Our Last Full Day

Yellow parents, friends and other readers who may or may not be creepin’ on this page. Today was our last full day in Thailand. For the past couple of days we’ve avoided talking about saying goodbye but the day has finally come to pack up our things and look back at all the selfies we have taken. In the early morn(Lilah Jean accent) we pilled into the van and headed towards the site where we would be zip lining. We casually breezed through the trees and threw in a twerk here and there. Cindy struggled real hard with the whole experience. After that we had lunch at the site and left to go back home and start packing. As soon as we took a community power nap we started to consider packing. After 30 minutes of staring at all the stuff we had to pack we decided to go play with the kids at joy’s house. We then said our final goodbyes and went to P’ fours restaurant (DEELISH). We surprised Cindy and P’ four with flowers and they we’re so happy. We then came home and did some group activities. Now we actually have to pack sooooo i gots to go! Stay #tru ✌️

-Ana

Hiiii!

We started off the day by going to a water reserve which we could swim in. We were all a bit sad in the morning because we knew that it was P’ Aors last day with us. 🙁

We tried not to focus on the negative as we enjoyed ourselves by relaxing and lounging around in the shade. We swam, tanned, used paddle boats and played Rummikub. We surprised P’ Aor by bringing out a cake that P’ Four helped us get. we enjoyed the delicious Winnie the Pooh cake and had lunch right there by the water. After lunch we were all quite emotional because we said our goodbyes to P’ Aor. We wished her luck for the conference she is attending in Laos and got her facebook so we could add her and keep contact.

As per usual, after lunch we headed to Joy’s Farm for work. Today we hoed the land and planted corn. The seeds were pink which really surprised me lol. When it started to rain we went inside and played more Rummikub (#addicted) and made friendship bracelets with the kids at the farm. After dinner, we enjoyed some more time with the kids before leaving. Tomorrow is our last day at the farm which sucks because we’re all getting so close to the kids and we don’t want to leave. That’s all for today, byeee!

#staytru,

-Salina

Chiang Mai

Hey it’s Annika here! We started off today by visiting a temple up in the mountains of Chiang Mai . During the drive up the mountain we stopped off at a market and Lilah, Ellie and I got dressed in traditional hill tribe outfits!

The group at the view point of Chiangmai!

A Buffalo Farm!

Yellow! Today we (except for fragile Nina) went back to the school we were volunteering at to say bye to everyone (and Lilah got a picture with ‘Bae’). We then went to a buffalo farm, in which we jumped on a terrifying creature (buffalo), plowed the field, planted rice, sorted it and crushed it (because without these skills we cannot and will not find husbands). We also bathed with the buffalo. Following this, we dropped off fragile Annika at home base and went to lunch at a restaurant. We then went to an ice cream place and then Joy’s farm, in which we cleared a field. This was followed by our journey back to home base and a meeting about failure (JK Rowling speech). I am now sitting in the kitchen making tea. Farewell!

The Hike

Hello! Today, we woke up at the lodge and prepared for a hike with our guide, Bird. We went through hill tribes and farm land with beautiful scenery, and although many of us enjoyed it, it was quite an ordeal. The combination of heat and climbing up muddy hills made it especially difficult- I’ve never been so sweaty in my entire life.

We came back to the lodge and learned how to make papaya salad with grilled chicken and sticky rice! It was delicious and after we ate, we went to a waterfall and climbed around for a bit. Finally, we came back to Joy’s House to eat dinner and relax until bed time.

An Exhausting Day

Sawadee-kha!
Today we had a meeting with a community leader; we were given a tour of the learning center and did arts and crafts with the villagers. Afterwards, we all had a very relaxing Thai massage and went to the mall, then we went to the Sunday market and shopped ’til we dropped. By the end of the day, we were all so exhausted, especially since we hadn’t come back to home base since 8:45 AM. Now we’re all about to get ready for an exciting day at Joy’s Farm tomorrow!

A Full Day

So on Friday we woke up a little bit earlier to get to the village where we would start our hike. We had to drive in 2 separate vans because all of us couldn’t fit into 1 van. Not to brag but my van was poppin’. By the way shout to Salina for playing banging music (Beyoncé is life). 45 minutes into the drive we stopped at where we thought we would be hiking. Later we found out we were actually going to explore a cave. It was kind of scary because we had to pass through really tight spaces and some of us felt light headed. Other than that it was really cool, there were even temples inside the cave and since it was Buddha day there we a lot of people inside. We also played a game to try to guess what the rocks looked like. Salina’s and Nina’s game was ON POINT. After the cave we got back into our 2 separate vans and headed to the village. Once we arrived we started to hike up the mountain. The first 15 minutes were a STRUGGLE but we did it. The hike was about 2 hours and when we got to the lodge we were DONE. We ate dinner and did a group activity. After that we had hot chocolate and sat next to a campfire and DIDN’T tell horror stories because Lilah and Salina were toooo scared. That’s about it. Stay Gucci ✌️.

-Ana

The Adventures Continue…

For the first half of the day we taught three lessons at the school, as usual. The kids are always a joy to be around 🙂

Although this is always exciting, the MOST exciting part of the day was the second half. We started off by taking a 1hr ride to the hillsides where we would see the Akha hill tribe people. When we arrived there we were taken around their homes, gardens, land and living area by a woman who is from the Akha tribe herself (but she now lives in Chiang Mai). We walked around their land while we listened and learned about the Akha people (they believe that almost everything can be eaten or put to use; and they personally grow all their own food). The pouring rain was unpleasant but we rocked the ponchos. We got to see the type of clothing that a woman wears and tasted their food. We got the opportunity to go into the home of one Akha family and they fed us a meal that they prepared. It was vegetarian, spicy, but delicious. After speaking some more with the Akha family we made our way back to our home base.

At the home base we rapidly changed and were headed to eat. For dinner we had American food which everyone was so excited about!! It was all soo good, from the barbecue ribs to the spicy chicken wings; the pizza to the brownie desert. Although Thai food is great; we all missed this kind of food and everyone stuffed themselves, haha. After dinner we got time to walk around the Night Bazaar and everyone picked out things for themselves, their family and friends.

The night ended with everyone talking together a bit before going to bed. We’ve got exciting things happening tomorrow so stayed tuned for that. As for now, peace out! 🙂

-Salina

Service

Hello it’s Annika here! We started off the day by teaching three classes at the local school. Then we ate lunch at the school and played with the children!

After teaching English at the school we went to the Illusion Art museum which was filled with paintings which were optical illusions. We could become apart of the paintings which was super fun!

After the museum we went to a huge Thai mall and saw shops that we don’t have at home and did some shopping! We had some time to relax at the home base and made some friendship bracelets! Lastly we ate dinner at Joy’s House and had some leadership talks in the late evening!

A Filled Day

Today we went to the school and visited our beloved bean sprouts (which FYI we planted on the first day). Amanda and I then went to teach the kindergarteners the numbers (improv lesson) whilst the others waited eternally for their lessons to begin (only to then find out that these were cancelled as it was Buddha day at the school). Following this revelation, they then visited the school temple and left offerings to the monk (singular). We then waited in a classroom and planned English Day (coming soon to a blog near you) and then Pi Four politely got us out of there. We then went shopping for materials for English Day, followed by a visit to a restaurant (in which we ate chicken and melon ice cream). We then waited at a cafe until our Thai boxing lesson began. Thai boxing is, as you’d expect, boxing. We learned oh so very much (most memorable of which was how to count to ten in Thai) and were very entertained by an individual’s ripping of their trousers (cough cough Ana). After sweating off everything we have ever consumed in our lives, we went back to Joy’s House and then went to dinner at a ‘mall’ (shopping centre for us English people). Now we’re back and I’m in charge today so I must get everyone to practice our Thai dancing. I must go now, so farewell!

-Elizabeth N Hitti

Adventures!

Today was jam packed with amazing adventures! First, we went biking alongside rice patties and a huge man made lake. It was a challenging 15 km ride, but the views were well worth it. After lunch, we kayaked in the man made lake and went swimming. At night we got to walk around the sunday night market and everyone bought trinkets and THAI PANTS!! We’re all looking forward to going back to the school and working tomorrow.

-Lilah

Maetaman Elephant Camp

Today we visited Maetaman Elephant Camp and had the opportunity to ride/bathe the elephants and go rafting down the river. We also learned how to recycle elephant dung into paper. Afterwards, we headed back to home base and were given free time to relax and do our daily evening activities. Tomorrow we’ll be having an eventful day filled with a ton of physical activity so we’ll keep you posted!

A Fantastic Day!

We started off the day by going back to teach English to younger students at the school. Then, one of the teachers gave us lessons in a Thai dance we’re performing next week for the school’s English day. We ate lunch with the kids and left for Sarapeepittayakom School, where we met students our age and played games with them after a brief presentation and music/dance performances. Afterwards, we spilt off into groups and the students gave us tours around their school. We all had a great time; they treated us like celebrities! At the end of the day, we went back to Joy’s House and enjoyed some much needed down time. During our meeting, we watched a lecture by an African author about “single stories” and the importance of hearing different points of view. We had a fantastic day, and we can’t wait to meet the elephants tomorrow!

-Quinn

First Day at the School

Today was our first day at the school. The program coordinator gave us a lesson plan to do with the kids. After 2 hours of teaching what we had planned for that day we learned how to plant our own bean sprouts.  We left the school and had coffee at a shopping mall. After an hour or so we went and learned techniques for meditation from a monk and asked questions about their beliefs. Now that we are back at home we’re practicing our performance for the thai kids tomorrow! Good night!

-Ana

Starting Off

Today we briefly visited the school we will be volunteering at for the next few days and met the English teacher that works there.
We visited multiple temples and were blessed health and happiness by a monk and took some pictures.

After the temples we had a cooking class with a really funny Thai guy and made pad thai noodles, spring rolls, green curry with vegetables and sticky rice with mango. It was all super delicious and we were totally stuffed.

At the end of the night we had a quick orientation from one of our directors and did some arts and crafts.

By: Amanda 

First Day

We are so excited to have all of the girls here!  Today we were greeted by Joy’s house staff and had dinner together.  We all got to hear live guitar being played by Joy’s house residents during dinnertime.  The girls spent some time getting to know each other, but the rest of the night was free to rest. We have so many exciting activities planned for the days to come!

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived in Thailand and are ready for an amazing program! Stay tuned for blog posts and photos!

The Last Few Days

We took a break from our service work and traveled to visit a cave that used to be inhabited by the Burmese. Inside were sculptures of the budda used for people to worship but most of the cave contained natural caverns and rock formations. We were led through the caves by guides with gas lamps because there were no other sources of light. After this we ate lunch and then drove to a near by hill tribe village where we began a hike through the mountains hill tribe corn farms to get to the lodge where we would spend the night.

In the morning we went on another hike around the neighboring communities and then returned to the lodge where we were taught how to make papaya salad for our lunch. After this we left the lodge and drove to a waterfall before coming back to home base.

Today we returned to our service work in two separate groups like before, (one going to the agape orphanage and the other going to the wildflower womens home). The rest of the day we spent doing activities including visiting another waterfall and going to a buffalo camp were we learned about how water buffalos are trained and used for work and also about traditional rice farming.

– by Vicki and Trinity

Chiang Mai

Today we woke up to a delicious feast of fried rice and fruit to give us energy for our adventures in the hills of Chiang Mai. We drove an hour from home base out of Chiang Mai proper to a biking/kayaking excursion. We rode our bikes through small villages and various rice farmlands for 2 ½ hours. It was tiring but the beautiful views paid off for our hard work. After lunch, we embarked on tandem kayaks to explore the lake and play games on the water.

After putting on some dry clothes we piled into the vans and headed to the Sunday night walking market in Chiang Mai, where we ate dinner and shopped at the various handicraft stands. Afterwards we all met at Burger King to return to home base. We are all going to bed now and looking forward to hiking tomorrow.

– Griffin and Virginia

Wildflower

Sawadika everyone! Yesterday started out just like any other day with an amazing breakfast. At 9 we departed for service. I, Jen, went to Wildflower and there iI got to play with the kids. It was so much fun even though the twins wouldn’t stop crying. It was a great day at Wildflower.

While Jen was at Wildflower, I, Faithe, went to the Agape orphanage where we spent about two hours playing with the children. The boys spent their time playing “futbol” while the girls played with the little ones on the trampoline or in a game of ping-pong. We Americans lost in ping-pong every time!

We then departed to a historical village where we all got dressed up in traditional Thai clothing with all the Wildflower women and children and the Agape kids. While everyone else went to get some snacks and treats, Galen and I were too busy holding two adorable twins who were only two months old! They were sleeping in our arms and we just couldn’t let them go! I think we considered the idea of adopting them.

While Faithe was holding the baby, I had to watch over a seven year old boy from Agape who is just the sweetest thing I have ever met in my life and I wish I could just take him home with me.

At the end of the activity we had a delicious lunch, went back to home base and later that evening we went to the night bazaar where we had dinner, actually, a feast at a place called “The Duke’s.” Jen and Virginia chowed down a whole plate of ribs and two plates of fried chicken. They even did a competition to see if they could eat 6 pieces of wings in 2 minutes. Then Faithe and I went shopping after dinner at the night bazaar where we went crazy and bought a bunch of stuff and at the end of the night we were like “ok no more shopping!”

– Jen and Faithe

The Dawn of the Spider – Parts I & II

Part I

The day was June 27, 2014. I (Peter) woke up this morning and made my way groggily to the bathroom, where I was expecting to complete my morning routine. I flipped on the light switch, walked in, and started to set my stuff down, when I noticed a MASSIVE spider just chilling on the wall, maybe 4 inches away from my face.

I can’t remember a time when I had ever run faster than at that moment!

Fast forward to 9:00 AM. My team and I arrived at Wildflower Home, a home for single mothers in need. We were given an introduction and then went to start our service work. We assisted in the production of the herbal shampoos and conditioners that come exclusively from the Wildflower Home, made by those who inhabit it. We peeled Kefir Limes, chopped up the peel, and then used a mortar and pestle to create a fine substance.

We had lunch at the home, and then drove to a 3D Art Museum. We spent the afternoon there, and finished the afternoon at the coffee shop connected to the museum, where the Wi-Fi was greatly appreciated.

Fast forward to 6:30 PM. The other team had come back and we went to check if the spider from earlier was still there. Naturally, it was. After we tried to kill it, as it ran towards us (all eight of its dangling legs in motion), an unnamed mentor (Allie) figuratively peeing her pants, and a Thai staff member hearing our screams and running in to get rid of the spider, we were all left with one ridiculous story to tell:  a story of survival.

– Peter Ganovsky

 

Part II

My morning was sadly much less eventful.

After a relaxing morning, we headed out at 9:30 for the 3D Art Museum. Now, this was no normal boring art museum. Throughout the museum there were many different paintings and illusions to take pictures in and with. After walking through, we spent an hour at the museum café, relaxing before our service in the afternoon. After an hour at the café, we headed out to the Agape for our first day.

For the past week my group has been working at the Wildflower home (for the record, we did much more work than Peter’s group!). When we arrived we were greeted by Kelly, an excited Australian who works at the orphanage. We were shown around the orphanage and led to a room where we received our formal introduction. We watched a video about Agape’s past, which highlighted the founder, Avis. Unfortunately, my group did not get to meet Avis because she returned to Canada to work on her book.

The rest of the day was simply amazing. We spent about an hour doing service. When that was over the kids arrived home from school and we spent the afternoon and early evening playing with the children. We ate dinner with the kids and then returned to the home base to spend the evening playing cards and hanging out (well, not including the aforementioned spider attack)

 – Riley Janeway

2 Perspectives on Wildflower and Agape

Chessy Singer and Galen McDonald:

This week our group split up into two teams and has since been putting our efforts into helping our two sites, Wildflower and Agape. Wildflower is a home where pregnant or new mothers can acquire help. They provide services such as education, child care, job searching, and shelter. These women are all unfortunately people who have been exiled from their communities, in abusive relationships, etc. Our group is providing service by assisting in the transport of materials that will help to prevent flooding in the rainy season. We’ve also had some moving interactions with women and children at the home.

Agape is an orphanage for children living with HIV. Our visits have been very emotional and it has been difficult to digest their situations. Our groups has been splitting our time working to clean and repair the exterior of Agape’s facilities. We have also been interacting with the kids and the staff. All of us have been traveling on half-day excursions to various destinations in and around Chiang Mai, such as going to a Buddhist university and having an intimate chat with a practicing monk. Additionally, we enjoyed touring one of the most famous temples in Thailand, Wat Doi Suthep. On the flip side, we also had a rejuvenating relaxation rendezvous at a local reservoir. It shocks us that our trip is halfway done and we are flabbergasted at the closeness of our group.

Caitlyn Chang and James Kipp:

Sawatdee ka from the beautiful sunset over the Ping River! We have just begun the second half of our adventurous experience in Thailand, and have barely had time for a rest. The family of fourteen on our trip recently divided into two groups, one working at the Agape orphanage and another at the Wildflower Home. This is Caitlyn and James writing to share the different experiences of GLA students from today.

Our day at Agape was quite eventful. After a couple hours of shoveling dirt and cleaning gutters, we got the special opportunity of witnessing an adoption. We joined the Agape kids and Avis for a sending off prayer. After being joined by an Australian school group that helped us keep all 103 kids in line, we spent our remaining time getting crafty with the kids, making paper flowers, kites, and friendship bracelets. We enjoyed getting to work with the kids, especially competing with a 38-person Australian squad.  Our time at Agape gave us incredible insight and perspective on those who live with HIV. Although Agape’s residents live with uncontrollable diseases, their happiness is contagious. The wonderful volunteers and staff make a home out of an orphanage for kids who are ostracized by society.

Over at Wildflower, a home for young women facing familial or financial adversity, we split our morning into two parts. When we arrived, we helped shovel and transport soil to the playground where the young children of the mothers played. This was a task we were accustomed to, having worked on the same project for the preceding three days. After completing this, however, we were able to help peel, chop, and mash limes that would be used in an organic shampoo. This shampoo is chemical free, and is used to cleanse the women and their babies, while excess is sold to support the home. It was a particularly satisfying day at Wildflower to learn how the shampoo is made and to know that we were making a more direct impact on helping the home.

Our non-service activity for everyone was pottery at the Chiang Mai University. We learned from Thai ceramicists how to use clay to create mugs, necklaces, key chains, and casts of different animals. This was a unique and excellent activity because it was a step back from the role of the tourist and explorer; it allowed us to interact with the locals, use the creative mind, and complete a fun hands-on project.

We are excited to switch service locations tomorrow for the rest of our time here, and to participate in new and unique adventures. It is crazy to think that we are over halfway through our trip, and that after eleven days the students have all grown so close. Thank you for tuning in to our experiences in Thailand and we are excited to be able to share even more!!

Here are some more photos from our recent adventures:

An Amazing Week!

Sa-wat-dee (Hello) from Thailand!

We’re writing to you after an incredible week of teaching English at two local elementary schools, as well as a weekend of Elephant riding and zip-lining! Needless to say, students have had a pretty busy schedule over the last seven days. However, energy levels are high due to the excitement surrounding each new activity!

This past week, GLA students did a fantastic job working with one another to develop creative strategies to engage their young Thai counterparts in the classroom. Lessons were taught on subjects such as basic greetings, colors, shapes and animals. Our main purpose within these schools was to not only teach English, but also create and environment that made learning English fun and purposeful to students who traditionally have little access to communicating with native English speakers.  Overall, our time within each school was a complete success! Both GLA and Thai students came away with the realization that the most important language in this world is simply energy. Although there were many times when neither party could understand one another, students founds that forming bonds with others is as simple as sharing a quiet smile or boisterous laughter.

Following our week of teaching, we headed to a province north of Chiang Mai to relax and cool off in a river while helping to bathe ELEPHANTS! Being around such majestic beings was truly an experience that will not be forgotten. The elephants certainly enjoyed their bath, and we equally enjoyed their playful nature as we continuously dodged the water from their mega squirt-gun trunks!

On Sunday morning, we visited a local village that provided us with a brief tour and history of their agriculturally sustainable community as well as time to make handicrafts such as leaf ornaments, paper journals, and tissue paper ornaments, alongside community members. After lunch, we proceeded to our zip-lining course! Everyone had a blast while conquering their fears amongst the canopies of 100 ft tall trees north of Chiang Mai.

After an eventful week, we ended our first seven days in Thailand with a night stroll down Chiang Mai’s famous Sunday night street market. During this time, we had the opportunity to shop for local crafts, indulge in the extraordinary cuisines, and most importantly – reflect on our experiences and the impact they’ve had on each of us thus far.

Energy is the most important language one can possess.

Happy Faces

Here are some photos of us from the past couple of days. We’ll send more, along with additional blog posts, as we go!

Cultural Connection

Greetings from Chiang Mai, Thailand!!!

Two days ago over the course of the day members of our student group arrived at the Chiang Mai airport. This was essentially a rest day for our students to settle in, try the wonderful food prepared by our warm and welcoming cooks, and spend time by the pool reading and relaxing. By the time the last group of students arrived it was night time here and so we provided a dinner of Pad Thai and vegetable soup and then everyone went off to sleep.

Yesterday, Monday, was our first official day of the program. After staff and student introductions in the morning and some fun get-to-know-you activities as well as a crash course in speaking Thai we departed for a city tour of Chiang Mai. Our first stops were at the Nong Krai school and the Wat pa Koi Tai School. These are the 2 schools that our students will be teaching English at for the next several days. We then drove to the center of the city and visited 2 very distinct Buddhist temples. At each temple we learned a bit about the iconography of the paintings on the wall, the significance of different Buddhist statues, as well as the cultural norms of how to enter a temple, how to sit, and where to place one’s feet.

The energy of our group really began to come together on this city tour and the students were all very keen and interested in everything that was new like driving on the left side of the road, noticing the dress of Thai monks, noticing how many motorbikes there are on the road etc..

We then traveled to our lunch site which was a very nice buffet offering everything from traditional Thai Curries to salads, sushi rolls, and even pasta and pizza. In the Thai language when you are full we say “im” and believe me we were all very “im” by the end of this great lunch. In the afternoon we split into 2 smaller groups and took a traditional Thai cooking course. Every one in each group had their own personal stove to cook on and prepared a green curry with eggplant, lemongrass, ginger, kefir lime, and of course chili paste. We also made sweet sticky rice with fresh mango.

Again our bellies were full and although the students were feeling the jet lag we pushed forward. We returned to home base, allotted for a bit of down time, and jumped right in to our teaching groups to prepare for our first big day of teaching.

Today, Tuesday, our students taught English at both schools in small groups. Some taught English to 1^st and 2^nd graders while others taught to 7^th and 8^th graders with a bit more experience in the English language. This first day proved to be each exciting and challenging. There is a saying that goes something like “the best way to master a subject is to teach it.” And so little by little or Jai Yen Yen( in Thai), we are learning to become masters of our craft. We unwound this afternoon by taking a Muy Thai Kickboxing lesson. We are now back at Home Base and students are taking a refreshing dip in our pool. Soon we will have dinner together, reflect on our day of teaching and make a plan for tomorrow.

We have a wonderful group of students and I would like to personally thank all you parents, friends and family members out there in helping make this experience possible for your children. I assure you they are in good hands, will be well fed, given enough time to sleep and refresh. We will also be taking full advantage of our short time here in Thailand with service, and group activities, and reflections so this will mean very full days. At times these action packed days may be a bit challenging, but that is also part of our program. It is in those challenges that we all grow. Count on more updates on our blog as our program continues to unfold.

Kind Regards and Well Wishes!

– The Thailand Cultural Kaleidoscope team

All Arrived

All students have arrived safely in Thailand and have called home. We’re looking forward to our first few days getting to know one another and this beautiful country!

Headed Home

All students are on their way home after an amazing program!

Mt. Kilimanjaro

The day began with a late start at the GLA home base. We left at around 9:00 for a hike in Kilimanjaro National Park. An overheated bus delayed us briefly, but we adventured on, and at the start of the trail, met the hiking guides who would lead us through coffee plantations on our way to our destination—two different waterfalls. The hike to the first waterfall went smoothly. The bravest of us took a quick dip into the freezing cold water, while others could be found exploring among the rocks scattered along the stream. Some just sat and enjoyed the view, sprayed lightly by the mist coming off the waterfalls. After our fill of the first waterfall, we took off for the second one. We stopped halfway to enjoy a packed lunch provided by Mama Digna and the kitchen crew. We made our way to the second waterfall, which was larger than the first and more people took the leap this time, and splashed in the pool below the falls. Even Godwin and Baraka joined in for a swim! Although we had a couple of minor cuts and bumps in the slick mud, the hike went smoothly overall and everyone was happy and tired as we stopped at the craft market, eventually arriving home in time for dinner. Our night was capped off with a feast that included one of our last team exercises of the trip, a slide show recapping our events of the last two weeks, and a final evaluation. I think that all of us agree that though bittersweet, our last night in Tanzania was a blast!

–Elsie O.

“Home is Whenever I’m With You.”

Today is hard to describe. Waking up was rough for everyone because the events of our safari weekend were so beautiful, yet so draining.

Seeing the children’s faces at the school, however, was a second-wind that lasted through the remainder of the day. The children tend to do that. As soon as the bus pulls into the school, all the children come running and waving to see the ‘wazungu.’ This scene gives us a sense of importance because they are running to see us.

It’s such an exhilarating feeling to think of the impact we have on these children’s lives and the happiness we provide to them, because most of the children don’t have much and to see them so happy is euphoric. That happiness has bonded our GLA group to them and leaving them is going to be difficult because they have become such a large part of our lives. It’s like the Edward Sharpe lyrics, “Home is whenever I’m with you.” Tanzania will always be a second home thanks to the children.

So anyway, after teaching we did some grueling yet productive work on the fence. A few of us were on trash pickup, which was great because the area will become a garden for the schoolchildren.

After arriving home, half the group stayed back to rest while the other half went into town. We all regrouped at around 3:00 for our afternoons at the coffee plantation, the orphanage and batik painting. It’s been great having so many chances to go back to the orphanage. There has been a different group going there almost everyday, giving us an opportunity to really connect and form fabulous relationships with each of those remarkable children.

Goonday, a 19-year-old sweetheart who is the epitome of selflessness; Lily, a 10-year-old who loves the color purple and clubbing; Happiness, a 10-year-old who loves coloring books; violet, the 3-year-old who loves to show off her dance moves, each individual holds a special place in our hearts.

Following dinner we had a leadership workshop with Shan which was the best one yet. He told us an inspiring story about a girl, only 12-years-old, who performed a miracle of fundraising soccer balls for orphans in Ghana. Then we learned about “Lollipop Moments,” and shared ours with the group. It became one of the most emotional and riveting moments of the trip and brought us all so close. These teens I’m with are all so beautiful. If you are a parent or friend, be proud because they will change the world.

–Jorie

Safari!

“Did you see that?” Sometimes you zone out, but in Africa you zone in. On safari, you don’t dream of being somewhere else. You don’t imagine a different place. You don’t close your eyes, no matter how tired you are. You are focused. You are energized. You are ready to experience Africa. We woke up today at 06:30 excited by the prospect of seeing zebras, elephants and lions up close. We filled up on granola bars and eggs before shuffling onto the two awaiting tour buses, rearranging ourselves so that all of us, and our overnight bags, would fit. Our bus was filled with excited chatter about what we were about to see. “What will the safari vehicles look like? Do you think there will be zebras? I want a zebra selfie!” It felt good to be surrounded by new friends discussing crazy adventures yet to come. Eventually we arrived at our meeting spot where we divided into safari groups and loaded into our off-road vehicles. My vehicle was absolutely awesome. I was joined by Brooke, Lara, Mary, Kenzie T. and Jorie under the leadership of Mama Kath. We bonded as we drove out to Tarangire National Park. Our discussion got deep as talked about our futures and who we would like to become. We talked about how this trip has inspired us to want to travel the world and make a difference. We discussed how making someone smile has provided us with immense joy and is the greatest blessing we’ve ever received. When we finally arrived at the park we had to push back our excitement for another hour so we could eat lunch and ready ourselves for the afternoon. The food in our boxed lunches was an interesting assortment of a hard-boiled egg, crepe, fried chicken, mango juice, a donut and a piece of fruit– something for everyone! Finally it was time to see the animals. We loaded back into the vehicles, exhilarated and anxious. Immediately we saw zebras, wildebeest and giraffes. Later we saw elephants and warthogs. The night prior we had cuddled up to watch ‘The Lion King,’ so during our safari we playfully whispered, “Pumba!” and “Simba!” to the animals. But it wasn’t just the animals that were amazing. The setting itself was unbelievable. At times, I found myself wanting to reach out to touch a tree just because it didn’t seem real otherwise. We stood up on our seats with our heads out the roof and the wind in our hair. We were within throwing distance of wild animals I had only ever seen before on Google images. The screen on my phone kept telling me “storage full you cannot take another photo” because, wrapped up in the excitement and beauty of the day, I took so many photos! Arriving at the hotel that night, we were warmly greeted by a friendly staff and taken to the most amazing rooms. I had the privilege of rooming with my girl Leila. She is an amazing friend and we stayed up almost all night chatting. Overall I had just an unbelievable day. (ps: I just want to thank all the parents out there reading this for sharing their amazing children. It has been a true honor to spend the last week calling these extraordinary people my friends, so thank you. And a special shout-out to Mom, Dad and Josh. I love you guys!)

–Christina S.

part 2

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away.” Today my breath was taken from me like it didn’t even belong to me anymore. I was convinced that what I was seeing only existed in my dreams. I could not find words other than, “This isn’t real.” At times I couldn’t even bring myself to bend down to grab my camera, because I knew it didn’t matter. No camera of the highest quality could capture the moment. The moment was not just the view before us. It was that I was standing in a safari car with amazing people from around the world. It was the way two beautiful birds flew past our car without a care in the world. Their graceful simplicity was so mesmerizing. In that moment that I stood staring into the Ngorongoro Crater and I finally realized, “I’m in Africa,” tears filled my eyes carrying so many emotions with them. Some I’ve never felt before. It takes a lot to make me cry, so I knew then that the image of the crater and the feeling that came with it, will forever be in my memory and in my heart, and I will always have an emotional connection to my new favorite place on earth.

–Sarah H.

Nchi ya ma’ajabu

Hakuna matata. (A wonderful country. There is no problem.) Being in a large group of teens with powerful morals and values similar to your own can end up giving you a beautiful new perspective. An environment like this can inspire you, make you push yourself, and help you grow in confidence. We all came here to do our part in changing the world, but our world ended up changing us. Going to the school and seeing the smiling children reminds us of our purpose in life. Helping others fulfills a great sense of desire in each of us. There is an extreme satisfaction that comes when the children actually understand the lesson we are teaching them. We feel accomplishment in ensuring the safety of the children with every bit of progress in planting the fence. After a great morning of service, a trip to the market to pick up fabric only furthered our love and understanding of life here in the awesome country of Tanzania. We, for a moment, lived the life of a local person when we negotiated the best price for our fabric and then placed our custom orders with a nearby seamstress. Finishing off the day with a blindfolded group trust activity reminded us of the greatness of our group which was able to complete a series of odd tasks while lacking several essential senses and modes of communication. We’re a dynamic group in an amazing country, just trying to “be the change.”

–-Carra

Himo-Korona

“Whatever you can do or dream, you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” – Goethe

Today’s quote perfectly sums up our day, as we began our teaching as well as our physical project at Himo-Korona School. Both tasks required us to adapt to new situations and our excellent mentors and teachers helped us to nurture these new talents. After teaching, we got to play with the children, who were so overjoyed to interact in a more personal and playful environment. We read to them and taught them new games, and in return they taught us new songs and games of their own.

After learning that using a pickaxe is not easy, and after an amazing lunch, we split into mentor groups and participated in a different activity. One group went to Tuleeni Orphanage where we met the founder, Mama Faraji, who provides care and education to children whose parents have died from diseases like malaria and HIV-AIDS, without government funding. Another group learned batik painting and created some masterpieces. The third group visited a local coffee plantation where they drank the freshest cup of coffee they’d every tasted. We finished the day with a leadership activity and shared teaching tips that we are all eager to use in the classroom tomorrow.

–Nina, Alex & Elizabeth

“Be The Change You Wish To See In The World”

This small but powerful message illustrates today’s events. Leadership was today’s focal point. Indeed, two activities in particular truly enabled all of us to rethink what leadership is all about and how to become a leader. First, our guest speaker, Mr. Chalamila, a local teacher, gave us an exhaustive introduction to contemporary contemporary issues in Tanzania, both social and economic. As we discussed Tanzanian history, he invited us to come up with theories concerning solutions to modern problems in Tanzania. This experience consequently gave us a taste of leadership at its core, which is analyzing an issue and finding creative solutions that are likely to inspire others. Secondly, the leadership workshop this evening was a truly enlightening activity. We (at least those of us not exhausted after a long and eventful day!) got to reflect on great leaders from Mother Theresa to F.D.R and Martin Luther King, and we watched presentations not only on how to be a leader, but also on the danger of stereotypes and how to make the most of your existence. Today’s conclusion, my opinion, is that anyone can be a leader as long as you have the internal motivation to impact your environment positively. With such intentions, one will naturally inspire others to follow him. With the right attitude, changing the world is up to you, and you alone. Again: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” –Raphael D.

Starting Off

Day 1 was packed with activity here at the Moshi home base! The group is asleep as I write this. They endured long journeys, lost luggage and cancelled flights to get here; sat through a full morning of orientation; learned how to greet people in Swahili; took a walk through the village; spent the afternoon visiting in the homes of our host families; and capped off the night with a lively get-to-know-you activity. Tomorrow we’ll visit our service site, host our first guest speaker, do some fun cultural activities and kick off our Leadership workshops. We have a lot of great activities and adventures planned for our short time together and everyone’s resting up tonight for the exciting days ahead. Stay tuned for updates from our student leaders in the coming days. We’re gonna have a blast together and we can’t wait to share our stories and photos with you. Usiku mwema. (g’night) –Shan S., International Program Director

Students are all here in Tanzania!

All students have arrived safely in-country and have been picked up by staff.  More updates to come!

Headed Home

All students are checked in through the airport and headed home!

Packing Up & the Finished Product

Mt. Kilimanjaro Photos

USA river women’s coop

Safari!

This weekend was one we will never forget. We began our first safari at Tarangire National Park. We saw an abundance of giraffes, elephants, cheetahs, lions, zebras, and birds. It was an amazing experience. We finally got to see our own version of “The Lion King”. Everyone had a blast, and by the end of the day we were all exhausted and were looking forward to Ngorongoro Crater bright and early the next morning. Arriving at the hotel we were pleasantly surprised by large beds, warm showers and electricity!

Wake up call was at 5:15 A.M. and we left after a breakfast buffet at the hotel. Arriving at the gates of the crater was hectic. We waited about 45 minutes for paperwork to be processed and then we headed in. While driving up the crater we were blinded by the heavy fog, leaving an element of surprise for what was to come next. We really learned to put trust in our drivers. As we finally entered the inside of the crater itself, we were shocked by how beautiful and all consuming our surroundings were. Pictures could not do it justice. We drove down the side of the mountain, all anxious and excited to see what animals would come our way. There were herds of zebras, wildebeests, ostriches, warthogs, hyenas, hippos, and a family of lions. It was an incredible experience. Both national parks were very different; giving us different surroundings and even different types of animals living in each. We left the crater at 3:00 P.M. and headed back to home base for showers and dinner. Bed will feel good tonight.
Lala Salama or Goodnight

-Madeline and Nicole

GLA TZ

Dance, the most simple expression of emotion
Discovery, the key that unlocks learning
Travel, a portal to all ways of life
Friendship, the power to experience them all

Today:
* Traditional dance and dumming lesson
* Arusha walking tour some including central market
* Labor at Patandi Primary School
* Playing soccer with special needs school students
* “You’re the Best” talk with Mama Simba

Arusha

Today we had a fantastic day in Arusha. We woke up and ate a delicious breakfast, prepared by

Joseph, our local chef. We began our morning with a course on Female Genatile Mutilation, which is a

rising debate in Africa. Speakers from an organization called NAFGM (Network Against Female Genatile

Mutilation) came to educate us about this local problem. We all learned a lot about this controversial

topic. Then we had the choice to go to either the local river, local lake, local market, or access internet

in town. We had a relaxing morning. We had a flavorful lunch and then departed for our service.

We taught the students for an hour and then we painted and finished our last coat of oil paint! The

classroom looks very bright and we are all proud of the transformation that we have achieved. It will be

awesome to see the finished product in just a few days, considering just 2 weeks ago we walked in to

what looked like a storage room, told we would be turning it into a classroom. We came back to home

base for a yummy dinner. We concluded our night with an activity called The Affinity Circle. It was a

great chance to get to know one another on a deeper level and share personal stories with the group!

We are very excited for another fun filled day in Tanzania!

Service Photos!

Cooking!

Maasai Moments

This weekend we had the privilege of spending the night with Maasai warriors. We arrived Saturday afternoon at the boma. We were greeted with song, dance, and gifts. The welcoming ceremony consisted of jumping and storytelling through song. Next, we watched the warriors kill a lamb that we later ate for dinner. We watched the sunset, then later continued our singing and dancing. The night ended with us falling asleep under the stars under the watch of a warrior. In the morning, we brushed our teeth the warrior way; with a stick they called ‘toothbrush stick’. We then took a long walk to baobab trees and the Maasai school.  After lunch, we packed our bags and said goodbye to our new friends. It was a once-in-a- lifetime experience that none of us will ever forget.

Habari Gani!!

Today is day eight of our three week journey. We started our day with a delicious Tanzanian breakfast, which consisted of pancakes, eggs, beans, bananas, and bread! After breakfast we had the opportunity to choose between three activities: journalism, art, or meditation. We then gathered our belongings and either went on a mountain hike or to a strip mall in Arusha. In Arusha, we had access to wifi and were able to connect with others back home. For the adventurous six individuals who went hiking, they were able to view all of Arusha from the peak of the mountain and completed the task in two and a half hours.

By 1:00 pm we were all back at home base and ready for lunch. The lunch was filling which prepared us for what was coming for dinner. It also provided us with an abundance of energy for our first day of teaching at Patandi! By 2:00 pm we were out the door and on our daily 10 minute walk to the primary school. In groups of three we split up and were assigned our own class of 10-15 standard five students (9 – 14 year olds). Each group of GLA students brought a different style of teaching to the table. Groups taught a variety of things from past and present tense to colors and days of the week. After our first day of teaching we continued our manual labor project of sanding walls.

By 5:00 pm we were on our way back to home base. We can strongly say that we were not prepared for what was coming next. Tonight we did something called the Hunger Banquet. This is when we drew cards with a hypothetical economic status which consisted of high, middle, and low incomes. Each income had a specific place to sit. The four high income people were served a filling meal of fried chicken, french fries, rice, soda, and vegetables. The six middle income people were given rice, beans, and water. Lastly, the ten low income people were left to eat plan rice from platters with their hands. If they were thirsty they had to drink out of a communal bowl of water. This activity was an eye opening experience for all of us. Tonight some of us go hungry, like 50% of the world.

Best regards,

Your community coordinators,

-Aspen and Nicole

Ps. Goodnight, Sleep Tight, Don’t let the Bed Bugs Bite. I love and miss you all!

Pss. 143

Reflections

We started the day with fresh omelets, toast, and beans. After that we had a discussion on HIV/AIDS in small groups of GLA students. This was in preparation for a visit from TUPO the HIV/AIDS support group in Arusha. They each told their stories about how the disease affects their life before and after they were diagnosed. We then proceeded on a trip to a coffee plantation owned by a local man. He demonstrated the technique of grounding and brewing the coffee beans. And then we watched as he brewed us coffee to drink. We all enjoyed it. We came back for lunch, and then after lunch the group split up and went to two different orphanages. It was a very emotional experience because we all were exposed to a greater amount of poverty than any of us had seen before. A few people cried. We came back and had a bit of time to think about what had just happened before dinner. After dinner Shaun, the director at the Moshi site, showed a presentation about education about Global Issues. This was extremely thought provoking. We then met with our mentor groups before bed.

-Nik Yergo and Eryn McCassey

Photos!

Jambo and Nakupenda!

Today we woke up earlier than usual. We started the day at 7:00 A.M. Tanzanian time. From there, we ate a DELICIOUS traditional African breakfast. Following breakfast, we discussed clothing and tailoring in Tanzania. We discovered that donating clothes to developing countries such as Tanzania can sometimes have hazardous affects on the community and its citizens. The group then split up, and scurried our way to find fabric in the markets. Each store had a different variety of traditional and modern African apparel. After carefully choosing which fabric would be “the one”, we gathered our belongings and ventured our way over to our tailor to have our items personalized and created to perfection. After spending hours at the tailor, we walked back to home base. We had a fantastic lunch, and ran out the door to begin our service project at Patandi Village Primary School. We split into three groups, one group sanded walls, one put together broken desks, and the last group spread manure over the newly dug homes for a future tree. After service came to an end, we played with local disabled children. Showing them a glimpse into the love they deserve. The day came to a close and soon we will say goodnight. Jambo and Nakupenda!

-Frances and Madeleine

Jambo!

Day four in Tanzania was full of adventure and group bonding. After breakfast, we met in our mentor/home groups and participated in a team building exercise called “Bucket of Dreams.” This activity challenged us to communicate in various ways, as some group members were blindfolded, some mute, and some unable to use the tools provided. This taught us to work together to achieve a common goal, and retrieve the bucket from the “pool of lava.” We then had Swahili lessons to learn some general family phrases that we later used when conversing with our host families over lunch. We split into small groups of 2-3 GLA members assigned to local members of the community. After lunch, we spent the afternoon with our host families, meeting their families, seeing their homes, and exploring the neighborhood. For some, (Alexa, Nicole, and Madeline) this included seeing wild monkeys in a nearby forest. Others, (India, Becca, and Nikki) visited a local lake.

After dinner at 6, we discussed tutoring methods as we start to plan our lessons for tomorrow. We will be teaching 5th graders English and are all really excited to get to know our students! Then we played human bingo to get to know each other. We finished the night by playing Body Body, a murder mystery game and we all had loads of fun! Hopefully day five will be just as fun-filled as day four!

Love,

-Alexa Steckler and India Ruiterman

Service!

We woke up this morning at 7:30 and ate a delicious breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs and buttermilk pancakes. We left for the Patandi School, where we did our service of labor of cleaning out a former storage space that we will soon transform into a bright classroom for the local students. In addition GLA students prepped the area by digging holes for incoming trees that we will later plant in the coming weeks to provide shade and a better atmosphere for the students. ITS MARKET DAY!!!!!! From the Patandi School we left to indulge in the local market where vendors and shops were selling fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat. It was especially interesting to see a market of such different nature of unregulated business and sanitation. We went back to the home base and had lunch of rice and beef, where we debriefed about our market observations. After lunch we had a mentoring session from Uncle Fulgence, on an efficient and appropriate way to teach English to the standard 5 classes of the Patandi School this coming Monday. We departed for Arusha town and exchanged our money to Tanzania Shillings. We stopped at a super market and purchased snacks. We ate a delicious dinner of pasta and beef. We met with our home groups and discussed our most valuable item we brought on this trip. We later watched the TED talk about the dangers of a single story and talked about the troubles of believing stereotypes or only one side of a situation. We had an awesome day here in the Patandi Village and cannot wait for the excitement for tomorrow!

Love,

-Perri Sucoff (Shongue) and Duck

Starting Off

• Began the day with a nice, delicious breakfast of toast, eggs, and yam.
• Afterwards we underwent orientation and reviewed the code of conduct.
• Then we ate lunch, masterfully prepared by our cook Joseph
• Finally, we got to visit the school where we will be working for the remainder of the trip and met some of the children who go there.
• When we got back we got a crash course in Swahili and learn about the problems facing Tanzania’s education system.
• After a short break we had spaghetti for diner and then broke into home groups where we talked about goals for the trip.
• At the end of the day we played a big game of “never have I ever “ to break the ice.

Waiting!

Greetings from international director, Jenna Padbury
At the airport anxiously awaiting arrivals.
Thank you for entrusting your young leader to us. We are excited to join them for this part of their amazing life journey! More photos to follow with tales of adventures, challenge, hope, and change!!

Saying Goodbye

Wow. You guys are gone and we miss you terribly.

Our last few days together were some of our most memorable:

We hiked to cold waterfalls in the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
We stuffed ourselves on Mama Digna’s delicious final banquet dinner.
We laughed and cheered at our hilarious talent show.
We wept tearfully at the early departure of our friends.
We held each other close at our bonfire.
We hugged it out at our final reflection.
And then we danced our way to the airport.

It was a pleasure to spend the last three weeks with you and we hope you’ll remember us as you continue your journeys of discovery, adventure and service in your communities and onward in your lives. Keep in touch and enjoy the rest of your summer. We love you guys!

–The entire GLA Moshi team

Headed Home

All students are on their way home after an amazing program!

Saying Goodbyes

Today, unfortunately, was a very sad day for us all—filled with
goodbyes to all the wonderful people we’ve come to know and love at
the Himo-Korona Primary School and our host families here in Rau
village. So, to lighten the mood this morning, our mentor group
decided to prepare a pancake breakfast for everyone at the home base.

Teaching went well and at recess we coordinated a huge circle of all
the H-K pupils and GLA students, so we could say goodbye and thank
them for allowing us the opportunity to learn from them and help them
grow these past three weeks.

After another Mama Digna all-star lunch, a couple of our friends put
together a short workshop on self-image and self-worth. The words and
ideas they shared really opened our eyes to recognizing and
celebrating all of the great things about each of us that we can’t
see.

We spent the afternoon hours visiting with our host families for the
last time, thanking them for welcoming us so warmly and sharing fond
farewells. It’s been great getting to know them and seeing how
Tanzanians live. We’ll miss them terribly.

After dinner we did our final Leadership workshop. We watched some
really inspirational TedTalks and worked together to create an action
plan for how we can continue to give back to the world after we’ve
left Tanzania and returned to our lives at home.

Our quote ties into our day by reminding us that hard work isn’t about
recognition, so much as it is about selflessly helping others.

–Nikki N. & Lenna P.

Safari Weekend!

Friday, August 1

Our Leadership activity for the night was a series of presentations to
the group on wild animals we might see on safari this weekend. Groups
of three or four GLA students were assigned one or two animals and
given two to three minutes to tell us a few interesting facts about
them. Each presentation was creative and well thought out and we
gained a lot of knowledge very quickly from each others’ research.

Once everybody had presented, we watched a documentary about the
ecology and animals of the Serengeti narrated by none other than Darth
Vader (aka James Earl Jones.) The documentary was both entertaining
and educational. We packed our overnight bags, and to end the night
and fire up our excitement for the weekend, we watched ‘The Lion
King!’

–Lauren A.

Saturday, August 2

On Saturday morning we woke at our usual time, but not to a usual day.

WE’RE GOING ON SAFARI!

We loaded onto our bus and drove to Arusha where we then switched into
our badass Landcruisers for the weekend. Two-and-a-half hours later we
arrived at the gate to Tarangire National Park. We ate a quick lunch
and began our adventure. In our four hours there, we saw everything
from elephants to giraffes and zebra to mongoose. We saw wildebeest,
dik-dik, storks, eagles, warthogs and, as a grand finale, a shy
lioness.

We were all mind-blown by the crazy experience we got to share
together and after our long day of adventuring together, we headed
into the sunset, crossing the one and only Great Rift Valley to reach
our hotel. We were welcomed with warm “Karibus!” and a glass of fresh
juice. We got ourselves settled into our huge double and triple rooms,
ate a wonderful traditional dinner and went straight to bed eager for
our early wake up on Sunday.

–Maria S.

Sunday, August 3

We rose at 5:30 on Sunday to cool morning air, making the rounds to
awaken our fellow GLA students under a still-dark, pre-dawn sky. At
6:30 we left the hotel and ventured out to the Ngorongoro Crater.

We arrived at the entrance gate shrouded in fog. An hour of ‘African
Massage’ (aka very rough, bouncy roads) brought us to the crater rim
and our first breathtaking view of the area. The excitement was
building as we gazed down at our destination from a great distance. We
eagerly boarded the Jeeps for the short drive down, and closer, to the
abundant, exotic wildlife below.

One thing I found fascinating was the variety of different
environments in the crater. For instance, we encountered a lush,
bright green watering hole surrounded by a vast, hot, dry, yellow
desert. The rim and steep walls of the crater are densely forested,
but the floor is a grassland devoid of trees because a thick layer of
volcanic ash fell when the crater formed.

Again we were delighted by a plethora of wildlife, however today was
special because we had a lot more opportunity to observe lions
resting, eating and hunting, and we even had a very close encounter
with a lioness.

Six short hours in the crater flew by, filled with Kodak moments and
even more unforgettable memories with friends. Our two-day adventure
ended with a brief, but stunning, view of Mount Kilimanjaro, ending
our safari experience on a gorgeous note.

–Jesse Z.

Important Lessons

Our day began at 6:30am. After a wonderful breakfast cooked by Mama
Digna, we all headed to Himo-Korona school. The morning was full of
smiling faces and cheerful laughter, and of course hard-working GLA
students.

After finishing our work on the fence, we made our way back to the
home base for lunch. This lunch was different from all of our others
because we were given the challenge to eat what an average person eats
in an average day in rural Tanzania. The portion size we were given
was reflective of a full-day’s meal. It gave all of us the opportunity
to acknowledge how different our life is from the lives of people
here.

Following lunch, the mentor groups split up and Lisa’s group stayed
home to make batik paintings, while Kath and Clarissa’s groups went to
St Mary’s secondary school.

The evening ended with safari prep and wild animal presentations.
We’re looking forward to the weekend!

–Jasmine & Riva

Jambo!

Today was another exciting day in Tanzania. To kick it off, we took a peaceful walk around the village with our mentor groups to observe the morning routines of the local people. It was a relaxing way to prepare for the busy day ahead of us.

We packed our bags after the walk and headed to the work site, where we planted 150 trees and carried more than 150 buckets of water. Everyone worked efficiently and managed to finish our project in under an hour. Tomorrow we’re back to plant more trees. Although we weren’t able to teach in the classroom today because of the Eid holiday, it still was an extremely productive morning.

As always, we returned to the home base, where a delicious lunch prepared by Mama Digna awaited us. (Asante, Mama D!)

Our afternoon was packed full of interesting guest speakers. We learned about issues in education and health care in Tanzania. The
inspirational speakers made everyone realize how fortunate we really are.

Considering we had been sitting for a long time with our speakers, it was nice to take another walk in the village for some more mentor group time. In our small groups we took the opportunity to reflect on our lives and experiences.

Over another wonderful meal we had a great time talking with our peers about our amazing day. We finished the night with an eye-opening workshop on global development. We watched a couple of Ted Talks and learned about some of the most concerning problems facing our world today.

Overall, today was an awesome and productive day. We can’t believe how fast our time is going here!

–Lauren M. & Ashley R.

(ps: Today was also Lauren’s birthday. We love you, Lauren!)

Maasai Weekend!

When GLA students stepped off the bus in Maasai land, we were warmly welcomed into the community with traditional Maasai clothing, jewelry and dance. Students and mentors alike immediately joined in the festivities, jumping alongside the Maasai warriors.

After learning a bit more about the culture from Raymond, our extremely intelligent and inspiring Maasai guide, it was time to prepare dinner. Participating in the sheep slaughter was optional and we could chose to do anything from completely opting out to physically helping with the butchering. Regardless of choice, everyone understood that slaughter is an integral part of  life and culture, and that no part of the animal goes to waste.

After a delicious dinner, we spent the evening by the bonfire dancing with the tribe, and sleeping under the twinkling stars. When we woke the following morning, we split into groups depending on whether one wanted to go on a Warrior Walk or a Botanic Walk.

Those who trekked the 6-kilometer Warrior Walk agree that learning about native plants, throwing spears and admiring the landscape made it a great experience. Those who remained near the village learned about medicinal plants and were delighted by the kindness, respect and knowledge of the local children.

All in all, our Maasai weekend excursion was a successful one and certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

–Natalie D. & Nicki N.

A Full Day!

Day 8 started with another delicious breakfast from Mama D. Right after breakfast we rode to the worksite and attempted to tame some kids (aka: wild, rabid animals) ages 7 to 14.

The classroom teaching is steadily improving but we’re still working on keeping control over the classes and distinguishing between what our pupils have and have not learned.

Our work project has been, and will continue to be, hilarious due to all of the pick-axing girls in maxi-skirts making mad progress on digging a fence row to protect the children.

After community service we returned home for lunch and ate entirely too much, as always—props to Mama Digna again. Our afternoon activities were split by mentor groups, touring a coffee plantation, visiting an orphanage and staying home to cook dinner.

We concluded our day with a personality trait test followed by a discussion about our weekend excursion to the Maasai village. We can’t wait for the weekend and our further adventures to come!

— Maggie J. & Erin H.

Culture & Learning

Today began with a little bit of rain, which put our service plans up in the air, but once we arrived at the school, it turned out to be a beautiful day. Our work went well. We started on the second half of our furrow, doing as much work today as we did in the past two combined.

Plans to tour a leather workshop were dashed, but instead we visited a craft shop in town with a huge assortment of t-shirts, textiles, carvings, paintings, bead work and other handicrafts. A few of us chose to spend time on the WiFi at an Internet café and picked up some snacks at the supermarket next door.

Back home to yet another all-star lunch from Mama Digna and after lunch, a nice talk with Mama Simba, learning about her life and what it means to grow up Tanzanian. We were then visited by a guest speaker from NAFGEM, a group working to stop the cultural practice of female circumcision.

After our afternoon of cultural workshops, we took a long walk through Rau village with Godwin acting as our guide, returned home to another amazing dinner, and capped off the night with the film, “Blood Diamond.”

It was a great day and we’re really enjoying our time here.

–Zach G. & Callie Rae K.

A Hard Day of Work

A cold morning greeted us and after a hearty breakfast of omelets and French toast we ventured out to our service site. Because of national examinations, our students were not in class. Instead we spent our morning digging the furrow. We completed our task, but not without obstacles, including roots, rocks and water pipes.

After a hard days work we headed to a local park adjacent to a primary school near our home base. The area was serene and peaceful; until the school kids came running towards the new strangers on their playground. We played for a while, and because of the proximity to our home base, several of us opted to walk back while the others climbed aboard our bus.

Another delicious lunch of chapatti (like a tortilla) beans, guacamole, salad and fruit, the three mentor groups spread out for afternoon activities. One group visited a local organic coffee plantation where they learned about the process of coffee cultivation. The farmers then showed us how to roast and grind the beans to brew a very tasty cup of coffee.

The second group visited Tuleeni orphanage where they met a 23-year-old American woman from Texas who has been working with the orphans here for several years. One of our GLA group described the visit as, “inspirational,” and another said, “monumental and life-changing.”

The final group stayed home with Mama Digna to cook up a savory dinner including a cake for dessert, which was a nice surprise.

At one point in the evening, the power went out, which left us fumbling for flashlights to light our way through a series of
light-hearted and fun mentor activities. Our night ended in the dark, with the power still out, using our flashlight beams to find our way to bed.

–-Agathe O. & Jesse Z.

Himo-Korona School

We woke up early today with excitement because today was our first community service day at the Himo-Korona primary schools. The swarms of loving children have already captured our hearts. Singing ‘We Will Rock You,’ ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ and Swahili songs with the children never ceases to delight us all. Their eagerness to learn is so inspiring to all of us here at GLA.

As soon as class was over the children jumped out of their seats and immediately embraced us. Questions were asked, hair was braided, games were played and hands were held.

We kick-started the labor portion of our service project by learning how to use the pick axes and shovels to create furrows for the live fence we’ll be planting. After a quick safety lesson, we dug right in! We got a great start today and everyone took turns shoveling and using a pick ax.

Later in the afternoon we broke into our mentor groups and each headed to a different activity. One group visited a secondary school to meet students our own age, another went to a massive used clothes market, and the third group stayed home to learn batik painting.

All in all, today was a wonderful day and we can’t wait for many more to come.

–Aspen S. & Carly H.

First Day at the Schools

“Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness.” –James Thurber

We started our day off with this quote because today marked our first visit to Himo and Korona primary schools and we wanted to emphasize the importance of immersing ourselves in the moment rather than, “living life through a camera lens.” (thanks, Shan!)

Our morning was filled with eager children ready to be taught and eager teachers ready to teach (us). Afterward, we had the privilege of splitting into two groups to go either to a local craft market or to an Internet café in Moshi.

After a delicious lunch of makande (maize and beans) our guest speaker, Mr. Chalamila, enlightened us with his knowledge of modern Tanzania and some of the controversies and issues facing people here.

A seamstress came to the home base before dinner to take our measurements for some traditional Tanzanian clothing. The whole day was exciting and busy and we’re filled with anticipation for what is to come next in the program.

We have all been humbled by the happiness and hospitality of the people of Rau.

And last but not least, nothing brightened our day like a good round of dancing with Godwin to complete the day!

–Lenna P. & Maria S.

Bonding & Growing

Day three and we continued getting to know our GLA family, which today grew larger and closer.

After this morning’s Swahili lesson we had lunch with our host families at the home base and later we were able to visit their homes
and families to experience a slice of everyday life here in Rau, Tanzania.

Everybody was extremely friendly and happy to welcome us into their homes. Due to our limited knowledge of Swahili, communicating with our host families was the most challenging part of the day, but at the same time it was the most rewarding. We learned so much and felt like we shared a lot about ourselves too.

Today our hearts settled a little deeper into life here in Tanzania with the addition of more members to our family.

–Olivia D. & Brianna T.

An Exciting Day

Wake up was at 7:30 today, giving us time to get ready for the day before breakfast at 8:00. After breakfast we had a Swahili lesson, reviewing yesterdays words and learning words to help us bargain at the market that would come in handy later in the day.

We headed into the town of Moshi for a quick tour and to change money, hit the supermarket for some snacks and grab a couple minutes of WiFi at Kili Java, a coffee shop.

Leaving town, we drove a few miles to the market to pick out fabric that the seamstress will use to make various custom-made clothing items for us next week.

After lunch the Kilimanjaro Wizards & Arts Group came to the home base and put on an amazing singing, drumming and dancing show for us. One highlight was a dance performance featuring a live snake.

We had our first Leadership workshop after dinner and then each student was given their mentor group assignment. We finished off the night singing happy birthday to Vanessa and sharing her birthday cake.

It was an exciting day and we’re looking forward to many more.

–Alison P. & Evy O.

(ps: Hi Mom & Dad!)

Rao Village

To further get acquainted with Rao Village, we went on a walk throughout the natural areas and the residential and commercial areas surrounding us.

Our local staff and neighbors took us across a small bridge, and then a big bridge, over the Rau River. Crossing the small bridge was an adrenaline adventure, with solidly 20% of the planks missing! It felt like we were in an Indiana Jones film.

The landscapes were breathtaking. Photo opportunities were all around– pictures of us and also the views from the bridges came out great. Although the walk was only an hour, our knowledge about the Tanzanian culture and landscape grew exponentially.

Our walk today was truly the first step in a long journey and it makes us happy to know that this is only the beginning.

–Eric W. & Lauren A.

The gang’s all here!

The Moshi Heart & Soul of Africa group has arrived and, despite a couple of late flights and delayed luggage, everyone is happy, healthy and settling in well.

Our first day together has been a busy one. We kicked it off with some upbeat African music and a breakfast of toast, omelets, fresh fruit and lots of hot coffee to help clear away the jet lag.

We spent a few minutes getting to know the home base staff before launching into a series of short discussions on health & safety, manners & customs, a crash course in basic Swahili.

We filled out the required visitor paperwork for the local immigration authorities and took a short break before sitting down to a fantastic lunch of chicken and rice, salad and fresh fruit prepared for us by none other than the legendary Mama Digna.

After a walk to familiarize ourselves with Rau village, we returned home to play some fun group games before dinner. We continued to get acquainted after dinner and turned in for the night, eager and excited for the days ahead.

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived in country and are ready for an amazing program! Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!