Sonya's Blog

When I first stepped off the plane and handed my passport over to the customs officer behind the glass window it hit me, I am in Africa, Tanzania, Africa. The heat was unreal, we were sweating in minutes, and loving every minute of it. The smells were/are more prominent in the city of Dar, the things you wish you knew what the smell was, to “I hope I never smell it again”.No matter where you look, no matter how small the space there is something there. There isn’t a free spot if you needed it. Through the business of the streets and the fastest traffic I could ever imagine, there is a peacefulness that can only be contributed to the amazing people of Tanzania. The people of Tanzania have a way of making a 27 year old mother of two who has never traveled outside of Canada feel as though she could have been here for years. We have had many experiences learning from the Kimara Peer Educators how one small grass roots NGO can do so much. No matter how I think to describe this experience of a lifetime – really there are no words – it just leaves us saying “ya know. …”. But until you have been here and smelled the smells, tasted the local cuisine and shook hands with the strangers on the street you just can’t really get how “WOW” this experience is.

Sonya Janes-Carroll
Non-Profit Leadership
Kingstec Campus