Mambo! (poa!)
Wow what an amazing three weeks! I cannot believe how time flew by since our time in Tanzania. It feels like just yesterday we were on the safari taking pictures of elephants, lions and zebras. Who remembers eating chapati or parachichi at home base along with hearing Mama Simba’s laugh or Lodrick asking us to eat more? Who misses mentor groups or buying some really cool stuff at the Maasai market? What about our trip to the Boma village and hearing the Maasai warrior speaking about his 11 wives? In case you guys were not aware, Sauti the cat was getting ready to give birth to kittens and the entire local staff were finding the perfect location for Sauti to rest. Most of you are getting ready to head back to high school so I hope the remainder of your summers were productive.
We wanted to remind you of a few things as you reminisce about your time in Tanzania. The first thing is that you guys truly made a positive in the children you taught and played with. After you guys left, the children were constantly asking the international staff why you had not come back the next day. It was difficult to explain that you guys were only here for three weeks but they always spoke fondly of you.
Watching you guys teach and play with the children brought many smiles to the international team because we know there are caring teenagers in the world wanting to make a difference. The second thing is to remember to pay it forward and share your experiences with someone who might not get an opportunity to go on a GLA trip. Share your epic pictures, your funny stories and everything in between. Sharing memories will always bring a smile to your face at random times. Lastly, please keep in touch with all of us. The international and local staff are always there for you if you need letters of recommendation or if you still want to speak about some of the topics we discussed such as HIV or FGM. We are also simply a friend when you need it.
Thank you so much for all of your contributions and dedication to the program. I believe we had a great first session and you guys bonded like crazy! The local staff along with the international staff would like to wish you the best of luck in all of your endeavors. The international staff is looking to come back next summer and work with GLA again so we hope to see you again. Remember that we nakupenda you guys!
Here are some funny moments from the trip:
- Remember watching RuPaul’s Drag Race after dinner as a group?
- We celebrated 5 birthdays and we bought you guys each a delicious Tanzanian cake!
- Jason and Brianna were the first two students that arrived and you guys were so confused
- Fighting over which safari car you guys wanted Lotha to be in
- Attempting to dance with the coffee ladies during the excursion. They were so good!
- Listening to Rudy’s scary stories and not being able to sleep at night
- Sarah’s laugh was so addicting
- Tyler’s teaching skills were on point
- Lodrick wanting us to eat more food even though we were about to explode
-Rudy Calderon
Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our new destinations for Summer 2018, or enroll now.
