It's Liz! In Africa!

Hello friends and family!

Habari yako? (How are you?)d Okay,so I haven't been able to have internet access like I said. Sorry about that one... Well... what do I say? (PS The space bar here doesn't work, so sorry about the spacing). It's been a long time since I was a hostage in the immigration office in Mbinga., Right now I'm actually in the same village, hiding out from the immigration officers and doing some shopping. There is no way to really describe what my past month-ish here has been like, so I think chunking it into categories would be easiest.

My Village:
I live in Malindindo. It is a little remote village (the closest neighboring village is about an hour or two walk in any direction.) I am a 4 hour walk from Mozambique. The environment is beautiful! Where I live is very mountainous, and there are giant boulders everywhere. The streets are dust and pebbles. My feet are always dirty. :) There are coffee fields everywhere, as it is the local cash crop. The weather is about as hot as Texas summers, but very windy and less humid. Some days it is very cold though, and the wind makes it super cold! It hasn't rained yet. We live in the "busy" part of town: about half the size of a football field with little shops and houses. Mamas sit around and sell bread. Men sit around and talk/drink beer. There are always chickens, goats, or pigs walking through the streets.

Being White:
Is awesome. Just kidding.Actually it is pretty tough beng white here. For one, you stick out like a sore thumb. Also, most of the people here haven't seen white people before. So, you are kind of a pseudo celebrity. And as seen with our friend Britney Spears, it has it's ups and downs. For example, everyone knows my name. Everyone. Old men from other villages passing through town. All the kids at the elementary school, even though I teach at a farther secondary school. Some kids are really afraid of me. Mostly babies and kids under the age of 3. Sadly, this is my favorite age of person. The scared kids run off screaming at first sight. Mzungu is the Swahili word for white person (literally, stranger), so I hear that a lot instead of my name. If the kids aren't completely terrified of me, thier faces are ususally filled with wonder, apprehension,and maybe some giggling. Initiallyh, they wouldn't get close to me at all, yet they would follow me everwhere. At public gatherings like traditional dances/church/etc, there has been as many as 100 children crowding me, all squashed in a circle, but safely at arms distance away from me. I felt like the epicenter of a creepy pied-piper earthquake of children. Sometimes Abyand I have to take alternate routes home to avoid mobs of children yelling our names/Mzungu. We tend to keep our window closed now, because of the weeks of dozens of children staring inside at us. We now know what it is like to be a zoo animal, since our windows have bars and the children poke their fingers inside. Now the kids aren't afraid of us, and are even more mobby. I can easily run up to kids and pick them up and swing them around. There is one kid here that I love and have pretty much adopted. All the women in the village call me his mother now, including his biologial mother.

The Kids:
Ok, so I described them a lot already, but this culture is so interesting! The babies here are strapped to their mom's back with fabric all day until they are about 2 years old. Then they are let loose, and they have free reign anywhere. It really does take a village to raise these kids. Everyone watches out for one another's kids. A mom can go out of town for a few days and easily leave her children unattended. If a child is misbehaving, you beat them, even if it's not your kid. This is because you hope another villager would do the same and discipline your child if they were misbehaving as well. Kids here don't have toys, so they play with whatever they find on the ground. I saw a child yesterday that was about 18 months old happily playing with a razor blade. The chid development classes inside of me died, but it's no big deal here. It's not uncommon to see a 3 or 4 year old running around with his friends and playing with machetes. I so badly wish that I had brought "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" or some other kids books. Oh well.

The food:
The food here is not bad, and in fact, when no meat is involved, it is typically good. We have tea in the morning with some sort of bread and starch abbout 10:00 during school. Then we have lunch at 4:00 after school, and dinner at about 9 or 10 pm. The lunch and dinner foods are prepared by a cook that the teachers all hired. All the teachers (5) eat all the meals together. Our typical options are: rice, beans, ugali (grits/play-dough starch thing), or vegetables. I would best describe the vegetables as the sauteed emptyings of a lawnmower bag. I actually do really like them, despite their grassiness. When we have meat Abby and I are typically afraid and are not certain of the animal or which body part we are consuming. Some fish (called Da'gaa) are small like anchovies and people just eat them whole. Abby is a lot more brave when it comes to eating pig organs/fish eyes. I think I can pinpoint my vegetarianism to when Abby made the fish on my plate talk to me with it's mouth. The other day we were served what I swore was shark, but was actually a catfish with its' thick, unscaly skin still attached. Oh, and don't forget the whiskers and eyes. All in all the meat is rare though, so it's beans and rice for me! The people here have a southern grandmother mentality in which they will continually refill your plate, and be offiended if you don't eat. It's really cute.

The Wildlife:
Sadly there are no giraffes, lions or elephants around here. It is a rural mountainy area, but I have seen my fair share of chickens, goats, sheep, and cows. I avoid the dogs, as they are dingo-like. Baby sheep and goats make me squeal every time I see the, We had a chicken given to us, and we affectionately named him Samual L Jackson: a tribute to our favorite African American with a purple lightsaer. A few days later our chicken was stolen. RIP Sam. The bugs in our "bathroom" (a dirt hole filled with spiders, lizards, and millipedes) is an adventure every trip. Abby and I typically go on rampages with our flip flops before any business is taken care of. We have inaccurately classified the spiders into categories with names. "Hey Abby, I had to pee, so I just killed 3 Wolf Spiders!" is a common dialogue between us. While climbing on boulders on day, Abby was attacked by "ciafu" or "siafu" ants that can literally kill people. They swarmed her, and when they bite, you bleed. Luckily we got themall off. You should google them though. They are creepy. All other ants are huge, but very friendly. They don't bite and are fun to play with. I have only seen one snake. While giving a spelling test, one fell from the rafters of the cieling onto us. That was pretty exciting.

The Technology:
The technology here is really odd because it just doesn't seem chronological. There is no running water, and no electricity, but yet some people have cell phones and motorcycles. I feel that if a person has a cell phone, they should have all the other technology that leads up to a cell phone, such as electricity or sliced bread. They charge their phones on the lonely village generator. It is so odd being able to email in the same country that people still cook over firewood.

Cleaning:
There is one kind of soap here: orange. It is a bar that people use for their bodies, dishes, and clothes.

How to wash your clothes in Africa:
1. Bring your orange ar soap and bag o' clothes to the river.
2. Climb on/over big boulders to the middle of the river, and sit on a flat rock.
3. Wash your clothes with the soap, and rinse in the current.
4. Bring them home to line dry.

How to bathe in Africa:
1. Gather firewood from the nearest forest.
2. Ask your neighbords in akward broken Swahili if you can fetch water at their place.
3. Even more awkwardly try to carry a 10 gallon bucket to your house (by hand or on your head)
4. Start a fire and make hot water.
5. Bring your bucket of hot water to the bathing area with no door.
6. Inspect walls of the bathing area with your lamp (oh yeah, we use lamps) for lizards, giant spiders, etc
7. Using your towel as a door, quickly bathe in the cold under the stars, using your handy orange soap, shampoo, and a plastic cup for rinsing.
8. Wrap up and run inside!

The Nurse:
Is me. There isn't another nurse or doctor or miles, and I guess my 2 years of nursing major is working out well. The "doctors" here are less qualified by far than even a US nurse, and haven't had any schooling past high school. People come to me for lots of random illnesses/first aid. It's pretty fun! Don't worry, I have gloves and I'm super careful about body fluids/AIDS.

I could talk to you forever about the people here, my school, my students, and the culture! I just can't. Maybe next email. As far as my ministry goes, it is difficult becaus of the language barrier and the kids fear of white people. I'm working on it. I did get to share the gospel to 120 students in class while my Tanzanian teacher friend translated. Hopefully Abby and I will start chapel here, and we will teach it. I'm working on writing a kids book in Swahilli about the gospel so that I can read it to all the little kids here. They are fascinated by books. I'm really happy here, and having a blast! The time goes by so fast. I miss you all though! Please write me back at lizziejean@gmail.com so I can know whats going on in life!

Matthew 25:40,
Liz

Phone Call

I hope everyone is doing well. This is J.R. I just wanted to let everyone know that Elizabeth is safe and doing well. I just got off the phone with her and she seemed very excited. We were not able to talk long so I don't have any specific details or stories. There was only enough time to hear that she is safe and things are going well. She mentioned in her last email that she would have Internet regularly, but it turns out that the computer is not able to get on the Internet. I just wanted to let everyone know that she is doing well and that she hasn't been able to get on the Internet.

Her father called me as I was typing this and had just gotten off the phone with her. From what he has told me, she said it is very hot over there and that she is really tan. She also said that the job itself was easy, but it was emotionally trying at times.

I'm sorry I don't have more to tell, but we only had a limited time to talk. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts in prayers.

Thanks!

Not Your Typical Day in Africa…

We left Madisi (the area in which we were training for 2 weeks) on Saturday morning at 5am. We traveled about 10 hours via very crowded busses to Mbinga. We spent the night in Mbinga on Saturday, and we were going to leave in the morning to go to our school! Well…plans don't always work out. We ended up being postponed a day here in Mbinga. We have stayed in a really nice hostel with running water and a shower for two nights rather than 1. So today, Monday morning, after waiting two days to leave here and go to our village, we were so excited to go off to our home village of Malindindo.

So this morning as we walk out the door of our hostel, 2 immigration officers in uniforms approach Abby, Briana, and I, and ask us for our passports. All of our passports, licenses, VISAs, and money are still in Madisi (10 hours away) in a safe. (They keep all our documentation for us so it doesn't get lost or stolen.) We have no documentation to show the guys, and we don't speak Swahili. So the man that is escorting us from Village Schools shows up, and shows the immigration officers a photocopy of our passports. We were so relieved that he had that photocopy. The immigration officers said the photocopies weren't enough, and that they wanted to see more paperwork. So the immigration officers take us girls and our escort James in a Land Rover to the immigration office of Mbinga. There we played the waiting game.

We waited in the immigration office (a 10x10 room) for about 4 hours, and they finally received a fax of our VISAs. Some poor person from Village Schools in Madisi had to open the safe, drive to a place with electricity and a fax machine, and then fax them a copy of the VISAS. Upon receiving the fax, they said it was too blurry, and they wanted a new fax sent. Poor James looked so stressed out. He is responsible for 3 American girls who don't know Swahili, and all of their luggage. He is such a good guy though, and really straightened out the situation. Abby, Briana and I really got to know the immigration officers though. They knew some English, and would say things like "I pray to God every day that I marry a white woman." and "Do you have husbands and boyfriends? Do you want to get married?" and "If you marry a Tanzanian, you can become a citizen here." Abby and I endured the ordeal by speaking Spanish to each other.

After 7 hours, they finally let us go home, even though they only had a blurry fax of our VISAs. After we left, James informed us that we could have been locked up in jail, but they let us go. Wow. All because we didn't have a copy of our VISAs with us.

We are again, in the hostel, day 3, and hopefully will leave tomorrow to go to our villages. I'll keep you updated!

Romans 8:28,
Liz

Training and My Assignment

These past two weeks have been a combination of challenges and encouragement. We have been in the village of Madisi doing our training for the past two weeks. In order to show us what our students’ lives are like, and to immerse us in the culture of Tanzania, I have lived with 2 host students named Dicta and Epista. They are wonderful, and the hospitality in African is unlike anything I’ve seen. They live in a modest “shack-like” house that has dirt floor, a tin roof, and mud walls. There is no electricity or running water. It has been fun living alongside of them for these 2 weeks, and really seeing what their life is like.

In these weeks, I have been laughed at while learning how to:

-speak Swahili
-fetch water from a well
-carry gallons of water (unsuccessfully) on my head
-wash clothes rigorously in a bucket with a bar of soap
-bathe with a bucket in the freezing cold
-go to the bathroom in a hole (they call them “choo”)
-do everything with my right hand, even though I’m left handed (The left hand is the “dirty bathroom” hand.)
-fetch firewood and attempt to carry it on my head
-chop firewood with an ax
-hoe a small field of corn
-light and clean a kerosene lamp
-light a fire and cook over it
-eat and cook ugali (The staple food here, basically like blended rice/grits in play-dough form)
-eat a fish while trying to ignore its face staring back at me
-climb super steep mountains for 2 miles in 7,000ft elevation (the girls do this walk twice a day just to go to school!)
-sing at awesome choir practice

Because of my deficit in all of these essential African life-skills, Epista and Dicta were shocked to find that I can:
-stir food
-shuffle cards
-ride a bike
-strike a match
-walk easily in a flat area
-cut a tomato

I have really learned so much here, and it is so fun to absorb in the culture. I feel that the kids at this school have such difficult lives in comparison with our American ones, yet I feel that theirs have more meaning, and that they are filled with such joy and peace. There is no rushing here, no stress, just a wonderful and simple life from day to day. I love it. These kids work hard all day, and then study until late at night. They are such hard workers. It is amazing to the hospitality and warmth from everyone. I’m picking up some more Swahili, but not much yet. I can carry on a full cheesy greeting/how are you, but that’s about it.

I have been assigned to a village called Malindindo, in Ruvuma region, which is on the border of Tanzania and Mozambique. I will be living with Abby Tibbetts (Rounda’ Bout), and we are so excited about it! We didn’t really know each other very well before the trip, but we have had so much fun together during training. We will be teaching an intensive English course for about 8 hours a day. We have about a 2 day bus ride on the way. Hopefully we will be able to have weekly internet access! I am so excited!

I love you all, and I’m having a great time learning about the Tanzanian culture. Thanks to everyone who wrote a note to me in Ashley’s little project; so far I’ve gotten letters from Ashley, Keith, Amanda, Emily, and Dwight Schrute. Love it.

Please write me an email if you can, since I’d love to receive letters, know about what’s going on in America/who is the president/pop culture fun. I should have weekly internet access. lizziejean@gmail.com

Love,
Liz

An Unexpected Surprise

(This is J.R. posting an email that was sent to her blog. Please don't feel bad if Elizabeth doesn't get a chance to respond to your comments.)


This was an unexpected surprise being able to use the Internet again. I really do think that this will be the last time I get on for a long time. Things are still good and they are getting better! They found our luggage in Nairobi and I already have it safe and sound. The Internet here is dial-up and crazy so I might not be able to type very long.

I think I have caught up on sleep now. We are now in a small town called Mafinga. The towns here really remind me of the poorest parts of Mexico. The shops look the same, they sell Coca Cola out of glass bottles, everything is dusty and people are very friendly.

Yesterday we took a 10 hour bus ride from Dar to Mafinga and today we will leave Mafinga and finish the long bus ride to Igoda where we are training. We stayed here in a hotel last night. It would be very shabby for an American hotel, but we thought it was luxurious! We actually had a mattress and running water that (sometimes) worked. We have been eating a lot of beans, rice and chips (aka fries). In the villages they won't have a lot of chips, so we're getting our fill in now!

The 10 hour bus ride was crazy! We drove through safari-like places, and saw monkeys, antelope and giraffes. There was a little girl named Mary that was about 4 years old that sat with me and Abby (Rounda Bout) during the whole bus ride. On our laps. She was so cute! She fell asleep in my arms and called me Mama. Her mom didn't care at all that she was with us. The mom just slept for about 6 hours while we played with her kid! I have some really cute pictures.

I'm getting used to the whole bathroom situation, which is weird. I've never really camped before, so this is a totally new experience for me. I've been taking my malaria meds, vitamins, and wearing my deet bug repellent, so don't worry Mom and Dad! I'm safe.

The people here are really nice to Americans. Today we are going on a scavenger hunt in town. They are giving us 10,000 shillings (which is $10.00) and we are going to get a bunch of food and supplies for our village. It is their way of teaching us language and bartering and such. All the girls (4 of us) are going together. It will be fun I'm sure. We just have to be firm with them.

I'm so happy, guys. I still don't think it has sunk in that I'm going to be here for 4 more months! Right now it is pretty chilly. It warms up during the day though. It's 9am here, and I think like 2am there? I'm not sure. Anyways, my time has run out in this Internet cafe, but I love you all sooooo much and I am safe and happy. Don't worry about me! Things are good. We will have training for the next 2 weeks in Igoda and then we will travel to specific villages.

Love you so much,
Liz

From Dar

(This is J.R. posting an email that was sent to her blog. Please don't feel bad if Elizabeth doesn't get a chance to respond to your comments.)

I love you very much!

I'm here safe in Dar. I'm actually at a weird Catholic Convent thingy right now, but they're being nice and letting us use the Internet. It has been a really rough trip for me, but it has been fun. We are traveling with all 8 of the Americans, and they are all so nice! We get along great, so that is good.

I haven't been able to really sleep at all on the planes, so I think I've slept 4 hours in the last 80. I'm beyond exhaustion. They also lost our luggage in Nairobi, so I don't have it yet. They hope to find it all tonight, and deliver it to us. We are staying at a really nice guest house right now that has electricity and fans and running water.

During our 10 hour layover in London, we did a lot of fun sight seeing. I rode a double decker bus, saw Big Ben, and went to the national gallery and saw some DaVinci, Picasso, Monet, and Van Gogh. It was fun. The weather here is hot, but not very humid. It is better than Texas weather for sure. Even though I'm delirious from exhaustion, and I don't have my luggage, I'm still staying positive. I really like it here, and I have a good feeling about all of this! The Tanzanians are so nice to us, and the group I'm with is so loyal and wonderful to each other. I am having a great time. Tonight we had fish for dinner and the head was still attached. The Tanzanian girl next to me ate the whole head. Gross.

I love you guys all so much! I'm not sure when I'll be able to get online next (maybe in a few months) but I want you to know that I am happy and safe. I can't wait to see my students and get settled in my hut! Pray for me!

Love,
Liz

I'm gone.

By the time you read this, I'll be on a plane somewhere. Or even in Africa, who knows? I don't quite know what to say right now actually. I'm a mixture of so many emotions. I am ready. I know that I have been called to go out, and I'm off! I have about a 12 hour layover in Chicago, then about a 10 hour layover in London, then a flight to Kenya, then a flight to Dar es Salaam, and then an 18 hour bus ride to our village. Rock on.

I am so excited to go out. Pray for me, that I will be bold with the gospel, and that I will teach my little heart out to these kids! Pray that the language will not be a barrier, and pray for my health too! I think that I might be able to email one or two times when I get there. I wish I could contact you all, but I can't, therefore... Do us all a favor: If I contact you, leave a comment on this blog so that everyone knows whats up with me. That would be encouraging to others, and it would be like a fun update chain for all! Hooray!

I've been wanting to go on a trip like this since about junior high. So this is it. This is my dream.

Psalm 37:4 says: "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

I love Him, and going out and teaching these kids is the desire of my heart. I'm filled with joy.

Love you guys,
Liz