just do a little laundry

Here's what it takes to do a "little" laundry in Tanzania.

First, Daddy and Luke found a good tree to hang the clothesline.

then Mommy scrubs and scrubs and scrubs

then Mommy hangs them in the sun to dry

Finally, and most important, everything must be ironed (even the undies!) to kill the mango flies' eggs (don't ask, you don't want to know)

Yep, it's an adventure everytime.

new adventure - how to kill a snake

We love the Tanzanian attitude toward snakes: kill first, ask questions later.

On this particular day the guard spotted two vine snakes in the trees.  Can you see them?

Look closer...

See it yet?

And finally, the guard hit the snakes with his stick and then crushed their heads under his boot.  (Sounds Biblical doesn't it??)  One of the snakes had recently eaten a lizard.  How did that big lizard fit into that skinny snake?!

On a different day, Jeannette saw a guard kill one of these snakes with his slingshot.  Vine snakes are highly venomous but thankfully they are not aggressive.  Vine snakes have "back fangs" so they would need to gnaw on you for a while before they could inject their venom.  Still, I'm glad they are dead.  They were very close to the path where the children walk everyday.

the death of a chicken

The day we dreaded....killing the chicken.  Please DO NOT read this post if you have a weak stomach or if you feel emotionally attached to chickens.  The following pictures contain graphic material :)

Ben has never touched a chicken before...in his entire life....ever.

and it's done....just make sure you use a sharp knife

we pulled out the feathers together, which was WAY messier and yuckier than actually killing the chicken

Most of the women on our team passed on the chicken slaying...phew for Jeannette!  Ben got to be the warrior hero, again.

best chicken dinner we've tasted

We will never look at chickens the same again.

sorting rice and shaving coconuts

We cooked a Tanzanian feast!  The preparation took 5 hours, and we did everything without electricity.

Here's Jeannette with her friends and teachers organizing our supplies.

then Jeannette sorted the rice (removing rocks and other debris)

The Swahili language has multiple words for "rice" in its various stages.  Also, there are different words for the different steps in preparing rice.  For example, one single verb means "the process of separating rice from rocks by soaking the rice in water and then allowing the rocks to sink and then pouring off the rice and water leaving the rocks behind."  Beautiful!  We're learning that language and culture are interconnected.

shaving the coconut

We know it sounds curious but Tanzanians have a tool designed specifically for shaving the inside of the coconut to collect all the meat.  Brilliant!

making coconut milk

We mix the cocout meat with water by hand and then filter the chunks out of the coconut milk.  Yummy!  Coconut milk is then cooked with rice and beans for extra flavor.

rolling chapatis

Chapatis are similar to tortillas, but made with a lot more oil.  SO GOOD!

She's having fun!

the finished product...enjoy!

We had so much fun cooking together.  It was hard work and hot and dirty but we talked and laughed and even practiced Swahili.  One of our most enjoyable days in Tanzania.  Jeannette is excited to start cooking Tanzanian meals for our family.


Stay tuned next time for slaughtering the chicken...

to market, to market, to buy a fat chicken

We learned how to shop, cook, and eat Tanzanian style!

We begin with a trip to the local market...

everything is fresh

a mountain of coconuts

smells like curry

this is where we buy beans and rice

no idea what this is but it's pretty

all in the open air

stay tuned for coconut milk and slaughtering a chicken...

Hang on tight!

Here's a video of us riding a bajaji, one of Tanzania's most exciting modes of public transportation.

It's like learning how to brush our teeth...again.

We feel like children who need to re-learn all these simple tasks.

How do you say, "May I please have two bananas?"

How do we brush our teeth without using tap water?

the human laundry machine

be careful what you order at a restaraunt!

of course we ate it!!

and of course, going to the bathroom is interesting...  No, they aren't ALL like this.

We are enjoying this new adventure as a family.  Everyday we learn something new or experience something new...together.  What will we discover tomorrow?