My Experience Living with a Host Family in Stahabu, Tanzania

Jambo rafikis! That’s Swahili for ‘hello friends.’

When I was 17, I spent 5 weeks in Tanzania. I traveled with The Experiment in International Living (EIL). This global nonprofit specializes in experiential learning, which is learning through experiences (as opposed to learning exclusively in a classroom). EIL has been connecting students with host families abroad since 1932. Learn more about The Experiment here.

I spent a week and a half living with a Tanzanian host family in Stahabu, a remote coastal village. In Stahabu I learned to cook rural Tanzanian food, did farm work, and practiced my Kiswahili.

Stahabu is a coastal village and fresh fish is a staple of most meals.

My first meal in Stahabu

Fish over rice with tomato sauce

Fish over yuca

Locals also enjoy octopus, crab, duck, goat, seaweed, coconut, and dry roasted cashews.

Coconut water

When I visited Stahabu, I was introduced to ugali and mandazi. Ugali is a porridge made from water and flour. It’s filling but contains very little nutritional value.

Ugali

Mandazi is fried dough sprinkled with sugar. It’s like a Tanzanian donut!

Cooking mandazi

In the morning or before bed (or both) people in Stahabu like to enjoy a warm cup of chai masala tea. Tanzanian chai is the real deal. It’s way more flavorful than your average chai latte from Starbucks. It’s served piping hot and often with a side of mandazi. I could drink it every day for the rest of my life and never get tired of it.

Delicious and flavorful chai tea

Stahabu is a small village and an extremely tight-knit community. Everyone knows each other and everyone looks out for each other. As a result, there is virtually no crime in Stahabu. In most households, children live with their parents and their grandparents.

My beautiful host grandmother and I

My host family was kind and loving. They were patient with me as I struggled to speak their language, and they walked with me all over town so that I wouldn’t get lost. My host brothers loved American pop culture and they would often request that we all ‘sing karaoke’ together and dance along to the song “YMCA.”

I brought my electric toothbrush to Tanzania (it can last for days without electricity and oral hygiene is very important!!) and my host family could not contain their laughter whenever they heard me use it. They would make buzzing sounds and pretend like they were brushing their teeth. LOL!

In Stahabu, men are expected to fish and provide for their families and women are expected to do the cooking and cleaning. My host mother prepared a delicious duck for dinner one night and, as per my request, taught me how to properly clean a duck. She also taught me how to make ugali.

My host mother displaying a perfectly plucked duck

My host father often dry roasted cashews over an open fire. They were just a little bit charred and crunchy on the edges, which made them extra delicious.

My host father roasting cashews

Local boy proudly displaying the fish he caught for dinner

My group and I assisted local farmers in the cashew fields. Together we planted cashews and dug irrigation canals. Sustainability is a high priority for Stahabu farmers, and they practice crop rotation to maintain healthy soil.

Volunteering in the cashew fields

Sunset from the cashew fields

There is no running water in Stahabu, so bucket showers are the primary method of bathing. I visited in the summertime, so I didn’t mind the cool water. 

The nearest water source is far away so water must be used sparingly. I limited my shower to 1 bucket (the local standard), and I felt perfectly clean.

My host family’s shower room

Stahabu locals wash their clothes by hand and hang them up to dry.

Laundry day

A restroom in Swahili is a ‘choo’ (pronounced ch-oh). In most rural areas, the choo is a square room with 3 surrounding walls (not 4) and no door. To be polite and avoid walking in on someone, it is customary to cough loudly before you intend on entering the choo. If you are in the choo, you simply cough back to let the other person know not to enter.

Choo

In Stahabu, there is no mass garbage removal. Most families have a pit behind their home in which they place their garbage. When the garbage fills the pit, they burn it.

Garbage pit

Tanzania is a predominantly Muslim country. I visited in the summer during Ramadan and most locals were observing the holiday. This entails fasting during the daylight hours. Thankfully, because I was a muzungu (white foreigner), I was allowed to eat during the day. My host mother often prepared grilled fish for me as a tasty afternoon snack. She wrapped the fish in newspaper to absorb any excess grease. It was really good!

Afternoon snack of grilled fish

In most Muslim countries, it is customary to dress modestly, especially for women. I was expected to keep my knees and elbows covered at all times. The exception was at the beach. One piece bathing suits were acceptable if I was with other wazungus (multiple white foreigners). If I were with my Muslim host family, I would be expected to cover up.

Incredible day at the beach!

Asante sana (thank you) for reading! Do you have any questions about Stahabu?

– Travel Alli