been, regardless of my hopeless lack of language skills. A Tanzanian will switch to English, even if he or she knows very little, or will smile and teach me a word. It’s a great feeling, and quite contrary, I think, to how many folks are treated in America if they cannot speak English very well. Language is such a connecting force, but I’ve found in my short, SHORT time here that some level of trust and friendship can be forged through non verbal means as well. WHEW!

During this past Monday and Tuesday, I left my comfortable house in busy Mabibo to spend time on my own with a host family out in the rural part of Tanzania. The family was amazing- a mother who teaches at Gonzaga, a father who works during the day, a house girl who helps with cooking and childcare, and two children- a five year old boy and a two year old girl. I was nervous about communication before going to stay with them, since the mother teaches Kiswahili and doesn’t have a very strong grasp on English, and the children are just learning, but the silence was ok. The two year old would chatter away in Swahili, while I kind of smiled and laughed, making really weird facial expressions so she would giggle. We also spent a LOT of time throwing a stuffed dog around, doodling on some paper I brought (they were OBSESSED with writing things and scribbling), and watching weird Tanzanian music videos (the pop stars all dance like me… kinda awkward and silly. I knew I’d fit in here). Just sitting with them was pretty sweet. If you know me at all, you know I’m a TALKER. I rarely shut up. This was a really different experience, but still awesome.

“Karibu”: the arts of stomach expansion and Uno
If there is one word that I hear more than ANYTHING, it is “Karibu”, which, as mentioned above, loosely translates to “you’re welcome”.  It goes WAY beyond being a polite response to “Thank you”, and people use it ALL THE TIME. When you enter someone’s house, you hear “Karibu!”, “You are most welcome here”. When somebody offers food, they will say “Karibu”, meaning “please feel welcome to all that I have”. When you are leaving a house or someone’s presence, they will say “Karibu”, “You are always welcome to consider this your home, and me your family”. It was SUPER overwhelming at first, and still is. The AMOUNT of generosity is ultra humbling, especially since I feel as if I cannot adequately express my thanks quite yet, but it has made my experience very communal so far, and the transition easier. Some examples of “Karibu”:

My community mates and I have eaten dinner at a number of families’ houses who are friends with the JVs here. When you are invited to dinner, you eat at least two, usually three FULL plates of food. You STUFF YOUR FACE. As soon as your plate is empty, the host will insist “karibu, karibu!”, sometimes spooning food onto your plate for you. Not that it’s considered rude to refuse the outrageous amount, but eating a LOT of food shows your appreciation for their hospitality. Thus, stomach expansion. I’ve eaten more than I thought possible, of food that I’ve had to adjust to. I’ve been luckier than my housemate, Cait, though. She discovered an eyeball after munching on brains last week in her pile of food. The trooper that she is kept on powering through.

I’ve also seen the “Karibu” culture in the amount of visitors who come to our house. Pretty much every day since I’ve been here, at least two children have come over to hang out, learn English, or play Uno. I have become an Uno master. Seriously. Even without the language skills, we get INTO it. That, and Jenga. Spending time with the children and peers in our neighborhood who come to visit, sometimes to just sit and listen to music, is pretty awesome, and makes this experience seem more permanent than just an immersion trip.

Home away from home

While I’ve only been here for a short time and I have SO much more the learn and adjust to, I am already starting to feel like this is turning into a home. I have had really deep conversations with my housemates, Cat and Shea, who are here for their second year. We’ve talked about culture, sexuality, women’s rights, spirituality, LGBT issues, and are still able to all dance around like idiots and watch Lord of the Rings on someone’s laptop. I am pumped to form relationships with Tanzanians and the culture here, but it is so nice to have Cat, Shea, and Caitlin here as my rocks.

Something that happened last week that was not so fun- I got sick. Not an intense, needing to go to a clinic sick, but stomach pain and a lot of time curled over the toilet (sorry for being graphic) sick. Probably my body just adjusting. For the first few hours, I was really upset. I was in a new place, didn’t know what was wrong, and did not have the comfort of my friends or family. I wanted nothing more than to be home. Worse, it was the middle of the night, and I didn’t want to wake anyone up. Unfortunately, Caitlin was soon awake with the same symptoms. I say unfortunately, because no one wants to be sick, but it ended up being a positive thing. Alternating use of the bathroom, talking each other through the stage of sickness we were at (“You’ve got the chills? Yeah, I had that about an hour ago, it’ll stop eventually but then you feel really really hot, get ready), and getting water for each other, we helped each other through. It definitely sucked that we were both sick, but being there for the other was so important, and turned the really negative experience into something good, something that I walked away from feeling comforted. I have a family here, like a family, I’m sure we’ll disagree and want to kill each other at times, but it’s a family.

Tomorrow the four of us will travel to the northeastern corner of Tanzania for a retreat with the seven other volunteers who are in country. Today, we must say goodbye to Gretchen, who has completed her two years of service and has been such a fantastic person to learn from during the first few weeks. It is a time of transition for everyone, but I can feel it becoming a bit more stable.

Also, Caitlin and I filmed a little video showing what our house and neighborhood looks like. We haven’t figured out how to upload it yet, but probably within the next month we’ll have it up. WOO!

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone for your thoughts. I miss you all, and look forward to hearing from you, either from email or letters! Believe me, getting letters here is SO exciting. I hope you are all enjoying the time leading up to the holidays!

Amani,

Beth