can we be more than money?

I was running an errand in town this week and as I hopped off the daladala, a young street boy came up to me and started tapping me on the arm. “Dada, dada! Sister, sister!” he called, trying to get my attention.

I knew what would follow would be a plea for money. And yes, he definitely needed money. But I couldn’t even look him in the eye, let alone talk to him. I turned away quickly, down a side street and ignored his continuous shouts in my direction. 

Within minutes, I felt horrible. “Why didn’t I just respond to him?” I thought. “I didn’t need to give him money. I could have just spoken to him.” But even speaking to him, in that moment, seemed impossible. Why? Why did I completely ignore a perfectly polite street boy?

how to lose 90% of your income and be happy.

Last fall, as part of our orientation program, we watched a documentary called "I AM" by Tom Shadyac about the world's growing addiction to materialism. The key moment comes when Tom moves into a much larger house, the movers leave, and he realizes something profound...he is no happier. Despite being in a beautifully large home, his measure of happiness had not changed one bit. So he made a film about it.

Recently, I had a similar revelation during a conversation with Ashley. We both left behind good jobs in the United States, moved to Tanzania in East Africa, and watched our household income decline by 90%. Yet, despite the precipitous drop off in our income, we are no less happy. But if we are earning way less money, shouldn't life be far less enjoyable?

Nope.

highlights: dar es salaam, tanzania.

Hey there! We’re sorry! We left without telling you where we were going. We’ve missed out on a few blog posts because we were here.

If you’re heading to Dar es Salaam, here are some recommendations to get you started. If you’re not heading to Dar es Salaam, read on anyway! You know there are always Leen Adventures in store.