Author Archives: Alexander Rolnick
Culture and language, or, “What does that mean?”
The other day, as I was taking a Swahili lesson, one of the women who works at the place I am staying at had a brief conversation with my teacher, Jeremiah. “Did you understand what she said?” he asked. I … Continue reading
A dirty creek and its consequences
As promised, this post will continue to develop on one the issues that was brought up over the course of the bicycle tour I took last weekend. During the tour, we rode over a small creek that ran through two … Continue reading
That shirt looks awfully familiar
I spent today on a bike tour of some of the poorer neighborhoods in Dar es Salaam, and my next couple posts will relate to some of the things I saw today, as I try to connect them to my … Continue reading
The cost of living
Last night I spent 15,000 tsh on dinner, or nearly $10. In the United States this would have been a very reasonably priced meal, after factoring the cost of tax and tip. And yet, as I paid I couldn’t help … Continue reading
Culture shock
I wrote this post yesterday, and am posting it a day later, just for context. Things are going well! It is amazing how much a few little things can change everything. Those of you who know me know that I … Continue reading
Packing & Possessions
As I look around my nearly-empty room, it is evident that I am about to begin a new stage of my life. I have not slept so many consecutive nights on the floor since I prepared to go to college … Continue reading
Convenience
As Americans we are (largely) used to one of the highest standards of living in the world. Something like the wealthiest 20% (or less) of people in the world use 80% of the resources, leaving the other 80% using 20% … Continue reading
Finalized plans and a few notes on Swahili
My departure plans have been finalized. I will be flying out of Sea-Tac at 6:00 am on June 22nd, and arriving in Dar es Salaam a couple days later at 3:45 am on June 24th. The rest of the WorldTeach … Continue reading
Being sick
It’s been some time since my last post, which has largely been the result of me not having enough of a significant strand of coherent ideas on the same topic (and also laziness). However, yesterday I was really sick and it got … Continue reading
Some thoughts on fundraising
One of the things I have struggled with as I prepare to leave for Tanzania is fundraising. On the one hand, I would love to raise money for this trip, but at the same time I feel extremely uncomfortable asking … Continue reading