This morning we went to the American Embassy in Nairobi. The last time we were there was four years ago when we were obtaining Jack's passport and social security number. Since then things have changed a bit - namely that you can no longer simply go to the embassy - you have to make an appointment online or over the phone.
The odd thing though, is that when pursuing a passport, the embassy makes the appointment for you. I keep imagining the movie-type situation where the bad guys are chasing the good American all the way to the embassy gates. In Kenya that American wouldn't get in without his/her official paper proving that he/she has an appointment!
So we found out yesterday afternoon that they gave us the appointment for this morning at 10:30. They had put our request off a bit, so Dusty emailed them and remarkably received a reply within hours with the appointment for today. So that was impressive at least. We cleared our schedule - embassy appointments are precious!
We left our house at 9:15 so we could meet our friend Carl at a nearby shopping center parking lot at 10:15. The most odd thing is that the embassy has NO PARKING - at all. Perhaps this is to prevent car bombs? But then why not have off-site parking? It's completely frustrating. Carl took us to the embassy and dropped us off, and we took a taxi back to the shopping center when we were done.
We were scanned immediately at the gate, and then anything we brought with us was scanned again. The items the security guards chose to keep while we went inside were our cell phones, car keys, and ... Spencer. Spencer is the metal, magnetized train that Jack chose to bring as his toy for the day. Let me tell you, Jack's bottom lip popped out and tears formed in his eyes as we walked away from Spencer, although we hastened to comfort Jack by telling him he would get Spencer back when we left. The poor guy was so worried and saddened!
We waited about 45 minutes to submit our paperwork, sign it, and swear in. Everything went smoothly and the lady didn't mention our missing information, so hopefully it will not be a problem. She said it will take 2-3 weeks to get the passport. Obviously we're hoping no longer than 2 weeks so we can return to Tanzania.
In the meantime, Cooper is neither Kenyan or American. He's just a boy floating with no citizenship anywhere. Apparently, children born to foreigners have to apply for Kenyan citizenship, which we're obviously not going to do. Simply obtaining his birth certificate was stressful enough, and dual citizenship is still not allowed, at least as far as we know.
The most harrowing part of the morning was fighting traffic in a construction zone. It was absolutely unbelievable how aggressive the matatu drivers are. Matatus are the 14 passenger mini-vans that many people use for transportation here. But other drivers as well are just as aggressive. There appear to be no road rules and risk is the name of the game.
All told, we've been very pleased that things have happened so quickly - even the staff at the embassy were impressed to see a 10-day-old baby applying for a passport. Usually it takes longer, so we know the Lord, not the embassy, is expediting our process!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Welcoming Cooper
We're so happy to announce the birth of Cooper Clement Hill, who arrived on Sunday, March 27th at 10:30 in the morning, weighing 7 lbs, 15 oz. He is a healthy baby, and we were released to go back home the next morning.
Knowing how fast Jack arrived, we left ourselves plenty of time to get to the hospital, and because it was a Sunday morning we had no traffic and made the normally one hour drive in 10 minutes! I had a full team of the OBGYN, midwife/doula, pediatrician (required in Kenya to be present), nurses, and Dusty of course. The labor came hard and fast and left no time for the epidural - so I had a natural childbirth even though I would have preferred otherwise. Additionally, it was "back labor," meaning the baby's face was turned the wrong way, so the pain was intense.
We are all very grateful that Cooper and I are both healthy, and we are recovering well. He is so sleepy at this point that we can barely wake him up to feed him, and yet he still manages to be awake in the middle of the night. Now for a few photos:
Jack enjoyed snuggling up next to me in the hospital bed. He's not quite sure what to make of the whole baby thing, but he's doing a great job and is happy to have a brother.
A rare wakeful moment on the Rift Valley sheepskin we bought for Cooper.
Tessa is completely in love with Cooper, and having a baby in the house has been a great joy for her. She holds him all the time and enjoys dressing him and helping with diaper changes.
The Princess Zahra maternity ward. Jack had just knocked his ear on Cooper's car seat so he wasn't too happy here.
Cooper, snuggly in his multiple blankets in the hospital bassinet. East Africans love to bundle their babies, but we were very surprised the staff never placed a knit cap on his head like they do in the States.
Riding on the bassinet and banging it into the walls - a nice, quick introduction into what Cooper can expect from his siblings' activity level.
Happy mom, sleepy baby about 7 hours after the delivery.
Happy father, uncertain brother about 5 hours after the birth.
Tired and content.
Our first Kenyan visitor, Salome, who was thrilled with Cooper - and he was pretty interested in her too!
We praise God for this amazing gift - a beautiful baby boy, a safe delivery, a morning drive to the hospital with no traffic, quality hospital staff, meals at home provided by friends, and an apartment to stay in while we recover and apply for Cooper's birth certificate and passport.
Knowing how fast Jack arrived, we left ourselves plenty of time to get to the hospital, and because it was a Sunday morning we had no traffic and made the normally one hour drive in 10 minutes! I had a full team of the OBGYN, midwife/doula, pediatrician (required in Kenya to be present), nurses, and Dusty of course. The labor came hard and fast and left no time for the epidural - so I had a natural childbirth even though I would have preferred otherwise. Additionally, it was "back labor," meaning the baby's face was turned the wrong way, so the pain was intense.
We are all very grateful that Cooper and I are both healthy, and we are recovering well. He is so sleepy at this point that we can barely wake him up to feed him, and yet he still manages to be awake in the middle of the night. Now for a few photos:
Jack enjoyed snuggling up next to me in the hospital bed. He's not quite sure what to make of the whole baby thing, but he's doing a great job and is happy to have a brother.
A rare wakeful moment on the Rift Valley sheepskin we bought for Cooper.
Tessa is completely in love with Cooper, and having a baby in the house has been a great joy for her. She holds him all the time and enjoys dressing him and helping with diaper changes.
The Princess Zahra maternity ward. Jack had just knocked his ear on Cooper's car seat so he wasn't too happy here.
Cooper, snuggly in his multiple blankets in the hospital bassinet. East Africans love to bundle their babies, but we were very surprised the staff never placed a knit cap on his head like they do in the States.
Riding on the bassinet and banging it into the walls - a nice, quick introduction into what Cooper can expect from his siblings' activity level.
Happy mom, sleepy baby about 7 hours after the delivery.
Happy father, uncertain brother about 5 hours after the birth.
Tired and content.
Our first Kenyan visitor, Salome, who was thrilled with Cooper - and he was pretty interested in her too!We praise God for this amazing gift - a beautiful baby boy, a safe delivery, a morning drive to the hospital with no traffic, quality hospital staff, meals at home provided by friends, and an apartment to stay in while we recover and apply for Cooper's birth certificate and passport.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Small Towners in the Big City
Before we left Musoma, and in the middle of a heat wave without power, I commented, "If Nairobi is this hot and having electricity issues I will be SERIOUSLY disappointed." Apparently I said that so strongly that Tessa timidly asked, "what does 'seriously' mean?"
Fortunately, I have not been disappointed - it is cooler here, and we've barely lost electricity at all - just blinks here and there. We're not having an ant problem, milk is easy to buy, the kids and I love the bathtub, we've been to a couple of restaurants, and we have a grocery store nearby. On the health front, we've visited the OBGYN and hospital twice, met with a doula/midwife, and found out that partial epidurals are available. So the list of things to which I was looking forward has been met. Yea!
Traffic is just as atrocious as I remembered, and the apartment is quite "cozy" (read: small), but we're managing fine. Home schooling is going surprisingly well, and Dusty's able to walk down the hill to the office to do his work on the computer and with colleagues. The kids have made a few friends at the tiny playground next door, and we're settling in well.
Having said these things though, it's clear that we're small town folks in the big city. We find ourselves readily speaking Swahili to Kenyans, who speak perfect English but enjoy Swahili too. Dusty's managing parking fine, but I have still resisted parallel parking our truck on the hill of our apartment complex. We're experiencing sticker shock at the prices of medical care - in Musoma it costs less than $5 to visit the doctor at the clinic - here it's about $40. Granted: the care is a bit different too!
The kids thought that a car alarm was a bird singing. They are fascinated by the traffic and ceaselessly comment on all the large trucks and buses. They referred to traffic yesterday as "the parade." They continue to talk and pray about malaria, which really isn't an issue, so we don't have to use our nets. They're thrilled by having ice cream in the freezer (well, we all are), grapes in the fridge, and store-bought cookies. The milk from the carton/bag tastes different to them, so Tessa decided it must come from a "different cow" than the one from which we get milk in Musoma.
But with all the big city has to offer, we still are focused on the main reason for our being here - waiting for this baby to come into the world, and into the Hill family. I'm getting a bit of stage fright, Dusty's trying to figure out how to navigate Nairobi and the American Embassy to make the baby an American, and the kids continue to pray that "the baby has fun in Mama's tummy."
Surely the next time I post, we'll have the Little One out, named, videoed, and photographed to our hearts' content. Till then, thank you for all your encouragement and prayers!
Fortunately, I have not been disappointed - it is cooler here, and we've barely lost electricity at all - just blinks here and there. We're not having an ant problem, milk is easy to buy, the kids and I love the bathtub, we've been to a couple of restaurants, and we have a grocery store nearby. On the health front, we've visited the OBGYN and hospital twice, met with a doula/midwife, and found out that partial epidurals are available. So the list of things to which I was looking forward has been met. Yea!
Traffic is just as atrocious as I remembered, and the apartment is quite "cozy" (read: small), but we're managing fine. Home schooling is going surprisingly well, and Dusty's able to walk down the hill to the office to do his work on the computer and with colleagues. The kids have made a few friends at the tiny playground next door, and we're settling in well.
Having said these things though, it's clear that we're small town folks in the big city. We find ourselves readily speaking Swahili to Kenyans, who speak perfect English but enjoy Swahili too. Dusty's managing parking fine, but I have still resisted parallel parking our truck on the hill of our apartment complex. We're experiencing sticker shock at the prices of medical care - in Musoma it costs less than $5 to visit the doctor at the clinic - here it's about $40. Granted: the care is a bit different too!
The kids thought that a car alarm was a bird singing. They are fascinated by the traffic and ceaselessly comment on all the large trucks and buses. They referred to traffic yesterday as "the parade." They continue to talk and pray about malaria, which really isn't an issue, so we don't have to use our nets. They're thrilled by having ice cream in the freezer (well, we all are), grapes in the fridge, and store-bought cookies. The milk from the carton/bag tastes different to them, so Tessa decided it must come from a "different cow" than the one from which we get milk in Musoma.
But with all the big city has to offer, we still are focused on the main reason for our being here - waiting for this baby to come into the world, and into the Hill family. I'm getting a bit of stage fright, Dusty's trying to figure out how to navigate Nairobi and the American Embassy to make the baby an American, and the kids continue to pray that "the baby has fun in Mama's tummy."
Surely the next time I post, we'll have the Little One out, named, videoed, and photographed to our hearts' content. Till then, thank you for all your encouragement and prayers!
Life in Nairobi So Far
From today - March 24th. Due date is April 3rd, but for obvious reasons, I'm hoping the baby comes as soon as possible. Two of our biggest concerns are being stuck in the very tight parallel parking here at the apartment or stuck in traffic on the way to the hospital.
Our mornings are spent in kindergarten home school. Jack plays on the floor with trains, colors, and blocks while Tessa and I work together. Occasionally he joins in for reading and other activities. Temporarily home schooling Tessa is good practice as it appears that we will be home schooling once we move to Uganda as well. So far, it's going quite well, but I do wonder how it will keep going once the baby comes.
Tessa dancing to the Sheryl Crow song from the movie "Cars." Both kids love rocking out every now and then.
Blowing out the candles on her pink cupcakes on her actual 6th birthday. I could only find some odd floating candles in the shop, and only 2 of the 6 would light. We topped the cupcakes with ice cream and real strawberries - the biggest treat. We had already celebrated her birthday early with her friends in Musoma with a butterfly birthday cake, and I'm so glad we did - this birthday celebration was just the 4 of us, but was still fun (except when Jack blew the candles out first and got in a bit of trouble!).
Opening presents after breakfast on her birthday from care packages (thanks Wendy and Nana!) and us.
Kids get creative when resources are few. This evening Tessa decided to make herself into a pirate by coloring an eye patch and taping it to her face with Scotch tape - topped by a hat. I think Dusty got her to say "Arrgh" here. Cutest oddball pirate I've ever seen.
Care package arrived with Cinderella clothes for Barbie - thanks Wendy!
Wendy, my cousin, sent some Duplo blocks for Jack - they've seen a lot of happy daily use. We're so thankful!
A nice quiet activity - both kids reading on the couch.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Nairobi Bound
On Sunday, March 6th we will be making the drive from Musoma, Tanzania to Nairobi, Kenya. For the most part, I'm grateful to go, but there are a few disadvantages as well. Here's how the lists boil down:
Why I'm looking forward to being in Nairobi:
1. The climate! It's nearly 6,000 feet high, so it's always cooler there, and we've been dealing with heat like we've never known in Musoma. This has been more difficult being pregnant, but also because with 7 hours of daily electricity rationing, we frequently can't run a fan.
2. Electricity! While we're being cut daily, Nairobi folks are getting cut 3-5 hours only once a week.
3. Nakumatt - a real grocery store (plus) to make meals so much easier! Think Target - Kenya style. The kids think it's a treat to climb into a shopping cart. When you ask Jack "where did you learn that?" he often says, "Nakumatt," but why he says that remains a mystery. At Nakumatt I can buy...
4. ...Pasteurized/Homogenized milk! No more buying milk from the bucket on the back of the milkman's bicycle, boiling it, letting it cool for hours before putting it in the fridge (if it's on), then scraping off the cream in the morning.
5. Bathtub! We are staying in the apartment where we stayed when Jack was born, and it has a bathtub, which we don't have here in Musoma. Here we use big laundry basins for the kids. My pregnant body and I are looking forward to experiencing something resembling weightlessness, and the kids always have a blast in a real bathtub.
Tessa in the tub at the Nairobi apartment right before Jack was born.
6. Restaurants! It will be very nice to not have to cook every day for every meal, whether we go out or order take-out on occasion. We have four restaurants in Musoma, but two of them only serve fish/chicken and fries, and the other two sometimes make one wonder if it would have been better to stay home and cook/clean for ourselves.
7. Ant-free home. We are currently experiencing the worst ant invasion we've ever seen. Maybe this is because we're in the dry season, but we've had several dry seasons without problems like this. They've invaded our entire kitchen - even the fridge, the floors, the back porch table, the dining table, the dog's dish, and sometimes the toilets too. We put out ant traps, but they march on, so we've taken to spraying them with a water bottle that has 10% bleach.
8. Paved roads. Ok, I know there are many roads in Nairobi with frightening potholes, and lots of traffic, but the 4km dirt road we must use to get to town here in Musoma is definitely NOT agreeing with my pregnant belly. It is a rough drive on all of us, plus we've had to use a detour since Sept/Oct as they have been slowly working on a 3/4 km stretch. Today was the first day we noticed something resembling pavement on that stretch. My patience has ended, and I don't want that road to be "the straw that broke the amniotic sack."
9. Hospital! The books tell me I could have the baby any day now that I'm in my 36th week. Being in the same city as a really good hospital will provide relief from anxiety for me - I do NOT want to have a baby in Musoma. I've only had one prenatal visit this whole time, so it will be good to finally meet with the doctor who will be delivering the baby and finally get some prenatal (and natal) care.
The hospital where Jack was born and #3 will be born if we can make it through traffic!
10. The baby! We're all eagerly anticipating seeing and getting to know this new person in our family. Hopefully we can choose a name during the eight hour drive to Nairobi!
What I'm not looking forward to about being in Nairobi:
1. Having to borrow someone else's washing machine as the machine for the apartment complex is broken. Fortunately we can buy and use disposable diapers and let the cloth diapers wait till we're back in Musoma.
2. Cooping up the family in a small 2 bedroom apartment with parquet floors which echo. And no garden with a lovely view of Lake Victoria like we have here!
3. Making new friends / reestablishing older friendships - finding friends for the kids to play with might be a challenge as many of our friends who used to live in Nairobi have now moved away.
4. Homeschooling Tessa while entertaining Jack and then adding an infant to care for on top of it all. Can I keep up with her curriculum? Thank goodness it's only kindergarten - surely I can handle that, right?
Tessa in front of her school in Musoma
5. Nairobi traffic. Anyone not having experienced it might not believe me when I say it is my number two cause for worry about having this baby (see #7). I do NOT want to deliver a child in our truck!
6. Dusty being in Entebbe, Uganda for the first 5 days after we get there - I have a lot of phone numbers of friends and a good taxi driver's number just in case I need to make a run for the hospital! However, I'm looking forward to this opportunity for him to see the city where we'll start living in 2011, get to know the team members there, look for housing, and get a better understanding of what his role will be... as long as he makes it back to Nairobi before the baby.
pregnant with Tessa in 2004 in front of our office in Entebbe
7. Delivery with no hope of an epidural - enough said. I am NOT a "natural" kind of gal when it comes to childbirth.
So I only came up with seven disadvantages, and I'm sure I could have listed more than ten things to which I'm looking forward. It must be a good plan!
Why I'm looking forward to being in Nairobi:
1. The climate! It's nearly 6,000 feet high, so it's always cooler there, and we've been dealing with heat like we've never known in Musoma. This has been more difficult being pregnant, but also because with 7 hours of daily electricity rationing, we frequently can't run a fan.
2. Electricity! While we're being cut daily, Nairobi folks are getting cut 3-5 hours only once a week.
3. Nakumatt - a real grocery store (plus) to make meals so much easier! Think Target - Kenya style. The kids think it's a treat to climb into a shopping cart. When you ask Jack "where did you learn that?" he often says, "Nakumatt," but why he says that remains a mystery. At Nakumatt I can buy...
4. ...Pasteurized/Homogenized milk! No more buying milk from the bucket on the back of the milkman's bicycle, boiling it, letting it cool for hours before putting it in the fridge (if it's on), then scraping off the cream in the morning.
5. Bathtub! We are staying in the apartment where we stayed when Jack was born, and it has a bathtub, which we don't have here in Musoma. Here we use big laundry basins for the kids. My pregnant body and I are looking forward to experiencing something resembling weightlessness, and the kids always have a blast in a real bathtub.
Tessa in the tub at the Nairobi apartment right before Jack was born.6. Restaurants! It will be very nice to not have to cook every day for every meal, whether we go out or order take-out on occasion. We have four restaurants in Musoma, but two of them only serve fish/chicken and fries, and the other two sometimes make one wonder if it would have been better to stay home and cook/clean for ourselves.
7. Ant-free home. We are currently experiencing the worst ant invasion we've ever seen. Maybe this is because we're in the dry season, but we've had several dry seasons without problems like this. They've invaded our entire kitchen - even the fridge, the floors, the back porch table, the dining table, the dog's dish, and sometimes the toilets too. We put out ant traps, but they march on, so we've taken to spraying them with a water bottle that has 10% bleach.
8. Paved roads. Ok, I know there are many roads in Nairobi with frightening potholes, and lots of traffic, but the 4km dirt road we must use to get to town here in Musoma is definitely NOT agreeing with my pregnant belly. It is a rough drive on all of us, plus we've had to use a detour since Sept/Oct as they have been slowly working on a 3/4 km stretch. Today was the first day we noticed something resembling pavement on that stretch. My patience has ended, and I don't want that road to be "the straw that broke the amniotic sack."
9. Hospital! The books tell me I could have the baby any day now that I'm in my 36th week. Being in the same city as a really good hospital will provide relief from anxiety for me - I do NOT want to have a baby in Musoma. I've only had one prenatal visit this whole time, so it will be good to finally meet with the doctor who will be delivering the baby and finally get some prenatal (and natal) care.
The hospital where Jack was born and #3 will be born if we can make it through traffic! 10. The baby! We're all eagerly anticipating seeing and getting to know this new person in our family. Hopefully we can choose a name during the eight hour drive to Nairobi!
What I'm not looking forward to about being in Nairobi:
1. Having to borrow someone else's washing machine as the machine for the apartment complex is broken. Fortunately we can buy and use disposable diapers and let the cloth diapers wait till we're back in Musoma.
2. Cooping up the family in a small 2 bedroom apartment with parquet floors which echo. And no garden with a lovely view of Lake Victoria like we have here!
3. Making new friends / reestablishing older friendships - finding friends for the kids to play with might be a challenge as many of our friends who used to live in Nairobi have now moved away.
4. Homeschooling Tessa while entertaining Jack and then adding an infant to care for on top of it all. Can I keep up with her curriculum? Thank goodness it's only kindergarten - surely I can handle that, right?
Tessa in front of her school in Musoma5. Nairobi traffic. Anyone not having experienced it might not believe me when I say it is my number two cause for worry about having this baby (see #7). I do NOT want to deliver a child in our truck!
6. Dusty being in Entebbe, Uganda for the first 5 days after we get there - I have a lot of phone numbers of friends and a good taxi driver's number just in case I need to make a run for the hospital! However, I'm looking forward to this opportunity for him to see the city where we'll start living in 2011, get to know the team members there, look for housing, and get a better understanding of what his role will be... as long as he makes it back to Nairobi before the baby.
pregnant with Tessa in 2004 in front of our office in Entebbe7. Delivery with no hope of an epidural - enough said. I am NOT a "natural" kind of gal when it comes to childbirth.
So I only came up with seven disadvantages, and I'm sure I could have listed more than ten things to which I'm looking forward. It must be a good plan!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Naming a Tanzanian Baby (no, not ours)
On Sunday we had the privilege of visiting our Tanzanian friend, Sululu, and his family at their home to welcome their new baby boy bringing a quilt that I had made for him. Sululu is the foreman for the construction work at the office, so Dusty is his "boss," and Sululu felt very honored to have his boss and family come to visit for chai time (mid-morning daily tea time).
Sululu has three wives and 12 children. The third wife, below, is the mother of the baby. Sadly, the family had just lost their nearly two year old boy a few months ago to a sickness which should have been preventable, so everyone has welcomed this baby boy with great joy.
We were only a bit surprised when they asked us to give the baby a name - this is not too unusual, but is a great honor, and we had not prepared anything. He already was given his family name from his mother's father, Maragesi. We decided to find a name in the book of Luke since that has been the book our project has been working on for a few years, and the first two chapters are printed in the family's language, Kijita.
Dusty selected Theophilus (the "most excellent" recipient of Luke's gospel), and I selected Simeon, the righteous man who was waiting for the Messiah and blessed Jesus and his family when Jesus was presented at the temple. The kids cast their vote for Simeoni (the Swahili version), so we went with it.
Jack was curious about the baby, but definitely did NOT want to hold him.
Dusty read the story of Simeon from the book of Luke to the family and told them why we had selected the name. The family was amazed - Maragesi Sr.'s Christian name is also Simeoni! What are the chances of that? They knew God had truly chosen that name for this little baby, and we were amazed as well - it was truly a beautiful moment and a definite "God-thing" as all acknowledged. Maragesi Sr. nearly cried.
Tessa couldn't get enough of holding the baby, even when he got her legs wet.
After chai, we began to say it was time for us to go when Sululu announced that the ladies were already making lunch for us. He said that giving chai to someone was nothing, but a meal must be served to honored guests. The ladies brought out the full spread: rice pilau, 3 kinds of meat, vegetables, bananas, cake, and ugali.
Ugali is the staple food of Tanzania. It is a corn-based mush about the consistency of play-dough which is eaten alongside other food and rolled in the right hand into a ball before popping it into your mouth. Our kids have never liked it; it's a bit bland and pasty, but when they saw that you can roll it around like play dough, they changed their tune to the delight of our hosts. Everyone laughed when Jack rolled it with both hands!
Finally our day with Sululu's family ended with a speech by Sululu, a prayer by his uncle, a prayer of blessing from Dusty, and a family photo. Maragesi Simeoni Sr. is sitting next to Dusty's left. It took a bit of coaxing and jesting to get everyone smiling, but it was well worth the effort - don't you think?
In the car as we were driving home, Tessa wisely told us, "Sululu's family gave us two presents today - the first was that we got to name the baby, and the second was a really nice lunch." What a great insight and attitude from a five year old!
Sululu has three wives and 12 children. The third wife, below, is the mother of the baby. Sadly, the family had just lost their nearly two year old boy a few months ago to a sickness which should have been preventable, so everyone has welcomed this baby boy with great joy.
We were only a bit surprised when they asked us to give the baby a name - this is not too unusual, but is a great honor, and we had not prepared anything. He already was given his family name from his mother's father, Maragesi. We decided to find a name in the book of Luke since that has been the book our project has been working on for a few years, and the first two chapters are printed in the family's language, Kijita.
Dusty selected Theophilus (the "most excellent" recipient of Luke's gospel), and I selected Simeon, the righteous man who was waiting for the Messiah and blessed Jesus and his family when Jesus was presented at the temple. The kids cast their vote for Simeoni (the Swahili version), so we went with it.
Jack was curious about the baby, but definitely did NOT want to hold him.Dusty read the story of Simeon from the book of Luke to the family and told them why we had selected the name. The family was amazed - Maragesi Sr.'s Christian name is also Simeoni! What are the chances of that? They knew God had truly chosen that name for this little baby, and we were amazed as well - it was truly a beautiful moment and a definite "God-thing" as all acknowledged. Maragesi Sr. nearly cried.
Tessa couldn't get enough of holding the baby, even when he got her legs wet.After chai, we began to say it was time for us to go when Sululu announced that the ladies were already making lunch for us. He said that giving chai to someone was nothing, but a meal must be served to honored guests. The ladies brought out the full spread: rice pilau, 3 kinds of meat, vegetables, bananas, cake, and ugali.
Ugali is the staple food of Tanzania. It is a corn-based mush about the consistency of play-dough which is eaten alongside other food and rolled in the right hand into a ball before popping it into your mouth. Our kids have never liked it; it's a bit bland and pasty, but when they saw that you can roll it around like play dough, they changed their tune to the delight of our hosts. Everyone laughed when Jack rolled it with both hands!
Finally our day with Sululu's family ended with a speech by Sululu, a prayer by his uncle, a prayer of blessing from Dusty, and a family photo. Maragesi Simeoni Sr. is sitting next to Dusty's left. It took a bit of coaxing and jesting to get everyone smiling, but it was well worth the effort - don't you think?
In the car as we were driving home, Tessa wisely told us, "Sululu's family gave us two presents today - the first was that we got to name the baby, and the second was a really nice lunch." What a great insight and attitude from a five year old!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Common Symptoms of Being a Missionary in Tanzania when...
1. You're the only person in the neighborhood who exercises for the sake of exercise, and everyone knows it.
2. You keep a frozen water bottle in the freezer to put in the fridge for power cuts.
3. You know instinctively which bumps in the dirt road to avoid and which you can pass over easily.
4. You only have one wardrobe, and it's for warm weather. Similarly, you get a bit excited when it's cool enough to actually wear socks.
5. You shop at the second hand clothing market for all your family's Christmas gifts.
6. Knowing every toilet has issues here, you ask the host what you need to know about the quirks of the toilet before you go to use it.
7. Smelling smoke in your house does not make you panic because you're keenly aware that it's just someone burning refuse outside.
8. Your language is laced with Commonwealth English. You go "on holiday." You were "in university" or even "in uni." You change "nappies." You put your trash in the "rubbish bin."
9. You know what it means when someone is taking a medicine ending in -azole. (parasites or worms)
10. You know that what looks like a squeeze mustard bottle on a restaurant table is actually filled with hot sauce.
11. You pack produce in your suitcase. (most recently butternut squash)
12. You don't think twice about seeing a dirt-colored cow lying down outside the grocery store door because you're so excited about actually going into a grocery store in the big city!
13. You arrive one hour late to a wedding and yet are still one hour early.
14. You understand why there is a sign on the toilet door saying, "Do not stand on seat." (Locals use squat toilets - ceramic hole in the ground - and aren't sure how to use a Western toilet.)
15. You can't leave your house without being frowned upon because you didn't wrap your baby in three blankets even though it is 85 degrees and sunny outside.
2. You keep a frozen water bottle in the freezer to put in the fridge for power cuts.
3. You know instinctively which bumps in the dirt road to avoid and which you can pass over easily.
4. You only have one wardrobe, and it's for warm weather. Similarly, you get a bit excited when it's cool enough to actually wear socks.
5. You shop at the second hand clothing market for all your family's Christmas gifts.
6. Knowing every toilet has issues here, you ask the host what you need to know about the quirks of the toilet before you go to use it.
7. Smelling smoke in your house does not make you panic because you're keenly aware that it's just someone burning refuse outside.
8. Your language is laced with Commonwealth English. You go "on holiday." You were "in university" or even "in uni." You change "nappies." You put your trash in the "rubbish bin."
9. You know what it means when someone is taking a medicine ending in -azole. (parasites or worms)
10. You know that what looks like a squeeze mustard bottle on a restaurant table is actually filled with hot sauce.
11. You pack produce in your suitcase. (most recently butternut squash)
12. You don't think twice about seeing a dirt-colored cow lying down outside the grocery store door because you're so excited about actually going into a grocery store in the big city!
13. You arrive one hour late to a wedding and yet are still one hour early.
14. You understand why there is a sign on the toilet door saying, "Do not stand on seat." (Locals use squat toilets - ceramic hole in the ground - and aren't sure how to use a Western toilet.)
15. You can't leave your house without being frowned upon because you didn't wrap your baby in three blankets even though it is 85 degrees and sunny outside.
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