So, I was thinking the other day about how people in Tanzania are known to be very untimely. Oftentimes, events will have a starting time at "5pm", but won't really start until like 5:30pm or 6pm when everyone finally gets there. Which got me thinking about myself since I've gotten here. I'm usually a pretty on-time kind of person, but I find that it's difficult to be that way here. I am at the mercy of so many different factors. For example, the other day, I planned to meet Michael at 9:50am so that he could shuttle me over to the school where we were going to be play Ultimate Frisbee. Well, when I was planning what time I would leave, I completely forgot to factor in the 10 minutes it takes to walk to the bus stop from the house. And THEN, it took another 4-5 minutes to wait for a bus with enough space to stop before I could proceed to town. And then I was at the mercy of how many stops the bus would make and how long each stop would be. And, once you factor in all these elements, you find that something else will come up to disrupt the entire plan. *sigh*
It's an interesting transition, but a welcome one. In the States, everything is at our finger tips; everything is in our control (or at least that's what we like to think). All we have to do is flip a switch and the lights will come on. Here, there's about a 50-50 chance that it'll come on. We didn't have electricity at the house until sometime around 6pm (I'm not sure exactly what time because it wasn't on when I left to go run, but it was on when I got back). I opened my fridge at one point today and it was the same temperature as outside (even though the door had been shut all day). It is the same with the water. In the US, if you want water (hot or cold), all you have to do is turn whichever knob you want. You don't have to worry about filling your tub or various buckets with water to make sure you have enough to last the day in case it doesn't turn on. And don't get me started on how nasty it can be/smell if you aren't able to flush the toilet for an ENTIRE day if not longer. (sorry for the TMI moment, but I'm serious) In the US, we also have consistent, reliable transportation. Here, yes there is the public dala dala bus system, but you can't predict it. You must walk places and you must be prepared at any point to run into someone you know because then you must greet them. And, as I have been well instructed: you MUST greet your friends because not doing so means that you are not treating them as a human being. This in turn means that if you fall down or are in need of assistance, they are not required to help you and treat you as a human being.
I like this philosophy, though it is difficult for me. I'm so used to rushing around and I don't see the people around me, much less greet them, much less treat them like human beings. Even here, I find myself in those habits of focusing in on myself and what I need to get done (and let me tell you, I am VERY good at this). But, I want to begin to re-focus on what is really important. People and building relationships are more important, minor things that seem to press down on me can wait just a little bit longer.
This also has got me thinking more about God and His control in my life. He controls my destiny, not me which is not a new concept, but definitely something that I'm thinking more about. It's easy to get caught up in a routine of feeling in control, but here that is not the case. I think that in many ways, it's easier to put complete trust in God because you realize that you aren't in control. It really is a wonderful feeling and more freeing than frustrating. It's nice not have so much pressure to be perfect and to perform just right all the time. It's nice to have freedom to be late or make mistakes because no one cares or makes a big deal out of it. I wish we could be more like that in the US. I think we would all be happier people if we shifted our focus to the things that are more important such as building true and lasting relationships and not worrying about always rushing off because we're wondering "Am I going to get to work on time?" or "OH! I'm sorry, I have to check out early because I have this other engagement that is more important than you." People and building relationships are definitely more important than the other things that we give top priority in our lives.
"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Romans 12:3-5
Blessings, Love, and Peace,
~Christine
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