#TeamHaringey6 goes to Tanzania

This week our #TeamHaringey6 students embarked on an amazing adventure to Tanzania - this trip was part of global citizenship project where students will gain experience in supporting local communities through farming, teaching and leadership activities #H6Experience #LoveOurColleges 

Everyday so far they have been documenting their journey here are the accounts (all photos and text are taken/written by lead students) 

Day one, getting there:

As we met up at the college the air was filled with excitement, fear, apprehension and energy. The journey was long and you could feel the nerves building up but as soon as we got to the airport, went through check in and security we could all feel our nerves and pressures dissipate a bit, we all got a bit more comfortable and started conversing and connecting. It was nice to see us all out of our comfort zones and finding small comforts in each other. My personal favourite bit was when Lola and Saida hitched a ride on one of those small airport shuttles and went shooting down the terminal, waving to us as if they were royalty. It started to become real for a lot of us when we finally boarded the plane, smiles all round. After all the trains, planes and coaches, finally stepping into Tanzania was unlike any experience imaginable, it was like we had flown to a complete different planet. Living in the cities we were all so unfamiliar with the amount of greenery we saw, the trees, the heat, the sun, the animals, children, people it was all so new to us. We saw so much but so little of the country whilst travelling to the hub from the airport you could tell many of us were eager to go out and explore. The hub itself was lovely, bright scenery, simple but relaxing rooms, a big community area. Everyone could relax and decompress now after the long journey. We had our safety briefing and some dinner before returning to our rooms for leisure time and then our long awaited rest. I don’t think the first day could’ve gone any better, but I will say that I didn’t realise how scary frogs are to some people until today.

Day 2:

The day started at 9am, everyone prepped themselves and arrived in the orientation center. From there we ate a deliciously prepared choice of eggs, toast, tea and coffee. After breakfast we gathered for a presentation on what Futuresense Foundation is really about, it’s origins and it’s purpose and focus areas that we’re going to try and target for our workshops. After some time we discussed culture shock and feeling homesick. We discussed how to handle them whether that be talking to our student well-being leaders or confiding in a teacher, but then overtake taking in new experiences and acceptance. We then spent our lunch together eating mashed potatoes, spinach and salad. After this we got a bit of free time to relax and just compose ourselves before we headed off to town! In town we got the opportunity to visit a huge culture heritage centre where we saw souvenirs, sculptures and art. Secondly, we visited the art museum and viewed some of the most beautiful photography and African paintings. Then it was time to head to supermarket and get any snacks or drinks that we wanted. Luckily after that we got the chance to head to KFC for our first ever Tanzanian fast food. Absolutely delicious! Then it was back to the hub where we got the opportunity to see a double rainbow and then shared an amazing dinner together. We ended the night journaling our day while also dodging a bat! The most eventful experience so far! Then it was off to bed. Now we await our next adventure!

Day 3: 

Monday was a day of orientation and preparation for our first trip to the school. We were taught the national habits, phrases in the native tongue Swahili and how to plan workshops for the coming week. Whilst the day was mostly focused on final preparations for our visit to the school, it was still fun to ponder the icebreakers and learn new things about each other, the day made for a perfect opportunity of team bonding. We also developed a good tolerance for bats and bugs, though the group’s opinions on lizards remain very much on the fear side of things. However we’re making good progress and we’re making developments on our characters. It’s truly becoming a magical experience with every passing day. We ended the day with a Karaoke night, some were better than others

Day 4:

Tuesday brought excitement like no other as it was our first trip to the school. We were all buzzing to meet the children and the teachers we would be helping with our farming work. We were welcomed with screams of “Hiiii” and “Hello” from hundreds of children in their classrooms. We met with the vice principal and she welcomed and thanked us for providing assistance to her lovely school. It was challenging preparing the ground for planting, the dirt was tough and our tools were limited but meeting the children on the break and seeing how happy they were to see us and have us here, it made it all worth it. We went back to work with knowledge that we were actually making a difference in these kids lives. It was eye opening to hear some of the stories from the children. Take Elizabeth’s story for example: She was from an outside village far from Arusha, she went to Arusha village to work as a maid to provide for her family. The man of the house she cleaned felt sorry for her and sent her to school, she is 13 and finally getting an education, she says that she’s very happy to be in school and that when it’s time to go home she normally stays in school to do extra work as she desperately wants to learn, she was an inspiration. That was the day we knew that we were going to come back home changed. In the late afternoon those of us with energy left went on an evening walk/hike to see wild monkeys. We finally found them near mount Maru. It was worth the walk!

Day 5: 

Wednesday was another challenging day of planting preparation, but this day brought a new challenge, we were working with manure. It’s no surprise that we were not all smiles and rainbows. But our resilience, our determination to help these children, it really shined through as we worked tirelessly to mix nutrients into the soil to promote healthy growth of the crops we’d be planting. We overcame so much that day and we know it was worth every gruelling second. We also had the opportunity to visit another cultural centre where we learnt how different Tanzanian Masai tribes build their homes, how to play a Tanzanian Drum and how to dance a celebratory dance of Tanzania, it was the highlight of our day to explore such a beautiful culture.

We cannot wait for more updates from our amazing Health and Social Care and T-Level in Early Years and Childcare students #H6Experience #MoreThanACollege #DiscoverTheDifference 

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