Hello everyone!
I have been having a great time in Tanzania! Teaching at St. Margaret’s has been going really well. Almost all of the kids – even the very young ones are able to play “Hot Cross Buns.” Now, some of them have learned “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” and the older children are learning to read music. It is difficult for them because they have never been exposed to sheet music before, but I am confident that they will at least know the basics by the end of my lessons. A pleasant surprise - St. Margaret’s has assigned a teacher to follow me around and take over the music lessons after I leave. I’m glad the recorders will be put to good use!
One of the things that I really enjoy about Tanzania is the interesting street life. I especially enjoy going to market here. Everything is so fresh and delicious. It is also a very interesting learning experience – you never know what you will find at the market! On our last trip, we discovered chunks of “clean” dirt that are frequently eaten by pregnant women. I guess that I had always incorrectly believed that dirt is inherently dirty! Carla was brave enough to try a bit and reported that it tastes just like the garden variety.
Other than fresh fruits and vegetables, I am not altogether very impressed with Tanzanian food – it is very bland! Most of it is also not designed for nutritional value but to fill your stomach – a lot of carbohydrates. However, I have discovered one traditional Tanzanian food that I like very much – feed corn! That’s right – the stuff that is fed to animals in the States. Women often roast it by the side of the road and charge around $.10 per ear. It is surprisingly addictive.
This Thursday, Carla and I are planning to take an all day trip on a camel through a Massai village. We may be very sore on Friday – but how can one pass up such an opportunity?
Anyway, as you can see, things are going very well here, and I really appreciate your thoughts and prayers! Take care!
Rachel
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4 comments:
My question is how (and WHY) does Carla know what "normal garden" dirt tastes like in order to make the comparison?
Or maybe I don't want to know ...
Ok, first of all, everyone knows what dirt tastes like because everyone's eaten at some point in their lives--hello, we were all kids once!
Secondly, some things do taste the way they smell.
And C, I've eaten Bertie Botts' Every Flavor Beans--dirt flavored.
A Mexican woman I knew who raised her children in a remote area said that for her four pregnancies she craved dirt. I think it has to do with some nutritional deficiency.
OK, you know me ... have to go find more info. Here's one quote:
In Africa, pregnant and lactating women are able to satisfy the very different nutritional needs of their bodies by eating clay. Often, the clay comes from favored clay pits and it is sold at market in a variety of sizes and with differing content of minerals. After purchase, the clays are stored in a belt-like cloth around the waist and eaten as desired and often without water. The "cravings" in pregnancy for a varied nutritional intake (during pregnancy, the body requires 20% more nutrients and 50% more during lactation) are solved by geophagy.
The clay commonly ingested in Africa contains important nutrients such as: phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, copper, zinc, manganese, and iron.
Wikipedia has this to say:
In parts of Africa and among some African Americans, clay consumption may be correlated with pregnancy as women eat clay to eliminate nausea possibly because the clay coats the gastrointestinal tract and absorbs dangerous toxins. The clay may also provide critical calcium for fetal development.
Huh. You learn something new every day.
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