#6 – Walking Through the Village

#6 – Walking Through the Village

I think my favorite activity is just taking a walk out into the village. On these walks we go off the main road onto the back roads and trails. Here we see all of the people out working in their yards or small farms, we follow the water rushing down this elaborate system of irrigation channels, and we see the various stages of bananas, beans, coffee, and peas growing. Here is where I’ve seen, on four different occasions, bush babies.

Here we get to see what no tourist sees. The real life and homes of the people of Tanzania are right there under the cover of the bush live 15,000 people with families, farms, and homes, their schools and churches. Along these paths is where we get to see and greet the people and it is where I found out that if you don’t have a piece of scratch paper and a pen, you can take a bit of banana leaf and a twig and write out a phone number. Here is where I get to practice my chagga greetings and hear people laugh out loud with joy that I care a little bit about their language. I will never grow tired of that laugh.

Last week we were walking in the village and I stopped to take a picture of some bananas. The woman laughed and laughed and asked why in the world I would want a picture of her bananas and not her. So I turned to take a picture of her and she ran away. When I had put the camera away she came back, she told me about her 10 children, and she asked me to buy her a kichagga hymn book. The book is purchased and on Tuesday I will deliver it.

On these walks we get to hear the primary school children following behind us and laughing to be so near to these strange visitors. We also get to hear the Secondary School students practicing their English. I can tell how advanced they are by the chosen greeting. They all know “good morning,” but not all of them know what time of day to use it. Sometimes John will hear a student say “good morning Madame” in the evening hours.


Last Monday we walked across 80% of the entire parish. We were on a sort of House to House mission.

When I got back I asked Pastor Shao if he could draw out a simple map for me so that I could see the layout of the village. I’m a visual learner. He said that he would ask one of the elder members of the congregation to make me a map.


Today he showed up with that map.

It is awesome.

It’s going right home to hang on the wall in my house alongside my maps from the boundary waters to remind me of one of my favorite places in the whole wide world to hike and experience the amazing beauty of God’s creation.