Thoughts of a Third Culture Kid

Mambo! As I mentioned in my last post, we took my grandparents to Zanzibar while they were visiting us.  It was so cool, I just had to put a post up about this island that is filled to the brim with history, spices, and doors. (I'll explain that in a moment) When we arrived in Zanzibar, it took me under five minutes to decide that the hassle to get there was definitely worth it.  We were staying in the old part of Zanzibar called Stone Town, which consists of old alleys and pathways that wind around in circles, lined on both sides by ornate wooden doors with carvings all over them, shops filled to the brim with paintings, bright clothing, beautiful wood carvings, and beaded jewelry, old houses that have been there for centuries, women offering ornate henna painting (I was seriously tempted), and much more.   You could wander for hours and never get bored.  I even found a shop that sold old kitchenware.  Just to make sure you're not thinking of rusty mixers and moldy waffle m

Habari! I hope you're enjoying your summer break!  Technically speaking, this is my winter break.  This is Tanzania's cooler season.  Our "winter" is about 30 degrees Celsius.  I don't even bother looking at the thermometer during the summer, for fear that self-pity might drive me insane.                             We went to a popular coffee shop while in Zanzibar Since my sister and I are out of school, my grandparents came over to visit for a couple of weeks.  We had a blast with them, and got to take them over to Zanzibar for a couple of days, to the island for snorkeling, and down to the Peninsula. When I told one of my MK friends that my grandparents were visiting, he mentioned that his family hadn't seen their grandparents in over five years.  I felt awful.  I couldn't imagine not seeing my grandparents for such a long time, but I know that tons of MKs have to struggle through that. What can make it worse is that they think they are

Mambo! I am sorry that I haven't gotten a post out recently.  I have been busy with different after-school activities, such as the play we put on a little bit ago, a track meet, and a few other things. But besides the after-school activities, every year HOPAC has one special week called SEW.  It stands for Service Emphasis Week. Basically, it's a week where we get to serve others. In the weeks leading up to SEW, you sign up for a certain service group.  They gave options for residential trips, multiple different orphanages, some groups that taught art and science at our school, a group that went out to build dog houses for a pound, and a ton more.  When SEW started, we had all of Monday to plan with our group on what we would do.  I was in a group with five other girls, and we went out to an orphanage called Maunga.   Our job was to paint this one room, so we would paint for about three hours and then we would play with the kids and do crafts with them.  It was quite the

Mambo! A belated Happy Easter to all from Dar es Salaam!  I would tell you all about out Easter egg hunt except for the fact that....well, we didn't have one.  Weather reports have been telling people to stay indoors because of the rising temperature, so we ate our candy indoors.  In case you're wondering, the heat index of what the temperature feels along with the humidity has reached 120 degrees a couple of times. For this blog post, I have a guest writer- Abigail Hile. She was an MK in South Africa since she was a baby, and grew up calling it her home country.  She and her two brothers were very active in the parents' mission work, but when Abigail was in her junior year of high school, they moved back to the States. While she lived in South Africa, they were only a couple hours away from our family.  I saw her often, since we were on the same missions team.  I always enjoyed visiting them.  She was always the  cool, older MK that would spend time with the younger

Mambo! It has been almost six months since we arrived in Tanzania and we are as hot as ever!  Just close your eyes and imagine.....You are in a classroom with 23 other people, right after 40 minutes of PE when it is 98 degrees outside and the sun is shining hard, and suddenly---the electricity goes out!  No fans and you are stuck in that room for another 35 minutes- in a button up polo shirt with a collar and black pants.  Yippee! So please, my message for today is: if you have cool weather, enjoy it! As I've been attending HOPAC (the Christian international school), I've begun to notice something that I hadn't when we were in South Africa.  Down in SA, my social life with peers was at church and at my sport.  Because we were home schooled, I didn't have extensive contact with peers.  After attending HOPAC for a few months, I've really been enjoying the fact that I can witness to others.  Most of the people in my life in South Africa were Christians, which was g

Mambo!  I have been in Dar es Salaam for quite some time now, and I think it is super cool!  Well, I guess I should say hot....I am sitting in our living room and sweat is rolling down my face!  It isn't even that hot yet!  One day in December, the heat index was 109 degrees.  We walk into the store and guess what music they are playing: (are you ready for this?) I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, Jingle Bells, and Let It Snow!!!  My first thought: "Are you kidding me?!!?!!  109 degrees outside and you are playing THIS?!!?!!? Other than the twisted sense of humor that resides in some stores, Dar es Salaam has turned out to be a really friendly place that was just cursed with bad weather for the entire year.  We have just passed through the short rainy season and wow, was that a shock.  We woke up one morning with rain pouring down in torrents.  We got ready for school and sprinted to the car.  When we got out the gate, we see large puddles starting to form, but we kept g