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.

Comments

[dan]

amazing

[Darice Wunderlich]

I am so happy that you posted how your day actually went. After you posted the schedule, I was extremely curious! It is a good thing you have the patience that is needed.

[Diana]

Eads! I love how God is teaching you. And isn't it amazing how seeking to live and act with God's perspective is so revolutionary to your world? I struggle when I think of time as "my time" and "my time getting wasted." I do just fine when I remember that every bit of time is God's time. He has granted us the gift of time according to His allotment, not ours. When "my time" isn't being wasted and I remember God is spending His time as He wants, I relax and enjoy it.

[Kristin Griffieth]

A good lesson for us all to learn though circumstances may be different culturally. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[Craig]

"God has given all of us the same amount of time and he has given us all the time we need to accomplish all that he wants us to do. So, if we're running out of time it's because we're trying to do something God never intended for us to do." Dr. E. Pickering

I remember the quote better than I remember the application of the quote!

[Jeff]

Thank you for sharing Dan. While the specific circumstances may differ the trial is common to us all, and your third lesson was convicting and instructive to me. It seems too easy to lose patience because we start to focus on the circumstances instead of the Lord when times get tight.

[Joel Compton]

"Wait a minute": this must be one of the first phrases people learn in any language! I loved this post. Thanks for this!