St Judes.

Since before we arrived in Tanzania I have wanted to visit St Judes School. TEACH’s is currently raising the funds and sorting out the logistics needed to build a school similar to this in Ghana next summer. So when Hawwa called them up on Monday and they said that their term ended on Wednesday we booked tickets to travel to Arusha the next day.

St Judes is an English medium boarding school that was started by an Australian lady 9 years ago. The school has since expanded to two campuses, secondary and primary. They have a rigorous selection procedure to make sure that they are only accepting children from very impoverished backgrounds. They live on a stunning campus and are taught the Cambridge curriculum. Each child is sponsored by outside donors who help with their school and lodge fees. Amazing? Wait till you see the place!

We decided to try and find a goodish bus company for the almost 2 hour drive from Moshi to Arusha (did want a repeat of the horrendous bus journey from Dar). We found an official office that read:

‘Akamba bus services the most experienced bus company connecting east Africa’.

It looked good we bought our tickets in advance, optimistic we looked forward to our trip. At 7am the next morning we realised that our best laid plans had gone to absolute pots as the rickety bus rounded the corner looking the worst for wear. The interior of the bus looked like someone had shaken a massive can of coke and opened it EVERYWHERE. The floor was sticky and with resigned looks we sat down and started our journey. The scenery was the saving grace of our journey and after two hours of bumping around we arrived in Arusha.

We got off the bus to a massive drop in temperature. After checking into a hotel we got something to eat walked around exploring town for a while. To me Arusha is like a mini Dar, its noisy, bustly, the traffic is crazy and the fly catchers there are SO intense. After a few hours there I was beginning to miss my dear Moshi, I couldn’t get back soon enough. Moshi at first glance seems quite big, but after being here for a couple weeks you realise that nothing is that far away. If you think you are lost walk in whatever direction for about 5 minutes and you are sure to bump into somewhere or someone that you know.

Keen beans that we are, we got to St Judes an hour early. Walking into that campus was breathtaking, it was so perfect in every way possible. The lady there told us that she would give us our tour early, despite the fact that she had another group coming an hour later (the group we were supposed to be with). So we walked around their campus in absolute awe of what had been accomplished. They have computer labs, a library, art studios, sports facilities, separate science labs for bio, physics and chem and so much more. It was incredible, mind boggling to think that this had all been achieved in 9 years. By the time we finished our tour the other group had arrived, we decided to take our leave but our tour guide had taken a massive shine to us and convinced us to come and meet the second group. I’m so glad we did.

The second group were an American couple who have been living inTanzania for a couple years now, they run an orphanage in Arusha and they had come to the school to find out the procedure of getting places for their kids or munchkins (as they called them). They were so amazing, the love and dedication they had for these orphaned kids was amazing. It is true in life that you should surround yourself by inspiring people and places, it lifts you higher.

We went back to town to find somewhere to eat, by this time the temperature was still not great so I bought a Massai shawl and walked around Arusha snug as a bug. I wasn’t wearing it properly and I defos looked ridiculous, but I was too affronted by the cold to care. The next morning we got on the bus and returned to Moshi, inspired and so focused on exactly what we are trying to achieve.

7ikmat el-post: Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.
Brian Tracy