Aaron ’24 and Barack ’24, describe a fully immersive experience at Mainsprings.
Though we’re far from home there are no tears
Only cheering and laughing fills our ears
On the second day, it was time for rotations
We were split into three groups, immersed in our creations
The elegant elephants planted papaya trees
And the happy hyenas cooked to fill our needs
While the lordly lions taught the sprouting seeds
Next up was an educational session
Where we had an informative Swahili lesson
From habari to mambo and asante to jambo
Our instructors left a lasting impression
After that we got cooked in basketball
But we’ll be sure to get them back in football
Our time with the kids ended in a prayer
Then we said see ya later!
We had dinner at papa’s
Then made our way to the cabin
Stomachs filled with yummy pasta
Now we go to bed with mates that are now like kin
Today, was our second day at Mainsprings and the first fully scheduled day. Some of us woke up in the early morning to go on a run. We enjoyed the beautiful sunrise and even got accompanied by some of the girls on their way to school. Today was our first day being separated into three groups known as rotations; my group was the elegant elephants. We were assigned to the farming shift.
Our instructor, Silas, helped us learn the basics of permaculture farming. He showed us the unique way they sow their seeds, water the saplings, and plant the young trees utilizing mounds of dirt known as burms to keep the soil from losing all its nutrients. Even though it’s only been two days, we’ve learned a lot about Tanzanian culture and had a lot of fun hanging out with the students of Mainsprings. I look forward to the rest of our journey and hope to learn a lot more before we depart next Thursday.
