Boma Stay Tanzania Style

Our home stay experience was much different here in Tanzania than it was in Kenya.  Where we had few shared words between all of us in Kenya, we had many shared words in Tanzania.  Where our family in Kenya thrived in a traditional Maasai boma, our family here in Tanzania had a concrete home with windows, sofas, and a china hutch.  A few things that didn’t change:  our mamas in both places laughed constantly, had wonderful children, and were so welcoming. 

Julia and I were partners this go-around and we had so much fun.  We just laughed all afternoon talking in Swahili with, drum roll please, Mama Happy, her sons, Kelvin (left) and Jonathan (right), and her daughter once she returned from school.  In Kenya, we spent much time learning how the Mamas fetch water, firewood, cook, and look after their livestock.  Here in Tanzania, the most Julia and I did was scrub a few dishes after a wonderful round of chai and offer to help cook their dinner.  We did a lot of playing with the boys, taught them how to use a camera, how we dance like idiots, and did I mention we did a LOT of laughing?  It was probably equal to the amount of laughing we did in the Kenya boma.  Mama Happy was very happy.  I’m not saying one boma was better than the other either, they were just different. 

I did love roughhousing and playing with the boys though.  It brought me back to moments in Colorado messing with my own brothers.  I miss them dearly.  But, at least I’m in a country full of young boys who love to play ninja with and cuddle in the lap of as mzungu.