This area is much more arid than most we've been in so far. The trees are much smaller and farther between, but this is rainy season afterall and there was lots of lush green vegetation to tromp through. I don't know if the Aggies were worried or not, but that grass sure concerned me - looks like prime snake habitat to me!
Upon our arrival, we were warmly greeted by Charo's family. Charo is in the pink shirt. He showed us all around - it's Giryama custom to visit each house in the village and greet the habitant. That took a little while, but I knew most of the people and it was great to see them all again.
Charo had a surprise for the group - it was time to start preparing a special lunch! Ryan volunteered for the "preparation" duty as an honored guest. I declined as I wanted these guys to get the full experience of African hospitality - that includes killing your own lunch.
Wade was eating this up - figuratively at first, literally a couple of hours later. Most folks never get to taste meat this fresh. I must admit - this was the best goat I've ever eaten!
This is Duncan Ziro hard at work preparing the goat. This was Duncan's first visit to Kadzitsoni. It was a good trip for him as his home area is much like this - arid and remote. He felt very much at home and that was obvious as he helped the students experience traditional Giryama culture at its finest.
As you can imagine, lunch takes a while to prepare from scratch. Waiting is one of the most experienced activities for visitors in rural Africa. We sat around and visited with the folks there, toured the farm, and sat around some more. Christianna was THRILLED with the forthcoming madafu (drinking coconut)!
It's a good thing Craig was around. He single handedly consumed a majority of Charo's coconut crop. I think there was quite a bit of switcheroo going on since Craig loved the madafu and everyone else didn't.
After a while, lunch was ready. Traditionally, guests are seated in the host's home around a community table and left alone to eat while the host is absent. We were prepared a great smorgasboard of food and then the students were left to enjoy it with gusto. Starting with the purple bowl at the bottom of the picture, we ate boiled goat in coconut milk, the white stuff is wari (ugali) which is cornmeal boiled in water to a consistency similar to playdough. This is pinched off and dipped into the soup and is the main staple food for Giryama people. The purple bowl with red stuff is kachumbari - tomatoes, onions and peppers mixed with vinegar as a side dish. Delish! On the skewers was roasted goat that was seasoned and very tasty! And finally, in the blue bowl at the top of the table, the premiere dish for visitors - the tubers! Giryama custom dictates that the guests get the best parts of the animal being eaten - which means that the internal organs, being the delicacy they are, are cheerfully given to the guest. We had stomach, intestines and liver. I was very proud that every single student tried a tuber. I've been there done that and didn't indulge. Aren't I a great leader?
It was a fantastic day! We had lots of fun with the kids and the students really got a taste of life in a traditional Giryama village.
Way to go guys! You did well and I was happy to get to share the basis for my years of ministry with them. This was my "office" for 5 years and it was a joy to get to re-experience that again by sharing it with first-timers. We were all astounded by the generous hospitality of our hosts and that makes Jesus' teachings about loving your neighbor more than self much more profound. Thanks to our Giryama friends for hosting us and challenging us to know God more intimately through their generosity!
1 comment:
Our visit to Kadzitsoni was one of hte highlights of our trip, but OH! I am so thankful that all we had to eat was duck. This feast would have been TOO MUCH for me!!
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