gettin' kasuka-ed

Each week for the past several months since they've started attending St. Jude's, who lets students grow their hair long, six girls have made their way to the beauty salon on Sunday afternoon to braid their hair for the following week. The salon experience is very symbolic of the African culture in general. A few examples:

1. Waiting is not a big deal...this week there were 9 of us getting our hair done by two gals, and several people that came in after us just sat down and joined the conversation, not minding the fact that they might be there for hours. People here really, really know how to wait, in a way that Americans would never dream of being okay with.

2. Small things are social events....with a hard life comes more exuberant celebration over even the smallest of things. Being in the salon is a social gathering and an event to be enjoyed, and being here in Tanzania has taught (is still teaching, rather) me to be aware of how to find the joy in even the smallest details of the day.

3. The world is a family....the African proverb that says that it takes a village to raise a child is so true in every facet of life here. All the women that came in after us took up combs to help remove the previous braids from our girls' hair, not because they thought it would make the process go faster so the ladies would get to them more quickly, but simply because they wanted to help. One lady who came in to get her own hair braided ended up braiding Angel's hair, while our Rhobi took care of entertaining her two young sons outside the shop, and left before she even braided her own. Africans really truly know how to take care of each other, in birth, death, and everyday living. Another reason I love living here.

big-fros-are-us: Amina, Grace, and Rosie before braiding a family event, featuring angel and rhobi

nossi's first braid

afterwards: nossi and angel