As Arthur was dropping a colleague to the bus stop after she had come to do a sympathy visit with us, she told him that they really wanted to support and care for me. Was there anything else they could do? Arthur tried to work out what she was offering: […]
With my current lack of brain power, I expected my Swahili would take a hit, that the sluggishness I feel in English would mean remedial Swahili. Yet, the opposite has been true. I am unable to focus in English. (Posts like these ones which posted recently were written before Red […]
Our TAFES colleague Mr Seth came around for dinner a while ago. His wife wasn’t able to make it because she was organising things for their daughter’s kitchen party as she was about to get married. Just before the wedding it’s customary to have a ‘Send Off’, which the men […]
When you look at how Tanzanians manage money, it’s easy to conclude at first glance that they don’t have savings. To be sure, to have a savings account is still considered somewhat unusual. Even uni graduates and the middle class seem to have cash flow problems. It’s common for a […]
This awesome woman is our Swahili tutor Pendo. She’s doing a PhD in Swahili linguistics. In the picture, I’m holding a journal article in which she’s written an article. She’s published multiple articles. Fluency is about so much more than grammar and vocabulary. It’s about knowing the smoothest way to […]
Today is one month since Red Twin died. Arthur asked me if I think I’m depressed. I’m just so sad all the time. But I said no. It’s not been the 6-8 weeks yet (the normal initial adjustment period to shock or trauma) so I think it’s too early to […]
Woman: What are you carrying? Wait, listen, I’ve got some questions about this. Look, I have a problem in my life. Tell me, what can I do about this? What’s your advice? Tamie: Well, here’s the context… Woman: No, listen, just tell me straight. This is my problem. What exactly […]
