This March break, 10 students and three faculty members are traveling to Tanzania to learn about sustainable development and educational opportunities in rural Tanzania. Please enjoy the blog post below from Natalia ’28 where she shares how their time in Tanzania at Mainsprings—free from phones, stress, and material distractions—helped them find peace, connection, and a new perspective on what truly matters in life: simplicity, kindness, and leading with the heart.
Being in Tanzania at Mainsprings with no phone makes my own problems seem less relevant. Very few issues can follow you across continents. Most of my insecurities vanished when flocks of little girls began following me around saying, “You’re very pretty”, “I love your hair.” It feels cool to have received six friendship bracelets, a letter and five drawings from the girls at Mainsprings, some of the kindest, funniest, most talented people I’ve ever met. I haven’t encountered a pessimistic news update or a gossipy text in almost two weeks. I’m at peace here. This feeling comes from the contrast between Deerfield’s ice, snow and freezing temperatures and Mainsprings sunlight, warmth and light breeze, along with the opportunity for my body to replace processed, unhealthy meals with Mainspring’s simple, fresh food. I don’t worry about stained clothes because they are a sign of the sweat and hard work everyone here puts into the fields and classrooms.
One anxiety that has followed me to Tanzania is uncertainty about my future. I often worry about how much effort I will have to put into school and career to achieve a satisfying life. How important will material comforts like a high paying job or a two-story house with a backyard and a white picket fence be to bringing me satisfaction? Is this what the American Dream really means to me?
Today we walked into the surrounding streets and farms of Kitongo for “Village Night.” A local woman, who works in the permaculture gardens at Mainsprings, invited our group to her home, and to share a traditional Tanzanian dinner with her family of seven children. Her house was modest and made from sturdy, basic materials. Her main living space, which served also as the dining room, contained a small television and wall radio, both connected to a roof-top satellite dish. While the power was out during our visit to this village home, the space filled with delicious smells and the warm chatter between hosts and guests. Our delicious meal started with bowls of warm Mandazi, dense, lightly fried, hole-less donuts. While just one of these donuts felt filling, I managed to eat three. Somehow, I still had room for the menu of beef, beans, rice and cabbage that matched any dinner I’ve eaten at Deerfield. After eating, we placed our plastic chairs in a circle in the darkening courtyard and played several rounds of the childhood game of “Concentration.” One of our host’s daughters, three-year-old Mariam, sat next to me in her sparkling blue dress. Our friendship quickly grew from shared giggles, whispers and laughs.
This enjoyable village dinner with a mix of Deerfield and Mainsprings friends reminded me that satisfaction often comes in simple packages. As I left the house with our group for the return walk to the Mainsprings’ campus, Mariam clearly didn’t want me to leave. She followed me for fifty yards down the dirt road saying, “I don’t want to say bye-bye!”
Being loved in this way is helping me put my anxieties about the future in perspective. Whether or not I become a doctor, engineer, or lawyer won’t be the key to living a fulfilling life. Through these experiences with both little girls and good meals, I have realized that wealth shouldn’t be the center of my life or goals. I should lead with my heart and follow my dreams. Perhaps the secret is living simply among good people like Mariam and her family.