FAQs

Answering the most commonly asked questions about my life in Tanzania

Are you safe?

Yes!  I am very rarely alone.  Whenever I need to go buy something or go to town, someone comes with me.  There is a young woman named Anita who lives with me so even when I am home, I'm not by myself.  She cooks all of our meals and cleans the house.  Her cooking is incredible (in Swahili we say 'tamu sana').  I have a watchman named Baraka who stays outside my house every night just as a precaution.  He is probably the funniest person I have ever met and such a loyal friend.  I'm very thankful to have him.  My friends here are always looking out for my safety and I trust them.

What kind of food do you eat?

Staple foods are rice, beans, bananas, bread, eggs, and vegetables.  For breakfast I normally have bread and peanut butter, an egg or sausage, a banana and tea.  For lunch I have beans and meat of some kind, chicken or beef, wrapped in a tortilla like bread called chapati (I call it a taco which means butt in Swahili) and fresh veggies (tomato, cucumber, green pepper, onion). For dinner we have rice and meat in a delicious tomato based sauce and bananas.  Everything is fresh and delicious.  I have yet to eat something here that I didn't like!

Do you have running water? Electricity?

Yes and yes.  The home that I live in is very nice so it has electricity and running water (hot and cold).  There are times when the electricity will go out temporarily and there is nothing you can do about it.  The longest we have been without it was around 10 hours, but it was during the day and no one was home so it wasn't an issue.  

Where do you go to buy things?

There are several small shops very close to my house where we can buy vegetables, bananas, spices, water, soda, etc.  For household items, meats, school supplies, clothing or shoes you have to go into town.  There are many many shops in town that sell all kinds of things, mostly shops that specialize in a certain item, but there are some "super market" type stores.  They are very small and have basic food and household items.  Everything you buy in town you have to carry back with you on the bus and then on the 15 minute walk from the bus stop to home.  Going to town is exhausting.  

What is your typical day like?

The school day starts at 7:30 and ends at 2:50 with 8 periods as well as a morning break and a lunch break.  I teach English along with two other teachers in classes 3, 4, 5, and 6.  Because I share periods with the other teachers, my schedule changes from day to day.  Some days I teach 5 periods, some days I only teach 2.  On the days where I have less periods to teach I spend time working on grading or lesson plans, or I play with the preschool classes.  If a teacher has to leave or is unavailable to teach I will cover their period.  After school I spend time talking with friends or I go to have "tacos" at the food stand near my house.  The evening are always different depending on what's going on that day.  I just go with the flow!

What is school like there?

The school is very structured.  Students are expected to greet teachers whenever they pass them.  They ask permission before entering the classroom and always stand up when speaking in class.  There is a parade every morning where the entire school assembles and stands at attention.  They sing the national anthem and have announcements as well as morning speeches by certain grade levels each day.  The students stay in one classroom all day and the teachers move from class to class.  During their break time students can buy snacks or drinks at the school store and play or talk with their friends.  The teachers are allowed to hit students who are misbehaving.  I have not witnessed this a lot, but often enough to ensure that students are behaving correctly.  Preschool through 2nd grade students only go to school until lunch time.  Afterwards they are picked up or they hang around the school grounds until 4:30 when the busses leave.  Much responsibility is placed on students, even at an early age.  

What is the weather like?
The temps right now are in the low 60s at night and high 80s during the day.  While 80 sounds pretty pleasant, especially compared to Texas summers, the sun is very intense and there is no air conditioning...anywhere...and very few places have fans (my first purchase was a standing oscillating fan for my bedroom lol).  I didn't appreciate how easy it is to escape the heat in Texas until moving here.  Thankfully my body is slowly adjusting and I am becoming an expert at finding things to fan myself with.  We get a rain shower every now and then, but it is rare for this time of year.  During the rainy season (December-May) it rains almost every day and I have been told that it is so hot it is difficult to even sleep.  I'll keep you posted on that!  

What is your favorite thing about living in Tanzania?
It's hard for me to choose one thing that I love the most, but to give a very broad answer I would have to say the overall lifestyle.  The people here embody the phrase 'work hard, play hard' and I have come to love living life in this way.  Yes, the days are long and there are very few tasks that can be accomplished easily, but I have yet to go a day, even an hour, without laughing.  No one takes themselves too seriously or exerts energy complaining about the work that they have to do.  I am constantly being challenged to adopt this mindset by the example of those around me, and as I do, I find myself enjoying my work and play more fully than I did the day before.  

What do you miss most about home?
Without question, my family and friends.  No amount of hugs can replace the hug of my mom and dad.  No amount of laughs can replace the way I laugh with my sister and cousins.  My friends here are so wonderful, but I still miss my friends from home- the people that I saw every day or every week, the people who supported me in making this decision- I miss them dearly.  Yes, I love chips and salsa.  I love air conditioning and watching TV and going to Sephora.  But I can do without all of those things.  I really can.  So many people have said to me, 'Oh I could never go without...' or 'Oh, I could never live like that', but being here fills me in a way that the stuff I loved back home never could.  I have everything I could need and I am the happiest I have ever been.  Even without chips and salsa (:

What are you going to do after this year?
I don't know yet.  But I know that God will reveal His plan for me over this year.  If He calls me back to the U.S then I will return.  If He calls me to continue my work here then I will stay.  I am challenging myself to stay here for the entire year without returning home to see if I can do it- to see if I can handle being away from my family for Christmas and Easter- because I can see myself staying here longer than just this year.  I feel so at home here, like I have found where I belong.  But only God knows what the future will hold.  

Have a question that I didn't answer? Leave a comment below!