My first week volunteering at Assalam has been a mix of emotions. Upon arrival, the beauty of the place and the warmth of the people made me feel very welcome. It was amazing to be surrounded by palm trees, white beaches, the sea, and the peaceful rhythm of the community centre. Meeting the other volunteers in the program was also lovely — though I must admit, the first few days felt a bit overwhelming.

Settling in took some time. The expectations around volunteering were

quite different from what I had imagined based on the interview, which

threw me off at first. Things also moved more slowly than I expected. I

got to understand the concept of pole pole on a whole new level.

Volunteering Experience in Tanzania

With no immediate tasks assigned, we had a lot of freedom to explore — the nearby village, the beach, a few local resorts where we could do yoga or grab a drink, and meet new

people. In hindsight, the slow start was actually a blessing. It gave me space to breathe, observe, and really arrive — both physically and mentally — in a different continent.

One of the hands-on activities I really enjoyed was trying out ecoprinting. We used leaves and flowers to create our own prints. The final results weren’t exactly what we expected, but the process was fun, and I’d definitely like to experiment more with it.

Later in the week, I started helping out with the marketing of a local soap brand, which is part of Assalam Centre’s broader goal to become more self-sufficient. I’ve never done marketing before, so it’s been exciting (and a little daunting) to dive into something completely new — especially with such a beautiful product.

Over the weekend, a few of us took a trip to Dar es Salaam. The ferry ride there took about two hours, and for the first time in my life, I got seasick — and I wasn’t the only one. It hit everyone’s stomach pretty hard. That aside, we really enjoyed the capital. We visited two museums, had great food at seaside restaurants, and had a great time overall. We did get scammed for being muzungu, but most people were friendly and curious. We took a plane to come back which was much smoother.

It’s taken a few days, but I’m finally finding my rhythm — let’s see what next week will bring!

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