I have high hopes for our Tanzanian adventure.  I have already shared some.  My expectations are very high and that is one of my worries.  After having invested so much, and taken big (feels big) risks, I hope our Tanzanian adventure doesn’t disappoint.

More specific to Tanzania, I hope we see tons of wildlife, especially elephants.  I hope the density and diversity of animals is overwhelming and it feels completely wild.  Will all the threats to these last wild places be obvious and depressing?  Tanzanian elephant populations have declined by 60% in the last 5 years!  The whole ecosystem, and rhinos and elephants in particular, are in dire trouble due to poaching for ivory, horn and bush meat, habitat lost to farms and cattle grazing, new roads, and rivers drying up due to climate change and increased irrigation.  It is a stunningly uphill battle to turn back the tide of devastation currently underway.  We will see signs of these troubles ourselves?

My other big hope is that we can authentically connect with Tanzanians. They may see us as just another tourist, an economic opportunity. It is easy to travel abroad and have a “fishbowl” experience where you see the people and culture, but only from the outside. If we can make some Tanzanian friends I will be thrilled! I am studying basic Swahili and making small village, off the beaten path plans in hopes of making real connections.