The Experience of a Life Time

Traveling to Tanzania with Rustic Pathways was one of the best experiences of my life. The sense of community and friendships I made on the program are incomparable. They made the labor of building a kitchen from the ground up fun. Lifting rocks, mixing cement, and laying down bricks are some of the fondest memories I have from the trip because of the other students and the masons. Music was always playing when we worked and the Tanzanian masons ensured we were both safe and helpful. Another highlight of the trip was the Tanzanian children. Immediately after walking out of the bus, the children greeted us with smiles on their faces. All 40 of them shook our hands and greeted us. The relationship that I formed with 2 children in particular, Regina and Apiyo, were especially significant. Every day they would run up to me with the brightest smiles and ask me to play a game with them. Although it was always a simple game, it was so fun. The unique aspect of this trip was the cultural trips that we took. On the Culture and the crater trip, we were able to hunt with the Hazabe tribe, one of the last true hunter and gather tribes, go on a safari, cook ugali, a traditional Tanzanian dish, with local mamas, and see how the mud houses are made. Rustic pathways truly provided me with a truly unique experience.