This Week Was My Transition from Tribeca to Tanzania

Getting on the plane to Tanzania was bitter sweet. I was excited about the 8 month adventure ahead of me, but also sad that I would be leaving my sister, brother-in-law and friends in New York….and all for a strange city where I knew no one- Arusha.

On the plane ride, I scored a whole row of seats to myself as I watched the movie Gandhi (only after boring myself with Nacho Libre) and was reminded of why I work for social change (because its possible)…and ultimately, why I waved good bye to my family and friends.

On the layover in Amsterdam, I hopped on the internet to escape the smoke-filled airport cafes and decided to read the Arusha Times online newspaper where I found bittersweet headlines that went something like this:

Man murdered over cell phone dispute, but Caught by the Long Arm of the Law
Dar man brings Cholera Outbreak to Arusha
Independence Day Festival this Weekend

Amused because I had never heard anyone seriously use “long arm of the law,” I also found myself curious about the Independence Day celebrations. Evidently there are speeches and parades- most people have the day off work. A bit of history: Tanzania fell under German control in 1886, but was given to Britain after WWI. Present day Tanzania is the result of a merger between the mainland (previously Tanganyika) and Zanzibar in 1964, after both had gained independence.

I arrived in Kilimanjaro airport around 10pm and was met in the hotel by Divyesh. Divyesh is my new colleague at AtoZ, the company I will be working with on behalf of the Acumen Fund. Divyesh has been managing the program which administers coupons that help the poor buy bednets at much cheaper prices ($3 rather than $6). Over a Coke, we chatted a bit about the culture and project and then he headed home so I could get some rest.

As I laid my head on the pillow to sleep, my mind was racing. I decided to name the gecko on the wall Fred. I was annoyed at the fact that I had been bitten thrice by mosquitoes already in such a short time and had forgotten to take the malaria meds. I also was thrilled that I was sleeping under a white net that cascaded around my bed like that of a princess…but thinking that the blue color nets made by AtoZ would be even more fun. Since the pole outside my hotel marked the exact center of Africa- midpoint between Capetown and Cairo- I wondered how long it would take to walk to Cairo from here and which animals I would encounter in the Serengeti along the way.