My First Sight

Arriving in Africa was when it really hit me, but I honestly I still can’t believe I am here with some of my closest friends. The first sight of Tanzania I had was Mt. Kilimanjaro and it was absolutely amazing. I was expecting a hot and desert-like environment, but it is tropical and full of vegetation. So far in this trip we have taken everything Tanzania has to offer.

On our way “home” most of us slept, but some of us stayed up to get our first look at Tanzania. When we got to where we were staying we were surprised by a Swahili teacher who taught us about culture and their language. On day two of the trip we toured the city of Arusha with Rasta John and Jason. Even though we did a lot of walking it was definitely worth it to see the culture. It was beautiful to see Tanzanian markets first-hand because that can really show you what Africa is. On day three we went to Cradle of Love where we went to visit babies in an orphanage and your heart would melt as they ran to hug you. We got to feed the babies and play with them outside. All of us were saying we wish we could take them home, but we know that’s not happening.

July 14 was our first day at LOAMO. Right as we got there we had a little assembly, which was amazing to see. The children would line up by grade, sing songs, and pray all together. Then we went straight to our classroom. I got chosen with class three and it couldn’t have been a better choice. They love touching you hair and skin, it can get over whelming, but it’s amazing to see the joy in their eyes. I sat next to a girl named Einoth and she is filled with tons of joy. Every time I walked into the classroom she would always have a big smile on her face and can make me laugh at any time. On our snack breaks we will always play games and tell each other stories about our homeland, which is amazing to hear about first-hand. While all of us bring in happiness it really shows that the kids pick it up from us and are very happy we are here. Since we have been arriving in the mornings we can see the children each day jump up and down with excitement.

I love teaching the kids math, science and geography the most because they always laugh at me for how bad my hand writing is. They always call me “teacher” and ask me a million questions about America. At the end of the day I give the kids big hugs and goodbyes, but I know I will be back tomorrow to teach them. The days at school are long, but I am always looking forward to creating bonds with each and every one of the children at LOAMO.