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% of the world’s resources. Most Americans live in houses with running water, electricity, gas, the internet, and so on. These utilities, as we call them, allow us to heat and cool our food in many different ways, take hot (or cold) showers, wash our clothes, flush our excrement (with drinkable water!) and occupy our free time. When our utilities fail, as they sometimes do, we experience a shock to our system. We flip light switches expecting the lights to turn on, and are met with darkness. We try to microwave food, before realizing that we are not only releasing the last of the precious cold air from the refrigerator, but are also completely unable to heat food without electricity. These moments can be embraced after the initial shock wears off, but they can also be very trying if we are unprepared for life without these conveniences.
Indeed, one of the best days I had in college was a day that my house lost power. My roomates and I spent the day outside, and as it got dark we lit candles, set up a barbecue, and cooked all the food we thought would go bad in the fridge. Many people (myself included) voluntarily give up these modern conveniences for a few days to go camping in the backcountry. In fact, I recently returned from such a trip on the coast of the Olympic National Park. These backpacking experiences, which I greatly enjoy, bring one closer to living a life without these conveniences, but the irony of them is that we acquire all kinds of gear to make these trips easier on ourselves: a stove that can boil 2 cups of water in 3 minutes, a backpack designed specifically to distribute weight evenly, a tent that can be set up in 5 minutes by one person.
My experiences without the conveniences of modern life make me simultaneously excited and nervous about the next 10 months. In all probability I will live in a house without running water, and only occasional electricity. I will have to cook my food on charcoal heat, and I will be unable to refrigerate it. I will shower using a bucket, and will wash my clothes by hand. I will not have constant access to the internet. I am excited because it will give me a genuine chance to experience a life that is not defined by modern convenience, even though my standard of living will still be far higher than most Tanzanians. At the same time. I am nervous because my whole life has been defined by convenience, and I am sure that my life next year will take some getting used to. Still, I am not so much nervous as dying to get on that plane in 10 days. See you soon, Tanzania.
Yes, you are starting to experience this different world now, it can be quite destabilizing in the beginning. We are born into a society and a socioeconomic class that takes so much for granted and feel it is our birthright. I’m interested to hear about the perspective of the people in Tanzania, how they feel about life and what they experience as hardship.