Preparing for my return to Tanzania, on the heels of finishing my school year as a teacher in America was a little stressful this year because the end of one and the beginning of the other were only a day apart. I have to admit that I was still finishing my packing when it was time to leave for the airport. But I shoved the rest of my toiletries into plastic bags, stuffed them in the outer pockets, and hoped for the best as I rushed out. (And it was all fine.)
I met Emma and Jillian, our two newest volunteers, in Amsterdam and we flew together to Kilimanjaro. We already get along swimmingly, and I'm really glad to be on this journey with them. Getting off of the plane in Tanzania, all of my stresses melted away. It all felt so familiar, like coming home in a way. I've said it before, and I'll say it again....it smelled like Tanzania the moment I stepped off the plane. The smoky smell of burning fires, combined with the fresh air. I love it.
We've spent the past two days helping Emma and Jillian get oriented in Himo Town. Yesterday we walked through the town and Deo began one of his many explanations about Tanzanian culture. Emma and Jillian are unique as international volunteers in some ways, because they are both fresh off of a fall semester abroad in South Africa. Though Tanzania and South Africa are obviously two very different cultures, the ladies have experienced many similar environments in South Africa and their culture shock is much less than it has been for some previous volunteers.
Today, after a morning in the local market, we had lunch and met with our volunteer placement partners. Oh, it was so nice to see Mama Eva. We caught up, asked after one another's families, and discussed what we each hoped the other would share during the time that I am at her school this time. She is hoping that I will continue teaching conversational English through song, games, art, and drama. For my part, I'm hoping to learn more songs from her that I can bring back to my students in America.
I'm not gonna lie, my Swahili is coming back quickly, and I'm pretty proud of it. I've been able to converse on the streets and in the markets with relative ease. I hope that I can get past the plethora of greetings that Tanzanians exchange, and this time learn to form some more complete sentences. We'll see. It's a tall order.
It feels really nice to be back, to see my friends and colleagues, and to meet so many new people so far. Our African Community Exchange staff is growing and there are some new, lovely faces in the mix. Of course Peter and Deo (pronounced DAY-oh, like the song) are the strong foundations of the ACE community. But our friend Richard joined us today, as well as Gasper, who I've known as a friend of Richard's, and who is now on our staff. We also are joined by Alfred, a manager at a company in Dar es Salaam, who is here observing how the program works. He would like to help Peter further his vision for ACE to be a place where Tanzanians also volunteer their time in the community.
Looking forward to seeing the watoto (pronounced wah-TO-to and meaning 'children') tomorrow at Mama Eva's Kibo Hill Nursery School. Most of my students from last time have moved on to Primary School, save but a few, so there will be many new faces. I'm sure I'll write much more about them in my next post. Until then...badaye (pronounced buh-DIE and meaning 'see ya later').
TanzaNina
