This March break, 10 students and three faculty members are traveling to Tanzania to learn about sustainable development and educational opportunities in rural Tanzania. Please enjoy the blog post below from Amelia ’27 where she shares about the warm welcome she has felt at Mainsprings through shared meals, conversations, singing, and dancing, making her feel deeply connected and inspired to bring that kindness back to Deerfield.
Ever since arriving at Mainsprings, I have felt unconditionally welcome. This acceptance has come from the girls, the staff, students, and strangers. From the very first night when an excited handful of girls surrounded our bus filled with us tired but happy Deerfield students, to the moments at prayer when the smallest girls glance up and smile at me, Mainsprings has been opening their arms to us from the beginning, and I think the kids are the most welcoming of all.
Yesterday, our whole group went over to the dining hall and got to enjoy a delicious lunch with the kids from the secondary and primary schools. The Deerfield kids and trip leaders split up and chose where to sit. I sat at the end of a mostly empty table with a few younger kids in their school uniforms, quietly eating their lunch. As we continued eating, though, the students emptied out and others filled in their places. Some 10th and 11th graders sat down next to me this time and we exchanged names and ages. What I most loved about this time with those girls, though, was the conversations. Nothing too complex or deep, but silly things that spun off from little questions, and I found myself laughing and smiling with them quite a bit, feeling connected.
Another time that I feel incredibly grateful to be a part of is prayer. The singing is truly magical, listening to the girls’ voices mix in beautiful combinations, and hanging out and playing with the little ones before and after is an incredible experience too. The Mamas greet us at the gate each evening we attend prayer, with ‘welcome’ and ‘karibu’, and the little girls run up to us and grab our hands, pulling us towards the gazebo to sit. Last night, after singing and listening to prayers led by the girls, we headed towards a building vibrating with pop music.
Once inside, two girls I met a few days ago, Annie and Joyce, pulled me by the arms and led me closer to the speaker. We danced around, holding hands and spinning in circles and jumping, inviting others to join us. I had so much fun and was sad to say the inevitable goodnight when the time came. But saying goodnight was almost as enjoyable as greeting the girls each day, as this time they all came up to hug us, even the ones I hadn’t talked to that evening, even the ones I didn’t personally know. In a chorus of ‘goodnight’s and ‘see you tomorrow’s, I found myself realizing that never had I been accepted into a community filled with such loving people as quickly as this before. I feel immensely grateful to be on this trip, and to experience this welcomeness from the girls and the entire community here in Tanzania. I hope that I can take some part of this back to Deerfield, and make others feel at home in the same kind, loving way that the girls have perfected.
