After living in New York City for four years, I was experiencing major burnout.  The city felt too expensive, too crowded, and too competitive.  The economy was going through a downturn, but my apartment management company was still raising the rent.  Although I did love aspects of the city, I needed a break.  I decided it was time to do something I had wanted to do for a long time, and signed up to volunteer abroad.

Last October, I left for Mozambique to volunteer for five weeks.  I am now working on another project in a small town in southwestern Tanzania.  The organization that I work for is an NGO that sends volunteers to developing countries for short-term projects, usually lasting between three and four months.  I had learned of the organization years ago and had been receiving periodic updates on projects.  I saw that several interesting projects had openings, and the rest is pretty much history.

My life in Tanzania cannot be more different than my life in NYC.  For one, the town I live in is A LOT smaller.  There are only a handful of main roads and the most prominent building is the three-story hotel that I stay in.  The town is also very local.  Although there are a few missionaries and local tourists passing through from time to time, I am the lone non-Tanzanian resident.  I eat primarily local food and I have two television stations, one that broadcasts soccer and one that broadcasts local programming.  I could travel to a few “nearby” cities, but that often means an all-day bus ride.

Living in a remote and rural town does have its benefits, though.  A major plus of living here is that I am a lot less stressed out.  When I was living in NYC, I was working ungodly hours and rushing to and from meetings and engagements.  Now, I work 8-hour workdays and return to my hotel room to indulge in hobbies like reading and learning a language (Swahili).  I’m also spending a lot less money.  In the field, I spend about US$4 a day on food and US$500 on my hotel a month.  This has allowed me to save a bit of my stipend to pay for nice meals when I am in Dar es Salaam and for short trips to places like Zanzibar.

There are of course drawbacks.  First and foremost is the lack of diversity.  As a “mzungo”, or foreigner, I get stares from the locals on a daily basis.  I don’t meet many non-locals and if I do, they tend to be people passing though town.  The remoteness of the area also means lack of variety.  Forget Italian or Japanese food.  For meals, I go to one of a handful of Tanzanian restaurants and choose, when available, chicken, beef, or fish, always prepared the same way.  Entertainment? I can watch one of two channels available or a local soccer game played by locals in the field behind the hotel.  Basically everything is local.

My short time here has already changed my view on what is important and how I should live my life.  When I return to the New York, I hope to find a job that is engaging but that also provides a work/life balance so that I can spend more time with family and friends.  I also want to live a simpler but richer life focused on experiences.  This means potentially finding an apartment outside Manhattan and eating out less so that I can save for more trips like this one.  Though I’m not scheduled to return until June, I’m already excited that I can bring back with me all the experiences and knowledge that I gained here.

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