Time

        I am starting to write more on this blog not just about the kids, but also what it is like to like in Tanzania.  People often ask me, "What is different about living in Tanzania?"  The answer is "Everything."  Nothing is the same.  I want to use these blogs to show just a window into life in Tanzania.  When you are in a culture, you are experiencing everything at once: sights, sounds, weather, food, language, people, smells, etc.  I will attempt to discuss one thing at a time.

              TIME

       For starters, there is Swahili time.  And, I'm not talking about being perpetually late (more on that later).  The way they tell time is literally flipped from the way we do.  7 am to them is 1 o'clock, 4 pm to them is 10 o'clock.  Is your mind spinning yet?  It actually makes a lot of sense.  We live near the equator, so the length of days only fluctuates about 1/2 hour all year.  Which means that it is very easy to tell time by looking at the position of the sun in the sky.  Which is what they do.  1 o'clock in the morning, means that the sun has been up for one hour (it is 7 am).  Saa sita (The sixth hour), means the sun has been up for six hours, is right above you, and it's 12PM.  This way of telling time actually makes sense when you think about it.  And, it's how the Israelites told time in Bible times.


         Ok, now onto "African time".  Usually, we can only make one appointment a day, because you are never quit sure when that person will show up.  Our evangelist will often show up two hours late from the time he said he will come.  We learn to expect this, and not to plan too much into one day.  The reason for their lack of promptness has to do with their culture.  If the person has a prior engagement, it would be rude of them to break it off early, or to interrupt the flow of that event to reach you at a specific time.  Once they come, however, they usually will stay and visit for hours.
        Being exactly on time isn't as important as the event, and spending time with people is of utmost importance here. 
       For instance, church starts around 9:30.  That is when the pastor's family and a few others meet in the church and pray and start to sing.  When the neighbors here the singing, it reminds them that church is starting, and they start to get ready.  People slowly come in, and by 10 AM, most people are there.  But, once there, they are THERE.  The service lasts 2-3 hours, including an hour long sermon and an hour of singing, plus a mini-sermon for the communion.  After church, no one rushes off, but everyone stays around for another 45minutes to an hour just talking and catching up. For them, church is an EVENT, not something to rush through.  They enjoy their time together.
            In America, we are notoriously late.  And, I am often shocked at how short the church service is, and how people run off afterwards.  Maybe Tanzania is rubbing off on us.