This week, Esther, Ben and myself had the privilege of visiting a Tanzanian friend at her home and were welcomed in for a soda (a bottle of 'Sprite'). Sometimes on these visits, I can feel uncomfortably aware of how luxurious our home must seem in comparison and how my ideas of what I consider "necessary" in my own home would in fact be an unaffordable luxury for alot of Tanzanians we have met.
It is a fact that "home" for many Tanzanians can mean one or maybe two rooms, with a curtain hung between the sleeping area and the main living area of the home.For each family member to have their own bed is still a luxury for many, never mind having your own personal bedroom!Your toilet may be shared between a few families and could be a concrete stand-up affair rather than a sit-down "western style" toilet. Sometimes it may be situated outside in a little shed, like the loos of yesteryear of English innercity terraced housing. The shower room might be a small room with a concrete floor where you can bring your bucket of water to wash yourself, perhaps boiled over the fire first to warm it up a little.
A few Dodoma homes near the MAF base:
Even in the larger houses we see around Dodoma, houses can often be shared between several families, with just a single room for your own family, perhaps separated by a thick curtain off the main corridor. Many of the kitchens I have seen are nothing like the image such a word conjures up in my English mind:
No work benches, fancy cupboards, sink with taps, electric gadgets, kettle, cooker or washing machine. Cooking is done over the small stove placed on the floor, heated by charcoal or firewood, with pots placed on top to heat the water or cook the rice, boil the meat or fry the chapatis or samosas. If this is done indoors, the smoke created can lead to health problems, as there is no chimney to let the smoke and fumes escape. Once the water is boiled, the thermos flask comes into its own, storing the hot water in order to make cups of tea later through the day- note the sieve on the tea-cup where the tea-leaves will be placed to make the "chai" . Other boiled water may be stored in a bucket, so that the family has clean, boiled water as their daily drinking water. A lot more work than just turning on a tap where clean, filtered water flows out.Although I am told that most houses in the city or towns do have taps, the water is not generally considered safe enough for drinking. Also, I still see that many homes rely on outside taps in the street, shared between neighbours, where I greet the mamas as I go past, busy at their task of filling their buckets with water.
However, in the villages, "home" is a different life again: water has to be fetched from wells, rivers or springs, usually by the women and girls. So much of your daily time is taken up simply to provide for the basic needs of your family- fetching water, collecting firewood or charcoal just to light your fire, boiling your water, cooking your meals over the stove, growing and tending your crops for your own table or to sell at market... the list could go on... the comparisons between lifestyles and different ways of being "at home" are many.
Village home:
We went for a walk this afternoon and were returning as the sun was setting.The evenings are drawing in much earlier now and coats,hats and gloves are being brought to light again from cupboards and drawers.the point of all this to do with your blog? as we approached "home" I said to dad "his time of the year conjures up a vision of returning to a nice warm home to drink tea and eat crumpets." With three bedrooms standing empty here it does seem a shame we can't just redistribute. Thanks for blog and reminding us of our blessings.
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