As soon as I walked into the airport of Dar es Salaam, I felt overwhelmed; I was the complete opposite of everyone around me. I was wearing long gray pants and a blouse, my blonde hair in a perky high ponytail. The locals, in contrast, were wrapped in volumes of colorful material, some carrying baskets on their heads, others had their hair stuffed under turbans. Everyone was speaking Swahili; actually, everyone seemed to be shouting. The Tanzanians were just as fascinated with me as I was with them, judging from the number of photos they were taking. As I was anxiously waiting at the airport, I tried to distract myself. I thought back to the year I raised money for my trip that included radio interviews, countless speeches, and hours spent begging business owners for fundraisers.

After a four-hour bus ride and an hour hike on a dusty dirt road in the sweltering African sun, I finally arrived at the colorful and enigmatic Maasai village, where I was assigned to live for the weekend with the Masaai tribe, a Nilotic ethnic group. The male members of the tribe, adorned in red and blue cloth with silver jewelry, surrounded me while grunting and hopping. Meanwhile, the female members of the tribe crowned me with jewelry and persuaded me to dance. Even though I was completely out of my comfort zone, I joined in on the welcoming festivities. The Masaai members made me feel alive and free. After the traditional welcoming dance, I dropped my luggage off at my assigned hut and joined the children who were eager to meet the exotic stranger. The children ran as fast as their frail legs could and grabbed my waist, while shouting “I love you”, one of the only English phrases they knew. Then, two of the older children gripped on to each of my hands and took me to find their ball made of rope and plastic bags, with which we played a game of “soka”, or soccer. I have played soccer since I was three, but the children played with a passion that I had never experienced before. While in the Masaai village, I experienced freedom, love, and passion: the epitome of human life.

On Monday a bus took twenty people hailing from nearly as many countries to Morogoro Regional Referral Hospital, where we would spend the fourteen days meeting with patients and even helping with surgeries. During my first night shift in obstetrics, I met a Tanzanian woman who spoke some English and she shared her excitement over her soon-to-be first born. After about twenty minutes of taking notes from “Daktari” (Doctor) Wakiska, the woman went into labor with a breech baby. My excitement had transformed into heart break when I discovered that the baby was anencephalic, born with an underdeveloped brain and deformed head which resulted in his death. The mother’s almost inaudible, high-pitched cries of anguish will never escape my memory. While spending time at the hospital, I experienced death, heartbreak, and disappointment: the epitome of human suffering.

Learning a new language is an exciting and difficult journey. However, with the proper tips and tricks, you will be speaking a new language in no time!

1. PURPOSE

Motivation is an essential aspect of all learning, but it is particularly important when learning a new language. So, create a clear purpose for pursuing a language and remind yourself of it when you are at a loss for motivation. For example, wanting to learn a new language to be able to communicate with locals is fantastic motivation.

2. DON'T DO IT ALONE

Learning a new language with a partner makes the process easier and more enjoyable. Practicing the new language is critical and having a partner makes this easy. After all, the point of learning a language is to communicate with others.

3. CHOOSE THE RIGHT PROGRAM

Choosing the right program for yourself can be a difficult task. When looking for a learning program, be sure to choose one that forces you to speak the language. This will make you more comfortable speaking the language. Additionally, this will help your pronunciation and overall flow. Furthermore, look for a program that is extremely repetitive and constantly refreshes your memory. My favorite program is: www.pimsleur.com 

4. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE 

How often should you practice? Unfortunately... there is no simple anwser. The amount of time you spend learning a language does correlate to the amount of success you’re likely to attain with that language. However, it isn’t the only thing you need to worry about.

5. LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE 

Willingness to make mistakes means being ready to put yourself in potentially embarrassing situations. This can be scary, but it’s the only way to develop and improve. No matter how much you learn, you won’t ever speak a language without putting yourself out there: talk to strangers in the language, ask for directions, order food, try to tell a joke. The more often you do this, the bigger your comfort zone becomes and the more at ease you can be in new situations.

There is no greater honor than service. There is no greater reward than service. And today, as all of you know, there is no greater need.

By the end of the day, 6,000 people will die because of their inability to attain water, 21,000 of hunger, and 37,000 of lack of access to health care. In short, the world today cannot meet the basic needs of people.

Last Summer, I had the opportunity to work with some of the poorest people in the world. I volunteered at orphanages and hospitals in Morogoro, Tanzania. After a particularly disheartening day at the hospital, I joined a soccer match with about 15 orphaned young boys, who were playing barefoot, with torn sandals, or, if they were lucky, with tattered sneakers. During the game, one of the barefoot younger boys, became upset because his feet hurt and he couldn’t kick hard enough. One of the older boys noticed this and took off his tattered left sneaker, handed it to the boy and said “nakupenda”—the Swahili term for “I love you.” Later, one of my peers asked the older boy why he had given his shoe to the younger boy. His response was,“ I kick with my right foot, so I do not need my left shoe.”

In this, two lessons of service are revealed. The first one is service comes from love- love that is given freely to someone. The second lesson is that we all have something to give. So, I urge all of you to give of yourself in this time of great need and as a result, you will experience the greatest honor and reward.