Overwhelming. That is how I still describe Tanzania, even after two weeks of being here. Every time I start to grow accustomed to the life here, I am thrown another curveball. Tanzania is so different from American culture, but I love every single part of it. I will miss everything about Tanzania. The things I’ve smelled, the food I’ve eaten, the sights I’ve seen, and most importantly the people I’ve met. Throughout this trip I have noticed 3 major themes: respect, discipline, and love.
Respect. To get respect you need to give it first. That is one of the biggest lessons I have learned here. This entire trip I have been trying to earn other’s respect. The hardest people for me to earn respect from was the kids. At the school, it took a day, but for the sports camp it took the entire week. Up to our last day, all of the kids had not yet fully respected us. After 5 days, I couldn’t figure out why some of the kids would still not listen, but then it dawned on me. In order to receive respect, I needed to be giving it constantly to the kids, even when they misbehaved. Instead of getting frustrated with the kids when they were not listening, I started to be more understanding, since I know that there are reasons behind all of their actions. This philosophy is one that I wish I knew sooner, but overall I am just happy that I finally realized it.
Discipline. This is another theme that occurred during the trip. The person who I had to discipline the most throughout the trip was myself. I had to constantly remind myself to not give up on something, just because it did not work the first time. During this trip, I realized that self-discipline is one of the most important strengths to have because you are your hardest critic. The more you improve from your critiques, the better you will become.
Love. We say it about objects of every size shape, and color, but we often forget to say it to the most important thing of all, each other. Love has been a subject in almost all of my blogs because it is everywhere here. From stepping outside of the airport to saying goodbye to the kids, there have been so many examples of love. I have not only received love, but I have also given my heart out to everyone here. To be loved is one thing, and to receive love is another… But to have both gives you the power to do anything and everything.
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