Out in the middle of nowhere on the Kiran Coffee Estate,
near the tiny Oldeani Village and roughly in between Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro
Crater has been where I live for over 6 weeks now. Yesterday
when I was returning from 5 days away in Arusha, which was perfectly wonderful
in a very different way to life here, I got in the RVCV Landrover in Karatu and
couldn’t feel more at home as I chatted with Pascali the driver and bumped
along up the road over mountains and fields, waving to village children,
holding on for dear life as always, and finally turning the corner to the gates
of RVCV to be greeted by children yelling at me for clothes and shoes as if I’d
never left. Suddenly I realized this
actually feels like home.
Daily pleasures of my Tanzanian life:
- Walking out of the volunteer house after dinner I’m constantly surprised by the beauty of the stars.
- Stopping by a kids house on an errand in a rush ending up staying for a half hour chatting and joking with the kids.
- Stepping a million times a day into the Tanzanian staff’s office to ask questions, usually ending up laughing about something, often me I guess.
- Going on a walk every day in the most breath-taking surroundings I’ve ever seen.
- Eating three delicious meals a day with a lovely group of staff and volunteers, we end up talking about the most interesting and bizarre subjects.
- Having actual time for just myself is a brand new experience…I read a lot, mildly try to learn Swahili, walk, listen to music, get enough sleep, and email with the people I love.
It’s true, I was overwhelmed a few weeks ago. But now I feel mostly comfortable in myself, my job duties, and my relationships
with volunteers, staff, and kids.
Sometimes I have to remind myself I’m doing meaningful work so I don’t
go crazy, but I usually feel happy even when I’m doing the most monotonous or
aggravating part of my job. All is right
with the world. Did I mention I have a
boyfriend who just moved to Tanzania and will be working a couple hours away? Oh, and that we’re going on a free safari on
Sunday? Yeah, life is good.
No comments:
Post a Comment