Reaching Out to Humanity

With a week to kill between climbing Kili and starting my internship, I decided to return to Arusha and volunteer with one of the organizations we had been introduced to during the Georgetown tour. For seven days, from 7:00 am til 8:00 pm, I helped the Canadian organization Reach out to Humanity build a school for Maasai girls in partnership with MWEDO. Because it was the last week of the summer-long project, it was crunch time: I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. I was more exhausted that week then at any other point of the summer, Kili included.

Fortunately the week was not all work. Volunteers came from Ireland, Canada, the States, and Kenya; ages ranged from fourteen to sixty-five; and groups were families, friends, and single travelers. I learned valuable life lessons, like how showering is for the self-conscious and how to deal with incompetent men from all nationalities. On a serious note, my Kiswahili improved immensely as days were spent making conversation with the local workers and occasionally acting as translator. I had a great time, and would do it again in a heartbeat.