Getting all of the supplies, clothes and necessary paperwork for the trip took a LOT of work and planning... not to mention learning about Tanzanian customs and culture and learning basic Swahili. Luckily the org I'm volunteering through assisted with much of the pre-planning and provided a list of resources to help prepare. I will arrive in Bagamoyo just in time for the long rainy season (begins in March), so in addition to all of the below-the-knee skirts I'm packing (the community is more traditional in terms of dress so my wardrobe now includes several long skirts... which were a lot harder to find than I would have thought!) I'm also packing rain gear and rain boots... that should be a cute look for me, LOL...
Me and the other volunteers beginning on March 1st had a conference call to learn more about the community, what we would each be doing, general expectations, and our accommodations while in Bagamoyo. We'll all live and have our meals together at the base (pictured) which will be my home for the next 2 months. Since each volunteer decides their own length of stay, we'll all end at different times over the next few months. The base consists of 2 buildings with living quarters/bathrooms and a kitchen, and a small common/recreational building.We will work Monday-Friday in the mornings and have cultural learning activities each afternoon--this could be a Swahili class, a drum or dance lesson, a tour of historical sites in Tanzania, etc.--to learn about Tanzanian culture. Our weekends will be free-time, so I'm hoping to do some traveling in Tanzania too... definitely Zanzibar Island... maybe Serengeti National Park or some other park for a safari... and maybe even Mount Kilimanjaro... if I don't chicken out!
Anyway, I'm off to finish packing. I'm hoping to get everything down to one checked bag under 50 lbs and two small carry-ons... Please keep me in your prayers for a safe flight tomorrow... my next post will be from Tanzania!
