Reflection on a Year- Part Two: Living in Tanzania

Don't forget to check out Part One of my Three-part Reflection!

My domestic life in Tanzania provided some of the greatest frustrations and challenges, but also some of the biggest personal successes and achievements.  When I came to Tanzania I was already very independent and adept at living in a new place and adjusting to a new environment, but life in Tanzania brought more unexpected trials and tribulations than I ever could have anticipated.  There were many weeks when I thought it couldn’t get tougher, and just when I thought I had the solution to whatever problem was facing me another challenge seemed to come my way.  Although adjusting to the ups and downs of life in a developing country had it’s difficulties, there were also many aspects to life here that I genuinely enjoyed and appreciated that made my experience here that much more fulfilling.  Living in a country like Tanzania, and especially at a place as beautiful as Mzumbe, has been an exceptionally formative experience where I have learned to enjoy many simple pleasures and could have the peace and freedom to truly value this experience.  While there were countless challenges to life in Tanzania, I can proudly say that I overcame each one and in the process learned more about myself than I had ever expected at the start of the year.

A large part of why I had a fortunate year living at Mzumbe was because I was lucky enough to have a nice, quiet and sufficiently equipped house.  Although it was a bit big for just one volunteer, it suited all of my needs for the year just fine.  Compared to what most families have for housing in Tanzania, I would say I quite comfortable living at my house for the year.  However, for everything that was great about the house, there was often a drawback, as well.  It was quiet, despite the constant rooster calls all day starting at 4AM.  There was running water, except for the few weeks it was shut off. And the fact that it was only cold water and it sometimes turned brown and dirty during the rainy season wasn’t too pleasant.  I had regular electricity, excluding for the 6-month period when it was turned off every other day.  It was easy to keep clean, yet I often had to fend off the occasional bug infestation.  Every setback that came was always unexpected, but the main lesson I learned was to always be prepared and know that there is often a solution to every (domestic) obstacle.  Once I knew to anticipate every problem that might come my way, it really wasn’t so hard to deal with (or at the least, ignore and put up with) the roosters, lack of electricity, dirty water, or bugs.

Along with mastering my Tanzanian life came the acquirement of new domestic skills and also the appreciation of how easy they can be in the U.S.  I learned how to hand wash my clothes, which was an extremely tedious chore and taught me to never complain about doing laundry with a washer and drier ever again.  I learned how to cut the grass by hand which, like hand washing clothes, I hope to never have to worry about doing without the help of a machine ever again.  I also learned quite a few new cooking skills, which I actually am truly appreciative of, and really enjoyed learning and perfecting.  I can now make a killer bean burger, a pretty good homemade pizza, and every combination of beans, rice and vegetables you can think of.  The drawback to cooking was that shopping for food was never easy, and using local transportation to make the trek to the market in town and haggling for decent prices was nowhere near as easy as taking a short drive to the nearby supermarket.

Despite many challenges, I felt more than fortunate to have spent my year in Tanzania living at Mzumbe.  I truly had more than I could have hoped for.  I had an incredibly inspiring and beautiful atmosphere.  I had a peaceful and quiet environment where I could just relax, listen to music, read and focus on my teaching preparation.  I had a lot of facilities nearby, like (albeit slow) Internet and market vendors for any basic needs.  I had amazing trails all around me that allowed me to keep up my running and kept me motivated to stay healthy and in shape.  I couldn’t have asked for a better living situation that kept me focused on doing the best job I could as a teacher, volunteer and member of a local Tanzanian community.  My life at Mzumbe was altogether challenging, difficult, but also extremely rewarding, and it has provided me with the skills and appreciation to fully value and respect the conveniences of life in the U.S. more than I ever did before.  Although I learned countless lessons from my year in Tanzania, I probably learned more lessons about myself from my day-to-day life than from any other aspect of my experience this year. From those lessons, I leave Tanzania more confident than ever that I can face just about any challenge that comes my way.