Time and Patience

There are two main qualities that I have realized over the past week of being in country that one will need for this type of volunteer work- one is time and the other is patience.

Of course I miss hot showers, air conditioning, my TV shows, and consistent electricity.  This is all part of my experience here and learning how strong and how adaptable I can be in unfamiliar situations, which will certainly take time.  Sure it’s been tough but I have the strength of my family and friends back home and am starting to have the company of new friends here and I know I must make the most of it because there are people counting on me to try and bring about change and secure livelihoods in a developing society. 

Last night I went to a pig roast– the pig had been cooked in an oil drum for many hours—it was delicious!  I was invited by a fellow volunteer who has established a network of friends who have gratefully accepted me into the circle.  In the middle of eating, the power went out and as we lit the last of the candles for the table it came back on- of course!  The great part was we turned the lights back out anyway and all 7 sat there eating in candlelight just because and talked about everything from the metric system to Bruce Springsteen.  It was a lot of fun.

In my job here, time is also going to be a factor as I look at the big picture and start to see more how the project and school are working and what the challenges are I see that there are many things that need to be assessed and resolved before any process is implemented to secure the employment of these students in the long run.

This is where patience comes in.   I think that it is natural for someone who is used to the way we work ourselves to the bone in our home countries to think we are going to come in and change the world with our genius ideas and fix everything.  This will never be the case in a developing country as I am starting to see just how many small steps need to be taken to get to the end goal of the project I am on now.    I am traveling tomorrow afternoon to the other center near here in Lindi, about a 2 hour drive, and will likely have more to write after that visit.  Below are some pictures for your enjoyment from my walk on the beach this weekend.