Interning in Morogoro

Tanzania is the first country I have been to outside the US. I left ORD at 11:55 on January 16, 2025 and flew from Chicago to Istanbul to Dar es Salaam on the 18th. Flights + layover took around 36 hours, which was exhausting. I loved flying Turkish air. The food was way better than I expected. On the way to Dar from Turkey, an entire Somalian football team was seated all around me. They all broke out in racuous song as the plane took its descent.

I was exhausted in that arrival photo. That's me on the left, our boss George in the middle, and my colleague Ryder on the right. I believe that was Ryder and I's second time meeting; the first was a hasty introduction/chat at College library between classes. George interviewed and oriented me over Zoom, but I hadn't had too much of a chance to get to know him yet either.

A sunrise over the tarmac at Istanbul Airport is featured on that second photo. I had a 12 hour layover that day. The image of me falling asleep and missing my flight spooked my weary mind. I facetimed my girlfriend and ate a croissant at an airport café that morning. The card reader automatically translated my USD to Lira. Fancy! I spent some time wandering the terminals, the shops. Trying to expose myself to the language as early as possible, I continued watching some Swahili videos and studying cheat sheets I had downloaded. I found a big area with comfy reclined chairs that I slept on for a while. I drifted off and snapped awake in a cycle until it got too close to departure for comfort and I headed to my gate.