Albino killings: Witch doctors tell people that killing albinos will make them rich so (mostly in the Lake Victoria region), people still basically "hunt" albinos and kill them. They keep a part of the person in their home because they believe it will make them rich.
Owls: If an owl hoots by your house, it means someone will die.
Relationships: I've learned a lot about dating and relationships here. Even at the age of 33, relationship are kept secret from families until there is an engagement.
While I can't speak for all of Tanzania, I know that Sakina is a village very representative of many villages here.
In Sakina, the majority of people believe that 1) condoms are bad, 2) it is a woman's responsibility to avoid getting pregnant, 3) the major role of women is to cook and clean and serve her husband, 4) it is ok for a man to hit a woman if she won't sleep with him.
These are all questions we asked in household surveys, so we have data that shows this. It has been really interesting for me to talk to people about what they believe.
Healthy food: My brothers and sisters have never seen the food pyramid and didn't know that soda was unhealthy.
vocab word of the day:
simu - phone number
This information is quite sad. I feel like I have learned so much from you being there. I check your blog everyday and get sooooooooo excited when there is something new :) Can't wait till you come home!!!!!!!! (At work we buy this ingredient that comes mostly from Africa and some of it comes from Tanzania and I always think of you when we talk about it!)
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