She’s from California, moved to Tanzania and married a tribe 30 years her junior: “They ask me if I’m their grandmother”

when Deborah Babu of Sacramento, California took a trip to the African continent. I didn’t expect to find love. The woman and her daughter Royce, who visited Tanzania in October 2017, decided to visit the beaches of Zanzibar. Saitoti gave them some souvenirs. Although both replied that they wanted nothing, Babu, a retired police officer, asked the man if he could take a picture with him as he had never met a warrior from the Maasai tribe. What happened next was incredible for both of them.

After that first approach, the woman, now 60, and Saitotti, 30 years her junior, became friends, exchanging phone numbers. The next night they went for a walk on the beach, but she had no future because of the age difference: ”I was a happily single girl And going out with someone under 30 doesn’t feel right to me,” she assured in recorded statements. the sun He remembers how he felt at the time. The young warrior thought differently and followed her to his next destination in Tanzania.

After several weeks, The American returned to California, But that link is already consolidated. Saitodi called Deborah every day and talked about wanting to marry her: “There was a 12-hour time difference between us, but he made sure to call me every day; Even if there is a power cut, he will find a way,” explained Babu.

“My oldest daughter Tiffany, 32, and my son Sherrick, 27, met him on Facetime and loved it. They had no problem with the age difference and told me that if he was happy I should go with him.

In December 2017, Deborah returned to Tanzania And the young man posed next to her for the snapshot He took the engagement ring and asked her to marry himAccording to the collecting history the sun.

The American knew her answer and immediately answered yes. So the two got married in June 2018 with a Maasai ceremony And legal marriage by the US government in July 2022. They are still waiting for a big celebration in which more family members and tribesmen will attend: “I don’t expect to find a husband. Marry someone younger than meBut he is very kind and very caring,” added the woman, who now goes by her Maasai name, Nashibai, and lives with Saidoti and her family in Upena, Tanzania.

However, the dedication did not stop the criticism of those observing everything from a distance. some people Focuses on age differenceOthers accused Saitoti of being with her because of the green card: “People ask me if I adopted him or if I’m his grandmother, which makes him sad. We want to focus only on ourselves And in our joy”, now the wife added in statements to the same media.

However, criticism is not an obstacle for them to continue together: “It’s a very different life in Tanzania, but I’m happy. We cook on fire, we don’t have running water (…) We are currently building a cabin and we even have to build our own stairs,” said Deborah.

Saitoti is a farmer, and he also remembers the first time he saw his now-wife, when she “I saw an angel: “We laughed together and took a picture She melted my heart. She is beautiful and kind and she supports me. Having a wife was a big step for me. I’m proud of our marriage and the little comments hurt me, but now I see other people with the age difference and it helps to ignore what people say. Age is just a number and it doesn’t stop the love and care I feel for my wife.”

Nation