Our Tanzanian Homestay Experience

Jambo!

Over this past weekend we had the opportunity to have a home stay experience in various parts of the Kilimanjaro region. We split up into groups of two and three. Angie, Yeudith, and I were in the same group and paired up with a lovely family.

Our baba, Peter came to pick us up and brought us to his restaurant, located near the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, where we stayed for the next two days. Everybody we met was so kind and welcoming, they truly made us feel a part of their family. Peter and his friends helped us with our Swahili and introduced us into his daily life.

On Saturday, we walked up to the gates of Mt. Kilimanjaro where we got a tour of the base and a beautiful view of the village.

Later in the day, our baba drove us to his home where we met his wife and two sons. His wife, Agnes cooked an amazing home cooked meal as we played UNO with the boys. She cooked us a meal, ndizi (banana stew), traditional to the Chaga people. The Chaga people live in the Mweka village. We got a glimpse into their daily life, which integrates a sense of brotherly love among all neighbors.

Driving down the muddy road, there was not a single person Peter did not acknowledge, from beeping his horn to pulling over for s short conversation. We passed an old woman whose conversation lasted a little longer than the others.

When we left, he explained that she was a life-long friend of his mother, so “There is never an appropriate time to pass her without saying hello and giving her shikamo.”

The next day we went to mass. Experiencing mass in a different country was quite interesting, especially since we didn’t understand much of the mass. The mass lasted a little over three hours and afterwards we ate lunch together.

After lunch we traveled back to the retreat center and shared our experiences with the rest of the team.

On Monday we will continue our Swahili lessons, can’t wait to see what else we learn! 

Kwaheri!

With love,

Angie, Yeudith, and Haley