Act of Kindness
Came back from town and said hello to the keeper of the guesthouse. He is a kind man who cooks and fixes almost everything. (He is like a family doctor for the house. Takes care of over 90% and calls for a specialist for the other issues that require specialty training.) He greets you as you come in and out if you use the door near the kitchen which I prefer. He waved me to come to the kitchen and in his soft spoken voice he said, “Gift from room 6 for your husband .” He handed me a perfectly folded African shirt.
The gift was from the anatomy professor from Tanzania. It is very beautiful. It is like a scrub top, (think loose cotton and cool) with animals on the fabric and beautiful embroidery around the neck and on the color. We had complimented one of his other shirts.
In the past fabrics in Africa were imported from Indonesia but now we are told they are made here. The most commonly worn fabric is cotton like the weave and weight one would use to make a quilt. Many wear shirts cut like scrubs and women wrap a piece of cloth 2meters or 6 feet around their waste and tie it. Of course they use the same type of wrap to carry the babies back or front. The colors are beautiful and of many variations.
People here are very kind, cheerful and helpful. It is humbling to receive a spontaneous gift, underserving, no occasion, what a nice surprise!