Last day: On the way home

The team have just been dropped off at Kilimanjaro International Airport and are on their way back home! 

The last day saw them visit Lake Manyara National Park before heading back to Arusha for a final dinner together and then onto the airport and flight back.

Thank you so much for reading the blog and all your comments too. We know the team can't wait to show you their own photos and share their experiences with you too.

It's been a pleasure working with Portland Place school again and we can't wait to welcome you back to Tanzania to work with the Livingstone Tanzania Trist again!

Thanks

All at Team Inspire 

Day 12: Safari part one

We had an early start today we left Malangi and it was very sad to say goodbye to our friends!

We made our way to Tarangire National Park very early. It was an amazing experience we saw zebra, elephants, wildebeest, waterbucks, gazelle, ostrich and giraffes!

The highlight was seeing two lions eating a wildebeest they had just killed.It was Jack's birthday today and we celebrated by filling up a safari car with balloonsz He was very happy and had to pop them all before the safari! Georgia spent hours blowing them up the night before.

We made it very tired to twiga lodge, we were so happy to have a shower and electricity!

Day 11: Last day on project

Unfortunately our time in Malangi has come to an end. After our daily dose of oatmeal porridge we joined forces with the fundis for the last time.

We put everything into it, reaching results which were above expectations. After the short but thorough days work, we united with the community for celebrations. We were greeted with an absolute feast to start. 

Shortly after, we gathered outside to listen to the Tanzanian national anthem followed by warming speeches. Gifts were shared round and then we were all on our feet dancing together like their was no tomorrow. We then had to pack up and get ready for our adventure into the bush. 

Max and tomi

Day 10: Mud and more visits

Today started with Matt briskly waking the boys up with his shaking bottles. We made our way to the site and made great progress in the second toilet for the girls which had some redesigning to our original plans which would help improve there hygiene. 

Our work was steady and progress was made. After our delicious meal of rice and beans obviously we were amused by the assassination of leader Matt by Georgia as she handed him a spoon whilest he was in the mud pit. 

Jack, Josh and Matt visited Johanna's house for tea and were stunned by the amazing food and reception from his family. 

They managed to talk with them and were surprised by more of the cultural differences. 

After Matt got over the shock of his assassination him and Tommy had a mud fight in the pit which made Tommy extremely dirty and he ended up with a mouthful of mud. 

After the last full day of work everyone just chilled out for a bit while the dinner was cooking, this was when Georgia performed her second assassination on Johanna using a camera in the kitchen. 

Barnaby was signed for Malangi FC for a small fee of chocolate biscuits and coffee. 

Finally we had a great meal of rice and beans accompanied with some Mexican spicy sauces. 

Thanks Tommy. 

So this day was great.

Day 9: Community lunch

This morning's wake up consisted of Matt, a sauce pan and a considerable amount of banging. 

After another serving of...delicious porridge the group made their way to the  work site. 

With half a days work behind us we made our way to lunch which we had the pleasure of eating at a community member's house with some of the locals. 

We were greeted by some traditional dancing which we all got involved in followed by a delicious lunch and an enlightening  Q&A session. Leaving lunch we were again treated to a lengthy traditional dance. 

Late afternoon was full of football, playing with the kids and arm wrestling, the most exciting match up was by far Hasan and Scarlotte's battle which ended 3-0 to Scarlotte. 

Dinner was a delicious 'pasta red sauce' served up by Alex, Adam and Miss

 Gill.

Day 8: Good work!

Today was one of our most effective work days. The second toilet block is halfway through and we are hoping to complete the third before we leave! 

After lunch we went for a community walk led by Yohanna through the community at Malangi. 

We enjoyed a scenic route giving us a great view of the rift valley. The walk ended with a cold beverage at a local shack. The streets were filled with children wanting to play with us by the activity room. 

Day 7: Some reflections

Our experiences have changed the perspective of the team for the better. 

People are helping with daily chores and even though people are from diff years they have been talking and getting to know each other.

It is an experience that will stay with us 4 the rest of our lives and change us 4 the better. 

Oh and in other new the boys played a football match against the local team... Result was 2-2!

Day 6: Back to work!

Well the day started early as usual with us sharing breakfast together everyone was on good form and in fact for the first time and just for the record we were on site before the fundies who arrived soon after with their dancehall music and everybody got stuck in with instructions from tommie the foreman  for the day.. 

Soon after morning break the cooks went to the market where the stall holders used their best English to entice us in while we used our best swaheelee to barter..... Whilst the rest of the team cracked on! 

The cooks returned and got back onto site where the work continued. The whole team worked hard to achieve what was needed until time was called and our days work was done.

After showers and a well deserved rest we all tucked into some delicious chilli with salsa that was beautifully prepared by the cooking team Ms Johnson and me Hassan.

After a debrief of  the days achievements and successes some sat on the veranda contemplating the day whilst gazing at the stars before turning into bed before another morning on site and the organised community football match tomorrow. Lala salama

Day 5: A day of rest

The morning was struck like a match in the wind as many tried and many failed to arise at the crack of dawn for a day of activity. 

Onwards and upwards, we set out for our first destination. Gazing upon the gleaming sunrise, we chopped our way through the towering fields of corn in pursuit of one thing... God. 

The church was a modest structure but filled with love and wisdom as well as, eventually, our futile attempts at belching out swaheelee gospel. The kind, local welcome lasted from the moment we stepped into the house of the Lord until we made it back to camp and left a lasting warmth in all of us.  

After a hearty lunch of rice and beans, a great convoy carried us to our next destination. A truly unique experience, we were graced with the honour of attending a local christening of the now named, baby Annabelle. 

Onto our final destination our fleet of cars made it to Lake Babati where we watched the tiring sun set over the colossal mountains and hippo inhabited waters. 

Drinks were drank, poker was played and we left with a sight greater than any other. This drew our day to a close as dinner was served and the shimmering sea of stars watched over our group. 

Tiring and yawning we now ease our way to slumber as I write you this insight into a day that will stay with us for many years to come. 

Team piccie (Inspire Leaders Amy and Matt on the right of the photo!) 

Day 4: Porridge and work

Well to start off, we'd like to highlight our luxurious oatmeal porridge prepared by Mia and ms Johnson. With not a moment to waste. 

Our commander josh united the work force together and led the way to our building site. Progress was at its peak in the morning, with bricks being moved like never before. 

By midday, the sun began to make an appearance breaking through the hazy over cast Tanzanian skies. The pace began to gradually slope down as tiredness won its terrain. 

Josh our commander for the day suffered some unfortunate battle wounds but was absolutely fine not to mention four of our troops were on a mission to gather resources at Babati market while three were on dish-washing duty and two on water duty. 

A reduction in productivity was brought to attention and an intervention took place by Matt and Amy. 

A spark of motivation occurred and gears were put into full speed again, putting us back on track. With a hard day of work behind us, we rewarded ourselves with a friendly game of football with the fundis. 

To conclude the day we were rewarded with Max, milo ms Johnson and Maia delicious spaghetti arrabiata. 

By Max and Tom.

Day 3: Work starts

The day started with a brisk 6.30am wake up, swiftly followed by breakfast and gearing up for our first day at work. 

After a short introduction we were thrown right into the mix (quite literally for Josh) with the group dividing into different work stations, from laying bricks to making concrete we were successful throughout the work site. 

With the first bathroom complex nearly complete the group left to shower, relax and get ready for dinner which was cooked and prepared by Jack, Alex and Ms Gill. 

After a couple of hours of football, playing with the local kids and chilling in the hammock, dinner was served. 

Dinner consisted of vegetable curry, mung Dahl and chappati and went down a storm! 

Hassan washed the dishes for the first time in his life! 

We all sat and watched the stars and then we made our way to bed. 

P.S Tomi está muy bien y echa de menos a la familia y a su gordita!

Day 2: Malangi and mozzies nets

Today we left the comfort of our hotel room into the unknown! We arrived at malangi school we had an amazing welcome by an astounding group of people. Dancing, singing and eating lunch with the community. We felt lots of emotion. 

One of the highlights of the day was a butterfly that found a new home on the front of barnabys trousers. 

Later on in the evening the boys put blood, sweat and tears into their football match and came out victorious with a win of 8-7.

We spent time laughing and trying to put up our mossy nets  in creative ways that did not always work! The group had their first experience of the african night sky. We could not believe how many stars were there. We sat staring at the sky and enjoying the view. Excellent first day!

Sorry no photo tonight the wi-fi has crashed! 

Day 1: Tanzania Culture

We had an early rise and after having breakfast we began our orientation. We then went to the cultural heritage centre where we had lunch. 

We had the opportunity to try local food cooked by a local African cook and we were surprised at how amazing the food was. The food was served with tea called tangoweazy a ginger based tea that will never be forgotten as it was the best tea in the world. 

The cultural centre was beautiful and historical with sculptures/art/masks.

The roads were full of people and full of energy with people spilling over on the streets. We also had a great view of mount meru from our hotel which was like a postcard! See below!

All is good with the team and we are off to bed now after a yummy dinner!

Team arrived into Kili

Dear all

The team have safely arrived into Kilimanjaro International Airport and are now en route to their accommodation in Arusha.

We will post another update tomorrow after they have had a good night's sleep.

Thanks

Team Inspire 

Team not affected

Dear Parents,

Team not affected

I am sure you are aware of the attacks tonight at Aturtak Airport in Istanbul. We want to reassure you that the team’s flight was due to depart Istanbul at 18.40, several hours before the attack took place. We have checked the flight departed as planned.

We have spoken to the school and will let you all know as soon as the team arrive safely into Kilimanjaro.

If you have any further concerns please do call the Inspire Emergency line: 07531 872 658.

 

With best wishes

Beth

 

 

Beth Chapman

Managing Director 

Inspire Worldwide

Pre Departure Info

Dear Team Tanzania,

We hope that your preparation and packing is going well!

Just a couple of last-minute tips:

1.  Please remember that your luggage allowance for the main hold is 25kg maximum + 8kg for hand luggage. Please do keep to this allowance. It should be more than enough for all your kit.
2. Please do not to pack any walking boots on the outside of the main hold luggage. They almost certainly won’t arrive still attached, we recommend you wear your boots for the flight to keep them safe (and save on weight in your main bag).
3.  Please also pack a change of underwear, toothbrush (not paste, unless it is less than 100ml) and any other absolute essentials in your hand luggage (i.e. medication, anti-malarial tablets), just in case any main bags go missing on the flight. It is unlikely, but best to be safe.

Keeping in touch:

We have set up this blog for your group, to keep parents and friends up to date with what your team is up to. 

 Your family and friends can comment on posts and photographs. We will be updating the blog as often as possible with your news. Please feel free to pass this link on to anyone who you think would like to stay up to date with the team’s activities.

Trip Information: 
Don’t forget you can find specific trip information and documents here: http://inspire-worldwide.com/portland-place-trip-information-2016 This page has some key documents (itinerary, trip information pack, risk assessments) plus general Inspire information and our Emergency number – also detailed below.

Flights and arrival: As you know you will be flying with Turkish Airlines from London Gatwick via Istanbul. We will update the blog to let your family and friends know when you have arrived safely in Tanzania.

On arrival in Tanzania Matt and Amy, the Inspire Group Leaders, will be there to meet you wearing their Inspire t-shirts. You will then take the short drive by private bus to the Briston Hotel in Arusha, where you will have time for some rest before breakfast and in-country orientation with your leaders.

If your family need to contact a member of the team urgently at any point please make a note of the Inspire 24 hour EMERGENCY number: 07531 872 658. This number is manned in the UK 24 hours a day in case of any emergency situations where your family/friends need to contact a member of the team urgently.

For all other queries, please use the Inspire office number: 01273 249543.

If you have any last minute questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Otherwise we hope you have an incredible time and look forward to keeping your family and friends updated throughout your time in Tanzania.

With best wishes
Jess and all at Inspire Worldwide