It's hard to believe that I have been in Tanzania for two weeks. The first few days were admittedly hazy due to dealing with some serious jet lag and overcoming the inaugural stomach illness of adjusting to a foreign country, but I have finally gotten into a rhythm of living here. Even though I am beginning to feel accustomed to Tanzania, I still have a moment each day where I can’t believe I am really here. Ever since I was little I dreamed of traveling to Africa. Of course, I didn’t know much about Africa (and like most kids did not realize Africa was a continent made up of many diverse countries) but I had seen images and heard stories about this far-away land that intrigued me. In my mind, Africa seemed like the complete opposite of North America in almost every way. From the landscape and animals to the food and culture it all seemed incredibly foreign to me which is what drew me so strongly towards it. When Amanda and I landed in Mount Kilimanjaro airport it was evening and the sun had recently set. I was disoriented and groggy from our lengthy trip and in the dim light I failed to get a clear image of where I was. The drive from the airport to our hotel was about an hour and I spent the first twenty minutes with my face plastered to the window, straining my eyes to try to make out the environment before ultimately giving up. Other than the occasional car passing by and dark outlines of trees close to the road I was disappointed that I couldn’t make out much. We made it to our hotel and I fell asleep in an unknown place that I yet to set my eyes on. When I woke up the next morning my first mission was to look out the window. From our hotel on the sixth floor my eyes widened as they took in the lush, green hills and mountains covered in dense forest canopies crowned by low hanging clouds of mist. I looked below to take in the bustling city streets filled with cars, trucks, and motorbikes. There were many people outside too, walking, sitting along the road, talking with one another, and selling goods. My heart started racing and my mind was whirring. It all felt surreal. I have been lucky to have had the opportunity to travel often. I have been to fifteen countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and South America. But this was the first time I felt instantly electrified by being in a new place. There are many reasons why being here feels special. Traveling to this part of the world has been a lifelong dream of mine and participating in this fellowship was my biggest goal in college. In addition, this is my first travel experience independent of my family or a structured program. Similarly to my study abroad experience in Iceland and Greenland last fall, I feel the opportunity to learn new things here and grow as a person. But what is different about Tanzania is that it holds a unique opportunity for me to make a real, lasting difference in the community. Unlike my previous travel experiences, I didn’t come here to be a tourist, study, or volunteer. I came here with a distinct goal: to conduct action research with the communities, employees, and partners of Solar Sister, to improve their organization and scale their business so that it is better equipped to serve its mission of alleviating energy poverty and promoting women’s agency. Now THAT is something to be excited about. For more information about what I’ve been doing over the past two weeks, check out my next blog post!
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AuthorI am a senior Environmental Studies major at Santa Clara University from Seattle, WA. To learn more about me check out the "About Me" page! To contact me you can email me at [email protected] or connect on LinkedIn. Archives
November 2019
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