The Eads to Tanzania

Subiri Kidogo

In my last post, I shared with you my projected schedule for Wednesday. I thought that it would provide a good illustration of the way of life here to share with you the way the day really went. Just to let you know, this one is long, so it is not for the faint of heart. It may be helpful to take a quick look at the last post to make the contrast. The title of this post, “Subiri Kidogo,” means, “Wait a Little Bit.” The following will explain just how relevant it is.

5:00 AM- I woke up to get ready for the day. Things all went as scheduled, and I was able to leave on time. I headed out to check a ride on the daladala into town (update: our maximum passenger count was 26). Although cramped, it was a normal ride.

7:45 AM- I arrived in town and began my hunt to find a mechanic to look at the used car we were considering to purchase. I was in a time crunch because I only had 1.5 hours before I would be meeting the owner to look at the vehicle. Within a half-hour, I found the mechanic and set an appointment to bring the car by at 10:00. I was surprisingly ahead of schedule, so I was now able to work on trying to get my driver’s license.

9:15 AM- Within the hour, I had photocopies of my Minnesota driver’s license and the required passport photos for my driver’s license application. I was amazed at how much I had been able to get done so early in the day.

9:30 AM- I met the owner at his shop, and within five minutes, we were on our way to pick up the vehicle. When we got to where it is at, it didn’t start and needed to have the battery jumped before we could get anywhere.

10:00 AM- In spite of the slowdown, we made the appointment on time . . . only to wait. . . . for an hour. I asked the receptionist at the front desk if the mechanic was coming. She answered, “Subiri kidogo.” Finally, the car owner, who had been waiting with me this whole time, said that he had to get going to another appointment. He asked if we could reschedule for the afternoon. Although realizing that this meant I was going to have to give up my schedule, I agreed. The mechanic came in time to agree that we could all meet back at his shop at 3:00 PM for the inspection.

11:00 AM- I did our grocery shopping in the market and had to cancel my language school appointment. By the time I got done with buying groceries, it was 1:00 PM. I wasn’t going to get anything done over the lunch hour at the government offices, so I got a bite to eat myself.

2:00 PM- I made my way to the Police Station to present them my photocopies and pictures to start the application. (I am conversing with the Swahili that I have learned.) They asked me for the receipt for the nominal application fee that I paid last Friday. I had left it at home. They told me that I would have to go back down the street to the Tanzania Revenue Authority to pay again to get another receipt.

2:10 PM- I was at the TRA, explained the situation, and got another receipt.

2:25 PM- I was back at the Police Station. They finalized the application that I was to bring to the TRA.

2:35 PM- I was at the TRA again and received my driver’s license. I was then told that I needed to return to the Police Station in order to get the license endorsed.

2:50 PM- 15 minutes later, I was a legal driver in Tanzania. I hired a taxi to take me across town to make my appointment.

3:00 PM- I arrived . . . and waited. The mechanic came at 3:20 and asked if the car was here. I said that they were coming (I hoped). He left to go back to his work. The driver of the car arrived at 3:45. He did not know where the owner of the car was, though, and suggested that I call him. The owner told me, “Subiri kidogo. Give me ten minutes.” In the meantime, I asked the receptionist about the mechanic, and she said that he was no longer at the shop. She gave me his mobile phone number. He answered and told me that he had gone to retrieve another car and, “Subiri kidogo. Give me thirty minutes.” The owner of the car arrived at 4:30 and asked where the mechanic is. The mechanic arrived at 5:00. The inspection was complete by 5:15.

5:45 PM- I took the car for a “test drive” with the owner and driver and drove it right back to our house. After everyone at home had a look at the car, the owner and driver were off, and the ten-hour day in town was done.

Lessons of the day: (1) “Wait a little while,” just means, “wait.” (2) Things just take longer here. This is a fact, and I am just learning to accept it. (3) Praying for the ones I am waiting for provides patience while I am waiting. (4) Language learning can effectively take place “on the fly.” Sometimes, structured learning times have to give way to unplanned changes, but there is still an opportunity to practice, nonetheless.

Tomorrow’s Schedule

5:00 AM- Wake-up, Bible Reading, Prayer, and Running

6:40 AM- Catch a daladala that goes by our house

7:30 AM- Arrive in Mwanza

8:00 AM- Try to find mechanic to accompany me to inspect the used vehicle we may buy

9:30 AM- Appointment with vehicle owner to see the car

10:30 AM- If the appointment is shorter rather than longer (not likely), try to finish next stage in getting my driver’s license

11:30 AM- Meet Rob, Beth and Jana to do our weekly grocery purchase

12:00 PM- Haggle for our groceries in the market

1:00 PM- Swahili grammar lesson at Language School begins

3:00 PM- Lesson ends, Head home by daladala

4:00 PM- Meeting with language helper

6:00 PM- Session with language helper ends

The trick to this whole scheduling thing is that everything or nothing that I have planned may happen tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes.

This Week in Pictures

Today's post is more for humor and human interest.

I have added some family photos to the "Life in Tanzania" photo album.

I have also made a new album called "Indoor Critters." It is my attempt to provide you a bit of insight into daily life. A part of life here is that you find many different kinds of things in our house, and you learn to exist in a new habitat. Some things you coexist with and others you eliminate. We have been trying to get pictures of some of the critters that we find around our house. As we are able to document them, we will keep you posted.

How Do I Get a Tanzanian Driver's License?

Don't assume that just because I asked the question that I know the answer. I am still in the process of figuring it out. Today, like most every day here, was a predictably unpredictable day. I will give you a little snippet of how the morning looked.

Today as I rode into town for language school by daladala (update: today we reached a maximum count of 25 passengers. A new personal record!), I received a text message from my teacher saying that he would not be available for class today, so I shouldn't bother with coming into town. I thought, "I could get off here, and catch a ride back home." Since I was in the back bench sit in the corner opposite the door, to try to get out would require that the ten people between me and the door get out as well. I decided to continue into town and do some of the many errands that I had.

First, I went to look at a used vehicle that we may be buying. I met the seller, a shop-owner, just as his "duka" was opening for business. I had called him yesterday to let him know that I was interested in seeing the vehicle, and he had told me that if I wanted to, I could stop by the shop. As I was talking with him this morning, though, he acted surprised to see me and told me that the vehicle was at his house, not at the store. He said he could make arrangements for me to see it, if I wouldn't mind waiting.

"Can you wait?" is always a loaded question here.

Because I had brought along my Swahili grammar book and vocabulary flashcards, I told him that I would not mind waiting. After over an hour, I was escorted to a small van by a man (who I assume is one of the shop-owner's relatives), and he, the driver and I were off to see the vehicle. I got a chance to look at it, and to drive it, and it seems like a real possibility. I will be going back next week with a mechanic to look it over again before we may make an offer.

The second thing on the list was to get a driver's license. Contrary to the American impulse to want to know what each of the requirements are before you begin a task, here you are usually given instructions at the time that you need them, and often no sooner.  I wouldn't have thought this before I came, but the whole process starts at the Tanzanian Revenue Authority. After paying a fee for the driver's examination, I was directed to go to the police station to take the examination. I made the walk in the rain (I am very thankful for yesterday's umbrella purchase), and was directed from the front desk to an office further back. After looking over my paperwork, the men there instructed me to get two photocopies of my U.S. driver's license and four passport photos and return to fill out the applications. As I was leaving the police station, I unexpectedly saw Rob driving by. I hopped in, and ended up heading back home with him. I now plan to get the copies and the pictures when I go into town next week. Then, I plan to return to the police station to fill out the application and complete the examination (I am not sure what this will entail). After, that I believe that I have to return the Revenue Authority to pay for the license itself and, at that time I think that license will be issued. At least that is what I think will happen. I haven't gotten far enough in the process to get those instructions yet.

So the question still stands, "What must I do to get a Tanzanian Driver's License?" Time will tell.

The Rains Continue

Today, I went in by dala dala (update: 21 passengers was our max) into town for language school. The rains came again today. As I wound my way around cars and in and out of shops, streets began to flood, the dirt turned to mud, and I broke down and bought an umbrella.

Jana learned a valuable lesson: to close the windows in the house if there is any sign of rain. She left around 10:30 with Kara and Beth to walk with the kids to the Sweya church (they were assigned cleaning duty this week). The rains started pouring while they were there. After standing in the church for a while, they finally walked through the rain home and got soaked in the process. The kids ran around in their underwear for a while as Jana got towels and soaked up the puddles inside.

Things are still drying out (I just noticed that Silas' and my sandals are still wet from puddle jumping).

The Rains Begin

Today, it rained about all day. The rains bring cooler temperatures and a welcome watering for the fields and foliage. I worked on language study all day, grammar work in the morning and concept exploration in the afternoon with one of my language helpers. We spent two hours in conversation, conversing in Swahili. Because my helper knows very little English, I am free to make my best attempts at asking my questions and explaining my understanding of an idea with my limited Swahili vocabulary. I find that this time is very valuable to cement new concepts, to gain new vocabulary, and to develop my language base.

Jana and the kids enjoyed a slower paced day at home. They were caught out in the village in the rain, but a couple of ladies that Jana has made friends with invited them to find shelter with them for a while until there was a lull. I am really pleased with her efforts to get out with the kids and meet our neighbors.

Hurry Up & Calm Down!

Jana here.
This past week I’ve ventured out a few times with Grace and Silas to the local soko (market area) in our village of Sweya. I’ve met quite a few neighbors and in the end have been very glad that I did it. As I have reflected back on this past week, I realized I’ve learned a lot more Swahili, or at least become much more confident about using the Swahilil that I have learned.
My thought process when I wake up in the morning is something like this, “Okay, I’m in Tanzania. What should I do today? I really need to do this, this, and this around the house…and it would be so much easier to just stay home…”. As a general rule, when we are learning to adjust to life in Tanzania, we try to estimate the amount of time that a task will take . . . and then triple it. Because of all that there is to do just to live here, I have a number of justifiable reasons to not add anything more to my plate. Yet as much as I am preoccupied with daily tasks at home- I realize how critical it is that I begin our life here focusing on learning from the Tanzanians- learning their language and their culture (please pray that I will have a balance with this!).
It takes a lot of self-discipline to get myself out of the gate and venture around the neighborhood. I know that as soon as I’m “out” I’ll have to deal with becoming the center of attention (everybody watching me and the kids and talking about us…in Swahili), me trying to “practice” my Swahili and getting countless indiscernible responses, and perhaps making big cultural mistakes that I’m not even aware of. Not to mention any number of things that COULD happen while I’m out: the inevitable complications of cloth diapering with a little boy whose digestive system is still adjusting to our new diet, one of the kids becoming overwhelmed and throwing a fit and wanting to go home, etc.
So, each morning that I’ve woken up and wrestled with this inward battle (should I go out or just stay home?). I finally get myself to the gate and I have to turn on the “CALM DOWN” switch in my brain. The stereotype of Westerners is that they are uptight, don’t care enough about relationships, and are just plain overly scheduled. I realize that if I show anxiety or nervousness in my countenance, I will just fit the typical stereotype of an American woman. SO, as anxious as I sometimes feel, I am reminding myself over and over, “Just be calm. There’s no hurry. Take is slow….”.
So…I fully expect that tomorrow morning, again, I’ll wake up with a long list of things to do for the day and have to wrestle myself with the kids out of the gate and remind myself to “hurry up and calm down.”

We're still here!

The internet was out for a couple of days, and during my free hours, the electricity has been off and on. It is Sunday afternoon before I go visiting with Pastor Paulo again. I will post again to update you on the last few days. Just wanted to let you know that we are still here.

Car Shopping and Family Photos

Today, I went in early to language school on the dala dala (update: only 15 passengers this time) to begin looking at a car. There is a dealership in Mwanza that sells mostly used Japanese cars that have been imported to Tanzania. The experience was something of a cultural lesson in itself. In any case, we are looking to use a portion of our outfit funds to purchase a vehicle to share with our ministry team. We currently have one 4WD SUV to share between five adults and an orphanage ministry. Things really have worked out very well so far, but we would like to get a more fuel efficient vehicle that could be used for trips into town and for transporting Tumaini kids. Hopefully this could cut down on our fuel expenses, as well as give us a reliable means of transportation for the children's home. Pray for wisdom that we would get a reliable vehicle for a good price that would meet the needs of the team.

I have posted some new photos in the "Life in Tanzania" Album.

A Lunch with Potential

Humble but heaping bowls of rice and beans. Hardwood benches and tables. The smiles and cries of children. After a short prayer, the next twenty minutes are spent emptying bowls and filling bellies.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, as I am up at the Tumaini Children's Home property studying Swahili in my office, I take the opportunity to eat lunch with the kids. I remember visiting the orphanage with Rob for the first time just two weeks ago, and I mentally paused when he referred to the Tumaini children as "our kids". I was taken back by how personally responsible that little pronoun, "our," made me feel.

Today, I sat with a table full of fidgeting boys who responded so readily to the attention that I gave them. Their smiles bright, their minds engaged. With the times of laughing and fun, I also feel a need to share with them and model for them the more weightier things. I have begun personally to pray that my Swahili would develop quickly so that I could begin to have a part in these kids' spiritual lives. Every time I am with them, I feel a growing weight of personal responsibility for their future. It has taken little time for my own mindset to begin that transition from thinking "the kids" to thinking "our kids".

I was struck to the heart today as I was eating lunch with these little ones, just how much God could accomplish for his name's sake in Tanzania if just a small handful of these kids became ministers of the gospel. Join with me in praying for Tumaini Children's Home and the work that is going on there and, God-willing, could go out from there. While the meal may be humble, the potential around the table is huge.