Africa Trip, Post 3



Fresh Bananas from the yard.

When we returned from the market, *Seth was ready to cut some green bananas from the tree in Dena's yard. We took a picture of him cutting them down. *Seth was happy to be photographed. Turns out, he is a photographer too. He photographs weddings and parties, especially the coming out 15 year old parties and pre wedding send off parties that are a BIG deal. He says the families all pool their money together for the party, and they last from early Saturday till late Sunday.  We talked a long time while he peeled and boiled the green bananas to mix with boiled potatoes. What he cooked was very good, and I think it helped settle Talia's stomach some. I think it was the best meal we had there. When I return in three years, going to visit *Seth on his mountain top and eat boiled green bananas is at the top of my list...but more about that mountain top in another post.

Cooking green bananas.

Shadrack and Sospeter, carvers, came to show us their wares at Dena's home. I have to say, I truly appreciated this kind of shopping Dena had set up for us. The market experience where everyone was trying to get my attention to get me to buy THEIR goods was exhausting. I bought several things for everyone back home. Shadrack spoke very good English and knew a lot of American nuances and culture. He gave me a  hug - which is not done there, how odd that is to me. He came back the next day to bring me a bracelet, and a few more things I had Dena call him and tell him I wanted. I think he is a good business man, charismatic to the Americans and jokes around. Yes, I bought a lot from him because of it. I can appreciate the "experience" of the sell. I wear the bracelets almost every day. I like to use them to remind me of the good people I was blessed to meet, and I felt a connection to Shadrack and his ambition to learn another language, and cultural nuances to help his business.

The Carvers and their wares.

We went and had a soda at the store next door an enjoyed it under the umbrella. I think the shop keeper lady made the men sitting there move for us. An old man with a cane came by and asked us for a soda, which we bought for him. He drank it, came and said thank you many times and did the sign of the cross. He had walked from town and probably had another two hours to go up the mountain before home. That soda was his dinner for the night. I was glad we could do that for him. It can be tricky balancing a simple act of buying a man a soda, without reinforcing the belief that white residents there should do that for everyone all the time.

Ana cooking ugali.

It is hard for me to tell age in Tanzanian people. Most of the men I met were much older than they looked to me, a man of 45 looked 30 to me easily. But I think the women age quicker. They marry young usually, have children young, work so hard carrying water, caring for babies, cooking everything from scratch, tending to the garden and maybe a few farm animals, doing all the housework manually, and many times have jobs too. I have a hard time keeping my home clean with washing machine, dryer, running water, vacuum, and all the other luxuries we have readily available to us here. We eat out many times when we think we are just too tired to cook. SPOILED is what we are, and that is okay, I just appreciate it more now.

*Some names have been changed to protect the privacy of the wonderful people that welcomed me into their culture.