Kilimanjaro day
Welcome, parents, to student-written Tanzania Blog #1 (sorry for the delay; the wifi blinked out last night)
Notable Events:
- It was Kilimanjaro day, and we saw multiple monkeys in the trees (apparently a rare sighting) en route to the mountain. We hiked around Mt. Kilimanjaro, starting at 10,500 feet and making around 200 ft of elevation gain. We saw some really cool animal tracks, and the view was simply amazing (although we could not see the peak due to clouds, and it rained on us a bit)
Later we went to the home of Wilfred and Faith, a truly wholesome and welcoming couple who are two impressive Tanzanian leaders and elders. They taught us some very valuable lessons about Tanzanian history and culture.
Lastly, we played many fun games together on the bus :)
First Day Impressions:
Amazing food! All the hosts were extremely generous, and we are all very well fed. We had breakfast and dinner at West Kili Lodge, boxed lunch on the bus after hiking, and a nice snack with Wilfred and Faith.
The locals are super friendly. We learned the word "Jambo" (hello), which we used to greet and wave to many locals on the way to Mt. Kilimanjaro. These small interactions brought a smile to everyone’s faces.
We started learning some Kiswahili, as well as some cultural norms, which was very eye-opening. For example, we learned that paying respects to elders is very important, and that people here see wealth through their relationships and not through materialistic means.
Don’t miss us too much, we are having the time of our lives (while staying healthy)!
Murohn & Marissa (and the rest of the crew)
at base camp
