So, uh... I'm in Africa (it's casual)

I haven’t had a chance to write anything yet because we’ve been so busy! I’m going to use this post as an overview of my first few days. This will probably be a quite lengthy post because we’ve done a lot already!

Traveling

I left New York on Wednesday night and arrived in Amsterdam at 6:40am local time (or 12:40am New York time). My flight was smooth and we actually landed early because of a huge tailwind. It took me a while to connect with the group because I had never met them before. However, I saw a guy walking around in a Minnesota shirt and assumed it was Chad. I was correct. Our whole group clicked almost instantly. Everyone is really nice. We arrived in Kilimanjaro Airport around 7:30pm local time (12:30pm New York time). 

My first thought when I stepped off the plane onto the tarmac was, “I’m in Africa.” That sounds like such a simple thing to be thinking, but it was surreal. We were met outside of the airport by Sister Melissa (one of the nuns from the Northern Diocese here in Tanzania), Pastor Urio, Nelson (a good friend of Chad’s and a safari coordinator), Oscar (our wonderful driver), and Natalie. Natalie and I had quite the reunion! We were also welcomed by a group of 11 Maasai and their pastor. Maasai is a local tribe in the Kilimanjaro region. They greeted us with song and dance.

Friday

The next day we went into Moshi, the town we’re staying in, to exchange our money. $200 dollars gets you about 325,600 Tshillings. We were quickly swarmed by local vendors who spoke to use in Kiswahili. We responded as well as we could. All of the people here are super nice and welcoming.

Our next stop was Agape Lutheran Junior Seminary, run by the ELCT Northern Dicese. It’s a boarding school that services 500 students with only 29 staff. Level 1 students begin at ages 12-13 and complete 4 years. They must then take a national test. Passing allows them to return for Level 2, which lasts 2 years. Tuition is 1.3 million Tshillings or just under $1000. They just welcomed back their headmaster, Sister Elistaha Mlay (click her name to learn more about her). She is the most wonderful woman I have ever met. 

We then went to Midlands Lodge in Mamba Village for lunch. This area is inhabited by the Moshi clan. All the food in our 3 course meal was grown locally. As we left Mama Moshi (the woman who runs the lodge) told me “Karibu tena,” meaning “you are welcome again.”

The next stop of the day was Kikoro Primary School in that same village. We had to walk down a dirt road (on a steep hill) for about 30 minutes. During that walk we came across a puddle of water. Since the road was dirt and now it was wet dirt, or mud, I slipped. I was just being my usual clumsy self and ended up sitting in a puddle of mud. Oh well, Tanzania is now part of me and vice versa.

The students of Kikoro Primary School were supposed to be on vacation, but when they heard we were coming they all put on their uniforms and came to greet us. We were able to give them 3 soccer balls and a football. When they saw us walking down the road they swarmed around us. After a few minutes they gathered around us and sang a couple of songs including the Tanzanian national anthem. 

Next was the house of one of Pastor Chad’s good friends. His name is Stephen Massawe. He began building his home before he was married so he could prove that he could provide for his future wife. It worked because his wife Hikaeli (that’s my best guess on the spelling until I see her again!) is as beautiful in spirit as she is in person. Her name means “thank you God” and everyone is thankful for Hikaeli. We went behind his house to some caves that were build 100s of years ago. They are holes dug in the ground that then open up into rooms (I know this because Natalie and I went in them!). They can house up to 200 people and were originally used as homes. More recently they were used to house women and children during the Civil War.

Finally, we went to dinner at El Rancho, which is actually an Indian Restaurant. I drank my first Tanzanian beer and Natalie spilled her Savannah Dry. 

Saturday

The first place we went was Ushirika wa Neema, a convent. They have 10 acres for community living and 30 acres for farming. Also located here is a Montessori training school and one classroom. Their Montessori education is only for Kindergarten (age 2 and 1/2). They say that the only way to raise children in the Christian faith is to give them a foundation. Sophia Urio (Pastor Urio’s wife) has been the principal of this training school since it began in 1992. Students take a 2 year course. The first three months of the second year are the student’s field placement. The teachers make all the material that we would buy at education warehouse in the training school. These teachers put so much time and effort into making sure that these children have a way to learn. It is a real testament to education. 

Pastor Urio has been with the convent since it began in 1980. They started with only 10 sisters. Their philosophy is “what service can I render” not what will benefit me. The convent is completely self-sustained through the farm and school that they do not have to wait for donors. Soon they will begin construction on a hostel for women who go to different universities in the area. 

Next we went to Machame Lutheran Hospital. Located there is a nursing school. We saw their classrooms and dorms and the current construction for a dining hall. The nursing school has only been open since 2010, but has already had one of the highest success rates in the country. Their first class graduated last year and 90% passed their national exams. The hospital itself is very different from a US hospital. The hallways are outside and the rooms are dirty. However, the hospital has a high success rate. The hospital is largely run by Bob Kasworm, who is originally from Nebraska.

Bob took us to his latest project after we toured the hospital. It’s a program called Houses for Health. They build small, 2-room houses without electricity or running water for patients whose poverty exacerbates their condition. It may not seem like much, but these homes make a huge difference in the lives of these people. We visited a lady called Jennifer who had a house built through this program. She was so grateful for the program and excited to show visitors around her home. We also visited a potential family. They have not yet been approved for a house to be built, but we have word that it will most likely happen. This house would be for a 17-year old boy and his family. Prosper has extreme epilepsy and a developmental disorder that is most likely cerebral palsy. It was absolutely heart breaking to see the condition of his “home” (if you could even call it that) and to see him sitting in the dirt. 

We stopped by the Protea Hotel Aishi Machame on the way to dinner for drinks. It is a beautiful facility. We had dinner at the 10 2 10 Restaurant (pizza, believe it or not). Our group came together and raised the money there and then to build 2 houses with the Houses for Health program. It costs $4000 to build one house (if anyone wants to donate to this wonderful program I can provide more information, let me know!). 

Sunday

We went to Nkwesho Parish for church. The entire parish was so welcoming. When we arrived the children began singing “Welcome, welcome, how do you do? Happy to see you, happy to see you” over and over. It was precious. They served us tea before the service, even though we were running late. Despite the fact that these people barely have anything, they gave everyone in our 20 person group a bag of coffee to show their appreciation for us being there. They also cooked us an entire goat for lunch!  

The Tanzanian people are truly wonderful. I have not met a single person that I do not like. They are all so happy to meet us and speak to us in broken English and even worse Kiswahili. I’m so excited for everything that has happened so far. On Saturday night, Chad asked us if we had to leave tomorrow, would the trip have been worth it. The unanimous answer was yes. 

Tonight we went to Kilimakyaro Lodge for dinner. It is up on the mountain so we got to watch the sunset. It was beautiful. Stephen and Hikaeli came with us with their two children, Trajeil and Fides. Trajeil (boy) is 2 and 1/2 and Fides is 9 months old. They were the cutest things. Trajeil was very shy at first, but I made it my mission to make him my rafiki (friend). Mission accomplished! Fides was very calm all the time, but it was difficult to make her smile. After a lot of playing and messing around, we finally got it!

Next week!

Tomorrow morning we leave for Safari and I will not have internet for a few days. We will be visiting the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. We will also be staying in tents! I’ll update you all when we get back! Thanks for reading this whole thing, I know it was long.