The Case of the Columned Kitten
Suddenly, monkeys
Culture Quivers
1) Tea.
I don’t think I’ve ever drank so much tea in my life, but I’m loving it. Oh, and clarification, in Tanzania, all tea is what we call “Chai Tea.” Then there’s chai masala, or spiced tea, which is pretty much what we’d consider an excellent chai latte. There’s always a cup at breakfast, then the 10:30am chai, the 4:00pm chai, the chai when you get home, and the chai after dinner. I feel like I’m starting to time my day tea break to tea break.
2) Parliament on TV.
Apparently parliament is in session right now, because we watch it on TV every night at dinner. It’s a family affair, and even little Salim sits glued to the screen. It comes on right after the cross-dressing comedy show, on the same channel. Is it just Americans that don’t habitually watch government meetings? It seems like a habit worth picking up. Although, I think their impassioned yelling and foot stomping about budget cuts are a bit more exciting than our dry senators! TV in general, really, is a much bigger part of life here than I would have expected, and all of the EWH participants have reported the same. The TV is literally always on, and almost always blasting on full volume. I think the best part may be the Spanish Telenovelas badly dubbed with monotone English, then emblazoned with Swahili subtitles.
3) Vigilante Justice.
For people to become thieves in Tanzania, they’ve got to be pretty desperate. Why, because the fines for thievery are so high? Because you have to spend a few years in jail? No, it’s cause you’ll be dragged through the streets and burned to death.
…I…I’m sorry…what? Seriously. You read me correct, that really does happen. We were told that some tourists a few years back had to pay the police off not to kill a man who had been caught stealing their purses. Since my Baba Billi is the Ward Counselor for the surrounding villages, he gets called whenever a robbery occurs. He says if he calls the police, they instruct him to “Call back when the mwizi (thief) is dead.” They don’t wan’t to babysit an injured criminal in the hospital, but they’ll swing by to pick up his dead body. Why is this? Because the general public hates thieves, and if your neighbor calls “Mwizi! Mwizi!”, you (and the rest of the mob) rush to the scene, hunt down the mwizi, throw a tire over his neck, and burn him with gasoline. It sounds extremely violent, but Billi said after 3 thieves were killed in this fashion last year, there hasn’t been one report of robbery in his Ward. However, it still makes me think twice about the advisability of calling out “Mwizi!” if a pickpocket swipes my bag. I feel like I’d rather lose a few dollars than be responsible for such a death.
4) Karibu, Karibu!
On a nicer note, I want to tell you about how welcoming the general population is. And it’s not just a façade to increase tourism. The word for stranger is literally the same word for guest, mgumu. (CHECK!!!)Karibu means “you are welcome,” and it’s not just used in response to a mumbled “thank you” here and there. You are welcome to this country, you are welcome to my home, you are welcome to eat first, you are welcome to my family. Karibusana! You are very welcome.
Kiswahili Fun Facts
The longest word in Kiswahili is “shaghalabaghala,” and means “messy.” It’s also really fun to say.
There is no word for autoclave, just a phrase that literally translates to “to kill bugs with steam.” I’m sure they mean germs, but here’s a picture of a giant bug you might want to kill with something stronger than steam!