In the afternoons we sit in groups of four, sunlight sneaking in between the branches and falling across our table as Mama Zippo teaches us Swahili. The air is warm but not too hot, barely damp as it is currently winter and the humidity is mild. The air is sweet from the pink and purple flowers that trail across the walls like bougainvillea. Sijambo I reply to my teacher, working through the many greetings that are common in Swahili.

We have been in Tanzania since Friday. After a long and thankfully uneventful 24 hours of travel we were greeted by the welcoming sign of the Peace Corps at customs.

We are staying in simple and lovely accommodations in the southeastern part of Dar es Salaam. We have a daily chai tea break at ten every morning, which I am enjoying immensely. Midday we all eat lunch together, usually heaping plates of rice, beans, vegetables and fruit. The food is great.

We are spending this week in Dar, learning Swahili and learning about healthcare in Tanzania. We are also being oriented to our own healthcare needs and safety support. The program so far has been nothing but impressive. It is really well run with great attention to detail and we are clearly benefiting from all Seed Global Health has learned from previous volunteers. This weekend we head to the capitol, Dodoma, for 4 weeks of Swahili education and further orientation including a home stay with a Tanzanian family. Then we will officially be sworn in!

Life feels exciting and full of opportunity. We met so many wonderful people in Washington DC and now continue our orientation with the 14 other Tanzanian GHSP volunteers and the staff we work with. We learned a lot in DC about global health, diseases, work force needs and education- too much to recount. But the moral of the story was to drink more chai. In a country that places high value on a daily chai break at ten am, spending time with people and getting to know them and their culture is the most valuable commodity available.  Connecting with other human beings is something I can get down with. More chai, asante.