American's interpretations

I was recently sitting down in the village with a group of fathers when the topic of American's interpretation of Africa came up.

"We are so thankful for you to be here in Lidumbe (the name of my village). You are teaching our children and helping the village so much, and for that we are grateful. You've become one of us already. You speak Swahili, you come and tell stories with us, and you are learning more of our mother tongue every day (Makonde). But you must share our story with your home. Americans think that Tanzania/Africa is a bad place. They think that people often die of hunger here, they think that we are not civilized, that we are without technology. Look around Lidumbe, have you ever seen someone die of hunger? Do you not see cars, motorcycles, and televisions? So when you return please tell your comrades how life really is here so that they too can understand what it means to live here."

It's something that I often think about here, and after our conversation I've begun to think about even more. It is one of the reasons I am incredibly thankful that some of my American family was able to visit me and see what it means to be Tanzanian. The misconceptions about life in Tanzania (or Africa in its entirety as many like to think) are countless. Even if it is only a little, I hope that what I am doing can raise awareness of how beautiful life is here.

I am surrounded by kind, creative, and hard-working people. I am only halfway through my service, but I have started panicking over my impending departure. Leaving a place that I truly feel at home with is not going to be an easy feat. Parting ways with the people who have become my friends and family will be one of the hardest things I'll face, because it isn't certain that I will ever see them again.

No matter what I do during my time here I will never be able to do as much as has been done for me.