2025 Tanzania Menlo Abroad

Jambo (that’s hello in Kiswahili) Families! We are reaching the final stretch of this truly amazing journey, so look forward to MANY stories! Right now we are relaxing and recuperating at a fabulous hotel in Arusha, having a delicious dinner and watching the original Lion King (quite fitting if you ask us).  You won’t believe how early we woke up this morning. At 6:30pm your time (which is a shocking 4:30am for us), we woke up bright and early to prepare for the Cape to Cairo Arusha Marathon. Everyone chose to participate, whether it was walking/running the 5K or 10K. The whole time we were at the event, we were treated like celebrities (we might just be on TV!!). This marathon was created to help encourage tourism throughout Africa, which is why us travelers from California were such a big deal. Everyone had a ton of fun, with some very notable finishes! Sophia finished 1st of all the women in the 5k (OMG!!), Buffie was 2nd women’s in the 5k, Marissa finished 7th of all the women ...

 (Note: This video was posted on yesterday's blog. But for those who haven't seen it, here it is again.)

What’s-up families! Today we started the day with a bright and early start after a night with clear skies, hazy sunsets, and vividly bright stars. We had breakfast at the Banjika School and said goodbye to our homestay siblings as we embarked on our weekend retreat to Arusha. The bus ride was bumpin’ with great vibes as we jammed to upbeat tunes. On our way we had a baboon sighting off the side of the road before reaching our walking safari tour location. As we trickled off the bus we saw a 7/8’s naked tribal man sprinting and hooting towards us in the distance. This man was Didi, and he was our phenomenal tour guide. As he led us through the bush, he gave us periodic stops and gave us vivid descriptions of the local flora and fauna along walk. Suddenly in the distance he pointed out a giraffe!! We spent time taking photos and learning about the medicinal benefits of the acacia trees they eat. The highlight of the safari was the herd of elephants surrounding our bus. We observed the el...

  Because we do two check ins with the group every day covering the full range of health and wellness topics, I feel we have a good sense of how our folks (your kids) are doing. In general, they are doing well: everyone is drinking enough water and eating well; their bowels are moving freely (as Holden Caulfield would say), and they are getting along with each other very well.   The biggest challenge is that we are all tired.    Why? Well, we wake up early. Villagers start their day early (and go to be fairly late) and sound – of cooking, cleaning pots and pans, heating up water -- really carries in the small houses.  The houses are in full swing by 6:00 or 6:30 and we get to school around 7:45.   sleepy boys Several of us have babies in the house who cry in the night (remember those days?). Two in our group have rosters in the family. At one house, they bring the rooster inside to keep him safe from the cats. He starts his day at 3:00 am. That is...

  What-up, its McVeiny and Merk (Cole and Merrick) in the kitchen. Today was relatively chill, as we visited a small NGO (Non-government Organization) where they take care of physically disabled people of all ages. With them, we made bracelets out of beads and fish wire, along with necklaces, and gourd lanterns. Many of us made jewelry for you guys back home so get excited, (some are better than others). The disabled people taught us how to stencil out the gourds and then drill holes in them to make art. At the end of the visit, the man in charge of the organization gifted us a Menlo-stenciled handmade gourd and Menlo bracelets for all. On the bus ride home, we jammed out to some tunes, mainly the song “Summer” by Calvin Harris among other hype songs. We then ate lunch together back at Banjika school and had time to play cards, make bracelets from the string Murohn and Nolmeister brought, and bond with our comrades by tossing the pigskin around. Later, before going home, we reflect...

     Here is an idea for those of you who want to deepen your connection with your child’s Karatu homestay experience: take a bucket shower.  You might think a bucket shower sounds easy – all you need is some water and soap & shampoo, and the force of gravity. Okay, if it is so easy, take the challenge: 1. Wake up 2-5 hours earlier than your growing adolescent body would normally wake up 2. Go to a room that is about the size of a midsized closet, with a small drain in the floor. (For some of us that room also includes the squat toilet) 3. Hang your towel and clothes unto nails on the wall 4. You get a bucket of very hot water and a bucket (or faucet) of cold water.  5. Use the large cup with a handle to mix the water to make the water you pour on your body a suitable temperature. 6. Wet yourself 7. Lather up – you can start head-first or torso-first, your call 8. Rinse 9. Dry yourself off  10. Then you have to attend to the fact tha...

  Heyyyyy! We’re back! It’s Miller (Milla) and Big EL (Elsa) here writing the blog for today! As always, today was amazing. We kicked off the day with our typical walk to school, where we all hope a magical bus will appear along the way to pick us up. Lucky for Big EL and Alexa, we got a sweet ride. After eating breakfast consisting of many delicious “half cakes” (sweet bread-like treats), we quickly left to go to our first NGO, the FAME (Foundation for American Medicine and Education) hospital. We were greeted by Saidi, one of the hospital’s management workers. We then got an INCREDIBLE story from Frank, a doctor and the person who started the hospital. Frank originally was from the United States, but when visiting Mount Kilimanjaro with his wife, had a near-death experience that inspired him to start a hospital in Tanzania. He dropped all of his things from home and moved all the way to Tanzania to start a hospital in Karatu. We were able to ask many questions, which led him to t...