The gleam in her big brown innocent eyes looked up at me with a gentle smile. “Write letter A” I said pointing to the alphabet written on the chalkboard. Students started to turn their heads with confusing looks plastered on their faces. Right, they don’t speak English; how do you say “write” in Swahili again? Come on think, think. Struggling to remember the imprinted image of “that” word from my Swahili dictionary, the little girl started to gently stroke her fingers through the foreign texture of my hair with a comforting gaze, I suddenly felt at ease.

Taking my pale hand in hers, she led me to the field to find the other kids playing. The utter joy the kids had with giggling smiles and playful energy. Their innocence and imagination led me to feel comfort in this foreign country.

Walking along the dirt roads of Arusha, the women in scarves would look up from washing their clothes and kindly say, “mumbo” I would respond with, “poa.” Already I felt like a native. Waking up to the loud chants of Swahili prayers no longer annoyed me, having to eat beans and rice with my bare hands no longer disgusted me, I felt myself emerging into the Tanzanian culture with this unwillingness to leave.

I remember before my trip, walking downstairs to the kitchen to find my mom cooking dinner. I wanted to just ask her, she seemed calm enough. “Hey mom, can I go volunteer in Africa this summer?” There was a pause. Did she hear me? Is she mad? Smoke from the stove covered her face which made it difficult to read her thoughts. She lifted her head and stepped back, seeing her confused expression led me to panic. “What? Africa?!” If only she knew what this meant to me.

Travelling has always been something that I was passionate about, but unfortunately my family was not. The only time I had ever been out of the country was to visit my mother’s family in Brazil when I was very young. After deep research on finding a program that will give me the foreign experience that I sought, I discovered a volunteer youth community service trip to teach kids in Africa. As I explained this educational opportunity to travel and my utter urge to volunteer, she let out a sigh and then an encouraging smile. A year later through fundraising and saving up, I was eight miles up in the air traveling across the world alone.

As I looked out into the distance, past the smudges of my airplane window, I saw nothing but blue. I finally felt a sense of freedom and relief. On my own for the first time, uncontrolled by anyone, allowing me to independently undergo my new adventure.

My journey to Africa has impacted me and my perception of life. Understanding how different the high-stress people in America act compared to the down-to-earth resourceful Tanzanians. Seeing life through a different lens gave me a new outlook, realizing how fortunate I am with things I would normally take for granted. The memories and experiences that I’ve gained on this trip from immersing myself in the Tanzanian culture for two weeks to working with young children has become a great accomplishment in my life.