Life in Tanzania

This will be a long post, I'm warning you now.  It will be a post with lots of thoughts, truth, reality, and stuff about life in Tanzania.

As I'm writing, the generator is running.  It's loud, costs money in gas to run it, and seems to be a constant reminder of how life here can be.

Life here is unpredictable....I like reliability, I'm having to adjust.
Life here has no schedule...I like to plan, I'm having to adjust.
Life here is different...I like things to be the same, I'm having to adjust.
Life here has sights and sound and smells I've never experienced before...I do like adventure, but not everyday, so, I'm having to adjust.

We've found a great church, and if truth be told, there are several great churches in town.  We've been so fortunate to meet and befriend most of the International Pastors here.  It makes it hard to choose.  We're going to "The Ocean" http://www.theoceanindar.net/ and it meets in a Cinema.

Here is Gwangi playing on the equipment that is out in front of the church.

When you drive on the street here, you experience so much of life in Tanzania.  In the US, people are much more segregated.  There are certain sides of town, there are certain areas where groups of people will live.  I'm not saying that doesn't happen here; but, it is really not quite as obvious.  You will have these absolutely beautiful mansion type homes and then next door is a storage container that has been turned into a house and the people have goats and no running water. You will see people in Western style dress walking with a traditionally dressed African, or even a lady wearing a burka.  Clothing here is colorful.  There are piles of burning trash everywhere.  There are city buses at every corner.  There are colorful bajajs (a little motorized golf cart type form of transportation very common in the city).  At all the busy intersections there are people selling something...coffee mugs, electric tennis rackets to swat at bugs, fish, nuts, etc.  You buy furniture here on the street corner, there is some really nice stuff on street corners!  There is also some "not nice" stuff that you'll see on street corners.  There are more people asking for money here than I've ever seen before.  There are so many people that are hurting, that are physically hurting because they are missing limbs, have diseases (like polio) that have disfigured their bodies and so they can't work.  Tanzania has a very high unemployment rate, and even for those that work, they make about $100 a month.  It is quite a change for us to really be "living" with this kind of poverty that is around you 24/7 and quite literally in your face.

Notice the bajajs on the side of the road and a city bus is coming toward us on the other side.

People walking along the road as we were in stop and go traffic.

The school that Indy teaches at is absolutely an "International" school.  There are over 30 countries represented there!  As it is an overtly Christian school in it's mission statement, you would think you would find mostly Christian students attending.  At orientation Indy was told that the student body is about 70% Christian and the rest is made up of Muslim, Hindu and at least one Atheist.  How do we know about the Atheist....he is in one of Indy's classes and has already "put up his fists" to make his point about his animosity toward Christianity.  Definitely some prayer needed on that end.  Indy is also teaching the 11th and 12th graders and we didn't know much about the British Cambridge system...so let me fill you in on his mission field.  In the 10th grade, students take these massive exams that determine whether or not they are going to University.  If they pass, they are on their way and the 11th and 12th grade is optional classes to get them ready for the next phase.  If they don't pass these exams, they are weeded out and find work, usually in the blue collar sector.  This leaves quite a few openings in the classroom and so the 11th and 12th grade here has a massive overhaul each year as students from other International schools will fill in those holes.  Some of them are believers, some of them aren't, so any which way you look at it, these students are in need of mentoring and prayer.

A couple of students talking after school at HOPAC.  Love the view of the ocean here!

One of the things I'm not so good at is "seizing the moment", that realizing where we are living is quite beautiful, has an amazing ocean and plant life, and that when people come here on vacation, they experience and enjoy those things.  I think when you live somewhere, whether it's the majesty of the Rocky Mountains, the expanse of the ocean, or the bustling history of the DC Metro area, that we fall into our daily routine and don't take the time to enjoy where we are planted.  

The Lord has us here for a reason, we are seeing those reasons unfold all the time.  Indy is meeting students that need to talk, that are searching and wondering about their future, about the Lord, and the truth of their "religion."  One of the churches here has a ministry to an area behind the school called Sala Sala.  It is an old, abandoned rock quarry and people live there, lots of people live there... in huts, with not much else.  It is a sad example of the extremes here being right next to each other, such a stark contrast to the human eye; a beautiful International School, and a village living in a rock quarry.  We're going to get involved with what the ministry is doing in Sala Sala.  I want our children involved.  I want to be involved.  I want to put all of my heart into making a difference, into being a good friend, into enjoying where the Lord has me at this time.  I know I'm changing, I know I'm growing, and I know I'm adjusting.  Some days are more clear than others.  Some days I actually enjoy it here ;).  Some days I get disheartened with life's inconveniences and I start the grumbling.  I will then choose to continue to sing my song.... "A joyful heart is good medicine, good medicine, a joyful heart.  A joyful heart is good medicine, a joyful heart is good." (Prov 17:22)

A dhow boat, typical in Tanzania and Zanzibar.

Some of the lush greenery we see down at the Sea Cliff.

The beach, about a 5 minute walk from the house we have been staying in this month.

The new house won't be quite so close.  

We met and talked to these people a bit; but, language, as always, was an issue.

I like this picture for so many reasons.  We like the "Medieval Moorish" that is being built, on the left.

There is a lady walking toward us with a big bucket on her head, such a typical sight.

The ocean is at high tide, you can see the line of green "algae" where it will hit and then recede.

We took this picture on a day when we walked to the beach to learn about tides for school.

This is a country of power outages, bug bites, and traffic.  

This is a country of beaches, amazing growth, and beautiful people.

Sissi's 4th Birthday

No longer will I hear one of the cutest things ever...when a stranger asks my daughter how old she is and the answer for the past 12 months was "I'm free!"  Oh, how I will miss laughing at that...how I will miss the stage of "3."

Now, I'll be honest, I am not going to miss the stage of transitioning from needing a nap to it being a 'nice to have.'  I won't miss the misunderstandings and fussing because she isn't quite old enough to do something that her brothers are doing.  I won't miss the "I need help to go to the bathroom" stage.

I will miss the adorable cuteness.  I know there will be a day where she will be all grown up and will no longer follow me around like a lost puppy, where she won't want to be everywhere I am, whether it's the bathroom, cooking, folding laundry, trying to sleep.  For now, she's my little shadow, my mini-me.  She wants to do everything Mommy does, she wants to help with all that I do, she wants to be just like me.

There are days that I find this amusing.  There are days I find it so endearing, and I'll be honest...there are days I just want to do what I need to do and wish that she wasn't there making it take twice as long.  But, I need to stop and take more time with her, to treasure those moments and be with my girl.  My little girl that is now not "free"; but, four.  A big girl.  A girl that can assert her differences, that picks out her own outfits and makes different days of the week be certain color days (ie. yesterday was pink day), that has some definite opinions on how things should be done.  We may not always agree; but, I pray that as she continues to grow and be guided by her Daddy and I, that she will learn to love the Lord more and more and will make that choice to do the right thing because she's internalized it, because she's made that decision for herself and her life, not because we "told" her to do it.

Dear Lord, Please lead my daughter in your ways.  Help her to want to have a character that shows the Fruits of the Spirit.  I pray that in all her ways, she will acknowledge you.  Amen!

Our little group of birthday party friends.  Thanks for coming Ruby and Henry, Grace and Josiah.

We had such a fun time and love you already!

Ruby, Sissi with her "Sleeping Beauty" doll I brought from home, and Grace.

The "big" girls are so good with her, praise the Lord for new friends!

Adoption Fundraiser and American Girl Doll Giveaway!

So, my friends are at it again ;) !


What is it, you say....


Well, they are going to adopt!  As many of you know, we have LOTS of friends that have adopted and it is an amazing experience and blessing to everyone involved!!!!  Thank the Lord we are ALL adopted back into the kingdom and are brothers and sisters with Christ.


If you want to find out more about what they are doing, you can read about it here:


http://obedienttogodscalladoption.blogspot.com/p/why-would-we-do-such-crazy-thing.html

In addition to the news of the adoption, they are also doing a fundraiser and give away to help with the expense.

http://obedienttogodscalladoption.blogspot.com/2011/08/its-giveaway.html

At first, I was thinking...I'll donate, of course; but, I can't do the giveaway, how will she mail me a doll in Tanzania if I win?!  Well, I think I'm going to have it mailed to family in the States, they can keep it for us until we return...also, by then, Sissi would be more responsible and ready for a doll like this.  So many to choose from, maybe I'm not almost 37 (I'm not old!), I still like to play with dolls!!!

Enjoy reading their story and, hey, take chance and donate to help give a child a loving home, and in the process, maybe you'll win your very own American Girl Doll.

First day of "Short School"

It was a blessed morning!  We all woke up in a good mood, ready for our first day of school!!!

We started off with reading some of Proverbs 19 and the verse that we picked as our "verse of the day" was verse 11... "The discretion of a man maketh him slow to anger; And it is his glory to pass over a transgression."  Wow, that's a good one for a kiddo to memorize.  We talked about not loosing our temper with each other and about forgiving each other when we do something that offends.  Good way to start the day.

Then we brought out the craft supplies and started "Tanzania School".  We learned about the colors of the flag and what they stand for - green for the land and agriculture, yellow for the mineral wealth, black for the people, blue for the ocean.  We also learned the names of the 4 Presidents of the country.  Then, we learned how to count from zero to ten in Swahili, super fun asking them that the rest of the day.

We did some preschool with Sissi, she loved it and didn't want to stop.  Gwangi did an excellent job picking up with his reading lessons and Krypto didn't get any wrong on his math drills, Yahoo!  Krypto read the first chapter of "Sir Knight of the Splendid Way" and we talked about how it's an allegory of our Christian walk with the Lord.  We made correlations between the paige with our childhood and time before we know the Lord, and then when he decides to find the "way" and the older Knights that have been before him.  We talked about the time in the chapel and the visions he has and how the Light was Jesus walking with us during all of our trials.  It was neat and he didn't want to stop at Chapter 1!

This is how I dream of school being, each and every day...excited and peaceful kids and so many connections being made!  What a fabulous start to our year!!!!

Got some shopping done for the new house, down at Slipway, later in the morning.  Then got a birthday cake for Sissi tomorrow at Fairy Delights ;), it's a Black Forest cake!!!!!  Then picked up a trailer with some stuff from the AG Mission.  Less than 2 weeks now, we'll be moving in!

Working on the covers of our "Tanzania Lapbooks"

So ends the first day of "Short School"

Routine...what the Stamp Clan THRIVES on!

We ended our school year this past spring in April, around the time that we got frantic with moving out of our house in CO and Indy getting ready to retire from the Air Force after 20 years.  It seems like it has been forever since we've done school.  Now, don't get me wrong, all of life is school...traveling and looking at maps as we crossed the US, meeting new people, learning new languages, doing so many things we had never done before.  But, actually sitting down and doing school, well, it's been a little while.

About a month or so ago, I remember Krypto saying to me "Mom, I hope you won't be upset at me when we start school again this fall." I was shocked and said "Why would I be upset at you?"  Krypto "Well, it's been so long, I feel like I've forgotten everything I ever learned."  Now, anyone that knows Krypto knows that there is no way he has forgotten everything, he is one super bright kiddo and I'm very proud of him.  Nevertheless, I understand what he's saying.

I had another experience with Gwangi, he said "Mama, I could have more to do if I really knew how to read."  Don't I know this is true...he sees his brother with his nose in a book every chance he gets and he feels like he's missing something.  I'm sure he is frustrated that he got his glasses in December, can finally see well, we were on track and starting to teach him how to read in February and March and then oops, we stopped doing school and packed it all away to move.

Sissi is so cute, she is super excited to start doing school "just like her boys!"  It's going to be a lot of fun this year to have them all in school...a FIRST for me, all three kids doing school!!!!

SO, we have 20+ pieces of luggage sitting here, I would say about 1/3 of it is related to school, no kidding!  I brought books, school supplies, craft stuff, all kinds of curriculum from Pre-K for Sissi, to 5th grade for Krypto and everything in between.  I want to unpack and get started...alas, it's all dispersed in every piece of luggage because of weight restrictions.  I can't just say, let's open these 6 bins and I can do school.  Since we're not moving into our house for another 2 weeks, and yet Daddy is going back to work on Monday, I have been scratching my head about what to do.  I've got it, I went through the bins and picked out a few things for each child and we're going to do "short school" and start warming up for an official full start on the 29th of August.

Here's what I've got....

In my usual way, I want to start everyone off together.  We'll do our Bible time in the AM.  They are all really liking the verse by verse look at Proverbs, so we could spend a few months there!

Then we're going to take the ideas of several of my friends and do a Tanzania lap book over the next 2 weeks.  We're going to get out some books and use the computer and look at these 10 things (one each day for the next two weeks) and draw and talk about them...

-Learn the 4 Presidents names and talk about the Flag
-Learn and label all the surrounding countries and learn a fact about each one
-Learn the major cities in Tanzania and locate them on a map
-Learn the basics of the major religions in Tanzania
-Learn the common foods eaten and grown here and their Swahili names
-Learn about what animals live in Tanzania and their Swahili names
-Learn about the Indian Ocean and what animals/fish live in those waters
-Learn about tides
-Learn about Zanzibar
-Learn about what insects live in Tanzania, specifically about the mosquito

We're also going to learn a few new phrases in Swahili and things to get us around.  We'll start the actual Rosetta Stone Swahili program in a few weeks; but, in the mean time...

-Days of the week
-Months of the year
-Numbers
-What is your name?  My name is...
-How old are you?  I am .... years old.
-What grade are you in?  I am in .... grade.
-How are you today?
-How much does .... cost?
-How do you say .... in Swahili?
-Which way is .... ?

After our "Tanzania School", which if you're interested, you are welcome to join us in learning more about the country we're living in, we'll do some individual items.

For Sissi (pre-school this year), I got out one of her pre-school workbooks.  We'll do a couple of pages in that and then she'll be free to go and play while I finish up with the boys.

For Gwangi (first grade this year), I pulled out the "Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading" by Jessie Wise.  This worked so well with Krypto and Gwangi was really taking off this spring.  I love how it covers some basic grammar and a full course in phonics as you take them through the book.  It's fully reusable with subsequent children and in just a few minutes a day, you'll get your child reading and being able to sound out words that they aren't necessarily familiar with.  When he's done, he'll be free to go and play while I finish up with Krypto.

For Krypto (3rd grade this year), I will have him start doing some review math drills on the Math-U-See website.  He was half way through 4th grade math when we left CO, so he was just starting long division.  I know he needs some review on his multiplication and division facts, so we'll re-drill those these next two weeks so that he can start up again in "Delta" where he left off.  He can do math drills while I'm working with Sissi and then I pulled out a Lamplighter book, "Sir Knight of the Splendid Way."  My plan is that I'll read one chapter the night before and he can read it to himself in the morning, while I'm working with Gwangi.  Then, we can get together and talk about the chapter.  It'll be great for him to get some good quality reading in again, he's been reading mostly little kid books and comic books this summer.  I think it will also be good to start training him for some Upper Grammar discussion time.  I want to be sure he's having full comprehension and pulling out themes and character issues that he might see in books.  I know this will take time and training; but, I'm so ready for this phase in his education.

I am so thrilled to get started this year, and to share this time with the kids.  We'll spend time in the morning doing school, and then we'll still be free to run a few errands and see people before lunch.  It'll get us "warmed up" for full school to start in just a few weeks and answer that need that we all have for routine in the household.  I'll post more about what we're learning over the next few weeks.  I'll also pull together all the other curriculum and subjects that we'll be using and let you know about that adventure.  In the mean time, I pray this finds you blessed and please, if you join us on any of these items, let me know what you discover!

What we've been up to!

I would have to be honest and say, most days are good around here...we are able to find our blessings and remain positive; but, there are some days that aren't so good.  OR, let me be more specific, they can start off good, and then we can allow the enemy to steal our joy (John 10:10).

For the past week, we've been progressing well...we know our way around town now (for the most part), we have a house to move into (not until the 27th; but, the promise is there), the rash that the kids had is pretty much gone (only to be replaced by mosquito bites...oh well), we have a contract on our house in CO!  Hallelujah for so much blessing!

I then wonder why a childish meltdown, or a loss of power, or a fuel strike can get me down.  Why, and how, can I so quickly go from blessed and content, to grumpy and having a personal pity party?  I really need to pray more about this and continue to make choices to be thankful in ALL circumstances (1 Thes 5:8), to do EVERYTHING without complaining (Phil 2:14), to be the wise woman and BUILD UP my house and not tear it down with my own hands (Prov 14:1).

You know the old saying "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"....it really can ring true in most homes I think.  We, as wives and mothers, are daily responsible for setting the tone.  I can quickly turn and blame my children for the bad attitude that abounds, they are arguing, or fussing at each other and I get angry in response.  I have to remember that I'm the adult, I have plenty more years of experience than they do, I can't get sucked into their immature responses to change and being tired and not getting what they want,and then respond in kind.

Last night was a prime example of this phenomenon.

We had a wonderful day at South Beach with the Porter family and Holly...we had a BBQ, spent time playing in the surf on a private beach, celebrated Joshua's 8th birthday, it was super fun!  We came back up and hit quite a bit of traffic in town.  At first, I was good, I got out my Kindle and opened it to Proverbs and we spent about 30 minutes going over about 20 or so proverbs.  I would read them, ask the kids what they thought they meant, and then we would come up with examples from our own lives and what we could do to be the "wise man."  It was super pleasant.

We dropped the Porter family and Holly off at their house and set off for our own house.  The traffic wasn't good, it was 6:30, the kids were hungry, tired from a full day in the sun, and still had some sand on them.  Sissi decided she was itchy from the sand and began to scream and cry at us...it wasn't pretty.  Now granted, no nap (second day in a row), sun tired, hungry...I get it.  I was patient (at first), we chanted our Fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23), we tried to play games, I even let Sissi come up front (something I would never have done in the US) and sit in my lap and I tried to cuddle her as she continued to alternately whine and then kick and yell at me.  I sang her songs, lullabies, prayed with and over her....we got home FINALLY at 8pm.  We raced through a quick shower and I got them some sandwiches, apples and chips.  Then bedtime...it wasn't fun at all, she was so overtired at this point.  I won't go into the details, but it went on until almost 11.  By about 10, I had lost it, I was now tired, grumpy, had other things to do, and just wanted her to be asleep.

The bad mood carried over to my sleep and I woke up this AM tired, still grumpy, and wondering why I felt this way.  Over the course of the morning, I made pancakes and got some quiet reading time in.  Indy and I sat on the bed and had a talk while the kids played and he said something that I've heard from so many other friends....sometimes, you have to make a CHOICE to be happy, you have to pray to the Lord that He will CHANGE your heart and allow you to make that CHOICE more easily.  I want to be happy with what I have, to be content in my circumstances.  Today, on the way to the grocery store (by myself, Indy kept the kids), I did just that....I prayed for God to change my heart, to help me to be happy where I am, to remind me when, and why He called us here!  Honestly, I feel better already!

Here's a devotion I found, from Joyce Meyer, about enjoying our life!
http://www.voiceofafricaradio.com/daily-devotions/125-we-are-meant-to-enjoy-our-lives-.html

And here are a few pictures of what we've been doing!

The School that Indy will be teaching at (HOPAC)

Our time at the beach

Making Sand Angels

One of the little tidal pools

Joshua and Krypto's feet in the water

My boys...we had 2 firsts yesterday...we got to chase sand crabs and ride on a ferry!

The house we're staying in right now

The yard where we are staying right now

The moon tonight, about 6:30pm local time

The First 10 Days...in Pictures

I thought I should finally clear off some of the pictures from my camera.  Hope you enjoy!  Love and miss you all on this AM that I fully intended to make pancakes for my family and then discovered that I couldn't plug my grain grinder or griddle into the transformer or adapters because one of the prongs is bigger than the other one.  That's pretty normal on most American appliances, so I feel yuck that I brought all of them and now can't use them...ahhh, need to look for another set of adapters, or another transformer maybe...but, in the meantime, SUPER frustrating!

The kids' play area in Heathrow Airport, the kids were so tired!

The boys asleep on the second flight

All dressed up at the Hanson house

The kids with Katie Ness, sister of Gwangi's Chief from Springfield

The Ness family when they were leaving to go back to Moshi....ahhh, we miss them!

The kids with Sarah at Sea Cliff

Some strawberries I bought, this handful was more than $2...it was 3,500 Tanzanian Shillings (tsh)

A shot of all the construction going on everywhere in Dar

One of the houses that we were shown.  They seem to be the two extremes, not so nice and super nice.  Still looking for the middle ground.

Family day at White Sands

A view of the beach at White Sands, you can see some of the islands in the distance

Sissi, walking on the beach

Walking toward the rock wall

The kids were appalled at the trash, we'll go back one day with a trash bag and pick some of it up.

The guest house that we were staying in at the Hanson/AG Compound.

Krypto woke up with red dots ALL over him this morning.  They are starting to fade after some Benadryl.  We looked up all the bug rashes on line, can't find one that really matches....he and Gwangi say that they heard buzzing all night long, so I think something was in there...not mosquitoes though.