I arrived in Tanzania about three days before school started, which gave me enough time to get used to the time difference and settle in. Even though I was tired and overwhelmed, my host family greeted me at the airport and immediately made me feel at home. When I first arrived, my biggest worry was how I was going to fit in with the family. I soon found out that I had nothing to worry about because the entire family was super welcoming and made sure I felt comfortable.
One of the biggest differences I first noticed was that the family had maids, drivers and people waiting outside in the rain to open the gates to the house when we first arrived. The first couple of days were tiring because I was so jet-lagged, but it was nice to get to know my family more and see the city. The day before school started we went to school to get my uniform. As we were walking around campus we saw a group of monkeys walking around in front of us, which was surprising to me but apparently normal for the school.
When I started school the next day, everyone was super welcoming and wanted to get to know me which made me feel more comfortable with everything. Something that was surprising to me was how much it rains here. Something new I have tried was netball. It is a very popular sport here and even though I’m bad at playing, it has helped me bond with some of the students and make some new memories.
Overall, I have had an amazing time here and can’t wait for the next four weeks.
The Athenian School Exchange Blog 