For my first blog post I’m going to talk about hard hitting topics that most journalists tend to shy away from. I want to discuss my initial thoughts on Tanzania, homesickness, what I’ve been doing, and the people I’m spending my time with. This is all a work in progress, kind of like the lives we’re all living. Unlike life, I’d like to keep this blog short.
I’ve been having a great time learning Swahili, getting to know the other volunteers, and spending time with my host family. Everyday I get to learn something new, both language and culture. One of my favorites so far has been the Tanzanian handshake, where you shake hands to greet each other but keep shaking while you ask each other how they and their family are doing. This process can often take upwards of 2 minutes of greetings and frequently results in me running late. You can end the interaction by saying “haya, naenda kula bata” which literally translates to “OK, I’m going to eat duck” but is slang for “I’m going to relax.”
There have been lots of ups and downs, but definitely more ups than downs. Sometimes I find myself missing things that I never expected to miss, like root beer and sandwiches and ice. They have Coke and Pepsi, but not root beer :( or sandwiches. There are even things that I fully expected to miss and don’t miss all that much, like warm showers and air conditioning. It’s warm here but way cooler than I thought it would be. Sometimes I do think about going home. Some mornings I wake up wanting nothing more than to be at home in my own bed, and some nights I want nothing more than to be at a friend’s house playing games deep into the night. But I never wake up homesick and go to bed homesick on the same day. On my first day with my host family where I had severe stomach illness, no language skills, and no cell service to call a doctor, I realized just how much I wanted to be here because it would have been so easy to just give up. If I could be anywhere in the world doing anything I want to, I would be right here doing exactly what I’m doing, and I’m grateful for everybody in my life for getting me to a point where I can feel like this.
The first 3 days of Peace Corps was spent in Philadelphia where we had staging and a quick orientation before our 27 person cohort was sent on a plane to Tanzania. I was able to buy a guitar while in Dar Es Salaam during my first week in country. As of writing this post I am about halfway through my 3 month training. I am conversing in Swahili at an intermediate level and have completed 2 weeks of practicum teaching. During training I am teaching math but I will most likely be teaching physics after our training. Next week all the volunteers will learn where their sites will be for the duration of the 2 year service. My weekly schedule is 4 days of language learning and/or practicum teaching in small community based training (CBT) groups at a local school on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. My CBT constitutes me and 2 other education volunteers, and our language culture facilitator (LCF) who is our primary teacher/trainer. On Thursdays and Fridays all the volunteers have training together where we learn about safety, security, and administrative processes. Sundays are spent with our host families. Most of my Sunday is doing laundry. Despite how busy we are, all the volunteers are able to get together after work to hang out or play soccer.
Aristotle stated in Nicomachean Ethics “no one would choose to live without friends.” Everybody I’ve met so far has been incredible. Both volunteers and Tanzanians have been so welcoming and I’m looking forward to getting to know everybody better. Using Swahili and learning slang has been a great way to connect with people. It has been such an exercise in confidence to simply approach someone and have a conversation in Swahili. People light up when I greet them in Swahili and I’m excited to see the relationships I can build at site.
To wrap up, I’m having a great time here. I also just drank two cups of coffee and now my tummy hurts.
Love,
Ryan