My dream Came True

I'm in Tanzania. I still can't believe I made it. I'm enjoying it so much, it feels like it is a nice dream and I'm going to wake up to find myself in my bed in Luxor. But it's true and I'm far away from my family in Egypt. Let me start and tell you how I ended up here. 

After my plan to travel to India failed, I decided to choose a country that didn't require an approved visa before traveling. My options were either Tanzania, Kenya which were on my wishlist and Sri Lanka which was suggested by Safy, my best friend. At the end, I chose Tanzania after finding the most suitable project with AIESEC for me there. 21 days before the departure date, I traveled to Cairo to apply for the visa. There was a possibility to get it on arrival but I didn't want to be there any chance for "surprises" or mistakes. Then I went back to Luxor as I had to attend my sister's wedding party. 

A week before my departure date, I went to Cairo to receive the visa and prepare myself for travel. In the embassy, I was told that the staff had been to the airport to welcome the Tanzanian Prime Minister and that they wouldn't be back until two days later. Two days later, I went again but I didn't find them. I was disappointed and started to think that it might have been a kind of sign that I shouldn't travel but to stay in Luxor taking care of my mother. 

Now, looking back at it while I'm here in Membe, Dodoma, I know it was just a test to see how persistent I would be. Thankfully, I didn't give up. On Thursday 11th July, when my flight was supposed to be at 2 am the following day which means less than 24 hours, I finally got my passport and got ready for my new adventure. 

I was nervous at the airport but after asking many people I managed to finish the travel procedures. On the plane, I didn't feel afraid, instead, I was so excited and of course, I had videos while the plane was taking off and flying above the clouds. There was a stopover in Addis Ababa where we moved to another plane. Later, there was a short layover in Kilimanjaro but we didn't leave the airplane. 

On the plane, an embarrassing situation happened which showed me that I still had a lot to learn. I usually don't like to go to the toilet in public places but that time, I had to answer the call of nature. While I was peeing, the door was opened. I screamed and the man who opened it was totally shocked to find someone inside. After I'm done with the toilet, I went to ask the hostess why the toilet sign didn't turn red while I was inside. She told me that I should have closed the door with the lock so it would show the toilet was busy. This was so embarrassing but remembering it now makes me laugh out loud. 

At Dar es Salam Airport, Salim, an AIESEC member, was there to pick me up. We had lunch together, then he booked me a ticket to Morogoro. I spent two days in Mzumbe, Morogoro then moved to Membe, Dodoma where my project was. This is another story which I will write about later.