Jambo from Tanzania!

Wow! I am amazed by the beauty and generosity of this amazing country.

After traveling for 30 hours, the people from Tanzania received us with very welcoming arms. Tanzania’s beauty is breathtaking. We are surrounded by different shades of green; it makes me feel like home!

Not only am I amazed by Tanzania’s beauty but also by the people. I met Nae, a woman who gave us a lesson on the culture, people and the language. I learned that men do all of the outside work and women do all of the house work and it is important to serve others rather than to rush someone. Another thing that I learned was that the proper way to start a family is by getting married and afterwards, begins having children. The way people from Tanzania present themselves is very elegant. They are always dressed in bright colors and patterns.

Nevertheless, when we’re on the road I am always astonished by the people I see. There are always women walking on the street balancing huge baskets full of vegetables and fruits on their head walking from very long distances.

Additionally, I went on my first home visit and I got to meet Momma Ellie and her precious daughter Esther. Momma Ellie works at the school where we’re volunteering and Esther goes to form 1, which is equivalent to high school. They have both impacted me in a way that not many people could understand. I got to see the way they lived and they were in a very poor situation. Their home was about an 8x8 room that shared a bed, a couch and two chairs with a rectangular table in the middle. Their bathroom was outside made out of mud and wood. They have so little and they smiled every single second we were there. They were very generous and kept insisting to have water and tea! As we were having a conversation I noticed four pillows on Momma Ellie’s couch, they were white with flowers prints in the middle. I told her they were very beautiful and she responded with, “Thank you, I saved a lot of money for them.”

Furthermore, Momma Ellie reminded me a lot of my grandmothers. She’s truly a sincere woman with a genuine heart. She is an extremely hard working person just like my grandmothers. She always wakes up at 6:30 in the morning to head to work until 5:30 in the afternoon 7 days a week.

All things considered, I could definitely see that behind her smile she was suffering. Esther truly won a spot in my heart. She’s the sweetest 16 year old I have ever met. She is determined to continue her education and hoping for one day to accomplish her dream on becoming a pilot.

In brief, the way Momma Ellie and Esther express themselves about education guilt’s me because I have free education and there’s times where I take it for granted but, I feel so blessed to be living in the place that I live.

In addition, at one point into the conversation with Momma Ellie, Esther, asked us for help. I have never had someone beg for help like she did. At that moment I felt like all I could’ve done was to hold her hand and wipe her tears away.

To continue, the first two days of teaching were surreal. After working so hard it was finally time to share my knowledge. I got assigned to class 6 and had 11 students. As the days went by the students demonstrated how determined they were to get an education.

The students are very punctual; some are even at school earlier! Never in my life have I seen students so focused on their learning the way I’ve seen it here in Tanzania.

The children in Tanzania taught me how valuable education is and how important it is to keep pushing through each obstacle. My first couple of days has taught me a very valuable lesson. I have gained a better appreciation towards my family because that’s truly what these people have. I learned that family sticks together no matter the circumstances.

These couple of days has made it clear on what I want. I want to keep working hard and keep getting inspired by the people from Tanzania.

I aspire to maintain a relationship with each person that crosses my path and I truly can’t wait to share more of everything that I am experiencing with you.