Using the bikes rented at Little Village we went out for almost 2 hours. The ride allowed us to see the beautiful scenery that Thailand has to offer as we rode past rice fields and small farms. After almost an hour we stopped at a little carving shop where we were able to see the creation of intricate Thai carvings. The detail and precision was incredible to see. While we were there it started to rain, but as it settled we headed back. When we got back to Little Village we had some free time to go in the pool or relax if we needed it. Then we had dinner and wrapped up a great day!
-Maesyn Fitzgibbons and Madeline Minton

Monday, July 3rd.

Prosthetic leg lecture and paper mache

The day started out like any other, we woke at our perspective times to do our morning service then had another great breakfast here at FAE. After breakfast we headed off to a prosthetics lecture led by Professor Therdchai where we learned how the prosthetic elephant legs were made. During this lecture we got to ask questions and learned lots! After the lecture we broke off into two groups, one painted keychain elephants and the other made paper mache elephants. The paper mache elephants were a challenge but with a little work they will be pretty!! With all this hard work behind us we headed to dinner and spent the rest of the evening hanging out and playing games!

– Amanda B and Morgan E

July 4

Our exciting fourth of July in Thailand started out with papaya salad and packing. Each student helped to prepare a portion of the breakfast- carrots were cut, spices were pounded and papayas were shaved. Only a few students made the mistake of including the innocent looking but horrendously spicy red peppers in their individual salads. Afterwards, we visited a Thai school, where Chris was swarmed by adoring fans who were convinced that he was a famous Korean actor. The busses finally navigated through his chanting mob of girls and dropped us off for a walking tour of the old city in Lampang. We trekked through the rain, and finally ended up in one of the bustling night markets of Thailand. For a few hours, we wandered among equally pungent meat and perfume stalls, bejeweled flip flops, and a slew of hideously patterned clothing that the vendors must have assumed would be irresistible to tourists. After we all showed off our vicious haggling skills (sort of), we finally returned to the FAE elephant hospital for the night.

– Sam Guindon

July 5

Today we took the vans farther into the mountains, to the Elephant Care Home. In this elephant camp we started off by feeding and meeting four of the nine elephants who currently live there. We then had a question and answer with the owner of the camp.

After a lunch of pad thai, we split into two groups, one who rode elephants and one that went to the nursery. At the nursery we met the 5 month old baby elephant, and its family. We relaxed, fed them, and bathed them. The other group rode the elephants through the jungle and bathed them.

From there we traveled the Hmong Hill Tribe Lodge, where we watched a traditional dance and slept.

– Ben

Saturday July 8th:

Today our group woke up early for some morning service including cutting grass and assisting the mahouts. After, we ate breakfast and headed to our second round of service for the day. One group worked on an organic vegetable garden while the other mixed cement to help build the new compost bin. After a brief rest and some lunch, we shared our thoughts about events from the previous days. We debated about the balance of economic profit versus maintaining elephant welfare. We discovered the complexity of keeping domesticated elephants. Our group concluded that in order to truly help elephants, we must educate tourists on the difference between good and bad camps, while also demonstrating that domestication is not always harmful and is often necessary. We wrapped up the day with some team building games and a traditional Thai meal for dinner. With only 3 days left, our group is making the most of our time left in Thailand!
By: Maesyn and Maddy

Karibu-Welcome!

Blog post August 1st

Day 3: We were awakened by the local Tanzanian wildlife, we were then served a great breakfast by our master chef Mama D. We then headed to the local primary school where we were introduced to five different classes of various grades and the teachers who taught them. Throughout our morning in the school we toured the property and played cheerfully with the children during recess. After our introduction we soon began our labor of a rundown classroom by tearing the concrete floors and sanding the rugged the walls. Once we returned to home base we were greeted with another masterful cuisine by our beloved Mama D. Then we took a bus to the town of Moshi where we shopped and purchased some interesting trinkets. The groups were then transported to a well-known café where we got a small taste of our missed land of America; Wifi and bacon cheeseburgers. After that we headed back to base and prepared for tomorrows adventure.

-Isabell & Brandon

August 2nd:

Hujambo! Today was Day 4 in Tanzania. We started our day at 7:30 a.m. and had a great breakfast cooked by Mama D! We walked to the school at 8:40 and began our first day of teaching. We were split into three classrooms of 3^rd, 5^th, and 6^th graders. We taught English based off of the lesson plans that we had made the night before. After we taught, we spent recess dancing and playing with the students. Following recess, our group split into two, with one group continuing to break up the concrete floor in order to replace it, and the other group prepping a classroom for paint. At 12:30, we were escorted home by kids walking home from school. We ate an AMAZING lunch which was followed by an educational speaker named Jerome. Jerome spoke about the public and private education systems in Tanzania as well as a basic history of the country. A local tailor came and took our measurements so we could order clothes made from the fabric that we picked out yesterday. We ate dinner, and then played a get-to-know-you game by drawing our life stories. We ended the day by prepping our lessons for tomorrow. We are all having a great time in Tanzania!

Miss you all!

Grace and Rowan

ELEPHANT ENTERS GLA HOME BASE AND STEPS ON ELLEN DURING MORNING YOGA

Just kidding! We’re all doing great here in Tanzania (including Ellen). Today was day 11 of our 14 day adventure and it consisted of lots of teaching, running around with kids, and painting. We started our day off with morning yoga, breakfast, and lesson planning. Soon after, we left for school. After teaching our morning lessons we had a wonderful recess full of games, dancing, and laughter. Once recess came to an end, we began our service work. Both the cement group and the painting group worked really hard to put the finishing touches on our two classrooms. We’re almost done! After working hard at the school, we headed back to home base where we had a delicious lunch and got ready for an afternoon painting class. At Seki’s art studio we got the opportunity to paint animals, Maasai, and Tanzania’s beautiful landscape. After painting we headed to our favorite place: the grocery store! There we bought ice cream, chocolate, cookies, and the only chips sold here… Pringles! We then drove back to home base munching on our goodies J. After dinner we played a fun game of “monkey brains” and now we’re relaxing around the common area and getting ready for bed. We hope everyone is enjoying these posts and photos!

Bye for now,

Darcey and Garrett

Shikamoo from Moshi! We started off the day with a walk to the school where we said our final goodbyes to the children at Rau primary school where the teachers and staff working there held a ceremony to thank us for all of the hard work. After that we got to work, carrying cement bags and paint buckets, finishing up the new floor and touching up the old walls. It was a hard time saying Kwaheri (goodbye) to all of the students but we knew the day would come. We finished early and then had a walk back to home base with some of the little kids that accompany us home everyday.

Once we got back to home base, we were greeted by the tailor, the same person who we gave all of our fabrics to to turn into different types of clothes. After everyone taking different pictures with each other in there new apparel, 3 ladies came over from a salon to braid traditional styles into different students hair. Everyone was very excited to show off their new styles.

Following this, we had a little bit of free time before our host families came back to visit and take us around town to explore before saying goodbye. Others had dance parties while some went back to their own houses.  We had a fun time exploring more of Rau with locals from the community than we could have on our own.

When we got back, dinner was waiting for us prepared specially by Mama D, the best cook in Tanzania. Following the meal, Sam and Ellen introduced a new activity focused on dealing with Reverse culture shock. We were able to share different answers to questions like…”What are you most excited about when you get home?” And “What have you taken away from this experience and what will you share back at home?” We had a long discussion about how we have changed and what things we have learned over the course of the trip.

Finally we just briefly went over the next day and the Kilimanjaro base hike and when we would we would be waking up, eating breakfast, and leaving for the hour long ride to the base.

See you tomorrow!

Julian & Erik

Sincerely, Maeve Lee

Jambo from Tanzania! My name is Rudy Calderon and I am the international director for the GLA Tanzania Arusha program this summer. On behalf of the entire local and international staff we are thrilled to lead all 34 students on an incredible experience. All students arrived safely and we made our way to our beautiful home base. Due to jet lag our first day did not consist of any major activities as we wanted to let the students settle in. The following morning we woke up at 7am for a filling breakfast and to conduct student orientation. Our day was filled with program logistics, ice breakers, a wonderful experience with local Tanzanian families, a traditional lunch, a Swahili lesson and students finding out who their mentor is. Today we took a tour of downtown Arusha and exchanged money so students could buy local fabric in preparation for a local seamstress to make clothing. The evening activities included discussion on The Danger of a Single Story and how we view Africa from different parts of the world. Let the adventure begin!

July 18, 2017

We woke up today at 6 am to roosters and prayers. Arusha’s cold weather in the morning makes the coffee we drink even more delicious. The breakfast bell rings at 7:30 am and we arrived surprised that there were pancakes and scrambled eggs. After eating the meal, we did group activities including having a personal seamstress come to our home base and tailor clothes specific to each of us with the fabric we bought in the market yesterday. A civics and history teacher came to our home base to talk to us about the history of education in Tanzania. During this time we learned about the difference between the US and Tanzanian educational system. Then we had beans and flat bread for lunch.

July 18, 2017

Today, we started off with an optional run at 6:30am. There were many that signed up but only three kids went on the run. For breakfast, there were papayas, omelettes, and peanuts. After breakfast. the group went to went to the local orphanage. The orphanage has 120 kids and most of the kids were 5-10 years old. It was hard to say goodbye, but we learned a lot about the hardships that the children have to go through. When we returned from the orphanage, we got a thorough lesson on the history of Tanzania. Did you know that Tanzania is originally composed of two different states. Zanzibar and Tanganika? Did you also know that the human species’ oldest ancestor was found in Tanzania?

Today was jam-packed. In the morning, we woke up and had a wonderful breakfast of porridge and pancakes. It kept us energized for our next activities, which included cooking lunch for our peers and making our very own batik paintings, which featured beautiful colors of the African plains, people, and wildlife. The food consisted of rice and cooked vegetables — our cooks-in-training learned from the best, our very own GLA cooking staff!!! We were also able to do some shopping with a variety of batiks and “elephant pants.”

After enjoying a homemade lunch, we gathered to go to Patandi school in order to teach classes to Tanzanian students. Lasting an hour, classes ranged from writing exercises to educational games. Once the GLA students parted ways with the Patandi schoolchildren, we feasted on a delicious dinner back at the home base. Finally we ended the evening with an intense session of Model United Nations involving a situation regarding the Maasai tribe, which we will be visiting this weekend.

-Written by: Iman and Julia.

7/22/2017

Hey family and friends!! We miss you all at home but are having an amazing time. We’re thankful for all of you!! This has been the best trip of our lives and we’re only one week in. Today was an early start. We had to wake up at 3am and load into the buses. After a 2.5 hour, bumpy drive on the dirt road, we arrived in the beautiful Serengeti (??) where the Maasai tribe lives. We even saw some giraffes on our way there to wake us up! With heavy welcomes, the men from the Maasai tribe greeted us. For breakfast we had eggs, chapati, and bananas with the best peanut butter ever!! Next, we began our trek through the desert where we saw more giraffes, and even zebras! It was quite dusty and by the end, we were covered in dirt. We still had our smiles on!

Then, we witnessed a goat being slaughtered, although a few stayed behind. It was very interesting to see for the first time. Our amazing mentor Maggie ate jello-like blood straight from the goat and was initiated into the Maasai tribe! We hope she’s still okay (she’s in our prayers). Then our talented chefs Lulu and Cashmere/Casper prepared us a lovely lunch that consisted of chicken, potatoes, goat, fruits, veggies, and fruit juice. We are eating like champs here!! We were even able to ask the Chief any questions we had regarding the Maasai culture. Afterwards, we got to see the bomas/homes of the Maasai people. They were small but functional. We then got to practice throwing spears and bought some beautiful hand-crafted Maasai jewelry. We ended the visit dancing and singing with the indigenous people. It was a great time and we learned a lot! Lodrick (local Director) was awesome and took us to the market where we loaded up on snacks, especially Pringles!

When we got home, we had a few minutes of free time, while everyone raced to the showers. For dinner, we had a nother great meal of angel hair pasta with tomato sauce, bread rolls, veggies, mangoes, and the best pumpkin soup!! After washing the dishes, we talked to our security guard named Elijah, who is a humble person who is always alert. We know we’re safe with our man Elijah!! shoutout to our family and friends in Larchmont, NY and Golden, CO. We love y’all!!!

*Some facts are just not factual

Written by: Mia & C/Kate

July 24, 2017

Day 10 of 21 of our adventure in Tanzania. Wow, I can’t believe we’re already halfway done. Time goes by so fast when you’re having fun. Today was quite a long, and eventful day – much like any other day here in Tanzania. We started the day with a review of the code of conduct, although it was not the most pleasant of conversations, it was a conversation which wasn’t the most pleasant of conversations, but it was much needed and will hopefully help people correct the mistakes we’ve made as a group. Personally, I agree with most of it, but did that that some of the things, although understandable, were slightly exaggerated.

In the morning, we also went to a talk with a local women’s cooperative to talk about women’s empowerment. We learned how to make beaded necklaces from paper, which the women made and sold throughout Tanzania. I found this experience quite interesting, as learning about other cultures and people has always been something that I have enjoyed. I may or may not have bought a few things (by the way sis, you’re welcome), and then we proceeded to have a slightly late lunch.

After lunch, we had service, which is always great. I love spending time with the kids, they always make me so happy. No one back home is ever as excited to see me on a daily basis as the kids here at the Patandi village. They always come and shower me with hugs and smiles, and I cant help but smile along with them. Funny story, I was doing labor today and a child I hadnt met yet walks up to me and asked for my name. Of course, I tell him my name and we proceed to have a conversation. He asks me if he can “have his watch.” Confused, I asked him which watch he was talking about, to which he pointed to MY watch and said it was HIS watch. I told him it was my watch and he left. I personally found it somewhat comical, although I understand why someone would be concerned with their personal belongings. Teaching was also fun, we taught our Standard 5 kids how to tell time, and I personally thought that the kids were getting it fairly quickly.

All in all, the day was quite a lot of fun. From the women’s empowerment activity through to the teaching and a very heated jeopardy game that ended the night. I don’t think the halfway point of our stay here could’ve been much better. I have already become close with everyone here and I can tell that I’ll miss everyone when I’m gone. Alright, enough blabbering, I should go to bed. Signing off!

-JP Reis

7/31/2017

Another great day in Tanzania….we had a long nights rest after safari weekend. We were so exhausted, but had so much fun at Tengeru and Ngorogoro Crater. We hung out at home base in the morning and after lunch, we went to the school for service and teaching. We planted spinach in the vegetable garden and painted walls. It started raining and the locals were excited about that because it is is the dry season. Lodrick, our local Director, even said “bless the rains.” We only have one more day left of teaching and service, which is crazy. This trip has gone by so fast. For dinner at home base, we had rice, chicken, and avocados: one of our favorite meals. After dinner, we had a talent show, which showcased dancing, stand-up comedy, Rubix cube, poetry, and wall twerking (AND an excellent puppet stand-up routine). Local and international staff and students did great and had a lot of fun. It’s so sad that we will have to leave soon, because everyone has become a big family. PEACE Y’ALL! Shout out to Canada and NJ.

-Written by: Gabi and Sarah

8/1/2017

Today was filed with brand new adventures. We woke up at 7:30am and had our usual, delicious breakfast (courtesy of Cashmere/Kashmir our cook). After dressing, we went to the seminary by the soccer field. There, we met many Tanzanian priests who found their calling in missionary work. We explored the new church being built, which is halfway finished and already beautiful.

At home, many girls (and a few boys) experimented with hair braiding by local hair braiders. We loved the hair styles they put on our peers! After getting new hair styles, and we had our final melancholy day at service. Several kids were given tests, and the final plants were planted and watered. We walked home satisfied but a little sad. There’s only one more visit to Patandi School on Thursday. It’ll be quite exciting, but tomorrow is the Kilimanjaro base hike, and that will keep our minds busy. 

-Written by: Amaya and friend(s)

 

July 16, 2017

Good Morning! Today, we started our 2^nd day in Tanzania. The day started with breakfast at 8 AM and Agape (member of GLA) taught us the basic Swahili. This concluded greetings and basic manners. The tailor came and took our measurements to make the African clothing for all of us. We had an educational speaker come and talk about the education system, history of Tanzania, and discussed the differences between Tanzania and America. Now, its lunch time and everyone met their host families from the Village. They came to the home base to have lunch with us and after we stayed 3 hours with them. They showed us around the village, their houses, and met the other family members. Along the way of everything we saw some beautiful sites, including bridges and rivers. At the end of the visit with our host families, we all came together to sing and dance as one in a dance party. At the end, we walked back to the home base to have dinner and we split up in out mentor groups. Everyone has having a great time in Tanzania!!

-Jada and Natalie

July 17, 2018

This morning after our amazing breakfast cooked by Mama D, we packed up our WITS and headed off to the schools for our first day of playing with the kids and doing service which included planting trees outside and working to refurbish the student’s classrooms. Around noon we had to say goodbye to our new friends and they chased our buses as we left.

                Once we got back to our home base we enjoyed our delicious lunch and quickly got ready to break into two groups and head to the Saki Studio or Batik. At both locations, we learned how to create African art which was very fun filled and a great new learning opportunity. Later on, we headed back to home base where we had some down time before dinner. Finally, we separated into small groups where we prepared our lesson for teaching the next day.

Goodnight!

Etienne Waroquet, Hanna Uselding, Brady Buchwald

July 19th, 2017

Today we had a late breakfast at 8:15. We headed to the school at 9:00 to plant trees and help rebuild a classroom floor. Since we had pre-dug holes from yesterday, we started our service by filling them with manure and fertilizer. Then we put baby Neem trees in the holes and filled it back up with soil. We finished by filling each hole with two buckets of water so that the trees were hydrated under the hot sun. Other people who worked on rebuilding a floor spent their time laying cement. We returned to home base for lunch at 1:00 then headed out to town. We stopped by a souvenir shop then headed to the internet cafes. The food there was extremely tasty and it was nice to relax after a morning of hard work. At 4:30 we drove to a field near home base to watch the Kili Wizard dance group. Their dancing was insane, and it was fun to get taught their moves. After that some of us walked to home base and some rode the bus. We had dinner at 6:30 and then we had an evening discussion about single stories stereotypes. This was another fun filled day in Tanzania, we are all excited about the days ahead of us.

P.S.: Mom I broke my glasses sorry, love you mommy –Declan

Mina

Bella

Declan

July 19, 2017

 

July 20, 2017

Lauryn, Cameron, and Kaitlynn here! Today we had a late breakfast because unfortunately we could not teach, due to testing in the schools. We all worked really hard and were ahead of schedule for our service projects, so we played games for the last 15 minutes. Afterwards, we had yet another amazing lunch. Then, some women came to talk to us about FGM, which is a big problem in Tanzania. They shared stories about FGM from women who have experienced FGM. Unfortunately, FGM is still an extremely large problem in Tanzania, but these women have been working towards bringing awareness and stopping FGM. After, they talked we had an opportunity to buy souvenirs to support their cause. On a happier note, we went to a coffee plantation. There they showed us all of the steps that goes towards farming and creating the coffee. The process includes songs of encouragement through each step. We also had an opportunity to buy coffee grounds from them, and taste their coffee firsthand. Then we headed back to home base to round up the day.

July 25, 2017

June 30th:

Hamjambo! All of the GLA students arrived to Tanzania safe and sound on June 28th. Our first full day, the 29th, we ate our first traditional Tanzanian meal, and then split up into groups of three, and met up with host families. We tried out our Swahili with them, and learned about their daily lives in Tanzania. The purpose of the host families were to give us a sense of the Tanzanian culture and values. They toured us around the local neighborhoods, local markets, and their homes. It was an enlightening experience to better understand the living conditions of the families.

For our second full day, we got up bright and early to visit the schools we’ll be working in for the next two weeks. We introduced ourselves to the students and staff, and started to form connections through recess games and activities. After, we got our hands dirty by sanding down some classroom walls that we are prepping to paint. It was hard work, but rewarding knowing it was for a good cause. Later that day, we learned about the history and educational system of Tanzania from a local guest speaker. After, we walked to an orphanage down the street and learned about how they operate and work with the kids. Finally, to end off an amazing day, we got the chance to hear from a former GLA student, Julian. He is now living as a resident here in Rau Village, continually helping the community in numerous ways. It was cool to hear from somebody who was in our position a few years ago, and has made such a positive impact. The first two days here in Tanzania have already been so inspiring for us, and we can’t wait to see what the next days have in store!

-Brielle, Hollie and Jordan

July 3, 2017

-Cole, Jett, and Christina H

July 4, 2017

Hongera Siku ya Uhuru! Happy USA Independence Day from Tanzania!

We enjoyed breakfast early this morning and then made our way to the schools of Himo and Korona. Today was our second day teaching in classrooms and working in the schools. We all taught for 40 minutes in our separate teaching groups and then painted and cemented the buildings and plowed the garden. After our teaching, service, and playing with the kids during recess, we all took our buses back to home-base for lunch.

After lunch we split up into two groups and went to different art studios. Some of us learned the art of Batik while others went to Seki art studio to paint and shop. But for most of us the best part of the day was our dinner celebration for the Fourth. Our amazing staff made us French fries, hamburgers, chicken wings, and cake to celebrate our national independence day. We finished the night with a little “dance party” and sung along to some of our favorite American-themed songs.

Today exceeded our expectations and we are so excited for the second half of our trip!

Anna, Amelia, and Sahil