Skirts

Saturday, January 19, 2019

This morning after breakfast, I decided that I wanted to get one of the two skirts I had brought with me to Arusha this year hemmed up because it was far too long. So, John accompanied me out along the highway pedestrian path, and we walked to the seamstress he had used for shortening his trouser legs. I presented my request and she agreed to do it immediately. While she was sewing, we walked on further to the grain shop when I had bought the mystery non-lentils and found out that I had bought small soy beans, which looked like yellow lentils. Maso had told me about a small round green grain, choroko, with which Tanzanians make a stew to eat with rice or ugali. I spotted some in a sack and decided to buy a half kilo. Now I have to decide if I am brave enough to try cooking them for dinner soon. So far, my record with new grains hasn’t been all that stellar.

Asking about the various grains for sale.

When we returned to the seamstress, I noticed that right behind where she was sitting was a mill for grinding corn. Of course, John was very intrigued with the machine and how it operated. To his great luck just then a woman came with a small sack of corn she had just bought and wanted milled. John got to watch the whole operation and had a good chat with the miller, who was happy to have a mzungu interested in his work. The miller gave me a small sample of the very nicely ground cornmeal to feel. I was quite impressed and wonder if I shouldn’t buy some corn now just so I can have it ground.

Our street side seamstress.

The grain mill.

May skirt was finished, so I paid the seamstress 2000 TZsch (maybe 85 cents) for her work and we walked back home. Once back at Kundayo, we decided we had plenty of time before lunch to go into town and pick up our skirts at FiFi’s. I had texted Leonica at Afrileo Collections, which is based at FiFi's,  (https://afrileotz.com/ )
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I was dropped off at FiFi’s to wait there until John and Mary Lou returned from the safari company. Since I knew my skirt was finished, I got it and tried it on. OMG! It was too short and made me look like some sort of square Amazon. However, the Tanzanian women in FiFi’s all told me that it was beautiful and the perfect length. After John returned and I modeled it for him, he agreed with me that it is too short but also noted that the African women would like it as it accents my best feature (for an African woman), my butt. Well, that makes me feel better!  No matter, I went ahead and ordered another skirt which I insisted must be longer.

the evening before to ask if they were finished and she said they were. Also, Mary Lou had decided to join a group on a 4-day safari next week and needed to make a payment at the safari company’s office. So, we called Ray and headed out.

Modeling my skirt from Afrileo.

While we were preparing dinner— a very dead looking chicken—Immanuel delivered a big bowl of freshly made kitumbura. He said they were a gift from the kitchen, but I found out later that Mama Kundayo was behind this largesse. I love kitumbura, and these were by far the best I have had so far. Fortunately, I was smart enough to share them with Mary Lou, or I probably would have gorged myself senseless.

An out-of-focus photo of the kitumbura. Perhaps I was shaking with excitement.