Tanzania would be the best place for white people to party crash. Since I have been here I have been invited to so many parties for graduation, confirmation and baptisms. Your family is though to be higher up on the totem pole if you have white people at your party. The only problem with being invited to so many parties is that they they all occur on the same day. After Tumaini graduation I was invited to five parties, but they were all on the same day and you can only go to one. It’s kind of a weird practice. But, really you have to choose only one to go to.
The other weekend I was invited to a confirmation party and it was so interesting! The ceremony was at the Lutheran center. It was Alfred’s son Sammy. All of the white people that I live by are pretty close to his family since we hang out with Alfred’s younger brother Adam all the time.
We all got invitations that said that the party would start at 2:00pm. This was the stupidest thing! Tanzanians are always late for everything. We all showed up at 3:00 and the ceremony still had not started! We came back two hours later and finally the ceremony had begun. I don’t understand why they would not adjust the time on the invitation for white people. It’s like if you say 2 we think you mean 2 and not 5. Oh, man you gotta love it over here! J
At the ceremony a guy that I don’t know talked a little bit in Kiswahili. The room was set up so that Sammy was sitting in front of all of us. Then the cake was set before him. After that one by one his whole family came up to him. Then one by one Sammy fed his family members a little piece of cake. I’m not sure what this symbolizes, but it was really cool. During all of this they are playing music mostly Christian music, but there was some Cilene Dion and Toni Braxton in the mix too.
After this process the man I didn’t know spoke again and then a women said a prayer and Sammy got up and helped himself to the food that had been set up. His family followed, each grabbing their selves some grub. Then we (the white people) were ushered to the buffet line, but before anyone can eat they must wash their hands. Luckily enough the Lutheran Center has two sinks so we could wash our own hands. After dinner a server came around with a plate of little cake slices. We each grabbed one. It was some of the best cake I have ever had, but then again it’s been about 4 months since I have had cake so even bad cake would probably taste delicious to me. lol.
Before we ate dinner I asked Alfred if later on I could get a picture of his family, so after dinner and cake was time to piga picha or take some pictures. It’s actually kind of funny because piga means punch. It really means punch pictures. Lol. Also, when they brush their teeth they call it piga mswaki, punch teeth. Lol
The family gathered at the front so I and another guys could take some pictures. Then they decided that all the wazungu (white people) had to join in on the picture. Then we went out side and took some more. After that then they dance. We stayed a little bit but the Finish guys needed to get ready to go back to Finland.
All in all it was a really neat experience. Also, since white people are though of so highly it would be so easy to walk in to any party even if you weren’t invited because they would feel so honored to have you there. You could totally use this to your advantage……….. if you wanted to. Lol
The other weekend I was invited to a confirmation party and it was so interesting! The ceremony was at the Lutheran center. It was Alfred’s son Sammy. All of the white people that I live by are pretty close to his family since we hang out with Alfred’s younger brother Adam all the time.
We all got invitations that said that the party would start at 2:00pm. This was the stupidest thing! Tanzanians are always late for everything. We all showed up at 3:00 and the ceremony still had not started! We came back two hours later and finally the ceremony had begun. I don’t understand why they would not adjust the time on the invitation for white people. It’s like if you say 2 we think you mean 2 and not 5. Oh, man you gotta love it over here! J
At the ceremony a guy that I don’t know talked a little bit in Kiswahili. The room was set up so that Sammy was sitting in front of all of us. Then the cake was set before him. After that one by one his whole family came up to him. Then one by one Sammy fed his family members a little piece of cake. I’m not sure what this symbolizes, but it was really cool. During all of this they are playing music mostly Christian music, but there was some Cilene Dion and Toni Braxton in the mix too.
After this process the man I didn’t know spoke again and then a women said a prayer and Sammy got up and helped himself to the food that had been set up. His family followed, each grabbing their selves some grub. Then we (the white people) were ushered to the buffet line, but before anyone can eat they must wash their hands. Luckily enough the Lutheran Center has two sinks so we could wash our own hands. After dinner a server came around with a plate of little cake slices. We each grabbed one. It was some of the best cake I have ever had, but then again it’s been about 4 months since I have had cake so even bad cake would probably taste delicious to me. lol.
Before we ate dinner I asked Alfred if later on I could get a picture of his family, so after dinner and cake was time to piga picha or take some pictures. It’s actually kind of funny because piga means punch. It really means punch pictures. Lol. Also, when they brush their teeth they call it piga mswaki, punch teeth. Lol
The family gathered at the front so I and another guys could take some pictures. Then they decided that all the wazungu (white people) had to join in on the picture. Then we went out side and took some more. After that then they dance. We stayed a little bit but the Finish guys needed to get ready to go back to Finland.
All in all it was a really neat experience. Also, since white people are though of so highly it would be so easy to walk in to any party even if you weren’t invited because they would feel so honored to have you there. You could totally use this to your advantage……….. if you wanted to. Lol
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