"Happiness is only real when shared" - Jon Krakauer (Into the Wild).
I have been thinking about this quote for the past few weeks during these harsh times that the world is facing, it gives me strength and hope. It also gives me support in these times of doubt and uncertainty acknowledging that I will probably not be able to return to Chile in the coming months. “Extremely intense and very abrupt” would be an accurate description for the beginning of this 2020. Yet, I feel the support of my family and friends, from a distance, through their messages that brighten each of my days. Despite our circumstances, staying on the Moshi campus with 20 other UWC students, we still feel that we are living in both a physical and virtual caring community. We feel that we are not alone.
Due to my time in Tanzania I have learned to cherish the small things that can generate love and carry great significance. Even with the world’s uncertainty, we find the time to make a birthday cake with pancakes, eat a plate of pasta with tomatoes, tour around in a bagagi, and give something as simple as a smile.
Over the past few months, we have had to process a whole bunch of chaotic experiences within this Covid-19 pandemic. That is why the decision to close the campus until further notice took us completely by surprise. The first days were very tough, days of farewells and last hugs, bearing in mind that we would not be able to see most of our friends for several months, and regarding the D2s, probably for a long time. Yet, I was fortunate to be received along with two friends at the house of our link-parents (ujaparents) from the Netherlands. This wonderful family gave us shelter and support when we needed it the most. Every day our link-mother used to tell us "we have to make the best out of it."
Life seems like a tombola as one of Manu Chao's songs says. These times of lockdown have also given us space for introspection and reconnection with our surroundings; it has allowed us to strengthen our ties more than ever. While staying in Moshi, I have had the extraordinary opportunity to delve into its surroundings and the very essence that is the chaotic yet beautiful atmosphere of Moshi town.
With some friends, we spent whole afternoons getting to know various places around town; places that we had never visited before. Every morning, we would take a bagagi while listening to top hits in Swahili heading to the town center. And so, we would spend several hours having memorable conversations at Union Café, we would continue walking down the streets, getting disoriented, and then, we would find our way back enjoying the simple fact of discovering Moshi and the community itself.
Piece by piece I broke down Moshi’s essence during the last month, I can feel the difference compared to my first months in Tanzania walking around the city with fear and insecurity. I notice now how I walk confidently and self-assured with my friends, knowing that we can orient ourselves to go shopping, attempting to talk in Swahili with town dwellers to hear their stories, and wandering around so as to enjoy day-light before riding a bagagi back to out link parents’ home. We enjoyed Moshi's climate, the town’s complexity in its simplicity, our friendship. We enjoyed our freedom.
Facing this global crisis in Tanzania has been a unique opportunity that has allowed me to continue to discover this country and its people in greater depth. About a month after the school closed, the campus decided to reopen and receive those who were unable to return to their countries again. Despite being away from my homeland, I am grateful that I can share this with my friends. Besides, the campus gives us the chance to wake up every morning to the song of the birds and fall asleep with the sound of the crickets and the rains. Those are the little details that make me feel at home and remind me that we are not alone.
In these times of introspection and uncertainty, keeping ourselves strong and supporting each other is essential to our very beings. It is crucial to cherish the time for ourselves and our forged unity, we have to appreciate the little details that life gives us every single day. It is fundamental to remember how important it is to stay together under these circumstances because, in the end, togetherness is the only thing that sustains us. Let’s recognize that joy and happiness still persists, love persists. Let’s remember that we will all be able to overcome these difficult times by staying together as a one supportive community.
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