Saturday Feb. 4, 2023 This week we have continued to explore various components of life in Dar. Thursday afternoon we met with Dr. Shreya Shah from Regency Medical Center who gave a presentation linking healthcare challenges with environmental attributes. For example, Dr. Shah indicated that 70% of medical expenses…
Wednesday Feb 1, 2023 The students just left our apartment in Upanga to head home after a good discussion of the week’s events. We have been exploring the colonial history of Tanzania and the independence movement championed by Tanzania’s first president Mwalimu Julius Nyerere. This week we are examining…
Sunday Jan. 29, 2023 We spent this weekend in Bagamoyo, a town about a 90 minute drive north of Dar es Salaam also directly on the Indian Ocean. The town is much smaller than Dar, but was the setting of some major historical events in Tanzania’s history. On Friday…
Thursday Jan. 26th Wow, the last few days have been a flurry of activity! Tuesday and Thursday we visited the University of Dar es Salaam for our last two history lectures: the first on the Swahili Civilization and the second on the colonial period. In between these lectures we…
Monday Jan 23, 2023 Swahili class continues each morning at the church in Upanga. Today started with singing then proceeded to focus on telling time in Swahili. Students practiced converting English time to Swahili time, as 7:00 a.m. in the morning is 1 in Swahili time! The students had…
Thursday Jan. 19, 2023 Wednesday after Swahili class we walked to unit house for our weekly meal and reflection/sharing time. Naomi and Ethan shared their Cultural Story Journals – both were moving stories exploring cultural competencies, similarities and differences we are noticing, and observations about ourselves. Annika and Billy…
Tuesday Jan. 17, 2023 Monday morning the students trickled in to the church from their various homes for the first Swahili class. This was significant for several reasons. It was the first time they traveled from their home to town and, secondly, they met their Swahili teachers and launched…
Sunday Jan. 15th The pictures say it all – today was a big day for students and their host families, as they met one another for the first time and began a 5-week chapter in their lives that will never be forgotten! We attended Upanga Mennonite Church, hosted by…
Saturday Jan 14th, 2023 The last two days have been filled with various orientation activities and settling in, while students stay at the YMCA in downtown Dar es Salaam. Friday morning was all business: exchanging money, getting SIM cards for phones, learning how to navigate crossing the road given…
Thursday January 12, 2023 We were delighted to welcome the SST Tanzania 2023 team this afternoon at the airport and they arrived right on time! After a brief pause for hydration and a few snacks, we rode our daladala (bus) to town. Students quickly settled in to the YMCA…
