Our first days in Tanzania! Karibu!

Habari!

After our fist Swahili class today - it feels right to say hello with a common Tanzanian greeting. “Habari?” translating to “How are you?” can be answered in many different ways - you’ll often hear people respond with, “Nzuri sana” (very good).

Back to the beginning, just a few days ago:

Meeting everyone in JFK airport was a surreal moment that carried over into the time warp of our travel - the adventure was finally here! Making our way from New York to Zurich, then Nairobi and finally Dar es Salaam - everyone arrived with sleepy eyes and slap happy bursts of excitement! We made it!

Welcomed by Paulo, our program coordinator, at the airport - we made a quick stop in Dar for the night and jumped on the bus early the next morning to begin our journey to Iringa! Starting our day with breakfast and the first taste of local food, many of us grabbed for mandazi - a fried bread that originated on the Swahili Coast making it one of the staples for everyday eating. Naps and card games helped us pass the time along with the scenic route as we rose higher above sea level - moving into the southern highland regions.

One rule we discovered on this van ride - always wake a sleeping person when you see elephants! Always! Passing through a small national park we also saw giraffes and baboons!

Eleven long hours later - we made it to Iringa, a well known town in the southern region of Tanzania, where CIEE has been based for a few years now. Another moment of diving right into the experience, upon arrival everyone was brought to their homestay family! As we pulled up to each house their mama and siblings were there to meet them with big smiles - “Karibu!” (you are welcome) - even the student’s faces lit up from the warm greetings.

Sweet stories from the first homestay night broke the ice early in the morning as we made it to the CIEE office for orientation - where we officially met Justin, our program site director. A fun scavenger hunt immersed us into the town right away! From a taxi stand, a fabric shop, restaurants, and the Maasai market led us to our final stopping point, Neema Craft - a restaurant / craft store that provides training and employment opportunities to over 120 people with disabilities! A wonderful place to be.

Later in the evening we hiked Gangilonga Rock for a sunset view of town! Everyone is settling in really well - today was our first soccer camp that we will expand on more soon! The bus ride home was filled with laughter, smiles, and conversations like this one between Zara and Becca, “I’m so so SO happy this is three weeks!” (Zara E) - “The longer you stay, the harder it is to leave” (Becca) - “Yeah - but then you have more memories to take with you!”

We are excited for what the coming days will bring and to share our experience with you - stay tuned!

From your program leaders, Myranda and McKenzie!