Spring update

We have now been in Tanzania for 5 months now. In some ways it seems unbelievable that 5 months has already passed. In other ways, it feels like we’ve been here much longer. We have settled into a nice routine and things are going very well.

We braved the winter here and Spring is now upon us. We have noticed a change in the weather these last few weeks. It is getting warmer during the day and the rains have started again. This is the beginning of the "light rain" season.

One of the unexpected joys of this foreign service life is meeting many new people from all different walks of life. Being thrown into this unusual circumstance of living abroad, you bond very quickly with people. I feel fortunate to have met several stay-at-home moms and we now get together quite often for baby playgroups. I have been very surprised how many families with young children are living here. It’s fun to see Sadie learning to play with other children and hearing her talks about all of her friends.

On the flip side though, we are also saying good-bye to people. Foreign posts are just not long-term assignments, so there is a constant turnover of personnel. CDC has a program that allows its US employees to take a 3 month assignment oversees as part of a fellowship. Through this program we were blessed to meet Umed, Keysha, Debbie and Joe. We enjoyed having them over for dinners at our house. Keysha and Debbie were even gracious enough to babysit one night and allow Mike and me to have a date night. Sadie fell in love with them all. Each has now returned to their families in the states and we miss them.

One of our challenges in living here has been finding a church home. We have visited a few places but have yet to settle in to one. Each has its pros and cons. The first church we visited was the church of Christ. The congregation meets at the Russian Cultural Center in town. The service is conducted in Swahili and then translated into English. The congregation is very small. There were about 20 people when we attended.

Most recently we have been going to the Dar Christian Fellowship which meets at Cocoa Beach (yes, in a little grass hut right on the beach). It is amazingly peaceful and serene to watch the waves roll in during services. I would say there are about 50 people who attend DCF. The entire service is in English. Interestingly, at the last service a roll was taken to see how many different countries were represented. The final tally was 18. There is something really awe inspiring about worshiping with people from 18 different countries. Different languages, different ethnicities, different cultures…but all worshiping the same God.

One of our biggest hang ups at each location is no nursery for the kids. Having put Sadie in the nursery at home by 6 weeks of age, we have never had to sit through a worship service with our kids. I don’t know how people do it on a regular basis. At any given time, one of us is up walking around with Sadie, trying to keep her entertained…and quiet.

We have (finally) hired someone to help out with our house. That whole process became more difficult than I had imagined it would be. The first person we hired, Mary, was wonderful. She had worked for ex-pats before and she knew just what to do. She spoke great English, needed very little instruction and was great with the kids. After 2 weeks, she left us for a full-time position (we only had her part-time). Because she felt bad leaving us though, she sent Rosie. Although Rosie was very nice, she spoke almost no English, which really made giving instructions very difficult. After a week, we knew Rosie was not a good fit for our family.

One evening Mike was out talking to our guards and Albert (see previous post) mentioned the he had not seen anyone coming to our house lately. Mike confirmed that we were indeed without help. Albert offered that his sister, Eda was available. After meeting with her, we decided to give her a shot. Eda has never worked in an ex-pat house before. On her first day here I could see her eyes glazing over when I showed her various appliances. She had never seen a vacuum, a washing machine or a dryer before. I figured I would have to train someone to do things the way I wanted them done. I had not, however, anticipated starting from scratch on how to turn on a washing machine.

Eda has now been with us for about 3 months and things have greatly improved. What I love most about her is how great she is with the kids (and I think that’s something you can’t teach someone). She especially loves Cash. I have found him several times sitting in the laundry basket watching Eda fold clothes. Or she’ll tie him to her back while she cleans.

Mike has begun taking Swahili lessons at the Embassy. He goes to class twice a week and is really learning a lot (I think so at least). In the evenings, Sadie loves to run around the complex and go talk to the guards. Mike also takes that time to practice his Swahili with them. Before Albert had to leave, he was like a pea in a pod with our other guard, Jeff. Albert and Jeff mentioned to Mike one night that they wanted to improve their English. So we provided them with some of Sadie’s books to read.

Mike also decided that he wanted to introduce them to American movies. One night he took our portable DVD player along with 3 DVD’s to the building where they sit at night. Albert and Jeff both got very excited when they saw the movie Gone In 60 Seconds and both were saying “yes, Nicolas Cage”! Who knew that he was so popular in Tanzania.

House is slowly coming together. After my sewing machine arrived, I was able to alter some curtains to make them a little more personalized for our bedrooms. We have also been hanging pictures on the walls and settling on final furniture placements. After everything is done, I promise to take pictures of the house and post them.

The kids are growing and thriving. As I mentioned, Sadie is making lots of new friends. She is growing into such a little girl. She loves all things pink. Her language really exploded after we arrived and she is now able to make whole sentences. She can be a little bossy with her brother at times. Her time these days is taken up with the care of her 5 baby dolls. She spends hours sometimes in her room changing their diapers, dressing them, putting them down for naps, feeding them. It’s really quite funny to watch. Of course, I haven’t been able to get any of that on video because she stops as soon as she sees me.

Cash is moving all over the place. He can crawl at a lightening pace and is cruising down the furniture. He loves to eat and now weighs the same as his sister (both are 24 lbs). He loves Sadie. She makes him laugh and he especially enjoys when she brings him toys. His favorite toys are balls and anything musical. When he hears a beat he immediately starts bouncing and rocking to the rhythm.

We are looking at our calendar now and thinking about when we’ll be coming back home for a visit. Right now it looks like it may be sometime in March or April. We will certainly keep everyone updated on potential travel plans. We look forward to catching up with all of our family and friends when we return.