made it to arusha....

Jambo!! that means hello!
we are here in Arusha! Yesterday we took a 10 hour bus ride from Dar Es Salaam to here. IT was long...but amazing to see what Tanzania is like. At first the landscape was pretty flat, but then we came into the mountains which were amazing and beautiful. There are villages throughout the country side, but to me it seems like we would be in the middle of nowhere and then one would pop up! We saw children playing, women carrying various items on their heads, and people living thier lives. Often when we stopped at various bus stops men would try to sell the passengers bananas, nuts, and other things. We bought some fresh bananas, 20 for $2! They were delicious!! :) The bus itself was pretty comfortable, and they played funny American music VERY loudly. Barry White and the group that sings Red Red wine....
We are now at our final destination. It is very comfortable. IT is not as fancy as the hotel on the coast, but I am glad. The rooms here are very cute, and the eating area is open air. We all have mosquito nets, which was funny to sleep with last night. IT might take a little getting used to. We have two family rooms, 4 in one, 5 in the other, except Jessi and Christina get a 2 person bungalo until their mosquito net for their bunkbed is fixed! Lucky them!! :)
All is well and I think we will check out the city a bit today, sunday, before we head to the Cradle of Love tomorrow.
-molly :)

We're Here!

We landed in Dar es Salaam early this morning after 2 long flights. We also laid over in London for about 10 hours. The driver from our hotel picked us up and sped us through the busy streets of Dar. We passed all sorts of people, some in what we know as traditional dress, others in very modern western dress. There were city buses everywhere crammed with people. Our van was pretty full itself. The ride to the hotel took about 40 minutes...but I think many of us were half asleep. Our hotel is located outside of town quite a ways. So we passed the plain structured houses...rusty tin roofs and lopsided cinderblock walls, of roofs made of leaves woven together then we passed huge compounds with massive walls all facing the ocean. We're sitting right on the Indian Ocean. The sands are white and the water is crystal blue in some spots. Though we can't walk along it because there is a fence or something like that that keeps our hotel off it. Our hotel is really luxurious. We've got three rooms, three to a room. Each room has a bathroom and a fan and TV! It's nice to have a place to rest up after all the travel but we're all eager to get on to Arusha. Tomorrow we will go by bus...it will take 8 hours!
Celine and Kara and I went out with a Taxi driver to the city centre to buy our bus tickets, exchange money and get bottled water. The driver, Miller, was very kind and he pointed out sites along the way. He showed the houses of the first three presidents of Tanzania since it's emancipation from Britain in 1961. There are bliboards everywhere advertising things like mobile phones and Coca Cola. We passed some pretty western looking shopping centres. At one point Miller directed our attention to Times Square. There were all sorts of western like shops but passing along in front was a young boy pushing a huge wheelbarrow full of grass. There are men delivering eggs on their bikes and on the back are just stacks of eggs! We were all very nervous as we watched them dip in and out of traffic. There are very few streetlights or stop signs. It took us 3 hours to go into town and back! Tomorrow we have to leave at 5:30 to catch our 8:30 bus! I think we'll be alright though none of us have any idea what time it is, anyway.
Well, we'll talk more soon!

Maria

Hello to everyone,

I'm Chris, the second eldest in this incredible group of Young women. Getting to know our group members has been a pleasure. For as young as we are, our passions are deep. A genuine concern for a peaceful and just world, and a true concern for all humanity. Although we may not be able to save the world, we will join hands and focus our energies to make a difference, in Usa River and right here at home.

I am both honored and thrilled to be traveling with such compassionate young ladies.

A wise man( my dad) , once told me "If you are going to dream ...you might as well..dream big"

Two of my biggest dreams were to go to college and to travel. Here I am 20 years later, with a loving, supportive man by my side , four beautiful daughters and 2 precious little grand daughters. I am attending college and getting ready to travel to Africa. There were some rough roads, and my dreams didn't become reality exactly when I wanted them to, but point being, if you believe in yourself and find the strength within... Amazing things happen. Don't ever loose sight of your dreams!

To all of my family and friends who have supported me in my endeavors and helped to make my dreams come true, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Who could ask for anything more?

I love you all dearly and appreciate you more than you'll ever know. I am truly blessed to be among you.

Chris

no sleep 'til Tanzania

I cannot sleep! I started my first pills for anti-malaria, mefloquine last night. I had some really cool dreams last night and tonight I have not had a wink of sleep. The nervousness mixed with the chemicals... it is 4am now, 8 days 'til we depart. I am thankful that thus far I have not had any psychoatic symptoms (that I am aware of, haha) which is a rare sideffect of this med.

I am so excited for this adventure! That is probably what it is. I will simply use this time to practice my Swahili.

Valerie in Vietnam Spring 2006

Valerie

Hello, my name is Valerie Welter and I have been given the gift of being chosen to be a member of this group of Johnson State College students/staff traveling to Tanzania to address the issues of HIV/AIDS and childhood hunger. Last spring, I went on the BreakAway trip to Vietnam, which was a life changing experience having never traveled internationally previous to the trip (Canada and the Bahamas do not fit my definition of international travel). How myopic my limited worldview had been...reading and watching documentaries are no comparison to being there...seeing, smelling, touching, hearing, and tasting Vietnam. This year I will experience Africa with all of my heart, emotions, and senses.

I am proud to announce that at 50, I am the eldest member of the group chronologically, not necessarily in regard to maturity. I am young at heart and have a slightly warped sense of humor; I was delighted to discover that other group members have similarly sick ways! I have been married for 28 years in June and have three children ages 26, 24, and 16. My family sustains me...they are my life breath and have supported me in my endeavors. I am a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor and work in the Counseling Center at JSC as the Coordinator of Alcohol and Drug Services. I could not imagine having another job; the JSC environment, especially the students and my co-workers Andy and Barb, are near and dear to me. Additionally, I am an American Red Cross Certified HIV/AIDS educator. Going on this trip is a dream come true for me; I am deeply fulfilled at the prospect of helping others in less fortunate circumstances than myself. In our retirement, my husband and I hope to engage in international volunteer work.

molly :)

hi there!
I am Molly, also a member of this trip. I am very excited to embark on this adventure with eight fabulous women.
Currently I am finishing up a semester of student teaching, and wrapping things up to get myself ready to go. One and a half weeks left!!
I feel very honored to have this opportunity to serve in Africa. Teaching is my passion and I feel that this experience will make me a better teacher. I have had a lot of experience volunteering and working with youth, but this is a dream come true.

I am very privileged to have the support of many friends and family that have helped to get me here! THANK YOU!! also thank you to my husband Owen, who has supported me in a million different ways.

PS this picture is of me after FIVE shots to get ready for Tanzania! ouch!
Keep checking in to hear about our adventures!

count down to departure date

Hi I am Jessi. I will add a picture with my next post.
We have only 10 days until we depart for Usa River, Tanzania!
I am starting my malaria pills tonight and getting excited.
I am looking forward to volunteering at the Cradle of Love and working on the construction of school.
We have a great group here and we're going to be doing and seeing some amazing things for the next month.
Thanks for checking out our blog!

Maria here.

Hello out there!!! This is Maria. I'm also a co-leader of the trip. I was the last trip leader to accept the position. Kara and Celine proposed it and were accepted but they needed one more leader. I was honoured to be asked and, of course, I accepted. Last year I lead a trip based on Prison Reform. A group of 9 travelled to Oakland, California were we responded to prisoners letters reporting abuse, neglect and other factors. This summer I was selected to lead the national Breakaway trip to Chicago were I worked on domestic and sexual violence issues. You can go to the alternative breaks link below to find out more about breakaway trips.

Over the course of the last year the group has been working on fundraising and educational campaigns. Yesterday we locked ourselves up for about 12.5 hours to discuss the trip and the issue (global HIV/AIDS and hunger) in depth. It's been a tough year...some of the most demanding work I've ever done, but like Kara I can feel it coming together now. As the day grows nearer I grow more anxious and excited. First I must get through finals and graduation! Not to mention moving to a new apartment in a new city and searching for a job!!

I'm glad you're here!

Peace,

Maria

Greetings from Kara

So, here I am on break during our weekend intensive just weeks before we venture off to Tanzania.

I am filled with all sorts of emotions as the time gets closer. Honestly, when I first applied to lead this trip I thought it was probably a bad idea for me, and throughout the year I have had many times where I just wanted to cry, but as the time grows nearer and things start to fall into place I am getting more and more excited and more at ease with my decision.

I will just introduce a little about myself and what motivated me to want to lead this trip to Africa, focusing on HIV/AIDS and childhood hunger issues.

My name is Kara Casey, I am 21 years old and a senior here at Johnson State, graduating in a couple of weeks, I am from Massachusetts. I consider myself an activist, although sometimes quiet and withdrawn. my main reason for wanting to go on this trip was my passion for HIV/AIDS issues. I started work as an intern at Vermont CARES (the states largest AIDS service org.) in 2005, and have since taken a position there as a Program Assistant. I cannot really say how this passion came about, probably because of the strong connection between HIV/AIDS and the queer community. But when given the opportunity to propose a trip I knew that I didn't want to lead again unless it was going to Africa working on HIV/AIDS issues.

Although I have never had a strong desire to go to Africa, I do realize that I cannot truly understand the issue until I understand it on a global level. I hope that the work the group participates in in Usa River helps me to better understand this pandemic. I feel as though working with such a different population will help me to be more competant in the field that I hope to continue in for years to come, and that I will be able to educate and share my experiences with all those that i come in contact here. The connection needs to happen in our minds, HIV/AIDS is not a African problem, it is a societal problem, a world issue and it is only when we understand this that we can begin to understand the virus, and how to effectively combat it.

See you in Africa!

Peace,

Kara

Welcome!!

Hello out there!! Welcome. This will be our virtual home while we're in Africa. All of the group members have been asked to "introduce" themselves. So check back shortly for those. In the meantime you can learn more about our trip by visiting the following websites!



www.cradleoflove.com

www.alternativebreaks.org

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/africa/tanzania

Just 20 days to go!!

Here we are...Christina is missing.