Habari Za Azabuhi, Friends and Families!!
Greetings from everybody’s favorite Tanzanian volunteer group! We just finished a second amazing week building much closer ties with our host families, progressing by leaps and bounds at the service project site, and enjoying a stunningly gorgeous weekend on the lush slopes of of Mount Meru. Watching a golden red sun rise over Mt Kilimanjaro was just one of the myriad highlights we experienced this week. The following is, again, one students perspective on each day of our week:
Monday, July 16 Joanie Herrmann
After a loving embrace by Mo’s family and a delicious meal at their home, the group began week 2 on the work site. Many of the students found enjoyment in plastering the walls, while others continued to move endless buckets of sand and concrete. With the help of our indispensable foreman and his assistant the bathroom house is one day closer to completion.
Tuesday, July 17 Sophen
Today we had a momentous occasion. We delivered the speech- press release style- that we had worked so hard on the previous Sunday. We gave the speech twice, in the morning and afternoon, to two assemblies of several hundred students. It was very intimidating standing in front of so many Tanzanian students, many of whom are our own age. But it was also very satisfying to let the students know, in our own words, exactly why we are here and why we care. Since then we have noticed a big shift in how the students have treated us and we have befriended many of them!
Wednesday, July 18 Henrietta
Day 8 on the worksite, the school administration approves Global Routes request to begin AIDS clinics providing students with the proper information regarding the disease and how to prevent it.
Thursday, July 19 Maddi Grenfell
After a relaxing meditation session led by our leader Jenny, our Global Rotues group experienced a traumatic event. Some of us were witness to a teacher disciplining a student in a way we found disturbing. The shock and discomfort from this event led us to fully debrief the experience with our group.
Friday, July 20 Liam Armstrong
Hard work
Toil
Fun
Love
Bathroom
Mural- Building
Work
Cement
Spackling
Green, green guac machine, we made pretty mush out of para-chi-chi and love sauce.
“It was tasty!” screamed the crowd!
We ate it all.
It replenished our cells with good lipids and no food coloring.
We celebrate in your greatness, O Guac.
Hard work
Lemon
garlic
onions
love
avocado
tomato
green bell peppers
Saturday, July 21 Josh Galanter
After a long week of hard work, we are all ready for a fun, adventurous weekend hiking Mt. Meru. The hike begins with a walk through a beautiful plateau inhabited by a herd of Water Buffalo. Soon, it begins to get progressively steeper. We hike slowly and take breaks along the way. Before we realize it we can look down the mountain and the sights are beautiful. We are close to the camp and all tired and hungry. Many forests and mountain peaks create a breathe-taking spectacle. When we arrive we enjoy mushroom soup and fish & chips. To top the day off there was a clear sky and all of the stars are out.
Sunday, July 22 Nava Kidon
The group woke up early and after a hearty breakfast, began descending Mount Meru. Along the way, we saw some animals including: monkeys, giraffes, boars, and elephants. In the afternoon we visited a school and orphanage ran by the former Black Panther, Peter O’Neal. After a fascinating question and answer session and a tour of the beautiful facilities where every building was covered by colorful images, we headed back to Ultoroto where we were warmly received by our home families.
This week we’ll put the finishing touches on our epic bathroom facility as well as our world map mural. We’ll also begin teaching our AIDS Education Workshops that our students have organized and designed. We’re already getting a little emotional that this will be our last week in the village, but something tells me this group will make the absolute most of it! A big “Asante Sana” to this incredible bunch of volunteers for making this such a rewarding and powerful trip thus far. Stay tuned, y’all, for more updates in our Tanzanian Adventure!!! And thank you all for your continued love and support! We couldn’t do this without You!!!
Poa Ka Chizi Kama Ndizi!
Team Mzungu 2012
