Being thankful – nine

This is part nine of our short series on some of the cultural/practical/emotional differences we’ve experienced between our two lives (in the UK and in Tanzania). Use the ‘Blog Archive’ list in the right-hand column to find the previous parts.

Things we miss about Tanzania:
Speaking another language (especially chatting with friends in the market!). My (Matt’s) only other experiences of speaking another language were French, where I really wasn’t very good, and American, which doesn’t really count (since I am half-American after all). Spending time learning Swahili and then having to use it to get by in all areas of life (including, most importantly, building relationships!), was a thoroughly rewarding experience for us both. We are by no means experts, however to be able to have everyday conversations fluently (pretty much) was a great experience. Being able to communicate with people through a language which is not your own, as they recognise the effort you have taken to engage in the society and culture, people open up to you as they never otherwise would.

Things we like about the UK:
Church in English. Not, of course, because it is in English. English is no better, and no worse, than any other language. However for us, English happens to be our heart language – the language we understand the best. It is the language we were brought up with at home, that we learnt to speak first and then eventually learnt to read and write. It is a part of us, it is in our head and it is in our heart. We don’t just understand the technical meaning of the words, we also have emotional reactions to those same words. They carry weight that impacts us on so many (often very subconscious) levels. It is such a privilege, one that we don’t recognise often enough, that we can go to church in our mother tongue – in English. Having lived away from the UK we appreciate so much more the importance of having God’s word in the language we know best. When in Mbeya we could understand most of the individual words (the technical meanings) used at church, however time and time again the ‘message’ was lost on us. For so many people around the world that is all they know. They have never experienced the wonder of hearing God’s word in their heart language.