Mambo! My name is Vera and welcome to my blog, All Things Tanzania. For the next four months, join me as I learn Swahili, experience life in a village, and study courses related to community development at Ruaha University College.
In one week, I will be boarding a flight to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. My program will actually take place in Iringa, Tanzania, however we will spend one week in Dar es Salaam, the country’s old capital, for orientation. The new capital of Dar is Dodoma. It is unconventional for a student to choose a program in Africa, but I chose to take advantage of an amazing opportunity and travel to a part of the world wherein I’d probably never be able to visit again.
I first started looking at study abroad programs when I was a freshman in college (early start). I thought I had my heart set on going to Haifa, Israel for an international relations program, however, sophomore year, I decided to switch to a double major: B.A. in History and B.A. in International Affairs. This altered my schedule and pushed my ability to study abroad until the fall of my senior year, which I chose to do.
Why Tanzania?
When I first visited the Office of International Programs, they suggested various programs that were located in Europe; I told them that I was certain on going somewhere in Asia or Africa. My searches were limited to programs in those two continents and after scrolling a few times I saw a program called “Community Development, Language, and Culture, in Iringa, Tanzania.” The classes offered included Community Development in East Africa, Educational Issues in East Africa, and History of East Africa. I felt my heart flip three times over and instantly knew this program was the one for me! Community development is in the realm of my career aspirations. I also knew that these classes in this country would bring about new challenges and once in a lifetime experiences, and that’s exactly what I wanted in a study abroad program.
Even better, this program also includes a one-month village stay. During this village stay, all the students will be working on a research project– we all have a research question about community development that we will attempt to answer based on information gathered from staying in the village and talking to the villagers. We will also volunteer with a local Non-Government Organization! This part of the program is really what solidified my decision, considering my passion for NGOs.
Most Challenging Part: My Parents.
The most challenging part of this whole process was getting my parents to agree to the fact that their daughter would travel all the way to Tanzania and stay there for four months. My mom constantly worries about the health risks, meanwhile my dad excessively reads news about Tanzania and its surrounding countries. Regardless of their fears, I am lucky enough to have their support for my decision to study in Tanzania! My parents know that I have a passion for community development, especially since I plan to get a Masters degree in Community Development after I graduate. My career goals include nonprofit management and the dream is to work for UNICEF, so I hope to gain a lot of skills and learn research methods from this program.
Traveling Anxiety?
I am not that worried about adjusting to the city, or way of life (i.e. we will be taking bucket showers and hand-washing our own clothes). I grew up in the Philippines, and also have been spending my summer here, and am very used to protecting myself from mosquitoes, cold bucket showers, (sometimes) washing my own clothes. However, since I will be spending the next four months away from any family, I do home that this experience makes me more independent and strengthens my ability to adapt to my circumstances and surroundings. I welcome all the self-growth that Tanzania is willing to provide! I am also looking forward to the Tanzanian FOOD!
Around 8 days from now, I’ll land for the first time ever on the African continent. I haven’t started packing and I still have to find/buy a water filter… I have started my checklist though, so maybe tomorrow I’ll start packing..