Would you like some tea? Still readjusting...

I still have these random flashes of really wanting to do something the way it was done in Tanzania, Kenya or Uganda.

A few weeks ago I went to UPC (an extra extra white church right next to the University of Washington) and they tried to sing a song in Swahili. The pronounced the words correctly, had perfect timing and sang in perfect harmony, but they didn't sing the song right. If they were in Kenya or Tanzania they would be clapping and moving back and forth. They would be singing with more spirit and energy. They definitely wouldn't have been reading from sheets of paper. The song would have gone on for longer with the best parts being repeated several times. And lastly, the audience would have participated. The people sitting in the rows would have been singing along or at least clapping if they didn't know the words. I thought about trying to get everyone to clap, but I figured that one person clapping wouldn't be enough to overcome a lifetime of white-church tradition. *sigh* I guess it is hard to completely readjust.

Here are some things that were part of everyday life in Kenya, Uganda or Tanzania that I now do or have seriously considered doing:

1) tea - offer it to everybody who comes to visit. People actually say 'no' here!

2) shaking hands - left hand supporting the right

3) Greet everyone in the room before sitting down.

4) wanting to bring a live animal to church to give as an offering instead of money.

5) wanting to put Kenyan/Tanzanian money in the offering plate

6) wanting to put a soda in the offering plate instead of money

7) wanting to wear an extra piece of fabric on Sunday and dramatically take it off and put in the offering plate

8) wanting to respond in Swahili when someone greets me

9) trying to get people to clap during the songs in church

10) wanting to extend church from 1 hour to 3

11) wanting to argue with the grocery store clerk to give me a lower price for the produce

12) holding hands for a really long time (several minutes) with someone of the same gender

13) What? This bus/car/van isn't full! People are barely touching each other. We could fit twice as many people in here!