THE SHOCKING TRUTH OF THE JOURNEY OF HOPE

Speechless is a word that I rarely use to describe myself. If you know me, you know that I always love a conversation, and find a certain pleasure in describing my feelings and emotions. However, in the 6 days that I have spent here in Africa, I have spent each day feeling more and more speechless. That is the shocking truth of the Journey of Hope. No matter how well written, descriptive and engaging our blog posts may be, the feeling of joy, excitement and shock is indescribable to those who have yet to experience it. From the moment that we have arrived here, we were greeted by individuals who were kind, excited and more than willing to help in any manner. In Moshi, the hotel and restaurant employees, as well as the residents were always kind and always smiling. When we moved to Kilema, despite the change in financial stability, the people were smiling, kind and beyond excited to have people return to help. Meeting the people of the community, and the students at the school has been a truly humbling experience. I have never in my life seen people so thankful for anything that comes their way, as well as have such a joy for life. Their smiles are contagious, and their perspective on life is eye-opening. Before this trip, I had heard countless stories about the Journey of Hope, and after having experienced the truly incredible people of Tanzania I can now understand why the people who have been here have had their lives changed. As much as I wish I could share the feeling of what I am experiencing, it is genuinely impossible to express the joy and gratitude that the people of this amazing country have given me. Thus far, it has truly been a Journey of Hope, not just because the students of ENSS, PHSS and CCI are changing lives, but because the students of Kilema are changing ours.

See you soon Mom, Dad, Cael, Molly, Gramps and Grandma <3

-Aidan Hussey

The feeling I have in my heart can not be explained with words: however, through giving you a brief discription of our last few days, hopefully you can share the feeling.

The pictures you have been shown, do not truly capture the essence of the Kilema community. The experiences we have had, in the few days we have spent within this amazing community, have truly changed many Canadian, and Tanzanian lives, including myself. We have been welcomed beyond belief, from every individual (so Moms, you can stop stressing!) Our teaching portion started a few short days ago, and has already brought so many joys. Each group of students have rotated through 4 different schools, working with different ages, grades, and levels of expertise. This experience has given us the opportunity to see many differences within this amazing community. My words can not express the amount of appreciation I have in my heart for this opportunity. Each new day brings our groups into a new adventure (starting with our 5am hike, of course!), and leaves each student with a heart full of love. Each night we have a after-dinner briefing, giving us the opportunity to share our truly once in a life time experiences, and our truly eye opening experiences. Having the opportunity to help bring hope into the Kilema community, has truly changed my life in the most fantastic way. Its hard to explain the feeling using just words, but The Journey of Hope has given me a amazing appreciation for everything I have experienced. My life has truly changed in the 2 days I have spent with these amazing children.

See you soon Mom, Dad, Ken, Lisa, Shane, Liam and Max

-Jessie Barry