Changes in Attitude

Dear Friends and Family,

 

You have by now read Rob's announcement that we are moving back to America in January.  He gave the reasons behind the move and his short synopsis of the highs and lows of moving back to the US after only one year in Tanzania.  I thought I'd fill you in a little on the reactions of the family and the thoughts we've been sorting through since we made this decision a few weeks ago.  First, I will say that if anyone ever has the opportunity to come to Tanzania or Dar es Salaam they absolutely should go, no questions, just do it, you'll never regret it.  I will never be sorry that we spent this year here, both for the things I've seen and done, and for what it has taught Rob and me and our kids.  That said, there are a number of things we won't miss.  Here's a list that we've come up with, as a family and individually:

 

Dirt roads with potholes the size of small craters and speed bumps between the potholes.

People asking for loans.

Questions answered with "Yes, Madam", that leave me wondering.

Fundis (technicians), especially the ones that are working on the plumbing.

Having to smell the milk every time you want a glass.

Milk in 500 milliliter plastic packets.

One liter boxes of juice.

Wadudus (bugs) the size of small kittens.

Sweating so profusely after you get out of the shower that you wonder if you forgot to use the towel.

Having to swim after doing the dishes because of the sweating.

People wiping their faces of sweat in mid sentence.

(OK, there's starting to be a theme here!)

Security guards, gardeners, iron grates on windows and doors, car alarms, and house alarms that keep going off.

Swahili lessons, when after a year I still can't speak the language.

Bartering for every purchase.

Wadudus in the vegetables, even if you soak them in salt water.

The Monster Truck.

Calling for the water truck to deliver water every eight days-- calling for the water pump fundi (plumber) every other day to get the water into the pipes in the house.

Power outages, and the Generator.

 

On the other hand, there are some things about living in Dar es Salaam that I wish we could take with us:

 

Safaris.

The pool.

Endless summer (but a few degrees cooler than the temperatures in Dec, Jan, and Feb, please)

The beach, and opportunities to go sailing, snorkeling, swimming in the Indian Ocean.

Blue, blue skies - all the time, and sunsets to die for.

The beautiful, happy people.

The Masaai.

The TingaTinga artists and shopping for African art in Mwenge.

The seafood. 

Our friends, and the variety of nationalities of our friends that make life so interesting.

Having swimming as part of the school curriculum.

Learning games we'd never even heard of, like Netball.

Watching my 11 year old sail a boat on his own.

Tanning in January, in the backyard.

Avocados that taste like butter.

 

The first thing Austin said when told we were going back was that it was fine with him as long as I signed him up for baseball.  Wes said he'd miss his friends, but he's looking forward to snow.  Madie is looking at shopping as a career.  The first things the kids want to eat is Taco Bell, or Mrs. Budd's fancy vegetable chicken pot pies, except for Madie, who wants a Hershey bar with almonds.  I just want to look at vegetables without fighting off the flies.  Trader Joe's may be our first stop when we get off the plane.

 

We actually are leaving Tanzania with quite mixed feelings.  One thing we have decided is that only one year in a place is really too short.  We're just getting over all the hassles and getting used to life here.  We are at the point where we were finding all the fun things to do, for example Rob was going to get scuba diving certified and I was going to join the lady's sailing group.  However, there are a lot of things that we are looking forward to in Falls Church, most notably the schools and having family nearby.  We have had some fantastic safaris, we have seen and learned so much in this past year, but we are also looking forward to getting back to a life that is a little easier.  I have to admit to finding the necessity of having guards and gardeners and other people constantly in my house and yard has been one of the hardest lifestyle changes.   I'm with Greta Garbo at this point, I just want to be alone!     

 

So, as we wind things down here and start thinking about how our life will be in a couple of weeks, we are both sad and happy.  As I said in the beginning, I will never regret the year we lived in Tanzania, I may only regret that we had so short a time here and we didn't take more advantage of the opportunities to sail and snorkel and dive in the Indian Ocean.

 

We'll see you all (well, most of you) very soon!

Barb