Im going to tell you a story about
charcoal.
Once upon a time there we’re two girls
named Monica and the other Brittany. They lived in Iringa, Tanzania.
They were new in town, they lived in a guest house and had to cook
for themselves and their family. They bought little stoves that use
fire and charcoal to cook everything.
Their days sort of revolved around
cooking since it took anywhere from 1 to 4 hours to cook a meal.
Ministry was done in between these times. One day they went into town
to buy charcoal. They assumed everyone cooks with charcoal this could
not be hard to come by. Boy were they wrong. They went to te market
place and got a couple of vegetable and a pineapple all the while
looking and asking around for charcoal. No one knew what they were
asking about it was like they were speaking a foreign language…oh
wait they were.
The girls remembered that the man they
buy water from spoke a little English so surely he would be able to
help them. Monica was explaining charcoal by warming her hands like
they were above a fire….the man thought they were asking for soap.
“THERE IT IS!” said Monica point at a man with a large bag over
his shoulder. They kindly thanked the water man and ran after the
supposed charcoal man. Brittany soon realized they had been sorely
mistaken for it was onions in the bag. Wild goose chase.
The girls walked around the market
wondering if they would ever find coal. Then Monica remembered a man
in a shop down the road could speak some English. So they walked down
the road to ask him if he knew. The shop owner was not there but his
wife seemed to know what they girls were asking for but she did not
have it at their shop so she sent a young woman to direct the girls
to another shop. The girls walked with this young woman to a
stationary shop. They did not need stationary. The girls laughed and
thanked the woman.
Monica and Brittany came upon another
man who seemed to be very sure that he knew what they needed. He was
walking them to another shop and along the way the girls met their
beloved taxi driver who had so faithfully taken them home numerous
times. The man explained to Mr. Taxi where the girls needed to go and
asked him to take them there on the way home. Mr. Taxi was very
excited to see the girls and to take them wherever they needed to go.
For he was a kind man. He took them around the block to yet another
stationary store. The girls were feeling very down and out about this
miscommunication because they really were in need of coal to cook
dinner. Luckily there was a man on the side of the rode who was
selling pots and pans so Monica explained using a pot this time that
we needed to cook Mr. Taxi laughed and seemed to know what they
needed….for real this time.
So Mr. taxi and the girls got back in
the cab as Mr. Taxi noticed a shop across the street that had gas
stoves so Monica and Mr. Taxi got out and Monica had to explain that
that was sort of what they needed but not at all. There was a broom
with black bristle and a wooden handle so Monica explained that it
was wood but it as black and that we needed that not a stove. Mr.
Taxi then gave a large chuckle and finally understood what the girls
were after. Driving through town Mr. Taxi drove by everyone who had
attempted to help us explaining that we wanted coal. Mr. Taxi drove
the girls across town and we ended up in front of a little shack that
had small buckets of coal sitting out on the porch. The girls were
very happy that they had communicated what they had been searching
for.
Monica and Mr. Taxi went inside and
found that the little shack did not have enough coal for the girls.
So the shack owner sent them to yet another shop. So Mr. Taxi took
the girls to the next place. Monica and Mr. Taxi got out asked about
the coal so a young man that was sitting outside took them back into
an ally way and asked Monica for a key. Apparently a key was needed
to open the secret chamber of charcoal. Of course Monica did not have
the key to the chamber considering it was nearly a 3 hour search for
this place to begin with. The young man did not seem pleased. He kept
asking Monica in Swahili where the key was…Mr. Taxi then plainly
said (in Swahili) that she clearly did not know what he was saying.
Monica then told Mr. Taxi and the young man that should would be back
shortly….she had to explain to Brittany what had happened. Monica
and Brittany laughed quite a bit about the key or more so the lack
there of.
Shortly after Monica had told Brittany
about the key situation Mr. Taxi and the young man came with another
man with the bag of coal on his shoulders. They got it into the trunk
and asked for 16,000 shillings when previously the girls only paid
13,000 for the same size. Often people try to outsmart us and charge
us a lot for a little. Monica was not having this. She explained we
knew how much it was supposed to be. “Is it because we are white?”
said Monica. Mr. Taxi who speaks little English himself though this
was very funny and then the young man realized he was busted and
asked for the correct amount of money from the girls.
Mr. Taxi and the girls high fived.
Well not really but it would have been
appropriate. They girls were very pleased and thanked Mr. Taxi for
taking them on this journey. On the way home they asked Mr. Taxi how
to say charcoal in Swahili and he told them it was mmka. Oh right we
should have known that.
So the girls lived happily ever after
with their charcoal OR should I say mmka?
THE END.
Thank you guys I love you hope you
enjoyed 🙂
