What it's really like to live in a mud hut?? in Tanzania (Maasai tribe)

Yes, you read that title right! I lived in a mud hut for 3 days... ok, not as cool as a year or a month but TRUST me 3 days was more than enough!

During my study abroad, our professors wanted us to really assimilate into the Maasai tribe. Before heading out to our new families we were taught some kiMaasai (the Maasai spoken language) and a bit about their customs.

Here is some things you may not know about the Maasai:

1. Maasai people are polygamists - this means that you will often find that Maasai warriors (the men of the tribe) will marry more than one wife. 

2. Maasai bomas are a conglomerate of mud huts, which are also their homes! The inhabitants of each boma are often the sister wives of one warrior. This is an advantageous set up for them, so that each of the sister wives can help each other raise their husband's children. 

3. Those mud huts are made by the wives using mud and cow dung! Wives will share their huts with their children and men will receive their own huts.  

4. The Maasai men (aka the warriors) water their cattle while the women cook, and create jewelry throughout the day. The jewelry they make during the day are used for ceremonies, but they are also sold to tourists. That means these women are ENTREPRENEURS! Definitely buy from them directly instead of established shops if you can :)

5. Cattle and goats are their most PRIZED possession. They love their livestock. It's a symbol of their livelihood and wealth. Their livestock is even used as a dowry when acquiring a new wife! 

I remember when I first walked into the Boma of my new "family". Despite the obvious language barrier, my new family was excited to introduce me to all of the mothers, aunts, sisters and brothers. My "mother" was about 23 years old and had two children, a son of about 10 years old and a daughter of about 3 years old. (I say "about" because the Maasai don't usually know their birthdays!) 

I also remember my families eagerness to dress me in their clothing. They tied shukas (thick patterned cloth) around my neck until my knees were completely covered. They dressed me head to toe in their handmade jewelry. The children laughed as they were shocked I had fuzzy arm hair to rub. 

My new family then gave me a tour of the mud hut that would be my home for the next 3 days. As we walked into the 5' 4" hut (I'm 5' 7"), my eyes had to adjust to the complete black out of light, and lingering smoke from their indoor "kitchen" fire. My mom showed me the "kitchen", the "bedroom" and the "master bedroom" where she would sleep when her husband came to visit. 

The hut was small, hot and smoky, but I was driven to embrace all of it!

As I looked around the small hut, I realized ... there was no bathroom...

Well the Maasai boma didn't have plumbing, much like most of the bomas. They took me to the back where there was a 2' x 3' hole that was about 15 feet deep. The standing surface for this hole was a series of sticks laying across the hole so you could place your feet... and squat.

Over the next three days I got to truly experience life of a Maasai woman. I helped cook over a fire (aka suffocated and coughed from the excessive smoke), bathed in the creek with the other women and children, sat under trees during the hot African sun and made jewelry with my family. I listened to stories that the warriors would tell about fighting off lions to protect their cattle and my Maasai mother's hopes for her son and daughter. 

I witnessed ceremonies of courtship between Maasai warriors and their future brides, and learned about what Maasai consider is beautiful. I watched the Maasai bless and sacrifice their goat for sustenance and to quench their thirst. I drank goat's blood to quench my thirst like the Maasai do in the dry season, and I branded myself to support their view of "beauty". I challenged myself to be watch and immerse in it, even if I had conflicting views of their customs.

After three days, I felt I had transformed. I gained a new found appreciation for the home I had in the U.S and my family. I began to notice all the things I took for granted, my family and friends, my privilege.... and indoor plumbing. Definitely indoor plumbing... I learned that I am capable of difficult things, and that living in the discomfort that I felt, I continue to become a more worldly and introspective. And what is life and travel, if not that?

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Signed,

Hakuna Matata Traveler