Submitted by Sarah Turturro on the 2020 winter session program in Tanzania sponsored by the Department of Art and Design…
In all honesty, it is hard to believe that we aren’t even a week into this program. Every day has exceeded expectations in every way, and it fills my heart so much to know that there is still so much to learn and experience. I have seen things that not everyone gets to see in their lifetime, and I have been given the opportunity to use my art to drive the documentation of these memories. In the short amount of days that we have spent here, I have already learned about the lifestyle of the people living in Olasiti, made art with kids at a local orphanage, and gone on safari in two national parks. Each day has taken my breath away and has given me something new to appreciate, whether it be bonding with little girls at the orphanage despite language barriers or seeing majestic animals like elephants and giraffes in their natural habitat. I have even tried learning a bit of Swahili, the local language in Tanzania, so that I can interact with the locals who have been so welcoming. I have already learned so much and the program has only just begun.
I have had an interest in art since I was very young, and have been experimenting with photography since I got my first camera, a Polaroid, around the age of five. Art has always been a part of my life, and now as a Visual Communications major, I want it to become my career. Photography has always been a part of my creative experience, and being able to focus on that and push my boundaries as a photographer in the middle of Tanzania has been the opportunity of a lifetime. Between the people and the program itself I have been able to immerse myself in the experience and fall in love with photography all over again, and I am looking forward to seeing where this takes my focus as an artist. I genuinely don’t think that any other program could give me this experience, and I am so glad to be able to immerse myself in this culture and my own work for the next few weeks.
