August 19th - Meeting, greeting, WHEATing, laughing, and being a mzungu

Ben Durbin - I have been thinking about one of our last conversations before I left, and figured that it was about time I touched on this subject...For those of you who do not know what 'wheating' is, the title might be a bit confusing. It is something that Ben and Kim, our lovely youth directors at FLC in Duluth, introduced to the leadership team and the fish force. Without going into too many details, it is a way to get to know someone, a complete stranger, without having to seem cheesy or false. And let me tell you, Tanzanians are naturals at this. EVERYONE knows someone who knows someone who traveled to the same place as you last week and probably walked the same streets.
Everyone here has something in common with one another, and if they don't see it right away, soon they've figured it out. They are some of the warmest and most caring people I've ever met. It is only natural to talk for twenty minutes with a soccer player down on the pitch that you have never met before. It doesn't matter that I won't remember his name or that he won't remember mine. It makes total sense to joke and laugh with the man behind the counter, even if I barely speak his language, and he barely speaks mine - he is there everyday, and know that we get the same thing everyday, and laughs about it. Silly Americans, they sure love their beans and rice - and it is sooo good. The woman I buy fruit from every few days - always throws in an extra chungwa (orange) and hopes that I'll come back (which I always do). We chat, she laughs as I try to pronounce the names of the vegetables and fruits, and always laughs when she tries to talk to me in English. It isn't a jeering laugh, it is beautiful and warming and lets us both know that we've got something so basic in common as sharing a joke.
Sometimes it feels so lonely here, being so obvious and so unable to hide or blend in. But the majority of the time, I don't mind. The majority of the time, I am able to make connections and meet people that I otherwise would never be able to. Someone said to me the other day that this must be a blessing in disguise - all these relationships and smiles. Blessing? Yes indeed, but with no need for a disguise. The joy with which people live their lives here is astounding and beautiful and so evident to anyone who takes the time to notice.