I made it!!

Monday was a weird day. I had everything packed and ready to go to arrive at the airport for my flight. I was in a strange funk that included excitement and adventure mixed with anxiety and nervousness and crippling self-doubt, but I held it in until we got to the airport. I started thinking about the extent of the trip I was about to take and that I wouldn't see my family for about 6 months and I probably wouldn't see my dog for at least a year, and then every fear I could possibly have began to fester in my mind. I played it cool though, trying to be tough, independent, and up for a challenge. Then, my dad called around 3 PM to say goodbye and as soon as I hung up, I took one look at my mom and started sobbing. So much for playing it cool. For the next hour, every glance exchanged between my mom, sister, and I ended in tears. When it was finally time for me to go through security, I made them leave so I could stop crying, not look like a baby in front of all the airport people, and go to my gate. Finally, around 4:30 PM, I hopped on a plane in Kansas City that took me to Toronto where I took another plane to Instanbul where I caught a flight to Kiliminjaro that landed around 1:30 in the morning on Wednesday. I watched a lot of Parks and Rec, a few movies, and took at least 5 naps in the span of those 26 hours of travel. When I finally arrived in Tanzania, my taxi picked me up to take me to the lodge where I finally had wifi and could alert my family that I was alive and well. At around 2:30 AM, I was finally laying down and so joyous to be in a bed and not upright in the seat of an airplane. As I was trying to fall asleep, I had a rush of panic. I started wondering if I had done the right thing in coming here or if I should've worked in the United States and just come here for a visit. I wondered if I was going to be miserable or if I would be able to figure it out. I was concerned that once I left the lodge, I was solidifying my arrival and commitment to my job here in Tanzania. Needless to say, I was not in a great place. Those of you who asked how I was feeling before coming here, if I gave you any answer other than "terrified", I was lying. This was a lot farther out of my comfort zone than I was willing to admit, but that was thrilling to me. I just let my nervousness temporarily overtake my excitedness. I got about 2 hours of sleep by the time I had to wake up to eat and then take my taxi to Karatu, where I am living. We drove through Arusha and I received a SIM card for my phone (I now have a Tanzanian phone number and use cool things like vocha and mobile money). While we were driving, there were so many things to observe that I didn't even get to take a nap. We were stopped by cows crossing led by Maasai people, saw fields and fields of massive sunflowers, drove beside some baboons, and were constantly being cut off by daladala that were covered in stickers with everything from "Trust God" to photos of Ludacris and Ice Cube to the Mizzou M with the tiger. As if the sunflowers weren't enough of an indication that I was in the right place, the M was a pretty aggressive sign. When I arrived at home, our friend Agnes made my roommate, Meghan, and I a special Tanzanian dish that is essentially an omelette filled with french fries. After we ate, we attended a massive local market called mnada and picked up a few things for the house. It is definitely strange being one of the only white people here that isn't just here on safari, so we tend to draw a lot of attention and warrant a lot of "mzungu"call outs. But we make it work. After picking up everything we needed (including a bunch of avocados which are MASSIVE here and are less than a dollar each), we walked to the school so I could see where I would be working. I got to meet some of the kids and teachers that were still around and see the grounds. It really is a great place and I am so excited to be a part of it. By this point, I was starting to crash, so we walked home and I unpacked a bit before dinner. We met up with a group of ex-pats at the restaurant near our home and had some pizza before I went home to finish unpacking and get some rest. I have a new kitten at my home here named Nyota (which means star in Swahili) and after I scratched her head until she stopped meowing, I finally fell asleep. Today was a day filled with new information and lots of introductions and hugs. I'm definitely learning a lot, but it can be a little overwhelming, especially without knowing a lot of Swahili. My sweet roommate is being so patient with me as I ask her a million questions a day. It's been quite a huge adjustment, but I'm taking each experience as it comes and I am so happy to be back in East Africa. Luckily, I do have a SIM card here so if you need to reach me, I have found that WhatsApp (using my American phone number) or Facebook Messenger are the most effective means of communication. I will update more soon, but for now I need to catch up on some rest. Goodnight!!!