This was my last journal entry from my semester abroad in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. I will never forget that realization of the love I had for the place. I vowed to come back, and while I am not returning to Tanzania, I'm going back to East Africa. I will be learning even more by traveling to Rwanda then I could ever imagine. I have the amazing opportunity to learn another language, Kinyarwanda, while practicing some of my Swahili and French. I will learn more about Rwanda history and culture as well, while all the while learning more about myself. Tanzania changed me as an individual, and I look forward to the changes that lie ahead with my journey to Rwanda.
December 22, 2012 Outside darkness had hours ago descended across the large sprawl of the city. Being so close to the equator, the sun always sets around 6pm and rises at 6 am. I left behind the warm thick air as we entered the well air-conditioned Dutch air craft. As I settled down in my seat, I spotted the lights of the airport flickering outside. Soon enough everyone was boarded, and the plane began to take off. As we rose I could see the city of Dar es Salaam all around including the harbor where we had ferried across with several bajaj drivers, the peninsula where we launch off to nearby islands, the rows of lights from neighborhoods where I had visited friend's families. Tears accumulated in my eyes as I left this city, this country, this continent that I had become so passionate about. It was the first time in my life that I did not cry for leaving a specific person, but an entire place. A place where family, community, sharing, and relationships are so important. I had felt alive in Tanzania, as I had never experienced before. Even as we finally gained higher altitude and the lights of the city lay behind us, I knew how much I would miss Tanzania, but vowed to come back to this place that would forever be in my heart.
This was my last journal entry from my semester abroad in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. I will never forget that realization of the love I had for the place. I vowed to come back, and while I am not returning to Tanzania, I'm going back to East Africa. I will be learning even more by traveling to Rwanda then I could ever imagine. I have the amazing opportunity to learn another language, Kinyarwanda, while practicing some of my Swahili and French. I will learn more about Rwanda history and culture as well, while all the while learning more about myself. Tanzania changed me as an individual, and I look forward to the changes that lie ahead with my journey to Rwanda.
0 Comments
Tell me a fact and I will learn. Tell me a truth and I will believe. Tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever. -Indian Proverb I believe in the power of stories to unite people across time and places. Stories can draw people together by demonstrating our similarities and humanizing our differences. Across sub Saharan Africa oral storytellers have cataloged thousands of years of rich history and culture. My goal, as most blog writers, is to use the power of storytelling combined with the accessibility of technology to tell my stories and the stories of those I meet. I hope to do this in order to encourage cultural understanding and also to provoke people to think outside of their comfort zones. Stories often lead people to want to act for social justice, which is another goal of mine. By spreading my story and others, I wish to inspire others to listen to the needs and desires of those around us and make positive changes in our world.
|
AuthorMy name is Tara, and I am from Whitefish Montana. I graduated from the University of Oregon in 2014 with a degree in International Studies with minors in French and African Studies. I studied abroad in Tanzania in 2012. I volunteered in Rwanda from September 2014-November 2016. These are my personal experiences and not reflected by the US Peace Corps. Archives
November 2016
Categories
All
|