Tanzania: Languages

Tanzania has more than 126 ethnic groups and each ethnic group has its own language. “Talk” about a lot of lingo! Although no language is official, Swahili is the national language. English is Tanzania's commercial language, as well as the main teaching language for all scientific subjects in secondary schools and higher education.

There are several Swahili dialects, but standard spoken Swahili is based on the language of Zanzibar town. Written Swahili is based on the language spoken on the east African coast and Arabic is widely spoken in the coastal areas, particularly in Zanzibar.

Many East Africans speak some English or French, so knowing a few words of Swahili will really help you out in the more rural areas and along the coast. Since Swahili is a second language to most East Africans, they'll understand a little broken Swahili, and they'll certainly appreciate your efforts!

Greetings are important in East Africa, so try to always begin a conversation with "Hello, how are you?"

A few words and phrases that will get you started:

Hello: Jambo / hujambo / Salama
How are you: Habari gani
Goodbye: Kwaheri
I understand: Naelewa
I do not understand: Sielewi
Please write it down for me: Waweza kuiandika?
How much is this?: Hii ni bei gani?
No worries: Hakuna Matata…..and no it’s not something Walt Disney invented for The Lion King. It really does mean “No worries” in Swahili and people there really use it!!

*Taken

Colby and I LOVE the movie 'Taken'. When we first watched it together I was disturbed. So freaked out. I couldn't sleep. That was months and months ago. It was my turn to choose the movie last night, I chose Taken. I was ready this time. I knew what was coming and I wanted to get something else out of it this time around. I did just that.
little back round: The movie is a bout Mr mills. while his daughter was young and as she grew up, his occupation was something with the government. He called himself "a preventer" He prevents bad things from happening. He eventually gives up his career to work on becoming a father. When the movie starts his daughter is 17 and he attending her birthday party at the home of his ex-wife and her now husband.
He's sure that his relationship is becoming solid when she calls the next day and wants to do lunch. He meets his daughter and her mother for lunch. However, the reason they want to meet for lunch is that Mr mills will sign the legal papers stating that his daughter -Kim- can go with her friend Amanda to Paris for a few weeks to stay with Amanda's cousins. With his old career and all he's seen, Mr Mills doesn't feel good about it. After being guilted and making several rules, he signs the papers.
The girls get to Paris, share a cab with a young man who finds out where they are staying. Kim then finds out that Amanda's cousins are actually out of town and they will be staying the few weeks at their house, alone. A short time after arriving, Kim calls her Dad to let her know she's made is safe. Through the bathroom window, she can see where Amanda is in the house. She sees Amanda get kidnapped and she knows they are coming for her. Mr mills gives her special instructions and promises that he'll come for her. She then gets taken.
Mr Mills has 96 hours to fly to Paris and find his daughter. The lengths he goes are unreal. Instead of being scared this time around, I felt for that girl and I felt for her Dad. I mentally put myself in their situation and I teared up a bit when I leaned over to Colby and said ..
"you're going to be that kind of Dad aren't you."
He just smiled big.
I can't wait to see Colby interact with our kids. He's going to be the cutest Dad.

You should see 'Taken' For yourself .. It's incredible!

Tanzania: Etiquette

The Tanzanians are considered to be a very welcoming, and although they are a very informal people, there are rules for most interactions. So let’s get straight to the point! Here is what you really need to know:

Greetings are of great importance, so make sure to inquire about how one is doing before jumping into conversation!

When visiting, whether it is for a dinner or a mid afternoon chat with a pal, it’s considered rude to show up on time. So go ahead and show up fashionably late.There are several rules when it comes to chowing down, but here are the most vital:

• Muslims should not be offered pork or ham and many do not drink alcohol!
• Meals are served from a communal bowl and utensils may not be available for use. (I can hear Mom now “Use your fork!!”)
• Tanzanians only use the right hand when eating without utensils, so I'd advise you do the same!

Now on to what you DON’T want to do. Here are some Taboo’s ( Hey! that rhymed)

• It is usually unacceptable for women to walk around in shorts, or tank tops, and in some cases pants. Women are expected to dress in a modest way; skirts below the knees and shirts with sleeves. In other words, just make sure you are fully covered, it will help protect against ticks as well.

• Do not touch anything with your left hand, such as produce at the market. Some people may not be as strict about this but just assume that most are.

• It is considered rude to let the bottom of one’s foot or shoe point at someone. Feet shouldn’t be propped up on chairs or tables, so leave the lazyboy tendencies at home.

• Lastly, always ask permission before taking a photograph. There are many taboos in Africa about cameras; a lot of people do not like their photo to be taken!

Tanzania: Sukuma Dance

The Sukuma people live in an area called Usukuma which is located to the west and south of Lake Victoria, the second largest lake in the world. The area is only a few hundred miles south of the equator where there is a year round temperature between 60-100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dancing is a vital part of Sukuma life. The Sukuma are famous throughout Tanzania for their innovative dancing styles. Dancers continue to perform and compete in annual competitions, creating new costumes and using new and old dances just as their ancestors did over a hundred years ago.

The competitive dance season begins in Usukuma in June when people have free time from their farm work and can celebrate their new supply of food for the year. The season can last through August or until people resume their farming activities.

TFS@LTU

Grab some Mountain Dew or 5-hour Energy Drink and let it rip!

I enjoyed the first day of spring ball with Louisiana Tech and their up-tempo brand of football.

It was as any TFS/AR first practice goes - like a Chinese firedrill. With the emphasis on tempo and execution, the periods flew by with lots of expected drops (on missle and fast screens) and it may take a few more practices until the receivers understand the "finish" aspect of Air Raid (unceasing admonishment to get into the end zone on every throw). Completely systematic, Franklin was on fire before he even stepped on the field, it was something to watch.

It was also interesting to note that as the very first practice, he would spend the skelly and team periods on the sideline with the receivers coach signalling plays in (no wristbands), just as they would on game day. I really intended to spend the majority of the time with the offensive line, but the the initial intense details being hammered in pre-practice in settle & noose and flare/fire QB reads were too much (plus got to catch up with Shreveport coaches Clint Hortman and John Bachman).

The OL segments were minute-for-minute just like any other TFS install (here in front recognition/BPU). First day, it was all 42-Nickel, 41-Nickel, and 5-0 fronts exclusively. This seemed to really help the players pick up the methodology of line + back coordination. The paring down of install (nothing but stretch (+boss), missile, 41/51, mesh/mesh-return, lasso/rodeo, stick).

What was as exciting as anything was the amount of intensity throughout the 3 hours of practice from every coach. You couldn't miss a moment where there was some coach encouraging and instructing a player. The defense matched the offense in intensity and though I hate to make comparisons, defensive coordinator, Tommy Spangler, sure reminds you an awful lot of Bo Pelini (mannerisms, phrases, and passion).

I plan on heading over Friday and spending the first part of practice with DBs and then the rest of the time with offensive specialists on Saturday.

here is a photostream if you're interested:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38732802@N06/

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
here are some quick video snipets of practice/drills:

*Private?

Maybe?? I've been tossing around the idea.
I can't decide.
A list of pros and cons seems like a lot of work.
Input would be helpful.
Don't forget to leave your email address in case I decide to do something drastic soon.

ps... don't forget to read he post below this one. it's a lot more exciting.

*$$ ...

I'm kind of good at spending money. Probably better than I think I am. It's a gift. A gift I use Often and far more than I need to. However, a talent is a talent. I like to celebrate anything and everything with buying something new.
No cavities: New shoes
Clean room: New shirt
Sale on Headbands: Two new headbands
Found a dollar in the dryer: New Purse
Bored: New anything
Okay So some of these I made up. Or just one of them. You get the point.

There is always a Sale at Smith's. Always. Whether it's gum or chaptsick, Hot french Bread or Frozen Pizzas, I'm all over it. I love love LOVE scanning my fresh values card at the end and watching the dollars subtract from my total. The feeling I get when they hand me my receipt after they've circled the 'savings' at the bottom is beyond words.
So naturally there was a sale today. Powerade was the Hot item and though I'm not a huge fan, a sale is a sale. Colby told me he likes Powerade if it's cheap. I'll take that as a yes. at $.25 a bottle (minimum of 8 required) I bought him three cases. When I called my mom to tell her about the big number at the bottom of my lovely receipt, she insisted I buy some for Logan. umm OK!
What I purchased today: ALL items were are sale - keep in mind a minimum of eight was required with the items but you could mix and match.
*6 cases of Powerade
* 16 boxes of cereal: Corn Pops, Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes, and Apple Jacks
* 2 Bottles of Apple Juice
* 5 packages of spaghetti noodles
* 5 bottles of Alfredo/spaghetti sauce
*4 boxes of popcorn (the good kind)
With two transactions ... First total: $111.some change - I paid $47.some change
Second total: $112.some change - I paid $35.some changeI bought 8 boxes of cereal and 3 cases of Powerade for Mom But nonetheless, Colb and I won't be starving.
If you don't think I'm going back for $.49 pasta tomorrow .. You're dead wrong. I've almost doubled our food storage.
When I tried to figure out which cereal Colby would eat, he reminded me that he's lactose intolerant. Like I didn't know that? Trying to get the decision made for me, I asked him this: If there is an earthquake, a tornado, or some other form of natural disaster .. which of these cereals would you consider eating with a bowl of powerade? He just laughed. I came home with a little bit of everything.
I'm rarely this excited to go back to work. Hopefully my heart can handle some more. More than that, I hope my checking account can handle some more. Dear Smiths, Fresh Values card, and employee discount. You make my life worth living.