Sinclair School - Tanzania 2007

Excitement on the way to the airport was unbearable but no one could have possibly been prepared for the two weeks that lay ahead of them. We left Pearson airport at approximately 6:30 p.m. and, after a short stopover in Amsterdam, arrived at the Kilimanjaro airport at around 9:00 p.m. the next day. There is no way to describe the feeling and atmosphere after we stepped off the airplane and took our first steps on African soil. The air smelled so fresh, the night heat was incredible, and all our plans were finally becoming a reality. We hadn't even left the airport, yet all of us had already fallen in love with this magnificent new place. The 45 minute drive from the airport to our campus was rather calming. The bus was silent as all travelers tried to take in and observe the beautiful night. Once we got to our campus, (International School Moshi), we headed off to our cabins and unpacked and settled in. The campus was a very modern facility and the cabins were better than we had hoped for. ISM offers a visiting schools program where students from other countries can stay on campus, enjoy cafeteria services, fresh water and other facilities. They arranged our excursions and school building project. The people were friendly and welcoming, and they were more than gracious. The CEO, Barry Sutherland, is a former Sinclair teacher and he ensured our stay was worry-free. We got settled as quickly as we could, then turned out the lights and anticipated the day ahead of us. And what a life-changing day it was! Waking up the next morning was surprisingly easy considering the lack of sleep and jet lag. We had breakfast at the dining hall, just like we would every other day on campus, and jumped on the bus to head off to our worksite. As part of our trip, we had fundraised to help purchase materials needed for the building of a school in a local community, Kaloleni, near Moshi. We had also committed to providing the labour. We finally got to experience Tanzania in the daylight and it was even more beautiful than we had hoped for. We had to pass through town en route to our worksite, and it was the first time we got to see citizens and observe their everyday life. It was a very lively town, with constant movement and hustle and bustle. Witnessing the grace with which women carried entire bunches of bananas or water jugs on their heads was a huge contrast to ourselves, who couldn't seem to get on or off the bus without at least one person bumping their head. It was quite easy to tell we were tourists; our cameras were never put down and our eyes were glued to anything that moved. We were entranced by the difference in culture and routine: basically everything about this wonderful new town. We traveled a few minutes outside of town, through smaller neighborhoods until we reached our worksite in Kaloleni. Kudos to our driver, who navigated bumpy, narrow roads that we couldn't believe were designed for large vehicles. It didn't take long for the excitement of building a school to become the reality of the hard labour involved in the construction. We were handed pick axes, hoes and shovels to begin digging the foundations for a new school building. This task immediately gave us a taste of the realities faced in just one aspect in the everyday lives of the people living in this community. Breaking through the hard earth in 38 degree temperatures, with only the simplest of tools, really showed us how much we rely on technology in our daily lives. The worksite was amazing; we had a beautiful view of Mount Kilimanjaro and a constant supply of friendly, helpful people from the community who made the experience just that much better. Even the seemingly simple task of making cement, with the absence of a cement mixer, vehicles, or even wheelbarrows became whole group activities. One group was in charge of counting out and transporting 100 pans of sand, while others got 40 pans of gravel, and others water to mix small batches on the ground. When the concrete was added, we became a human chain of locals and Canadians, young and old, delivering cement 1 pan at a time to the trough, and sending the pans back to be refilled before the concrete hardened. Our rudimentary knowledge of KiSwahili helped us a bit, but we soon learned that "faster, faster" and "heavy" are part of the universal language of workers everywhere. Despite the exhausting tasks, the spirit of comradery and genuine joy at seeing the impact of our efforts first-hand made up for any blisters, crushed fingers, backaches or sunburns that we developed. Over the course of the 8 days of our building projects, Sinclair and Dunbarton were able to complete the foundation for the new building, lay the cement floor, paint the entire inside of an adjacent school building, and add about 4 feet of blocks to a third building. (And let me just say that the Tanzanian blocks don't have those nice hollow sections like the ones we use here!) Thanks to the generosity of friends, family, students, teachers and community members, we had raised funds that far surpassed the cost of our supplies for Kaloleni Secondary School. Staff at the International School Moshi looked into some additional areas that could use some extra support and came up with 2 fantastic projects that we embraced with all of our hearts. On the way home from our work site, we 20 dirty Canadians stopped at a local orphanage to deliver a month's supply of powdered milk. We weren't even off the bus before the 1st little orphan had found his niche in the arms and heart of a Sinclair student. We left one and a half hours later as different people. It's impossible to truly comprehend that we were hailed as heroes for bringing something as basic as milk to children. We were also able to purchase 16 new beds for the local hospital, whose patients were commonly crowded 3-5 people per bed. We all felt a huge sense of appreciation for these incredible opportunities to help others, and an overwhelming understanding of just how significant an impact even the smallest amount of money can make for people living in this community. We left all of these places humbled and heartsick, yet honoured to have represented our schools, families, and communities on a mission of such critical importance. But it was not all work and no play. Even though every student asked would say that their favourite part was one of the community projects, we also got to experience the awe and beauty of Tanzania in all its glory. Other highlights included jumping of Marangu Waterfall on Mount Kilimanjaro, into the icy, glacial waters below, traditional Maasai and Chugga singing and dancing, and a mountain climb of Mount Meru, in Arusha National Park. It was a three level climb, and each student felt a huge sense of accomplishment at reaching their own personal goal and seeing the spectacular views at their level. But no trip to Africa would be complete without a safari. Both schools took trips to Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania's self-dubbed Eighth Wonder of the World. We stopped at the International School's Arusha Campus and switched into three groups in three different jeeps. By this point, we were seeing animals all over the place and there was so much to watch and observe. Lions, Zebras, Wildebeest, Water Buffalo, Giraffes, Antelope, Elephants, Cheetahs, Rhinos, Hippos, Jackals, Hyenas, Warthogs (which we all knew the KiSwahili word, Pumba, for), Ostriches, Cranes, Pelicans, Flamingoes, and many more were just some of the animals we saw on our way. Night times sure proved to be exciting as many animals entered and roamed around our camp site. Shots were fired to scare them away, but let's just say that only the very bravest got a full night's sleep. We all made it home in one piece, but whoever said that the sounds of nature are soothing has never camped in tents in such savage wilderness. The Olduvai Gorge was breathtaking and it was fascinating to learn that it was the site of the discovery of the first hominid trackway. If the huge volcanic crater, spectacular animals or lush scenery hadn't already made us feel insignificant in the big scheme of things, looking at a plaster replica of mankind's first-known footprints certainly did. To be where the first human footsteps on earth occurred humbled us all. This feeling of incredulity repeated itself when we were invited to tour a Maasai village, where we got to meet people of a culture so different from our own. But the language of laughter and fun transcended any language or cultural barrier, bringing into view, once again, the reality of our own Canadian lives of incredible opportunity. This trip was a once-in-a lifetime experience that we want to make into a life-altering one. No one who witnessed the genuine joy and citizenship of the Tanzanian children and adults that we met could come back to Whitby or Pickering and resume the same life that they led before March 2nd. Everything about it brings back happy memories; even the tough times are treasured times. We are all forever grateful to everyone who was involved in making this trip possible and would like to thank them for allowing us to embark on a life changing journey. It's nice to know that no matter what happens, where we are or what we're doing; we will always have Africa and the memories to last a lifetime. Sinclair students are continuing their crusade for social justice with our One Step At A Time Walk/Run on April 27th to raise funds for this spring's Feed The Children visit from Craig Kielburger. And Dunbarton students hosted Canadian Environmental activist, David Suzuki, just weeks before our Tanzanian adventure. Jacquelyn Best