By Josephat Seleman Hema from Tanzania.

I couldn’t imagine that I would come to rediscover a number of things back home after my volunteering service, which like everyone else’s, ended abruptly. I was coming back to Tanzania, the country that I know more than much I would say. But I happen to smile every time, I realised that I’m re-learning most of the things after coming back.

With the seminars, volunteering work and general life experience in Germany, I realised that I had changed a lot and so I found myself re-experiencing a lot of customary things in different ways. For example I would ask myself if some normal stereotype jokes are really okay to be entertained or not; to the extent that my sense of humour back home has got a little bit affected. I nowadays ask the exact hour and minute when I make appointments and it pisses off a lot of people. I have become less impatient with long beraucratic procedures in public offices. I also used to mistaken the „keep-left“ law we use in Tanzanian car system and roads. So because the biggest percent of the life system here isn’t like the German one, I had to slowly get back to „normality“. However, my life back home became more adventurous than before too. I nowadays have a better sense of reflection, appreciation and enjoyment of each and every simple moment. I have also realised that I set my life goals smarter than before.

Well I came back and I had to resume my internship program that I postponed before coming to Germany. The process took longer than I expected but at last I started working in the Hospital in Arusha, Northern Tanzania. You can imagine how tricky is it to work in a hospital at this time, where everybody else probably opts to stay at home. But there is no such an option for healthcare workers. Finally I felt happy to work for people in my community especially at these times.

I’m looking forward to staying safe and healthy, and securing a slot for University Masters program in 2021.While I keep with that, the followings are in summary; my plans for this one year;

-Writing.

-Participate in various youth projects especially with my church, ECD.

-Exploring at least two other African countries.

-Climb the Mount Kilimanjaro to the top.

For the time being, I need to concentrate with my internship year that will end on 30th April 2021. I’m happy to still feel being a part of the Evangelical Church of Dortmund, Volunteers‘ house and UEM. It is my hope that we will always be in contact. I will keep on writing more articles in the Volunteers‘ house blog.

Days never stop, it has been two months now ever since I left Dortmund and I must admit that I miss Germany so much.