It is funny how new volunteers tend to
believe the first few months are the most difficult. Yes, you are
living with HCNs, learning a new language and entirely out of your element, but the experience is exciting, new and different.
I am fast approaching the 17 month mark
and while I can say I have never been as home sick I as was the first
few weeks in Tanzania; I have never missed American culture more than
I do now. I am beginning to believe the last few months of service
will actually be the most difficult, not in terms of adjustment, but
in terms of staying adjusted. As I texted my friend this morning,
“When did I become bitter and cynical?”. I am not quite sure, but
lately my patience has lapsed and my cultural appropriateness is at
an all time low. Maybe this is just Monday speaking, but Tanzania and
I may be at odds.
If I was extremely lazy I would just
leave my situation as is, but I am not, so how am I going to rectify
the situation? How am I going to make my last few months in country
the best months? Like I said it is Monday, the left side of my brain
is still asleep and I am preoccupied with how I intend on getting
through the week to begin with, but here are a few things that I
think may help my situation. (They may also help those of you out
there who feel like their lives are a stagnant puddle as well...
let's just hope yours are not breeding malaria-carrying mosquitoes )
Bust outta my routine
Seriously people, I do the same thing
everyday. Heck I even eat the same food every day (stewed veggies!
And oatmeal!). I really need to shake things up. I am going to try
to workout/ do yoga in the mornings. Normally I just sit around,
drink coffee and eat breakfast. Maybe if I got my body rockin' and a
rollin' early I might just feel better during the day! I am also
thinking of bringing back music nights. This is when I choose an
artist, say Van Morrison, Billy Joel, Elton John or Styx (just
kidding), and play their music all night. I am sure there are many
other things I could do differently, but that's all I got for now.
Suggestions welcome!
Appreciate the here and now
The one thing I promised myself I was
going to do when I started this whole thing was that I was going to
live within a reasonable time frame. While this is ideally day to
day it some times stretches a few weeks in advance. At first I
adopted this mind set because I was completely freaked out by the
idea of spending two years of my life in a foreign country; now this
mind set seems completely useless because the light at the end of
the tunnel is shining in my face. I think by reminding myself to
living in the here and now it will help time go faster and will keep
me focused – two things I desperately need.
Look back
I have kept a running journal of my
time here. It includes daily ramblings and things I could not write
here for various reasons. One of my favorite things to do is to pick
up one of the old journals and read what happened to me last year
during the current week. It is funny to see how much I have changed
and how much I have forgotten. I like to think of things to tell my
past self and I also like to remind myself of how much I have gone
through. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. This also brings with it a
feeling of accomplishment – ego boost!
4. Work, work, work
Keep oneself busy.
Thankfully this will probably be the easiest of the three above
because I am teaching 4-6 periods a day and am in the midst of the
library project. I can also always find something to clean in my
house!
So there's four things I can do to
solve the situation detailed above. Are there more solutions? Yes,
there are an infinite number, but four is all my brain can focus on
at once and still be effective. In addition, I also constantly remind
myself that I may not be happy with my current situation, I maybe
bored and that I may long for home, but when I am back in the states
I will miss most things about this place. The grass is always
greener, right?
In other news, school is back to
normal. I graded around 400+ exams and helped the paint the new
school library over my “fall” break. The library is now set to
have screens put in the windows, the shelves and tables moved in and
some books added to the mix; now if the fundi would only finish his
work! I will keep you all updated with its progress and upload before
and after pictures when it is complete.
This week, almost a year to the day
that I decided I wanted to pursue law school after service, I
accepted an offer at the University of Maine School of Law and I
could not be happier! It is a small school in Portland that is unique
because it is the only law school in the state, which will hopefully
help the job prospects after school.
My mom and I are also busy making plans
for her visit in June! I am so excited that she will get to see where
I live and experience what my life has been like for the past two
years. It was also her birthday yesterday, so Happy Birthday, Mom!
Love ya! And Happy Birthday, Jordo! Big 2-0 tomorrow... no more
teenagers in our house.
As always, I hope everyone is well at
home! Spring has sprung, it is baseball season and summer is around
the corner!
All my love from TZ
