Great Experience

I loved my time in Tanzania as I got to meet and live with so many amazing people. The volunteer house that we lived in was so fun and much cleaner and nicer than I expected. We also had an incredible cook that prepared all of our meals. It was great to live with a lot of other young volunteers all traveling for the same reasons. There was a security guard on staff 24/7 which was nice, and as long as you followed the few simple rules (like don't walk by yourself and always take cabs at night) it is a completely safe environment.

Working in the hospital was such an eyeopening experience. At first, it was a little difficult to figure out where you can benefit the most, but after getting acquainted with the staff and asking around, it is easy to feel that you are being helpful. I was working in the lab at Tengeru Hospital helping with malaria and HIV tests as well as keeping track of the patient records. The staff at the hospital were so friendly and willing to teach all of the volunteers. Also, every Wednesday there is a huge market in the town of Tengeru that was so much fun to visit after work.

The town of Arusha is also an amazing place and one of the larger cities in Tanzania. I was actually surprised by how many things there were to do in town, including fun places to eat (try the pistachio smoothie at Arusha Cafe), the town museum, Masai market, and a few fun bars with live music at night. One of the best thing to do was meet up with the other volunteers after work at the clock tower and walk around seeing new things. There is so much culture and activity to take in it is impossible to have a boring day in Arusha. Even the days we were tired, it was great to relax on the deck at home or play with the kids on our street (who love jump rope and soccer). We also got to travel while we were there to Zanzibar (absolutely beautiful) and Moshi to see the waterfalls, and some volunteers climbed Kilimanjaro.

Going to Tanzania was truly an incredible experience and I would happily recommend it to anyone looking to try something new and get involved with something they care about. It is an amazing way to travel and meet new people, just remember to go with the flow and be flexible in all aspects of the trip, as every day there is an adventure and not everything will go exactly as planned.