Pitching Tents

Friday evening we bumped along the only road in Kilwa Masoko on the way to Sultani's Place. The four of us were quiet, after hard goodbyes with our students. However, we were excited to kick back in our air conditioned bungalows and throw on some cable TV. Well, this soon turned out to be wishful thinking.

We pulled into the resort's drive, noticing big tents being constructed on the lawn. We were curious, but not overly concerned since the tents didn't have anything to do with us.. Or so we thought. As our field director greeted us, she quickly threw in the words, "Go ahead and put your bags near a tent," and walk off. Uhhh, what!!! And so our dreams of isolated relaxation were thrashed. Instead of cooling off in my personal bungalow, I lugged my suitcase over to a tent, which I had to share with five other girls. Rather than having a running water shower and western toilet, I'd be using a Tanzanian outhouse.

Fortunately, we've gotten used to making the best of such surprises, so the first night wasn't so bad. We were all exhausted after a long day, and stuffed from a delicious Sultani meal. The six of us easily dozed off in the dark tent.

The deep sleep helped prepare our group for the long day that awaited on us on Saturday. Like our mid conference weekend, we had meetings throughout the entire day. After breakfast, we attended our conferences in a small, stuffy kindergarten building. Normally, we work in a different space, but Sultani needed it for another event. Throughout the day, we participated in lectures, group work, and questionnaires. We met with the District Commissioner of Kilwa who applauded our group and announced that after a successful first year, they will be welcoming back our orientation course next year.

The day was concluded with an end of service party at Sultani's nearby beach resort, Kumbilio. International volunteers, Tanzanian volunteers, local teachers, and some administration had the chance to let loose after a stressful 7 weeks. There was drinking, eating, and some dancing. We learned Tanzanian line dances and I even watched our District Officer break it down to Chris Brown! Afterwards, some of us traveled to Masoko by Night, the local nightclub. Obviously, we didn't expect much, but more so just wanted to go for the experience.

Eventually, we drifted back to our resort, almost too tired to care about another night in a tent. However, a little surprise upon our arrival quickly changed this passive attitude. A grande wedding was being held in the venue where we normally have our conferences, which happens to be right outside our tents. The DJ speakers were set up so close, I could feel my bed vibrate. Wedding guests flooded our outhouse, while we all yearned to shower and get ready for bed. Needless to say, we didn't achieve the easy rest we had the night before.

Luckily, and finally, Sunday was the day we could move into the bungalows. We were still met with the surprise that we would have to share the room, but it was better than staying another night in the tents. Now we have the space and mental capacity for all of the post-program work we need to complete over the next few days.