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We landed in the middle of the fields, with Mount Kilimanjaro peaking through the clouds in the distance. I remember the smell of the rusty red, dirt roads. As I stepped off the plane, I was blinded by the brightness of the sun’s beams and struck by the humidity as I began to drip sweat. As my vision adjusted, I wiped my forehead and saw a group of smiling, foreign faces below - waving vigorously to welcome us. Jambo Tanzania! I was awoken at dawn by a rooster’s crow, which was a surprisingly pleasant way to start my day. I stretched my arms as I arose with a smile. I glanced out the window and I was mesmerized by the cotton candy sunrise. I savored a cup of bold coffee served with fresh milk, collected from the cow from across the street. We shopped at Arusha’s central marketplace, which can only be described as a hectic, flurry of activity. The crowds were composed of organized chaos, with traffic moving fluidly. There were people balancing large items on their heads, bicyclists and motorists weaving recklessly, cattle walking freely, and vendors coming at us from every which way, trying to persuade us with their products. We met the Maasai tribe of Maasailand and were honored by the Chief with a goat sacrifice. We were welcomed into their one-room huts, built with mud. The tribe wore brightly colored, plaid shuka shawls wrapped around their body. Many sported beaded, disc-like necklaces and beaded cuff bracelets. The men had wooden walking sticks used to herd cattle. The adults' ears were gauged using knives. They had circular burns on their faces, arms, and chest - each representative of an accomplishment or experience. The indescribable beauty of the environment welled tears within my eyes as we drove down to the Ngorongoro Crater. We stopped often to allow groups of zebras, wildebeests, and water hogs to pass by. A lion pride laid less than an arm’s length from where I sat. It was ironic to see the symbol of ferocity was in fact, so gentle and unthreatening. There was a group of elephants, runningly playfully - chasing one another as if playing tag. I saw every animal you can think of, including many others that I didn’t even know existed. We flew to Zanzibar, just off the coast, in a small jet with a large rotating propeller in the front, that shook profusely and made a lot of concerning noise. We arrived safely, to find that our backyard was a beach that led to the Indian Ocean. We took a motorboat to an island inhabited solely by tortoises. I dove off the boat into the luke-warm, crystal clear blue waters to cool off, unafraid of any creatures below me. I did not know what to expect, but the things I found in Tanzania were truly imperishable. I did not expect to be re-named “Namelok” by locals, Swahili for sweetheart. I did not expect to wear a hijab in Zanzibar because everyone does as a sign of respect. I did not expect to eat Ugali with my hands. I didn’t expect to find the barriers their people faced. I didn’t expect to find the normality of appalling social issues. But despite these things, I found that their people have such happiness from living so simply. Those in a “third world country” living richer that some of the wealthiest Americans ever will. I did not expect to be welcomed as family. I did not expect to find a home in Tanzania, as Namelok.