Finding my footing in Dar es Salaam
Alex Brown writes about a difficult start to the summer and research on environmental and refugee issues.
As a double major in International Affairs/Government and Law, it seems logical that I would pursue an internship in a foreign country. It makes it all the more interesting that I happened upon this opportunity mostly by chance. When I signed up to take Professor Grove’s Comparative Politics class, I had no idea that simply talking to him about my interests in the field could have led me to the African continent and an internship that was the most unique and extraordinary experience I’ve been lucky enough to go through. I had never been to Africa before the internship, so going into the trip I was intrigued by the continent and its history, and curious about what it would be like.
The trip, certainly, was not all a piece of cake. I knew it wouldn’t be. Anxiety has long been something I have struggled with, and I was certainly anxious before the trip and afraid that it would negatively affect my experience. The one thing I told myself in the weeks leading up to the trip and on the flight over was that I shouldn’t let my fear of the fear of anxiety determine my experience. I had no problems on the flight over - having friends by my side certainly helped - and arrived at the early hour of 3 am local time with no issues. We were fortunate enough to keep our luggage (sorry Ben and Alana) and when I stepped out of the airport for the first time I had one remarkable thought in my mind which I voiced, “Wow this looks a lot like Florida”. Ironically, the airport parking lot had me reminiscing about trips to Disney World as a kid, and my fear of the trip was low.
This made it especially confusing when several hours later I threw up. Annoyingly enough, I got extremely nervous when we were waiting for our Airbnb and couldn’t stop myself from the negative side effects of my anxiety. For the next two days, I could barely eat or sleep and was bedridden. This was my longest distance away from home and after the longest travel I have ever had, which I, in hindsight, should’ve seen coming. The lack of sleep and food, as well as being in a foreign land 8,000 miles from home made me question whether I was strong enough to complete the trip. I hadn’t even stepped into the office yet, however, the trip was already a loss in my mind. I worried that I had to go home, gaining no experience and letting down those close to me whom I had told I was doing a 6-week internship to earlier in the year. Thankfully, my friends I lived with helped me when I was sick and I was able to get into the office two days after my arrival. Still ill and semi-malnourished, I worried this would be just one of few office days before I disappointingly would have to leave. But being in the professional setting, seeing the work that ESRF was doing, and being around my friends rallied my spirits and allowed me to go on our first adventure together to Zanzibar as a group, where earlier that day I feared I wouldn’t be able to go.
Having the experience of travel and seeing the positives of the country, and the great experience that I would have in the country were I to stay, was crucial in my mental battle I endured. Friday night in Zanzibar, I ate my first full meal of the trip since the plane ride over. Surrounded by friends both from Lafayette and new ones, fellow interns from Ghana and Italy, I was excited and able to get back on my feet. This in turn made me much more excited for work when we returned, and I was able to focus more and looked forward to having a positive impact on the organization.
The work that I ended up doing consisted mainly of environmental and refugee issues. A complex chain between the two was created in my mind the more I discovered about the history of Tanzania, the current environmental issues, and the Maasai pastoralists of the Ngorongoro region. The interconnectedness of indigenous land rights, the tourism industry, human rights abuses, and climate refugees changed my perception of Tanzania and Africa as a whole. The intersectionality of these issues did not make me confident in the ability to solve them, but rather I saw it as a unique challenge outside of my traditional academic work.
Ultimately my experience was fulfilled by the people. Competitions as to who could learn more Swahili between me and my roommates made our connection stronger, and our ties to the country deeper. Talking with researchers from other countries and those at ESRF made me see the good across the world, outside of my Lafayette bubble that I like to believe is humanity’s ideal. I also enjoyed talking to the people of Tanzania. Whether it be fluent or broken English, or just a grumble gesturing to convey intent, I found that the people of Tanzania were extremely nice. This reinforced my ideas that people should be naturally good, and not pitted against one another. The kindness of the locals and the familiar-looking (at times) environment made me feel welcome and reminded me that no matter where I go in the world people are still people - often the same.
After interacting with the people I did, traveling and working, I ultimately grew more this summer than I think I have in any previous experience. After all, the core of mankind’s spirit is new experiences and this trip certainly checked that box. Travel is essential not just because of the fun experiences but also because the work people do in the international field is critical to our success as a species. Regretfully my trip was only so long, but I hope to make others in my life feel how I felt visiting Tanzanians’ home - Karibu.