Learning Through Service in Tanzania
In March 2018, a group of 13 Crescent School boys embarked on a two-week journey to Tanzania, accompanied by Ms. Elchuk and Mr. Shannon. Upon arriving in Tanzania, we met our facilitators and local Maasai warriors and traveled to a mobile camp in Engutukoiti, a small village located on the brink of Arusha, where our real journey would begin. Over the next two weeks, our group was faced with unique Tanzanian activities and unusual challenges, and created unforgettable memories.
We were welcomed by the entire Engutukoiti community: as we danced and sang with the schoolchildren and elders, any lingering fears of inhospitality were immediately shattered. We settled in and headed to our build site at the Engutukoiti Maasai school, where our next week would be spent. We briefly toured the three school buildings and were given our mission objective: we would be building the concrete base and foundation for a new school library, much to Ms. Elchuk’s delight.
Over the next eight mornings, our group transformed what was once a small grassy patch into a solid, concrete foundation for their new library. We dug trenches with pickaxes and shovels, we scooped and mixed concrete, and we all took breaks, sipped on water, and admired Mr. Shannon’s graceful digging posture. The opportunity to help build a library in Tanzania was one whose sheer uniqueness would not be forgotten anytime soon.
In the afternoons, we were led on lively excursions that gave our group unique opportunities to immerse into the Maasai way of life. We participated in a water walk, a five-kilometre water collection trip typically performed by Maasai Mamas, up to 10 times a day. It was not lost on us that the small river of muddy water, its current flow entirely dependent on spontaneous chances of rainfall, was the main village water source. The shocking implications of this rippled through our group; it gave us a first-hand look into the lack of clean water plaguing many parts of Tanzania. The next few days were further filled with cultural experiences: we created beautiful beaded necklaces and bracelets with the Maasai Mamas, we took nature walks in and around our encampment and tossed the disc, we honed our warrior skills with Maasai weapons, and we attempted to herd cattle with absolutely no strategic planning. At dinnertime, we participated in eye-opening discussions that challenged our current political and economic presumptions about the world. It was truly appalling to discover that more Tanzanians have access to mobile phones than clean water.
Our final day at the camp we packed our bags and headed to the school one last time. We played frisbee and soccer with the schoolchildren, and entered their classroom to exchange songs, thanks and goodbyes. Our entire group was filled with heavy hearts as we made a picturesque final exit from Engutukoiti: walking along a dirt path surrounded by acacia trees, carrying our 65-litre camping bags, and holding hands with the children one last time.
The final days of our trip were filled to the brim with amazing experiences. We were given the opportunity to explore the city of Arusha to purchase and barter at the Maasai markets; we hiked through the vast jungles of the Kilimanjaro Marangu Route; we embarked on a two-day overnight safari to Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater, where we enjoyed the splendour of the breathtaking surroundings, watched velvet monkeys carry their infants, majestic elephants stand patiently, and lions lounge on the dirt paths.
Upon arriving at the Kilimanjaro airport, our emotions began to present themselves. We had lived an entire new lifestyle: one filled to the brim with benevolent communities, amazing experiences, unique challenges, and above all, incredible people. We realized that we were now bidding farewell to this new life. We experienced Tanzanian culture, became empowered in our own goals, and were now exponentially more passionate in improving world issues. We agreed that while our journey had physically come to an end, we would carry our Tanzanian selves with us for years to come.
“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” – Winston Churchill
Back
Over the next eight mornings, our group transformed what was once a small grassy patch into a solid, concrete foundation for their new library. We dug trenches with pickaxes and shovels, we scooped and mixed concrete, and we all took breaks, sipped on water, and admired Mr. Shannon’s graceful digging posture. The opportunity to help build a library in Tanzania was one whose sheer uniqueness would not be forgotten anytime soon.
In the afternoons, we were led on lively excursions that gave our group unique opportunities to immerse into the Maasai way of life. We participated in a water walk, a five-kilometre water collection trip typically performed by Maasai Mamas, up to 10 times a day. It was not lost on us that the small river of muddy water, its current flow entirely dependent on spontaneous chances of rainfall, was the main village water source. The shocking implications of this rippled through our group; it gave us a first-hand look into the lack of clean water plaguing many parts of Tanzania. The next few days were further filled with cultural experiences: we created beautiful beaded necklaces and bracelets with the Maasai Mamas, we took nature walks in and around our encampment and tossed the disc, we honed our warrior skills with Maasai weapons, and we attempted to herd cattle with absolutely no strategic planning. At dinnertime, we participated in eye-opening discussions that challenged our current political and economic presumptions about the world. It was truly appalling to discover that more Tanzanians have access to mobile phones than clean water.
Our final day at the camp we packed our bags and headed to the school one last time. We played frisbee and soccer with the schoolchildren, and entered their classroom to exchange songs, thanks and goodbyes. Our entire group was filled with heavy hearts as we made a picturesque final exit from Engutukoiti: walking along a dirt path surrounded by acacia trees, carrying our 65-litre camping bags, and holding hands with the children one last time.
The final days of our trip were filled to the brim with amazing experiences. We were given the opportunity to explore the city of Arusha to purchase and barter at the Maasai markets; we hiked through the vast jungles of the Kilimanjaro Marangu Route; we embarked on a two-day overnight safari to Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater, where we enjoyed the splendour of the breathtaking surroundings, watched velvet monkeys carry their infants, majestic elephants stand patiently, and lions lounge on the dirt paths.
Upon arriving at the Kilimanjaro airport, our emotions began to present themselves. We had lived an entire new lifestyle: one filled to the brim with benevolent communities, amazing experiences, unique challenges, and above all, incredible people. We realized that we were now bidding farewell to this new life. We experienced Tanzanian culture, became empowered in our own goals, and were now exponentially more passionate in improving world issues. We agreed that while our journey had physically come to an end, we would carry our Tanzanian selves with us for years to come.
“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” – Winston Churchill
