Cultural Notes

Mostly, people speak very quietly. Their hearing is incredible!

The Mamas and the Bibis can get very defensive and help you get out of unwanted situations.

Animals are beaten and no one really cares about them.

Tanzanians have a weird obsession with The Free Masons. They think most Americans are Free Masons and we control the world.

Greetings are very important. You cannot start a conversation without saying at least two greetings. And people get offended if you walk by without greeting them!

Children greet us “Good Morning, Teacher”, no matter what time of day it is. They also chant “How are you? How are you?” in shrill voices. These are usually the only greetings taught in schools and they don’t know proper responses. And of course they love to just yell out Mzungu. I started saying “mtoto” back (child). They don’t see the humor in that.

Women either wear no makeup, or they look like drag queens. I have yet to see a woman wearing normal makeup.

I don’t think they sell deodorant in this country.

Tanzanians think that walking more than 100 yards is a strenuous activity. They always apologize when we say we walked somewhere.

If it is less than 70 degrees, it is FREEZING. Out come the snow suits and ski jackets.

Time is run by the people; there is usually no reason to be in a hurry for anything. People can be over 2 hours late and that is considered acceptable. This also makes bus schedules quite unpredictable. 

Pikipiki drivers remind me of cowboys or bandits. When they see the daladala approaching, they come rushing over in a herd. They also like to wear jackets backwards to keep the dirt off, and sometimes wear helmets backwards because…?

Peace Corps says you have to be flexible to be a good volunteer. But literally, in order to get out of the daladala sometimes, you really do need to be flexible.

Titles are more respectable than names. So every single mother is “Mama”. If you’re unsure of their age, “Dada” is ok too. That is also why Tanzanians don’t know why we don’t like to be called “Mzungu”. “Wewe” (you) is used when respect is not necessary.

Breast feeding in public is totally normal. I’ve seen countless exposed boobs here. Slang for breasts is “maziwa”, the word for milk.

It is illegal to be homosexual here. Even if you try to explain about people in America being in same-sex partnerships, they don’t get it. But it is very common for same-sex friends to hold hands and be “entangled” in each other (men and women).

Personal space does not exist. Most of the time, resources are stretched to much that in order to survive, it is necessary to share everything. Tanzanians are collectivists.

Babies are always carried on women’s backs in their kangas. They are usually wearing a beanie and wrapped in a blanket too. They must be so hot! Usually just their little heads are hanging out the top being bounced around.

Marriage proposals happen so frequently here. Not sure if it happens as much between Tanzanians, but it happens a lot to PCVs. It is just normal if you find someone attractive that of course you would want to marry them!

They pretty much only think that 2 religions exist: you are either Christian or Muslim.

People drive crazy here! But they can’t go that fast because of the road conditions and the mechanical issues most cars have, so there aren’t many accidents. I’ve only seen 3 accidents.

Most clothes are sold in “piles” at the market. Basically, all the clothes that no one wants from thrift stores (around the world) get sent to Africa. Then they sell them to each other.

Drivers love to use their horns! Even though you may be the only person on the road, they still need to honk at you so that you can slide off the road into a ditch for them to pass. Mind you, they could just move to the other side of the road to pass.