My Tanzanian Home

Wednesday my host Mama met me at the hostel to take me to my Tanzanian home.  After stepping out of the taxi (owned by my Mama's second son), three small children greeted me, wide-eyed and curious.  My bags were given to two older children and two of the little ones grabbed my hands, linking with the other who lead me down a dirt path, through a wooden gate, and into the home.  Inside sat another dozen children who smiled and giggled when I walked in, shying away when my eyes met theirs.  My Mama's thirteen-year-old granddaughter greeted me in perfect English and followed Mama and I to my room.  It was clear that I am not the first mzungu volunteer to stay here as the room was set perfectly to accommodate a traveler's needs: two long wooden tables for clothes and toiletries, a shelved stand storing extra sheets, a night stand sitting next to a full-size bed ornamented with a bright blue bed-net, and a velvet chair in the corner for sitting.  On a long table sat two bottles of water, a camping lantern, a mirror and a few leftovers from volunteers past- an English book of prayers, bug spray, sunscreen, diarrheal medicine, and a traveler's pillow hanging over the bedpost. 

I returned to the living room and the little children trickled out; their excitement over for the day.  The house is divided into five rooms, a hallway, pantry, and two small rooms for the pit latrine- complete with a ceramic base and flush string- and the shower area used for any water-based needs.  In the kitchen stands a stove and oven unit that is currently broken, two lone-standing burners, and a wooden table connected to two open cabinets.  In the backyard lives two goats, a dog, and a family of six who rent a smaller house, and a banana garden unfortunately struggling from last year's dry season.I have been there for five days now, and it already feels like home thanks to the love, comfort, and care my family gives me.