My Second Home….Bralin Willich

So I’ve been home for a few days now and I’m not going to lie it’s been really hard. This trip has impacted me so much and has changed everything for me. In a way I never knew it could. The experience I had being in Tanzania for 3.5 weeks was undescribaeable. I learned so much. I will never forget the happy faces of the people on the streets or the kids at the orphanage. Just everywhere you go everybody is so happy to see you and so welcoming. Whether it’s hanging your head out the dalladalla or walking down the streets or walking into the orphanage. They would all be welcoming you into their country. Everyday I’d make a new friend and that’s what made their day’s just knowing that they have someone there who cares and loves them because they don’t have that. They have nothing and they are the happiest kids I’ve ever met. You can do as little as a smile and make them light up. Every morning when I’d wake up all I could wait for was to get to work so I could see the kids. We would be working outside the classrooms and the kids would be distracting us. But as soon as the bell for break ran they’d be running to find you and when they did all they wanted to do was help. So they would pick up your tools and figure it out themselves. Weather it was glazing windows, painting, or lifting buckets the same size as some them that’s all the wanted to do. And man those kids are strong and hard workers they are always showing you up. Sometimes we would race the older ones to see who could fill a bucket faster or who could get there fast enough, they would always beat us. I had arm wrestled with a few of the boys and wow they beat me haha. If we were on our breaks at the same time we would go sing, dance, talk, and play with them. The kids are always asking about Canada and what it looks like then they’d ask about your family. Some would tell you there story others wouldn’t want to talk about it but for the most part the kids are just following you everywhere and holding your hand. They never wanted to leave your side. Anytime you didn’t look like you were having a good day they would always cheer you up. Whether your crying cause you don’t want the day you have to say goodbye to come or your not feeling the greatest. There smiles, comments and letters always cheered me up. Saying goodbye was not easy but I knew it wasn’t the last time I’d ever see them. I made so many friends and I can’t wait to go back to have seen them all grown up. I truly miss everything and everyone already sooo much

The Beginnning and The End….Hunter LaFleur-Hamann

Before I left for Africa up until Kilimanjaro I didn’t want to be there, I wanted to be home with my family and friends. I cried when I said goodbye and asked to stay home to my mother and Aunt in Vancouver. I cried on several other occasions because for me just turning 14 a couple days before we left and leaving for something that was so big was hard for me at 14 years old. I was scared, all of us were. As I met all the students from Penticton for the first time I was scared and intimidated I had never met them before, I had only met four girls on a separate time but only for a short time. I had my cousin and my Aunt but I knew I couldn’t glue myself to them I had to make friends whether I wanted to or not, I had no choice but to go outside my comfort zone since I was going to be with them 24/7 for 3 weeks. As I met my roommate’s Kaitlyn, Alice G, Alice J , Danielle and Maneet, I knew from the way they treated me I had a chance of making friends. We all talked getting to know each other and bonded by the first week we were all comfortable with each other I like to think I had made friends.

As the weeks went by I realized how blind to the world I was, seeing the kids on the street doing a hand motion wanting food when I thought they wanted love, seeing dogs hiding in holes and being scared for wanting food, people trying to sell things for food, donkeys walking in their herds the ones in the back being whipped as hard as the person can because it isn’t strong enough as the head donkey to carry the weight. Seeing buildings made out of sticks and mud then a classy car shop right next to it. Its hard to see but us Canadians had to deal with the heart ache of seeing how things go in Africa because TIA (This is Africa).

As we worked at the orphanage every weekday hauling buckets many buckets…so many buckets! Painting walls, landscaping and dealing with the heat that we don’t get in Dawson Creek, Kamloops or Penticton, and dealing with 30 sweaty hard working people was difficult the shoving them into the dala-dalas. But when the bell rings for break and you hear cheering we lay our equipment down and see our kids running to you and giving you the biggest hugs and looking at you with the biggest smiles, we realize that all the hard work and stress we all went through it was worth it for the kids, those kids, our kids. Its hard to believe that the kids we see, happy and running around happier than ever have had a past that is heart wrenching and realizing there making the best out of a situation from hell.

Though I came for the kids one of the best parts were the people you see on the street saying Jambo(hello) if you even glance at them, them asking your name and how your doing. You don’t see that at home, I felt less judged there more welcomed I feel judged and unwelcomed at home, at home when I look at people I feel they are glaring at me and it makes me feel not good but in Africa if their looking at you and you look at them they smile and say Jambo, you walk into Walmart and they say that stuff but in my opinion they don’t mean it their paid to do that, they say that so you feel welcome to buy things, not in Africa the people actually mean the Jambo’s and Karibu(welcome) and that’s something we should reflect on ourselves to change at home as Canadians we should be trying our best to be the best we can be and somedays that’s imposible for everyone.

Though there are many good things in Africa there are some bad things about the people there as well but I can’t keep bottling things up that’s a lesson our debriefs taught me. You could walk anywhere and someone could cut your bag and steal something without you knowing, you could walk into the Masaai market and get taken into the stalls and not be able to leave. People hitting kids with rulers because the kids said a word wrong but This is Africa. Though certain things may be aggravating we have to hold our anger back and watch its hard to watch a old man with a penguin hat with no hands and fire burns get turned down every time someone walked by. Small kids running on the streets because their parent don’t care or can’t handle them, people not being able to get jobs because they have a disability (thank you Shanga House for changing that!)
And people just not caring and having the ones who care stand by and watch these people go through hell.

Though I had already mention the kids at the orphanage I’m going to mention them again, as the days of work went by we had less and less time to change it I couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen when we left we don’t know what goes on behind the scenes we only know what they tell us and the sweetest people can hide the darkest secrets.

Our groups had some really good times from us having our debriefs, laughing at things people did and said and having our moments of crying and getting hugs from others afterword’s. I can not explain how grateful I am for that group, I’m going to miss everyone they may not miss me but I miss them.

On the last day I was a mixed pot of emotions. On one hand I was happy to go home see my family, dog, friends and horses but on the other hand I was sad to leave Africa. I was scared to leave the orphans and us not be able to make sure they’re ok every day. I was sad not getting to hear that bell and see the kids running out to see their friends. I’m going to miss everything but I left knowing how much of a difference we made in that orphanage.
Thank you too: Monique, Marisa, Makenna, Bralin, Sarah, Lindsay, Anika, Montana, Mikayla, Jenelle, Isabella, Alice G, Kevin, Gavin, Ben, Carli, Danielle, Maneet, Julia, Kaitlyn, Alice J, Izzy, Maiya, Damaris, Alex, Harrison, Don, Tank and Auntie Sandy for making this trip so amazing. I’m so thankful for everyone and am so happy I met you all and I hope to see you guys again one day!

There are still no words to perfectly describe how I feel I think its the same with many others. No matter how hard I try I can’t explain it to the best of my abilities but I tried that’s all I can say. This isn’t the last you will see of me Tanzania it been a pleasure until we meet again….

Being Home….Alice Gibson

 

I never thought coming home would be this hard. I didn’t want to leave and I’m not going lie the thought of coming home made me extremely sad. As excited as I was to see my family and hear my mums voice I miss the people in Arusha Tanzania, the people I have grown to love in such a short amount of time, and the kids. I can’t explain how lucky I am to have gotten the chance to love those kids. They are the most remarkable children you will ever meet and some of the happiest even though they have so little. This journey has changed my life and I will be forever grateful for this experience and the relationships I have formed. I look forward to the day where I travel back to Arusha and see the kids again and how they have grown as well as seeing the people I am lucky enough to call friends. It was a trip of a life time and I feel lucky to have been apart of it all!
Sent from my iPhone

Just Breathe….

The remarkable group of students I have had the tremendous fortune of spending a part of my summer with recently departed for the airport. As I waved goodby from the front porch that we were all happy to see at the end of every work day, I was filled with a sense of pride, sadness and satisfaction. Beside me, holding my hand with tears running down his cheeks was the child who is as much a part of this group of Canadian students as I am. As the drivers of the busses worked their magic exiting the tight confines of the driveway, I turned and went inside for the final time.

The work here in Tanzania has been a part of my family’s life since 2010 when my, then 17 year old, daughter brought us to this continent. After meeting my first child from the orphanage, my world shifted and this continent and the remarkably resilient children living here had me by the heartstrings. Since 2011, I, along with many other dedicated educators and parents, have been bringing students to help improve the lives of the children at Camp Joshua and Camp Moses. The reality is, however, that as much as we may be enriching lives here, our lives are enriched doubly.

For some of my students,  the unconditional acceptance provided by the Joshua children is a first. Not being judged for what you are wearing, the complexion of your skin or the family from which you come is a welcome change. Yet for others it is the absolute joy found in simple things…having a child want to spend time with you just because you listen, singing a song in Swahili, dancing for the joy of moving to a special rhythm and just not caring who is watching. These moments are the foundation on which my students lives are shifted. For some the impact is fleeting and only brings a wistful smile in the weeks and months following the trip. For others, the impact of these moments is profound and shapes many aspects of their lives from careers to lifestyle.

For me, watching the children of LOHADA grow and learn has been incredibly rewarding. Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been perfect…there have been many challenges and lessons learned along the way. Has every student traveller been amazing? Not by a long shot…but they have all been well-intentioned. Has every chaperone been easy to work with? Seriously…we are Canadian adults who think we know best, but whose time and support is greatly appreciated.  Has the work here been without problems? Absolutely not…and while many things change day to day, the work always gets done. Through this all, however, it’s always been about the kids. My students and the kids in Tanzania. Today I was reminded of that when our goodbyes were said and the tears flowed….tears on the part of locals and travellers.

As a teacher, my goal is to have a positive impact on the lives of the students I teach. If I can help them find their place in the world in some small way, I am thankful. Before they leave, no matter the long term impact, I always hope that the kindness shown to them as strangers in a strange land is paid forward. As well, the over 160 students that have embarked on this journey over the years share in the responsibility of being a voice for these children. By travelling here and being accepted, we all share in the responsibility of being a voice for the voiceless. Telling the stories of the children of Joshua and reaffirming that every soul matters. Every child deserves to have a voice, every child deserves love and to feel valued.

My family and close friends know how close to my heart this work is. They understand all of the joy I take from sharing this experience with students and spending time with the children of Camp Joshua.  That is why my decision to step away from my Tanzanian family for a brief time comes with very mixed emotions.  It will be strange not to start planning the 2019 trip in August, but I know I have given a great deal to this work and I just need to take a step back and breathe….for a little while.  At this time I am looking forward to spending more time with my family, moving to a new school and getting to all of those amazing Okanagan hiking trails I’ve been thinking about.

So Many Thoughts…..Kevin Styba-Nelson

Children, Childhood, and the Childish

Children, childhood, and the childish, I’ve seen all three here in odd enough combinations to make me question most of the things I’ve known about them. I’ve seen people, students here with me, on the cusp of adulthood by less than a year sharing moments of childhood joy and laughter with children that are utterly content in that moment. I’ve seen orphaned children show more maturity and understanding of others than most adults I have ever met. Children with nothing sharing what little they have been given with those beside them is equally the most heart warming and soul crushing thing I have personally witnessed. It somehow destroys and restores my faith in humanity in some weird melancholy that I actually cannot describe with words. And seeing the least childish children I’ve ever met act this way makes it all the more painful when I see the those near independent adults, those that are supposed to have learned compassion and maturity, acting more childish than a child half their age. The best and worse thing about time is, whether you want it to or not, it will always keep passing. I’ve have seen children and adults alike sharing the most heart warming and special moments. I’ve seen them both be the epitome of wisdom and maturity. But I have only not seen children act childishly. I’ve learned age, how much time has passed some one, should not measure how much of a person someone has become. Time passes the wise and ignorant all the same, some will learn and some won’t. But everyone only has a finite time to be the best person they can, some just may not.

Kevin Styba-Nelson #3
Fun, Friday nights, and taking things for granted.

Last night we went too a barbecue restaurant run out of an automotive repair shop at night. I’ve had better food, I’ve eaten at tables on less crowded and dirty streets, and I’ve all round had better dining experiences. But it was the most enjoyable part of my week. Having some barbecued chicken and laughing about carrots salad so spicy you won’t taste for ten minutes with friends I’ve known for less than too weeks was a time I count as one of the best in my life. I like to think it’s because of the people I was with, it was, but it was the shining gem in a week chalked full of hard work. And I’ve come to realize it was the highlight of my week partially because what I took for granted had changed from what it normally was. My bar for what was normal had changed to my life here. And it’s helped me understand the different perspectives of the lives of other people around the world. Whatever someone’s normal may be in life, becomes their personal bar. Anything above that bar is good, and below that is bad. Everyone’s life is relative. And my bar has changed. I take carrot sandwiches, moving buckets of gravel, and a cold pop and the end of the day for granted rather than having a car, parents i see every day, and complete freedom. I know when I’m home my life will be back to what was normal before, and for a while my bar will stay at the level it is but it will go back to where it was. I will take my life for granted, and a night at a barbecue joint will be a normal day. But I don’t think this understanding of how relative my and everyone else’s happiness is to their lives will leave me.

Kevin Styba-Nelson #4
Perceived present personal growth

I had a good day yesterday. Yesterday was not too good of a day, but I realized something. I probably won’t feel fulfilled with the work we will do here. And I probably won’t look back on every moment as one I enjoyed. But I will look back on all of them as good moments, because I know I will be happy with how I have grown as a person while here. I know no matter what, no matter how much I am able to do, the day I leave I won’t be able to do any more. I know no matter what, I will wish I could have done more, because no matter what I want to do more. That will disappoint me no matter what. I also no I won’t be happy every moment I’m here or with every activity I am a part of, and I am very pleased with that. I’ve realized to grow as an individual I need to understand the world, because I am nothing if not just my place within the world. There is many ways to understand the world, but here I can’t not understand the world around me. It is all I hear, see, live, and breath and unlike reading about it I am forced to understand it. And to truly understand something is to experience all of it, good and bad. And whether an experience is one I enjoy or not, one I deem as good or bad, I now see matters less than I thought. No matter what, that experience is a genuine example of a part of the world I have never seen. That experience grows my understanding of the world in some large or small way, and I have come to value that far more than just enjoying it. Fun fades, personal growth does not.

Kevin Styba-Nelson #5
Exercise, Exhaustion, and Existential thoughts

I was pretty tired today. I didn’t sleep the best, woke up with a sore throat, then had full work day extended by an hour. The latter of those is fine, actually pretty great. There lots to do and not much time left to do it. The first two things on that list made it a bit more challenging however. I spent the day stuck between wishing I didn’t have to work so hard, and feeling guilty that I couldn’t work as hard as I normal could. I really wanted too. As I said there isn’t much time left here. But somewhere within that internal struggle I reached a sport of mental peace in realizing that no matter how much, or how little work I do, I will leave at the same time. Whether I am shovelling rock, painting a wall, or sitting in the shade, the day can’t get any shorter. But it also can’t get any longer. The day will be exactly as it will, and I have no control over that. I don’t find that troubling. I in fact find it very comforting. It is all out of my hand. I don’t need to worry, because there is literally nothing I can do. I can’t finish work early, and I can’t go home. I can work, or I can work hard.

Beautiful …..Makenna Robson

When we were little and didn’t want to finish our dinners, our parents would say “_______ eat your dinner! There are children in Africa that are starving!” And I never really acknowledged that statement until I came here. Children on the street will look at you, lift their shirt and rub their skinny tummies, begging you for food. Unlike some of those kids, the kids at Camp Joshua are fed very well. The Joshua kids are always so happy and loving even though most of them have nothing of their own, not even a mother or a father. Every single one of them is so beautiful inside and out and so full of kindness and compassion that you can’t help but fall in love with them. The feeling you get in your heart when they run up to you and jump in your arms or hold your hand is indescribable and my heart will ache for it when I return home. All that these kids have are each other and all of them are happier than you and I, who have everything we could ever want. We are so fortunate to live in Canada, and we take things like showers, getting enough food at dinner and a simple “I love you” from our mom or dad for granted every single day. I’m not ready to leave this place or these kids and I just wish that I could give them everything they’ve ever wanted. My heart is so full and I’m so thankful that I got the opportunity to take part in this amazing experience with all these amazing people.

Blessings…Maiya Anutooshkin

Being here in Africa is such a surreal feeling. It’s completely unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before and I can feel myself changing and growing as a person as each day here passes. The kids at the orphanage (Camp Joshua) are everything. They are so kind and so happy, it makes my day every chance I get to spend time with them. Everyday I make new friends and everyday I learn to appreciate my blessings from kids who cannot dream of owning even a nice pair of shoes and always having food on their table. There’s this friend I’ve made at the orphanage named Anna, and she chips off any paint on my nails and tells me just how much she’s missed me every morning, when I last saw her the day before. I always wish that I could have more hands, because 2 simply isn’t enough when there are so many beautiful children who want nothing more than your hand to hold and to call you their friend. They are compassionate and sincere in ways I can only aspire to be myself one day, and I know the effect they’ve had on me will last a lifetime. I look forward to what I will experience and learn every single day, as I know I am where I belong and making a difference that is bigger than myself, and rewarding in ways money cannot buy. Everyone in Tanzania is so kind. It’s so rare to pass someone anywhere and not get a “Jambo” (Hi), a big smile, and often a welcome into the country. I am so thankful that I’ve been granted this opportunity that has changed my entire outlook on life, helped me truly find meaning in the word volunteer, and inspired me to always do what I possibly can for others, even though they may never be able to repay me. As this trip starts coming to an end, I am incredibly sad, but I am also so hopeful as well as grateful that Africa will always have a piece of my heart. I have acknowledged within myself that I will try every day to take nothing for granted, and I will be strong and raise my voice as high as I can for the kids who don’t have one. This trip is the epitome of life changing, it is more than I could have ever possibly wished for, and I will never forget how full my heart is at this moment.

Trying To Find Words…Alice James

I can’t describe what the trips like. I can’t talk about my experiences since I hold them too dear but I can definitely talk about my feelings. The children here are some of the most special, and caring kids I have ever met. Their only goal in life is to survive and to care for others and they often care more about others then surviving themselves. Since I have arrived, I have felt so many emotions such as freedom, devastation, and unconditional love. Some days you just stick your head out of the dola dola and all you can feel is happiness and the sense that we are all one with everyone else when there are so many people I don’t know but they still want to wave and tell you that they care how you are and they just want to be around you. I can’t imagine being without my loving children everyday. Living without amilias loving face as she runs towards me to nock me over with her hugs, Abdules joy as he describes what he learned in science class today, and Howas look of forever friendship as she just silently holds my hand and never wants to let go. There is so much devistation here as well. It’s so hard to try and ignore starving children because you don’t have enough food to feed them all. I can’t control or express how this experience has changed me and I’m actually crying writing this since these children deserve so much better with their huge hearts and love. These kids will forever hold my heart, and I love them so much. I always will believe in them, Amilia will learn great English and Abdule will become an astronomer and I have no doubt in that. The trip has been an amazing experience and I’m hoping to combine my loved ones in Canada and Tanzania one day. A.k.a next year guys, be ready.
Love you all

Hard Work Made Easy…Damaris Garcia

The work at camp Joshua seemed really hard the first days, carrying buckets full of sand, digging holes on the ground and then filling them up again because there was a change of plans, working under the sun all day, something none of us had done before and probably some people where wondering why where they doing this instead of spending time with kids all day in the classrooms.
The moment we got to spent time with the kids everything changed for me. It’s not something I don’t want to do anymore, I’m happy to do the work, I have a motivation now, a purpose to all the hard work we are doing.
I have meet the most amazing kids, that are all full of energy, they all welcome you with the biggest smile they’ve got, they follow you everywhere and hold you’re hand all the time like you’re the most important thing in their life, and for some of the kids we are, for some of them we are the only ones that ask how their day is going, or that sit with them at their lunch time, or even the only people outside from the school that share a smile with them.
For me this kids are a huge part of my life now, they are the reason why I wake up every morning 1 hour before the wake up call because I can’t wait to get to work so I can see them again, they have toad me so many things in such a short period of time.
Every time our day isn’t going well or that I feel exhausted from lifting heavy buckets all day, I look at the classrooms full of kids, or every time (every 5 min) my little girl Lidya calls my name across the field and blows kisses to me, or every time a kid takes my tool away from me and tries to do the work for me even tho they can’t lift the buckets because the buckets are the same size as them or sometimes the kids will do a better job than me (Albert) and they make it look like the easiest thing to do while I’m dripping in sweat with my face full of dirt, I remember why I’m there, why I’m doing what I’m doing, why it doesn’t matter if we have to move 40 bricks across the field and then move them back to where they were or carry 180 buckets of sand and then buckets of concrete. All the work we do, we do it for them, we aren’t just building a school, we are building a home, their home. This kids deserve so much more, they are the most loving, grateful, and carrying kids I’ve ever meet.
This trip was the best decision I’ve ever made, it has changed me forever and it will continue to change me, I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to share the most amazing three weeks of my life with me most amazing people.

Thankful…Maneet Khangura

Maneet Khangura

Honestly don’t even know where to begin, of course I knew going into this experience that it would be a trip of a lifetime but oh boy it’s been all that and more. The moments I’ve had here are surreal (bad and good) from the second I saw those precious kids to maji moto hot springs, khan’s bbq and the waterfall hike. I can’t believe how incredibly kind and welcoming all the people of Tanzania are, everyday in our dala dala rides I think I greet almost 20 people and hold a small conversation. That never happens at home ! Also, I knew Africa was gorgeous but wow the views here are insane, I’m really going to miss them. Coming here, I think I was comfortable with the fact that my best friend Alice is here with me and completely fine with just that and knowing her only but I never thought I’d leave with this many more best friends. I feel so lucky because the people on this trip are genuinely some of the sweetest I’ve ever met and I’m so grateful for the chance to be here with them. However, it’s coming to an end there’s only less than a week to go and I can’t handle the fact that I won’t be able to come see our kids for a while, I think I about it and shut down. These kids have changed me as an individual, their appreciation for life and generosity towards others mind boggled me at first. To have so little yet share so much, to have hardly anything but want to give to others, just woah. It made me feel disgusted with myself because I have so much more than these kids yet I am not even close to a fraction of who they are as individuals, how mature and insightful they already are. They are such beautiful, beautiful people who amaze me everyday and they have inspired me to be better, to never take anything, even the smallest things for granted. I am forever grateful and always beyond thankful for this opportunity and so lucky to have been able to be here and grow as a person in every aspect. I love Tanzania and cannot wait till I come back, I’m already counting the days.