My Tanzanian Family and Life in Makumira Village

I have now moved in with my host family in Makumira Village, which is about 2.5 km from the school.    The walk takes about 30 minutes and is definitely lively. The road is very busy and you have to walk right alongside the road. All types of automobiles, bicycles, motorcycles, and people are all whizzing by in what seems like a very chaotic manner. It will take some getting used to, but the view of the countryside makes up for the chaos of the road. 

My family, the Tikai's, are an absolute delight. How you call your mother and father is different here. My mother is Evaline and my father is James, however, culturally, I call my mother Mama Vivian and my father Baba Venance. Vivian is the eldest and Venance is the oldest son. Vivian is 15 and I have not met her yet as she is in boarding school near Arusha town. Venance is 13 and a very good artist. Brian is 11 and he and I have played soccer together and they both like to help me with my Swahili. Victor is about a year and a half and just walks around being cute. James speaks very good English, but the others speak very little. However, we still hang out and try to communicate.....or just hang out and smile at each other!

In this picture is Victor, the youngest, Venance-the one in the middle and Brian on the right. They are so sweet. I look forward to getting to know them better and take more pictures of them. 

Mama Vivian cooks on a very cool, small cast iron stove that is fueled with wood. I want one! In this picture she is making chapati--sort of like a crepe or a tortilla. I plan to have her teach me how to make them. So far I have been no help around the kitchen! They just want me to sit back and be comfortable. The food is so good! It is all fresh from the local market. Lots of mango, bananas, watermelon, greens, beans, meat, vegetables---so so good. I am being fed very well. I hope to get more involved in the kitchen, but for now I just try to observe and take it all in while I speak my very, very limited Swahili. Sema polepole! Speak slowly!

Here is a picture of Brian and Victor playing soccer with me in the yard.......

I have my own room and a fan!!!!!!!! Those of you who know me well, know that I love sleeping with a fan. My bed looks like a princess bed with the mosquito net. 

I was able to fit lots of little pieces of home in my bag to personalize my space. I have pictures on my wall that my nephew, Augie drew for me, A drawing from my mom (Mama Casey!) and a drawing from my brother, Casey. Warm fuzzies. 

This is the drawing from my mom. Sometimes mothers know just what to say....or draw....it is from a Robert Frost poem: "They would not find me changed...only more sure of all I thought was true."

There is so much more to say, but I don't want to test the internet too much! It won't let me add any more photos. I also figure that if I keep these posts brief, you will not get bored with them!!! Then I can lure you in for when I want to get more poetic and philosophical! 

Love, Sadie