I am nearing the end of my time in TZ. Today I walked for over an hour alone in Iringa and never saw another caucasian. I wandered through the markets, past small shops and through the hospital grounds. I never felt threatened in any way.
TZ is an interesting country. Religion is a very important aspect of everyday life here. About 1/3 of the country is Christian and 1/3 Muslim. The rest have no belief or believe in traditional, "native" religions. Everyday I see kids walking to school. There will be groups of Muslim girls walking with groups of Christian girls. I have seen very little friction of any kind.
This is a year of the presidential election in TZ. We asked one of the university research assistants that Don works with if religion played a part in the election. He gave us a funny look and asked why would religion play a part in politics. Interesting comment. I can remember when John Kennedy was running for president and the "talk" was that if he was elected, he would be taking orders from the pope.
Don is off at a pastor meeting talking about agriculture and the need for the pastors to be leaders in this effort. I opted to stay back in Iringa, read, relax and explore. We had a very traditional meal last night at a small place called Mama's. It was kitimoto, ugali and chipsies. The chipsies are like French fries. The ugali is the traditional dish of the working poor (most of the country). It's corn flour dropped in boiling water and made into a ball of tasteless goo. It is thicker than oatmeal or grits. It will stay in a ball shape if you mold it into one. The kitimoto is cooked pork. The cook will hack away at a side of pork and cut everything into pieces about 2" in size. It can be deep fired but last night it was cooked in a hot sauce. You eat everything with your fingers. It would have been nice to have a napkin, but pants and hankie had to be my substitute.
All in all, this has been a marvelous experience. I look forward to returning.
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