Today I’m very excited to share a guest post from Nikita Raja. We “met”via this blog over two years ago and since then have kept up a regular correspondence. She’s one of the members of this blog’s community who is constantly encouraging me to continue to share my experience as a way of helping others.
Nikita recently sent me a collection of her photos from her first trip to Tanzania as an adult. She was born in Tanzania and much of her family history is wrapped up in that country. I asked her to share this experience in a guest post as a reminder to all of that new beginnings can be discovered everywhere, even in places from our past.
This past summer, my sister and I were lucky enough to travel back to Dar-es-Salaam (Dar), Tanzania. Known as my birthplace, and the place I can tie my family’s roots back to – Tanzania is home! Home, because this is where so many of family’s cherished memories and stories have emerged from.
It had been twelve years since I last visited, and my trip ended up being nothing short of an adventure into the wild and a journey back to my roots. Although I was about ten years old when I last visited Dar, it seemed completely unrecognizable to me! But it was refreshing to return to a place that felt both different and familiar and still be able to call it “home”.
While I spent a lot of time bonding with family I hadn’t seen in years and indulging in eating different East African specialities like “Mogo” (Grilled Cassava) and “Kitale” (Coconut filled with potatoes and chillies), I actually got to explore parts of Tanzania that I had never seen before – a two-day safari to the Serengeti National Park, driving through endless running African savannahs and capturing photos of animals in their natural habitat. Simply breathtaking! I also managed to get away for a weekend trip, to the beautiful island of Zanzibar. Known for its paradise style beaches and resorts, spice tours, and rich history.
Through travel, we often gain new layer of wisdom. Wisdom from the experiences we had, the people we met, the food we ate, the stories we heard and the learning we gained made for such an enriching experience. Although life in Tanzania may be worlds apart from life here in North America, it’s through experiences like these that one begins to appreciate travel and cultural realties.
Travel allows us to indulge, learn, and adapt. It was the perfect trip to celebrate my graduation from university and my start into the working world.
Nikita’s photos from Tanzania:
Night time food bazaar known as “Forodhani”, with diverse crowds of touristsZanzibar’s Stone Town - a World Heritage Site.Zanzibar’s Stone Town - a World Heritage Site.Prison Island, popular beach site in ZanzibarThe Serengeti National ParkThe Serengeti National Park"Kitale” (Coconut filled with potatoes and chillies)
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
5 thoughts on “Beginning: Getting Reacquainted with Tanzania, a Place That Still Feels Like Home”
Lovely post by Nikita!
Will be sure to check out some more posts on your blog Christa!
Hey Nikita, great post. Agree completely that travel can add a layer of wisdom. It can completely change your perspective on work/friendship/family/life in general. I always find the challenge is not getting sucked back into routine once travel is done, right?!
Funny interesting that a place one considers “home” has elements that are unrecognizable. Even though its been several years since you have been back, I discover new things everyday near “home” that I have never payed attention to. Our lives are so fast passed and centered on business and work that small minimal things in our cultures and homes are often overlooked.
Christa Avampato 
Lovely post by Nikita!
Will be sure to check out some more posts on your blog Christa!
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Hey Nikita, great post. Agree completely that travel can add a layer of wisdom. It can completely change your perspective on work/friendship/family/life in general. I always find the challenge is not getting sucked back into routine once travel is done, right?!
Here’s to travel, finding oneself & home 🙂
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Fantastic post Nikita!
You’ve captured your travel to Dar so well… Great Job!
Looking forward to climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with you 🙂
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Great piece of writing Nikita! I think you captured the essence of the trip quite well!
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Funny interesting that a place one considers “home” has elements that are unrecognizable. Even though its been several years since you have been back, I discover new things everyday near “home” that I have never payed attention to. Our lives are so fast passed and centered on business and work that small minimal things in our cultures and homes are often overlooked.
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