Bonus post from the chaperones
Just wanted to share our thoughts on the trip so far.
Your kids are great. They are all getting along, are supportive of each other, and enjoying each other's company. They sing together on the bus rides; when we have to mix them up to make rooming assignments in the hotels, they roll with it. They have already clearly bonded. It has been fun to watch.
To date, mostly we have been learning about Tanzania, meeting some of its people, and getting to know each other. We pick two student leaders per day who frame the day's activities, write the evening blog post, and lead the group debrief of the day. Everyone participates in these debriefs, and this responsibility of being the leader rotates -- everyone will get a chance to do it.
We are with three World Leadership School teachers/leaders (and a driver) every day as we make our way across the north of Tanzania. Our leaders are friendly and knowledgable. We have been eating well in the hotels. Everyone is hydrated.
The upcoming big event, of course, is the homestay, and our students think about it with a mix of excitement and nervousness. We'll ease into it by meeting the host families for some get-to-know-you experiences before our kids stay overnight. WLS brought a Tanzanian high schooler to have dinner with us two nights ago, and she was great -- very bright, lively, and interesting. Her English was excellent. (She said she learned it from Nickelodeon.) The evening was so easy and positive that Buffie felt the need to reset expectations -- the students we stay with with not be so fluent in English.
Right now we are in a nice hotel with a pool, and today we will have more downtime than we have previously. Our days have been pretty packed.
You will hear from us (two students) later tonight, but we thought you might appreciate hearing from us now.
John & Buffie
