I have been in Tanzania now for a little over a
week and I am still getting used to living in a foreign country, as well as
living with a 3 year old and a 3 month old. Both are HUGE adjustments for me! (side note, I will do a entire post on living
abroad later.) I have babysat kids of all ages, but living with them is
another thing! I guess this is a way for the Lord to start preparing me to have
my own family and kids one day. I must need
the extra practice J
But all in all I really enjoying ALL the new experiences!
My day to day activities include playing with Ellis, (we really like coloring together) help entertain Henry, go to the store, run errands, work out P90X2 STYLE BOOOYAA! and then we end the day with play time or a movie! Since living with two small children limits our outings, and I have only been here a week both limit my ability to go places. But I know the longer I am here I will get into some more interesting things, but for now, its beach and shopping!
Now I know what you are thinking, but no..I am not clothes shopping, although that will come later, this is a every day grocery kind of shopping. Since everything is pretty much fresh here, you have to buy it that day and eat it with in the next two or three days. Things do no keep very well here because the food is not filled with chemicals or preservatives, so we have to go to the store several times a week. I find this very interesting and fun because it is a whole different kind of grocery experience. We go to one place for eggs, one for fruit, another for meat, and another for veggies. This takes up quite a bit of time. Dar does have "real" grocery stores, but the prices are almost triple what they should be, especially if the product is imported. This is why we shop at so many different places, plus it is much better to shop locally! I have a few pictures to show the prices of some normal items you would find in a American grocery store. These items were found in the "real" grocery store. I will put up pictures of the local markets later.
This is imported from America, it is 20,500 shillings,which is about almost $13! For gross slice cheese!
Corn and Chocolate anyone??
Yes, these were really packaged together.
Not all of the food and other household items are that expensive, you can find some really cheap food here, point in case, the avocados, but the things that you are used to having, like turkey, chicken, beef, pork etc is very expensive and very rare to find, especially to find it clean. This means we do not get alot of protein in our diets so we eat alot of eggs to get protein as well as black beans. It is a treat to have chicken at night, or a slab of beef. That was one thing I did not think about missing when I was over here, but boy do I! So does my hair, it tends to fall out alot when I don't get enough protein. So if I come back bald, you all will know why.
Some other items that I never thought about as a "luxury" item, chips, oreo's, nuts, cheese, ritz crackers, well any kind of cracker...etc. Just little stuff like that. This does not mean that they do not have these items over here, it just means that I am not willing to pay over $10 for these things, especially a sleeve of only 15 oreos! This is why they are considered a "luxury" items.
I am also learning how to cook while I am over here! It's not that I can't cook, it just that I have never really had the practice or time/effort to cook. Especially just for party o'one. So I just don't cook. However, being over here you have to cook. Everything is fresh and you have to take the time to prepare it, and if you don't do that, you don't eat. For example, anything that does not have a "peel" on it, has to be bleached. Food may be fresh here, but that does not mean that it is necessarily safe and clean. If you are going to cook it or bake it, its fine. Bleaching is exactly what you think it is, open up a bottle of bleach, pour about a caps worth in the sink and let the food soak for a few minutes. Everyone knows how to bleach food right?? Maybe its just me, but it kinda freaked me out at first. It's all good now, totally safe. The meals we cook at night will usually last until the next day, so we will eat it for lunch. There are some things that will freeze and keep for weeks, like meat, chicken, beans, etc.. so when we have these items, we make them last!
Hopefully when I get home I will be able to cook like a master chef! OR at least know how to cook a few things here and there and wont look so undomesticated.
If you have any recipes you want to send my way to try over here, bring it on! And in the mean time, I will also learn how to make a traditional African meal. Wish me luck!
Now, onto the real fun stuff THE BEACH!! This is where I do spend alot of my time and I am not complaining at all! Joe and Betsy belong to the Yacht Club, which is just a private beach club and it is THE only safe beaches here, and it is beautiful!
A view from behind the a few of the "Yachts" looking out onto the ocean.
Its 5:00 o'clock somewhere.
The beautiful yacht club beach!
Yes, these were really packaged together.
Not all of the food and other household items are that expensive, you can find some really cheap food here, point in case, the avocados, but the things that you are used to having, like turkey, chicken, beef, pork etc is very expensive and very rare to find, especially to find it clean. This means we do not get alot of protein in our diets so we eat alot of eggs to get protein as well as black beans. It is a treat to have chicken at night, or a slab of beef. That was one thing I did not think about missing when I was over here, but boy do I! So does my hair, it tends to fall out alot when I don't get enough protein. So if I come back bald, you all will know why.
Some other items that I never thought about as a "luxury" item, chips, oreo's, nuts, cheese, ritz crackers, well any kind of cracker...etc. Just little stuff like that. This does not mean that they do not have these items over here, it just means that I am not willing to pay over $10 for these things, especially a sleeve of only 15 oreos! This is why they are considered a "luxury" items.
I am also learning how to cook while I am over here! It's not that I can't cook, it just that I have never really had the practice or time/effort to cook. Especially just for party o'one. So I just don't cook. However, being over here you have to cook. Everything is fresh and you have to take the time to prepare it, and if you don't do that, you don't eat. For example, anything that does not have a "peel" on it, has to be bleached. Food may be fresh here, but that does not mean that it is necessarily safe and clean. If you are going to cook it or bake it, its fine. Bleaching is exactly what you think it is, open up a bottle of bleach, pour about a caps worth in the sink and let the food soak for a few minutes. Everyone knows how to bleach food right?? Maybe its just me, but it kinda freaked me out at first. It's all good now, totally safe. The meals we cook at night will usually last until the next day, so we will eat it for lunch. There are some things that will freeze and keep for weeks, like meat, chicken, beans, etc.. so when we have these items, we make them last!
Hopefully when I get home I will be able to cook like a master chef! OR at least know how to cook a few things here and there and wont look so undomesticated.
If you have any recipes you want to send my way to try over here, bring it on! And in the mean time, I will also learn how to make a traditional African meal. Wish me luck!
Now, onto the real fun stuff THE BEACH!! This is where I do spend alot of my time and I am not complaining at all! Joe and Betsy belong to the Yacht Club, which is just a private beach club and it is THE only safe beaches here, and it is beautiful!
This is a local beer
Its 5:00 o'clock somewhere.
These are some metal swings held up by some wood beams on Coco beach, which is not the safe beach. I wonder why. Glad I got my tetanus shot!
I hope ya'll have wonderful and blessed day!!
Tutaonana baadaye
(see you later)
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