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Wow, three months already and I’m a full fledged Peace Corps Volunteer. I finished my three months of training, I completed my swearing in ceremony, and I’ve been at site for a week. Only two more years to go. I’ve only been on my own for a week, but time feels like it passes differently here. Minutes can feel like days and weeks can feel like minutes. I’m having the time of my life and I’m loving every second.
Pre-service training has been a once in a lifetime experience, surrounded by enthusiastic Tanzanian staff and 24 other volunteers. Everybody wants to be here. I’ve never done something like this, where everybody here wants to be here, where everybody is truly aligned and working towards goals they actually believe in. It’s refreshing. Even though it’s been intense, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can already feel the long days of studying Swahili and the work I put in learning the language paying off. Just one week on my own so far and I’m starting to build the relationships that will carry me through my service. I will admit, I miss laundry machines and dishwashers.
The other day as I was walking during the early afternoon, I crested a hill and felt wind rush around me. As I looked out over the valley that lay before me I noticed a plot of trees gently swaying in the wind. There was one tree that stood on its own, bent nearly sideways from the strong winds. Even though the one tree still stood from its own flexibility and resilience, the others were unwavering as they were fortified by leaning on each other. Even though I feel prepared and confident, I haven’t been without my challenges. My Swahili still has a long ways to go, and even though I’m building relationships, I lack deep connection when I’m on my own at site. If there’s one thing I’m thankful for during my three months of training, it’s the friendships I’ve made that will be the trees to support me amidst the winds of fate.
They don’t have seedless watermelon here, and even the oranges have pretty big seeds. As a result, when I’m eating with Tanzanians, I feel the pressure to eat the seeds instead of spit them out because that’s what they do. I couldn’t help but think how nice it would be if I enjoyed eating the seeds, and that got me thinking about enjoying the little things in life. The more time I spend on my own, the more absurd life seems to me, and the more I appreciate it. For example, the other day when I was in a bajaji (motorized rickshaw) my driver was eating a whole ear of corn in one hand, driving with the other like he was straight out of Nacho Libre. And more, when he had to use his eating hand to brake, he would set the corn down on the dashboard, brake, then pick it up again and continue eating as he started accelerating again. A different day when I was with the headmaster of my school I spotted a giant grass hopper and pointed it out to the headmaster. He proceeded to pick up the grasshopper, grab a leaf off the ground, and then fed the grasshopper the whole leaf. We both laughed as he released the grasshopper. These are just two examples of absolutely ridiculous things that I’ve come to appreciate so much. A Swahili word/phrase comes to mind: shagala bagala. Its meaning is in the way it sounds: chaos and craziness, and that’s life.
I didn’t mean for this one to get so metaphorical, but I guess that’s just the way cookie crumbles (the way the cards were dealt, the way the dominoes fell, etc.). In the spirit of thanksgiving, thank you for reading, I hope it was enjoyable.
Love,
Ryan