The Things We Could Learn
Each time we travel our eyes are opened to other ways: other ways of living, other ways of being, other ways of seeing the world. Sometimes, though, despite being in awe of the way other people live, we still believe that our way is the best way. We see how people spend time washing clothes by hand and wonder if there isn’t a quicker way. We see buses waiting to fill before they leave the stand and wonder, why don’t they just run on a schedule? We see people living a nomadic life on the plains, and wonder why. It would be easier to do it “our” way! Life moves bit by bit here in Tanzania and sometimes it can be frustrating. But the rhythm of life is healing. And there are so many things about “Western” life that we lose with our fast pace and harried lifestyle. The local life here is by no means perfect. Some people have no access to running water, and kids are kept out of school for chores at home. No electricity means the day has to stop when the sun goes down. But what’s lost and what’s gained by electrifying the world? Could we in the West get by with less? Here are a few things we could all learn from the people here in Tanzania:
1. There is always enough! There is always enough; enough food, enough space, enough love, enough water.
When we visit friends or family who seem to live day by day, and wonder how will they feed all of us during our visit, there is always enough. In fact, there’s usually more than enough. Feasts are prepared. A small amount of corn meal can make an enormous mountain of ugali. A few veggies and meat bones can create a wholesome stew. Bananas, mangos, and avocados plucked from the tree are eaten as desert, and guess what? It’s enough! It’s enough to fill our bellies and be thankful that the earth provides.
There’s always enough space – on our last trip to Rombo we sat 10 people in a car that seats 7, bags crammed in the trunk, luggage on top of the car. Homes may be small, but the earth is where people live. They cook outside, often bathrooms are outside, the earth provides the space.
There is always enough water (even when there’s not!). Remember when we had to heed the warning “don’t throw the baby out with the bath water”? Well it never made sense in our “modern” way of living, where the bath water is never dirty enough to miss something inside. But here, you use water sparingly, everyone washes their feet from the same tub of water, and it gets a bit murky but to think of using fresh water for each washing seems wasteful when you see the lengths some people go to for clean water.
2. They know exactly where their food comes from. Our food chain has moved away from the local earth, and into the supermarket where we can find whatever we want whenever we want it. In Tanzania almost everything is local and you can find it at the market from the mama who brought it from her farm. In Rombo, Mama Kama keeps goats and chickens and we eat their eggs, drink their milk, and when we visit, well, we eat them too. It’s a literal farm to table. Sometimes it’s a bit hard for me to stomach, actually, but think of all the meat we eat, milk we drink, eggs we buy, and we have no idea the life or whereabouts of that animal before it provided us with food.
3. They greet each other and show respect – All elders are greeted with the term “Shikamoo” which is a term of respect, and the response is “Marahaba”. No matter where you come from, what your “social status”, if you cross the path of an elder you are expected to greet them. Ubalo and Nihali are learning this, they can’t get away with a shy duck behind my leg. They are expected to hold out a hand in greeting. I love it.
4. They live within their means – there’s no credit cards here, no racking up debt with money you don’t have. Yes, some shops or friends at the market may offer credit when times are hard, but not the way we know it. When times are good, people live as such, purchasing more nutritious food, or new clothes, or perhaps purchase some small treats. But when there’s no money, or less coming in, this is reflected in slimming down the budget and living within their means. Sometimes we spend out of our actual means in order to keep up with a lifestyle that we are used to and feel shame or guilt that we can’t “keep up”. There’s no such shame here, and it’s liberating.
5. They work with their hands and the earth. In Rombo you won’t see someone who’s not carrying around a machete, for cutting down bananas from the tree, cutting banana leaves to feed the goats. They mop with a bucket, a towel, and their hands with the rhythmic swish swish of the rag on the ground. They sweep with a tiny broom made of sticks, they wash clothes by hand. They don’t need a fancy gym membership, because exercise is just part of life. Talk about functional movement! #Corestrength
6. They rise with the sun and sleep with the moon. It’s rhythmic. Just imagine that we allowed our natural melatonin to kick in. No screens, no excess light, just finishing up the day by the light of the moon and heading to bed after a day of hard work.
7. They don’t waste – When we visited Rombo, the kids wanted to show me how to make dolls from clay/mud. They went around and collected dirt in little buckets (reused cooking oil containers) and sat in a little corner of the yard all ready to go. But when they asked for water, they were scolded! We’re not giving you water for your play. So when big sister was done washing her clothes she brought over the soapy water to make mud, and we got some more water after the dishes were done! It ended up being more than enough, but the thought that the kids had to WAIT to make MUD, is something we would never think of.
These are just a few musings on the differences between life here and life in America. And it’s a nice meditation to think how life here is different in such a good way and what we give up in our effort to find ease! Now we can buy a ROBOT that vacuums our floor while we rush to work. There’s no time to clean, not to mention with a small straw broom and a water bucket with a rag. But we give up that hard work and rhythm in our life.
With Love,
Marissa