A walk in the woods

As I went for a walk through the woods this weekend with my mum, I thought about how the same phrase conjures up such different images for me…
… ‘a walk in the woods’ in England conjures up fresh green deciduous trees such as beech, oak and horse chestnut, standing closely together with the sunlight dappling through, damp earthy ground underfoot, brambles and nettles vying for position and the occasional treat of seeing a rabbit or even a muntjac.

… ‘a walk in the woods’ in Tanzania, by my home in Mbeya, conjures up tall eucalyptus trees spaced out, their distinct scent filling the air, dry hard earth to walk on and dead leaves crackling under my feet, unusual bird calls breaking the silence and butterflies fluttering across the path.

There are so many things which are the same and yet different about my two ‘homes’ – things that exist in both places and yet feel so different, even the air I breathe seems to have a different, more mellow quality, here in England! They feel like two parallel worlds.
Here, in this English world, I am enjoying the luxury of hot water straight from the tap and powerful hot showers, big bags of dried apricots and prunes, pork pies and special cheeses, my favourite jumbo sausage and chips, a washing machine, constant electricity and internet connection, public toilets, good roads and drivers that obey the rules of the road (most of the time). On the other side, I am struggling with the opulent lifestyles of people living round about, clothes shopping and too much choice in shops. I miss shopping at the market in Mbeya, seeing the mountains, eating chapattis and beans and having friends around my own age. It’s a relief to meet with people who have been in both worlds and who understand this strange feeling of being a part of both but not really belonging to either. However, I hope that through sharing about our experiences we can all understand something of both worlds and be both challenged and enriched as we learn from the different cultures they have.

Waratibu wapya!

Here’s a little Swahili lesson for you:
“Waratibu” means “Coordinators” (the ‘wa’ indicates plurality, ‘mratibu’ would be just one) and “wapya” means “new” (note that ‘wa’ is at the beginning of this word too – that’s because adjectives have to agree with the noun that they are referring to, so one new coordinator would be ‘mratibu mpya’).
Last week we held a workshop to train three new people to be the coordinators of Literacy and Scripture Use work in their respective language areas (Sangu, Safwa and Bena). We praise God that there were three people, as we had struggled to find a suitable candidate for the Sangu language until the last minute. It was a busy week, with lots of things for them to take in, but we have been pleased with how keen they were and with how many questions they asked! The workshop isn’t over yet though. This week we will also be training the six coordinators that are already in place, addressing issues that they need more help in and providing opportunities for them to share with each other how things are going.

I find teaching both exhilarating and tiring, so please pray that we would all have the energy we need to keep going! It’s only 2 weeks before I get on a bus to Dar as I start my journey home to England, so I have lots of other things to get sorted too. As I write, it is a beautiful, blue skied Sunday morning, and I am going to make sure it is a good ‘day of rest’ so that I am ready for the busy week ahead! (It’s just a shame that someone is working with a very noisy chainsaw nearby, destroying the silence and making it hard to hear the birds singing).

Cake!

I have been reflecting, in those deep meditative moments, on how simple things can have a significant impact. Take cake for example. How long does it take to whip up a cake? It’s simple and it can be a fun way to relax. But more importantly cake can…
…bring a smile to a person who has been working hard all day. I like to give cake to the groundsman on our compound and I love to see his face light up.
…make a person feel valued and loved. I have a friend for whom the gift of a cake speaks volumes.
…build relationships. Last week I taught my landlady’s niece how to make ginger cake – it was fun to do this together and to chat as we worked.
…help a day at the office seem a little brighter. On occasional Fridays, a lady in our office loves to treat a few of us by bringing in some big chunks of delicious banana bread or chocolate brownies!
…be a great way to celebrate. That’s an obvious one…who doesn’t like a to have a cake for their birthday?!
…be a nice way to say goodbye. On Friday, we will sadly be saying goodbye to some colleagues, who are moving onto a new assignment. So, we’ll be bringing in cakes for tea break, to make it a more special time.
…be a simple way to spend time with friends. I’ve often invited friends round for coffee and cake on a Saturday afternoon – a lovely way to catch up with people, without having to go to the effort of cooking a complete meal!

Maybe I (we all?) need to remember this, and to make the most of the simple things in life. Little things can mean a lot. Karibuni kwangu – I made some chocolate cake on Saturday!

Lunch at a friend's home on Sunday (cake is there, it's just hidden!!)