Hello from Serengeti 1B

June 20, 2024

The past few days have been nothing short of AWESOME, and we confirm said to share!

We started Day 11 with coffee at Isoitok before heading into the local Maasai community of Esalai. There, we saw a traditional Boma and learned how the women of the community build houses, make jewelry, and raise the children in their homes, as the males are typically gone during the day keeping livestock and herding cattle. Many of the girls bought jewelry to support the Esalai community. We walked back to our accommodation and had the girls’ favorite breakfast of the trip, consisting of Spanish omelets, sausage, pancakes, fruit, toast, fresh fruit juice, coffee and tea galore.

Following breakfast, we split into two groups to begin our service project, building a Maasai toilet! The first group collected the water, and the second began working on the structure. It was very hard work, but it was amazing how quickly the toilet was able to come together using only natural materials found in the bush. Caroline was the most excited person the Maasai had ever seen when it came to building with cow dung, water, sticks, and rocks!

Once the toilet was complete, we enjoyed a well-earned delicious lunch. After everyone showered and recharged from the morning, we were greeted by the Esalai community at our camp, showing us a local dance and inviting us to participate. Lily G was the first to join the singing and dancing with the local women, as the Maasai warriors of the community showed off their jumping ability which also happens to be a common courting mechanism. Everyone in the group was awed by the surreal experience of the night with such a welcoming community. We concluded the night with a goat barbecue dinner and a fantastic Moonup.

On day 12, the group wanted to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all of our Dads at home reading along! Also, to our fearless leader Rob whose day was made by the card everyone signed for being our temporary dad on the trip. Our morning coffee and tea helped us start the day as we bid farewell to Isoitok and the memories we made with the Maasai community. We were sad to leave but pumped to be heading to what we’ve all been waiting for… the Serengeti National Park! We hopped into our Land Rover Safari vehicles for the first time and headed to our first stop: Mosquito River Market. Lily F loved negotiating with the local vendors at the market, making sure she always got the better end of the deal. Everyone in the group got matching Tanzania shirts and jerseys for the plane ride home as well as some additional souvenirs. Evie’s friends and family, you are in luck! She bought lots of souvenirs so that she could share memories from her trip to Tanzania with everyone. We left the market and headed to our second pit stop of the day, Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We bid farewell to paved roads and admired a beautiful overlook prior to descending into the vast plains of the Serengeti. As we entered Serengeti we saw giraffes, zebras, hyenas, gazelles, and elephants!! We could not take our eyes off the plains as new animals were spotted every minute. We finished our day with a nice warm meal at the Great Migration Camp, ready for more safari adventures in days to come.

On days 13-15, we set out on daily safaris with goals of seeing specific animals each day. As the sun rose over the plains of the Serengeti, we ate breakfast and prepared to set out for the day. Charlotte was super energetic and set the tone for the whole group as we left camp, reading up on all the animals we were about to see and giving fun facts about each. Shortly after leaving camp the first day, we came across our first cape buffalo and shortly after, our first lion! Over the course of the next few days, we were so lucky to see so many incredible animals, including:

• A leopard perched in a tree at sunset
• A herd of elephants wandering through the grass
• Giraffes walking through the trees
• So many sunbathing hippos, with an incredible lunch on the last Safari day next to a hippo pool!
• 2 different Cheetah up close, 1 with cubs!
• Dik diks jumping through the grass
• Last but not least, a humongous hoard of Zebra and Wildebeest as far as the eye could see, one of the largest migrations to still exist today – The Great Migration!

Seeing lions in the wild is something we will never get used to. We saw so many throughout our time in Serengeti, many of them accompanied by their cubs. Kate was particularly shocked seeing the behaviors of lions in their natural habitat as we observed the mating patterns of male and female lions.

As we ventured out each day, we stopped for mid-morning coffee breaks in the middle of the bush. For our last one, we stopped in the middle of the migration and had an impromptu dance party where Anna showed off her incredible dance moves to thousands of wandering eyes from the herd, getting the whole group excited for our last day in the Serengeti.

We dreaded having to face our final day together, but we started out the next morning with one last delicious breakfast at our campsite. Serengeti means “endless plain” in Swahili, and that definitely showed as we drove out of the park. We got to see one last sunrise that stretched across the land that really capped off our time in Serengeti together! The car rides to the airport were full of sharing our favorite memories of the trip, laughing together, and of course, crying together 🙁 “Starting Over” by Chris Stapleton plucked at some heartstrings, making Arden and Caroline reminisce on all of the good times we have had together. Once we got to the airport, we shared our last hugs and said our final goodbyes.

We truly are SO grateful for the time we got to share with all of your daughters. They are amazing individuals that we feel lucky to know, and we cannot wait to see all of the many things they will accomplish.

To our girls, we are always here for y’all, any time and any day! We are so happy we got to be a part of your Moondance experience, and we are so proud of the people you are! Pleaseeee keep in touch! We are missing your craziness already 🩷🩷🩷

Signing off,

Helen and Rob

Jambo!

June 14, 2024

Wow, what fun days we’ve had! We have so much to catch up on!

On day 7, we bid our final farewell to Fish Eagle Point and loaded up the van to head to Lake Jipe! On the way, we got in some naps, some snacks, and some quality reading time. Caroline kept the group’s energy up by letting us join in on doing her word searches. We had a minor pit stop that resulted in quite a delay, but our drivers kindly surprised us with some refreshments, which kept the spirits up. Charlotte also helped fill the time by leading us through nearly a semester’s worth of AP Euro, which we were so impressed by! Once we were on our way again, we got to watch a beautiful sunset while driving to our campsite. After a long day of roadtripping, we were greeted with the perfect comfort meal, spaghetti, which was much needed after our long day! We wrapped up the night with a great Moonup under the stars, ready for our big day tomorrow.

We woke up early ready to seize day 8! We had a fulfilling breakfast of eggs, porridge, chipati, and fruit before starting our trek, which was a steady incline the entire way to the top. Anna kept the group morale up with her good spirits and positive attitude as we conquered the mountain, and the view from the top certainly made it worth it! We enjoyed our view of Lake Jipe while we munched on our yummy trail snacks that even had a Snickers bar, which we all loved! Lily F kept us entertained, per usual, as we walked down the mountain, sharing her silly stories. At the bottom, we rewarded ourselves with some sodas from the local village before resting at the campsite for the afternoon. With how much this group reads, we are debating starting the first ever Moondance Book Club. We thoroughly enjoy our R&R! Later, Bruno, our campsite manager, led us through some birdwatching around camp as dinner was being prepared. We closed another great day with another great Moonup around the campfire before heading to our tents for bed.

We got to see the sun rise on Day 9 which was pretty special! Breakfast was a quick one as we were excited to see Lake Jipe via canoe. We each loaded up onto our own canoe with a guide and paddled down the lake to catch our first glance at African wildlife… hippos! Evie was quick to spotting them, counting somewhere around 14 relaxing in the water! We kept up our best behavior to not disturb their peace as we turned around in the lake, with beautiful views of both Tanzania AND Kenya since the lake is directly on the border. After our long trek, we headed back to camp for some lunch and a fun afternoon. First, we got to visit the farm on the campsite, seeing cows, calves (born just the day before!), goats, and their kids. We even got to watch a cow be milked, which seemed to be a cool first for most. Then, we saw a clinic, seeing how much tourism to Kilimanjaro and Lake Jipe attributes to the local community. Afterwards, we helped plant trees at an elementary school that houses approximately 130 children. The girls all really cherished this moment, realizing there is so much to be thankful for, which was really special to watch as their leaders. Specifically, they wanted to thank you all for sending them on a trip like this! They are all so excited to see you, but they couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to be here, with these cool people, doing these cool things. Major shoutout to you, family!

On Day 10, we had yet another car ride. We weren’t expecting anything out of the ordinary, but this may have been our favorite road trip, or possibly day, yet! It started with a final breakfast at Lake Jipe and saying “asante sana” to the friends we made there. Arden even noted in the car that after this camping experience, she is indeed a big fan! After getting a few extra Z’s in the car, we had to pull over to make way for the Vice President of Tanzania to come through which was a pretty cool sight to see! We stopped at a local mall for what we thought would be a quick grocery run and bathroom break, but instead, it turned into an impromptu lunch stop for some good ole pizza. Loading back into the car, the girls were in great moods, singing and laughing. Before we knew it, we were arriving at our new stay for our cultural immersion right before sunset. The Maasai welcomed us with yummy tonics, made of lemongrass, ginger, and honey, before we spent the evening learning about the medicinal plants the Maasai use. After watching another gorgeous sunset and cleaning up, we sat for dinner, discussing who would be the last man standing in the Hunger Games. It was decided Lily G would win with her keen strategy and patience. We were treated to a lavish 3-course meal, consisting of a vegetable tower, steak, coconut rice, broccoli, and chocolate for dessert. Kate even claimed that despite not liking tomatoes, she loved the one on the vegetable tower! Tomorrow has yet another early wake up call, but we can’t wait to see what’s to come!

Your daughters have been so fun, positive, and an absolute joy to be around! Thank you so much for sharing these amazing people with us! We’ll talk to you soon!

Kwaheri for now!

Helen and Rob

Update from Tanzania!

June 10, 2024

Jambo from Tanzania!!! We have been having an awesome time on the coasts of Tanga! Since meeting in the Atlanta airport, this group has been so upbeat and so much fun to be around! Days 1+2 were primarily spent traveling, but we were impressed with the group’s positive attitude through it all. We closed out Day 2 finally settling in Arusha with a yummy dinner, preparing for another day of travel tomorrow.

We had an early wake up call on day 3 to make our flight from Arusha to Dar Es Saleem. From there, we road-tripped to the beach while playing games, making bracelets (shoutout Lily G for supplying the whole group with string – we have friendship bracelets galore now!) and chitchatting about life. Once we pulled into the beach, the girls were so excited about their beachfront cabins and staying at the beach for the next few days!

We started day 4 off with an amazing breakfast of fresh fruit and pancakes, giving us a great energy boost as we set off to snorkel! We jammed to Zach Bryan and Mt. Joy as we took a boat ride to Sand Island. The water was so blue and clear! Caroline and Evie rocked their neon pink and green shades as our wonderful Leaders of the Day, keeping the spirits high in the group. We saw lots of fish, shells, and some really cool blue starfish! Once back on the boat, we enjoyed some watermelon and headed back for lunch on the dock. Afterwards, we enjoyed some much needed R&R with some card games, tanning, swimming, and jumping off the dock. Finally, we watched a beautiful sunset to close our amazing first day at the beach.

Day 5 was a special one! We had a quick breakfast and then were on our way to the local community nearby. We walked through palm trees and acacia trees and even stopped to watch a local climb a tree to get us some fresh coconut water to enjoy! After, we headed into the village to learn how to make chapati, led by Mama Rakia and Mama Rashidi. Arden was a natural in the kitchen, making some of the best we’ve had! Then, we walked with the local children through the village, seeing their local school, houses, and saying jambo to everyone. On our way back, we took a scenic coastal route, walking along cliffs and stepping over the many crabs. We enjoyed another dockside lunch followed by some more time spent playing cards, where Charlotte was the reigning champ, and hanging out. It was yet another amazing day spent by the beach!

Day 6 was another productive morning for us! We built a school desk for the local village we visited yesterday, which felt very rewarding after a few hours. Kate and Anna showed off their skills with how good they were at sawing and building. Even the locals were impressed! After a long morning, we enjoyed another lunch on the dock, followed by some reading time, tanning time, and of course, card playing! Once we got some more energy, we kayaked out to explore the mangroves along the coast and enjoyed our last time being in the Indian Ocean. Closing out our time on the Tanga Coast, we had dinner and took part in a local dance, which concluded in the group saying thank you by singing Let It Go while Lily F danced for the crowd. They all loved it!

Our time in Tanzania has been a blast, and we can’t wait to see what is to come!! Enjoy some shoutouts from the group down below!

Signing off,

Helen and Rob

Lily F – ILY Dad! Tell Georgia HBD and tell Jamie lions haven’t eaten me! I’m having fun, and I have great friends. Tell my sisters and friends I said hi. Bye! P.S. You were wrong about the food!

Lily G – Hi Mom and Dad! I’m having such a fun time. I met some fun people. I love you and I’ll see you soon! P.S. All of my string is already gone! I told you so!

Anna – Hi family! I love and miss y’all so much! I’ve made some really good friends. Tell everyone I said hi. Dad, I have a newfound love for the Red Hot Chili Peppers! bye!

Charlotte – Hey family! I love and miss you so much! Give extra kisses to the dogs tonight. Tell McKinley I hope she’s enjoying her internship. I’m having so much fun!

Arden – hi fam!!! Miss and love y’all so much!! Don’t worry abt me, I’m having so much fun in Africa and def give Gus and George a hug from me!!! The kids in the village were so sweet and fun! Also might need cfa when I get home 🙂 Love you guys so much!!!

Caroline – MOM AND DAD!! I’m having the BEST time and making so many memories and valuable friendships. So sad I am missing Fathers Day 🙁 PLEASEEEEE take care of Mollie! Brush her, pet her, and I trust you took her to the dog park. Don’t worry about me! Love you!

Evie – Hey family! I’m having so much fun! I miss y’all so much and my foot is doing better! Love you guys so much!

Kate – Hi Fam!! I’m having the best time and the girls are so much fun…#might not come home. We went to the village yesterday and met all the kids – it was amazing. I miss and love y’all so much and can’t wait to tell you everything! Miss you H!!

Safe Arrival in Arusha - Day 1!

June 6, 2024

Hello Serengeti Families!

We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Arusha and is enjoying some rest after their big travel day! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure as they prepare to travel to the coast!

Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!

-Moondance HQ