Service Program: Tanzania

I did not have too many expectations for the program other than that we would do a lot of service work. I think it far exceeded my expectations. A big part of why it did was because of the relationships Putney has formed with the people over there. I loved how on the weekends we would travel places and during the week we would stay in the village. I didn't expect to do this, but I loved it! Living in the village is such a unique and special part of this trip. What gave me the greatest sense of accomplishment was when I finished painting my two classrooms. When I first got there, I knew I wanted to try and make a positive impact on the village because of all they will have given us, so when I was able to freshen up their classrooms a little bit for my independent project I was happy about that. I know that I have been impacted by this, but I am not quite sure yet. I think in a couple of months or maybe years it will become more clear to me. The highlights of my experience were honestly the whole trip! However, I especially loved every time we were in the village. Safari was also really amazing because of our guides and how much knowledge they had. I wasn't the biggest fan of the construction work, but I didn't mind too much because I knew the impact it would have and the value of the work we did. I would have liked to do more service work, but maybe that would not have been possible to still do enough cultural activities and adventure. I'm sure everything we did was carefully planned and were reasons for everything, so I wouldn't have changed anything.

I expected to leave the program with a better understanding of the world and myself. I would say that the program overall definitely made me think in new ways which I saw especially after the trip in adjusting back to American society. Leaving Tanzania knowing that I made healthy relationships with the people there opposed to stereotypical tourists gave me a sense of accomplishment of doing the right thing. I found myself in situations where my ability to empathize, persevere and stay positive was really pushed and I think I've grown as a person because of those moments. I loved working in the village alongside the locals and the safari at Ngorongoro Crater. My leaders were also fantastic and were my favorite parts of the trip as well. Most people in my group did it, but I didn't have any time to do my independent project and I would've liked more time to do that. The work hours on the house were perfect because we would get a nice break in between to rest which I really appreciated. Everything felt like it had the right amount of time though.

I expected to be more of an outsider in the village and within my group. I think Putney did a great job of making sure that we were fully integrated into the culture of our group and of Tanzania. This program exceeded my expectations. I think the feeling of really being recognized and on common ground with the people of Maji Moto at the Goodbye Ceremony just solidified my feeling of accomplishment. I realized the success of the whole trip at that moment. More small-scale, though, our construction project was my service-related highlight because I could really see our progress. I loved the feeling of seeing exactly what we built. Personally, my goal at the beginning of the trip was to let go. By the end of the trip, I was definitely more relaxed and more flexible. I was able to just appreciate what we were doing, and not worry about whatever was coming next. My highlights were the food because it was amazing, our independent projects because we were able to really focus on what interested us and go in our own direction, and the safari. I will say that I don't think the safari would have been such an eye-opening experience had we gone at the beginning of the trip. We were able to really see the impact of tourism from a non-tourist perspective. I also think we were more appreciative of the safari having already been acclimated to the culture and values of Tanzania. It was like a final goodbye to the beauty of the country and the people. Yes, I Think the balance worked well. Our weekend excursions gave us a nice understanding of other parts of Tanzania.