The Eads to Tanzania

In and Out of the Office

Dan here.

This morning I was in the office working. This afternoon I was out of the office making the weekly town run. This morning had more to do with Excel spreadsheets, recording purchases, and filing papers. This afternoon had more to deal with finding a parking spot.

Yesterday, we worshipped with the church in Sweya. Later in the afternoon, I stopped in at Pastor Paulo's house, and we, along with four different "guests" that stopped in at different times to talk, chatted with one another. One thing that you do not need to do here is "call ahead". The American in me wants to announce that I am coming before I just show up, but that is not the way that it is done here. In fact, when I spent the four days in Nyakaliro with Pastor Elias' family, it was more culturally appropriate to just show up and let him know how long on was planning on staying than to call him ahead of time to let him know the dates and times. Better not get into the habit of doing that when we come back to visit the States!

Growing Pains

Mwanza, I have heard, is considered one of the fastest growing cities in Africa. And with growth comes growing pains. With more cars comes more traffic. With more traffic come fewer (or no) available parking spots. There are more and more customers with electricity, but this means that there are more people in line to pay their bill. Here we pay our electric and water bills in person. Yesterday, I waited in line for 1.5 hours to pay our monthly electric bill. This was no fault of the two ladies at the payment counter, who were working fervently to try to meet demand. There were just too many people to service at one time. As Mwanza develops and grows as a city, there are sure to be more growing pains. Thankfully, we (usually) only feel (most of) them when we make our trips into town.

Everyday Life

This is Jana.

Something I've been realizing about myself lately is that I am getting "comfortable" enough here that I often  forget the foreignness of my everyday experiences. Over the phone with my parents or in-laws, I have relayed a story from the day that seems "ho-hum"-ish to me, yet has come as a bit of a surprise to the people on the other end of the phone.

I was out to visit a lady from the Sweya church this morning while I was thinking about this. One of her sons, Abeli, was in the road on the way. Some other kids his age started aiming large sharp rocks at him (thankfully not at my kids) and the younger brother grabbed a stick and whipped Abeli on the back side before I realized what was happening! The poor guy cried for a few minutes and then skipped away like nothing had happened. I walked with him to his house.

When I arrived, I informed Abeli's mom. She thanked me after leisurely showing me another scar on his head from a rock that this same boy threw at him. I think she told me that she doesn't let Abeli go to their house.

I was thinking later about the 'strolls' and visits that I went on with the kids when we lived in Osseo. If this had happened in Minnesota there would have been a police report and maybe a lawsuit put together no doubt. 

Reflections on Nyakaliro

Dan here.

My time in Nyakaliro was great. A village about forty miles away from where we live, and the location for second church, it made a great location for my language and culture study. I have turned a corner in my Swahili study and now will begin to devote more and more of my time to learning the language through learning the culture. I stayed with Pastor Elias and his family, eating all of my meals with them (or neighbors) and sleeping under their roof. I began taking copious notes and asking numerous questions, all in my most casual manner, but all the while feeling like an investigator pursuing the next clue. I am trying to be as observant as possible, looking for patterns in behavior and ways of life. Yet, to get to know Tanzanian culture, I have to participate. As a summary of my trip, I thought I would share with you a couple entries from my journal to give you an idea of what I am doing. The first set is a collection of short biographical sketches of my host family. The second is an entry from my journal from Monday. Forgive me for the length of this post.

Mchungaji Elias is a warm, welcoming man that seems to exude gentleness. He lovingly teases the children, showing more interest in them then I have seen from most any Tanzanian parent as yet. He has a preacher’s fervor when expressing an idea he feels strongly about. He approaches me with hesitancy, unsure of my ability to speak Swahili, but he was almost giddy when I arrived.

Mama Mchungaji (Leah) is a kind woman, who is always ready to serve. She is more direct than Elias, but no less welcoming. She has an encouraging smile that, in spite of my struggles and mistakes, always reminds me of her confidence in my “eventual” success and her joy in my being here. She is not afraid to speak up if she feels she needs to.

Mashauri, a bright playful boy, sings to most every song that plays on the radio. He is no longer afraid to sit close and play with me. He has a spunk about him that truly does add liveliness to the family. He often enjoys to play on the floor with his brother Mesheki. Mashauri is five.

Vanesa seems to be a gabby playful girl, when she doesn’t know I’m around, but if my presence is known she is terribly shy and reserved. Quick to try to avoid my glance, I once saw her cover her eyes in broad daylight, as she slowly walked from the front of the church to the entrance of the parsonage property, nearly tripping over sticks and stumbling around small holes, all because she knew I could see her through my window.

 Junatatu, 15 Dec 1008-

The warmth of the house comes from the people who live there and not so much from the house itself. Its polished yet cracked concrete floor is a welcome alternative to the dirt floors of many neighbors. The curtain over the front door, torn, mended, and stained by rain water that has long since dried, flows gently back and forth with the slight breeze from outside. Mati is using a short ufagio, made of grass, to sweep the floor of the house. He used the fabric wrap from Mama Mchungaji’s colorful Sunday dress, to beat the dust out of foam-cushioned couch in the living area. There are two of these kochi in the living area, each a little over a meter in length, along with a matching cushioned chair, the usual resting place for Mchungaji, or Mashauri, his five year-old son, if Mchunchaji isn’t sitting there. Mati is now beginning kupiga deki, wiping the floor clean with an old white t-shirt, now not so white, and a bucket of water. The bucket, labeled “Coral Paints,” is probably from when the walls of the living area were first painted their tope color, a paint that has held well in spite of the chips and stains. Mati quietly hums away as he works, the tune audible but the words mumbled, songs and hymns from a previous Sunday’s worship. Mati has lived here for three years, the first and second years, working around the house in exchange for his room-and-board. But this year, while continuing his work, Mati began his studies at secondary school. He aspires to complete his secondary education, a task that most Tanzanians never start, let alone finish. Most vijana (youth) must stay home to work for the family, limited by the cost of school fees or by the number of places offered in the schools. The students now have likizo, and won’t return to their studies for over another month. Mati has been alternating days with Mama Mchunchaji working in the shamba with Mchungaji. They are cultivating rice, corn, potatoes, and some peanuts in a field a few kilometers away. Mchungaji and Mama Mchungaji, with nine month-old Mesheki on her back, headed out to work in the shamba this morning at 7:00 AM, pedaling away each on their own old bicycle, with hoe in hand. Mati was a neighbor of Elias and his wife before they came here, when they lived in Sweya. While only a neighbor then, he has now become a part of the family, participating, and even sometimes leading, in evening prayer. 

Thank You!

This is Jana. 

We got a Christmas card in the mail this week from the women at our church (Parker's Lake Baptist Church). Thank you for this special surprise! It warmed my heart.

Also- cheers for Elaine Hitz for being the first one to get Christmas greetings to us. We've got the Hitz family picture on the refrigerator and it has given Grace and Silas a lot to talk about.

Roughin' It

Dan Here.

Today, I am leaving today to stay in Nyakaliro for five days. Now that I have gained a grasp of some Swahili grammar, I am going to start using it to do cultural study. Beginning to gain a grasp of the Tanzanian perspective and way of life will be the focus of this trip. This will be my first attempt at ethnographic study, so primarily, I will be focusing on learning about familial relationships, roles, and general ways of life. I want to learn about the Tanzanian worldview by listening to them describe the way that they look at the world (family, religion, government, employment, etc.). This is a really valuable opportunity for me to participate in family life here by living in a Tanzanian home for a time. I will be staying with Pastor Elias and his family for these five days. Jana and the kids will stay back this time.

Please pray that these days will be productive for the sake of our ministry for Christ in these coming years.

Landmark

Dan here.

Over the last ten weeks, I have been studying Swahili in multiple ways. I have not been blogging about the day-to-day in my studies, partly because it is either a lot of technical language stuff, or it is just the same everyday. But yesterday (Thursday), was a big day because I finished my first complete Swahili grammar book. The book is called Simplified Swahili, a rather deceptive title given that there are 230 pgs of grammatical explanation and 81 extended “homework” lessons. In the end, I had filled 33 sheets (66 pages) of college-ruled notebook paper, front and back, with my answers to the exercises for each chapter. I clocked 137.5 hours of work with the book, from start to finish.

I went from translating sentences like, “Rejoice” (“Furaheni!” pl.) and “Sit” (“Simama” sg.) to “If you meet him on the way, tell him to show you the tree which was pulled out.” (“Ukimkuta njiani, mwambie akuonyeshe mti uliong’olewa.”) And “If I had been climbing a mountain now, I would have been given permission.” (“Ningalikuwa nikipanda mlima sasa, ningalikuwa nikipewa ruhusa.”). My Swahili-speaking friends tell me, “Unajitaidi sana!” (“You are giving a lot of effort”). That is the kind of reputation I want. I have received compliments about my speed at learning, and I am thankful for the encouragement. However, speaking Swahili still takes effort for me. There is a lot that flows without thinking much, but a lot of it is just hard work. But like Rob likes to say, “You can’t microwave it.” Having the language become a part of me will only come the longer I am here. But I will keep trying.

As a side note, We have not been receiving little to no city water at our house over the last week and a half or so. That means that we have been in super-conservation mode. We have a 300 ltr. tank that acts as a buffer when city water goes out (which is quite frequent). Rob drove to town to pick up a worker with the water company to try to fix the problem. When he was done, it still wasn't working. We get our drinking water from town, so that is not a problem, but if we do not get coming through in the next day or so, we will have to start getting water from out of the lake for dishes and baths. Life in Africa!

Ushuhuda

Dan here. 

Today, I gave my first testimony in church. At the church we attend here in Sweya, it is a part of their morning worship to give thanks to God for His goodness. I have wanted to be able to share our thankfulness to God for being here. So, this last week I wrote out a testimony to share, and my language helper, Abel, gave me some pointers on delivering it. I read it over and over to memorize it, and here is what I said:

Bwana asifiwe! Namshukuru Mungu kwa sababu amenisaida kuzoea kuishi hapa. Ananipa nguvu ya kusoma na kujifunza Kiswahili. Twamshukuru Mungu kwa sababu tunakaa hapa, na tunapenda sana kuwepo. Ameilinda famalia yetu Merekani. Wao ni wazima, na kwa sababu hiyo, twamshukuru Mungu. Na pia namshukuru Mungu kwa sababu ameniwezesha kuwepo pamoja na waumini wenzangu. Namwomba Mungu atusaidie wote kuwa waminifu mbele zake. Tutashirikiana pamoja nanyi kusambaza habari njema ya Yesu Kristo Tanzania. Bwana asifiwe sana na Mungu awabariki wote!

Here is what it means in English:

May the Lord be praised! I thank God because He has helped me to get used to living here. He is giving me strength to study and learn Swahili. We thank God because we are staying here, and we love to be here. He has protected our family in America. They are well, and because of this, we thank God. I also thank God that He has caused me to be able to be here together with my fellow believers. I ask God that He would help us all to be faithful before Him. We will serve together with you to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in Tanzania. May God be praised and may God bless you all!

I hope that every Sunday, I will be able to prepare something like this to share, not only to expand my vocabulary, to give me something to study, but to start using this language to give praise to God. What a privilege to learn a new language that I can use to praise His name. "Oh for a thousand tongues to sing," but right now I would be happy to have two.

Another First

Dan is experiencing his first case of malaria. Some good advice that we've heard has been "As soon as you have a head-ache and minor chills, just get tested and get the medicine right away! Don't try to 'tough it out' by pretending it's nothing." Dan had headaches and chills earlier this week, so when he was in town yesterday running some errands for the orphanage he got a test. He's on medicine now and hopefully things won't get much worse before the meds kick in- we'll see.

Update: This is Dan here. I wanted to put in a word that I am really feeling pretty good. Everybody gets scared when the hear the m-word, but I really have a mild case. A headache and some aches. With some rest and the medicine, I should be back to normal in no time.