Kimberly Monroe's FLAS Fellowship in Tanzania

Visiting Tanzania was an amazing experience. Not only was it a pleasure to learn Swahili in Africa but living five weeks with the natives speaking their language, eating their food, and learning their culture was a life changing experience. While there, I noticed many parallels with the US South culture. The way we speak to people in passing, community eating, and respect to elders is very similar to where I come from so it wasn't hard to adjust. The people live their lives with no worries and that's what I enjoyed the most. My host family was the best. They had 9 children, some who had moved out and started families, some in college, while some were at home working and going to school. Being around the youth of Tanzania made it easier to learn Kiswahili, they taught us slang and easier terms to use when speaking in public. I wouldn't trade my experience with anything. I now have a real life connection to the motherland and I can thank FLAS for that. Asante!

- Kimberly Monroe
Ph.D. Student, Howard University