Update #2

There are no street names or anything like that here, so this is the most accurate description of my Tanzanian home: Tanzania, West Kilimanjaro, Siha District, Sanya Juu, Koboko Village.

The first week is over! And it still hasn't rained. Every day it looks more likely, but the clouds don't seem to go beyond the Kili.

They are still very nice at the home. The two new children didn't have any clothes with them, and there were no matching underwear. It was perfect that I had two with me. And they were thrilled!

On Thursday on the way home, I met Emma. We greeted each other and suddenly she started speaking German! She has been to Flensburg many times and regularly visits friends in Germany. She immediately invited me to Christmas at her place and of course she also knew Dr. Mosi, like apparently everyone in the village, and will visit as soon as she returns from Dar es Salaam. It's crazy to meet someone like this in the middle of nowhere!

Otherwise, as a white person, you are often called Mzungu, which means 'white person or European'. It is never meant in a bad way, but it is still annoying. However, you get used to it pretty quickly.

The only thing that is really extreme is the amount of garbage. There is plastic everywhere. Really everywhere. A real problem.

I have also met Malema at the home. She has already negotiated with some workers, and the completion of the extension would cost about 2,000,000 Tanzanian shillings. That's about €1000. As soon as I have Wi-Fi, I will try to start a fundraising campaign on the internet. The link will follow and everything is welcome! 🙃

The entire life in the home is funded by donations. And by the irregular income from the animals. But the chickens are also eaten themselves, soon they want to slaughter one in my presence...

The food is generally very simple. There are fried bananas, rice, Ugali or Chapati. Then often 'greens' with a little onion and very few tomatoes and carrots. Or there are white beans.

At my home, we also often have meat, but I try to avoid it after seeing where it comes from. We regularly eat fruits and salad (tomato, cucumber, bell pepper). Often in curry or coconut sauce. Everything super greasy or just fried. It's really insane. For breakfast, we even have fried potatoes, or at least something similar.

Meanwhile, I was also allowed into the kitchen. The actual kitchen is right next to the living and dining room. There is a gas stove on which everything smaller is prepared. There is no refrigerator. But cockroaches. 😁 The other kitchen is traditional, which means cooking is done over the fire. That's where all the staple foods are prepared. Everything tastes pretty good. I'm not starving. 😉

There was a small conflict on Friday. I was supposed to come to the home on Saturday as well and I felt like I wasn't being understood. We were able to clarify it relatively quickly, but I was there anyway. It was actually quite good. The children put on their game clothes, an old soccer kit from Germany. The 3-year-olds wear the same jersey as the 12-year-olds, so it looks really cool! Next time, I will definitely take photos. We went to the soccer field and played a little soccer and "the goose is loose". This time is always a highlight for the children, to get out and have fun.

In the morning, Mama Hope and I went to the market in Sanya Juu Town. We took the Daladala there and first went to the small supermarket. Besides Nivea and Nutella (€4), there is actually everything you need. Directly across the street, a bit hidden in small alleyways with small shops, is the market. The price range is roughly as follows: 1 large, ripe avocado for 35 cents. 10 large, unripe avocados for 50 cents. Only meat is relatively expensive. It hangs, without refrigeration, with lots of flies in a small kiosk. The leftovers are still on the floor. Yum!

Finally, we were taken home by a tuktuk because we bought sooo much. Avocados, bananas, pineapple, coconut, orange, passion fruit, eggplant, tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, carrots, a kind of potato, and meat. I now go to the market every time. 🙃😍

Today was an exciting day! Originally, only church was planned, but then I was out all day.

It all started like this:

Like every morning, I wake up when it gets light and loud. Today it was somehow already at five, I was briefly surprised and then tried to fall back asleep. I got up around eight and had breakfast, church is not until ten, so there was still a lot of time. But nooo! At 10 past 9 on my watch, we were practically running to the church, only to find it closed. Baba Hope was also late, so I wasn't the only one to blame. 🙈 My watch somehow got messed up and I didn't notice it properly until so late... 😂 We had to wait for 10 minutes outside the church until everyone finished with confession, then we were allowed inside. The church service is very similar to ours. However, men and women sit separately, except when the church is full. There was a lot of singing and the sermon was quite long. All I understood was: Martin Luther, Jesus Christ, and Amen.

The biggest difference is that during the church service, there are three rounds in which everyone stands up and throws money into the collection plate. If possible, you throw in money three times. At the end, everyone goes out together and forms a circle. Then things (usually food) brought by people who don't have money for the collection plate are auctioned off. The money is then the replacement.

At home, we had lunch right away, and then Baba Hope introduced me to the neighborhood, who were not in Dar es Salaam at the moment. The houses are already much more rustic: shelters for the animals, no windows in their own houses, hardly any furniture, no proper floor. I just sat there and didn't understand anything. 😅 Finally, we went to Grandfather's house, but only the two housekeepers were there. We sat on the sofa for almost an hour and watched TV with them and had something to drink... I didn't really understand it. 🙈

Back at home, I changed clothes and we went to a wedding negotiation. We walked very slowly. Slower than I usually walk, and that says something..

When we arrived there, the negotiation was already in full swing. About 10-15 people sat in a small, dark wooden hut and negotiated what and how much the groom must pay to the bride's family. This varies depending on the resources of the groom. It can be food, drinks, clothing, or even several million Tanzanian shillings. The groom can also request help from friends and relatives by writing special cards.

The rest of the people sat outside in 3 rows, one behind the other, and looked at the hut and didn't talk, or talked very quietly.

After the negotiation, there was a speech and almost everyone had to introduce themselves briefly. Then we ate, and even though there were about 30-40 people overall, very little was still said. There was coke, Fanta, Sprite, rice with meat, coleslaw, cucumber and tomato. The groom's family contributes all of this, even though neither he nor the bride are present. That is also a tradition. Only about half of the people had a spoon, so the rest just ate with their fingers. "You have to become African," Baba Hope said. 😁 After the meal, everything became a little more relaxed, but the group also broke up relatively quickly. We were there for almost two hours overall.

Next Friday there will be a celebration at our place because Baba Hope's sister is visiting. That will be exciting.

Baadaye!