Personal experience
Hi, my name is Mathea. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in NOREC's exchange program to Tanzania. During this program, we had our fieldwork at a primary school with children with various levels of functioning. Before this fieldwork, I reflected a lot on what I could contribute to this project. In my previous practical experiences, I had been in a learning mode, but now my role was different. I felt some uncertainty about my competence, what I could bring to the school we were going to visit, and how I would handle the language barrier. I was looking forward to this experience, but there was also a touch of nervousness present.
The first day at the school was not ideal. It was characterized by overwhelm, difficulties finding my place, and a challenging language barrier. In retrospect, we discussed our first day, and my fellow students had positive experiences and were looking forward to the weeks at the school. I realized that I needed to gather myself and improve the situation. The following days went significantly better, and we connected with more wonderful children and teachers. The time we spent at the school was a valuable and insightful experience. Gradually, it became clear to us that our knowledge as students was more extensive than we had thought. Previous blog posts documented our participation in workshops that addressed topics such as bullying, children's rights, and sensory stimuli. Through these experiences, we realized that we could actually contribute something. Furthermore, we understood that we had a lot to learn as well. Our collaboration with the school was marked by mutual knowledge exchange, and I am confident that we all gained significant insights from it. The hospitality, gratitude, collaboration, joy, and kindness shown to us are values that we can aspire to embrace.
Despite some challenges during our fieldwork at the school, it was a fantastic experience. The opportunity to be part of something that could possibly make a positive difference was unique. Building relationships, both with teachers and children, was a special part of this stay. It was typical that it was only towards the end of our stay that the relationships began to feel secure, and we got the most out of our work. This emphasizes that building relationships takes time, and meaningful work requires time and dedication. Although the journey started with some challenges, it quickly became clear that the rest of the stay was characterized by positive development.
After the exchange program came to an end, I left Tanzania with a sense of gratitude and a deeper understanding of the value of diversity and collaboration. I learned that despite different cultures and backgrounds, we can all benefit from learning from each other. Tanzania will always have a special place in my heart, and I will carry the experiences and memories from this journey with me throughout my life.