Friday 19 July 2019

2019 Favorite Moments and Memories

The 2019 International Travel Team has reached the end of their 9 week internship in Morogoro, Tanzania. As a closing to the 2019 blogs, here are each of the team members favourite moments and memories!

"One of my favourite moments during the internship is going on walks and exploring the streets of Morogoro after work, whether that be walking to town for ice cream or getting chips mayai at the market. Another highlight of the internship was the team retreat to Zanzibar! The seafood was to die for 😍😍😍 But beware of the sea urchins, very ouch!" - Janina

"I really enjoyed interacting with the Tanzanian staff, falling in love with Swahili hits and eating lots of chipsi. A highlight of the internship was meeting with different NGOs and other stakeholders where I learned a lot about culture differences and reasons underlying many health-related issues in Tanzania. Out of the office I loved all of the socials we had from many card games, to dance nights.😂" - Palehswan

"So grateful to have had the opportunity to visit Tanzania. We were welcomed with open arms and made to feel like we were part of a family. I'll never forget the generosity and compassion of URDI and the people of Morogoro. I can't wait to return next year as a PM for the 2020 ITT! Kwaheri Bitch!" - Anthony

"Everyone in Tanzania has made us feel so welcome here throughout the summer. Morogoro is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to and I feel so privileged to have had this opportunity. One of the things I won't forget will be the beautiful (but long) hikes up the mountains. It was definitely weird being around mountains that weren't covered in snow, but there was such amazing scenery and views. I'm so happy I made the decision to intern with SIHA and I couldn't imagine a better way to have spent my summer!" - Kyle

"This time in Tanzania has been so enriching. I am incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to come, interact with a new culture and find new friends that became family. This country is gorgeous and has so much to offer. I have loved working with our Tanzanian team in Morogoro. They work so hard and are the most genuine people! Also, they taught us Swahili things. So that's fresh kichizi kama ndizi. Everything considered (including cold showers and strange insects), would 10/10 recommend!" - Rachel

"While Tanzania had so many amazing things to offer, from beautiful mountains and beaches to fresh seafood and a completely different cultural experience, it was definitely the Tanzanian team and the other local Tanzanians we met along the way who made the trip for me. The kindness and generosity of Tanzanian people is unlike anything I have encountered before. We all felt so well-cared for by our Tanzanian family, and had so much fun with them for the nine weeks we were here. Asante sana URDI team!!" - Sarah

Wednesday 10 July 2019

Hiking and Volunteering!

This Saturday, two of our international members, Sarah and Rachel, represented SIHA in a volunteer trip with Tengeneza Generation (TEG.) They hiked to Morningside, an old German Colonial house, then to Choma Falls where they helped to plant trees. After they camped the night! They had a lot of fun interacting with locals and networking with members of TEG.

On Sunday, Kyle, Anthony and Palehswan, did a 10 hour hike to Bondwa peak. Although they had hiked on the cloudiest day in Morogoro, it was still a worthwhile experience to be able to hike through the clouds and different African vegetation.

In the office we are preparing SIHA 101's for next year's team and writing the final report of the summer!

Outside of the office, some of the teams' hobbies throughout the summer have been going on walks (we love to explore all the streets of Morogoro), reading (the SIHA office has a small book exchange), and spending time with the Tanzanian team. Occasionally we will walk to town to fulfill ice cream cravings and if we have extra data left we will have movie nights!

- Palehswan



Wednesday 3 July 2019

Tanzanian Weddings and Insight into our Community Work!

This past weekend the International Team was fortunate to be able to attend our In-country Representative, Charles', wedding! It was amazing to experience the culture of Tanzanian weddings where lots of dancing and singing took place in both the church and the reception. 

In the week we were able to get out of the office with two big meetings with an international and a local non-governmental organization. We met with Save the Children, the lead organization of a nutrition project by USAID, to discuss forming a partnership and Tengeneza Generation organization to increase our community volunteering through their tree-planting projects. 

We have also began taking on tasks of our future executive roles and planning our recruitment to welcome new interns for next year!

 In this picture, the skirts are made out of a special Tanzania fabric, Kitenga, and were hand-tailored. 

-Palehswan