Some Things I Like About Tanzania

1.      Stars—I love that I can walk outside any night and see a sky full of stars. I like seeing constellations that I have never seen before, like the Southern Cross.

2.      Ocean—Every time I go to the beach I believe that it is more beautiful than the last time I saw it. I also like how when I go snorkelling I feel like I am in an aquarium because of all the cool things I am seeing.

3.      Chipsi Mayai--It is probably my favorite Tanzanian food. It is a mix of french fries (chipsi) and eggs (mayai). When I first heard about it I thought it would not be something I would like, but now I eat it every Saturday. 

4.      New Books—It is awesome to watch when students see that we got in some new novels for them to read. I even had one girl jump up and down with excitement.

5.      Carvings—The local carvers can pretty much carve anything. It is amazing to see the details of the hand carved work.

6.      Baobab Trees—I like seeing all the different trees and plants that I have never seen. The Baobab trees are my favorite. I cannot believe how large they get.

7.      Tingatinga—The tingatinga style painting is so fun and bright. I really enjoy being taught how to make them.

8.      Pen Pals—I like that I have the opportunity to have legit pen palls. I love getting mail and now I can get letters from halfway around the world.

9.      Form I—I like teaching my Form One class. It is awesome to see them get really into a Bible story and want to know more about what is happening. I also enjoy getting to show Bible movies and do art projects to get them more excited about reading the Bible.

10.  Local Animals—I think it is so cool that I saw monkeys on the side of the road as I rode my bike home from the beach, and I really like seeing all the brightly colored birds on my way to school.

-Lauren