Our Year 13 Tanzanian exchange students have recently completed the first part of our long standing exchange programme with Minaki School in Tanzania. They spent the October half term and first week of November on an enriching adventure that will never be forgotten. Thank you to all our parents, students and staff who support the Tanzanian Exchange every year by either sending donations, attending events or even just buying a cake at a briefing evening. Please read on for an account of the trip from one of the Year 13 exchange students.

Rebecca Joyce, Year 13

Since 2005, Imberhorne has been running a unique cultural exchange with Minaki High school in Tanzania, and this year, I was lucky enough to go! The process started in January and October seemed a lifetime away when we were writing our application letters and attending group interviews. When twelve of us were selected, the focus went straight to the bake sale we were to organise exactly one week later. By the time the Minaki boys greeted us at Dar Es Salaam airport, none of us could quite believe that the months of cake stalls, race nights, and sponsored swims were over, and the real adventure had begun.

Two weeks without home comforts may seem like some people’s worst nightmare, and we certainly found the concept difficult to entertain. However, once there, your worries become menial, and squat-toilets become the norm. Your senses are assaulted by a brighter landscape, the smell  of fresh  food cooking and the endless buzz of cicadas. Everywhere you look there is something never experienced before and you almost don’t have time to fret. True, we still had worries, but they included: staying hydrated, applying enough sun cream, and ensuring we had tucked in our malaria nets securely.

From day one, our itinerary was in constant fluctuation; if we were too tired to walk down to the pond, we could do that tomorrow; if we wanted to sit in classes with Minaki students, the teacher welcomed us warmly (even if we walked in ten minutes late). The things that were fixed were our visits to Chanzige Primary School and Kisarawe Orphanage –for most of us, the highlights of the trip. We were able to play and bond with the children despite the language barrier, and it was humbling to see the simplicity of their school coupled with their fierce determination to be doctors, politicians, and engineers to name but a few.

The trip would not have been the same without the thirteen Minaki students who acted as our hosts during the first week, and I don’t think any of us were expecting such strong friendships to be built so quickly. The boys were funny, kind, and endlessly selfless, if we were struggling, they always did their best to cheer us up. They were always there to help us understand their culture, and respected our differing views as we did theirs.

Though the trip itself is over, our work certainly isn’t. Whilst at the orphanage, we decided to put the money we have raised towards building a new kitchen, and we must continue fundraising for this. So far, we have raised over three quarters of our target, but we still have about £1,750 left. The money is used not only for the orphanage, but to bring over ten Minaki students to the UK next March –a date which we all eagerly await.

Inspirational, unforgettable, and eye-opening are all words we have used to describe the exchange, all twelve of us agree that it’s the best thing we have ever done.

Letter from Minaki student, November 2015

It has been more than a pleasure having you guys here at Minaki High School and I really can’t believe you’re leaving. All I want to say is thank you so very much Imberhorne students, it’s been a wonderful week with you guys, especially learning different things like punctuality, appreciation, culture etc. I genuinely love all of you guys and I hope this won’t be the last time we are in contact.

From the very beginning you were so smiley at the airport in Dar Es Salaam and now you are going for Safari. Truly, I want to deny that, but it’s a fact and all I can do is accept the reality. I hope you have an amazing journey tomorrow as well as incredible moments at all the places that you will visit. It’s a great thing that you are leaving to explore how amazing Tanzania is, but it is so sad for us, especially me, because through you guys, I gained a lot of confidence at speaking English and saw how well you interact with people of different cultures such as mine; for that I am forever grateful to you guys. I wish to see you again at Kipepeo and hopefully in England next year, which is the most astonishing thing.

Finally I can say that you’ve been more than a lesson to me and for that I am forever in your debt. You are so welcome again in Tanzania to stay as long as you want, because with you guys I feel like I am totally a different person. Not because you are from England, but how you interact with people, respect each other, support each other, appreciate each other etc. It is so incredible and I liked that a lot.

So ultimately well done guys, have a safe journey tomorrow as well as the happiest moments you have never had in your life.

Asante!

Japhet Gaudence Julius