Well, I'm here at last. I actually arrived on the ground at some time around 1:30 am Tues local time (6:30 pm Mon, EST). Jet lag has been very interesting because my flight lasted 31 hours, so I'm not really sure what time my body thinks it is...
I spent the morning getting "the tour" of the Shipe's house and playing with the kids. We invented a new game called "Never-ending dodge-ball," which Ben (7 yrs old) more theologically dubbed "Everlasting dodge-ball." We spent a good amount of time in Arusha, getting a tire fixed, shopping for meat, and exchanging money. Currently, the exchange rate is: 1 US Dollar = 1,589.53 Tanzanian Shillings. A TZ shilling has such a small value ($0.0006291) that they don't even mint a unit of currency for it. On the other hand, the largest unit of currency is the 10,000 shilling bill, but with an approximate value of $6.29, it takes a lot of those to buy anything big. That can be good, though, because it makes 10,000 shillings a good, round asking price. And $6.29 isn't a bad price for much of anything! I forgot how much I like dickering prices with vendors . . . . Thank you, Dr. Kevin Oberlin, for teaching me everything I know in that arena.
Interesting cultural insight of the day: Aaron related that a veteran missionary in the area once told him, "Plan to do one thing a day. If you get one thing done, you're doing well." That missionary recently came to their house for dinner a tad late and jokingly said, "Sorry--I tried to do three things today...I knew better." I remember being struck by the event-orientation (vs. time-orientation) in Asia as well when I was there in 2008. Frankly, event-orientation isn't as "efficient," but I imagine there are fewer stress ulcers in TZ than back in the States. Additionally, there's a lot more time for relationship-building conversations and time with the Lord as well.
Right now, I'm focusing on getting adjusted to the time-zone change and spending some time with the Shipes. Alyssa wants about 1,547 rides/day and all of us are having a great time playing basketball, soccer, and everlasting dodge-ball. I am posting a few pictures for you all to peruse on the Photos page. Enjoy!
I spent the morning getting "the tour" of the Shipe's house and playing with the kids. We invented a new game called "Never-ending dodge-ball," which Ben (7 yrs old) more theologically dubbed "Everlasting dodge-ball." We spent a good amount of time in Arusha, getting a tire fixed, shopping for meat, and exchanging money. Currently, the exchange rate is: 1 US Dollar = 1,589.53 Tanzanian Shillings. A TZ shilling has such a small value ($0.0006291) that they don't even mint a unit of currency for it. On the other hand, the largest unit of currency is the 10,000 shilling bill, but with an approximate value of $6.29, it takes a lot of those to buy anything big. That can be good, though, because it makes 10,000 shillings a good, round asking price. And $6.29 isn't a bad price for much of anything! I forgot how much I like dickering prices with vendors . . . . Thank you, Dr. Kevin Oberlin, for teaching me everything I know in that arena.
Interesting cultural insight of the day: Aaron related that a veteran missionary in the area once told him, "Plan to do one thing a day. If you get one thing done, you're doing well." That missionary recently came to their house for dinner a tad late and jokingly said, "Sorry--I tried to do three things today...I knew better." I remember being struck by the event-orientation (vs. time-orientation) in Asia as well when I was there in 2008. Frankly, event-orientation isn't as "efficient," but I imagine there are fewer stress ulcers in TZ than back in the States. Additionally, there's a lot more time for relationship-building conversations and time with the Lord as well.
Right now, I'm focusing on getting adjusted to the time-zone change and spending some time with the Shipes. Alyssa wants about 1,547 rides/day and all of us are having a great time playing basketball, soccer, and everlasting dodge-ball. I am posting a few pictures for you all to peruse on the Photos page. Enjoy!
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