TAFCOM: A Celebration

TAFCOM: A Celebration

Moshi, Tanzania

January 7, 2013

Day 1

 

We spent the afternoon of our first day in Moshi, Tanzania visiting TAFCOM, and participating in a ribbon cutting ceremony for their two new classrooms.  This was an opportunity for our group to meet the people who will be directly benefiting from the funds that we raised.  The generous contributions that so many of you made went to fund the completion of the building pictured above and to support the programs that TAFCOM runs. 

 

 

 We were greeted by Jonas and Nia, the leaders of TAFCOM, and were directed into a tented area where members of the community, TAFCOM program participants, teachers, children, and a representative from the mayor's office were all present.  A brief but meaningful program was given with speeches from Jonas, the leader of the school, the mayor's office representative and our group leader, Lynn.

 

 

 

 We were also able to provide TAFCOM with a special surprise in the form of an announcement that sufficient money has almost already been raised to fund the purchase of additional land so that TAFCOM can begin work on an English immersion school for the local elementary school-aged children. 

 

The children were adorable and provided glimpses of what they have been learning in their preschool programming.  The kids sang short songs that were very entertaining and heartwarming.  The children also seemed very excited about the orange sodas they received as part of the celebration.  Lynn had brought a RE/MAX Results t-shirt for every child, and we had a chance to take pictures and interact with the kids while the shirts were distributed.  One of the great joys of the event was to experience just how eager the kids were to interact with us.  The kids were energetic and curious.  They loved having their picture taken and then getting the chance to see their picture on the small screen on the back of the camera.

 

 

 

 

 

As part of the program, we all gathered in front of the school for the ribbon cutting and then posed for photos with the children in front of their new classrooms. 

 

 

 

 

 

Those in our group who had sponsored children (or who represented others who had sponsored children) had an opportunity to meet the kids we had sponsored.  We gave the kids small gifts and had a chance to spend some one-on-one time with these children. 

 

 

Near the end of our time at TAFCOM, we spent some time playing with the kids and absorbing the friendly atmosphere.  There was music playing on a loudspeaker throughout much of our time at TAFCOM, and as we began to board the bus some folks began to dance in celebration of our time together.  Though our time spent at TAFCOM was relatively limited, the impact that our efforts will have on this community will last a lifetime.  It was an honor to have had the chance to contribute to the people served by TAFCOM, and we look forward to the possibility of contributing further towards their success in the future. 

 

 

 



 

 

 



A Morning in Moshi

A Morning In Moshi

January 7, 2013

(Day 1)

Moshi, Tanzania

 

Our first day in Tanzania proved to be a special one.  We woke up to the view pictured above.  The peak at the center of the photo is the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.  It is very rare that you can see the peak of Kilimanjaro because it is typically covered by clouds.  We were very lucky.  It seemed so surreal to think that in a matter of a week we would be beginning our trek up the mountain with the goal of reaching the top five days later.  However, before we would begin that piece of our adventure, we had plans to spend some time in the city of Moshi the morning of the first day.  In the afternoon, we were scheduled to participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new educational facility that was built as a result of our fundraising efforts.

 

All ten of us gathered in front of the hotel, and from there walked into downtown Moshi.  Our first stop was the Exchange, where we would convert U.S. dollars to Tanzanian schillings.  The conversion rate was about $6.00 U.S. to 10,000 schillings.  So...for about $600 U.S. you could be a millionaire in schillings.  We chose to stop short of the million dollar mark, but did convert enough money to cover our expenses while we were in Africa.  The reality was that U.S. dollars were accepted almost anywhere we went.   The benefit, however, to converting to schillings was that prices were often lower if you paid in schillings.  For example, when our group went out for drinks on the night of our arrival, the bill was $56 U.S. or 56,000 schillings (which equals less than $36 U.S. or a $20 savings just by paying in schillings).

 

 

The hazard of traveling in a group was quickly evident.  Our group was swarmed by a locust of street vendors and shop keepers, all of whom wanted the opportunity to sell us their wares.  While a few people would enter a shop to look at an item, the remaining members of the group would remain outside and try their best to fend off the street vendors.  The following are photos from our morning adventure in Moshi.  

 

 





Departure and Arrival

Departure and Arrival

Saint Paul, MN USA to Moshi, Tanzania Africa

1/5/13 to 1/6/13

Our journey began with our good friend Paul providing us with a ride to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport (MSP).  It was a sunny Saturday afternoon when Paul arrived at our doorstep.  Deb, Greg, Justin and Therese were finishing up their last minute preparations for the trip.  Our bags were sitting in the living room and Paul kindly loaded them up into his car  A short time later, Paul's vehicle was loaded with luggage and we were off.  As Paul wound his way through the streets of St. Paul, the four travelers were anxious to arrive at the airport departure area where we joined up with our six fellow passengers, Jake, Beth, Sun Woo, Tami, Ken and Lynn.

Once we were all gathered at the airport, we sorted out our luggage and prepared to check-in.  All told, we had twenty bags to check-in; one bag per person for clothing and personal items and a second to transport the school supplies and other items our group had generated for the people of Tanzania.

 

The check-in process was for the most part orderly and pain free.  The only casualty was a pair of beautifully hand carved walking sticks that belonged to Therese and Justin.  It turns out that TSA considers such items to be "club-like," and therefore ineligible to be carried on the plane as a personal item.  Faced with the option of paying $200 to have the walking sticks added to the checked luggage or leave them at the airport in a secured area for one-tenth the cost, Justin and Therese opted to leave the sticks behind and proceeded on the journey without them.

 

The ten of us gathered at the gate at MSP and an impromptu photo session broke out.  There were pictures of the group all together, pictures of flags and memorabilia from companies that contributed to our fundraising efforts, and photos of our pile of carry-on bags and "personal items" that represented each traveler's safety net should their checked luggage not make it the entire way to Africa.

 

The first leg of our flight was from MSP to Amsterdam.  The flight was approximately eight hours long and featured some fairly inattentive and borderline rude flight attendants.  Everyone sat next to their "travel buddy" and watched movies or their eyelids.  We flew through the afternoon and into the night time as we headed east across the ocean.

 

Upon touching down in Amsterdam,  we began a five hour layover.  Some folks passed the time shopping for chocolate.  Others found a cafe or food stand for a variety of beverages or snacks.  Deb and Greg took the opportunity to jog, yes jog, in the airport.  It was a solid workout and I would imagine provided other travelers with a sight to behold and a story to tell.  Greg weathered the experience by convincing himself that he was passing as a traveler who was running to catch a flight.  Deb didn't care what other's thought.  She was ready for some exercise after sitting on a plane for so long and because she knew there was an equally long flight ahead of her.  Whatever the mindset, it served as a good way to pass the time and kept our blood flowing in preparation for another eight hours on a cramped plane.

 

 

 

The group reconvened at gate G4 (pictured above) and we passed through screening, waited some more, boarded the plane and planted our keesters in our seats for the second and final flight of the trip.  By this time Deb and Greg were equally excited not only for the flight to be over, but more importantly to arrive at the place we had prepared so long and hard to visit.  After eight more hours of flying, a few movies, and significantly improved service from our European based flight crew, our journey to Africa was over and our adventure was ready to begin.

 

We were greeted at the airport by Evans from Evans Adventures and his many contracted assistants and guides with whom we would spent a lot of time with during our travels in Tanzania.  Evans and the crew were gracious and helpful from the beginning.  Our driver, Elvis, and his door man, Hassani, coordinated efforts to load our bags on top of the miniature bus that would transport us on the hour drive from the Arusha, Tanzania to the Parkview Inn in Moshi, Tanzania.  The Parkview Inn served as our home base for much of our first week in Africa. 

 

 

 

 

Once we were all loaded into the bus, we were introduced to the remainder of the crew.  Evans provided a warm welcome and his sincere hope that we would enjoy all elements of our trip.  We began our hour long drive to Moshi and reflected on the nearly 24 hours of airline travel we had just experienced.  A short time later, we pulled into the hotel parking lot.  Our bags were unloaded, room keys were assigned and we each retreated to our rooms for a good night's sleep.  Well actually, we all went to the bar first for a drink or two and then headed off to bed.  It had been a long trip since departing the cold winter weather of Minnesota to the warm city of Moshi, but we had finally arrived and could not wait for our adventure to truly begin.