tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159877872803713077.post9194415718949567590..comments2023-08-23T10:49:27.027-05:00Comments on From Tanzania With Love: why i cried while trying to buy almonds.Michael Leenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15642651093909685811noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159877872803713077.post-90775607101370429432015-08-11T05:55:10.580-05:002015-08-11T05:55:10.580-05:00Of course! Where's your list?Of course! Where's your list?Michael Leenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15642651093909685811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159877872803713077.post-75534740240747103792015-08-11T05:54:33.301-05:002015-08-11T05:54:33.301-05:00That's really interesting that your Hungarian ...That's really interesting that your Hungarian friend described the U.S. the same way. I had certainly never looked at it like that before. Tanzania is a very relational society so stopping to chat with complete strangers is normal and expected. However, in contrast, the customer is not king in Tanzania. In fact most of the time it seems that the customer is a bother to the seller, which does not make any sense to me. Others have said this, including locals, so I'm not the only who has noticed it. I often talk about this in the business seminars I facilitate with the young mothers I work with.Michael Leenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15642651093909685811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159877872803713077.post-45083466691474063342015-08-11T05:51:59.893-05:002015-08-11T05:51:59.893-05:00I've done the "Mwafrika" shout mysel...I've done the "Mwafrika" shout myself many times. Never seems to make me feel any better about being called "Mzungu." I feel the same way about the greetings - Tanzania is such a relational society and it's really beautiful to see how happy they are to talk with another person. When we were back in the United States we commented on how everyone is just in their own world or most likely on their smartphones not talking to anyone else. Michael Leenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15642651093909685811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159877872803713077.post-34246061427062654472015-08-11T02:13:33.180-05:002015-08-11T02:13:33.180-05:00I lived near Arusha TZ for almost two years and I ...I lived near Arusha TZ for almost two years and I can relate to most of this. The UK is not quite as super shiny as the US but I do remember bring baffled by the supermarket choices and the wide well maintained roads on a list home for Christmas. <br /><br />I don't miss being so conspicuous - having "Mzungu!" Shouted at you when you go shopping at the markets (I used to call "Mwafrika!" back which bat least got a giggle) but I do miss having the long greetings when talking to people and friendly no passers by.Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02660457603824720963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159877872803713077.post-19421731303641318352015-08-10T17:36:01.480-05:002015-08-10T17:36:01.480-05:00Thanks for sharing!Thanks for sharing!kborthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04381924456609203688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159877872803713077.post-9313234217597842262015-08-10T16:05:35.435-05:002015-08-10T16:05:35.435-05:00Fun list! Number 1 made my jaw drop... because th...Fun list! Number 1 made my jaw drop... because that is exactly how a Hungarian student of mine described the U.S. He would go to the U.S. for trainings for his work (for HP) and enjoyed visiting the amusement parks here. And as we were chatting about amusement parks, out of nowhere he bluntly stated, "This is how all of the U.S. is for me." And when I looked confused, he went on, "Shiny, colorful, everything bright and perfect. Just like at the amusement park - everything in the U.S. looks like this." And then it occurred to me that Eastern Europe had always seemed kind of, well, drab to me, and I thought, "So this is the flip-side."<br /><br />The problem comes in when the bright/clean/new look becomes mandatory. So, any historic building that doesn't look bright/clean/new, and seems like too much trouble to make that way, gets torn down. Cities (especially suburbs) are zoned such that everything must have a certain amount of landscaped green space, often with lists of recommended plants, and must fit into a certain size. If your lawn or your car aren't bright/clean/new, you get letters from the HOA and looks from your neighbors. If your clothing isn't bright/clean/new, you're socially marginalized in school. And if YOU don't look bright/clean/new, well, find a good surgeon.<br /><br />Anyway.... to add to the list: People are friendly here. This is more coming back from Europe maybe than from Africa. But strangers strike up conversations, and the customer is king in businesses. This is something to be proud of, I think, although again, I have no idea how Africa is.<br /><br />Another thing, this more negative: people really toss money around here. Even people who aren't doing well financially are just conditioned by life here to be more careless with money, it seems to me. When you get a bill somewhere, you're not supposed to scrutinize it too much. Just swipe the card, everything's cool. I was once at a pizza party and people weren't sure how to divide up the bill, and someone just said, "How about everyone just puts in $20?" And everyone was like "Yeah, that works," and starts tossing in $20 bills. And I'm thinking to myself, the breakdown based on the total can't be more than $12 per person, including tax and tip. But hey, just go along. Keep things smooth.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14620240974866887790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159877872803713077.post-71425479588682810092015-08-10T12:42:32.379-05:002015-08-10T12:42:32.379-05:00Thanks Hady! It was one of those experiences where...Thanks Hady! It was one of those experiences where it was so nice yet so strange all at the same time. Everything was on one hand so familiar, yet on the other very out of the ordinary. Michael Leenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15642651093909685811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159877872803713077.post-63550750626546272202015-08-10T12:33:00.017-05:002015-08-10T12:33:00.017-05:00Having just returned from a visit to the US (after...Having just returned from a visit to the US (after about the same time), I find your comments are very relate-able. Not sure what more I would add except that it is very disorienting being back home after so long and it's important for the people around us to realize that reverse culture-shock is real!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18190372743955624978noreply@blogger.com