There it was. The day we moved to Africa.
On that day, we woke up our kids early, drove to the airport in below freezing temperatures, checked in our eight suitcases, and said goodbye.
On that day, we boarded airplanes, entertained our boys, ran through airports, watched the clouds from above, thanked God for a wonderfully smooth trip and content children, and reassured the boys that we are, indeed, flying to Africa.
On that day, we arrived in Tanzania (as did all our luggage), were picked up by a co-worker, drove through the hot and humid night to our new home, and arrived there with two sleeping boys in our arms and our good friends and now-neighbors to welcome us.
On that day, we slept with whirring fans above us and mosquito nets all around us.
That day was almost two weeks ago and it still feels surreal that we actually live in Africa now.
Here are some glimpses into our new life!
Our apartment. We live in a nice 2 bedroom apartment (hey, that’s 2 bedrooms more than we had in Germany!) right next to our dear friends, the Sharpes, who arrived in Tanzania one day before us. We are really close to a supermarket and to our organization’s office. We feel very safe and comfortable here and are thankful for this beautiful home to welcome us as we adjust and adapt to our new environment.
Our team. They have taken such good care of us! Since our arrival, our teammates have brought us dinners, invited us over for meals, taken us shopping, showed us where to get our phones set up, celebrated the 3 new families’ arrival with a big Welcome Party, and have helped us in any and every way needed.
Our boys. Judah and Elias are definitely dealing with lots of changes and transitions (which has come out in more difficult behavior and some random bouts of crying) but have been doing great. Besides their bodies being covered in heat rash (very common with children during the hot season here) and the constant sweating, they have really enjoyed living right next to their friends, finding and catching lizards and other bugs, wearing shorts and a T-Shirt every day, making new friends (there are lots of kids on the team), and driving on the bumpy roads in the 3-wheeled taxis.
Our daily life. The boys started at their new preschool this week. It’s an English-speaking preschool and we are thankful that the Sharpe kids are attending the same one… it definitely helps having little friends walking this path alongside them! John and I have been going through our field orientation and will start formal language classes next Monday. Life is about to get reaaaaally busy!
Thank you to all those who have sent us encouraging messages, prayed for us, have supported us, and are going on this journey with us. More updates to come soon!
Love it that the first piece of furniture you bought was a bookshelf… but of course!