J-Term Blog: Goodbye, Tanzania!
NINA WERGER ’24 TANZANIA J-TERM BLOG #5
We have reached the end of our amazing journey in the country of Tanzania. We have had such a life-changing time here, and I feel so lucky to have gotten the opportunity to see this beautiful country.
After taking a ferry from Zanzibar back to the mainland of Tanzania, we arrived in the unofficial capitol city of Dar es Salaam. We visited a Catholic Church and a Buddhist Temple to learn about their traditions and values.
We also visited a Village Museum that showcased Tanzania’s 120 tribes and their homes. We even saw the home that Professor Andrea Ng’weshemi’s tribe historically lived in!
The next day, we visited a local orphanage that housed and schooled children from birth to 20 years old. Whether the children were orphaned or abandoned, the orphanage’s mission is to made sure every child who has need is fed and healthy.
We had lunch with the children, made connections, and had a friendly (but competitive) game of soccer!
On our final day, we attended the Magomeni Moravian Church for their Sunday worship. It was a fascinating cultural experience. The people at this church sang and danced for the majority of the service, and we even got to join them up in front in their dancing!
After church, we drove to the airport to check in for our 20-hour flight back home to O’Hare. While the travel time was rough, it was absolutely worth the time we got to spend in Tanzania. The previous two weeks have been eye-opening, and I will never forget the hospitality we were shown throughout our study tour.
I speak for the group when I say that experiencing Tanzania has been one of the great treasures of my life. Until next time, Tanzania!
— Nina Werger ’24