Day 3 we all woke up feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep. A few of us enjoyed a cup of the delicious coffee on the front porch while watching a light rain come down. We then had toast, porridge and fruit for breakfast. Kelly started a trend by bringing the peanut butter out, which immediately became a crowd favorite. We also loved the fresh watermelon juice!
We then had a visit from Mr. Ndambuki, who teaches English at Royal School. He gave us a holistic overview of the school system in Tanzania, his teaching philosophy and methods, current challenges students face with learning, and why he loves to teach. We learned a great deal in such a short amount of time! It was perfect preparation for our visit to Royal School later that afternoon.

We couldn’t wait to tackle our next task – sorting the 209 t-shirts that were donated to MAD! Jessica organized a t-shirt drive out of San Francisco that was hugely successful. We’re looking forward to giving so many shirts to the students!

Before we left for the school, we had a traditional Tanzanian meal of ugali and spinach. Some of the students gave us a lesson on how to properly eat it – first take a small bit of ugali, roll it in a ball, pinch it, then scoop up the spinach, all with your hands! We all thought it was tasty and enjoyed learning more about the culture at the same time.

It was then time to hit the road for Royal School. The scenery on the ride out was gorgeous, everything was so green and lush. We were especially lucky because we were also able to see Mt. Kilimanjaro. Theresa didn’t want us to miss a photo opportunity, so we pulled over on the side of the road and all got out to take pictures.
Once we arrived, we were given a tour of the school grounds by Paul, our driver. He was very proud to show us around and we were all impressed by how beautiful the grounds were. Theresa also pointed out the basketball court, first aid room, and the exam corrector quarters, all of which groups from Salesforce helped build. Next up was an interactive workshop with the students where we combined teaching Math and English. We split up in groups by a profession that the students want to pursue – doctor, pilot, engineer, and businessman/woman. The group leaders put together ‘math problems’ by presenting every day situations that apply to the job, which the students had to solve. They then presented their ‘math problems’ in front of each other. The lesson was tied together nicely by the story we created – a businessman was traveling from Tanzania to San Francisco for the Olympics to sell cardio machines to doctors. The students all had a great time working together in groups and loved learning in a fun and collaborative way. We ended the lesson and presentations with much deserved celebratory sodas!

On the way home, we couldn’t stop talking about how great the afternoon workshop went. We’re so excited to spend more time with the students and can’t wait to see what day 4 has in store!
— Meghan Brekke