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| Decorating our gathering space. |
After our retreat
in Arusha the four volunteers from Dar came back to Dodoma to with us
to celebrate Christmas. The first step was to decorate our house and
new Christmas tree. Using the DIY ornaments that my community mates
had received in care packages, we made reindeer ornaments and pompom
Santas and hung paper snowflakes cut from old European magazines, all
the while singing and dancing to an eccentric mix of holiday music.
With our house decorated, we were ready for Christmas Eve.
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| The marketplace on Christmas Eve |
The eight of us
spent Christmas Eve shopping for food supplies in the market. The
market was packed to its fullest. People filled the aisles and
walkways, everyone gently pushing or elbowing their way through in
order to reach their desired food stand, young boys appeared around
every corner offering to carry the increasingly heavy shopping bags
in return for a tip, while faint greetings of “Heriya Krismasi!”
were spoken as some sellers and customers finished their
transactions. We stopped for a some avocado-mango juice and a quick
bite before continuing on to the outside market. Here we picked up
our vitenge that a church friend had sewn into outfits for us.
The streets were filled even in this market as people picked up new
bow ties and shoes while sellers wandered about trying to sell
Christmas trees and ornaments. When we came back home the cooking
commenced: guacamole (made from some of the biggest avocados I have
ever seen), mango salsa (made from mangoes that were the same size as
the avocados), hummus (pureed by hand), chapati (made from,
um, wheat flour), and beans (made with spices of sorts...). After
feasting we went to Midnight Mass and found the church adorned with
gold and white banners. Children sang and dance in unison throughout
the Mass, filling the aisles and encouraging the congregation to sing
and sway with them. I have found a new appreciation for the
Christmas hymn, “Angels We Have Heard On High” and its Latin
refrain because it was the only Christmas song I was able to sing
along to, as all the others were in Swahili. The church holds about
500 people, and this night it was packed completely! Making
introductions are a tradition in Tanzania. When you are a guest
within a group of people you will probably be asked to introduce
yourself. So, at the end of Mass on Christmas Eve the priest
publicly welcomed us to the community, and to properly receive this
welcome we, each of us, introduced ourselves at the pulpit, in
KiSwahili to the entire congregation. It was horrifying! But a
lesson learned to always be ready with short KiSwahili greeting for
times like these.
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| Dodoma JVs |
On Christmas
morning we went to Mass at Village of Hope, an orphanage run by
Sisters of the Precious Blood for children who are HIV positive.
After Mass we planned to play with the kids until lunch time, not
knowing that we would be competing for their attention with their
Christmas presents. The priest distributed batteries after Mass, and
after that we knew we were defeated. After all, what kid can resist
the joy of battery-operated toys? Instead we gave some love to the
babies in the dispensary until it was time to go. We had another
feast on Christmas Day, opened treasured gifts of chocolate bars
gifted to us from our German community mate, and played games until
we couldn't stand the evening mosquitoes any longer.
Christmas in Dodoma
looked quite a bit different than past Christmases in the Midwest.
There were not any mall Santas, or carolers, or aisles of red and
green in every store. There wasn't even any snow. But Christmas
here was free from the pull of consumerism that so easily absorbs the
lives of many at Christmastime. I saw just one house decorated with
Christmas lights and it looked quite absurd sticking out from the
other dark houses in the neighborhood, shopkeepers did not order
special products that are relevant only to this season of the year,
and I did not see a single roll of gift wrap or ribbon. This year I
found myself being so easily grateful for the things that matter
most: God, family, friends, and food. The decorations, the lights,
the presents...none of these were there to distract from the simple
joys that Holidays bring and the miracle of Christmas that rests in
our hearts.
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| Our Christmas tree |
Wishing all of you
a very merry holiday season and happy new year!
In peace,
MLS
