FINAL BLOG…by the Blog Masters from the ground in TZ.
How times have changed since the last blog. We completed our work and service at the school on Friday afternoon. The classroom is built and we left our mark with a mural. The mural is the Global Routes tree surrounded by our own handprints. On the sides of the tree is the quote, “Hearts as Wide as the World,” by Saint Julie, in both English and Swahili. Underneath the tree is three sunflowers representing Notre Dame Academy. After we finished building the classroom, we all had lunch with the teachers and principal, and we had an exchange of gifts.
We wrapped up our time there by bonding with our families and saying goodbye to them early Saturday morning before we took off on the safari trip. The Safari trip was truly amazing. We saw a great variety of exotic animals such as lions, giraffes, zebras, warthogs, monkeys, and many more. After the first day, we camped out in the pouring rain and with wild buffalos, which was quite the experience, but bonded all of us together even more. Second night of the safari/last night in Tanzania, however we were well treated to nice, shower-headed hotel rooms with cold running water. Very boujee. The last night was insanely emotional. Let us explain; we did an anonymous affirmation activity. During this activity, we all sat in a circle and were deeply touched by each other’s compliments. This was a perfect activity for our final night together. We have all bonded so much.
…during our time together. Today we embark on our lengthy journey home. We started off the day with a short safari at Lake Manyara National Park. Afterwards, we did some shopping in the streets. We then packed up and loaded the vans for our drive to the airport. We are all truly thankful for this experience and are sad to leave. It is truly bittersweet. We are so grateful for all of our leaders and helpers during this trip. This trip would not have been possible without them. We are all dadas (sisters) forever and are already planning our 5-year reunion. It’s not totaonana, it’s kesho!
Goodnight Geico, don’t forget to live, laugh, & love.
– Blog Masters