June 30th:
Hamjambo! All of the GLA students arrived to Tanzania safe and sound on June 28th. Our first full day, the 29th, we ate our first traditional Tanzanian meal, and then split up into groups of three, and met up with host families. We tried out our Swahili with them, and learned about their daily lives in Tanzania. The purpose of the host families were to give us a sense of the Tanzanian culture and values. They toured us around the local neighborhoods, local markets, and their homes. It was an enlightening experience to better understand the living conditions of the families.
For our second full day, we got up bright and early to visit the schools we’ll be working in for the next two weeks. We introduced ourselves to the students and staff, and started to form connections through recess games and activities. After, we got our hands dirty by sanding down some classroom walls that we are prepping to paint. It was hard work, but rewarding knowing it was for a good cause. Later that day, we learned about the history and educational system of Tanzania from a local guest speaker. After, we walked to an orphanage down the street and learned about how they operate and work with the kids. Finally, to end off an amazing day, we got the chance to hear from a former GLA student, Julian. He is now living as a resident here in Rau Village, continually helping the community in numerous ways. It was cool to hear from somebody who was in our position a few years ago, and has made such a positive impact. The first two days here in Tanzania have already been so inspiring for us, and we can’t wait to see what the next days have in store!
-Brielle, Hollie and Jordan
July 3, 2017
-Cole, Jett, and Christina H
Anna, Amelia, and Sahil
Feeling refreshed this morning from an extra half hour of sleep, we headed off to school after eating a delicious breakfast cooked by Mama D and staff. At school, we split up into our regular teaching groups and continued our English lessons with the students. At recess, we played games, danced, played soccer, and ladies got their hair done by the students at the infamous “hair salon”. After recess, we broke up into groups who gardened, cemented, and painted to refurbish the school facilities. The gardeners planted kale and spread fertilizer along the soil. The cementers finished cementing the unusable floors that we started yesterday. The painters painted inside the classrooms and windows and Agape and Aseem helped us get all of the paint off our hands. We headed back to home base to have lunch at 1:00. After having a little time to rest after lunch, we headed to town to exchange money and visit a gift shop, then headed to an internet cafe where a lot of people enjoyed milkshakes and wifi. From there, we went to watch the Kili Wizards dance group perform and got our groove on when they taught us a dance and pulled us on stage. Some walked back to home base and others took the bus back to have a scrumpdilioso dinner. Later, playing a bonding game called Monkey Brains, a game which requires teamwork and different forms of communication, before enjoying free time which was spent singing well-loved songs with a ukelele and drums. Can’t wait for another great day tomorrow!
By Rachel, Marin, and Jason <3<3 xoxoxox
Today we woke up early (about 6 am), and left home base at 7 am for the first day of safari. After 2 hours and a quick stop in Arusha, we traveled 2 more hours to Tarangire National Park. We began our safari with a picnic lunch, then set off for 4 hours of animal watching. We saw zebras, elephants, giraffes, lions, wildebeests, monkeys, gazelles, and warthogs. After a long day, we drove another hour to our lodge where we stayed the night. We had a big dinner followed by some swimming and singing. Then it was off to bed at 9 pm to get rested up for our 4:30 am wake up call!
-Wynne, Annalise and Ashley
We all woke up at 4:30am this morning, ready for our second day of Safari. We had a nice breakfast at the lodge and began our journey to Ngorongoro Crater at 5:30am. We ascended to approximately 7100 feet to the entrance of the national park. By the time of our arrival the sun had risen and we were all wide awake. One by one, each of our Safari vehicles entered the gates and began descending to the bottom of the crater. We passed baboons, zebras, giraffes, and water buffalos. Our guides were kind enough to stop along the way and tell us some interesting facts about the animals and the park. Eventually, we were at the bottom of the crater, driving alongside ostriches, wildebeests, and cranes. We were lucky enough to see a group of lion cubs stopping for a rest at a small lake. After a quick lunch next to hippopotamuses, we took a long drive back to the home base in Moshi and were greeted with a celebration prepared by the local staff!
-Evan
