Thank you to everyone for following along in the blog. I am glad so many of you enjoyed it and this blog will be here for anyone who wants to come back and read about our trip again. Thank you to Harvey, Marlene, and Curt Blankespoor for organizing this trip and making it possible for so many of us to experience Africa. Thank you to those at home who supported us in any way on our adventure. This trip was an unforgettable experience and a blessing to be a part of.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
June 3rd
We have returned from Africa safe and sound. We had a very long 30 some hours of traveling to make it from Zanzibar to Holland, but everything went smoothly and now we are home enjoying all the things about America that we missed while we were in Africa.
Monday, May 31, 2010
May 31st
Today was another great day of relaxing on the beach and by the pool. Most of us tried to stay out of the sun a little more because of our sunburns. For dinner we had a cultural experience with the local Masai. Tomorrow we pack up and start a very long day of traveling home. We have really enjoyed our time here in Africa and it is a blessing to have the opportunity to go on a trip like this. Thank you to all those back home who have made this possible!
Here are a few pictures from our trip.
Here are a few pictures from our trip.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
May 30th
Sorry I haven't updated in so long. As I thought, we did not have internet in Dar es Salaam, and the internet here in Zanzibar is hit and miss. Yesterday I typed up the update for the last 4 days and then the internet crashed as I was posting so I lost it all. So here we go again.
May 26th
We made it to Dar es Salaam safe and sound. The place we were staying at was a Catholic complex. The hostel we stayed in was not quite what we were used to. It was just the bare necessities, although it was safe and fairly clean. We ate a lot of rice in the last couple of days. The hostel was very adequate for the very poor city.
May 27th
We had the chance to visit an orphanage in Dar es Salaam. We raised over $6000 for this orphanage before we came to Africa. We had quite a few gifts to give them as well, including soccer balls and jump ropes and frisbees. We had a great time at the orphanage interacting with the kids. We split up into groups and helped with feeding the pigs, cleaning the dormitories, planting trees, and taking care of the little kids. We had a lot of fun playing with the children, they were very fun and loving. It was amazing to see how grateful and loving they were, even with how little they have. They were so grateful that we took time out of our trip to visit them. We got to share lunch with them, and the food was very tasty. We had rice and beans and cooked plantains. As we left the kids were waving goodbye. There were a few children that latched on to a specific person and it was hard to leave them. We had a little time in the afternoon to relax or study for our final exam.
May 28th
We got to visit a couple more places in need in Dar es Salaam. The first place we visited was a public school that does not get visitors usually. Some of the kids that go to this school cannot even afford a pencil. We brought 24 soccer balls and a lot of pens and pencils to give to the children. They were very excited for us to visit them and for our gifts. The soccer balls they usually play with are made out of plastic bags they find on the streets. Most of the students spoke English pretty well. As we left our coordinator, Margaret, told them that we came because we cared about them and told them to study hard and go on to the universities. It felt good to give back to a community in need. The next stop was a church. This church focused on people with disabilities. It is very hard with people with disabilities to live in Dar es Salaam. The church we visited helps to house those people and find employment for them. We split up into groups and helped out with various tasks around the grounds. We helped to paint, weed, cut the grass, and bead bracelets. We also got to share lunch with the people in the church. More beans and rice, but the food was still good. After visiting the church, we headed to a craft market where some of us got to shop. We had more time to study and then took our exam after dinner. It went pretty well for most of us.
May 29th
We woke up early and left for Zanzibar. We took the ferry across to the island, and then had a drive to our resort. The place we are staying at is amazing. It is very beautiful here. The resort is right on the beach. The rooms are very nice and air conditioned. It is very hot and muggy in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. The food is very good here.
May 30th
Today we had all day to spend relaxing and exploring around the resort. Most of us spent our time lounging around in the sun. Some of us maybe a little too much. The tide was out most of the morning, and we had the chance to collect seashells and look at the tide pools. In the afternoon a few of us got the chance to go snorkeling, which was really cool. Overall it was an awesome day, and we have another day tomorrow to do the same thing. A few people are going on a tour of the island, but most of us will be relaxing. On Tuesday we start on our way back to U.S.A., which most of us are very ready for.
Thank you for your continued support.
Kwaheri!
May 26th
We made it to Dar es Salaam safe and sound. The place we were staying at was a Catholic complex. The hostel we stayed in was not quite what we were used to. It was just the bare necessities, although it was safe and fairly clean. We ate a lot of rice in the last couple of days. The hostel was very adequate for the very poor city.
May 27th
We had the chance to visit an orphanage in Dar es Salaam. We raised over $6000 for this orphanage before we came to Africa. We had quite a few gifts to give them as well, including soccer balls and jump ropes and frisbees. We had a great time at the orphanage interacting with the kids. We split up into groups and helped with feeding the pigs, cleaning the dormitories, planting trees, and taking care of the little kids. We had a lot of fun playing with the children, they were very fun and loving. It was amazing to see how grateful and loving they were, even with how little they have. They were so grateful that we took time out of our trip to visit them. We got to share lunch with them, and the food was very tasty. We had rice and beans and cooked plantains. As we left the kids were waving goodbye. There were a few children that latched on to a specific person and it was hard to leave them. We had a little time in the afternoon to relax or study for our final exam.
May 28th
We got to visit a couple more places in need in Dar es Salaam. The first place we visited was a public school that does not get visitors usually. Some of the kids that go to this school cannot even afford a pencil. We brought 24 soccer balls and a lot of pens and pencils to give to the children. They were very excited for us to visit them and for our gifts. The soccer balls they usually play with are made out of plastic bags they find on the streets. Most of the students spoke English pretty well. As we left our coordinator, Margaret, told them that we came because we cared about them and told them to study hard and go on to the universities. It felt good to give back to a community in need. The next stop was a church. This church focused on people with disabilities. It is very hard with people with disabilities to live in Dar es Salaam. The church we visited helps to house those people and find employment for them. We split up into groups and helped out with various tasks around the grounds. We helped to paint, weed, cut the grass, and bead bracelets. We also got to share lunch with the people in the church. More beans and rice, but the food was still good. After visiting the church, we headed to a craft market where some of us got to shop. We had more time to study and then took our exam after dinner. It went pretty well for most of us.
May 29th
We woke up early and left for Zanzibar. We took the ferry across to the island, and then had a drive to our resort. The place we are staying at is amazing. It is very beautiful here. The resort is right on the beach. The rooms are very nice and air conditioned. It is very hot and muggy in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. The food is very good here.
May 30th
Today we had all day to spend relaxing and exploring around the resort. Most of us spent our time lounging around in the sun. Some of us maybe a little too much. The tide was out most of the morning, and we had the chance to collect seashells and look at the tide pools. In the afternoon a few of us got the chance to go snorkeling, which was really cool. Overall it was an awesome day, and we have another day tomorrow to do the same thing. A few people are going on a tour of the island, but most of us will be relaxing. On Tuesday we start on our way back to U.S.A., which most of us are very ready for.
Thank you for your continued support.
Kwaheri!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
May 25th
We left Ngorongoro Crater today. We first stopped at a Masai village to learn a little more about their culture. They are very interesting people and live a life very different from our own. They live in huts they make out of sticks and mud. Their lives are centered around their cattle. They are semi nomadic and roam all around the land. The men can take mulitple wives and this family unit makes up one of the little villages. We saw their traditional dancing and we saw them bleed a cow. They drink cow milk for extra protein and nutrients. We also saw them make fire by rubbing sticks together. Some of them spoke English very well, and some do not. One of the men I talked to was doing his grad school work in conservation ecology. It was very cool to learn about their culture.
After visiting the Masai village we had a long drive back to Arusha. We stopped at the Cultural Heritage Center which was a big place selling a lot of souvenirs. They also sold Tanzanite there and some from our group decided to purchase the rare gem. Our next stop was the Tanzanite museum. We learned more about the history and properties of Tanzanite. Then we made our way back to the African Tulip. The African Tulip is in fact a tree and not the tulip we see in Holland.
Dinner consisted of rice and chicken in coconut sauce, along with potatoes and soy beans and vegetable curry. It was very rich and filling. Those of us who planned on losing weight in Africa are finding the opposite to be true.
Tomorrow we fly out to Dar es Salaam in a little plane out of Arusha. We are going there to work at an orphanage and do some other activites. We will be staying a Catholic dormitory, which is safe and clean but very plain, especially compared to the places we have been staying. I don't think there will be internet there, so if I do not post for the next 3 days then that is the reason why. Please pray for safe traveling tomorrow and also pray for the orphanage we are about to visit.
Gonga!
After visiting the Masai village we had a long drive back to Arusha. We stopped at the Cultural Heritage Center which was a big place selling a lot of souvenirs. They also sold Tanzanite there and some from our group decided to purchase the rare gem. Our next stop was the Tanzanite museum. We learned more about the history and properties of Tanzanite. Then we made our way back to the African Tulip. The African Tulip is in fact a tree and not the tulip we see in Holland.
Dinner consisted of rice and chicken in coconut sauce, along with potatoes and soy beans and vegetable curry. It was very rich and filling. Those of us who planned on losing weight in Africa are finding the opposite to be true.
Tomorrow we fly out to Dar es Salaam in a little plane out of Arusha. We are going there to work at an orphanage and do some other activites. We will be staying a Catholic dormitory, which is safe and clean but very plain, especially compared to the places we have been staying. I don't think there will be internet there, so if I do not post for the next 3 days then that is the reason why. Please pray for safe traveling tomorrow and also pray for the orphanage we are about to visit.
Gonga!
Monday, May 24, 2010
May 24th
Today we woke up early for a game drive down in Ngorongoro Crater. Today was our last day for game driving. It was a really good day for game viewing. Not 10 minutes into the crater we saw a mother lion with 3 cubs walking right beside the road. Our driver said the cubs were probably 2 weeks old. They were so cute. We watched them for a while and then a group of 4 lions started walking towards us from the other direction. The mama hid her babies as the big lions walked by. We drove around some more and got really lucky to see a rhino with a baby very close to the road. Rhinos are rare animals to see, let alone right up close and with a baby. We also ran into a giant bull elephant in the forest and he was very close to our vehicle. It was very intimidating to look an animal that large in the eye. The view inside the crater was stunning. Mountains surrounded us on all sides and the sun broke through the clouds every once and a while.
This afternoon we visited a Masai school. We gave them a few soccer balls and $200 for textbooks. The children sang us a few songs and we attempted to sing the national anthem for them. We learned a little about their school and the great needs they have.
Tomorrow is our last day with our drivers and we are very sad to leave them. Our drivers have made this experience so much better and more memorable. We ate dinner with them tonight and the food was very good. The time is running out for my internet, but I will try to describe the food more tomorrow.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!
asante!
This afternoon we visited a Masai school. We gave them a few soccer balls and $200 for textbooks. The children sang us a few songs and we attempted to sing the national anthem for them. We learned a little about their school and the great needs they have.
Tomorrow is our last day with our drivers and we are very sad to leave them. Our drivers have made this experience so much better and more memorable. We ate dinner with them tonight and the food was very good. The time is running out for my internet, but I will try to describe the food more tomorrow.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!
asante!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
May 23rd
We left the Serengeti today. On our way out we were trying to find the migration herd. It's crazy to think that we could drive around for hours and still not see a herd of a million wildebeest. That's how big the Serengeti is. We saw some lions waiting for prey by the rivers. We had a long drive from western Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater. We had a game drive down in the crater this afternoon and had a chance to see the very rare black rhino way off in the distance. We also saw hyenas and lions being lazy in the afternoon sun. The animals in the crater are not shy and we got very close to the lions and a hyena today. We came back to our lodge and had another spectacular view from the lobby and dinner area. Dinner was great and we got a chance to dance with the performers after the meal. We have another day in Ngorongoro tomorrow and then we head back to Arusha the next day. After that we start the second half of our trip in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
Karibu!
Karibu!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
May 22nd
Another day in the Serengeti has gone by. We are continuing to enjoy ourselves and are learning a lot about the animals. We saw a lot of the same birds and animals today, but they more shy because not as many vehicles visit the western edge of the Serengeti. We saw a pride of lions sitting in a tree for shade. We also spent some time along the Grumeti River and saw a lot of hippos and nile crocodiles. They are both very large and powerful animals.
Last night a lot of us heard animals during the night. The insects are very loud, as well as the birds. There were some monkeys traveling through the trees, and a few of us heard hyenas and a lion roar off in the distance. It was a little scary but we are safe because the Masai men patrol the area. The view from our dining area never ceases to amaze us all. This place is a very cool place to stay on safari.
This afternoon we didn't have anything scheduled so we took the time to rest and relax. We are feeling refreshed for our long drive back to Ngorongoro Crater tomorrow. Please keep us and our drivers in your thoughts and prayers.
Hakuna Matata!
Last night a lot of us heard animals during the night. The insects are very loud, as well as the birds. There were some monkeys traveling through the trees, and a few of us heard hyenas and a lion roar off in the distance. It was a little scary but we are safe because the Masai men patrol the area. The view from our dining area never ceases to amaze us all. This place is a very cool place to stay on safari.
This afternoon we didn't have anything scheduled so we took the time to rest and relax. We are feeling refreshed for our long drive back to Ngorongoro Crater tomorrow. Please keep us and our drivers in your thoughts and prayers.
Hakuna Matata!
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