Menlo Abroad- Tanzania 2024

Today we woke up and ate breakfast with our home stay families after our relaxing break at Eileen’s Inn this weekend. After a short check in, our group headed to the Hidden Hope Foundation where we were able to learn about their mission of empowering those with disabilities. The other group visited Food For His Children, another NGO that focuses on supporting less fortunate people in creating a sustainable lifestyle. While at our foundation, we watched people create crafts that are put up for sale, with profits going directly to the artist. We even got to learn how to create these items ourselves, ranging from beaded bracelets to painted lamps made from the exterior of dried pumpkins. We then had the opportunity to support the artists by purchasing a few of the many of these items in their expansive gift shop. After a great lunch at the Foundation we headed to Lilac Oasis to finish Madagascar 2, the movie we started on Friday, and were able to order some American comfort foods like bur...

 

Hi Blog!  Today we had our long awaited break at Eileen’s Tree Inn! We got to school at 8am and said goodbye to our homestay partners for the next 24 hours. Once we made it to the hotel, we had our morning check in on some very comfy couches. Then we were given the rest of the morning to hang out which for most people involved drinking coffee, tea, and checking out the beautiful rooms. Lunch was wonderful and included French fries and ketchup (a familiar favorite). After lunch, we had a competitive game of volleyball and then made our way to the pool to swim and sunbathe for the rest of the afternoon until it was time to get ready for dinner. We had a quick reflection session of the trip so far, and brainstormed some ways to make the most of our time remaining here in Tanzania. Dinner was a fantastic buffet with plenty of options, and now we are all settling around the coach for a movie or around the campfire for a sing along. We’re all excited for the champions league final later ...

What’s up, blog?????! Today, we split into two groups to visit NGOs. One group visited Food For His Children, a nonprofit dedicated to educating poor Tanzanians about agriculture and lifestyle and help them become more self-sufficient. We visited two of their locations and had the opportunity to make bricks, feed/care for goats, learn about water conservation, plant herbs, and make cement. Additionally, we learned how their organization works; they visit poor families and observe their living situations. If the families are in need, they can partake in the organization through a sixteen-point system. This system teaches the families sixteen essential tasks to improve their daily lives (i.e. how to make/use a clothing line, how to care for goats), and if they show commitment, the organization will provide them with additional support. The other group visited the Hidden Hope NGO run by James. James started this nonprofit in order for disabled people to obtain jobs as they tend to traditi...

Today, with our homestay partners, we went on safari!  We visited the Leakey Living Museum, where we learned about archeologists Mary and Louis, who researched about the first humans in Tanzania. We saw the Leakey’s living quarters and got an idea of how they were able to live and research in the Serengheti in Tanzania. They had a water tank, a windmill for energy, a place where they stored their findings, a kitchen, rooms, and more. Next we visited the Olduvai Gorge Museum. There we learned about the fossilized findings, dating back to Lucy, 3.5 million years ago. The Gorge also had fossil remains of later human ancestors: Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus, and Homo sapiens, all within a small area of the Gorge. The museum and our guide explained the evolution of humans and how Homo Erectus and early Homo Sapiens lived. The view was very beautiful as we saw the dried version of two rivers that connect and reach the Red Sea. We also celebrated Audrey’s birthday at the Gorge, where she ope...

The main focus of today was installing solar powered lights around the school. We started off by splitting Menlo and Banjika for a brief check-in at 8:00, followed by morning tea and Tanzanian snacks. Afterwards we mixed up and split into three groups: to plan how we would hang the solar lights around the school. Each group worked through communication barriers to design and present a plan to a group of teachers and students whom gave feedback such as: recommending the use of poles and ladders. Then we took a brief lunch break, while Wilson and Tim went to go get the materials we needed at the market. Following lunch we started work on the project, and continued working in our groups until completion around 4 o’clock. Each of our groups was assigned an area to work through to most efficiently light, for example around a water tank, on a street, and a dock for portable lamps. We had to work to balance some engineering troubles such as the need to protect the solar panels from the rain a...