My goal for this trip is to gain more confidence in myself. This weekend I had my Martin Luther King Jr. hockey tournament. All the teams were really even in strength, so all the games were really close. The final scores were either a tie or a difference of only one point. Now, I play defense, so when someone gets a big rush at our goalie it's my job to stop them and make sure they don't get a shot off. As my dad had pointed out to me when I get scared I tend to stand up tall and be stiff. This is a big mistake in hockey because when I stand up tall my feet stop moving and my stick gets stuck to my side; I basically have tied myself up. Thus, letting the person skate past me and giving them a possible scoring opportunity. My dad gave me the advice to stay low and to believe in myself, because if I don't give up then I will be able to steal the puck from the other person. I believe this applies in my life too. When I get scared I draw back and stay quiet, or second guess myself. This is like standing up straight and tying myself up, I know what I am supposed to do, however I just don't have the confidence in myself to go forth and do it. To counteract that my personal goal is to have more confidence, which will allow me to take risks and to believe in myself, like staying low in hockey. In Tanzania, this will be beneficial to me because I find it really intimidating to think about teaching in a classroom; I only get one chance at this lesson so I better make it count! I believe that if I am more confident in myself I will be able to teach a greater and more effective lesson as confidence shows on the outside. As a result, this goal is important to me because I believe that one can see confidence in another, and having more self-confidence will help me to achieve more and create more opportunities for myself.
In order to enhance my knowledge about Tanzania, I did a little research on their history. I discovered that the earliest proof of human life was found in Tanzania, the remains date back to around 5,000 B.C. The discoveries include skulls and other fossils that can be related to human-like beings. During the 1500s Tanzania was discovered by the Portuguese. Although the Portuguese found Tanzania it was never really colonized. However, a couple years later the Germans colonized Tanzania, much to the dismay of the indigenous people. A big revolt was lead by Chief Mkwawa of the Hehe people. Chief Mkwawa gained his fame by resisting the German colonization and winning a battle in the Lugalo Hills. This was a big win for Chief Mkwawa, it is said that only 2 German soldiers and 15 officers escaped. Chief Mkwawa was such a big threat to the Germans that when they finally defeated him they shipped his skull back to Germany to put on display as a trophy for their victory. Furthermore, Britain then took Tanzania from the Germans and remained in control from 1916 to 1954.
Tanzania declared independence in 1961. The first couple of years they were off to a rough start having a prime minister the first year then having different presidents each year for the next three years, which created some political instability. I find it fascinating how, Zanzibar, a small island off of the coast of Tanzania, has its own laws and president. This allows Zanzibar to have its own government even though it is still considered to be part of Tanzania. This is because when Tanzania gained independence Zanzibar had some conflicting political views creating two different governments. Currently, there are 120 different tribal groups in Tanzania. Most Tanzanians live in rural places and grow what they eat. However, there have been more and more people who have started to move to developing towns and cities.
I find it very interesting how the Germans kept the skull of Chief Mkwawa. The Germans didn't even kill Mkwawa themselves he had decided to take his own life; which in my opinion, makes it even more gruesome. This means the Germans had to track down and find the head of Mkwawa to ship back to Germany. There were many efforts by the Hehe people to get the head of Mkwawa back. They said that until the head was returned there would be no peace. To me, this shows how they were loyal to their leader. Finally, in 1956 the skull was returned to the Hehe people although, some speculate it is not his skull. In all, I am excited to work on my personal goal of gaining more self-confidence, and I am excited to learn more about Tanzania because it broadens my global awareness.
