Team Kosh

• Why are you Joshua? 11 years ago "Why are you Joshua?" William asked me when I walked past the gate to his school. Not the average way to greet someone, but then again, William isn't an average person. It wasn't a mistranslation - his command of English is strong. The only Joshuas he had ever met before were African. Christian,...
• Accidental Mzungu 11 years ago It first started in a bar in Marangu when I heard the first guitar picks of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” I thought it was a fluke, but in the 6 months since, I’ve discovered the bizarre truth that the Chagga tribe are hankerin' for American country music -- mostly of the classic variety. I’ve...
• A Tanzanian Seder 11 years ago A story. It's sophomore year in college. I had spent the last 12-14 hours making chicken soup, matzoh balls, and charoset for the Seder with a group of friends. We had invited over 25 people, took over a fraternity kitchen, and did our best to imitate our mothers' collective cooking wisdom. When we...
• To the Library ... and Beyond! 11 years ago Every day at exactly 10:00 am and 12:20 pm, I experience my version of the Great Wildebeest Migration. The bell rings, and across the schoolyard from 100 yards away, I hear a child shout: “Maktaba!!!!” 60 children storm across the yard leaving clouds of dust in their wake. As quickly as the...
• This is Africa 11 years ago I was repeatedly warned by friends who had traveled and worked in East Africa about a cultural, laissez-faire ethos simply referred to as "TIA." Lester first explained the nuance of This is Africa to me as I brought a bag of kuku chipsi (fried chicken with fries) into a coffee shop that made its...

This blog won the Bronze Award for best expat blog in Tanzania!