Kiddos & the Schools by Alondra Duran

Today was day 5 of the trip, and it was the first time I was able to sleep until my alarm woke up! Breakfast was very mellow, and our departure time was pushed back so I had another coffee. Once it was time to head out, we all loaded up in the vans. They all have fun covers on them and seeing the different patterns are fun. Rachel was updating the collective Google document where we are writing down common Swahili phrases. It is a learning curve but it is really fun being able to communicate with the locals in their language. I think my favorite interaction I’ve had so far is with the guy that makes the breakfast in the morning, Casmir, because since I can count on seeing him every morning, I have learned how to say your typical good morning pleasantries and he’s funny and nice in giving me feedback. He also makes some mean fried eggs. We arrived at the school and so many kids came running out. A part from it being a whole new experience, it was overwhelming. Even in the U.S. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many kids at once. I learned that because foreigners are seen so few and far between, they want to touch and feel your skin to almost see if you’re real. I became a high five machine. Other classmates had their hair touched, since they also rarely come across that hair type.

Originally, we planned to join them during their recess should they be free and help with the school building projects, but the rain and their exam schedule made the former difficult at first. When interacting with the children, I saw classmates teach the children the “heads knees and toes” song, I blowed bubbles to the groups with another classmate, and others taught them some English words. The bubbles I later learned disbanded the crowd that was building around the students who were building the desks, which was causing concern. The building projects included laying down cement flooring and covering it with a red clay liquid to harden and last for many years to come. There was also a group hammering wood together to build desks. We were told that there was a desk shortage, of which was very apparent when we sat inside a classroom, which held likely over 100 students. The children were fun to interact with.

At first, I tried to great them in Swahili, but that didn’t illicit much of a response. I then learned that the kids being children of Maasais, they spoke their own language in Maasai, so I learned how to say hello, thank you, and goodbye. While unsure of the actual spelling, the phonetic spelling is Takuenia, Ashe, and Serena, respectively. Once I learned and spoke those words, all of a sudden there was so much more joy and excitement within the kids than what I thought was already at an all time high. The high fives and the fist bumps increased exponentially. I also had the opportunity to interact with the teachers, cooks, and head staff. I tried to impress them by Google-translating pleasantries and while I did good in greeting and introducing myself, responding to them left me at a blank, but at least that made them laugh and tell me that my attempts are really good. One of them also spoke Spanish, and asked me to teach him some words! I also saw the teachers grading the exam that was administered, an English language exam. We had the same interactions and it was fun to learn more Maasai words as they taught me. A non profit organization has provided this school school with the resources to give the kids lunch, porridge. I saw it being made, and it was primarily made from water, corn flour, milk, sugar, and nuts. Each batch was probably over 100 Kg of ingredients. The children all had a little cup tied to their belt, and that is where they are fed the porridge.

Before this was done generally, attendance at the school was an issue, but once they started providing the porridge, the attendance rate went from around 40%, to 80-90%, doubling the amount of kids coming to school. The school itself was a government school. The government provides the building and teachers, and the students buy their uniform and supplies. Non profit organizations fill some gaps such as the ingredients to provide food. We learned that one of the biggest issue was having sufficient teachers, due to the low salaries. Teachers have to go to 3 years of schooling, will be placed by the government for their job, and are generally paid more or less $140 a month to teach. They will sometimes get housing provided, but not always. The school day goes from 7 AM to 3 PM generally. Most kids are walking to school, taking many subjects. The youngest child may be 5, and the oldest may be 12 or 13. I learned that because most children may not have a birth certificate, schools rely on the word of the family for their age, or do a fun test where they have the child reach their hand over their head to reach their ear.

To be able to reach their ear means the child is six or older, if not then they are younger. We also learned that around 95% of the children move from primary to secondary school, and that advancement is determined by an annual test administered by the government. For those that do not advance, they can repeat the year but we were told that they generally stop going to school if they don’t advance. Some of the problems that we learned about is that boys are not going to school as much as the girls are, largely because they are still expected to work the fields and care for the animals. Families may also not enroll their daughters as they want them to marry sooner rather than later. What is viewed as a problem to us but not locally is corporal punishment. It is still allowed here, and can even be administered by the students. If a student is doing so, it is because they are elected as a class leader of sorts, and for the year they are able to administer corporal punishment with a stick, teachers get a belt, and they are allowed to give three hits per instance. Secondly, the children also sometimes have markings on their face, typically burned on, that represent what clan they come from. These marking are allowed. The government tried to stop this, but since it is so engrained in the culture, it is very difficult to prevent this practice.

After going to the school, we came back to the OutPost to quickly regroup and get ready to head out to the fabric store! Ernest, the main dude, bestie, the guy, accompanied us with his wife as she is the well versed one to go to the fabric store. The store had many many fabrics, and I was looking through so many patterns that it was hard to choose. Ultimately I didn’t purchase anything because I didn’t have a specific style in mind and no pattern spoke to me strongly, so I am going back to the drawing board to see what I like to go back to the store with a more concrete plan in mind! For those that did find patterns that they like, we next went to the tailor and seamstress to at least get their stuff started. I think for my item I will do pants because I am such a fun pants and simple top girlie, and these patterns would make it perfect. Once back at the OutPost, I took my laundry to be washed and I regrouped with students to hang out before dinner. Tonight’s dinner spot will be Indian! A little bit before we left for dinner, there was some debriefing on what we saw today. The biggest takeaway I think is how we cannot measure everything up to western standards. Such standards to measure comfort and success is incredibly subjective, and wanting to make a difference is more about asking and listening rather than trying to fix things up to our own standards.

We made our way to the restaurant and it was an Indian restaurant in a hotel. Today we hosted Ernest’s sister as well who has had her whole career in education. She was a teacher, head master, and director of education. She is soft spoken, but she was very insightful with her previous experience and perspective. She answered all of our questions and then some, really letting us pick her brain. I specifically asked about the current situation with girls attending school and whether or not period poverty affects that. I learned that there is a big push for schools to have special bathrooms supplies with pads for these girls, so that they do not have to miss school. This is primarily provided for by non profit organizations. We also had a nice conversation about our families and shared stories about them. As for dinner, I ordered the butter chicken and rice, and it came in a neat little container. We also go around at the end of the night to talk about our highs for the day, and mine was definitely the reaction of the children once I learned how to greet them in their language.

Overall, today was a very grounding experience. We may have had fun on Safari but today was the first day of the real fun (for us at least). It really got me thinking about how if we want to make change, it really can’t be a one-size-fits-all approach. Each community has specific needs and specific resources to fill those needs, and part of being a big help should be helping implement the change that they not only need, but can self-sustain as well. I am really looking forward to the following days to help build upon the knowledge I have only ever learned from reading assignments, with actual on the field experiences.

Safari Day 3 at Ngorongoro Crater by Genna Walsh

Habari Za Asubuhi!

Genna and Zebra

I woke up to the subtle sounds of Fajr (Muslim prayer before dawn) at the Tloma Logde Ngorongoro at 5am for hot breakfast and omelette bar prepared by the chef, sandwich lunch box making and departure at 6:15a sharp. The two trucks loaded up to head to the entrance of Crater National Park Ngorongoro. We were greeted at the rim by a troop of baboons hanging in the trees. Our guides from E.Safari Organizer instructed us to close all windows in the trucks because it’s common for the baboons to search the safari trucks for food. After a quick ‘happy room’ stop (a restroom with toilets and not a squattie), we entered the park. The top of the crater was chilly for Tanzanian weather. We headed down to the floor of the crater for the next three hours. 

Best guides ever, Ernest and Eki

Ernest truck crew

Austin spotting hippos

The first sighting was a pack of lioness eating fresh kill. The crater was inhabited with zebras, hippos, rhinos, wildebeest, water buffalo, elephants, warthogs, jackals, ostriches, flamingos and many birds! A few fun facts; only hippos can wade in the water because the lake has a high alkaline content, elephants loose their teeth a couple of times throughout their lifetime, the crater is home to retired elephants because the grass is softer and elder male elephants can be ostracized from the herd by females because they no longer contribute and are not desired by the females. On the way out of the crater, we stopped for a group photo at the top of the rim and headed back to our home away from home at the Outpost lodge. Until next time! TIA

Group photo

Ostracized male elephant

Safari Experience of a Lifetime by Darby Grow

Jambo everyone! Today was filled with a lot of excitement and adventure. We woke up this morning to the beautiful sounds of birds and found out at breakfast from our guide Ernest that we could hear hyenas last night, which was so cool! We also discovered from our Maasai guide Emanuel that an elephant had roamed through our camp and had even brushed up against Abby’s tent! I thought it was magical to be sleeping amongst the animals last night. It was such a surreal experience. Before heading out on our safari day two adventure, the beautiful Maasai women we danced with last night were there to send us off on our adventure by singing to us. It was a wonderful moment and we were lucky enough to get a group photo with them before we left.

Then we began our day two safari adventure which involved a long journey to Lake Manyara. We took the back roads to get there and drove by many rice fields and small villages. Our guide Eki was so excited to see that the rice fields were plentiful because in the past it has not been a good season for growing rice for Tanzanians. I learned that the rice in the fields are used by many Tanzanian women to cook with on Sundays where the families would gather around and enjoy a meal together. To Eki, the smell of the rice reminds him of home and family and that resonated with me because the smell of spaghetti reminds me of my home. I realized how similar we all are in that way of how certain smells remind us of our home and family. While passing the rice fields, we saw men working hard out in the fields. They were carrying bags of rice that weighed over 200 kilograms. We even saw one man wearing a Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg t-shirt while working.

 As we drove through the back roads, we also passed multiple villages and many children as young as two or three would run out onto the road, waiving excitedly at our trucks and yell for candy. All of the children we saw were so cute and seemed so excited to see us. At first, I felt guilty that I didn’t have candy or some snack to give them but I realized that giving candy to children actually is a significant issue. The children around this area have learned that by waiting for these safari trucks to drive by and waiving at them, children will get treats from tourists. However, it is dangerous because of how fast these trucks drive by as there is a risk that children could get hit. In addition, many children wait on the side of the road for the trucks to come by instead of attending school. Although I enjoyed being able to waive back at the children we saw, it was heartbreaking to see the impact that tourism has had on these children in this area.  As we entered into Lake Manyara, the scenery reminded me of a scene from Jurassic Park with how tropical and green the trees were that surrounded around us as we sped down the roads. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

 As we drove down the roads, we saw many baboons in the trees. We also saw waterbucks, the cute little dikdiks, various birds, and even saw a hippo in the lake!  When we stopped for lunch, we walked down to see a hot spring, which led into the lake. We each had the opportunity to feel the hot water and encountered another hippo sighting. As we continued through the park, we had a very close encounter with elephants and saw firsthand how fierce an elephant’s maternal instincts were. It was incredible! I felt like I was in a movie with how close we got to these elephants. It was such an exhilarating experience that involved many screams and laughter. It is an experience that none of us will ever forget. Ernest explained that through his time as a guide, the encounter we have had with the elephants has only happened to him one other time so we were incredibly lucky. We also encounter a giant group of baboons on a bridge and saw their cute little babies. The baboon babies were so small, they had to be only weeks old and only some were able to walk. The baboons were interesting to watch as they would meticulously pick insects out of each others’ fur.

As our safari journey through the park was coming to a close, we stopped to use the bathrooms and see the gift shop. While we waited for everyone, Tanzanian school buses stopped too. The children were on a school field trip to Lake Manyara before school was was out for the summer. Many children came up to us, wanting high fives.  Some children even asked us what our names were. We learned that one girl was named Rachel and we introduced her to Rachel in our group. Little Rachel’s face lite up when she met Rachel and she ran back to her bus and came back, gifting Rachel with half of her cookie. It was such a heartwarming moment and one that I won’t forget for the rest of my life. It was the kindest and purest gesture and I was glad I was able to witness it.

We continued onto our journey to our hotel for the night where we were able to contact our loved ones and tell them about our adventure today. So grateful for the opportunity to be here and have these experiences. I am excited to see what these next few weeks will bring! Until next time! -Darby :)

Traversing Tarangire by Rachel Burns

Today dawned cool and crisp, and we ate a delicious breakfast at the OutPost Lodge before dividing into two groups and loading into safari trucks, a converted pick-up truck with a roof that pops up and out for our time within each national park we will visit. 

One professor sat shotgun in each truck, which was the driver’s side for us, a habit we still have to break. Anyone who has ridden in the front has made the mistake of trying to go to the “passenger” side and finding the guide sitting there.

On the two-hour drive to Tarangire National Park, the guides shared their knowledge and answered questions, expanding on topics such as home ownership, home building, culture, politics, and even their career as a guide. In our truck, we asked a lot of questions about the Maasai people, an indigenous group in Tanzania, and we learned about cultural practices surrounding circumcision, impotence, barrenness, and surrogacy. We learned that when a Maasai child has to choose between working at home and going to school, they might tend to choose to work because they see it as more beneficial to their future.

Once we entered Tarangire Park, we had a slight delay because the paperwork didn’t precisely match the “registration” or license plate number on one of the trucks, but TIA - This is Africa. We spent the waiting time using a Wild Birds of Africa book our guide lent us to identify the beautiful birds we saw everywhere.

Once on our way, the first animals we saw were impalas, and a family of warthogs—a momma and six babies—that crossed the street right in front of our truck. After turning a corner, we saw a single elephant in the distance under a tree, then realized there were six others enjoying the shade not far away. Our guide was as familiar with the twisting roads in the park as he knew “his own fingertips,” and he took us closer to the elephants—so close we could see their eyelashes. The elephants throughout the park were gentle giants, looking majestic, eating vegetation, or throwing dust onto their backs to cool off and protect their skin.

We had a lunchbox break and were warned not to feed the monkeys or birds or they would become a nuisance to future visitors. In the afternoon, we saw tons more animals including giraffes, using their tongues to pull leaves between the inch-long thorns that grew on their favorite trees, more impalas, a water buck, a dik-dik (a tiny deer with beautiful eyes and a pointy nose that quivered as it stared back at us), ostriches, and more colorful, unique birds. As we left the park, we saw two skinny monkeys crossing the street, and we said goodbye to Tarangire.   ///// Rachel Burns

Maasi Life by Rylin Smith

After visiting Tarangire national park we drove a short distance to Roika Tarangire Tented Lodge where we were greated by Maasai with fresh mango juice and warm towels which was much needed after a dusty hot day in the park. This lodge is very special because it is run by the maasai and all the money made from guests stays within the local community. They explained one simple rule to us: after dark you must he accompanied by a maasai warrior when walking to and from your tent because the animals will walk all around the tents, including elephants, giraffs, hyenas and more. Next they showed us our tents and they were so nice! These aren't your average tents as they had big porches, huge comfortable beds, and amazing wood carved tubs. Mine was in the shape of a big bird with a beak that stretched to the floor.

For dinner we had a traditional Massai meal outside surrounded by a fence of thorny bushes and a big fire in the center. They served us goat leg that we could see roasting over the fire. Although I had never tried goat before I went outside of my comfort zone trying some and was pleasantly surprised as it was very delicious! After dinner we heard chanting and singing coming towards us that turned out to be the massai people gifting us with a traditional dance. The women wore beautiful beaded necklaces and traditional shukas tied around them and the men also wearing shukas carried a large staff. I felt honored to be watching such a sacrred performance and it was a "pinch me I'm dreaming" moment. Then they invited us up to dance with them and I couldn't pass up such a surreal moment. The women tied a shuka around me and placed their necklaces over my head. They showed me how to bounce my shoulders to make the necklaces move. Then one grabbed my hand and gave me a reassuring smile before walking me over and showing me how to tap my shoulder against one of the men's before walking back to the women's side and giving me a thumbs up and while continuing to sing. 

We danced for some time before finishing off with a march around the fire. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I feel so grateful to have had the chance to take part and learn a tradition from the Maasai people themselves. Learning a tradition from another culture is so valuable when learning how to be a better advocate for others and this experience taught me first hand how to jump in and learn for others despite a language barrier and coming from completely different environments- something that cannot be taught in a classroom. I will treasure the memory of dancing with the Maasai under the Tanzania sky for the rest of my life.     ///// Rylin Smith

TIA and the Importance of Resilience in International Study by Francisco Xavier Luzania

To be totally forthcoming, I slept past a few of my alarms when I  woke up to leave Salem, Oregon to head north to PDX. Unbeknownst to me and my flight companions; late was to be the theme of our journey. Tuesday was the start of an anticipated long journey to reach mine and my ICR group’s destination of Arusha, Tanzania. Long ended up being a severe understatement.  Our first flight was a breeze! A short flight from Portland to Salt Lake City. I took a short nap, watched an episode of Rome, and was able to finally read fifty pages of a book I was neglecting all semester due to the large amount of reading law students already begrudgingly do. But Salt Lake was where the real journey began.

Our plan was so simple. Me and two professors would meet the larger group in Amsterdam so that we could all fly out together. A 15 minute delay. Then a 30 minute delay. Then switching runways. First the plane was too heavy. And then the plane was too light. The weather was too hot for us to take off. But then the rain and wind prevented us from taking off again. Three hours of sitting on the tarmac in delay mode truthfully only cost me and our two professors 20 minutes of travel time. After travel over the Atlantic and finally landing in Amsterdam, we had been sitting in an airplane for 12 hours on what was supposed to be a 9 hour flight. But those 20 minutes had more value than any airline could have anticipated. 20 minutes was the exact amount that the three of us missed our our connection from the Netherlands to Tanzania. Those 20 minutes meant that the other ten of members of our group would be traveling without us. Those 20 minutes demanded of us a commitment and patience that we honestly could never have planned for.

After pleading and effectively explaining our circumstances to the airline staff, Professor Buske luckily was able to secure an early flight for herself to fly through Egypt, then Kenya, and eventually arriving in Tanzania early the next morning to catch up with the rest of the group. More on that later. But, Professor Buske also got myself and Professor Cook tickets to red-eye from Amsterdam to Nairobi, eventually getting us to Tanzania early evening the next day. While this was not the most preferable option, all three of us understood that we needed to simply stay the course and do whatever it took to make it to our final destination and make our group whole again. Frazzled and very tired from our incredibly long first leg of travel, we rested up until Professor Buske departed for her first flight a few short hours after us arriving. Hence began the separate journey of Professor Cook and I making the best of an 8 hour layover.

We chatted, ate, laughed, and chatted more, almost delirious from being awake 37 hours straight throughout our travel debacle thus far. But we needed to stay awake to stave off serious jet lag when we would eventually get to Tanzania. We took our red-eye to Nairobi, Kenya and finally got some sleep while in the air. Very uncomfortable sleep, but at least it was sleep. Our reward for successfully making it to Kenya? Another 8 hour layover! Once again Professor Cook and I conversed while she imparted invaluable wisdom on academics and the legal profession. Meanwhile, Professor Buske was in the midst of another flight cancellation, needing to be rerouted to Ethiopia. But Cook and I were steadfast in our positivity and comfort in knowing that although our travel time had been extended by 24 hours, it is times like these that the destination always outweighs the journey. Eventually all three of us successfully arrived to Arusha and joined the group! All is knowing now how valuable 20 minutes really can be.

This is what I chose to write my blog, our groups first blog, on. I certainly felt like I was going through a ringer. Time meant nothing. Sleep was fleeting. People at airports blended in. And resilience meant everything. There was never a moment that either I or our professor’s lost focus or desire to get to Tanzania and begin working on what we needed to. My excitement and getting to meet up with my classmates and start really contributing to the local society is what kept me strong (and the incredibly company of Professor Cook). International study comes with challenges. The ones you expect like culture shock or new cuisine. And the ones you don’t like brutally long travel delays and needing to stay up way past any reasonable expectations. But, the very essence of international study, in my opinion, and now experience, is just that. Go someplace where your expectations are thrown out the window and the lessons are not easily forgotten. Do work that means something even when the cost on you is great. I was so privileged to be on the trip in the first place. Taking a little longer to get there never changed the amount of good we were going to accomplish. I saw more culture in Europe and Africa throughout this journey that most students do in a lifetime. Seeing Kilimanjaro was worth every minute of trouble. There is a saying Professor Buske taught us. “TIA”. This is Africa. Expected the unexpected and be okay with it. I did not expect most of the past 48 hours. But not only was I okay with it; I enjoyed it.       ///// Francisco Xavier Luzania

First Days

Welcome to the Willamette Law Travels Blog -- join us as we explore, learn and grow.

I honestly don't know where to start.  Returning to Tanzania is always such pure joy for me.  This time, however, I am profoundly grateful to be in the company of some of the most extraordinary students I've ever had the privilege to travel with.  In the last couple of days, I've seen students rise to challenges with delayed flights/missed connections, less than optimal weather, new foods and step outside of their comfort zones.  But what I've also seen, that which makes me so proud of this little band, is how they have rallied around their peers, started building what I think will lifelong friendships, and embraced a new culture and people with open and generous hearts and minds.  I could not, already, be prouder of these people or more humbled that they were willing to take this journey with me.

So, join us over the next couple of weeks.  We have so much to share.

The Beginning

 This is the beginning.