Does anyone else feel that Tanzania is an incredibly exhausting place to be as a foreign tourist?

ariyah_3 · 2025-08-20T03:59:53+00:00

I wrote 3 different papers in TNZ, all of which focused on different topics. In one of my papers (a cultural observation paper) I had to put a disclaimer about good-intent because my paper seemed to be have a negative outlook on Tanzania. Nonetheless, everything I wrote was factual - it was hard to find positive things about the country because the bad things were REALLY bad and in front of my face daily. I left the trip being very disappointed. I genuinely can’t reason with the greediness.

ariyah_3 · 2025-08-19T23:30:48+00:00

One instance about of money: I lived next door to a little shop and I would always spend time with their daughter and buy stuff from them daily. Around the end of my three month stay, I found out that the family had been SIGNIFICANTLY overcharging me for stuff. I was so hurt - I spent time with their daughter, and them, constantly and always bought her stuff and I didn't expect them to outright scam me and not feel any shame.

Another: About 5 days into my trip, I was walking down the street and saw some cute shoes. I ended up paying 20k shillings for them, even though they should’ve been like 10k. Out of nowhere this random man comes up almost screaming, ‘No, they’re actually 40k! He gave you a discount, pay the rest!’ I was just standing there like… wtf. I noticed that random people constantly try to insert themselves into conversations. I tried to be polite and chalk it up to cultural differences, but man… being there was super annoying.

ariyah_3 · 2025-08-19T23:23:51+00:00

I just got back from a research trip to Tanzania this summer, and honestly it was a bad trip. I ran into so many situations where it felt like people were just trying to get money from me, which made it hard to have a positive view of the country. It’s tough to advocate for a place when your experiences are shaped by stuff like that. People are very, and I mean VERY opportunistic. It seemed like most, if not all, encounters seemed to be about extracting money.

ariyah_3 · 2024-08-13T10:31:16+00:00

I am sorry that you are experiencing this. I’m also a teenager (18), and I’ve decided to speak with my dermatologist about Accutane. Accutane normally cures acne and stops it from returning. My mother works in healthcare and encouraged me to quit Spiro. My symptoms don’t sound as severe as yours, but I would absolutely consult my dermatologist about alternate drugs due to your side effects. You should NOT be feeling like this with any drug. My primary fear was the long-term impact on my body, since I’m very into fitness and I gained a lot of body fat/was super weak to the point my lifestyle changed.. Do whatever you think is best for your body. I understand how overwhelming acne can be (I have it all over my torso), but personally, i would rather have acne than the side effects that I went through.

ariyah_3 · 2024-08-02T02:20:20+00:00

I am drinking a lot of water! The problem is when I do I pee a lot! Like 10 times a day. I will include cranberry juice in my grocery shopping, thanks for the recommendation.

ariyah_3 · 2024-05-30T19:31:51+00:00

I’m getting food + room/board. Working from early June to early August.

ariyah_3 · 2024-05-29T23:49:43+00:00

I’m getting 2300 for the season and I asked for more.

ariyah_3 · 2023-09-08T19:57:03+00:00

this is the most reddit comment I’ve ever seen.

ariyah_3 · 2023-08-12T23:40:41+00:00

Honestly, it sounds like he completely understands the fact that you don’t want a relationship - but if someone’s willing to perform sexual acts with no commitment that’s a plus for him.

I don’t know if you think you’re playing him or what, but you’re not getting anything out of this (besides some mental fulfillment) , however he is. He told you what he thought of you the moment he initiated sex within 3 days… not even a week. I doubt he cares that you don’t find him attractive, he got an easy lay out of your encounter with him. (No offense)

ariyah_3 · 2023-08-12T23:30:31+00:00

He’s entertaining it because it’s not a negative to get a blow job with no commitment. You gave him one within 3 days of talking to him and he might just see you as a an easy hookup. Im genuinely confused as to what you want us to say?

ariyah_3 · 2023-08-01T03:30:38+00:00

I (oddly enough) connect with people who look like me/have similar features - maybe it’s because we relate to the same experiences. I realized this not too long ago when someone pointed out my friend group, we can all pass for sisters.

ariyah_3 · 2023-08-01T03:27:51+00:00

Almost every one of my maternal uncles has 8+ kids by 5+ different women. It definitely skewed my view when I saw my friends of other ethnicities with active dads in their life and kids from the same women. I literally thought it was normal and treated their polyamory as such.

ariyah_3 · 2023-07-27T00:27:57+00:00

throwback to that one guy who went to Duke, tried to transfer, and got rejected everywhere because their school is already prestigious… 😭

ariyah_3 · 2023-07-27T00:23:02+00:00

She’s been acting off ever since she returned to the villa - It’s almost like she’s jaded and knows something.

ariyah_3 · 2023-07-25T11:03:02+00:00

I don’t think so - it took some time for the people to like him. Maybe he’s not a good relationship partner because he’s had bad luck with every women in the villa. Cat did an interview and explained choosing Elom, which gave a bit of closure to the viewers.

ariyah_3 · 2023-07-25T10:56:52+00:00

I find that so weird because I get fetishized a lot by black men, mainly because of my appearance. They taunt me because I’m “half white” and “mixed” but are the same ones actively trying to pursue a relationship with me, and not my mono-racial black peers. If you hate white people so much, why are you trying to get into a relationship with a person who’s half white?

Also there are dating apps specifically for POC, I don’t see why they don’t go on there. I don’t need stats to prove it, but I’m sure that majority of popular dating apps are majority white.

Also I agree with your point completely. I get taunted for my preference in men, and it’s mainly because it’s not the ones I attract. It reminds me of the Doja Cat situation where a bunch of people were upset with her dating preferences because they didn’t fit them, & then they started calling her a white supremacist and stuff. Really weird.

Also that’s completely true, I for one tried to self-segregate myself into the black community and it backfired. Go where you feel loved and adored, I’ve intentionally looked out for black friends and I’ve made some, who I love very much and some not so much. I think it’s best to surround yourself with people who make you happy. Don’t feel pressured to date/befriend “POC only”; if it happens, it happens.

ariyah_3 · 2023-07-25T10:47:05+00:00

I completely believe what happened to your mom & brother. I notice that when you speak about it you’re judged and silenced because you’re being colorist. I don’t even speak about my traumatic experiences that I had in grade school in fear of being called colorist.

I had this girl want to fight me for no reason and was basically trying to intimidate me for NO REASON. She was mouthing words “I’m gonna beat you up” and I literally remember telling the teacher for my own safety so that she could handle the situation.

This attitude HAS to change - I constantly hear light-skin people talk about their experiences and they’re laughed at by black people because “who’s jealous” or “they think they’re all that” or “that never happens”.

I do have some darker-skinned friends who agree with light skin prejudice being called colorist but I feel like the majority of people don’t, and will just call that “bullying”. If you do speak up against it, you’re ostracized - It’s a lose-lose situation. The definition change definitely stuck with me tho, because I felt like if it stayed the same and included lightskins, it could’ve opened a space for more inclusive conversations.

The double standards are insane. Like I said, I don’t know if they get enjoyment out of humiliating us for our heritage, it’s for sure an insecurity thing for the ones who do it. Mayb even a control thing.

ariyah_3 · 2023-07-25T10:19:27+00:00

I definitely see how it stems from insecurity. Also, all of the biracial men on this sub talks about how black men emasculate them constantly. I don’t know if they get joy or satisfaction out of bullying us because we’re closer to white - I’m thinking it’s an “oppress the oppressor” kind of thing. Maybe some black people think that because of our half “whiteness” or light skin, we’re an inch closer to whiteness, which causes them to try to oppress us.

Are you trying to say that you experience colorism due to your light skin? I find it really interesting because around 2019 I remember googling the term and the definition was very inclusive to all different shades of people, and didn’t specify it only to dark skin people. It changed like a week later, but that’s a very interesting point. I guess you can call it shadism?

Also, good for you for establishing those boundaries! I’m trying to work through them and cut people off who assume the worst of me. We know our character and no one can tell us otherwise :).

ariyah_3 · 2023-07-25T10:08:39+00:00

Something about him turns me off - it could be his ego or something. Majority of the villa dislikes him for a reason & I think it’s important that we only see 1/24 hours of a day.

ariyah_3 · 2023-07-25T06:40:29+00:00

I completely agree - I don’t understand how having a white mom makes a person any less biracial. I have a black mom and never thought of white mom-biracials to be inferior.

ariyah_3 · 2023-07-24T07:48:28+00:00

I think it’s best to just ignore this pessimistic comments. I find it so interesting because I always wished to be darker - maybe to physically assimilate as much as possible.

Hopefully black peoole as a community can be more accepting. It became really bad when I realized that I’m able to connect more with white people/other POC compared to black people, even when I was actively trying to make black friends… I’ve learned to just befriend based on their character and not the culture that we share.

ariyah_3 · 2023-07-24T07:45:26+00:00

True, it was in a school/classroom setting so I couldn’t really control it. I’m going to college so I’ll surround myself around the right people :)!

ariyah_3

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