Ultimate Tanzanian Frisbee

In one of the more fun cultural exchanges so far, the other afternoon I had the pleasure of demonstrating a new sport to a few of the students and teachers- Ultimate Frisbee.  One of the items I threw into my bag before I left was a bright yellow Frisbee with a smiley face on it.  I figured it might be something that could be fun to show the students here, and today I was really happy I brought it.

As I am in the staff room most days getting to know my fellow teachers and colleagues, we usually do a lot of sharing about our respective cultures on many topics.  Being a big sports fan, I love to explain to them American sports like Baseball, Basketball and American Football.  They can be complicated to explain sometimes, but my fellow teachers are always interested to learn about what’s popular in America.  This morning I asked a colleague and friend if he knew about Frisbee, and he responded he had never heard of it.  So I told him to come by my house in the afternoon and I would show him.  He came by later on and we went to the field nearby where I showed him how to throw and catch a Frisbee.  Of course there were some students nearby, and immediately they were curious and wanted to join in.  I was more than happy to have them join so I could show them the new sport.  As more and more students came by, I decided I would show them Ultimate Frisbee, a competitive team sport using the disc.  I explained to them the simple rules that they picked up very quickly and then we established the playing field and divided into teams.

Playing the game and teaching the students how to play was a total blast.  Everyone had a great time and was really getting into the fun and competitiveness of the game.  I was amazed at how quickly they picked up the new sport, and got quite a thrill at how much they were enjoying it. 

It was a really cool and rewarding moment because whereas I’ve been mostly taking part in and learning about the culture here, it was one of the first times when I got to share a bit about myself and my culture in a way that was different from just talking about it.  It was a true cultural exchange.  Who knows, maybe the sport will catch on and become a new Tanzanian craze!