Week 1 in Tanzania
Welcome to my online diary where I recap each week while I am in Tanzania for 3 months this summer. Asante sana!
(Sort of) week 1 complete (I technically arrived on a Tuesday, but no rules in a diary)!
Let’s start at Dulles airport, actually at my childhood home. That is where the tears started as I said see ya later to my dad, brother, Banx (dog), and George (kitty). And then as you can imagine more tears were shed at Dulles International with my mom and sister. Once I settled into seat 33K I felt better. Excitement spiked while sadness and tears faded (as much as they can be expected to). Seat belt buckled and I was on my way to Doha, Qatar on the nicest plane I have ever been on. I promise I am not getting paid or have a brand deal to promote them, but Qatar Airways was 10/10. I ate my way through that 12 hour flight. And then the airport called me poor in 10000 ways with Hermes, Chanel, etc. (I cannot even name another store because they are so out of my tax bracket). But, beautiful airport. It was more of a mall than an airport.
The older couple next to me on the first flight was traveling back home after attending their daughter’s graduation from graduate school. They didn’t speak much English, but something I noticed is a universal language is generosity. The wife next to me handed me her own stash of popcorn and insisted I split it with her even though we weren’t able to converse at all. Humanity can be beautiful.
Becky, Mayse, and I flew from Doha to Dar es Salaam and luckily beat the lines for customs. We grabbed all 7 suitcases between us (Becky was incredibly efficient only packing 1. I still marvel at her for that) and we took a Bolt to our hotel. I cannot even describe how delirious I was after not sleeping for 20 hours. We showered, ate dinner, and then I popped a melatonin and slept for 13 hours. It was glorious.
Wednesday was our first official day in Dar es Salaam and was spent with checking me into my accommodation in which we all drooled over the bright teal ocean and palm trees and were welcomed by the incredibly kind people of Dar es Salaam. Everyone told me the people from Dar are so welcoming and kind and they did not lie! Late in the day we met our program coordinator whose bright energy is contagious. After saying my goodbyes to Becky and Mayse, who were on their way to a different city in Tanzania the next morning, I unpacked my 3 suitcases, popped a melatonin, and finally slept the jet lag away.
Thursday I spent in a coffee shop (reminded me of my college days where Emily and I would park ourselves for the whole day having all 3 meals at Starbucks) flushing out my research topic and loosely jumping back into the job search process. Later that day, I took a Bajaji (one of the main forms of transportation here, I’ll insert a pic below) to the grocery store and fell in love with the process of taking my sweet time scouring through the aisles and getting acquainted with a grocery store I couldn’t be more foreign to. Finally, I ended the night with chicken tikka masala from a place nearby before calling it a night.
Friday was my first day on-site for my research! If asked to describe my preceptor and coordinator, I would say that they are two of the most genuine and welcoming women I have had the pleasure of meeting as well as two of the most passionate people I’ve met when it comes to research. Their passion was contagious and made me even more excited for this learning process. I chose to use my freewill and did a swim workout in the pool for my physical movement of the day and it was glorious. I think what I like most about it is that I can’t have my phone while swimming and I fully get to unplug. I cooked dinner at mine that evening, but obviously needed a sweet treat so searched “sweet treat” into google maps. Friday was a Muslim holiday and everyone was out and about and it was so comforting to see all the families eating at restaurants and spending time together. Called it a night with YouTube and reading my new book until falling into a deep slumber.
Saturday (the day I am writing this) was spent in my most ideal way. I woke up, made breakfast, worked out at the gym, went to the pool and got into the flow of not being able to put a new book down, called loved ones, had dinner at a nearby restaurant by myself, did my skincare, and yet again… called it a night.
REFLECTION:
I notice myself slightly panicking every once in a while about how I will fill my downtime over the next 3 months. I’ll give myself grace and admit that it can be terrifying to be alone with your thoughts so often. It used to absolutely terrify me. But, now I get a chance to enjoy my alone time and solitude rather than fear it. There are so many opportunities with this time I have been given & I know that this alone time has an expiration date.
I asked one of the staff members at my accommodations how they were doing. He replied not well and when I inquired further, he revealed that he had malaria. I have never been face to face with someone in my life that has told me they have malaria. After that realization I took sometime to reflect the immense privilege I have to have never heard that response when asking someone how they are. I try my best to recognize my privilege and the life I was born into, but moments like these make me realize I won’t grasp my privilege unless I have conversations and experiences like this one. To very very rarely have to consider my health when I wake up is one of the greatest privileges ever. Because I very very rarely have to consider it I am able to focus on different things and that is a whole other privilege. It wasn't more than a 20 second interaction, however, it taught me countless lessons and stopped me in my tracks.
If you made it through this whole thing, thank you! And talk next week XOXOXOXO