Shirazi continued

My (host) sister Mwanacombo and neice (baby) Nia.

Sudi, my host brother, and Rizik, my neice. She's about three years old and didn't even realize that I was living there for days. One day she asked who I was and was really confused when my Mamma told me that I was her sister. (There aren't really neices and nephews in Swahili culture, everyone is just kind of related.) When I left she had the fiercest pout that I was going- she had spent three days completely attached to me.

My Shirazi family. Left to right, top to bottom. Rashid (older brother), Sudi (brother about my age), Mudi (slightly younger brother), Mamma, Mwanacombo (Rashid's wife) holding Nia (Rashid's daughter), Baba (father in Swahili), Mwanacombo (sister, about 11 years old), Hajji (nephew, about 6 years old), Rizik (neice, Rashid's daughter, about 3 years old), Bob (nephew, about 8 years old), and Mwanajabu (my sister and somo yako [I was named after her], about 14 years old).

My Baba also has a second family (Muslim/Swahili culture) some of whom would eat dinner and float in and out of the house. Hajji and Bob's mothers are older sisters that live in Mombasa and Zanzibar.