Hamjambo? Jina langu ni Chris Matthews, but if you ask anyone that I’ve met in Tanzania, they would tell you that my name is Msafiri—traveler. I am a rising senior majoring in Linguistics and Italian pursuing a certificate in Transatlantic Studies with minors in Secondary Education, Quechua, and soon enough, Swahili. I am writing this from Usa River, a small town outside of Arusha in the Northern part of Tanzania sandwiched between the Serengeti and Mt. Kilimanjaro. Myself and 11 other students will be here for 6 weeks as a part of the Fulbright-Hayes GPA Pitt in Tanzania program, where we have been studying Swahili language and culture intensively at MS TCDC. One of the most important things to know about me before you read my upcoming blog posts is that I have been a fan of “The Amazing Race” since childhood. My father and I would sit on the couch and dream about being on the show together, racing through hectic markets, vast countryside landscapes, and bustling cities where unfamiliar languages covered every billboard. After 2 weeks here, I can sufficiently say that our dream has at least partially come true, because every day here feels like my own “Amazing Race.” Next time dad, you’re coming with me.
One of the most common sentiments among the group has been the following phrase: “what am I doing here?” We whisper this to ourselves as we gaze through the window and catch a glimpse of Mt. Meru or see a Maasai herder leading his cattle along the side of the street, narrowly avoiding catastrophe from the oncoming daladala buses. My favorite part of traveling with this group is hearing about everyone’s journey to Tanzania because they are all so different. Some of us have familial connections to the country, some have been studying Swahili for years, and some signed up the day the application was due for a life-changing experience.
I decided to apply for Pitt in Tanzania because I wanted to be put out of my comfort zone, both linguistically and culturally. Throughout my life, I have put a few years into languages from almost every continent. I studied Mandarin Chinese for 3 years in high school, Italian for 3 years at Pitt, and Quechua for 2 years; however, I had never studied an African language until now. The prospect of taking 2 semesters worth of Swahili in 6 weeks was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up, and the added benefit of cultural immersion only further confirmed my desire to go.
This program has a way of constantly pushing us out of our comfort zones. The second that we feel we’ve adapted to our situation, something in the universe (most likely our program director) throws us another curve ball. After landing in Nairobi and getting accustomed to the hotel, we were whisked across the land border to Tanzania. When we felt comfortable on our campus, they sent us out into the busy Tengeru market and asked us to bargain with the vendors for vegetables that would would later eat with dinner. Now, we are at home-stays for the weekend, many of us armed with only two weeks of Swahili under our belts. That is why this program is so incredible. In my opinion, you have to be somewhat uncomfortable in order to experience any sort of personal growth.
As far as experiencing cultural differences, after 2 weeks I can sufficiently say that every day offers something new. Whether I am learning about tribal diversity, language politics in secondary education, Tanzanian family structures, or just how to eat with my hands, I am in a perpetual state of culture shock. To travel is to embrace the culture shock, however, so in order to live up to my Kiswahili name, I will continue to roll with every punch and marvel at all things beautiful.
Asanteni sana, tutaonana baadaye.
-Msafiri