Goals for the next two years in Tanzania

With my departure date coming close, my excitement level for my new job and new life is rising exponentially. Before I get too excited, I should write down some goals for the next year or two to keep myself focused. It’s also an interesting way to keep track of how I’ve changed when I look back in the future. I’ll start with the big goals and move down to the more specific ones. I’ll keep it simple so I wouldn’t overload myself.

Overall goals in life: to help change the structures that (re)produce inequality. To serve those who are relatively powerless in the current socio-political-economic system. To continue to learn from unexpected, non-traditional teachers; to immerse in different world views.

Goals for the next two years: learn, work hard, gain connections, be inspired, get scholarships to go back to a good school for an interesting degree that furthers my professional and personal goals.

Specific concrete actions (subject to change when better ideas come up):

1. Learn Kiswahili well: only way to actually immerse myself in different aspects and perspectives of Tanzanian culture. Seems like it would also be helpful in getting funding for studies.

2. Volunteer: find a good place to volunteer at the most grassroots level with lots of opportunities for conversation. Helps me 1) understand those who we are trying to engage in our work and 2) see a different side of Dar. I’m thinking of the after school homework place for children a friend and I randomly bumped into in the nearby unplanned settlement. I keep thinking back that I should have taken up their offer to just come and play with the children in English. My intuition so far has yet to fail me.

3. Be outgoing: make friends, network, and find opportunities. Self-explanatory. Ultimately, I really want to find a good supervisor for grad school work. And connections for future work, of course. I know this is 可遇不可求 (how am I supposed to translate this? – you can only hope to meet, but can’t plan for?), but I can try my best, no?

4. Stay healthy: somehow incorporate a daily run/swim into my routine.

5. Read, reflect, and write: I need a more systematic way of keeping track of books and articles I read and what I learn from them. Blogging is always an option, but somehow it’s not working very well. I need something that combines blogging, fb, tumblr, scoop it etc that works for me. I really need to do this better.

6. Putonghua/Mandarin: somehow I’m going to have to keep my Chinese levels up. I’m thinking a weekly short self-assigned essay. Just that thought makes me scared a little. Maybe reading a short piece of news/op-ed and writing a 400 word reflection? Just like in high school. I could always switch it up with a Japanese essay once in a while (also makes me scared).

7. Burn out and learn how to recover, quickly. Because I will burn out. A lot.