Father’s day.

Truth be told, we were completely ignorant of Father’s day until it was upon us. There are no Hallmark stores here to remind us of such holidays, and, though I have watched a few World Cup games on Tanzanian TV, the commercials are for the following items:

Coca-cola: Everyone speaks football!

Voda-com: sappy emotional commercials for a cell-phone company (like our phone commercials from the 80’s… reach out and touch somebody stuff)

NBC Bank: Their ATM’s are everywhere! (funniest commercials I’ve seen in years)

Anyways, this father’s day has been special because I have had some unique time with Josiah. We are watching the world unfold before his eyes. Some unique experiences of late include:

Josiah’s first Dala-Dala ride. The Dala-Dala is the Tanzanian bus system. The basic premise is that by maximizing seating capacity in a tiny, beat up vehicle, you can make a profit despite gas at $5/gallon and fares at $.20/passenger. On Josiah’s inaugural ride, on a trip back home from the central market, he had 25 close friends in a minivan sized vehicle. And I mean close. Normally opposed to personal space infringement, Josiah did not seem to mind the lack of space, though he was bewildered at his inability to determine which of the 25 other passengers was driving. His view was limited.

(note: Charity wanted to add that it was also Elijah’s first dala-dala ride. He didn’t care about drivers, though.)



Josiah’s first Mchezo. The Mchezo is the traditional Sukuma dance and drumming ceremony. We watched two dance troupes in the village of Bujora in the first day of a three-day festival that builds in intensity as the days progress. While the dancers were the main show, Josiah also garnered much attention. While people may see the occasional white aid worker, they aren’t used to toddlers with long, curly hair, and many made sure to touch it for themselves. Josiah was a good sport; wherever Josiah went, a crowd went with him. He played hard with the others, became covered in dirt, and even took a turn on some of the spare drums.



Josiah’s first language class. Actually, it was my first class, but Josiah asked to join me. He played and colored while Dr. Salala taught greetings until 9:30 pm. Greetings are incredibly important here; social courtesies are paramount in a relational culture, and I learned about 50 greetings that have nothing to do with gaining information, but building relationships. Josiah picked up on some greetings himself. He has been saying, “Hamjambo”, and “habari asabuhi” today.

Nothing fills a father with more pride than a loving, wonderful family. I know of no one more blessed than I.


(note: the picture is from another website, as we are currently unable to upload our own pictures. But if you click on the picture, it may take you to a site to learn more about Sukuma dance.)