Hi all,
Thanks for checking out my blog. I'm leaving for Tanzania in 6 days. The count down has begun! The nerves are starting to kick in but mostly I'm just excited. It's going to be hard to leave my family and friends for 8 months but I know the adventure ahead will be life changing and this is something I've wanted to do for quite sometime. Student Partnership Worldwide is an amazing organization. Their program is exactly what I was looking for. You get to immerse yourself in a completely new culture, you get to help empower young people, and you get a network of support both in country and back home to help make your experience the best it can be. I can't wait to get started!
I leave from O'Hare on January 8th. Then I get to spend a night in London on Virgin Atlantic's dime thanks to a pending strike and a flight cancellation. (Awesome!) On January 10th I meet my follow American and UK volunteers at Heathrow and we are off to Tanzania that night for a 9 1/2 hour flight. We arrive in Dar es Salaam on January 11th at 7:15am where we will board a bus for an 8 hour ride to Iringa. Former volunteers told me they where literally delirious upon arriving to Iringa after such a long journey. Hopefully I'll sleep on the plane and I'll only be delirious with joy and not jet lag when we arrive for our first night in Africa.
All the international volunteers, myself included, will be staying with African families in the town of Iringa for the first several weeks we are there. I'm really looking forward to meeting my African family. In Tanzanian culture it's very important to get the greetings right in order to show respect to your elders when you meet people for the first time. I've been practicing. Hopefully I don't mess this up and end up saying the equivalent of "Yo, how's it hang'n" to my new African mother and father. There are so many things I'm excited about. But the number one thing I cannot wait to see is my first African sunset. I've heard they are breathtaking. If they are as good as people say they are the trip will be worth it after the first day. I'll try to capture the sunset and post it here. Chances are this blog will not be able to capture the magic of that first sunset or the true exhilaration of my Tanzanian experience but I'll do my best. Plus, if you are still hankering for more Tanzania after you read the blog you can always come and visit!
I will be posting here regularly for the first two month I'm in Tanzania. After that it may become harder to post because I'll be in a remote village. My goal is to post every two weeks. Please check in and write comments or email me at amandaleipold@gmail.com Talk to you soon!
Thanks for checking out my blog. I'm leaving for Tanzania in 6 days. The count down has begun! The nerves are starting to kick in but mostly I'm just excited. It's going to be hard to leave my family and friends for 8 months but I know the adventure ahead will be life changing and this is something I've wanted to do for quite sometime. Student Partnership Worldwide is an amazing organization. Their program is exactly what I was looking for. You get to immerse yourself in a completely new culture, you get to help empower young people, and you get a network of support both in country and back home to help make your experience the best it can be. I can't wait to get started!
I leave from O'Hare on January 8th. Then I get to spend a night in London on Virgin Atlantic's dime thanks to a pending strike and a flight cancellation. (Awesome!) On January 10th I meet my follow American and UK volunteers at Heathrow and we are off to Tanzania that night for a 9 1/2 hour flight. We arrive in Dar es Salaam on January 11th at 7:15am where we will board a bus for an 8 hour ride to Iringa. Former volunteers told me they where literally delirious upon arriving to Iringa after such a long journey. Hopefully I'll sleep on the plane and I'll only be delirious with joy and not jet lag when we arrive for our first night in Africa.
All the international volunteers, myself included, will be staying with African families in the town of Iringa for the first several weeks we are there. I'm really looking forward to meeting my African family. In Tanzanian culture it's very important to get the greetings right in order to show respect to your elders when you meet people for the first time. I've been practicing. Hopefully I don't mess this up and end up saying the equivalent of "Yo, how's it hang'n" to my new African mother and father. There are so many things I'm excited about. But the number one thing I cannot wait to see is my first African sunset. I've heard they are breathtaking. If they are as good as people say they are the trip will be worth it after the first day. I'll try to capture the sunset and post it here. Chances are this blog will not be able to capture the magic of that first sunset or the true exhilaration of my Tanzanian experience but I'll do my best. Plus, if you are still hankering for more Tanzania after you read the blog you can always come and visit!
I will be posting here regularly for the first two month I'm in Tanzania. After that it may become harder to post because I'll be in a remote village. My goal is to post every two weeks. Please check in and write comments or email me at amandaleipold@gmail.com Talk to you soon!
5 comments:
I am so excited for you, and look forward to reading about your experiences in Africa! Love you:)
Keiko
You're awesome. Can't wait to see the pictures and read the stories. My unsolicited advice--if someone asks you to eat something that you don't want to eat, feign an illness!
I can't wait to hear about all of your adventures! You're going to have a great time, I'm sure, and we're all looking forward to your hasty return.
Bergin
I hope you enjoy every moment of your journey and I can't wait to read all about it! I am so proud of you...go do your thing and remember everyone back home loves you! Miss you!!
Melissa
Amanda - your mom just told me about your blog & now I can't stop reading it. Did you bring any radio station shirts? Take some pictures for me. Thanks.
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