We’ve been here a week now, and I’m excited to share some of the things that I’ve learned!
Most importantly, Chase and I had the opportunity to go to Free Generation Orphanage yesterday! The director, Benward Joseph, picked us up in a tuk tuk taxi, which is basically, a golf cart body around a motorbike (that ride was a new experience!). We made the journey to the center, which is in one of the outer villages of Moshi. The children stay with extended family (80 % live with their grandparents) over the holidays, so they weren’t there yesterday, but they will return next week! Ben and the two teachers were using this time to clean and set up, so Chase and I washed all the chairs and tables, swept, and mopped the floors. We are looking forward to returning on Monday, when the children will be there! The Center services 40 children, ages 2 to 5 or 6 (if a child gets a scholarship to attend a private school, it is 5, but if a child goes on to the government run schools, they start a year later, so it is 6). Ben says the things that make Free Generation unique to the many, many similar places is that his school is open from 7AM to 4PM, while most are only 8AM to 12PM. Also, Free Generation teaches in English, rather than just Swahili, and they will accept slow learners. From their FaceBook page, their goal is “Supporting Orphans, disabled, poor, and street children in Education and Health Care.” I look forward to posting more next week!
Other (rather less important) things that I’ve learned:
While we were in Tanzania last year for two weeks, that was clearly in the tourist realm. That is that world where your needs are catered to, and all is required of you is to show up (well, except for Summit Night on Kili—I’d say we had to do A LOT more than just “show up!”). This visit, however, we are “living here” for two weeks. That’s quite a bit different! In my posts, I’ll try to share my learning curve—it’s been steep! 🙂
1) Laundry. Laundry. Laundry. While I knew we (I) would be hand washing, I failed to appreciate all that that chore entailed. I was in the “sure, I’ve hand-washed!” camp— that would mostly apply to a delicate sweater or some other item of mine, that I liked enough AND was expensive enough to make me actually follow the washing instructions on the label! Those very important characteristics also would lead me only to wear said item for “dress up” (read, NON-SWEATY!) occasions. Please understand that washing clothes for teenage boys who are hiking (both to waterfalls and to the grocery store!) in 90 degree weather is a COMPLETELY different experience! When contemplating the fact that several of the “post-wash” garments smelled no different than their “pre-wash” selves, visions of movie scenes came to my mind. I began to understand the cast-iron pot in the yard filled with boiling water heated over a fire, lye soap, the huge wooden paddle used to stir and beat the clothes, and certainly the washboard! So, in the event you find yourself in Tanzania needing to do wash, here are the techniques I’ve begun to employ to improve my laundry wench skills:
—Our kitchen has a nice laundry sink in the kitchen (think utility sink, in the US). Handily, it also has a plastic 5 gallon bucket! I use the bucket with some dry washing powder that I bought at the store (Ariel Original—they have it at any supermarket, but I got ours at the Mini-mart at KCMC), and start with some hot water. For hot water from the tap, you have to turn the hot water on about 20-30 minutes prior, but we’ve fallen in love with our thermos (I’ll talk more about that in another post), and I just use water from that or the water that I’m boiling on the stove to make drinking water
—Put the stinkiest stuff in first to soak in the hottest water. Then get a cup of tea, because those socks need to “set a bit!”
—After your tea, do your best to be the agitator from your machine at home. Squeeze, swirl, and stir! When you are bored, wring the soapy water out and rinse in clean (actually, it’s more moderately soapy from the previous things!) water.
—Wring. And if it’s one of those days that it rains 3 times, go for the double wring once you get it out to the line. Nice, hot, sunny days, probably can only do the single wring, but at this point, I’m superstitious and persist with the double wring
—To the Line. First have your husband fix the line— ours broke with the first “load.” the yard man next door thought it was very funny, but handy Dr. Tree re-strung it and we were back in business! Our house had no clothespins, but we did discover a plethora of hangers (yay!), so I hang lots of things on hangers and then hang the hangers on the line. We’ve since found some clothespins in Moshi Town, but still use a combo of hangers and clothespins.
—Socks. Socks are particularly troublesome to dry. We specifically brought poly clothes that would dry quickly, but our socks don’t fall into that category. Will definitely research for next time. I’ve found that when our socks are “1/2 way” dry, I turn them inside out, and that seems to help.
—Airing. By all means, hang your clothes on hangers at the window to air after wearing, trying to stave off the washing process! 🙂
—(Needless to say, I’m getting better, and I’m proud to report that my hands, while a little dry, are not red and cracked! (Perhaps, I shouldn’t have said that yet—I just knocked on wood!)
2) Private property doesn’t mean that private. We are staying in the Doctor’s Compound for KCMC, which is gated and guarded. However, we’ve discovered that our backyard is a major thoroughfare for foot traffic! Multiple times throughout out the day, folks walk through, often saying “Jambo” to me through the window! (That’s “hello”). Very friendly, and not worrisome, but, nonetheless… still good incentive to close the bathroom window’s curtain before showering! No one walks through our front yard, however. I don’t know if, culturally, it’s OK to walk through backyards, but not front, or if our front yard just isn’t the most direct path! Maybe it’s because monkeys are sometimes in the trees in the front yard (leading to monkey scat in the yard!)?!? 🙂
WooHoo!!! Dr. Tree just WhatsApp’d that he’s on his way home! So, that’s all for now. Happy New Year!
