Sometimes it's easy to notice all the things that are irritating about living here, so yesterday we took a little time to list things we really appreciate and enjoy about living in Musoma. This isn't a complete list; we just rattled off things off the tops of our heads and I'm sure we missed some, but here's what we came up with yesterday:
- Fruit! We really like having fresh and flavorful mangoes, passion fruit, guavas, bananas, pineapple, and watermelon.
- Mama Peter's shop! Mama Peter is a very kind and friendly woman who owns the shop where we buy our non-produce items. She makes shopping fun.
- The market! We like wandering through the stalls and choosing our produce from our favorite vendors.
- Music! While we don't always appreciate the music itself (although sometimes it's great), we like how music is a big part of people's lives here.
- No need to be PC! You can stroll up to a stranger and ask them what religion they are, how old they are, etc., and it's totally fine. People call us "white person" and people in wheelchairs are called cripples. While occasionally it makes us wince with surprise, it's nice to just be able to talk without watching every word to be sure nobody will be offended.
- Not being judged on looks! Tanzanians appreciate skinny people, fat people, short people, tall people, all sorts of people. If your clothes don't match exactly or fit perfectly, it's okay. If the water is out and you didn't get a shower that morning and your hair is a little greasy, no worries. Tanzanians seem to care a lot more about your behavior and personality than your body and appearance.
- Househelp! Wealthy Tanzanians hire househelp, and it's expected for foreigners to do so, too. Poor Tanzanians take in orphaned relatives to be their workers in exchange for giving them a home. It's simply how life works here; keeping a house is a lot of work and people are expected to care for those less fortunate than themselves. So we have Rose as our househelp. She's a Christian widow with three children and has worked for me for 3.5 years. We are very grateful for her help two days a week!
- Animals! It's pretty cool when you take a road trip and see zebra, wildebeest, giraffes, and antelope out the car windows.
- Visitor introduction time at church! Every church always has a time for visitors to stand up and give their names, where they are from, etc. It's terribly convenient and a nice way to get to know guests/introduce yourself when you are a guest.
- Hospitality! In general, Tanzanians are happy to have guests and want to make sure they feel welcome. It's a very important cultural value that seems to match up well with how the Bible tells us to live, practicing hospitality. It makes Tanzania a warm and friendly place for foreigners.
- Sunshine! Occasionally we long for a cool and rainy day, but for two people from the soggy northwest, it's still overwhelming to realize that we're guaranteed to have a sunny day every day (with very few exceptions).
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