At this point I’ve been in Tanzania for a whole month (and some)! I can’t believe time has flown by so quickly. There have been so many memories, adventures, and surprises that I always have a ton to blog about. I hope that with how much I’ve written you’ve gotten a decent taste for what it’s like out here! I’ve learned so much about the culture and way of life here that I now feel at home. Sure there are things here and there that remind me that I’m far away from home like squatting to use the toilet or hand washing clothes, but it all feels very normal now!
My relationship with the Lord has grown immensely with the day long Sunday services and dances! I feel like He has shown me so much in this short amount of time. My capacity of knowing how to pray and wait for the Lord to answer in silence has been a skill I’ve been working on. There are a lot less distractions out here giving me a lot of time to be alone with my thoughts. I’ve made it a personal goal to go to prayer when I’m uncomfortable or am in a moment of silence. It’s helped me center myself and my time here to stay focused and learn with every step of the way!
I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to come back from this trip and be able to remember the lessons I’ve learned and the range of emotions I’ve felt. To be honest, right now I’m not completely sure. I feel like there has been so much internal change in the past month that I don’t know how to bottle it up in a way that stays permanent. I worry that I will experience all of these amazing things and go back to my regular self when I get back home. I’m praying that God makes it clear how to best internalize all of this valuable knowledge that I’ve learned. Perhaps it’ll be clearer when I get closer to the end of the trip or that from all of this blogging I’ll eventually come up with something! Maybe I’m overthinking it entirely and that the change I’m experiencing will simply just stick with me!
Regardless, if I’ve taken anything away from Tanzanian life so far it’s that being here requires a conscious decision to stay in the present and authentically enjoy everything. I hope to keep this mindset when I transition to the hustle and bustle of college life. It’s easy to get wrapped into the worries of the future and work that needs to be done, but that’s not how it works out here. Sure there are still concerns about meeting goals and completing work, yet it’s seen in a different perspective. There is gratitude with every step of the way. An intrinsic thankfulness for every opportunity that enters a person’s life. What comes from that gratitude is a driven and passionate sense of hard work that propels their lives. I want to keep that with me as I move forward and internalize it to be one of my driving forces in life.
To add, I’m so thankful that God had my study abroad plan fall through. While I’m still sad that I couldn’t go to Hungary for the fall semester, I’m glad I’m able to go back home and simply enjoy home for what it is. God knew that Tanzania would stretch me and that I needed to come back to America! I think I would be scrambling right now if I had to prepare to go to an entire new country for another 4 months.
To counter all of the things that I miss, I will say there are a ton of things that I love out here!
Number one is of course, the relationships. Everyone here is a friend and has a smile so contagious that it’s impossible to be in a mood other than happy out here. Even if it’s a relatively surface level conversation, you’re connecting with others and getting to meet people you otherwise would never meet. I have become great friends with Paul, and despite not having the family experience, I’m incredibly grateful I was placed with him even through all of the frustrations. He’s pushed me out of my comfort zone in many ways, showed me so much music, and taught me countless things. From Luka, Moses, Peter, the guys I play football with, all of them, have added so much value into this trip and have made this experience what it is. I know I have another month here, but I’ll be quite sad when I have to leave here. I pray and hope that I’ll be able to stay in contact with those I’ve met here through WhatsApp and Facebook!
Beyond the amazing Tanzanian friends I’ve made, the group of volunteers I’m with have been amazing to get to know and be friends with. There are always so many great conversations, laughs, and memories made everyday. It doesn’t matter if we’re exploring Tanzanian trails or sitting in the office doing computer work, we make the most out of every moment. Learning how to play chess, hacky sack, and a great debater are just a few of the many skills I’ve learned from them. Hearing about their life stories and how their journey ended up crossing paths with mine is never not fascinating. I hope and pray that after this adventure we will all be able to look back on this time with a fond sense of connection, belonging, and fun; I know I will!
Second is the food! While it does get repetitive, it’s so unbelievably fresh, wholesome, and delicious. The fruit here is so much better than back in America I may just be ruined for life! My favorites have to be avocados and bananas. The avocados are incredibly rich and pair well with any meal and the bananas are sweet like candy that make for a great snack any time of the day. The only problem I have is that I can’t eat more!
I thought it was a joke that I would eat a lot of rice and beans out here and boy was I wrong. I’ve eaten so much rice and beans that I’d like to say that I’m starting to become a professional rice and bean eater! I’d also like to note how meals are very personal here. Sometimes I’ll eat from the same plate as everyone else which makes the meal meaningful and present. Food brings everyone together as we all get hungry! In fact most of the Swahili words I know center around food because of how central it is to the culture here!
While I’ve tried some food that I haven’t been a fan of like the fish or intestine soup, it’s been so much fun to try cuisine from an entirely different part of the world. As much as I love the food, it does make me thankful for the freedom of choice and opportunity that we have in America to eat whatever we’d like almost everyday! It’s certainly a privilege we completely overlook everyday!
Third is the music. All of the music here is so much fun to listen to and immediately gets stuck in your head. Thanks to Paul, I’ve experienced hours and hours of all different types of African music! From pop songs to gospel music, I love it all. There is so much passion and love behind every song that it’s impossible not to dance. I feel like so much of the music here is made for the purpose of dancing to it! I’m sure I’ve lost a good chunk of my hearing from all of the music, but I think it’s worth it for all of the memories it’s brought. I’ve noticed that music brings people together. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what the words mean or how to dance, it's simply human nature to get down to a beat and groove along. Paul’s friend John couldn’t speak English but we danced together. Most of the people at church don’t speak English, yet we dance together with smiles on our faces. At the end of the day, I wish there was more dancing in America! If you’d like to know some of the Swahili songs I’ve been listening to, check out Ozalima by Mbosso, Watu by Marioo, Joy by Diamond Platinumz, Simuoni by Harmonize or DJ by Mbosso!
Fourth is self discovery and growth. As I’ve said before, living here is transformative and completely shifts how you view the world and how we live as Americans. My perspectives, beliefs, and so many other things have been broadened and expanded while I’m here. The list could go on and on
What have I learned here so far? A ton. One of the biggest things is respect for elders in a different light (my parents will be excited to hear this one!). Here it is inconceivable to not respect someone older than you or in a higher position than you. That means, and this is hard for me, not questioning what someone tells you to do. I feel like back home I’m always so combative with directions given to me. If I don’t directly see why something is being done the way it is, I refuse to move forward until I can understand their perspective. You don’t do that here. When an elder asks you to jump, you jump. You don’t ask “how high?”. I’ll be trying my best to keep this value in my mind when I go back home!
The second is obviously how to live differently! I’ve learned how to live with a lot less: simple meals, two outfits a week, bucket baths, etc. The excess of America is more comfortable, yes, but it’s amazing to see how to live like millions do in Africa. Maybe I don’t need to always have the newest and best things when the things I already have do the job. Being content is a very satisfying and relaxing feeling and one that I hope to continue long after this trip!
I’ve also learned how to truly worship and dance better! I feel like I finally “feel it” when I’m worshipping and can connect to God. Also, the groove inside of me feels more and more natural as I dance every Sunday. Maybe I’ll find a way to keep dancing when I get back to America!
To answer some of the questions that have been brought to my attention, here are some answers! (I love getting to answer questions so feel free to ask as many as possible, there is no such thing as a dumb question!)(commenting on blogs is the best way to do this!)How big is the village?
The village isn’t that large. I would say there are about 500 people total, but that guess could be completely off. The dense parts of the village are by the roadways and everything else is spread out quite a lot.
What do most people do there for work?
This is quite a difficult question! The people nearest to me of course work for VST in various roles such as IT, accounting, and general management. In the village, it seems like there is a wide range of work! To name a few, shop owner, farmer, and my favorite, boda boda driver.
Do we grow gardens here?
If they have the space, yes! Since my row of houses is very new the area hasn’t been very lived in. At houses like Mr. Chesco’s where they’ve been built for a long time, there are gardens, chicken coops, and outside cooking rooms outside of the house sometimes fenced in.. Specifically at the Vinton's house and outside of the kitchen space, I know there are large gardens growing vegetables along with fruit trees!
Confirmation of the weather and laundry?
Against all odds, the weather here is often very cool with a few days that might warm up a bit. I might even wake up from the cold in the middle of the night! Most mornings and evenings I need to wear a thermal layer to not shiver. The humidity here is unnoticeable most days and to me doesn’t feel humid. Perhaps it’s because I’m only used to humidity when it’s blazing hot! The fun thing about the temperatures and humidity here is the steam that comes from your breath and warm water when it’s 60°. You’d think that you’re in below freezing temperatures with how much you can see your breath at night! The humidity does affect the drying of my clothes only a bit. My pants and shirts dry completely in a day and a half while my cotton pieces of clothing (socks, underwear, undershirt) take upwards of four days to completely dry!
How is the chicken I eat?
The few times that I’ve eaten chicken, it’s been very good! I believe to cook the chicken they fry the entire chicken in oil or roast it over a fire. The skin is always very crispy and has a wonderful light seasoning on it that brings out the natural flavor of the kitchen. There isn’t a ton of meat compared to American chicken, but good nonetheless. If you’re lucky you’ll get a breast or a thigh which always is packed with meat. If you’re unlucky like Michael, you’ll get the spine or neck that doesn’t have as much meat in comparison! A good handful of times I’ve seen a chicken alive at the kitchen that would later be lunch!
If I wanted some local money, is there somewhere I could exchange it in the village?
To start, there is no “local money” per se as the entire country uses Tanzanian shillings. The first time we got our hands on some money was about two-ish weeks into our stay. We were given 125,000 Tanzanian shillings to spend during our time here! For the first two weeks we certainly wanted to exchange our money or find some sort of way to get some shillings into our hands. We wanted to buy snacks, drinks, and fruit; however, there isn’t any official place to exchange our USD for shillings. I’m sure we technically could’ve met someone that would be willing to exchange some money, but it’s not something that’s common out here. For all practical purposes, USD means nothing out here since we’re so far away from the capital of Dar Es Salaam. When it comes to shillings, I’ve seen bills of 10,000, 5,000, 2,000, and 1,000 and coins of 500, 200 and 100 shillings. We were given mostly 10,000 shilling bills which is difficult when the thing you want to buy is only 500 shillings and the shop doesn’t have much for change (I think change isn’t a super common thing out here as people will buy as much as they can with a bill it seems).
Where do the pit toilets go?
To be honest, I’m not completely sure! My assumption is that there are very large pits underground (as indicated by venting pipes) and slowly fill up over time. I imagine the pits are not lined so the liquid waste seeps into the ground (one of the reasons we can’t drink the water here) and the solid waste piles up. When the pit toilet gets full I would have to think they get pumped out or cleaned as the toilets are inside of the house and can’t be redug like an outhouse!
Tell me more about Farista - is she married?
I wrote about her in the beginning weeks of my stay here not knowing she was just here temporarily. She’s a part of the VST Construction team so when her project here was done she left. I didn’t get to know her that well compared to others I’ve met here and don’t know if she’s married. She wore her hair in braids which might be a sign of marriage, but I don’t know for sure. I know that she cooked for me and Paul when I got here because Paul doesn’t do much cooking (after the past week, I think it’s something he basically refuses to do). I’m sad her great food is gone, but it was nice to meet her!
How is Village Schools funded?
There are two answers. The construction of the schools themselves is funded by the village building the school and donors of Village Schools. Any village that wants a school must be willing to provide the bricks, rocks, and sand that are needed for the construction while Village Schools handles the expensive components like metal roofing and concrete (the village may provide this too). When it comes to the operation of the school itself, it is the student fees that pay for the teacher’s salaries which is the main cost of running a school! From what I know Village Schools does not do any fundraising and are completely financially stable. In other words, if all outside donations were to stop, all of the schools could continue to run as if nothing changed. A very cool organization that is very sustainable!
How do we manage trash here?
There are no trash management systems out here so the solution is to dig a pit in the ground and burn it all! This means that there are never any trash cans (besides in the main office). Most people will often just throw their trash on the ground which seems crude to us Americans, but is simply how things are done out here!
Where is the school in comparison to the village and in comparison to where I live?
The definition of where the village starts is sort of fluid, but I would say around half a mile. You must go down and up a large hill to get to it. Safe to say the students here are very fit with a walk like that everyday! The school is a two minute walk uphill through a forest from my house; a very short journey.
Is the village just homes, are there any businesses?
It depends where you are! There’s a part of the village that is mostly homes and a part of the village that is mostly shops. The shops mainly reside on the main, paved road as that’s where the most traffic and therefore the most business occurs. Homes and shops are usually separate buildings, but they can be combined. For example, by the school, there is a home that has a shop inside of it that I’ve been to several times. Most shops are pretty similar selling general goods, produce, drinks, and snacks. However, some shops are more specific for clothes, school supplies, or meat.
Is Mafinga the nearest large town?
Yes, Mafinga is the largest town to Madisi. It takes around 45 minutes to an hour to get to Mafinga from the village even though distance wise it is not that far (the road conditions mean very slow travel).
What time is sunrise/sunset?
Sunrise and sunset are at almost the same time all year! Around 6 in the morning for the sunrise and around 6 at night for the sunset. We’re so close to the equator that it doesn't change that much! Due to the fact that the sun goes up and down around the same time, there is a different way to tell time out here that is sometimes used. In Swahili time, the day begins at sunrise (around 6:00 a.m.) rather than midnight. Therefore, 7:00 a.m. is the "first hour of the morning", and 7:00 p.m. is the "first hour of the evening". So when Paul tells me that he got back home from the village at 6, he doesn’t mean he got back at 6:00am, it means he got back at 12:00am (something I was very confused about for a long time)! I should note that most people that I talk with tell time like us and don’t use the local way, but sometimes it slips out! I just make sure to subtract 6 from the hour they are talking about and it makes sense. To make sure there is no confusion, I will individually say the numbers of the time. So at 11:00, I say “one one zero zero” and Paul seems to get it better!
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What I hope for the rest of my trip is that I continue to do what makes me uncomfortable. Whether that’s dancing in front of everyone in church every Sunday, trying to pronounce something in Swahili, or simply going to do something with someone when I could be relaxing, I want to keep getting uncomfortable. Learning how to cook, teaching a full class of students how to use computers, and trying new food have already taken me out of my comfort zone several times! My time here is limited and I want to get the most out of this experience. I want to look back onto this trip and know deep down that I took all of the opportunities that I could. So far, I feel like I’m doing a pretty good job! Getting to sit down every night and document my everyday adventures has clearly laid out to me how blessed and privileged I am to be here. I’ve met some absolutely amazing people, ate some fantastic food, laughed so much, learned new ways of life, and experienced things I would’ve never thought I would in Tanzania. I’ve found that Tanzania is a place of the unexpected! I go into each day with no expectations except to enjoy myself and the company around me. I hardly look at a clock anymore and just go with the flow! Life out here is slow, enjoyable, and inherently present. Sure I have a lot of work to do and goals to achieve, but as Mzee said, my number one priority here is “to make friends” and I sure have made a lot of friends. I also hope I’m able to learn a lot more while I’m out here, namely Swahili, Tanzanian culture, and my project. The learning doesn’t stop and I find myself almost inundated with new things everyday!
When it comes to prayer requests, I would love for prayers of health and safety, perseverance, understanding, discovery, compassion, friendship, kindness, and adventure! God has already shown me so much thus far and I can’t wait to see what more He has in store for me on this trip!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my blogs as much as I’ve had writing them (hopefully they’re not too long!). I’ll make sure to write another “check-in reflection” when I’m closing out my journey at the end of July!
Well done! 👏🏼 seeing and hearing that presence and purpose continues to grow exponentially makes my heart overflowing with joy. Thank you Jesus for your continued favor and protection.
ReplyDeleteAmen. Hallelujah! Keep growing!🔥