A few random notes

(Emily writing)

We are all "wazungu" or "white people". Joyce is called an "mchina" or Chinese person, despite her protests. Actually, Danny got asked if he was an mchina too, and he is not even Asian! And Josiah got called an "mzungu wa nywele" or "white person with hair" (he took out his corn rows after the first day, so now is back to his usual fro). Danny got a major sunburn during our soccer tournament, and so he is now "mzungu mwekundu" or "red white-person".

Passionfruit is wonderful! Why do we not have this in our grocery stores?

Sidewalks are nonexistent. Pedestrians never have the right of way. Men never ever give their seats up for women on the daladala. Children have no rights at all and are forced to board last and sit on the floor.

Headscarves: we have chosen to wear long skirts and headscarves whenever we are in public. The women, that is. Here's the reasoning: there is certainly nothing unBiblical about this, and with a 99% Muslim population here, we figure it is a sign of respect for their culture. This has panned out in some seriously good ways. There are plenty of mzungu tourists in town, but we are literally the only ones who are wearing long skirts and scarves. Particularly when girls are out without guys, we get a lot of comments of "Mmependeza!" (You have made yourselves beautiful!) referring to our headscarves. The locals both notice and vocally approve. But not only that, we have actually been asked, both by locals and by other tourists, "Are you Muslim? Why are you wearing that scarf?" This gives us an opportunity to share that, no, we are not Muslim, we are followers of Isa, but the Injil tells us to respect their culture and we wish to be respectful (think I am a Greek to the Greeks, etc.) so we dress like this even though we wear pants and no scarf when we are at home. Who knew these opportunities would pop up?

On the down side, the scarves are giving us all neck acne and rashes. We look rather like blingy cast members of a Nativity scene; Maila calls them our "Virgin Mary hats"!