Hi! I thought I’d create a little blog to keep my family and friends updated on my gap year, enjoy!
I’ve just spent three weeks or so living with the Monger family in Mwanza. Tanzania. The Mongers are missionaries working with Emmanuel International, and the work that their team is doing out there is incredible. I thought I’d do a summary of what we got up to while out there!
Week One involved a lot of meeting people from the team, attending briefings, meeting the Mwanza mamas group and just settling into Mwanza life! I got to visit the fabric and food market in the city which was such a cool experience, a bit different than just popping to Tesco haha. On Thursday we also headed off to Malya to attend meetings with the church pastors and beekeeping team. I even got to do a bit of beekeeping late at night which was scary but amazing! We had to dress up in the full beekeeping suits and everything. Once we got back from Malya, it was straight back into work with the mamas: on Saturday we headed to Mitindo which is a government run centre for kids who are albino, deaf or blind (or sometimes all three, unfortunately). It was really humbling to see how these kids live, and also very inspirational to see the mamas stand up and give talks about being strong and trusting in God, especially as all of the mamas have albinism themselves or their children do. Then on Sunday, we headed to Nyamalilo to attend a church service. We had to get a ferry across part of Lake Victoria and then drive nearly an hour from there. Unfortunately, there was a massive rain storm while we were on the ferry and we got absolutely soaked as the ferries are open topped! The church was really welcoming and the pastor and his family made us a lunch of goat and plantain! On the way back to the ferry, we managed to fit the entire church choir in the back of the car, it was quite an experience!
Week Two started off with another team meeting, then Laura (a Canadian girl who works for Emmanuel International) and I headed to Christ’s Daughters which is a home for vulnerable girls. Laura is currently running a reusable sanitary towel project at the home and is teaching the girls how to make the pads so they can then be employed to make them. It was great meeting the girls, even if we couldn’t really talk to each other due to the language barrier! In the evening we watched the BEST sunset at Tunza, a little beach on Lake Victoria. On Wednesday, we headed to the mamas group again and I helped make soap, lotion bars, bees wrap and dish covers which was a lot of fun. Then the bees wraps madness started! Bees wraps are fabric squares coated in oils which can be used in place of cling film and keep food fresh. They’re one of the mamas’ most popular items so I thought I’d offer some to friends and family back home and they sold out in a day! If I’d taken any more orders I don’t think my bag would have got through security with how heavy it was haha. Friday evening we visited a place called the Dancing Rocks, which had the most insane view over Lake Victoria and Mwanza City.
Then Saturday was time for the Serengeti! We left super early at 5am and got to the gate 2 hours later. Even though we were on safari for only one day, the amount of animals we saw were unbelievable. We saw a lioness, four elephants, tonnes of zebra and giraffes, warthogs, wildebeests, hippos, hyenas, monkeys, crocodiles, impala, topi, ostriches and loads more! I got to drive the land cruiser down the tracks with zebra running past the car, the most surreal experience. This was genuinely one of the best days of my trip and I’m so grateful that I got to go to the Serengeti, it’s been on my bucket list for years! We stayed in a little stopover hotel outside the park, which apparently often has elephants roaming around! Unfortunately we didn’t get to see any but in the morning we could see the damage they had done to the trees! On the way back we stopped off to visit Mavuno Village, a community that an American family called the Tanners have set up. The work they’re doing there is incredible, they have set up an orphanage where kids live with “families” rather than being by themselves, they have a sustainable garden where they grow everything imaginable, they’ve built a windmill and a mini fish farm, and are just in the process of opening a school too. I’m not doing this family justice of what they do, so please look at their website to find out more about the amazing work they’re doing: http://mavunovillage.org/
Then onto Week Three, my final week in Tanzania. Monday was a team meeting again, where I had to say goodbye to Bhatendi, a Tanzanian girl who I’ve spent a lot of time with beekeeping and at church. Then we headed to the fabric market and the fish market where the fisherman literally catch the fish for you there! This week I worked on designing labels for some moringa powder that we brought back from Mavuno Village, it’s basically this green superfood powder which is really popular here! Also went to the local Masai market which was cool, and to Pria’s house; she basically runs a restaurant out of the back of her house and you can order Indian food from her. We ordered so many samosas, spring rolls and spinach parcels (all of which were amazing!). Laura came over and we played some final games of cards before saying goodbye. Everyone in Tanzania was so lovely to me, it was pretty sad saying goodbye to everyone!
Wednesday was a mamas day again, making more soap, batiki (tie dye), bees wraps and gift bags. Then went into town to try a classic Tanzanian dish: chipsi mayai (chips with scrambled egg!). Thursday we went to an agriculture conference where Tim talked to the students about development projects in their different villages and Rachel taught them how to cook with less fuel and eat a more balanced diet. We also visited the bee hives that they have there, which was quite scary as the hives are on top of an 8 foot storage box so we had to climb up a ladder to see them! We then headed back home and then went out for dinner on my last night in Tanzania. We watched the sunset (Africa genuinely has the best sunsets I’ve ever seen) and ate Indian food by Lake Victoria. And the next day I was up early for my 3 flights and 24 hours of travelling!
Those three weeks were genuinely some of the best weeks of my life. Getting to see all of the things that Rachel and Tim get up to, while getting to spend a lot of time with their amazing daughters Amisadai and Louisa, was such a fun experience. I’m so grateful that they looked after me so well, and even more grateful that I got to meet their amazing team too. I think that’s my last time in Africa this year, but plans can change so watch this space!
Charlotte x
To read about the work that Emmanuel International are doing, please see the links below:
charlottesgapyear.travel.blog 