When I came back from Moshi I was so emotional I cried on the plane. I was happy to be coming home and so sad that it was ending. I was completely determined to return, and hoped I could within the year. While I would still love to go back, I am now thinking of it more realistically and with some distance. If I can go back to Africa I would like to go for several months, maybe two or three, and visit multiple places including Moshi. I would like to see the west coast and South Africa while I’m there.
When I went to Moshi I was expecting a level of culture shock. I can honestly say I didn’t really experience that shock until I came home. The poverty I saw did not surprise me, and I think that’s because I have seen it on TV and was expecting it. I had hoped, though, that it would have jarred me just a little. I hope I’m not too jaded. What I found most difficult to deal with was my return home. To go from living in such poverty to such luxuries like a toilet and a stocked refrigerator in one day was difficult for me to process. Each time I bought something I calculated its value in Tsh and thought of how much food it could provide to Margereza. It made me feel very guilty all the time. This lasted about a week, until I readjusted to my normal life.
I would never go to another CCS program, but I don think that they are an excellent resource for very specific types of volunteers. It is a great way to see and volunteer in a third world country where one might not be comfortable just venturing off to on their own. You are exposed to lots of cultural events and the language, however I did feel sometimes that those were the priority and that volunteering was an afterthought. This, I suppose, depends on the staff at your home base and the other volunteers. I think CCS is good for young, unexperienced travlers who need some hand holding from the visa process to the retun flight home. It’s also good for those looking to volunteer with a level of comofort when they return home. I often felt guilty returning to such nice accomodations, but it was also a welcome refief on some long and more challenging days.
Traveling to Moshi was a once in a lifetime experience, and I will never forget it. I am still in contact with some of the volunteers, and I hope to do more international volunteering in the near future.
When I went to Moshi I was expecting a level of culture shock. I can honestly say I didn’t really experience that shock until I came home. The poverty I saw did not surprise me, and I think that’s because I have seen it on TV and was expecting it. I had hoped, though, that it would have jarred me just a little. I hope I’m not too jaded. What I found most difficult to deal with was my return home. To go from living in such poverty to such luxuries like a toilet and a stocked refrigerator in one day was difficult for me to process. Each time I bought something I calculated its value in Tsh and thought of how much food it could provide to Margereza. It made me feel very guilty all the time. This lasted about a week, until I readjusted to my normal life.
I would never go to another CCS program, but I don think that they are an excellent resource for very specific types of volunteers. It is a great way to see and volunteer in a third world country where one might not be comfortable just venturing off to on their own. You are exposed to lots of cultural events and the language, however I did feel sometimes that those were the priority and that volunteering was an afterthought. This, I suppose, depends on the staff at your home base and the other volunteers. I think CCS is good for young, unexperienced travlers who need some hand holding from the visa process to the retun flight home. It’s also good for those looking to volunteer with a level of comofort when they return home. I often felt guilty returning to such nice accomodations, but it was also a welcome refief on some long and more challenging days.
Traveling to Moshi was a once in a lifetime experience, and I will never forget it. I am still in contact with some of the volunteers, and I hope to do more international volunteering in the near future.
