PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Building, renovation & conservation
WRITTEN BY: Tanzania Group 2013
Currently we have the last group of Tanzania gappers for 2013 and although they have only been with us a few weeks, they already feel at home in Mwambani village, Tanga. They have been extremely busy but managed to sit down and update us on whats been going on…
Cant believe we are approaching the end of week two already! We are having an amazing time here in Camp Tanga, and feel that camp is now our home. No doubt we were all really nervous when we first met, but can honestly say that the 9 of us have become such a strong group of friends. When we came to the gates of Camp Tanga we had no idea what to expect, but wandering into a camp with such spectacular sea views and welcoming chill out area far surpassed our expectations. Not to mention the welcoming arms of Eliphas and Anderson, our Project and Camp Managers. The village of Mwambani is full of the happiest and most friendly people you will ever meet. We have loved having a chance to work with some of the locals, interacting with the kids after work, and teaching people of all ages how to speak English. In turn we have been learning Swahili, and been practising our phrases with the locals.
Within the past two weeks we have helped complete the construction of a house in the village for a local family. This involved plastering the walls with a sand and water mix, and then smoothing them, which proved quite a challenge! After this we painted the walls and levelled the floor. It was challenging work for all of us but it was a definite achievement and we are very much looking forward to helping the family move in next week.
We have also had the opportunity to teach the locals English in the afternoons. It soon became apparent that there were many different levels of ability, so we split them into a beginner, intermediate and advanced group. We have made a lot of progress with the beginners, teaching them the basics as well as songs such as Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes which they loved! The intermediates have been building on their vocabulary and spelling, and the advanced have been learning grammar which really challenges us on our knowledge of the English language!
In our free time we have a lot of time to bond as a group, including numerous card games, swims in the sea, and trips over to our next door neighbour’s house. Depending on our energy levels at the end of the day, we sometimes venture into the football field across from camp and play with the kids, generally ending with each one of us on the ground with all the children on top of us! The occasional beer (or two) proves very satisfying after a week’s work and our fabulous chef Donald cooks the most amazing food for us. Adding to the experience are the cold showers and fact we have to manually scrub all the dirt out of our mud soaked clothes, although some chose not to participate in either activity!
This weekend it is both Charlotte and Claire’s birthdays, so we have plans to go to a resort down the coast; on a lovely beach with a swimming pool. We are going on a snorkelling trip to a reef on Saturday, followed by a birthday dinner and plans to relax on Sunday, so we are all really looking forward to that.
So all in all everything is great; while we are missing the comforts of home, there isn’t anywhere else we’d rather be.
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