A Perspective All Their Own

Today marks an exciting milestone in the journey of our blog – one that fills my heart with immense pride and joy. I'm thrilled to announce that we'll be welcoming a new generation of contributors to our little corner of the internet: none other than our own children!

For those of you who have been following since our journey began, you may have caught glimpses of our family adventures in Tanzania sprinkled throughout our posts. From Dar es Salaam's bustling streets to the Serengeti's serene beauty, this vibrant country has been an incredible place to call home. 

As our children grow and mature, they're developing their own unique perspectives on life in Tanzania – perspectives that I believe deserve a platform of their own. And so, I'm pleased to announce that they'll be sharing occasional posts right here on our blog, offering you a firsthand look into their experiences, challenges, and triumphs.

Our eldest son, Jaden, will be the first to take the reins as a guest contributor. With a keen eye for observation and a knack for storytelling, Jaden has a lot to share about what it's like growing up in Tanzania as a teenager. From navigating the complexities of school life to exploring the rich tapestry of cultures that make up this diverse country, his perspective promises to be both insightful and enlightening.

In his inaugural post, Jaden will be sharing his reflections on his initial thoughts about our decision to come to Tanzania as well as a few of the things he’ll miss from our life in the US. 

So, dear friends, I invite you to join us in welcoming Jaden and our other children as they embark on this exciting new chapter of sharing their voices with the world. I have no doubt that their perspectives will add depth, diversity, and a touch of youthful energy to our blog, and I can't wait for you to get to know them better.

As always, thank you for reading and for being a part of our journey.

Hello, my name is Jaden, I'm 15 years old and these are my thoughts on our journey to Tanzania.

When my parents first started talking about how they were thinking about moving to Tanzania, I thought it was just a fleeting thought that would never come to fruition. Then they bought the tickets and I realized how serious they were and how real this was. At first, I was a little distraught at having to leave behind my relatives, my job, and the local farmers market, but by the time the day came for us to leave I had come to terms with it.

Let me tell you a bit more about the things I miss. With my family, it wasn’t so much that I was worried I would never see them again, due to being able to see them on video calls and whatnot, but the fact that seeing them in person would require an entire flight across the ocean, not to mention all the planning, flight expenses, and everything else that comes with taking a flight across continents. All’n’all it would be a lot more difficult to visit them from Tanzania than to just take a 7-hour-or-so-long drive. With my job on the other hand, I had to leave it behind entirely. I couldn’t just hop on a phone call and clock in that way.

Now back where I lived, in good ‘ol Flowery Branch, there was a weekly farmers market that was held every Thursday during the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Now what was so special about this particular farmers market? Well for starters, a bunch of the vendors introduced us to a whole slew of products that quickly became a household staple for us such as elderberry syrup, wild honey (which is what got me into eating honey in the first place) a booth called “The King of Pops” who sold the best popsicles I’ve ever had, a booth that I would regularly buy bread from,  one that sold delectable cinnamon almonds and pecans, and one that we would buy delicious ginger juice from. Those are some of the stand-out ones, but we would also regularly buy fruits, veggies, meats, jams, etc. Now and then they would even throw “Block parties”, where they would have a band playing popular songs under a pavilion, and blow up bouncy castles for the kids, along with the usual vendors. Of course, there’s more to say about my time in America but those were the main 3 things I will miss.

Moving on to the moving process, which was an interesting experience, to say the least. For starters cooking and baking had to stop due to all of our pots, pans, measuring cups, etc had to be packed away. This led to us eating take-out quite often, and due to us trying to stay away from fast food, our options were limited. The hardest part by far was the packing itself, especially having to do away with any items that no matter how hard you try to justify taking them, just can’t go. We had to purge a lot of stuff but even though it was hard in the moment, it's better to leave some stuff behind than to be taking 40 suitcases and duffle bags with you (which was a number we were nearing at one point). 

Now for my experience so far in Tanzania. I’m not sure if it's because I’m from America or if it's the same for everyone, but people do stare quite a bit. People are more inclined to give out hugs, fistbumps, etc. So far we feel welcome and accepted. I'm still getting used to people driving on the left side of the road. I don’t know a lot of Swahili at the moment, but people we’ve come across are very patient and willing to help out if you mispronounce a word, or don’t know the word for something.  

To summarize, I’m very grateful to have this opportunity to take this journey and am excited to learn new things and see what awaits us in the future.