Click here to jump down to the new posts! 

Friday July 13, 2018

Hi Parents!

All 27 students have arrived safe and sound in Tanzania! We’re so happy that our group is finally complete, and we are all looking forward to spending the next 3 weeks together in this beautiful country.

With some students arriving yesterday, and the rest today, we haven’t been able to take a FULL group shot yet. But below are some photos from the various arrival groups.

Please note: Tyler Milner, Madison Stock, and Madison Feldman are not pictured, as their flights arrived around midnight Tanzania time, but our staff were ready and waiting at the airport to greet them, and they are now at home base with the rest of the group getting a good night’s rest in preparation for a low-key orientation day tomorrow.

Stay tuned for updates from our 3-week adventure, and we will be sure to update the blog with a full group photo tomorrow!

Sincerely,
GLA Tanzania Program Staff

Friday July 14, 2018

The energetic people of Tanzania are some of the most selfless and heartwarming individuals I have ever met. We have spent hours and hours with the children playing catch, soccer, dancing, and running. The children seem to never run out of energy. Though we haven’t done any service work yet, we have been introduced into the community and already feel like a family.

The majority of today was spent on orientation. In orientation we met the local and international staff, did icebreakers, went over the code of conduct, and to top it off we did the Amazing Race! The Amazing Race was a team activity where we had to go through Tengeru figuring out clues in order to finish. For example, we had to buy nyanyas from someone at the local market (tomatoes), we had to take a selfie with a goat, and we had to go a local school gate and take a team photo. In the end, we all met up and played sports with locals and got to know our peers better. Megan and her mentor group won the Amazing Race and got a prize of hot chocolate and getting to give Lodrick (Local Director) and Debra (International Director) a makeover.

After the Amazing Race, we all got together and talked more in-depth about the code of conduct and general safety. The night ended with a slideshow of our Amazing Race photos and a delicious dinner. Overall we have had great food and a great time!

-by Rohan Kalra

Sunday July 15, 2018

Yesterday was an amazing day because we experienced the honest culture of the fellow people of Tanzania. The students gathered in groups at homebase and met their host families, some had children and some were alone. We all sat and ate lunch together and asked many curious questions including questions about their daily routines. After eating together our individual host families took us back to their homes. The language barrier was a problem for some groups, but thankfully we had translators! Later into conversation, some of us learned their views on religion and politics.

Some had very traditional values and the students were very open to hearing about the opinions and beliefs of their host families. We got to see their homes and had a peek into how they live their lives. It was very different from our homes because many of the host families grew their own vegetables and partook in animal husbandry (raised their own animals). Later in the evening, we had our first mentor groups with Kate, Lolly, and Megan.

This morning we all walked to Patandi Primary School to orient ourselves to our service site and see the children and classrooms. We also met the Principal that has worked there for six months. Then after touring the school we took our bus to Arusha where we shopped for snacks and went to a WiFi café, which everyone appreciated.

Then we went back to homebase on the bus and ate a delicious lunch courteous of Jackie and Joseph. We then went to the open air Tengeru Market to shop for fabrics for students who want a custom garment sewn. We have a seamstress coming in to make the designs the students sketch out for them. After that we went back to home base and had our first Swahili lesson. Then we had dinner and ended with our second mentor group session of the trip.

-Tyler Milner

Tuesday July 17, 2018

Entering the small cream-colored classroom made me feel like I was in a movie. All of the 5th graders were sitting at their wooden desks, dressed in formal white and navy uniforms. Their faces filled with light and energy, even though it was only eight in the morning. I was amazed by the confidence in every single student as they covered adjectives. In fact, their enthusiasm towards learning English inspires me to put forth that same amount of energy towards learning Spanish.

Recess was the time I got to bond one on one with the students. With 27 Americans and 800 children, all the Americans were swarmed with love and affection. Watching the kids bonding together in their small friend groups really exemplified recess when I was in elementary school.

Later that morning, I got to get my hands dirty in the delicate garden. Our first service was divided into two groups of either sanding the inside of a classroom or watering the garden. By watering, I mean flooding the plants. By the end of the gardening, I looked like I rolled around in mud. However, I did not mind the dirty clothing because it felt so lifting and empowering to make a difference within the school. By the end, the children did not want to let go of us.

For the second half of the day, we took a long and intense hike up to a coffee farm. I’m not kidding, I had to stop at least ten times and I used my hand against the rocks to help me power up the hill. Walking through the gates of our destination I heard loud, bold, spirited music, which was being performed by the farmers. They were in bright yellows and oranges dancing in a circle. Step by step we were taught in detail the procedure of making the perfect decaf coffee. It was amazing! I even bought by parents a bag of coffee to make at home.

As the sun started to set, we had a relaxing walk back to home base shouting “jambo” or “mambo” to the locals as we passed. Today was a day jam packed with love, excitement, and learning. I am so excited for a good nights rest, in preparation for another unforgettable day!

-Emma Fuller

Wednesday July 18, 2018

Today we woke up to the iconic rooster yet again, ate a delicious breakfast of eggs and rice puffs, then began our walk to the school. We split up into teaching groups of 4th, 5th, and 6th grade then taught two 40-minute classes. As this was our first day teaching a full class; we’re still getting the hang of it, but we feel that the kids are learning a lot. We then played with the students during recess, which even helps us pick up some Swahili.

Afterward we began the physical service, which consisted of painting the buildings, repairing the broken desks, and tending to the school garden. We then headed back to the homebase for lunch, then met with our teaching groups to plan our next lesson. Also, we all met with the seamstress to make clothing out of the fabric we previously bought. We ended the day with free time to enjoy each other’s company!

-Olivia Phillips and Ella Beard

Thursday July 19, 2018

Today was our first official day of teaching our different grades at Patandi Primary School. It was awesome to be able to fully interact with the kids as well as adjust each lesson to what worked and didn’t in the previous lessons we had observed Tuesday and Wednesday. The kids are adorable and very bright and we love to be around them just as much as they like to hang around us.

We put our second coat of crème colored paint inside one of the classrooms and finished the outside of one the main buildings. We repaired some desks and worked on our sawing and hammering skills. After lunch, we walked to the local high school nearby our homebase and sat down with the students and teacher. The teacher told us about the levels of education in Tanzania and the different grading system.

There’s a lot of testing that the kids have to pass to continue onto high school and university. The teenagers were really fun to talk to because they told us their favorite American movies and musicians. We asked them about what they do on the weekends and what their favorite part about living in Tanzania is. The students thought we were all a lot older and in college. After our time at the high school we drove to a local orphanage. The orphanage cares for 150 kids, ages ranging from around seven months to twelve-years-old who don’t have parents or just a single parent.

Some of them stay in the dorms and go to the preschool built in their orphanage. It was bitter sweet to give them a lot of love but know that we can only do so much for them in the short amount of time we were there. It takes only $10-$20 to sponsor a kid who goes to public school. Some of us talked about how for the amount of money we’ve spent on this trip in trinkets so far we could have sponsored at least five kids. After we left we reminded them that we would see them next week so it was a bit easier to say goodbye. Going to the orphanage put things in perspective for the lives we live and the parents we have that want the best for us.

-Ali Detjen-Creson

Friday July 20, 2018

We woke up to the sound of the neighbor’s cow mooing. The GLA students captured the scent of Joseph, the chef’s famous fried rice balls. Then we walked to school with our friends. We taught the students English, painted the windows and classrooms, and fixed desks. Later that day we had the privilege of talking to a group of people with HIV and we were able to hear about their experience battling the virus. Best part of the day: Joseph’s vegan potatoes.

-by Sydney Anish

P.S. We love you Joseph

Saturday July 21, 2018

Today the staff and students got to visit the Maasai people and experience traditional tribal life. Our day began at 3:30am and we left homebase on our buses at 4am to head to the Maasai boma. After our two-hour journey to meet our friends for the day, we arrived at the village, which is called Mferejini. We first milked goats that belonged to the Maasai and got to hold them. After a light breakfast, we began our walking safari trip.

Everyone was able to see giraffes and one group was able to spot antelopes. When we finished our excursion we had a group conversation with the elder of the Boma, Olengobei, who is married to 11 wives. We were able to ask him questions about his wives and children and the Maasai culture. Following our conversation with Olengobei, we watched the other men in the village start a fire from sticks on donkey dung.

They used the fire to boil water to cook the goat. Following this, we were taught spear throwing and were welcomed into Olengobei’s home. Before we left, we were able to purchase jewelry the Maasai women made. To end our day with the Maasai, we celebrated new friendships with a dance circle and said our goodbyes. When we arrived back at homebase, we ate dinner and had a free night to shower and relax after our exciting and busy day.

-by Madison Feldman

Sunday July 22, 2018

Jambooooo! Today we slept in and it was such a blessing. Half of the group learned batik painting and the others learned to cook local cuisine and prepared lunch for everyone. We made our own batik paintings with the help of the batik artists. Everyone created incredible paintings and they all turned out so well. The batik artists brought other paintings they did themselves to sell, as well as flowy pants for us to buy. The rest of the group cooked a delicious lunch. We cut up vegetables for a salad, made pancakes, a beef stew with cooked bananas as well as watermelon. After everyone ate the lunch we made, we got ready to go to the supermarket to go get WiFi and whatever else we wanted/ needed.

After a few hours in that area, we went to the Maasai market. That was a bit stressful because everyone working there tried to make you go into their kiosk to buy something. But I know that everyone got a lot of really cool and amazing stuff for themselves and their loved ones. There were some super interesting things being sold and it was a great experience. It was also fun to bargain with the vendors at the Maasai market too. When we went back to the home base everyone went to show each other what they bought before a yummy dinner. Afterward, everyone got into their teaching groups to prep for our school day tomorrow and for the rest of the remaining days at the school! Overall today was very fun and I can confidently say that everyone enjoyed it, especially the part that we got to sleep in… well at least I did 🙂 Also mom if you’re reading this- I miss and love you

-Madi Stock

Monday July 23, 2018

Today was phenomenal. We danced, laughed, turned up, connected, and were educated. We were up early to go to the school. We taught the students our lessons for the day and then did our physical labor, which included breaking concrete floors and painting the rest of a classroom and a play structure. We have a few more days left with the kids so we’re trying to appreciate our time with them as much as possible.

When we returned to home base, we switched groups for the batik and cooking class. We cooked and also decorated for dinner for our mentor Kate because it was her birthday. Before dinner, some of us went for a walk and visited the river we have nearby. Everybody had a blast painting, cooking, and getting ready for the celebration!

As we ate dinner we sang happy birthday to Kate about 10 times. We ate cake, good fresh food, and at the end we had the best party ever! We danced and jumped and sang. This day was one of the best days of the trip so far. Until tomorrow!

-Sonic Fleming and Ariana Morales

Tuesday July 24, 2018

Today started off as weekdays usually do with going to school in the morning. Our classes have been progressing very well, and it’s so rewarding to see the kids getting excited when they understand a concept. For service, some of us dug holes to plant trees and others worked on breaking the floor of a classroom with axes and hammers. Despite the blisters, everyone maintained positive attitudes and we’re looking forward to finishing our work for the students.

In the afternoon, we listened to a heavy discussion on female genital mutilation with some speakers from an advocacy group. Although it was very disturbing, it was an important talk that led to further discussion on our previous interactions with the Maasai people in our mentor groups. We are all very sad that there is only one week left of this trip, but there is still so much more to come!

-Anika Phuvasate

Wednesday July 25, 2018

Hey guys! Lets splash into a pool of possibilities! Today, we went to go hike at Kilimanjaro. The day started out extra early with a pit stop at Moshi to buy “schnacks”. The ride from homebase to Mount Kili is approximately 3 hours long. Yikes! Before starting the hike we visited a cute, little gift shop near the base of the mountain. After that, we walked down to a beautiful, remote waterfall. Moving on, we hiked up to a large pool of water.

There, we ate our home made lunches (shout to Joseph and the kitchen team!!!) and took a freezing dip in the pool! #articplunge After drying up, we made it up t the official starting point for the Kili National Park. There, we learned some history of the mountain and its tiring trails. We all learned that it takes 6 days to make it to the top of the mountain! WOOAAHHH! On the bus ride back, the group stopped at a large gift store. Finally, we made it back safely to homebase and were welcomed home to our kitchen staff preparing us dinner. What an amazing adventure!

-Jonah Harris and Reena Agarwal

Friday July 27, 2018

Hi parents! Friday was our last day at Ptandi Primary School. We started the day of by teaching our final lessons to the students. It was touching to think back on all the progress they had made in the last two weeks. Then we had a farewell assembly with all the students where we sang songs, listened to students’ appreciations, and said our final goodbyes. Afterwards, some of us stayed to mix concrete and paint while others headed back to home base. Once we had all return we had another fantastic lunch prepared by our the famous Joseph. A short while later, we headed over to the Serena Hotel where many of us ordered ice cream, cake, fries, and anything else we had been craving. While we were there, we listened to Mama Simba tell us her life story. Mama Simba is the founder of Experience Tanzania. It was so inspiring to hear the story of how she pursued her education and how her values have changed over the course of her life. After heading back to home base, we celebrated Hailey’s birthday! We at two cakes and had a small dance party led by DJ Jonathan. It was a pretty eventful day! We’re so grateful to have been welcomed by Ptandi and will miss the students greatly! Much love to our families back home, especially my parents. And ya, that’s about it.

-Howie

Saturday July 28, 2018

Today we were blessed to sleep in with a late breakfast at 9:30. Shortly after we took a quick walk to Duluti Lake, this absolutely beautiful location, we learned and inquired about the fascinating history of Tanzania. After exploring for a bit, we separated into our mentor groups. We drew the river of our lives and discussed how our sojourn to Tanzania was going so far. We returned to home base for a delicious lunch of egg and fries omelette. Then after lunch we set off to the orphanage. There we had a blast playing with the sweet and wonderful children. Once we finished at the orphanage we came home for yet another scrumptious meal. After dinner we had ice cream and movie night. After the film we were all collectively exhausted and marched straight to bed. That brought the end of a spectacular day!

-Remi Chester-

Tuesday July 31, 2018

Lions and rhinos and wildebeests, oh my! After a 4:30am wakeup and breakfast at the Twiga lodge, we packed into the safari jeeps for our second day of safari. Although every jeep had their own experience, every group saw the same amazing animals and scenery that the African savannah provides. From fearless baboons to sleepless lions, today will never be forgotten. Once we got back to homebase we found a beautiful decorated dining room with candles and farewell artwork by the amazing Jonathan. At 7 we gathered around in our final chakula circle.

Dinner was served with love from the local cooking staff and shared with laughs and smiles. We said our goodbyes to Mama Simba and Vinny and prepared for our flights tomorrow afternoon. The tailor arrived and we all received our customs bags, outfits, and other accessories. Everyone was more than happy to strut their new designs in a GLA Tanzanian fashion show. Tomorrow will be full of many see you laters, I think we can all agree that saying goodbye to Tanzania will be a difficult one.

-Grace Clark

Wednesday July 1, 2018

When we first arrived to Tanzania seven weeks ago vibrant green corn stalks greeted us, their tops waving like hands as we drove from Kilimanjaro Airport to the GLA Arusha homebase. Over the next few weeks, we would be greeted with a warm karibu sana, or very welcome, by many more who would soon become family. First by the homebase staff, who work from the wee hours of the morning to prepare delicious meals, the students at Patandi who greeted us with “good morning teachers!”, and the Maasai at Mferejini village who taught us to milk goats as the first rays of sun welcomed the day. From the beginning, Uweza, the Tanzania Country Director, and the local staff told us we were family and that she loved us.

With each day our bonds grew and our love deepened as we learned more about each other. Many of us realizing that our commonalities far outweighed our differences. Our world views expanded by seeing the world through the eyes of resilient women with HIV diagnosis, exuberant school children, and educators spreading awareness about FGM.

We expressed our gratitude for the lessons with engaging English lessons, covering ourselves in paint splatters, planting trees and veggies, and replacing the concrete floor of an entire classroom.
We climbed mountains inside and out. Reaching the gates of the Marangu entrance to Kilimanjaro and summitting Coffee Mountain to harvest, prepare, and taste our own brew. We overcame fears of acceptance, speaking our voice, trying new things, and making new friends. Our journey culminated in a two-day safari, where we observed the majesty of the animal kingdom. We came to recognize the inside and outside beauty of the land, animals, people, and stories of this magical place.
We are all forever changed.

This time after hugs and tears we headed back to Kilimanjaro Airport. For now our time here has come to an end, the stalks of corn have been harvested, mountains climbed and lessons learned, and the dry blades wave us farewell. But as Uweza reminded us, we are all forever family, our story is just beginning and we are always karibu sana.

Click here to jump down to the new posts!

Monday June 18, 2018

Everyone arrived safely! Here is our group! Student orientation will be underway tomorrow!

Tuesday June 19, 2018

Hello from GLA Tanzania in Arusha! All 29 students have arrived safe and sound yesterday and had their first full day together today. Today was student orientation and it was jam packed full of information ranging from how to greet in Swahili to home base logistics to how to best support one another and beyond.

The day was full of games, stories, and laughter as new connections were formed. We reaffirmed our code of conduct and collectively made a community agreement, which will guide us for the rest of our 20 days together. We decided as a group that Jua the lion would embody our agreement and team values- Jua means sun in Swahili. We determined that Jua represents respect, trust, friendship, acceptance, purpose, gratitude, and compassion. We look forward to living these values and cultivating our community over the next three weeks.

To close our first day together, we stood in a circle around a ribbon all holding an object that represents what we are bringing to the program. After each of us shared our object, we stepped inside the ribbon to mark the beginning of our journey together. We are very excited for everything that is to come!

Written by our program mentors: Lolly, Megan, and Kate

Thursday June 21, 2018

This morning the group woke up early to have breakfast at 7:15am. After a nice breakfast of toast, eggs, potatoes, fruit, coffee, and tea the group got ready for their first day to sit in with the Patandi Primary School students. After a short walk to school, the group broke into two with half going to fifth grade and the other going to sixth. There the groups worked with the students on their English skills. It was full of laughs and smiles as the groups got to meet the students that they would be spending the next few weeks with. After our time at the school was over, we discussed the difference between “helping, fixing, and serving,” reflected about our role as volunteers in an international setting, and deepened our understanding of “service learning” methodology.

After lunch, the students broke into groups to work on lesson planning for their upcoming work with the students. They also took turns meeting with the local seamstress to turn the fabric they bought into whatever creation they wanted. There were dresses, backpacks, shirts, and other items ordered for the seamstress to make. After this the students had time to hang out and either journal or play cards or get some rest. After the short break, a leader from the community came in to teach about the education system in Tanzania. He answered any questions the group had and gave insight into how schooling works in this country. We are looking forward to learning more about Tanzania and having our first full day with the students tomorrow!

Saturday June 23, 2018

Hey everyone! It was a tiring day, but nonetheless an amazing one! After waking up early we took a long bus ride to Mount Kilimanjaro. We hiked the base and visited three beautiful waterfalls and ate lunch; some of us swam and it was so cold, but so worth it.

Along the trail back we greeted many locals and made some friends; some of the children even hiked next to us along the trail and many high fives were given along the way. After another long bus ride back to home base we all got together for a great dinner and are ready to get a good nights sleep for tomorrow’s adventures.

Sunday June 24, 2018

Hi everyone! Today we luckily got to sleep in and rest after the previous day at Mount Kilimanjaro. Today is host family day! The mentors split us up into small groups and we eagerly awaited our chosen families. After they arrived we joined together for a yummy lunch we left home base to go visit our host family homes’. My host families’ home was a cozy, surrounded by many others.

My host family was two parents, a boy, and a girl . As you walk to the home, you see chickens running around, mothers carrying their babies, and goats being walked on leashes. On our way back to home base, some children followed and we played with bubbles, there were also kids playing soccer and volleyball. Overall it was an amazing day filled with culture and fun!

Monday June 25, 2018

Hey family and friends. Today was an early morning service day! After breakfast we headed down to Patandi Primary School to observe and teach English language classes; half us in fifth grade and half of us in sixth grade. After observing, some students got the opportunity to teach. Topics include parts of speech and relative pronouns. After teaching we play games with the kids outside, which is many of our favorite part! Then we changed clothes and began physical service where we started to paint the classroom walls a beautiful cream color and repair broken desks.

It was only the first day of painting so there is much more to come. Later in the day we had guests come to home base to show us Batik painting; they brought some pants and handmade paintings with them. We all gazed at the beautiful artwork and many works were bought. Students split in half and between Batik painting and a Tanzanian cooking lesson. Tomorrow we will switch groups and do the activity that we did not do today. We all had a great time learning to try new things that we have never done and the dinner was delicious! We can’t wait for the adventures that are to come tomorrow.

Photos from Monday!

Tuesday June 26, 2018

Hey everyone! Today after a breakfast of sambusas, Tanzanian samosas, we taught English with our 5th and 6th grade classes before continuing to our physical service. One group hoed garden beds that will be planted with vegetables for the Patandi Special Needs Teacher College. The other group sang and danced to music as we continued with the oil paint layer on a classroom and the teachers room. Afterward, we walked back to home base and had lunch. Then we spilt into two groups, one group learned Batik cloth dyeing while the other learned Tanzania cooking including fresh fruit juice, tomato sauce, salad, and a pea dish. Both came out amazing! Some of our group enjoyed a walk to a nearby soccer field, some played with kids, while the rest relaxed at home base.

Thank you,
Kate

Wednesday June 27, 2018

Today, we walked to school where we continued to teach our 5th and 6th graders whom we are getting closer to each day. We then performed our physical service work, all the while bonding with our students and each other. Later on, we walked to a beautiful lake about 20 minutes from our home base. We had the opportunity to get a soda and sit down and relax for a bit before our second Swahili lesson started. We learned a lot of practical words and songs that we could use in the classroom when interacting with our 5th and 6th graders. After Swahili, we had a debate/simulation of FIFA’s impact on Brazil in the past World Cup. We discussed how certain decisions affect different groups of people and tied this back to our roles as leaders. As the day came to an end, we finished the night with family fun, singing, “Mafia”, and drinking hot chocolate around a bonfire.

Thursday June 28, 2018

Hey everyone! Today was a busy day, which started off with our usual service. Some students started to paint the windows of the school and other students hoed the land to prepare the garden to plant vegetables for some of the kids who sleep at school; the school will be growing fresh veggies and fruits. Then it was time for lunch and so we departed from school and took a long peaceful walk to home base with many detours as we encountered lots of excited young children along the way; this is definitely the best part of walking through the village.

We had to eat a quick lunch as today is Maasai market day! The Maasai market can be overwhelming at first but nonetheless very exciting. There are alleys upon alleys of traditional African jewelry, art, and lots more items. Students really had to test their bargaining skills as the first price isn’t usually the fair one! It was quite an experience. We can’t wait for the adventures to come tomorrow and this weekend.

Friday June 29, 2018

Hey!! We had a great start to the morning with a yummy breakfast prepared by our favorite chefs, Joseph and Jackie. It was a bit cloudier and cold today, so the streets of Arusha were quieter than usual. At school, the students continued to work on their English skills with lessons prepared and taught by GLA students. After class, we got to play with the adorable kids after which is so much fun because we are really bonding with them. After an amazing lunch we prepared for an HIV/AIDS discussion panel. This panel was comprised of seven women who live in Tanzania and have HIV.

They were really open with their stories and the session was very informative. None of the women who spoke to us had contracted HIV through their own fault, yet they were not resentful or vengeful. These women had been ostracized and blamed by society and their own families, yet they are still strong and loving. After the panel, we were given a shopping list and sent in groups to the local market. The catch was that the list was in Swahili and the local program coordinators weren’t allowed to translate for us. It was a very interesting experience to say the least, but everyone successfully got their items. In the evening we had dinner and talked about preparations for the following day with the Maasai, then got an early night for our 3:30AM wake up call!

Saturday June 30, 2018

Hujambo from Tanzania!

Today we woke up at 3:30AM in order to visit a Maasai boma, or home for sunrise. Although our bus temporarily got stuck in a rut formed from big rains after ten years of drought on one of the seven switchbacks as we descended into the Rift Valley, we were able to get some really cool shots of the sunrise! At the Maasai boma, we started our day by milking a bunch of goats before they headed out of the boma to graze for the day! Shortly after, we ate breakfast and began our three-hour safari or hike around the village. Throughout the hike, we got to see a lot of giraffes and antelopes, and learned about how the Maasai use cows as a sign of their wealth; the Maasai even go as far as to hunt down lions if their cows are attacked. In addition, our hike included getting stuck on a bunch of thorny bushes and trees, but we all came back in one piece! After the hike, we started learning about how the giraffes use their prehensile tongues (which are apparently blue!) to navigate around the thorns and eat the leaves.

During lunch, we continued our educational lesson by asking the Maasai elder a few questions; some of the questions included “Why does he has eleven wives?”, “What is the initiation ritual for the Maasai tribe?” and “How did he become the village elder?”. We even got to practice spear throwing, which was a lot like javelin, looked at a traditional Maasai house, and saw the various handmade jewelry and crafts that were sold by the Maasai people. There were a bunch of flies and some of us, namely Peter, our program coordinator, even swallowed one. To culminate our visit, the Maasai people started to throat sing and jump way up high high as they taught us a traditional Maasai dance.

Then we got on the bus to leave. On the way back, we stopped at the “Village” supermarket for a bathroom break and some additional chips, candy and other goodies! We got back to home base just in time to eat the delicious dinner Joseph and Jackie cooked for us. After an exhausting day, we had some free time before going to bed! As our trip slowly comes to an end, the amazing things we saw and experienced will always be remembered! But until tomorrow…

Kwaheri! (Goodbye in Swahili)

Photos by: Nestory T. Owano (Program Coordinator)

      

Sunday July 1, 2018

Hello and Happy July,

Sunday was a chill day. We stumbled out of our rooms for breakfast at nine thirty. After breakfast we planned our lessons for school on Monday. After lesson planning we wandered out into the sunshine and made our way to the Kili Wizards. The Kili Wizards are an award-winning dance group that performs traditional Tanzanian dances. We sat outside and watched the dances and clapped along to the drums that accompanied them. After the Wizards finished up, the group was put into three lines and we tried our best to turn our other left foot into a right one.

Some succeeded and everyone enjoyed moving to the music. Our laughter carried us to our second visit to the orphanage. The children were as happy to see us as we were to see them. We hung out with the kids for an hour or so before heading back to home base where we enjoyed second and possibly third helpings of fish. After dinner we broke into mentor groups where we drew rivers to represent our time here. As with each day there are ups and downs, but we went to bed with smiles on our faces, warmed by a lazy Sunday.

Monday July 2, 2018

Today, Monday July 2nd, we started our day at Patandi Primary School. Our group of 29 students was split among the 4th, 5th and 6th grade students. We worked together to teach our students about telling time, parts of speech, and relative pronouns respectively. After class we jumped into physical service. The group divided between two jobs: desk repair and sanding. In our classrooms there is often three to four people per desk. Our help hammering and sawing desks back into great shape will help give our students more space to learn and grow. Those sanding the classroom are prepping the walls so that the painting phase of the classroom can begin.

This is all in order to create an environment to foster learning. After our service at school, we headed back to home base for lunch followed by some free time to hang out together and continue to connect with one another and grow closer as a group of individuals. In the afternoon, advocates speaking out against FGM, female genital mutilation, came to our home base to educate us and expand our awareness about women’s issues across Tanzania, greater Africa, and the world. By educating us and sharing their stories, they hope to inspire more conversation, attention, and advocacy for vulnerable young women. After an informative conversation we played soccer at a local field and made thank you cards for our staff and students at Patandi. Our day wrapped up with dinner and some group discussion.

July 2 photos coming soon!

Tuesday July 3, 2018

Today, Tuesday July 3rd, we kicked off the day by teaching English to the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders at Patandi Primary School. We continued to teach the children English skills needed for secondary school and for further education. In addition, we continued to mentor the children and be role models to the kids through outdoor activities.

After class, we resumed to our physical service. Many of us continued to paint the classrooms, while others started to sand the walls of a new classroom, in preparation for repainting. Some people were repairing desks, ensuring the safety of kids in a school setting.

After our day of service at school, we went to a luxurious hotel to listen to Uweza, Mama Simba, our Country Director talk about her life. Her stories were inspirational because they conveyed resilience. Uweza had many setbacks in her life but, with determination and passion, she was able to rise above her setbacks and become the successful woman she is today. To end the busy day, we started watching Inception.

Photos by: Nestory T. Owano (Program Coordinator)

Wednesday July 4, 2018

Today was our last day teaching and working at Patandi Primary School. Fourth grade has really made progress in time telling and we’re very proud of that given that we only had three full days with the students. We are hopeful that the 5th and 6th graders have finally conquered parts of speech. We feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to teach them for a mere three weeks, but what they have taught us and given back to us will remain with us for a lifetime. We are quickly approaching what will be a very hard goodbye.

This afternoon, we learned that when a Tanzanian tells you there’s just a small walk uphill through the village, they really mean straight up a vertical mountain. After a long, and somewhat difficult climb we reached a humble coffee farm where we went through the process of making, and then of course tasting, our own coffee! We first had the opportunity to go and pick the red coffee beans off the trees. The beans ripen once a year between July and November. The next step was to put the beans through an ancient looking machine that extremely efficiently removed the outer layer off of the coffee beans.

We then soaked the beans in water to remove the bad beans, which tend to float to the surface. They usually soak for two days, then they dry for five days. Next we continued the process of de-shelling the beans, then picking out the imperfect beans, followed by roasting them until they turned from a cream color to dark black. We let the beans sit in a pot for a few minutes for the shining process.

Then we sang traditional songs while we pounded the grounds in a large mortar and pestle made out of what seemed to be a tree. Then the coffee grounds were placed in boiling water for about ten minutes. The final step was straining the coffee to get some of the grounds out and then at last we all got to taste! We took a longer and less steep walk back, which winded us around the village and gave us beautiful scenic views.

To wrap our day all up, our wonderful cooks made us burgers and fries to celebrate a good ole American holiday. Happy 4th to everyone!

Photos by: Nestory T. Owano (Program Coordinator)

     

Click here to jump down to the new posts!

Sunday August 5, 2018

We woke up today to a very tasty breakfast to prepare us for the fun day ahead. A guest speaker by the name of Jerome came to home base to teach us about the Tanzanian education system. After realizing how drastically different the system is compared to the American education system and others around the world, we asked an agglomeration of intellectual and important questions, further sparking other conversation and questions. After the guest speaker, the students proceeded to their second Swahili lesson of their session, learning words and phrases such as “where are you from?” and “my name is” that they also used later in the day.

While the Swahili lesson was taking place, we were called one by one to be measured for clothing or an accessory of their choice with the gorgeous and unique fabrics we chose from the day before at the local market. Host families were assigned to groups of three and were invited to lunch to introduce themselves to us. After lunch and a brief introduction, we ventured with each host family to their homes where they met the rest of the family. There we asked more questions, delving a bit deeper since we were more comfortable with the family and vice versa. We learned so much about the daily life in Tanzania and the differences in culture and society compared to theirs. We were even inspired, as the conversations sparked ideas of how to leave our mark in Tanzania and onward long after this session. The visit ended with a series of dances, songs, lots of laughter, and a mini adventure to a lake.

-Maya Fawaz, Milo Canul

Monday August 6, 2018

Day 3: Intro to teaching!

Ding* Ding* 8:00 breakfast is ready! Breakfast was good today we had eggs, toast, deep fried yummyness and fruit. After breakfast we hit the road. We arrived at the school as kids greeted us with a song, so cute! Once we were split into our classrooms we jumped right into games and dancing. The kids were so warm and welcoming, grabbing our hands and hugging us. Today was mostly just getting to know the kids and getting a feel for the next week to come. After an hour and a half of getting to know them we started our service. We split up into two groups. One group sanding down the walls and another group pic axing concrete. The work was hard but rewarding.

Back to home for lunch and off we went to batik art shortly after! After tracing, painting, waxing and touch ups we each had our own hand made painting. Later after dinner we split into our teaching groups and had our first session of lesson planning. It was much more challenging than we had anticipated, but we are feeling optimistic about tomorrow!

-Ruby Ravvin and Audrey Young

Tuesday August 7, 2018

Today was another great day in Tanzania. This morning, our chef Mama D made us some eggs, toast, and a fruit salad. We then had time to continue our lesson planning from the previous night to prepare for teaching English to the Tanzanian students. We took a bumpy ride on our bus to the school and split into our assigned classrooms. This first day of teaching was quite difficult, especially with the language barrier, but we were able to get our content across. The students were very engaged and enthusiastic about learning, which made teaching very enjoyable. After a fun-filled recess, we split into two groups for service. Half of us sanded walls, while the others pick axed cement floors. We returned to home base and had a leadership activity regarding stereotypes and how to dismantle them. We then learned from our local staff how to prepare our dinner. We made guacamole, tostadas, and prepared lots of fruit. Some students chose to try a hot pepper, and a few seconds later deeply regretted it. The trip continues to get better each day, and we’re really lookin forward to the next.

Selim Khattab

Max Wilson

Wednesday August 8, 2018

Today we had a really full day! We started off with the usual breakfast and teaching and service, then had beans and rice for lunch. We then listened to a guest speaker from NAFGEM, which fights against female genital mutilation. We learned about the different types of mutilation and the importance of saving girls from going through this. The guest speaker also brought several girls who live at his shelter and they spoke about how they had to run away from their families and the experiences they went through. After this, we got to buy some bags and pouches they made and the funds went to the girls so that they could start their own life.

We then went to a coffee plantation and got to pick coffee beans and roast them. Then we crushed it and danced and sang songs with the village people. Drinking the coffee we made was so good and it was so interesting to see the whole process behind coffee before it gets shipped out. When we got home, we had an AMAZING dinner with some food from back home: fries, chicken wings, and coke! The coke was a huge treat because we’ve only been drinking water and the chicken wings were the best chicken wings we’ve ever had.

Overall, we had a great day and can’t wait to go to the orphanage tomorrow!

– Megan Dixon and Zoe Ferris

Thursday August 9, 2018

We started the day with an amazing breakfast of french toast! On the way to school, the students enjoyed an awesome jam sesh featuring One Direction and Pitbull. In the classroom the GLA students taught about days of the week, indirect and direct sentences, the family tree, and adjectives. During service work we split up into two groups focusing on making cement and plastering the walls.

The students joked around and ended up covered in plaster while singing 99 bottles of milk on the wall; which we finished to 0 bottles of milk on the wall! We then returned to home base to watch the documentary Girl Rising an inspiring story about empowering girls all over the world. After the movie, we visited the Tuleeni Orphanage and enjoyed some songs sang by GLA students, staff and the orphans. After a nice filling dinner Mama “Uweza” Simba told her inspiring life story and we were all very moved. We are super excited for whatever is in store for tomorrow!

-by Delaney Welty & Sara Ahmed

Friday August 10, 2018

Today was another eventful day here in Moshi-town! On the bus to school this morning we performed a lovely rendition of “Royals” by Lorde among other sub par pop songs. Every group made successful advancements in teaching English to their students through games, songs and writing assignments. After a tiring recess – the kids love to chase us around! – we were divided into our mentor groups to lay cement and continue painting the classrooms. At this point in the trip we are quite confident with our service skills and are excited to see the final product!

Later on in the day we went to buy souvenirs from a local market, so keep an eye out for some trinkets when we return home! In the afternoon we observed a local dance troupe called the Kill Wizard Dancers that went above and beyond our expectations. Selim was actually brought up to the stage and performed with fire, don’t worry parents, he’s still alive and doing well! The night ended with anticipation about our upcoming safari. We’re all very excited for this once in a lifetime experience and can’t wait to see some giraffes!

– Izzy Lapidus & Emily Yourman

Saturday August 11, 2018

The first day began bright and early when we left for our safari weekend on Saturday morning. The car ride was long, but it was filled with games, music and laughter which made the four hours seem like nothing. Our first stop was Tarangire National Park. We were in safari jeeps with the roofs propped up, so that we could stay in the car while watching all the animals and taking pictures. We saw numerous elephants, giraffes, impalas, zebras, wildebeests, and many different species of birds.

After the safari, we stayed at the Twiga Lodge. There we were served a delicious dinner of fish, goat, and veggie curry. After a long day of driving we went to our rooms and got some well needed rest.

Our second day of safari, started early 5:00am. We were again served a amazing breakfast, including crepes, toast, and eggs. We then got in our jeeps and headed to Ngorongoro National Park. When we first arrived we were greeted by a family of baboons that were playing and jumping all over the jeeps and gates. We then ventured into the park and the view was amazing! You could see the whole caldera, along with the surrounding mountains. We eventually made it down to the bottom of the caldera where there were many swamps filled with flamingos, cranes, and water buffalo. After that we came across a drier area that had elephants, warthogs, hyenas, zebras, wildebeests, jackal, gazelles, and lions. At lunchtime, we stopped for lunch at hippo pond. There we got to get out of our jeeps, and eat our lunch next to a pond full of hippos.

We got back in our jeeps and slowly headed home where we were greeted with a delicious dinner cooked by Mama D. Overall, it was a weekend to be remembered.

Haley Ireland & Helen Kenderov

Monday August 13, 2018

Today, sadly the second to last day of school, was a great teaching experience for all the GLA and school students. Although some of us were held back by being a bit sick everyone had such a positive teaching experience no matter what grade they were teaching. For service half of the students had a hard working cement session while the other half had a satisfying painting experience and both made great leaps in progress of the refurbishment of the classrooms. After school and lunch we all had the bittersweet goodbyes with our host families, spending the last time with them and wishing them a farewell. To say good bye we gave large gifts to their host families and many students received small gifts from their host families. Although I may never see my own host family again they have widened my personal view of the culture of Tanzania and its people.

Later, we had an incredibly interesting discussion with around 20 hiv/aids victims living here in tanzania. We learned about how their lives have been affected by the disease, some of the struggles they have had to endure, and some of the things that we can do to help. They told us that in tanzania about one person in each household will be infected with hiv/aids. one of the biggest reasons this disease continues to spread so rampantly is lack of education, which is why these people volunteer their time to come and share their stories with us and raise awareness for a disease that has been treated as a taboo in tanzania for so long. the work they have been doing has been a huge aid in combatting the widespread ignorance of this disease and it was so wonderful to hear from them. Until tomorrow!

Sydney Losikoff-Carey and Anna Heeter

Tuesday August 14, 2018

Today we woke up at 7:30 am to a breakfast of eggs, toast, pineapple, papaya, and a cake bread sort of thing. Then we finished up our last day of service at the school. Everyone was sad to leave the kids. We finished up concrete and painting and said out final goodbyes to the school. Then we came back to home base and had lunch. Then we competed in the S.P.A.C.E. J.A.M. competition where we had to compete in games in 3 teams which were the bopping whales, the spicy mongoose, and the happy dictators.

It was a great series of events that consisted of teamwork and fun. After that we had the opportunity to get our hair braided and get back out fabric pieces that got created into various things such as hoodies, shorts, bags and shirts. After that we had a delicious dinner and finished off the day with mentor groups. All is well here in Tanzania.

Click here to jump down to the new posts! 

Thursday July 19, 2018

Since it’s mostly adults reading this, Shikamoo! Today we visited our service site for the first time and got to see the school in action. After introducing ourselves to our classes, we got to spend recess with them where we had a blast playing games. After a half an hour of fun it was time to start our first day of service. We split into two groups, half of us sanded a wall in preparation for new paint while the other half pick axed an old concrete floor to make way for new floors. Once we had gotten back to homebase, we had lunch with our new host families! We got to learn more about Tanzania, while sharing information about our own homes.

Afterwards, we got to visit their homes and got to see the river, which had a cool bridge. After saying our temporary goodbyes, we got to play some games which involved running and catching each other so you could say we’ve bonded pretty well. After the game we had a little bit of free time before dinner where people played cards and cracked riddles. Then we enjoyed an amazing dinner before learning more about teaching English and lesson planning. We’re all excited to experience our first day of teaching tomorrow and work hard in service!!!

– Max Preuninger, Lauren McDannold, and Skye Perry

Friday July 20, 2018

Mambo! Anna, Gabi, and Allie here! Day 4 started night and early with the sound of prayer from the most. Today was our first day teaching. Following breakfast we loaded the bus and were on our way. We were greeted by the smiling students of matoli primary and mnini primary. Last night we made elaborate lesson plans that were put into action today! Starting our service of the day we continued our project of refurbishing old classrooms.

Some of us were pick axing cement, while others including ourselves were sanding down the classrooms so they are ready for paint. After a hard day of work we came home to Mama D’s amazing cooking. After a short break we separated into halves, while one group was doing batik painting, the other half was doing a leadership activity and a cooking class taught by the amazing Mama D, preparing a lovely dinner we would soon all feast on.

Dinner was delicious and we followed it with a birthday cake for our very own Derek Ng turning 17!! They celebrated him with a cake and a traditional celebration of dumbing two buckets of water on his head. Mentor groups then followed then some free time! What a day. Can’t wait for what the rest of the trip has in stock.

-Anna Paskalides, Allie Rosen, Gabi Gyurkovics

Saturday July 21, 2018

Habari,

Hello anxious parents and guardians, it’s Luca, Ryan, and Linden here for the daily report!

Since today was Saturday, and there was no school, all of us had the luxury of sleeping an extra hour and waking up at 8:30 – though most of us were up bright and early, for different reasons such as the morning prayer at the neighboring mosque, or just to get that extra hour of flowering friendship. After breakfast, we sat attentively and learned about the education of Tanzania from the vibrant McJerry, he can be seen on his instagram: @McJerryKomu.

Following, we made a trip into town to get snacks for tomorrows hike on Kilimanjaro, as well as having the opportunity to connect to the internet. After, we made our way back to home base to have a delicious lunch.

Shikamoo, a Swahili greeting that we learned among others during our Swahili lesson; a greeting to those older than you. During the Swahili lesson we also got measured for our own traditional clothes made from fabric we bought from town earlier in the week. At the orphanage, there was nothing less than smiles and fun, photos will come attached, don’t worry. Leaving the children was agreeably one of the hardest things we have to do here in Tanzania thus far. After a hard goodbye, we once again returned to home base to have a tasty dinner.

After dinner, we had a leadership activity concerning stereotypes and assumptions. After that, it was time to airdrop all the photos taken throughout the day, to hang out, and to write this blog that all you lovely parents and guardians have just finished reading.

Asante and Kwaheri, check in tomorrow for more!

Sunday July 22, 2018

After another morning of being able to sleep in, we prepared for our trip to Kilimanjaro. The group split into two buses and drove an hour and a half while finding things in common with friends we haven’t gotten to know as well. Once at Kilimanjaro we met our guide, Davis, who kept everyone smiling as we hiked to the entrance of Mount Kilimanjaro. The hike was beautiful!

On the way we saw several waterfalls and some students even swam in one. We took many pictures at the start of the hiking point then gladly took our comfortable buses back to home base, where we were greeted by Mama Simba. She had a very inspirational talk with us regarding her journey and the role of education in empowering others. After dinner we had an impressive dance and limbo competition.

-by Bella Kemp, Caleb Alebachew, Desi Mortell

Monday July 23, 2018

We woke up to an incredible breakfast by Mama D. After, we briefly lesson planned and departed for the primary school. After an hour of teaching, the physically demanding service began. Some pickaxed classrooms while others sanded and painted walls. After another amazing lunch, we were moved by a powerful speech about genital mutilation occurring in Africa. After this, we were driven to a coffee plantation where we were greeted by tribal dancers with drums. Following the intense dancing, we were taught how to make coffee straight from beans. Once returned to home base, we were blessed with another spectacular meal including rice, beef, and watermelon. We wrapped up the day with our mentor groups where we reflected and discussed our day, while scorning the idea we are half way done with our adventure in Tanzania.

-by Jacob Hamaker, Kris Li, Matt Michelini

Tuesday July 24, 2018

The morning started off with another yummy breakfast (our fav French Toast with some peanut butter). Next, we set off for school! The kids were great per usual, always a blast teaching and playing with them. Service was quite thrilling as one group pick axed, one sanded walls, and another filled holes in the wall. Our group successfully took the entire floor apart!! Next was a delicious lunch. After the fried rice, one group set off for Batik painting while the other stayed back to learn how to cook Tanzanian style! We learned how to paint, using wax as well, to produce a beautiful image of elephants and other Africa wildlife: While at the studio, the group was able to purchase other hand crafted arts and awesome elephant pants. All together, the experience pushed us to our artistic maximums! We then came back to our group favorite, Tanzanian tacos with guac. The night finished off with an empowering bonding session (sworn to secrecy). Last, we had the option of watching a touching documentary about young girls and their individual battles, while sharing blankets and mattresses sleepover style. Thanks for reading!

-Brielle Biggins, Morgan Hager, and Ella Law

Wednesday July 25, 2018

Shikamooni! Today was an amazing day. We started going to the school tolesson plan, teach, and do service. We had to make concrete manually which gave me a new respect for concrete trucks. After that we went into town to a market where we got to barter for our purchases, and then we watched a traditional dance group. They later taught us some of their dance. And then we spent the rest of the night playing this awesome game together. I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it when I get home.

-by Maya Rychlik, Kristin Berry, and Abby Buzza

Thursday July 26, 2018

This morning we woke up energized and excited to teach some kids English! After a successful day of teaching we continued our service including making cement and painting windows of the classrooms we are rebuilding. We were exhausted but it was definitely worth it as we were literally painting a brighter path for the children we are teaching. Then we returned and had a delicious lunch cooked by our very own Mama D. After lunch we met with our host families one last time in order to say our goodbyes. When we returned from visiting with our host families we were fortunate enough to talk and listen to some locals living with HIV/AIDS. Then, after dinner, we enjoyed a night of free time. We played cards, had conversations, and of course jammed out to Katy Perry. She is a very good singer and her old songs are bops. All in all, a great day!

Kwaherini!

-Anita Moreno, Jason Montezuma, Derek Ng

Friday July 27, 2018

Hey! It’s Maya, Ashley, and Katie here!

Today was our last day of teaching and service. We finished off service with painting the walls and windows. We also cemented the floor! It was very hard and emotional to leave all the kids for the last time. We came back to home base and had a tasty lunch, which was followed by S.P.A.C.E. J.A.M. aka the olympics at home base. We did a ton of competitions like the human knot, a blind maze, riddles, and skits. Jiggly Pigs came in first, followed by Kicking Sticks, and Slippery Blanket came in third. After the competitions the hair braiders came and many of us got braids, even though it looked like it hurt, they are pretty amazing looking. We finished off the night with a delicious dinner, and ice cream as a reward for the competitions. Many of us have started packing as we have a very big safari day tomorrow! Welp, time to hit the hay!

Love Maya Matheny, Katie Shanahan, and Ashley Mack

Saturday July 28, 2018

We started our day with an amazing breakfast as always (shoutout to Mama D and James). After our early breakfast we got in our jeeps and headed towards Tarangire park for our safari. Once our 5 hour ride was done and we finally reached the park we ate a quick lunch before heading in. During the safari we saw elephants, giraffes, wildebeests, vultures, African eagles, monkeys, impala, ostriches, and even a lion. It was very exciting to see the animals up close and in their natural habitat. While it was amazing to experience by the end we were all exhausted and ready to head to our lodge. Right as we arrived we ate a great dinner which included pumpkin soup, veggies, and rice. Then we all got ready for bed too prepare for another early morning and day of adventure tomorrow!

Sunday July 29, 2018

Our morning started at 5 am with a quick breakfast at the lodge. Then we headed for the Ngorongoro caldera. It was freezing outside because of the elevation so we were all bundled up together. At the crater we saw water buffalo, zebras, flamingos, hyenas, ostriches, gazelle, wildebeests, monkeys, lions, and hippos! We even got to eat lunch right beside a hippo pond. Heading back to home base was a lot of fun! The long drive was filled with laughing and music. After reaching home base we got our clothes back from the tailor which are all beautiful, and began the play our final games. We did an appreciation circle which was heartwarming for all of us. We had a last dinner of kebabs and ended with a small bonfire.

Andrea Vejar, Ashley Mack, Sarah Gelleny

Click here to jump down to recent posts! 

Sunday July 1, 2018

Mambozenu Families!

Your students have arrived safely in Tanzania and have completed their first full day of service, cultural exploration and learning! Today, we met with the many teachers and 150+ students at Moshi Primary School. The local students greeted the GLA students with wide smiles and lots of hugs! Some even playfully pushing and shoving to get closer to the “wazungu” (foreigners). After meeting everyone at the school our new GLA leaders started their first day of service with pickaxes and sandpaper in hand. After 2 1/2 hours of hard work they were rewarded with Tanzanian enchiladas and some traditional ugali for lunch. We then departed home base to explore Moshi town. While in town we visited the local fruit market and seamstress to select traditional Tanzanian fabrics to be made into dresses, shirts, skirts, pants and backpacks. These students are going to look AWESOME when they come home! After getting tailored for the fabrics local staff introduced some basic Swahili to better prepare the GLAers for their journey ahead.

Myself and the rest of the staff are very excited to continue this program and to create life-changing experiences for all of these lovely students!

Cheers and All the Best,
– Racquel Maronde

Monday July 2, 2018

Seasons come and go, but education lingers forever. Hello, I am Eesa and I am presenting you with the first part of this blog post. Today was quite eventful, we embarked on our first journey to the schoolhouse which was a leisurely 15 minute walk across terrain ravaged by light rainfall. We arrived with boys and girls ranged from grade 1 to grade 7 screaming out for us and greeting us with warming smiles. Orientation was filled with songs and mini games, during break we played soccer and musical dances. We then proceeded with our service part of today.

After the teaching, we split up into two groups. Eleven would be using pick-axes and shovels to tear up the concrete of a classroom almost 50 years old. The other ten would be sanding the walls. (Jack) In my experience, I was using the pick-axes taking chunks of concrete out of the ground. Two lizards were found and a pic-axe was split in half by Kai. After we made about two and a half hours of progress, we went back to home base for lunch followed by a trip to the market in town.

The market was something most of us has never seen before. Hundreds of people lined the streets either walking to a new destination or selling goods to locals and tourists. At the market the locals welcomed us. We bought some fruits to share, selfies took place, and some good efforts to speak Swahili came from us. A bus trip back to base camp and a delicious dinner ended the awesome day.

Wednesday July 4, 2018

Habari dudes!

Everything has been real poa here in Tanzania :)! We started our day by lesson planning, then headed off to the school for our first day of teaching! We taught our designated classes which are grades 3-6 ranging from 7- 12 year olds with various English levels. We taught everything from colors to days of the week. After our classes, we started our labor based service which meant half of us pickaxed concrete and the rest of us sanded walls! Whoop! Later, we learned about the Tanzanian education system from a secondary teacher who is very familiar with the local and national education system. Next, we headed to a coffee farm where we learned about the coffee making process, including harvesting and roasting then ultimately enjoyed a cup of fresh coffee we helped make. Also, we danced with the amazing Chagga dancers. It was a long but good day.

Kwaheri,

Rebekah and Kayla 🙂 <3 😀

Thursday July 5, 2018

Hello!

This morning started off with our normal trip to the school where we continued to work with the students on a variety of topics. After class we enjoyed another recess in which we experienced many games and activities that the students enjoy, such as broken telephone, duck duck goose, soccer, and of course flipping over rocks. We then went to work on mixing and laying concrete and priming the walls in a classroom. Back at home base we ate a lunch that was favored by the mentors and is now by us.

The afternoon consisted of batik painting. This process is done by using dye and wax. The wax is placed to create the design It was an extensive but very rewarding process. It is still up for debate who is going to be the next bob Ross. Most importantly we celebrated Rosie’s birthday with a cake and a surprise water attack. Today was more relaxed but just as unique and fun as past days. We are very eager for the upcoming days and the new relationships that are forming!

-Ashley and Rosie

Sunday July 8, 2018

Hamjambo friends and family,

Lorena and Quinna here writing to you after our fun weekend of safaris! We’ve had early mornings but being able to explore all day was worth it. Saturday we left home base for our first safari where we saw cheetahs, wildebeests and a lot more in Tangire National Park. It was one of our first sunny days in Tanzania which was much appreciated! Saturday night we spent at a hotel and we left 5:30 Sunday morning for another full day in Ngorogoro National Park. The crater was beautiful but very cold. We saw lions, hyenas and ostriches and stopped for lunch with the hippos! We got back in the jeeps for a long drive back to home base and we’re ready to get back to teaching and service tomorrow.

– Lorena and Quinna

Monday July 9, 2018

Today we got back on track with service in the morning after a weekend at the safari. At home base we had an HIV/AIDS panel, which consisted of four guests giving their testimony. Each of them explained how they dealt with HIV and how it has changed their life. After the HIV/AIDS panel, we visited an orphanage called Tuleeni, founded by Mama Ferragi. This orphanage has several locations and offers sponsorship opportunities. After learning about this, we came back to home base and had an amazing dinner. To wrap it up we met with our mentor group and participated in different activities.

-Ivanna and Maria

Tuesday July 10, 2018

Bailee and Enrique here blogging. Hello dads and moms. Today we started the day off as usual, breakfast, teaching, then service. quite a nice start to the day. We came back from service to some delicious lunch. After lunch we took some naps, and we then went to a chill moment where we ate some untypical Tanzanian food (fries). We attempted to use the internet but it was quite difficult to access our snapchats. We finished the day with the best activity which consisted of watching and partaking in traditional Tanzanian dancing. peace out – Spain rules.

Wednesday July 11, 2018

Mambo friends!

Today was another wonderful day in beautiful Tanzania. We had a productive morning full of teaching the children and finishing up on painting and cementing the classrooms. After a delicious lunch, we were introduced to a speaker who discussed a highly significant issue in Tanzania, female genital mutilation. We were informed of the issue by a speaker from NAFGEM (Network Against Female Genital Mutilation), and along with him the students and staff were introduced to two young girls who were fortunate enough to escape this lifestyle in avoidance of child marriage and female genital mutilation.

After this, we met with our host families one last time to say our final goodbyes, experiencing and learning of the lifestyles of the people in our community. To end the day, we had a tasty dinner cooked by the lovely Mama D. Then, we debriefed with our mentor groups. Now, it’s time for bed. Good night to you all! 🙂

-by Charlotte & Rain

Thursday July 12, 2018

Hello rafiki zangu! Today was a crazy day filled with both sadness and fun. We started off our journey by walking over to the Moshi primary school for the last day of service. Teaching with the kids was bittersweet for us because we’ve all become so attached to these kids and it was very hard to say goodbye. After many hugs and tears with the kids, we moved on to complete the finishing touches on the newly renovated rooms, for our final service act. It took several minutes for us to finally let go of the kids’ hands and leave this chapter behind.

After another fantastic lunch, we set out into Moshi town to do some last minute souvenir shopping and pick up snacks for our hike tomorrow. Upon returning to Home Base, a few adventurous individuals received cornrows from local hair braiders. Our specially ordered clothing were also ready and we were able try them on. Our final activity of the day was a series of competitions/games between mentor groups titled S.P.A.C.E. J.A.M. (Smart Practices and Competitive Games of James, Andie, and Melissa). These competitions consisted of physical, mental and teamwork challenges and games. To cap this wonderful day off, we ended this series of competitions with a closing ceremony and a friendly feast of ice cream.

Friday July 13, 2018

Hi! So today was sadly our last day on the trip, but we definitely had a really fun last day!!! We got to wake up an hour later (woooooooo!!!!) and we headed off to a town a short ways away from the base of Kilimanjaro. We then began our hike through the rainforest. Although the weather wasn’t ideal we all made the most of our last day together. After an hour or so from our start we came to a beautiful waterfall and a little lake as we stopped for lunch we also had the choice to swim in a river that was ice cold.

After we finished our polar swim we continued with the hike and finally made it to the trailhead of Kilimanjaro. When we got back to home base we had a “compliment circle” where we all expressed how much we cared about one another (it was super cute!). We had an AMAZING last dinner (thank you Mama D!!!!) and had our last mentor groups. We finished off the night with a late verges and scary stories around a bonfire. ‘‘Twas a fun trip. Peace out Tanzania, its been real 🙂

-Isabella and Rebekah