By Harrison Mayesh
Staff Writer & Assistant Circulation Editor
Mira Costa senior Emma Glozman built her interest in community service from the ground up by building houses in Tanzania, Africa for the less fortunate.
Glozman spent 17 days in the village of Mongola Juu with Rustic Pathways, an organization that allows students to take service trips to many countries across the world. On her trip, Glozman traveled with 10 other people and spent her time teaching students English and building a home for a Tanzanian doctor.
“I can’t even explain how much the trip impacted me,” Glozman said. “I got to see how other people live, and I got to be a part of their community. I not only became good friends with the people in my group but also with the locals as well.”
Click here to visit a foreign exchange program
Glozman built a house for a doctor to live in. She mixed cement, laid bricks and cut wire and copper. Glozman said she was able to see how grateful the local villagers were to have a doctor nearby and accessible in the same town as them.
“The locals were so happy when we finished,” Glozman said. “There was a closing ceremony at the end where they sang and danced, and it was amazing for us to see. Their culture was hands-down the best part of the trip. Just being a part of their community for a little bit is something that I will always remember.”
Click here to see other things you can do during the summer
Teaching English and ensuring that the children retain the language is very important in Tanzanian schools, Glozman said. In Tanzania, all students must pass an English test at the end of elementary school; if a student fails, then the person will not receive another opportunity to further his or her education. Glozman made lesson plans that incorporated games to help the kids learn English more easily. A local who spoke both Swahili and English helped the students communicate, acting as a translator between the volunteers and the students.
“Since we didn’t know that much Swahili, we couldn’t help the kids with the complex English grammar; just being able to help them in little ways like with vocabulary and remembering small things was so rewarding,” Glozman said. “They are so smart, and it was cool to hear them outside the classroom actually using words that we taught them.”
Through her service, Glozman instantly made friends with her students that she taught English. A memory that Glozman will cherish forever is talking and playing with two Tanzanian girls named Angel and Anna, she said. They were two of the few girls who knew English really well and understood all of their lessons, she said. Glozman said some of her favorite memories are how they would always run up to her and hold her hand and braid her hair.
“I also loved being with the small kids who did not know English,” Glozman said. “We didn’t need a common language to communicate.”
During Glozman’s experience, she and her group had a safari day where they explored Tanzania without having to work. On the safari, they saw many of the wild animals that are native to Tanzania, such as wildebeests, monkeys, rhinos, and hippos.
“I loved the safari because it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Glozman said. “It was my first time in Africa. I had always wanted to go to Africa, and it was better than I ever imagined it would be.”
Glozman is unsure of going on future trips with Rustic Pathways, but she aims to continue with humanitarian efforts through schooling and helping other programs for the less fortunate. She plans to go on future foreign community service trips but is currently unsure where she wants to travel.
“This trip had a very lasting impact,” Glozman said. “I know I would love to go back one day to visit the village to reconnect with the kids that I had a close relationship with. ”
Leave a Reply