Tanzanian Humor
A joke told by a group of doctors at one of the other volunteers placements: This man goes into a restaurant and the waitress comes and asks him what he wants. "Eggs" "what kind of eggs? scrambled or boiled?" "both" Then the waitress came back with scrambled and boiled eggs. ...that's the end of the joke. the doctors thought it was hilarious. I haven't quite figured out what is funny to tanzanians but they definitly do not understand sarcasm. Things here are excellent as always. I'm off to buy cookies for my kids.
posted by Maggie @ 8:13 AM
10 Comments:
Hi baby,
I miss you! I hope we can talk on the phone this Sunday.
Are you still in the same placement? Your description of the interactions with the children touches our hearts.
I think you are fantasic to give yourself to this mission and very proud to be your mom.
Please take care of yourself, so you can continue to care for them okay?
Never in my wildest dreams did I think to go on such an adventure.
Bill is doing great too! He is ending his first summer semester, taking a leadership role on the project required. He is also enjoying his internship. From his conversations, I sense he is well liked at work.
Well the serious renovation starts Monday morning. The plumber will come and cap the water, remove the lower bathroom sink and replace some old pipes in the basement and fixtures in the upper bath. Then Tuesday they come to demo the cupboards etc.
So, your Father and I need to do some serious shopping (door pulls, microwave hood, paint supplies, etc.) and pack up the entire kicthen and lower bathroom.
Hugs and Kisses -- Mom
i don't get it haha. I tried to figure out why it was funny but no it's just eggs.... I hope you are still having an amazing time! I miss you!
-megan c
MAGGIE! IT'S MEAGAN! YOUR COUSIN!It's great, to hear you are doing well. Most of my conversations these days go like this:
Person 1: Hey guess what?! I got a new iPOD!
Me: My cousin's in Africa, helping children. I win.
(At that point they acknowledge that my news is totally cooler than theirs.) ;)
Here's some news from the USA, in case you were wondering what was going on over here.
The Billboard Top 100, song of the week is: Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie." (So you're not missing much.)
I saw Lance Bass in the background of some party on E! NEWS. I'm proud of him, it's the most publicity he's had in years.
Here's the latest George Bush Headline: Bush apologizes to L.A. Times Reporter:
Bush called on Los Angeles Times reporter Peter Wallsten and asked if he was going to ask his question with his "shades" (sunglasses) on.
But even though the sun was behind the clouds, Wallsten still needs the sunglasses because he has Stargardt's disease, a form of macular degeneration that causes progressive vision loss. The condition causes Wallsten to be sensitive to glare and even on a cloudy day, can cause pain and increase the loss of sight.
In other news, Steve Yzerman (or WHY-ZERMAN, as you like to call him) has not announced his retirement yet, which gives me hope. I know you'll be glad to know that. :)
Here's some more Headlines:
Britney Spears says "I'm an emotional wreck"
Spiderman outs himself to the press
Girls can marry at 15, Colo. court finds
Anyways, I hope you have a wonderful time! Oh and if you get time, see if you can bring home a tiger cub, they are SO cute!
Love you!
-Meagan
Maggie,
Amanda's bridal shower was last week. I was amazed at how many gifts they received. Megan, Colleen and Patricia are in the wedding party and they all looked beautiful.
Aunt Kathleen looked especially nice. It turned out she was wearing an outfit your Grandmother selected for her as a Christmas gift last year.
Your Father, Brother and I are managing without running water on the lower level. The house is turned upside down and sideways.
Please let me know how you are doing. Have you have changed placements yet?
I will try to call on Sunday again. I loved hearing from you last week.
Big hugs and kisses - love from Mom
Hi Maggie, 16 june 9pmish
This form of communication has been such an interesting experience. I feel like a bigger voyeur than usual.
I love hearing every detail of your life as a teacher/explorer/poet/comic/etc. It makes me feel as though you are very near(and always dear)to me.
Yet, I'm also finding that it has been great fun to spy on the lives of all the people on this "party-line." It's as though we are James Stewart with binoculars, peeking into the windows of the New York tenements. (If you don't get this, we will have to rent the Hitchcock movie for you.)
Anyway,don't you think that our relatives are much funnier than the eggs?---or has something been omitted in the translation(or am I too dense to get it!)?
Without a doubt, I can count on the ladies of Dreher to keep me in stitches. Hi, Giggles.
Ninakupenda,
Aunt Daisy
Hi Mag,
It is about 9:30 pm and Jon and I just got done with dinner. We had turkey burgers, broccoli, and potatoe fries. What have you been eating this week?
Jon and I were so excited. We put together this fountain and it looks so good on the back porch. Teddie wanted to drink out of it. I don't think he understands the concept.
Have you gone to a different school yet? I can't wait to hear all about it. Oh and I wanted to ask you if you had a skirt made yet, out of some fabrics that you bought.
Can't wait to read more.
Love, Kerri
Maggie,
Well it has been a difficult few days here at the homestead.
The electricians came out on Friday. They had planned a quick 1/2 day job. However, they discovered that the some idoit (past owner) spliced electricity everywhere from the old style knob and '?'. It is a fire hazard and violates all building codes.
So why they were discovering that I was off on errands for a company picnic. Oh and I visited with Carole, Hannah and Hen. Sarah is sick with a cold and Jim broke his back rib cutting down a tree on the land. As a result, Carole is tired.
Anyway when I returned, the electrician was all in a bother about the job. He was in my face a bit explaining, complaining, and strategizing.
Your dad gets a word in when the electricia was distracted from his tiraid, and tells me he fell in the basement. He tripped over their drill. Your dad was sore, but no broken bones or anything. Whew!
In the meantime, I am having difficulty breathing. They have been tearing out the plaster and the nasty dust, insulation etc. started to overwhelm my senses. I had my first asthma attack after they left.
However, since I have never had one before I did not realize it. Only that I miserable and couldn't breath. By morning I was ready to go the ER. Fortunately, my allegerist took me in first thing and hooked me up with lots of meds.
While the construction lasts I must wear a blue mask. It really helps keep the nasties out and I feel much better.
We are so glad you are missing this experience.
It looks like another 3 weeks until it is completed. There will be lots of clean up on my end though.
Grandma and Grandpa call and ask about you every few days.
We are all going to Como's for Sunday Brunch to celebrate Father's Day. Kelly and Vin will join us.
I love you -- Mom
Hi Maggie,
It is so good to read about your trip and the wonderful opportunity you are enjoying, and the goodness you bring to the people and children of Tanzania. I can hardly express how excited I am for you, and how proud I am to know you and all of the fantastic things you are doing. The world needs more people like you......... I look forward with anticipation to your next posting, I love reading about the children, the landscape, the animals and all of your new experiences.
On this homefront, Megan went for orientation at MSU this week and picked her classes for the year. We are getting ready for her graduation party this weekend.
Know that I think of you everyday, many times a day, and really swell with pride when I think about this experience for you. I can only imagine how proud your family is.
Take care of yourself. Sending big smiles and hugs and lots of love around the world to you.
Love,
Shannon
P.S. With all the renovations going on at home, it sounds like your timing was perfect!!!!
Maggie-
I don't mind if you bring Meagan home a tiger, but it should be a baby, because babies are cute.
-Colleen-
Maggie,
I like your joke. It tells me how unique every culture is. I have some friends who are from Mexico. They have a hard time when the pastor tells a "joke" that references American culture. They often tell me they don't get it. By the time I get done trying to explain it, they are just more confused.
Don't we just wish we could save all the children? You are being a light to their little world.
Blessings, JoAnn Bastien
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