At Least It's Not Alive!

Beth's house (which I am currently living in) was fumigated last week. I walked in on Friday and saw quite a sight - a snake ... on the floor ... in the kitchen. 

Instinctively, I knew the snake was dead. There was no way he was alive. But I still ran outside and had a moment of freaking out. Then I realized I had to figure out how to get rid of the snake. Well, even if the snake was dead, there was no way I was touching it! So I went up to Tumaini and got a couple of the older boys to come and help me. They were very nonchalant about the whole matter. So much so, that their calmness almost convinced me to touch the snake. Almost. Instead, I worked on burning the snake. Surprisingly, at least to me, the snake really didn't catch on fire. 

Anyhow, the snake is now gone. And as I kept repeating to myself, "A dead snake is better than a living one."

Saidi holding the very dead snake. 

Zanzibar!

I apologize for not posting in a while. It just hasn't really happened. But, I do sometimes post on the Tumaini blog, so be sure to check that out also!

I went on vacation to Zanzibar with friends for about 10 days in February. It was wonderful! Here are some pics as a peace offering for not having posted in a while. :)

Us by one of the many cool doors in Stone Town

On the Spice Tour

Yeah, my legs are freakishly white!

The beach was awesome!

 Sunrise

Papaya Curry

I know that papayas are packed full of all kinds of good things for your body. But, I just can't seem to make myself enjoy papaya. This recipe, however, actually made me change my mind. I have since willingly purchased two papayas--just so I could make this recipe. So if you have access to papayas, you must try this ... really.

Papaya Curry

1 onion, chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

2-3 tomatoes, grated

1-1/2 tsp curry powder

½ tsp paprika

1 tsp honey

1 tsp mustard

2 tsp soy sauce

2 c. papaya, chopped

½ - 1 c. coconut milk

1. Fry onion and garlic. Add tomatoes, curry, paprika, honey, mustard, and soy sauce. Cook for a few minutes.

2. Add papaya and some salt. Add water to make a sauce. Cook until tender, 10-15 minutes. Add coconut milk at the end. Serve over rice.

Recipe for Tanzanian Cabbage

I enjoy cooking, and I especially love recipes. I love to find new recipes whether that’s through blogs or through reading a cookbook. (And yes, I do read cookbooks in my free time!) I’ve never shared any recipes on my blog, but today, I thought, “Why not?”

A few weeks ago, Karen and I had one of the Tumaini cooks come to our house and teach us to cook cabbage the way our Tanzanian friends do. And the result is just so delicious, I have to share. This is a typical side dish served here in Tanzania. The Tumaini kids will often get a small portion of this cabbage along with their regular rice and beans or ugali and fish. It’s one of my favorite foods here!

Tanzanian Cabbage

½ cabbage, shredded finely

1 carrot, finely sliced (opt.)

½ green pepper, thinly sliced (opt.)

4 Roma tomatoes, peeled and sliced*

1 onion, sliced

Oil

     1.  Heat oil. Cook onions for about 2 min. Add tomatoes and 1 Tbsp. salt. Cook for 7-8 minutes as tomatoes break down. Stir often.

   

     2.  Stir in remaining vegetables. Cook, uncovered, until tender, about 20-25 min.

*Note: Since the tomatoes are being cooked down into a sauce, a great way to peel them is simply to use a grater. Slice the tomato in half and then grate the tomato until all you’re left holding is the peel. Toss the peel and add the grated tomato to the pan. 

Technology

Does anyone have any good tips on creating titles? Seriously, this is something I have always struggled with. The thought of creating a blog title or coming up with an email subject scares me out of writing said blog post or email! (Hence my creative title to this blog entry.)

I am so behind the technological times. Today, for the first time ever, I asked Siri a question. I've had my iPhone since August. I hopped on the podcast bandwagon in December - and how long have podcasts been around? I may have a Twitter account, but I have never tweeted in my life. And, I still don't own a tablet. Wow. That was just too many confessions in a row!

Regardless, I do see many benefits and advantages to technology. And the times have caught up to us here in Africa. Tonight, I was trying to help some of the kids with their geography homework. However, the answer to the question, "Name the two plateaus in Tanzania," was not in the book. So I tried to look it up online using my phone. There was just no signal, though. 

In an attempt to help me, John, of the Standard 7 boys asked me, "Did you ask Google?"

Me: "Google is not working right now."

John: "Did you ask Twitter?"

Me: "Umm, I don't think Twitter will know the answer."

John: "Did you ask Facebook?"

Me: "I don't think Facebook will know the answer since most of my friends live in America."

We ended up just guessing the answer. I was quite surprised at John - where did he learn about Google and Twitter and Facebook? It seemed as though he had some sort of understanding of those websites. I guess he may have learned it from computer class at school. 

Making Sandwiches

While the kids were home from school on their end-of-year break, we wanted to let them do some special activities. We tried to devote one day a week, usually Wednesdays, to a special craft or activity. Several of the kids have recently been talking about sandwiches for some reason. Several of them have eaten sandwiches, particularly when guests are here, but sandwiches are not a typical food item here in Tanzania. So, to satisfy their sandwich cravings, we decided to let the kids each make their own sandwich.

A few days before the activity, I made sure to buy enough bread to cover all of the kids. For some reason, though, I didn’t even think about buying sandwich toppings (in this case, jam and margarine). I didn’t realize until the day before the activity that I didn’t have any of those items and that I wouldn’t be able to go out and buy something. So, I started thinking through what was available to buy in the village. My friend Chelsea was there at the time, and we actually considered making mango jam. Then, I had a better idea—peanuts are available in the village. We could make peanut butter. And we did! I’ve always wanted to make peanut butter, but until then, I just never had.

So crisis averted, the kids were able to make their own peanut butter sandwiches. Making a sandwich is pretty self-explanatory in a western culture, but we actually all had to learn to make a sandwich at some point. We had to teach the kids how to spread the peanut butter, how to cut their sandwich, and even how to hold their sandwich to eat it properly. All in all, I think the activity was a hit!

Reflecting

I'm sitting at our neighboring beach resort (which incidentally is on a mountain, not by the beach)--reflecting, thankful. On Facebook I'm seeing everyone's year-in-reviews. Is there really a simple way to recap a year? 

Lately, though, I've been thankful for little things. God is amazing in His provision for His children, isn't He? Little things like having 3G connection on Christmad Day. That sounds insignificant, but it was huge. Some days we can't even get service in our house. On the days we have service, it's a pretty slow connection. But yesterday I had 3G. I was able to call home while my family was together for Christmas. Not just that, but we had an amazing connection! There was barely even any delay. 

Bigger things--my best friend from home was able to come out and help us here at Tumaini for three weeks. I've always wanted Chelsea to come out and visit, but it's not exactly a cheap vacation. But we had a need here while all the kids were home from school and God provided. God's kindness is overwhelming!

(Chels with a few of the kids)