So, I got my staging information this week, and I am OFFICIALLY booked to go to Tanzania. I am stoked, excited, overjoyed, etc. I leave Minneapolis on September 22. And then, by 6 pm on the 23rd I will be in Tanzania. Weird!
Now only to pack....Yuck! If you ever have to pack for multiple climates and for two years, I am pretty sure that it will not be fun. I will let you know my view of this in less than a month. I am pretty sure my mind will not change though.
And so the adventure begins... with packing :( At least once I am done, I don't have to pack until the next time. But oh so much to bring, but the need to pack light.
Megan,
ReplyDeleteFirst let me tell you that I got ridiculously excited when I read your comment on my blog to see that you are going to be in the Peace Corps in Tanzania. I spent the next hour and a half reading through all my blogs from my time there. Being a PCV is such an amazing experience, and I could seriously babble on for hours about everything that you are going to experience in the next 28 months, but before I scare you off, suffice it to say you just have to do it for yourself.
So that's a long intro to say, yes you will be able to run while you are there. At first it may take some bravery as they won't be used to seeing people run just to run. And on top of that you will already stick out sorely, even when you are doing to most ordinary things in their world. But don't let the staring and commenting, and pack of children joining you deter you from starting to run while you are there. They will get used to it, and running was definitely one of the more valuable tools I had in keeping my sanity while I was there. I highly recommend it.
As far as what to pack, if you go to my first couple blogs I have a packing list there that served me well for my 2 years. The best advice I can give you as you debate what to bring and what not to bring, is that you'll be able to get nearly everything there. And what you can't get, you'll probably find you don't actually need anyway.
Bring enough to keep yourself comfortable (as far as shampoo/toiletries/etc) for the time you are in training. In Morogoro you'll have access to a nice store to get anything that you might run out of, but you likely won't have very much disposable income that you'll want to spend on that sort of thing until you're out of training.
The one extra thing I recommend, if you like cooking, is to get yourself a nice chef's knife. Cooking knives in TZ tend to be poor quality. I brought a nice one with me and was very glad for it (although all the more annoyed when visiting other PCV friends who only had dull knives to cook with, haha).
Really though, you can get everything there. Don't stress too much about it. Just bring enough to get through training, and everything else you'll figure out when you get there.
PLEASE feel free to ask me more questions. I love it. So excited for you and your training group. You can email me at claremcnamara@gmail.com
Kila la heri as you prepare for your journey!
Clare,
ReplyDeleteGreat comments. Ah yes, the knife. Very important! I was thankful I brought a small hunting-type knife, and it was a life saver. And Megan, yes, they will think you are weird for running. One word you will start to hear a lot is "pole" - pronounced pol-ay. It technically means 'sorry' but the best translation we came up with is 'sucks to be you' :) I always got that when running......I replied with Asante, or thank you.
Clare, were you stationed in Morogoro? Mzumbe by any chance? I had a good friend there, and visited often.
Mike
mike.machura@gmail.com
Oh! Very important- bring extra shoes, especially if you plan on running. You can find shoes in Dar, but they are knock-off replicas (Nikf, for example!).
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your advice! Also, did you find a need for hiking shoes at all? or would two pairs of running shoes be a better use of space?
ReplyDeleteMike - I was stationed outside of Lushoto, but spent time in Morogoro during my own training, and again for a following groups training as one of their vol's of the week, so I'm pretty familiar with the area. I did know one of the PCVs stationed at Mzumbe while I was there, and obviously knew almost all of the PCVs around morogoro as well. We're a tight knit community.
ReplyDeleteWere you a PCV? or another volunteer?
Megan - I brought a pair of trail running shoes that served perfectly fine as running shoes and hiking boots. So maybe, if you were going to bring two pairs (I only brought one and was fine) bring one straight running shoe, and one trail runner? The fact of the matter is, you will be trail running, not road running, no matter where your site is.
Also, if you have any burning questions or concerns, and need to speak to someone who has been there/done that, I will be back in the twin cities Sept 18-19th, with my bf who was also in TZ, and we'd be more than willing to meet up. Just send an email to work out details