Day 68: Nature's Song

          I just want to thank all of you for your kind words and for subscribing to my blog!  I now have 33 subscribers!  And I want to give a big thank you to Anande, Aishi, Mother, Faraja (my cousin), and Sandee Baker (A total random stranger, how cool is that!!!) for following my blog through Google Friend Connect.  If you want fame and recognition for following my blog, that is the only way.   If you like my blog, show you support by subscribing!  If you're wondering why then I haven't posted anything in ages, you'll have to read this post to find out...
          There are two reasons why this next update has taken my so long.  First, we left Karibu Home and moved back in with Shangazi Eli-aremisa.  This cut me off from a steady supply of power, meaning I couldn't use my laptop very much.  Baba uses my laptop as well to write letters and such, so my blog time was all but eliminated.  On the plus side, I got to spend a lot more time with my relatives.
          The other reason was that I was just too busy.  The two-day spiritual assembly in Dar was coming up, and we needed to visit the rest of my relatives in Arusha before then.  Then we went to Moshi, and from Moshi to Dar for the two-day.  However, I did not forget about all of you, my poor and less favored readers, who must trudge through your daily monotonous grind.  You, who's only ray of sunshine come from reading my blog.  Which is why I took lots of notes and then spent the past three days working tirelessly on this blog.
          I don't have much to report about today...wait, I take that back!  I went into town with Baba who was going to the University of Dar to meet again with his friend, Professor Jengo.  While I was waiting in the car with Anandumi, I suddenly hear a voice calling to me from out the window.  It was the voice of nature, and she was singing to me.  Deciding to heed this call of nature, I went in search of a toilet.
          As a quick side note, you will never find a restroom in Tanzania.  None, zip, zero.  Go on, try and ask for one, no one will know what you are talking about.  There are plenty of rooms with toilets for those who need to use them, but no rooms with beds for resting.  So I went, as I said, in search of a toilet room, or as it is called in Kiswahili, a choo.
          I met Baba, who had also heard the song of nature and was answering it's call himself.  Since he was my Baba, I of course had to let him go first, and went to Prof. Jengo's office to wait for him.  When he came back, I went to go use the toilet myself, but he stopped me, saying that I would probably find it unusable.  At first I thought it was because it was one of those ground level toilets you had to squat over, and was quite surprised.  The real reason, it turned out, was a lack of toilet paper.
          That was when Prof. Jengo explained the situation.  He, as it turned out, was in charge of the Men's toilet, making sure it was fully stocked with soap and toilet paper.  No, he wasn't sitting down on his job (though he was sitting down when he explained this), the problem was the night watchmen.  The job of night watchmen, of course, it to watch for thieves and make sure nothing gets stolen.  Ah, but who watches the watchmen?  And so, every morning, there is never any toilet paper or soap in the bathrooms.
          The same is true no matter where you go.  Even in a five star hotel, if you go into their restrooms, four times out of five there will be no toilet paper.  After all, a roll of toilet paper only costs 200/= (17 cents), so rich places like five star hotels can afford to replace whatever anyone takes, right?  At least, that's the mentality of many Tanzanians.  Jengo gave me his roll of toilet paper and a bottle of soap that he keeps in his office, and I returned them when I was done.  If and when you do visit Tanzania, be sure to bring both with you and keep them on you at all times...
          I almost got all the posts finished today.  I had them all written, I just needed a few details from Baba.  As soon as that happened, people started showing up.  First was Mabel (another of my cousins), her husband Mosha, her daughter Nema, who came over with Jake, an exchange student from Maryland, near Washington D.C.  I taught him Double Blind and another one of my favorites (those who know it, know it) while the adults talked.  As it turned out, Mabel had come because she had heard Baba was sick and she wanted to "heal" of his demons.  This all happened while I was outside playing cards, and so I was blissfully unaware of the entire episode.  I did remember hearing them "praying" rather loudly though...
          After they left, Mama Joann (Mama Faraja's younger sister, who married Kaanael, the older brother of Anandumi) along with her oldest daughter.  Guess how old she is, just guess...  19!!!  I have a niece who's within five years of me!!!  But it gets better!  You see, in Tanzania, as I was explaining before they don't use the terms aunt and uncle.  Well they also don't use the terms niece and nephew.  Instead they just call them son and daughter.  Which means that I have a "daughter" that's ready to go to college!  I'm still in college!  I'm putting my foot down now, before all my nieces and nephews get any older.  All nieces and nephews of mine must be younger than me, and all aunts and uncles must be older.  No exceptions!
          So, what with all this family visiting, I never got to talk to Baba and finish the posts, which is why I didn't put them up today.  But I will soon.  Actually, I don't even know why I'm telling you this, since you won't read it till after the fact.  Eh, whatever...

          Oh, and as one final note, all the P.S. I used to put at the ends of some posts will now appear in the comments section (that way it's a bit more interactive...).


E’ya! - Tate


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