Week 8 in Tanzania
Welcome to my online diary where I recap each week while I am in Tanzania for 3 months this summer. Asante sana!
What I love about life is last week was particularly rough and then this week was one of my favorite weeks in Tanzania. Which is why I always try to remind myself that difficult moments are temporary. There is much good news to share!
This week reminded me why I am here and why I am studying global health. It reminded me that investing in medical research is important. It reminded me the need for our political and world leaders to realize healthcare as a human right, not with their words, but with their actions and investments.
All of the logistics that I spent nearly 2 months agonizing over fell into place. I visited 2/3 hospitals where I will be conducting interviews with mothers living with HIV, healthcare workers, and peer mothers. I introduced myself to the hospital directors and points of contact I will be working closely with during data collection. I felt overwhelmed by the hospital staffs warm welcome and eagerness to support my research. I was actually able to apply what I have been learning in the classroom for the past 6 years. I have had internships and an entry level job where I was given so much opportunity. However, this was the first week where I ran point. As Principal Investigator of this study, I call the shots. And as a 24 year old woman experiencing this amount of responsibility for the first time, I had to fight the imposter syndrome and remind myself that I do know what I am talking about. Still, a surreal feeling to hold such responsibility for a project aiming to conduct meaningful research. I also would like to say that my research team is the most epically brilliant and talented group of people. I genuinely would be a lost puppy without them. Working alongside them has been one of the greatest personal professional joys.
I’ve always said that Thursdays are my favorite day of the week. This Thursday was particularly epic. All caps are necessary: I WAS APPROVED BY THE ETHICS COMMITTEE TO CONDUCT MY RESEARCH STUDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For those who have been spared from my incessant fixation on the IRB process, I have to receive ethical clearance to interview human subjects. Of course, I fundamentally and whole-heartedly believe in ethical research. But, I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t a brutal process to go through. And then Friday I was approved for my residence permit which is also needed by immigration for foreigners to conduct research in Tanzania. And tomorrow we start data collection interviews at the hospitals! So, the necessary approvals came at the very last minute, which as a control freak was not great for my nervous system, however, we got them!!!!
In the bottom right picture you can see me with my 200 copies of consent forms that I had to print at a stationary shop :)
But, this week was not all work! I had the absolute privilege of attending my first Tanzanian/Muslim wedding. And it was so beautiful and surreal to witness love and cultural/religious traditions. I feel so lucky to experience the culture and community of Tanzania outside of my research. I find experiencing life outside the confines of my research institute to be of the utmost importance. To get sappy, I felt so thankful to witness traditions that I am not familiar or accustomed to. Although we live in a globalized world, it can often feel like we are so different and divided. Travel and experiences like this have taught me how similar we are and how beautiful our differences are. We are all people who crave human connection and to feel seen. This week taught me I want to keep learning and experiencing life outside of my routine, bubble, and comfort zone. Because it is truly a gift to witness and celebrate our differences.
And I ended the week reading to children at an orphanage in Dar es Salaam, but will not be including pictures for their privacy and protection. Safe to say my cup is overflowing this week. Sitting and reflecting in all the gratitude I am feeling.
