Today I went to church. They had a special guest choir, so it went from ten in the morning to almost two in the afternoon. I enoyed the first hour because there was a lot of singing and dancing. By the end of the singing, angry preaching, and skits, however, I really was excited to leave. I was very hungry and dehydrated, which was frustrating once I got home. Right now I cannot drink near meal times, nor can I eat more than a half-cup serving at a time. Needless to say today was hard that way. Anyway, at the end of Church I was given a papaya. It was the third time I was singled out. (I introduced myself and then was pointed out again as a guest. The church was surprisingly full. Most of Mlola's population is Muslim, but I did recognize a couple students. There were more Christians than I thought there would be!)
After eating lunch I spent a couple hours at my mkuu's house. I gave the papaya to my mkuu, but ended up being gifted another papaya by some students. Holy too much fruit!
TZ Tidbits:
If the government wants you to move, you have to. Ultimately they own your land, even if you buy it.
They have no idea what Halloween, Thanksgving, etc. are. But they do know Boxing Day it seems...
You usually have to bribe doctors in the ER to be seen. Votes are also bought via money or khangas.
Trash bags are not sold. I use plastic shopping bags.
Yams are purple on the outside and white on the inside. Oranges are green on the outside.
It is customary to give guests something as a parting gift. Aka my papaya.
Street children are not uncommon here, as orphaned children have nowhere to go.
If you get pregnant you are not allowed to be in school-- as a moral repurcussion.
There is a swahili word for allergy but no one here seems to know it.
Interesting tidbits...
ReplyDeleteThat is a long Church service!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tidbits.
I hope that you feel better soon.