The Group

Aaron Franczek, Collin Hartman,Monica Kling, Sarah Meleski, Claire Pattison, Amanda Schmidt, Becca Scholz, Alyssa Stuiber, Becky Thorn, Ryan Treviranus, Gracie Ventura Haas, Marcie Weiss, Jenny White, Robert Bhatia, Jill Braasch, Jenni Herrick and Laine Philippa

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

What we want people to know about Tanzania

Hello Friends,

The students are packing their bags as they will be on a plane back home tonight.  They have some final thoughts to share with you.  Here is what they want you to know about Tanzania...

"This hasn't only been life changing, but soul changing.  I have learned so much about family, life, water and what I take for granted.  Thank you Tanzania!" - Alyssa Stuiber

"This trip has taught me many lessons about appreciation.  It has been life-changing and I'll never forget the people I met or the things that I learned."  - Jenny White

"Water is life, and not everyone in the world has the privilege to have it.  As an educated person, I feel I have more to give to the world and I hope others feel the same way." - Claire Pattison

"People are people.  Regardless of where you are in the world a smile is universal and the gift of life is precious.  Tanzanians, although they have less money than us, have far richer spirits." - Monica Kling

"Every time I visit a third world country it amazes me how easy life is back home.  It puts life in perspective and makes me appreciate my own life.  I hope to bring this simplicity home to help me stay grounded."  - Amanda Schmidt

"What Tanzanians may lack in material wealth, they make up for in the important things in life - family, relationships, and love.  I hope to remember the importance of these aspects of life when I get home." - Collin Hartman

"Poverty does not equate unhappiness.  The Tanzanians I met were all friendly, welcoming and joyful." Marcie Weiss

"The thing that touched me most was seeing the difference in poverty here compared to the US.  In the US, we have more options." -  Ryan Treviranus

"The people of Tanzania are the friendliest and most welcoming people I have ever encountered.  We are clearly foreigners and the people we passed on the road constantly waved at us.  Shopkeepers also were eager to ask us questions about ourselves and our home towns." -Aaron Francek

"The best part about this trip is that we were able to learn the culture of the people. Getting to know the people first helped us to understand and appreciate.  I hope to teach people more about culture." - Becca Scholz

"This trip is a great experience for people in all walks of life; students, teachers, professionals should all find time in their lives to come and experience the great adventures of Africa." -Gracie Haas

"My appreciation for things we take for granted (food, water, shelter and health care) has been increased and I would love to serve all people for the rest of my life.  So, Africa..."Kwaheri Tuta Onana - I will be back!"  -Robert Bhatia

"The relationships that were created and the interactions that I had with the Tanzanians was my favorite part of the trip.  My heart lies here with the people of Tanzania." Sarah Meleski

"This experience has taught me that as people, we all need to take care of eachother.  We may be different on the outside, but inside we are all the same. Here in Tanzania love and compassion reign. " Becky Thorn

"Tanzania is rich with human resources. It abounds with a strong sense of community which can be witnessed within a family, at a church service or on the side of a highway as they prepare food for themselves or for sale."  -Jill Braasch


We are all thankful that we had a wonderful, safe enriching experience.  We thank you for your prayers and support.  We want to especially thank Father Timothy Coday for not only being such a great host and teacher but for his great contribution to the people of Tanzania!

See you all soon! 




Monday, June 4, 2012

Photos


Elephant Crossing!
Aaron watches a giraffe

Safari by Becca Scholz

Everyone is having a lot of fun but it is getting to the point that we are missing our loved ones. Before we leave this beautiful country we visited Mikumi National Park. The best part about this national park is that you don't even need to really go in the park to see the animals. The main road goes right straight through the national park. Right away we saw baboons followed by elephants. Jenny White thought they were fake because they were standing so still and that they were an advertisement for the park. She realized that they were real once they started to move! All along the road we saw giraffes, gazelles, and zebras!!!!!!

Before we went into the actual park we stopped at our hotel to drop off our things. We got to the park at around 4:30 p.m. and had a couple of hours so we thought to look around. Turns out when we got there that we needed to be back by the gate by 6. The sign however said we needed to be out by 7? Well either way we had a guide with us in Bumble Bee our truck. Right away when we got in through the gate we saw a giraffe which was really close to the truck. Then we saw gazelles, water buffalo, warthogs, and zebras. We travelled around on the dirt road until we saw some more zebras and a few more elephants. OH BUT JUST  YOU WAIT!!!!! WE SAW A LION!!!!! OMG!!!!! We only got to see the ears, tail, and paw. We all tried to climb up the truck so we could see more but we couldn't because they were so far away. After awhile we headed towards the water hole. There we were able to see hippos and one opened its mouth. Since it was later at night the hippos were starting to come out of the water. Hippos hide in the water during the day because they get sunburned. Our guide was extremely nice we were in the park until 6:30. Some reason I feel like the rule about being out at 6 wasn't true.

The next morning we woke up every early and was got to the park around 8 A.M. Again we were able to see gazelle, water buffalo, zebras. While on the road we stopped for a family of elephants. Peter turned off the truck and we were able to hear them stomp through the grass. My favorite part about turning off the truck is that you are able to hear the animals around you and hear nothing but nature. During the times that we saw nothing it was nice to experience the quietness that nature had to offer.We travelled through the park and saw a lot of the same animals we saw the night before. We stopped at a camping site where we took a break at a 300 year old Baobab tree.  Heading towards the other side of the park we encountered the same lions we saw the night before. Another truck passed us and gave us news of another lion that was closer to the road. We headed towards the other lion on the road and the lion was less than 100 feet away from us. Almost everyone freaked out!  The lion roared a few times and had its ears back. We were in her territory and she was not too happy. Since everyone was freaking out I feel that we were probably making her feel more uncomfortable. After seeing the lion we made our way back to Dar.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Message from Laine

After coming back from the town of Manyoni, students found themselves too busy to get their thoughts together for the blog.  Father Tim hosted a wood-oven pizza party in his home and good times were had by all. 

It is now 5:30 am and we are packing the truck to leave Dodoma and head for the Mikumi Wildlife Preserve.  Although it is a long drive, students know that by nightfall we will see elephants, giraffes and zebra.

We are most likely out of touch until we reach Dar-es-Salaam tomorrow night.  Everyone is happy and healthy and beginning to look forward to seeing their families and sharing their wonderful experiences.

Photos

Mama Moki teaches Monica, Gracie and Becky to grind garlic

Mama Moki's parents with group

Mama Moki's daughter, Mary (with Jenny)

Group on hill above town of Manyoni