Lessons from an extreme vacation

Camp Moses and Camp Joshua Christian School - you won’t find these on any list of extreme vacations - yet the memories gained are just as heart-stopping, and unforgettable. Here, things move slowly (pole pole) and without a schedule. Lesson #1: go with the flow. My volunteer time with LOHADA was almost an afterthought - an “add-on” to an already planned vacation. But before I left my home in the U.S., it had taken over my life - I was so looking forward to it that my original vacation jokingly became known as “plan B”. As I talked to people about my plans, I discovered many wanted to help. My dentist sent some really cool kids’ toothbrushes. A local hobby store gave me a discount on some art supplies. Friends with professional experience dealing with children and art, spent an evening coaching me on how to make my project successful. Lesson #2: never underestimate the goodness in people’s hearts.

So I prepared to undertake a T-shirt decorating project with the children of LOHADA. The sessions were sometimes utter chaos. Some children perfectly happy to do their own thing, others wanting constant approval and attention, and all of them vying for the really cool marker colors. Lesson #3: have patience, and persevere. The results were amazing - some of these children are truly destined to be great artists. The children loved the sparkling “rhinestones” and plastic “eyes” that we added on, but their own drawings were what made the shirts really special (nzuri kabisa!). Lesson #4: children are creative by nature, and don’t need expensive toys or props to prove it.

Onto project number two. I invited some employees from a local tour company to visit with the older children at Camp Joshua. Thomson Safaris graciously sent five employees to describe their jobs to the children and tell them how important education is for their future. The men and women were great - they went beyond the call of duty. They made it a fun experience by talking AND singing with the children, and they brought treats for the kids and food for the school. Lesson #2 repeated: never underestimate the goodness in people’s hearts.

I must also mention my host family who opened up their home to me and made me feel totally welcome (karibu sana!). They tried to teach me about the food, culture, and language. I tried to teach them how to eat with chopsticks and play “go fish (Samaki!)”. We had so much fun and there was never a moment of awkward shyness or embarrassment. I was immediately treated like a member of the family. The father told me he signed up to be a host family so that his children would get exposed to people from different cultures, and that they enjoyed this immensely. Lesson #5: when strangers open their hearts to you, don’t look for a hidden agenda.

Now that I am home, people ask me about my trip. They learn that I volunteered at a school and ask if I went there to teach. I tell them no, I was the student. Lesson #6: I learned about the character and beauty of people living a simple life, and how children have a lot to teach adults. They say, what a leap of faith I took to do this. Maybe for me it was a big leap, but compared to what the children, long-term volunteers, teachers, administrators, Mamas, parents, supporters and founder of LOHADA go through and accomplish every day, it was barely a step at all. Lesson #7: there are amazing people in the world and they are everywhere.

So, if you want an experience that will give you an adrenalin rush and possibly even scare your pants off, go to Tanzania and seek close encounters with the big mammals and reptiles. But if you’re looking for something that will touch your heart and stay with you forever (na wewe milele), think about a close encounter with the children at LOHADA. Prerequisite lesson: throw away all preconceived notions about poor countries in Africa and open your heart and mind to the love and beauty that you will find there.

LOHADA (Loving Hand for the Disadvantaged and Aged) is a Tanzanian non-governmental organisation serving children and aged persons in Arusha and Shinyanga regions.  For more information please email: info@lohada.org or visit our website: www.lohada.org