Visitors and Ethics (Part 2)

After a day of shopping and sight seeing, the two Steen clans went out for dinner. There are many options on the Oyster Bay peninsula, and we found a nice Lebanese restaurant called Epid'or. Here, Bob and Sharri got to experience another Tanzanian tradition: incredibly slow service! After ordering food, it is customary to wait quite a long time. Plus, our motto in Africa is always "It Won't Work the First Time." This applies to everything, so that includes food orders. The grown ups got their food and it was really good! Except that once it came after the 20 min - 1/2 hour wait, the waitress admitted that she forgot to place the order for the kid's food. You know, the order that was right there on the same piece of paper.

Another fun Tanzanian thing we've found is that when a restaurant realized they've made a mistake like this, it does NOT mean they are going to rush to fix the problem. One might think that 3 orders of pasta would rush right out in a few minutes, but no. I think they started heating the water a few minutes after they got back to the kitchen. But ok, it was good food, and we were in no real rush. I think the visitors were really starting to fade, though, so I wanted to get them back to their hotel.

I did some Google mapping. The fastest way to get them to the hotel would be weaving through some city streets I wasn't familiar with. But I noticed that if I just went further down the street that went along the ocean, I could just make a single right turn and could get to the hotel easily! It looked rather easy. I'd never driven in that area, but it didn't look like a big deal.

The sun was setting after dinner, which meant that the dark would be quickly approaching. Man, it gets dark here quickly.

The name of the road that goes along the ocean used to be called "Ocean Road" but was recently renamed Barack Obama Road. It was pretty cool, as it was literally right on the beach. Ocean, 20 feet of beach, and then tarmac. Except with no street lights, it was a bit narrow and hard to drive on. We passed a right turn that Steph thought we should take. Nah, that was the left if we wanted to weave through downtown. I had a better plan!

200 feet later, some military men were on the side of the road, and they waved to me to pull me over. Police normally wear all-white uniforms. These were military-khaki, and of course a few of the men were armed with automatic guns. (None of this is abnormal, but can be pretty striking). They have us pull over onto the sand and turn off our headlights. Then a guy comes over and explains to me that this road is closed, and that no traffic is allowed on it. Apparently, the president lives a little further down, and it's a matter of national security to keep people off it. And he said there was a sign that said the road was closed.

(Talking to fellow missionaries later, this road does have the Preisident's house, and it is often closed after 6pm (this was maybe 6:30). But only "kind of". There is no sign, I know that for sure. It's just something one is supposed to know.)

I pretty much knew right away what was happening...I was going to have to "bribe" my way out of this. I wasn't sure if I did something officially wrong or not, but I felt that my options were going to be to follow the guy's instructions, or to pay a bribe. One thing to do when you are pulled over is to demand a receipt. I did that a few times. The guy (actually, this was now a second guy) knew that I knew what was going on. He would laugh and say "we have no receipts here!"

The problem was, he told me that since I was in the wrong place, I needed to go to the President's office and  they would open a case against me, and then I would have to go to court. Again, I knew this was a pretty ludicrous idea, but I really didn't know for sure if there was some kernel of truth. Maybe I did miss a sign and maybe I should be in trouble for where I was. If I knew for certain, I could have pressed harder more confidently. But he had me doubting myself just enough. Of course, there was no sign. I suggested a few times that they show me sign, or show me the law that says I can't be there. They just laughed.

I kept suggesting that he let me go, and that I sure would go ahead and show up at court later. He had yet to ask my name, ask for ID, ask for car registration...nothing. (That was the explanation I didn't want to have...why I had only my American ID on me and that the school van was not registered to me. So I was overly nervous about that!)

I talked a lot about living here in Dar, and how I just simply needed to get my visiting family to the hotel so that they could sleep for the night. He kept saying things like "how are we going to resolve this situation?" and I was supposed to offer him money. Instead I kept suggesting that he let me go, bring the family to the hotel, and then I could take care of any problems.

I did a few things wrong. One, I kept meaning to say this (I learned the trick on Uganda mission trips) to emphasize that we were missionaries working hard to help the country. I implied it but didn't say it outright. Of course, that helped us in the past get out of tickets that were legitimate offenses. This was different.

The main thing to do (I realized later when I was less intimidated) was to insist more on the receipt, and to call the big bluff. Yes, let's go to the President's office right now, and you can write me the receipt. To insist that my mission organization needs receipts because they track my spending. That will often finally shut them up, when they think you cannot actually spend the money without tracking it. The other thing is, you need to have some patience. I had enough for about 20 minutes, but then I was done. I wanted out.

We ended up talking about America, and he was proud that we were on Barack Obama road. I told him I knew that, and that we were glad Africans like Barack Obama. The Obama conversation really got him laughing and in a good mood. So he finally said that 50000tsh (about $30USD) would take care of the situation. He made a lot of grand statements about how I really should be paying a huge amount, and having national security look after me, and so on, but he decided I was a good man, that Obama was cool, and I could just pay him.

Well, bribing police officers is another moral line I really wanted to refuse to cross. I want to stand against corruption. I want things to be clearly right or wrong, and then I can clearly do the right thing. The thing is, I didn't realize that "bribe" really meant "extortion." I wasn't bribing a police officer so that I wouldn't get a ticket. I was basically being held up by the military so that they could get some of my mzungu money. And it worked. I was more concerned with getting the family out of there. I was worried about the possible other actions that would happen if I refused to pay. I was calm and not too scared, but I also didn't see another way out.

So I am disappointed in myself, but also angry that this kind of thing can happen, and there isn't anything that can be done about it. We spent $30 on an interesting experience and a story, but it's a sad story. The world isn't right. It's broken a lot worse than this in many other places within just a few kilometers of us, but this is an example of the systems that are just not right yet in Tanzania. It's a shame.

Visitors and Ethics (Part 1)

We are very excited to have our first visitors! My brother Bob, sister-in-law Sharri, nephew Sam and niece Anneke made the LONG trek out here to see us, and you know, lions.

We remember well the braindead feeling of jet lag when we first arrived in Tanzania, so we let them rest after I picked them up from the airport. Well, for a few minutes. Because we were excited and wanted to show them places and do things! So hopefully, they are OK after spending the afternoon with us driving them all over. In our bit-of-a-rush to do something, we kept forgetting things like phones in the car, etc. One of the things I kept forgetting was to get my International Drivers License and copy of my Resident Visa. I usually keep them in our car, but we borrowed the school van for the day, to make it easier to carry all 9 of us together, and for luggage. So I was paranoid all day that I'd get one of the infamous random pullovers from a cop and not enough of my documents. [hint: foreshadowing]

But speaking of luggage, wow wow wow. It was like Christmas! Bags of luggage just filled with nice things for us (oh, and enough stuff hopefully for Bob & Sharri!) Since we came with 15 bags of personal items from the States, getting just a few bags is like adding 25% to our material goods. That is sweet. Now, many items were shuffled around to make everything fit, so we haven't even discovered everything yet. But thank you to any and everybody who might have sent something. Our larder is full with rare treats. Steph will probably be baking for a month straight!

So the visiting Steens' itinerary was to fly in Sunday morning, and then fly out again Monday morning for a 3 day safari. We're still in school for a few days, so this worked out nicely. To make things easier, they stayed in a hotel Sunday night closer to the airport. So our plan was to bring them to our house, let them rest briefly, and then spend the afternoon "on the penisula" which has some shopping and sightseeing opportunities. After dinner, we'd bring them to their hotel.

One stop we wanted to make was a trip to the Tinga Tinga market. We've probably mentioned it before, but we love Tinga Tinga art! It's a Tanzanian original art style started in the 1950s of cartoony African animals. If you have small children and Netflix, you need to get them watching Tinga Tinga Tales! We discovered this art district alleyway just last week after looking for it many times. It is so cool...just storefront after storefront of original, cheap artwork. Once I figure out how to hang things on our concrete walls, I am going to town at this place.

When we arrived in this area, some ... enthusiastic...young men attempt to sell you bootleg DVDs. They literally have stacks and stacks of them. They'll randomly pick one out to sell you. When you say "no thanks," they just pull out another one and try that. They'll basically stick 5-10 in your face until you can get away. Well, last week I said no to them many times, but then I caught a glimpse of one particular movie: 12 Years a Slave. I spend much less time than I used to, but still some, reading about movies, and I am very intrigued to see this movie. I liked the idea that I could see a probable Oscar winner that many in the States didn't see. But last week, I passed on it.

Buying pirated movies is one of the ethical lines that I didn't expect to cross as a missionary in Africa. I certainly try to uphold copyright law in the States, and I try to teach my students as best I can why copyright law is important. I spend time in class and in personal conversations with them trying to convince them that stealing isn't right. It often feels fruitless. I want to teach students who are going to go into Hollywood and make important, ethical movies, or to go to Silicon Valley and create video games that allow users to face moral dilemmas. I don't want them to steal the very things they should be valuing.

Well, my standards have lessened, and I'm not exactly proud of it. Mostly, it is because pirated movies are the only way I've seen to buy a DVD here. They sell them at official looking kiosks, in storefronts, etc. Now, I don't for a minute think that I have some right, or any "need" to see a movie. But entertainment here is a bit lacking. There is no prime time. I love a good book, and I love a good board game, but sometimes some video is tempting. I especially feel bad for the kids, so we've purchased a few illegal kid movies. (The good news: we've also received LEGAL versions of these movies later.)

Everybody has to make this ethical decision for themselves. I don't think I should buy pirated movies, but I have. And so I think I'm in the wrong. I don't see a justification for it other than "I want them and they are available."

So yesterday, I did give in to temptation and I bought 12 Years a Slave. I was pretty excited...a good meaty, meaningful movie. I hoped it would move me, teach me, and get me to think. But tonight we went to watch it...it seems to start in the middle, is a very low quality (not filmed in the theater shaky, but low-res). And there is no sound. So, there was $2.50 of illegal activity wasted. Hopefully, I've learned my lesson!

This is getting pretty long, so more from yesterday's adventures coming soon!

Top 10 ways I know I'm adjusting to life in Africa....

With a nod to David Letterman, here are the top 10 ways I know I'm settling in:

10.  I've accepted the fact that my feet are always dirty and have perpetual sandal tan-lines

9.  When I smell body odor or a stinky car, I no longer check to see if it's me
8. I ignore the sounds of horns on the road...it's nothing personal.

7. I know that 180 Celsius is about 350 Fahrenheit and that 30 grams of butter is about 2 tablespoons.

6. When there's a breeze at night and it drops to the high 70s, I sometimes get a little shiver of chill.

5. I don't freak out when I see lizards in my house

4. I know that asking for a dozen eggs means I'll get 30.

3. I understand that, more often than not, a bigger size item is NOT cheaper on a per-unit basis than a smaller one (yes, I am a geek).

2.  I refer to soccer as “football, ” games as “matches,” and the field as “the pitch.”

And the number one way...

1.  When I smell smoke, I don't automatically think, “Danger!” I think, “Someone's burning trash again.”

Photos of the new house, part 2

Hallway between kitchen and dining room (where kids are diligently doing homework!), which leads to Josh's room.  This gives you some idea of size - this house is big with super high ceilings.

Girls' room, complete with mosquito net.

Side gate, and the path that leads to school!

Back porch

Indian Ocean in the distance

Photos of the new house, part 1

Many of you have been asking to see photos of the new house, so here are a few!  The pictures don't do it justice....this house is amazing!  We've got tons of room for any visitors so come on over to Dar...

Front door (though we usually use the side door, this is more picturesque)

Kitchen!  Complete with gas stove....though we haven't totally figured it out yet.

Living room

Our gate

The maximum photos I can show is 4!  So stay tuned for photos, part 2...

Immeasurably More

"But to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in Christ Jesus and in the church throughout all generations, forever and ever!  Amen."  (Ephesians 3: 20-21).

This has been Josh's Bible verse the last few weeks.  Since we've been practicing it several times a day, you'd think I could apply the lesson to my own life?  Nope.

Was I praying that God would lead us to a bigger, safer home?  Yes.  Did I think it would be answered beyond my expectations?  If I'm being honest, no.  Although I really wanted to live near school, my earthly mind didn't think it was possible and so I dismissed it outright.  My prayers were small and I forgot that the God I was praying them to was big.  Thankfully, He does not give us what we deserve...he desires to give good gifts to His children (Luke 11) and he not only gives us spiritual blessings, but He lavishes us with His grace (Ephesians 1).  

This house is so much more than I could have asked for or imagined.  The move went so much more smoothly than I could have asked for or imagined.  I am humbled before our gracious Heavenly Father and pray that I can be a good steward of all the blessings He has given me.

Some moments in the life...

Now that Steph's done with the photo extravaganza, maybe some people are going through withdrawal on Steen updates. Well, I doubt that. But still, here are some snippets of life recently.

1. Looks like our first official African sickness has hit us. There has been a 24 hour bug going around, and it looks like Steph got it. Now, Emily, Charlotte and Stephanie are all laying in bed feeling not too good. Can the boys survive without them. (prediction: no.)

2. We went to the local waterpark on Saturday morning. What an hilarious adventure! The waterpark is a pool, six fairly nice big waterslides, and a few kid-sized slides. When we arrived right around opening time, they were still deciding when to turn the waterslides on. About every 10 minutes or so, another would start working. two of the big slides never did work, and we've heard that no one has ever seen them work. One of the others did finally work a few hours into the day, so there were four working big slides.

There were no rules. Climb up the slides? Sure, why not? Stand right in front of the exits? Of course! Form a line at the top and go down in an orderly fashion? Nah. In the whole waterpark, there were maybe 10 tubes and a few mats. Find a tube or not, run (not walk) up the path and stairs (be sure to push!) and jump onto the launchpad whenever it suits you! If you didn't get a tube, good luck...the water flow isn't really heavy enough to push down a person. On the way down, you may enter a few discarded mats, you may run into some people stuck. You may have one of those tubes coming down Mach-speed behind you, so look out! It really is quite a bit of fun, and dangerous enough to get some bumps and scrapes. It sure makes the American-system of "one person at a time" and lifeguards at the top and bottom look safe, if a bit stuffy.
Even better, we picked a day to go when many other HOPAC families were there, so we had a great time. We're also a little scared to go back, but for about $3/person, it's a great Saturday activity!

3. When we got home from the waterpark, we got ready to have some company over for dinner. These friends have probably been the most power and water outtages (not to mention a burglary...) so it was no surprise that 45 minutes before they came, we had a whole troop of power company workers come into our yard and work on fixing a leaning electrical pole. This pole has been leaning at a bad angle for at least 2 1/2 years. Also, it is right next to the dining room, where we have two big windows. They took apart four power lines, and placed them (still live with power) in our yard. Of course, we were baking dinner when the power went off. They dug out the pole, straightened it out, and reburied it. It was hot out, so they often took breaks napping in the yard. Still, the whole process took maybe 3 hours. It was just getting dark when they strung up the wires again and restored power. We don't know why Saturday was the day to fix the pole, but hey, it all worked out.

4. We're still in house limbo. We've been living in our current house without signing the lease that ran out on October 31...we are delaying just a bit because we are still looking at another place. We *think* this new place may be just the place for us, but we are working on making sure we can afford it. It is "on the hill" right behind the school, meaning we could walk to/from school! It's a very nice community, and a homely house with an amazing view. We need to make a decision soon, though! (That is, right now.)