Hodi Hodi

Our first weekend in Pommern, some of our group including myself had gone to Ruaha National Park to see the wildlife (see this post), but our second weekend we all stayed in the village. It is Global Volunteers' expectation that we spend 40 hours during the week volunteering but that we not work on the weekend. So Saturday and Sunday were a "day of rest," as Edward called it.

On Saturday we slept in a little and had a late breakfast followed by "dessert" of mandazi, which are these amazingly delicious donut-like delicacies that I simply can't wait to eat more of again very soon!

Andazi with powdered sugar in the background (photo by Kendra)
Grammar note: Andazi is singular, mandazi is plural

I'm not sure mandazi seem all that special based on this picture. Just trust me. They are. Finding the powdered sugar in the first place was actually an interesting story. One day earlier in the week after eating plain mandazi several times, we got it in our heads that they would be even better with powdered sugar. So we went on a hunt for the stuff, stopping at several shops in the market. We didn't know the Swahili word for powdered sugar though, so after being shown regular sugar, baking soda, corn starch, and even soap flakes, but no powdered sugar, we sadly returned to the mission house....where lo and behold Mama Tony had and was kind enough to give us some of the powdery goodness. Iced sugar is what she called it in English. If only we had just asked Mama Tony to begin with!

Then Jack brought out a new soccer ball which had been purchased with our money when Edward and Mohammed went to Iringa the day before. This was greeted by shouts of joy from the children since the first one had popped a week earlier, and we spent some time playing with the kids.

Jack playing soccer with some of the boys

Around noon, Edward wanted us to go hodi-hodi-ing.  Hodi hodi means "may I enter" in Swahili, but we crazy wazungu (white people) took to using it as a "Swahinglish" verb in regular conversation to mean "go visiting." We called upon Edward's wife and saw the Mgenis' beautiful home once again. (Late Wednesday afternoon of the week prior, Kendra and I had gone with Edward to see a traditional dance performance, but we had the wrong date or time and didn't get to see it. On our way back, Edward took us by his house because he wanted to get a sweater.) The Mgenis have a very nice home by African standards, definitely one of the nicest in the village. It was made of cement walls and a metal roof, was fairly large, and had land around for chickens and cows and banana trees and corn. It even had a satellite dish and a TV as just a few houses have.

The Mgeni home

The path leading up to the home is lined with corn on both sides

Room for the chickens to roam and banana trees to grow in the backyard

Plants growing and clothes hanging out to dry in a little courtyard area of the Mgeni home (photo by Amy)

Kendra and Amy inside the Mgeni living room

TV in the living room, protected from thieves

Dining room in the Mgeni home. The blue bowl and orange bucket on the floor contain water for washing your hands before and after the meal. Water is poured from the orange bucket over your hands and is caught in the blue bowl.

Edward's wife gave us hot chai (tea) and then served a lunch of ugali (a thick corn mash, the traditional dish of Tanzania), sauce, and greens. We practiced the African way of eating – no silverware. Simply roll a bit of ugali between your fingers and use it to pick up a little bit of sauce or greens, then place in your mouth and enjoy. Edward's wife is a teacher at the primary school, and we had a nice time visiting with her. (If I understand correctly, she has recently been promoted to headmistress there.) What a way to truly experience African life this whole trip was, especially the adventures like hodi-hodi-ing. I wouldn't want it any other way!

From left to right: Sonia, Jack, Mrs. Mgeni, Kendra, and myself.
Mrs. Mgeni holds the basket we brought her as a gift for hosting us in her home. (photo by Amy)

When we returned to the mission house from our visit, we found Mama Tony also had prepared us lunch, so we felt obligated to eat again. We also purchased some baskets from a group of women who were selling and weaving them near the mission house, and Kendra even got to try the basket weaving herself. 

One of the basket-weaving ladies

Kendra learning how to weave a basket

On into the afternoon, we took a walk/shopping trip up in the market area, and Noeli & Tacuzo (two of the children in the village whose company Sonia and Kendra really enjoyed) were polite young gentlemen and offered to carry their bags.

Various shots of the market area in Pommern

Days in Pommern end around 6 pm when the sun goes down, and we spend the rest of the evening in the mission house. Mohammed turns the generator for electricity on when it gets dark out, and we eat supper, play games, talk, journal, enjoy a fire in the fireplace, etc. until he turns off the generator around 10:00. Then it's time for bed.

Kendra and Sonia hanging out in the lantern light before the generator comes on (photo by Amy)

Amy at the food serving table (photo by Kendra)

  

Me, Sonia, Jack, and Kendra eating dinner (photo by Amy)

Kendra, Sonia, and Jack enjoying the moto (fire)
(photo by Amy)

Moto. Soon it will be usiku mweme na lala salama (good night and sleep well)!