Updated 02/07

Kwaheri (goodbye) from Tanzania!

As we are about to board our final flight home it’s time to wrap up what has been one of the most unbelievable experiences ever.

Throwing it back to Thursday which was a day of mixed emotions as we went to visit the home of Jackson and his granny, the family who Mr Gruba built a house for the first time he came to Tanzania 6 years ago with a previous group of students.

Then on Friday we had our final visit to the site to say our goodbyes and hand over all our gifts and donations to the Mboro family. Many tears were shed as we said goodbye to all our new friends who we have spent so much time with over the past two weeks getting to know them all, playing games, dancing, singing and so much more.

Saturday was a very early start as we were headed on safari. A 4:30 wake up; suitcases all packed, a final breakfast at Berea and off we went headed for Tarengire national park. It was an incredible day, the park was extraordinary and we never knew what was coming round the corner which made it all the more exciting. Some highlights would have to be a whole family of elephants walking in front of our jeep then going into the water for a drink and giraffes running circles around us. After a day that words couldn’t even describe we headed to our new accommodation the Green Parrot Lodge and got ourselves settled there for the next couple of nights.

Sunday morning we were up bright and early as we were going to Ngorongoro crater. As we arrived the whole conservation area was covered in mist then as we drove down into the crater the stunning scenery was revealed. Within the first 5 minutes of being there we already seen a simba (lion) which was quite remarkable. Then not long after we seen two rhinos, which is extremely rare so we were all very excited. As the day went on the sky cleared and it turned into an absolutely glorious day. We ate our lunch at Hippo Lake where we literally sat next to this reservoir of water with hippos in it. On our exit to the park, lions appeared from the shrubs and two of them came right next to our jeep, which was spectacular. It was another unreal day and a fantastic last day of our trip.

Now it’s time to head home after the most incredible two weeks with an absolutely brilliant group of people. We’ve laughed we’ve cried but most importantly we’ve made the most incredible memories that will last us a lifetime.

Just Keeping It Real; Vol.V (final edition)

       

 

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Updated 30/06...

Jambo!

The past few days have been filled with exciting activities. Sunday started off with an early morning as we headed to church where we were warmly welcomed by singing, dancing and then the sermon began. Our next destination was the Chagga caves. We arrived to a historic and educational tour as we headed down into the caves where we found out many interesting facts, among these being that 62 families once survived down there in order to protect their tribe. Following this we got to see how they make coffee straight from the bean, with a delicious reward of a cup of the homemade brew at the end. We finished off the night with a quiz at Berea, with the prize winners being Miss Boomer and Mr Gruba who won a jar of Nutella! On Monday we woke up to the Tanzanian sun ahead of a hard working day at the worksite, the day consisted mostly of passing bricks down a chain to get them to the house in progress whilst we were singing and dancing with all the kids. We all got the opportunity to build a small part of the house by laying some bricks and cement. On our drive home we stopped to take photos of Kilimanjaro in its full glory, as it had finally come out from behind the clouds. The night ended with a delicious meal at Deli Chez which has fuelled us for the days ahead!

Olivia, Sarah & Meghan

Just Keeping It Real: Vol. III

Jambo again!

Tuesday started with yet another incredible breakfast at Berea Bible College under the Tanzanian sun. After a slightly later start, we had our usual bus singalong on the way to the worksite. It's been amazing to see the progress from day 1, when the plot of land wasn't even levelled yet, to now. The work mostly consisted of passing bricks and buckets of sand down to the worksite using a chain. We had a half day on the worksite, finishing early to visit a shop in the centre of Moshi. They had a huge selection; from Tanzania football tops and elephant trousers to carved salad spoons and figurines. We then headed back for another lovely dinner, this time with some traditional Tanzanian food to try. After dinner was another Swahili lesson, where we learnt words which will be helpful on our safari at the end of the week - followed by a song to add to our growing list. Wednesday was our last day on the worksite, which was bittersweet. It's amazing to see just how excited the family is to have their new house, but it also means we're going to have to say goodbye. Work was similar today, lots of chains passing materials. Many laughs and games were shared with the local children; as well as a healthy amount of selfies and our usual singalongs. We returned to Berea for some relaxation time after our hard work followed by another lovely meal.

Ellie and Malina

Keeping it real: Vol.IV

 

      

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Days 1 to 3

Jambo from Moshi!

Our first couple of days have been very eye-opening; after a long day of travelling, we were delighted to arrive to a delicious meal, which was the first of many. We spent our first day learning Swahili and exploring local markets.

Today we visited TAWREF - the Tanzania Women's Research Foundation - where all the staff and volunteers were extremely welcoming and loved a sing and dance (seems to be a common theme).

This afternoon we made our way to the worksite and were introduced to the Mboro family. Their house had a banana leaf roof and was a small space for the family. The saying many hands make light work was proven true this afternoon as the community, builders and our driver all pitched in to help with the workload. The vibes were immaculate!

Emily and Evie

Just Keeping It Real: Vol. I

Days 4 and 5

Mambo (you say poa). Friday/Saturday: After another stunning breakfast at Berea we hopped on the bus to head out to the building site.

A pole pole sana start to the morning, moving sand in a chain down to the site with good tunes and bad dancing along the way. In the evening we finished a hard days work with a well earned dinner out at the Blossom Cafe in Moshi.

The next morning was a warm start: suns out, guns out. The sun was shining and the vibes were vibing.  A workshop on climate change led by students from a local university led on nicely to our afternoon of tree planting, part of a program that so far has planted over 95 thousand trees along the river stretch to provide strength, fruit and shade.

We also met with a local school and were treated with delicious fresh coffee, milk, eggs and local cooked bananas. In the evening, Tanzania’s Got Talent came to Berea Bible College where we were met with incredible lighting via phone flashlights, amazing moves via hours of strenuous rehearsal, and the voice of an angel via Mr Gruba.

The winning act, with much tough competition, were the heart-throbs of the night singing love is an open door: yours truly, Callum and Cameron, the influencers for today. Talk to you soon, when we’re sure the vibes will still be immaculate.

Cameron and Callum

Just Keeping It Real: Vol. II