BR2-06 One Woman's Choice

In every person's life, there is time when you have to make a life-changing decision. Life, I think, is repetition of making decisions. Every decision affects your life. As for me, I'm indecisive even on small things. I've wanted to know how people make decisions. Therefore, I chose the book called One Woman's Choice for the 6th book review in this semester.

This book is about the life of a Tanzanian woman, Flora Salonik. She lives in a small village of Kijungu on the Maasai Steppe. She’s married to a man of the Dorobo people, who live without electricity or almost any modern conveniences, and two children. She seems to live happily with her family but sometimes she dreams of one thing. She has wanted to return to her hometown which is one of the busiest cities in Tanzania. She had a university education there and is able to speak four languages. Many years has passed since she left her hometown Arusha. She never had a chance to visit there since it takes four days on foot to Arusha and she has her new life in Kijungu. There is no transportation between the two towns. One day, she decides to go visit her mother in her hometown for the first time after she moved to Kijungu. She is still not sure whether or not she moves back to Arusha. When she arrives there, she visits all the places she used to know and considers where she spends rest of her life. Whichever she chooses, she will lose either one. She thinks really hard and finally she makes her decision. She decides to spend rest of her life in Kijungu with her husband and children. She realizes that her home is not Arusha anymore but Kijungu.

In Japan, it’s not that difficult to visit your old home since we have good transportation. Therefore, it might be difficult to understand Flora’s situation. If I were in her shoes, I would choose civilized place Arusha. I can’t imagine the life without electricity or modern conveniences. However, I, kind of, understand her feeling. Her story reminds me of a saying “There is no place like home.” Where you feel secure is your home and it can be changed because everywhere changes as time goes by. Her old home is certainly no exception. Nobody knows what decision is right so making decisions not to regret later and believing yourself are important.

Reference

Waring, R. (2009).One Woman's Choice. Boston: Heinle Cengage Learning.

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