Lost in Tanzania

I will never forget the day that I went snorkeling in Zanzibar, even though I had no idea how to swim. The conversation with the instructor was priceless; after four hours of being on a boat and explaining the safety procedures, he asked, “Does anyone have any questions?” When I said I didn’t know how to swim, he asked, “Well what are you doing here?” It was quite the adventure, what was a half day excursion, gave me with fifteen minutes in the water and the whole return trip sea sick. But in the fifteen minutes floating with my life jacket; having to go above water to breathe because I thought the sound of my breath was me drowning; what I did see was phenomenal. There were so many fish and coral, all just as excited to see me as I was to them. This was just one of my adventures I had in Tanzania when I got accepted to intern with a renewable energy company in Dar es Salaam. Within a week of finding out I packed my bags, got my shots and was at the airport. This was the start of an unforgettable summer: jet skiing (and snorkeling) in the Indian Ocean, trekking the Usambara Mountains, stumbling across magnificent waterfalls, eating breakfast with elephants on our safari and meeting the most friendly, hard-working, and amazing people I have ever met in my life.

But, as every nomad knows, no matter how much you prepare, things will go awry. Within the first week my malaria pills triggered my stomach ulcers and the day of my Kilimanjaro climb I got food poisoning. The culture shock was huge going from a very large, unfriendly city to one that takes ten minutes to drive from one side to the other (when there’s no traffic) and where everyone is on "Island Time". What intrigued me was how prominent the historical processes of this country could be seen, from the questionable city planning to who has access to certain human rights and necessities. There were so many types of landscapes, cultures, races, languages and food. You know when you see a baby on the bus, with their eyes wide open and drool hanging from their mouth because everything is new and exciting? That’s exactly what happened to me, minus the drool. When you travel, you not only get to see new places and faces, but you yourself get to start fresh. It is a time for you to grow and learn, be adventurous, make mistakes and build friendships. Happiness is a subjective feeling, but for me, it means traveling and my four months in Tanzania was the epitome of happiness.