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Hi! My name is Caroline and I was a part of the February 2019 Global Routes trip to Tanzania<\/a>!\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n As I\u2019m starting to write this, I\u2019m having trouble trying to put into words how unbelievable and life changing this experience has been for me.\u00a0 Before this trip I had gone on two service trips to repair homes in West Virginia, however, this was my first service trip abroad and by far my most impactful experience.\u00a0 This trip has instilled in me a new love and appreciation for life and all things, and for that, I am forever grateful.<\/span><\/p>\n One of my favorite aspects by far about this trip was the opportunity to be disconnected from my life at home.\u00a0<\/strong> By having our phones locked, we were given the ability to be fully involved and present with one another and with the community.\u00a0 In a world constantly filled with ringing phones, social media, and technology it\u2019s hard to be fully present in a moment. <\/span><\/p>\n This was the longest stretch I have gone without a phone in my hand and to be completely honest my time without it was the most refreshing and free I have ever felt.<\/strong>\u00a0 It was amazing to have a conversation with people and sit around a table without having someone typing on their phone and without phones ringing and taking people out of a moment to engage in their virtual lives.<\/span><\/p>\n Our group was able to have deep conversations, play games and work hard on the worksite which is hard to do when you are looking at a screen.\u00a0 Having the ability to be fully present turned our group from acquaintances into a family.<\/strong> We gave each other our absolute and undivided attention without any<\/span> distractions, and we were able to form bonds that I know will last a lifetime.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n When I came home, I made it a point to be more present.\u00a0 <\/strong>To put my phone down and have a face to face conversation with a person as opposed to sending them a text.<\/p>\n My Tanzania experience has taught me the importance and beauty in a moment that you know you may never have again, and I do not want my phone to take any of those moments away.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n My trip with Global Routes allowed me to be myself and explore who I really was, how I connected with others and how beauty is right in front of you if you chose to look up from your phone.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Our group and some of the school children on our last day on the worksite.\u00a0 We successfully build all 4 walls of a new classroom in only 5 days. We worked super hard, but we defiantly took breaks to play with the kids!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is a photo of myself, my homestay partner and best friend Gabby, and our mama.\u00a0 When we were at the homestay, we would help her cook, do laundry, and watch the kids.\u00a0 We did lots of charades trying to communicate but mama helped us learn some new Swahili words and we taught her a bit of English.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here is a photo of our group on our first day of the safari at the <\/span>Ngorongoro <\/span>crater.\u00a0 By this point in the trip we had all become a family and I am proud to call each and every one of these girls who went on the trip with me my \u201cdadas\u201d (\u201csisters\u201d in Swahili).<\/span><\/p>\n This is a picture of myself, my homestay partner and only a few of our host siblings.\u00a0 After a long day of work, they would come running from the house to greet us with big hugs and warm smiles.\u00a0 We spent a lot of time playing soccer and we taught them how to jump rope!<\/span><\/p>\n ——–<\/p>\n Written by Caroline Coates, Tanzania Alum Hi! My name is Caroline and I was a part of the February 2019 Global Routes trip to Tanzania!\u00a0 As I\u2019m starting to write this, I\u2019m having trouble trying to put into words how unbelievable and life changing this experience has been for me.\u00a0 Before this trip I had 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<\/p>\nWant to experience Tanzania for yourself? Our applications for Tanzania Summer 2020 are\u00a0 open! Learn More by visiting our Tanzania Program Page<\/a>\u00a0or go ahead and submit your\u00a0Early Enrollment<\/a>, and we\u2019ll be in touch!<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"