MZUNGU. We hear this all the time. Called out to Elliot in our backyard as people pass by; whispered in a tone of surprise when I walk into a shop where people haven’t seen me before; used as a description when someone answers their phone while at our house and […]
Living cross-culturally continues to have it’s surprises and tensions, 2 1/2 years in. Here are some moments that weren’t big enough for a post of their own. (Some others from around this time last year here.) One of the TAFES staff was explaining to us how some of the Associates […]
In the months before we publicly announced that we are moving on from St John’s University to work for TAFES, we had a number of meetings with our boss and people who have been mentors with us. We were very nervous because we knew they would be very disappointed, but […]
Arthur’s previously argued that much of the talk of prosperity in Tanzania coheres more with the Bible’s wisdom tradition than it does with western ideas of the ‘prosperity gospel’. We’ve become convinced that prosperity teaching in Tanzania meets a very real need in Tanzanians’ lives and recently as I was […]
On our trip to and from Dar es Salaam earlier this month, Arthur and I were charged with speeding once each. That’s a TSH 30,000 fine (about AU18) and some paperwork, then you’re on your way. (We always ask for paperwork. I have no idea if this decreases the chances […]
Last month The Citizen, which is one of Tanzania’s main newspapers in both Swahili and English ran an article entitled ‘Is city life better than living in the village?’. It was almost like a high school debate where they had three opinions for each of the affirmative and negative teams. […]
It was the morning of a public holiday and we’d gone out for a family walk to buy some bananas from a local stall. People call out to us all the time so we thought nothing of replying pleasantly to the three drunk guys sitting on the new drain constructions […]
Meet Jesus at uni 