November 30, 2009
Thanksgiving is now past and you are probably heavily into the Christmas shopping season. The holiday season in Tanzania is not quite the same. However, despite the absence of the familiar feast, I have found many opportunities to give thanks. Last Sunday, we had a "send off" celebration for the trainees in my group. Two families were busy and could not help with preparations, so the responsibility fell on my family's shoulders. They all got up before dawn to go to the market to buy the food for the feast. When I awoke at 6 a.m. only little Maria (4), Victoria's granddaughter, and Goodi (10), Victoria's nephew, were at home. No one had eaten, so I asked Goodi to light the charcoal stove so that I could make some tea. He could not find matches so I asked Maria to take me to the duka so I could buy some. At the duka I saw mandazi (little fried dough cakes). I asked for six (2 for me, 2 for Maria, and 2 for Goodi). Maria tried to tell the shop owner that we did not need mandazi, we had leftover rice at home. I bought them anyway and he gave me seven. He wrapped them in newspaper so grease would not get on my hands as I carried them home. Maria and I skipped all the way.
When we arrived, the girls had returned with baskets of fruits and vegetables. They even had a bag of meat. Meat! We would have meat that day! This really was a celebration. The girls began preparing the meal. Meanwhile, Victoria returned from church with an older couple that I had met once before. She seated them in the living room and called me in for tea. Diana followed with a plate of mandazi, seven of them. The man and the woman each had two or three, Victoria insisted that I take at least one, and she had the remainder. The plate was empty. Not quite what I intended when I bought those mandazi that morning, but I am thankful that Victoria had something nice to offer her unexpected guests. That is so important in Tanzania. The children ate the leftover rice with their tea.
After the couple left, I went into the kitchen to help the girls. The party was at 2:00 and there was much work to do. We cut and peeled and chopped vegetables and swatted flies. I picked the rocks and small crawling things out of the rice and decided to call Cheryl. Soon she and her homestay mama and a couple of her mama's friends came to help. The women gave Cheryl and me some simple tasks to do, mostly, I think, to keep us out of the way. Maria took us to the outdoor sink to wash the rice that I had cleaned earlier. We watched carefully as she showed us what to do, but after a while we realized that we were actually just playing with rice in a pot of water. I am thankful for Maria.
Finally it was time! Everyone bathed and changed into their best clothes, except for me and Cheryl. I guess we had not really done enough work to get dirty. Soon the guests began to arrive. Small guests, children in fact. There were a few adults, but soon the living room was filled with children each with a plate piled high with food: rice, meat, potatoes, vegetables and even a soda to drink. Our Peace Corps farewell dinner was a feeding of the children! Truly this was good, and I was thankful.
After most people had gone, the girls began the chore of cleaning up. Bibi (Victoria's mother) began packing and getting Goodi and baby Jasmine (Goodi's sister) ready to go. Victoria and I began walking with them to the dala dala stop. Before we left the house, Bibi took my hand and in it she placed a hand carved rosary. It was a commemorative rosary celebrating the 100th anniversary of the consulate. Her sister had been a nun. Now her sister was gone. She wished me a safe journey and reminded me that God would be with me. I am thankful for Bibi.
When we returned home Victoria gave me a small rosary card (in English) and explained how to pray the rosary. As she explained each mystery in Kiswahili, she told me about her life. "Kuna shida kubwa hapa Tanzania." There are big problems in Tanzania. She is the oldest of six children. Three have already died, of AIDS. The children that are left behind come to her. She told me that she soon would be 50 and she thanks God that she has lived such a long life. However, sometimes she asks Him why He has allowed her to live so long. Her burden is so heavy.
The night before leaving Morogoro, I gave my family gifts. I gave Victoria, Aggie, and Diana cloth and money for a fundi (skilled craftsman) to make them each a new dress. I gave Judi an envelope containing money for her school fees for the upcoming semester. I also showed her three of my t-shirts and told her to pick one. She chose two. I gave Victoria the reading glasses that I had bought at Walgreens in case my eyesight failed while in Africa. She needed them more than me. I gave Goodi a jigsaw puzzle, and Maria the book that we had read together so many times (Are You My Mother?). I wrote them a letter in Kiswahili and read it to them at dinner. We had fish that night and Victoria gave me a tail piece instead of a head, and then she gave me her own piece as well. Aggie gave me beaded jewelry so that I would look like the Masai and a notebook in which she had written instructions for how to cook various Tanzanian foods. They had also each written me a letter.
On the bus ride to Dar I translated their letters and this is what they said:
(from Victoria) To Ruth
The Spirit of God is with you. May you travel in peace and live peacefully with the Chaga people. God bless you as you meet the good, kind people and get to know them. Peace to you always. You are a bright light and you love all people. Blessings my dear one. Indeed God is good. I am grateful to have met you. Indeed you are person of God. I have seen the hand of God on you. You lead in giving happiness all the time. You have given me much comfort and returned to me happiness, and I hope I will not lose it again. Thank you for playing with and teaching the children. They like you very much. The neighbors and my mother, they also like that you are a good mother. I want you to hear their sadness when they are separated from you. We will remember you always in prayer. Go with blessings my dear one.
(from Aggie) Good-bye beautiful mother Ruth
(from Diana) Halo Ruth
You are leaving and you leave behind sadness because I am used to you being my English teacher. Now you are leaving, what will I do? I was used to you being here, but now I must accept that I must bid you good-bye with tears. When you leave me, I will cry tears. We must bid each other good-bye, but I will put you in my prayers. I pray you go and return safely to see us. God is with us. I believe you are like my mother. I hope to come see you, and greet you and the dear people that live there. I do not have much to give you, but God will watch over you. Amen, Diana
On Thanksgiving day I traveled by cross country bus to my new home in Mkuu, the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. I had some bread and a can of chicken salad and some crackers for dinner. My thoughts were of you and my new Tanzanian family.
God bless you all,
No comments:
Post a Comment