COMMUNITY

Coming back from Africa, I can say it's a place of love. If you're reading this, I'd like to bring you along on my journey to discovering a community so devoted. I traveled 20 hours to Tanzania, where I met Baboi Juma and Faniy for the first time. They were some of the people taking care of me and the other partners during our stay. Honestly, I seemed to have carried some weight on my shoulders on my journey there, but all that instantly changed when I met our beautiful guides, knowing I'd be in good hands. Day One consisted of making our way down to Stonestown, where we'd be staying for the night as all the partners were arriving from around the globe; this gave us a chance to get a little comfortable with one another as we prepared to share a beautiful venture. Elois is a girl who came from Australia. I fell in love with her passion for the ocean, which I could relate to. Abby, another girl who indeed marked her kindness on my heart, came from Scotland. I can go on about many partners I met during my trip who shared the same fulfillment as me to explore the world.

I am incredibly grateful to have met people willing to participate in an impact, especially concerning environmental justice. We enjoyed a beautiful dinner once all the partners arrived before leaving for Kairo the following morning! Kairo is an island in Zanzibar where we spend most of our time. The ride there gave me a glimpse of the community; it almost reminded me of my grandma's homeland, very farm-like, seeing villagers with their cows, ducks, and chickens running around. I enjoyed sitting in silence as I observed the movement on the island; there was so much to take in, from the enormous amount of butterflies I saw of all colors to the view of the Indian Ocean. The villagers welcomed us during our whole stay there. To this day, I still feel loved to have been greeted with so much compassion my entire time there. I miss hearing "Jambo," "habiryako," "karibuni." The interaction among this community is so healthy. MC, the primary coordinator at the school, shared how his family all visit one another in the morning to check in before starting the day. I began reflecting on all the days I left my home before asking my mom how she slept or how many times I saw my neighbors and didn't wave to acknowledge them. Interactions are so simple yet carry so much weight. Tanzania is not the first country I have visited where there's a culture of community engagement. Being from America, I can say that people tend to disconnect from one another due to the lack of nature. I make this connection because here in the States, we have just about everything at our fingers, as other countries like Zanzibar don't all have access to drinking water, yet joke and play around with the brightest smiles. A strong community provides a foundation for happiness in an imperfect world, especially when people can share nature in their backyards.

I am in awe of the Kairo villagers' care for one another. I got to spend a lot of time with the locals, one of the main interactions being in the classroom with the women. I saw them come in with their children and loved how they nurtured them by being an extra set of ears, eyes, and arms. In a setting such as a classroom, where one takes the additional steps to learn new material while being a mother, I think they embodied what it means to uplift one another. One afternoon, I was walking back to my room and noticed the villagers having a meeting; they were discussing the children and how they could all keep contributing to their safety. I'm not a mother, but I understand the village it takes to raise a baby. Loneliness and isolation are pervasive in today's society. Many people are parenting away from family and even friends, which affects the relationships built when you finally go out into the world and share your light. This sense of community plays a huge role in all aspects, and my time in Zanzibar truly made me feel the impact that a loving community holds on one's growth and happiness.

There are many takeaways that I've had from my time in Zanzibar. My group and I learned so much, But I was 100% moved by the love on this island. I saw a woman washing clothes in a river, which reminded me of my grandma, the man catching fish in the river the way my grandpa did so my mom could sell it in her town as a kid. From what I know, being on the other side of the world and seeing how we are all intertwined was an out-of-body experience. Although we're all different, we share the ability to be humans and be kind to one another. We can come together to make decisions for our cities, rely on one another for agriculture, and take care of one another so that we all walk in our light.

Humans are on earth to be happy, create art, and spend quality time with one another. If you got this far into my reflection, I hope you got the chance to think about what community means to you and how much you value those around you.