Small Talk

View from a boat ride to a little island off the coast of Zanzibar

Tony, Conner, and me in the village on the other side of our Zanzibar beach hotel

Shosti- a Swahili slang term for a woman’s best female friend.

One morning, we were buying coffee and chai at the coffee shop near Swahili class and one of the employees taught my friend, Michelle, the word, Shosti. Since then, a group of us grab snacks and coffee almost daily.

When any of my friends go into the class, we have a conversation like this:

“Mambo shosti,” a female employee asks.
“Skopa shosti. (a slang response that elicits a laugh),” we reply.
“Habari za wikendi shosti? (how was your weekend),” another woman asks.
“Nzuri, na wewe shosti? (good and how are you?),” we ask back.
“Nzuri sana shosti (very good),” she replies.
“Baadaye shostis (later),” about five employees (including male ones) wave and shout.

In Tanzania, its all about greetings. They are the first lessons in every Swahili book. It’s perfectly acceptable to stop and ask strangers about them, their family, their day, their afternoon, where they are from, where they are going, what tribe they are, what’s their religion…etc…

Although I’m usually shy, sometimes I enjoy these easy chances to practice Swahili. One day, I stopped to buy fruit from Kennedy, my favorite fruit vendor. I asked him how he was and what his little son’s name was. When his wife walked up and tied the baby to her back in a kitenge, I told them how I wanted to carry a baby in the US like that. As I was leaving, he threw two tangerines in the bag with my mangoes.

It’s these moments that shape my life in Tanzania. After a month, I’ve learned to accept certain realities of life here. Almost everyday, I explain to at least one person that I’m not from China or Japan, avoid some man trying to hit on me (now I get to hear how cool my rasta braids are), and have some kid stare at me in terror when I greet them. But having a café full of employees call me best friend daily and getting delicious fruit free makes me love life here.