Despite others believing he’s just with her for a green card, a lady who traveled 9,000 miles away to marry a Maasai tribesman 30 years her junior has declared she ‘couldn’t be happier.’
Deborah Babu, 60, of Sacramento, California, was not anticipating falling in love when she met her now-husband, Saitoty Babu, 30, in Tanzania in October 2017 while traveling with her daughter, Royce, 30.
The pair kept in touch, with Deborah returning to Tanzania in December and accepting Saitoty’s marriage proposal.
After a traditional Maasai wedding in June 2018, the couple had a legal wedding in July 2022 and still intend to have a larger Maasai celebration with more relatives and tribesmen in attendance.
Deborah, who now goes by the Maasai name Nashipai and lives with Saitoty and his family in Ubena, Tanzania, is overjoyed.
Saitoty has been blamed of merely being with her for a green card, which saddens since she understands how little his desire is to live in America, Deborah claimed, despite their joy.
She and her daughter Royce were wandering on a beach in Zanzibar, Tanzania, when they were approached by two Maasai, one of whom was Saitoty, who gave them souvenirs.
Deborah refused, but requested a picture with them because she had never seen a Maasai before, and the couple started up a conversation with Saitoty.
Saitoty requested Deborah to provide him the photo and then contacted her after he got her phone number.
The two connected during a beach stroll the next evening, yet Deborah didn’t see it progressing due of the age difference.
Saitoty asked Deborah and Royce to a dance on their last night in Zanzibar, however she rejected at the last minute due to exhaustion.
The next morning, Saitoty was there to see Deborah go.
Despite this, Saitoty accompanied her to her next stop in Tanzania and was disappointed when she had to depart two weeks later to return home.
The couple formed a deep friendship, however Deborah didn’t envision a romantic future because of their age gap.
Deborah, on the other hand, maintained in touch with daily phone conversations once she returned to America at the end of her tour.
The pals stayed in touch, and Saitoty called Deborah every day to check in and express his desire to marry her.
Deborah traveled out to meet Saitoty in late December 2017 after her kids pushed her to ‘go for it’ if he made her happy, and she answered ‘yes’ when he got down on one knee after they reconnected.
The couple now lives together in Tanzania in their own mud house in a boma – a family compound – and had a Maasai wedding in June 2018, followed by a legal ceremony in July this year.
Deborah, a retired police officer, described her spouse as the sweetest and most kind person.
When he initially mentioned marrying her, she felt he was insane.
But her kids and relatives told her she shouldn’t worry about the age difference since she’d been alone for long enough and deserved to be happy.
Life is quite different here in Tanzania, but she is pleased.
People wonder if she adopted him or if she is his grandmother, which might irritate Saitoty. They just care about themselves and their pleasure.
The first time he saw her, he felt like he’d seen an angel, remarked Saitoty, a cattle farmer.
They laughed and snapped a picture, and she absolutely warmed his heart. She’s lovely and caring, and she believes in him.
Despite the fact that both of their families are welcoming of their relationship, the pair has had to deal with insults from strangers.
