It means no worries...

There's one week until I leave and I realized that I know approximately as much Swahili as anyone who has ever seen The Lion King. On the bright side, that means that I can say "Jambo, rafiki. Hakuna matata, pumbaa simba" Which, roughly translated, means "Hello, friend. No worries, absentminded lion." Yep, I'm ready to go.

A Primer Post: Pre-Tanzania

Well, there it is. Tanzania. Located on the eastern coast of my second favorite continent, Africa... (a close second to North America).

After mulling over what seemed like hundreds of study abroad programs, I finally decided on a small program in Tanzania-- a decision that I thought would be the end of many months of confusion about my destination for next semester. In reality, it was only the beginning. Years of geography drill practice on Sporcle has blinded me to the truth that most people don't know where Tanzania is located (gasp!). In the past three months, I have received congratulatory remarks from people who have wished me to have a great time in Morocco, Tunisia, Tanzogoya (which, to my knowledge, does not exist), and Ireland, to name a few. In these moments, I stifle my inner-geography nerd and politely correct my peers, subtly including a few superfluous facts about Tanzania so that it won't be mistaken again.

In all seriousness, the encouragement that I've received since my plans were finalized has been incredible. Sure, there was that time when my grandfather, J.B., offered to pay my tuition if I studied "abroad" at the University of Texas next semester instead of in Tanzania. But despite those few initial hesitations (which are only natural), both my friends and family have been amazingly supportive! And for that I am extremely grateful.

For those who are still hazy on the details... hopefully this will help:

Program: Human Rights Education and East African Culture (through the Arcadia Center for East African Studies/Arcadia University)

Dates: February 3rd - June 1st

Location: Arusha, Tanzania (if you look on the map above, Arusha is the small dot in Northern Tanzania, close to the Kenya border)

Classes: Swahili; International Law; Tanzania in the Midst of Peace and Conflict; African Cultural Identities: The Role of Music

I have less than a month until I leave! So much time, so little to do. Scratch that, reverse it.