Almost Home

I find my self looking at the calendar seeing how close I am to boarding a plane. It seems too surreal. I’ve been here as long as I have though it feels like I should have months to go. There has been so much I have absorbed from this environment and other things in me I’ve had to weed out. So much of this trip has been a personal journey, something that can’t be quantified and summed up in less than a thousand words. There are times that I have not even had words for what my heart would feel towards Tanzania and the people here. I can physically see the needs of people and intellectually process some of the factors that contribute to it yet there is so much that I do not understand as an outsider with such a limited cultural perspective. None the less, I am still moved to do something about it. I’m not entirely sure what form that will take or what that means. I do know the measure of Tanzania I take with me home - not just in my suitcase either. Interactions with individuals, families, and communities have left indelible marks on my personal and career aspirations. I’ve had a clear picture for awhile about the types of things I want to see happen in my lifetime within my career and personal involvement. I think I have found the place for that to happen.

Being in an environment where I am frequently faced with situations and conversations that challenge my personal boundaries and beliefs, I have had to do a lot of introspection and evaluation. I have had to choose to change and grow based on the information I have been presented with and what I have seen for my self. This has been a deeply personal journey. Combining what I’ve learned and experienced here coupled with the things that I had to deal with at home and in myself, it is challenging to sum it up in a pretty paragraph or two.

I know going home is not going to be as rosy as I like to imagine it. I will have plenty of things to continue thinking about. With the MCHC project for Nkoanrua, Tanzania will never be far from my thoughts and heart. After meeting with the Director of Nursing at Muhimbili National Hospital, I know I have an internship waiting if I want it and I have friends that I can always visit.

I’ve met amazing people here who have significantly contributed to my learning journey. Other students have challenged my thoughts as I have theirs. There have been many lively discussions over a plate of beans and rice. For some of us we rarely agree. Others we share a few points. Mostly I take a lot of flack for being an American, voting for McCain, and refusing to talk bad about the government. All the way around though my interactions with other international students have been growing ones. I haven’t had as many Tanzanian friendships as I would have liked. With classes starting late, lack of a roommate for such a long time and then early campus closure, I had limited interaction with the women on campus.
I look forward to carrying home my more global perspective that comes not only from living abroad brut also from interacting with other member of the international community in my little Petri dish here.