Hello friends!
Just when you thought I was starting to get cozy in New York City, I'm off again, this time to Tanzania for three months! I'll be interning with the Millennium Villages Project as part of my graduate program, and it looks like I'll be focusing on school-based hygiene and sanitation projects in the Mbola cluster, near the city of Tabora. I take off at 11:15 tomorrow morning, and after a 19 1/2 hour flight, I'll walk dizzily into an African afternoon :)
Here's where I'll be!
Not much of this has sunk in yet, aside from the stuffed backpack, loaded Kindle, and bottle of malaria pills on the floor of my bedroom. Still, I've managed to relish a few exciting Tanzania moments already. To name a few:
- My Tanzanian travel visa features a holographic giraffe.
- I can already count to ten in Swahili (mostly because of this children's book)
- The team from last year informs me that Tabora has a store that sells peanut butter and Dove soap. The luxury!
This will be my first time in Africa, so as I'm counting down the hours to take-off, I am trying to strike a balance between being overconfident of my travel-savvy and, frankly, feeling totally in the dark. I think the right approach is to be respectful of my inexperience on this continent, without allowing that inexperience to overwhelm me. I'm lucky enough to be interning with three great friends from my program, whom you will hear plenty about over the next few months :)
That's it for now, since I should try to sleep at least a few hours before a long day of travel (but I mean, what better way to preempt jet lag than by getting on a Tanzanian schedule early?) Love to all, and be in touch!
