Year 12 have just returned from a 10-day trip to the Kilimanjaro area of Tanzania, staying at a guest house of the International School of Moshi.  Throughout our trip we were able to visit many places in the area.  The first three days were spent at a local Primary school in Moshi, where we performed community service by helping the townspeople lay down the floors of two classrooms.  The building materials for the classrooms were paid for by our fundraising prior to traveling.  Although it was very difficult, we were all gratified by the happiness and thanks expressed by the principal and chairwoman of the school.  The next three days the class undertook the daunting task of climbing Mount Meru, a 3500+ meter high mountain.  It took a lot of effort, but at the end we all felt a sense of achievement with 4 students managing to get all the way to the summit.  We then slowed down a little and spent the next two days on safari, where we saw many baboons, giraffes, elephants, and impalas.  This was the first safari for most of us and it was really interesting to see the animals in their natural habitats.  On the last day, before we went to the airport, we went to the Marengu waterfalls, where we got the opportunity to jump off one of the waterfalls, 5m high, into a freezing pool of water!  It was a thrilling experience!  All in all, our class’ trip to Tanzania was unforgettable, and our class has become much closer as a result.  We would like to thank Dr Darryl and Ms Ilse for giving their time to accompany us.

Nafisa Elfatih Y12