Today has been one of those “down” days in Tanzania. I awoke at 5:00 am this morning, ready to “conquer” the day. The reality set before me, however, turned out to be far different from what I had expected. During breakfast, the power went out. In +30 degree celsius heat, this means that there are no fans, no AC and no relief from the heat that soaks through your clothes as you simply sit and attempt to go about every day business.

My fellow student here had the additional stress of a AC unit which was no longer working. She sat in (relative) silence with me in the downstairs main room of our house as we attempted to work on Swahili homework and pretend that all was OK — which it was not! Fortunately, the electricians were onsight by 11:00 am. They worked most of the afternoon to fix her AC, while we sat in the heat – each wondering WHY we were here in the first place…

Cassandra, at one point, offered a valuable option to our mental downturn. She related a lesson she had learned a while back – when things are going wrong, focus on at least three positives. The question is… what are the positives in my situation? 1.) I have a family who loves me. 2.) The work I am doing here is important! 3.) No matter how difficult things may seem, there are always others who are having a far more difficult time of it than I believe I am experiencing myself.

My sweat-soaked shirt now put into perspective, I was now able to focus on the work I needed to do for the day. First, I was going back into the field to do the kind of work that I love doing! Secondly, I knew that (if the power came back on), that Cassandra would ensure the AC was turned on in my room and ready for me when I got back, and… if all else failed, I could always go out and get ICE CREAM! If that isn’t incentive for feeling the heat, what is? (Thanks, Cassandra, for making sure my AC was on when I returned )

Three hours in the field, and an ice cream treat later, my viewpoint on my time in Tanzania has been readjusted. I continue to learn so much every time I go to the flood-devastated area I am working in. I think the most important lesson learned from today is that, no matter how difficult I may think things are for myself, I can always return “home” to a relative comfort and my comfort food — yes — I did had my ice cream treat. I returned home to find my AC on, a cool bath to be taken, and a game of Rummy to boot. I have to wonder — what do the people devastated by the recent floods have to look forward to? Perhaps my lack of AC seems a little less important in the long-run…

Now that I am back from the field, and have had a comfortable evening, my mind-set is a bit more positive. Thank you, Cassandra, for the reminder… I guess that “old” dogs CAN learn new tricks

It is off to bed for now, and a full day tomorrow — Swahili lesson, errands, and some more time spent in the study area make up the plan for the day. For every “negative”, our time is best spent on determining at least three positives…

“Good Night — and — Good Luck!”

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