The Smiles, the Love, the Laughter... I'm Back!

           10 months and 40 hours of travel, and I am finally back in the place that stole my heart.  Leaving Arusha a year ago, I would have never thought that I would get the opportunity to come back to the place the left a lasting impact on me. Landing in Kilimanjaro and not being able to shake a smile off my face made me remember how lucky I am to get the chance to come back. With the chance of a life time in my hands, I will be pushing myself to be the best possible me from start to finish. 

                The first day walking the cramped streets filled with smiles and laughter made me feel more at home than ever before. As we walked through the markets in Arusha, it started coming back to me how vibrant and wonderful Arusha, and its people, truly are. Shortly before our tour through the town, we learned about the history here. Although this country has been through so much and at some points the people deserve to be angry, they chose not to. Instead they let the terrible things that happen go, while also honoring and remembering the people that went before them. This small chunk of how people here choose to remember their history encompasses the entire environment of the culture. After our tour, we were itching to get back out there and experience even more. Little did we know we were about to fall in love all over again at the Cradle of Love Baby Orphanage. Every year we get the chance to go play, laugh, and love on babies for two hours. Although this might seem like a stress-filled two hours with crying babies, it is the complete opposite. These two hours consist of giggles and smiles that brighten up a room and an immense about of love.  The kids at Cradle of Love come from many different backgrounds. Whether their mother died in child birth, or they were abandoned at a young age, none of them have had it easy. Leaving the Cradle of Love on Sunday gave our group a taste of how we will be giving everything we have in the next two weeks, while also seeing the love we will receive.

                To finish our first weekend here in Arusha, we got the chance to experience the Maasai culture. With a full day planned, we headed off to our first hands-on experience with the Maasai people. The day was full of watching a cow’s blood get drained for medicine, and dancing with the Maasai men! As we were learning about their day to day lives, I couldn’t help but think about what a small part the Vail Valley and my life is in the grand scheme of the world.

                Now it is our third day here and we are driving home from our first day at school and I can easily say that I am happier than I have been in a while. Going back to L.O.M.A.O and seeing familiar faces, such as Esther’s and Noella’s, made me feel like I never left. Recently, I read something that really made me think about why I do these trips. The author talked about how asking what you want to accomplish with life will not get you anywhere. Instead the author asked, “What are you willing to struggle for?” Today, at the school, seeing the smiles from ear to ear on the kids made it very clear. I am willing to stay up longer to make sure these kids get the knowledge they deserve. I am willing to give all of myself for eight days straight. I am willing to do all of this so I can watch these kids transform into the brilliant, amazing, and intelligent kids that I know they can be.              

                Over these next two weeks, I hope to become more approachable with strangers and acquaintances by smiling more and not being afraid to reach out and get to know people. In the classroom, I plan on pushing myself to not take myself too seriously, to allow myself to let loose and have while teaching. With all this said, I can’t wait to see what Tanzania holds in store for us. Whether it’s new lessons in how to love, or new way of living.