Alizeti

I know that the sunflowers might cause some problems because of how high they grow in comparison to our other plants and veggies, but I am so happy that we went ahead with growing them. This means a lot to me. I hope to see some rising above the soil soon! Not only are they beautiful and the seeds are delicious, but also they remind me of one of the best periods in my life.

When I lived in Tanzania last summer, I was instantly struck by the endless fields of wild sunflowers. Driving to the lodge where I would stay for a few days before starting my ascent up Kili, sunflower field after sunflower field passed before my eyes like my favorite Van Morrison song on repeat. I had just landed after about 24 hours of travel, I was hundreds of thousands of miles from home, and in a completely foreign place, but somehow I felt comforted by the sunflowers growing outside the window.

I broke the silence in the car by using some of the Kiswahili I tried to pick up before arriving. After hello, how are you, and nice to meet you, I wanted to start learning some more. I asked our driver how to say “sunflower” in Kiswahili, as I pointed outside the window. His face lit up, he smiled, and responded with the most beautiful word I have ever heard: “Alizeti.” Alizeti.

When I arrived at the House of Learning two weeks later, the place where I would be teaching for the remainder of my visit, I met my younger students first. I introduced myself, and then we did an activity focused around the alizeti. Each student had his or her own sunflower to color in, and then they wrote their names in the middle. The students were ages 2 to 6, so we could not do much more than this, but I will always remember the joy that they felt for the sunflower, a symbol of their country.

When I think of our garden, I find comfort in knowing that we will have some sunflowers this upcoming summer. Although I cannot afford to go back to Tanzania this year, I will have our sunflowers to remind me of the experience. I have been feeling down the past couple of days remembering that this time last year I was preparing for the most amazing adventure of my life. I walked to the garden to see how it was doing, even though it was muggy and misty. I was foolish to think that the sunflowers would be there already, but a part of me thought that they would know I needed them. Although they are still below the surface, I sat at the edge of plot 5, right where Calyn and I planted them a few days ago. I knew that they would be here soon. I sat with them and my thoughts for a while, closing my eyes to remember the endless fields of wild sunflowers that made me feel at home in a place so distant. For an instant it was like I was back in Moshi again, and my heart was at peace. I cannot wait for the sunflowers to appear, for I now realize how much I need them.