Service learning with the MAASAI & being immersed in the CULTURE
Sustainability skills and climate change: On this trip, students will see firsthand how the Maasai are adapting to climate change and diversifying their livelihoods. We will learn about the water issues in this area and how the Maasai manage their resources during a drought. While living in the village, we will become aware of the challenges facing many Maasai as they attempt to continue a pastoral way of life in an increasingly harsh and dry environment.
Service Learning: By working with others and fully engaging in a service-learning project, students gain an understanding of the Maasai culture and language. And hearing the sounds of an unfamiliar language exposes us to another way of expression, opening up a new world. Cultural immersion is always a part of Gogi Abroad programs! We have found that this is the best way to feel fully connected to a place.
We will be immersed for a few nights at a Community Center that was created by Mama Charlotte Hill O’Neal, known as “Mama C,” and her husband Peter O’Neal. They are members of the Kanas City Chapter of The Black Panther Party, and founders of the United African Alliance Community Center based near Arusha. Mama C is a Poet, Author, and Musician.
By working with others and fully engaging in a service-learning project at Mama C’s, students will gain an understanding of the Maasai and Chaga cultures. Hearing the sounds of an unfamiliar language exposes us to another way of expression, opening up a new world. Cultural immersion is always a part of Gogi Abroad programs! We have found that this is the best way to feel fully connected to a place. On this trip, we will be working with the UNITED AFRICAN ALLIANCE COMMUNITY CENTER.
““ I stayed with Mamma C, an ex-pat Black Panther Party member who now lives in Tanzania with her husband, who’s in exile from the US for his Panther participation. Entering their property was like entering an activism-themed jungle paradise—brightly painted buildings covered in quotes and murals were half-hidden by deep green foliage, everything was damp and cool, and there was the constant sound of water running somewhere. Mamma C herself was actually extremely busy with rehearsals for an upcoming concert, so we, unfortunately, didn’t get to chat much. However, on our last day there, we hitched a ride on her bus as she left for the university she teaches at. I finally got to ask her the one question that had been burning at me since I’d started looking around all of her art—whether or not she, as a life-long activist, had any advice about keeping up the change-making energy that, in my experience, tends to rise and (unfortunately) fall. She strongly suggested spending time around people with similar goals and interests, saying that this has helped her and many of her peers stay generally focused. Much appreciated advice!” Naiomi, Gap Year Student”
Sea Adventures: We will disembark after an hour-long plane ride to Lamu Kenya and feel transported not only through space, but time. This is one of the world's great cultural crossroads, it is where Africa meets Arabia meets the Indian Ocean. We will take in the heady aromas of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, chilis, vanilla, saffron, and curry and observe the island-cultivated pineapples, jackfruits, lemons, limes, oranges, pomelos, durians, and coconuts. We will eat at the bustling open-air night market where our engagement with the island’s food and culture meet. After our culinary experience, we will head out for a day of sailing with our guides. We will sail to a sandbank and have time to swim, snorkel with the marine life, and have lunch on a little island nearby.
Tuition includes all expenses related to the trip (including GOGI Abroad guides), except for airfare, which will be arranged by Gogi Abroad. We are open to installments or you can pay in full.
Trip includes:
All in-country travel, including bus, taxi, safari, sailboats, and airfare to Lamu Kenya
All accommodations, and a variety of activities, including tours of cities and towns.
As a group, we will be staying together. Participants will be sharing a room and bathroom here.
We provide all breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. All food is safe and delicious.
A weekend of exploring the famous Ngorongoro Crater plus a weekend safari at the 10-mile-wide Ngorongoro Crater.
We will sail in Zanzibar and soak up the sun and culture and learn about the history, and food of the island. Planned activities include sailing and snorkeling, and will be both engaging and relaxing.
Does not include:
Airfare (approx. $1,000 - $1,800) - We fly as a group from JFK or Boston. Gogi Abroad will book tickets for the group and you will be billed for airfare separately from tuition.
Visa for Tanzania fo US citizens is $100 and $50 for Europeans. This can be done online now
Visa for Kenya ($45) This can be done online now
Mandatory international travel insurance. You can also get a “cancel for any reason” insurance policy and this is optional.
Personal expenses and souvenirs
Soda or any drinks at restaurants. We provide water all day/night for reusable water bottles.
SERVICE LEARNING AND ACTIVITIES IN TANZANIA INCLUDE:
Language lessons: Language is the bridge for connecting to a culture, so each day Gogi Abroad students will have mini language lessons to learn how to communicate with our new friends from the village. The oral history of a tribe is handed down through generations, but just like the Maasai on the Tanzanian plains, oral tradition is becoming endangered. It is said that when a tribal leader dies so does a volume of history, so tribe members must pass down this knowledge to preserve it. With this in mind, our language study does not focus on academic language but rather on the spoken language. The daily classes learning Kimaasai and Kiswahili will provide a unique connection and help students engage more thoroughly with the people of Tanzania.
Beading at the women's cooperative: Gogi Abroad students will observe the ways different cultures create art that as a means of self-expression. As we work alongside Maasai women at a beading cooperative, students will soon realize that the experience reaches beyond the basic beading of an ankle bracelet. There is a sense of sisterhood, cooperation, and meditation that weaves into the experience as well as the art forms.
“I never expected to gain so much from an afternoon as we worked together. There was intention in each bead, as if each bead had its own consciousness, and I was swept away into their sincerity, their world of scent, energy and call and response. This art form is deeply representative of their culture, and beading with the women brought up a lot of questions about the world we live in and how one discovers a sense of place and identity in tribe.” -Student”
Learning sustainability skills: We will have the opportunity to observe sustainable models of managing essential resources such as water, food, and animals among tribes in Tanzania. Students learn firsthand about how the Maasai adapt to the climate change and how they are diversifying their livelihoods. During our stay with a Maasai tribe in Longido, we will have the option to eat roasted goat in a tent at their weekly cattle market – a culinary experience that will take many of us far out of our comfort zones.
Hand dyeing with Mama Ola: Clothing and adornment represent a sense of pride in tradition and cultural heritage. Despite growing Western influence, many people in Tanzania continue to dress in traditional styles of clothing. The cloth is often made of hand-dyed materials. Gogi Abroad students will learn how to tie-dye cloth with famous Mama Ola of Longido.
Traditional cooking: Culinary arts are an enriching part of the Gogi Abroad adventure. Students will get to know a lot about the local diet and learn to cook with a wide variety of ingredients. Meal preparation is a time for joyous connection with our new Tanzanian friends. We will learn to prepare all sorts of wonderful dishes and local specialties. Our time spent on the local culinary arts also provides an enriching opportunity to connect with people using our new language skills! Students will cook with Leyeyo’s foster grandmother and share their food with the children at school. Students will also learn basic cooking and tribal cooking techniques unique to this area of Tanzania. Through hands-on learning, students will explore the cultural uniqueness of food and learn about sustainability.
The Maasai are a shepherding people, and their animals are an incredibly rich part of their heritage as well as the cuisine. As such we will spend time learning about the goats, including how to prepare one for a meal. Most people never have the opportunity to get this close to their food or understand the sacred relationships that can exist between a tribe and its food.
