How Tanzania changed my life
By Alex BurrowsDangling precariously from 111 metres of bungee rope from a bridge at Victoria Falls, I began to realise why this famous gorge between the Zambian and Zimbabwean borders is known as ‘No man’s land’! The endeavour to achieve what part of you says you can’t do at the moment of reckoning is particularly applicable to many of the poorer nations of Africa, most notably Tanzania – my home for the last five months.
The country is engulfed by a natural beauty, and is a land of genuinely friendly people with a lifestyle that’s extraordinarily relaxed – to an extent that progress on occasions is still frustratingly slow. Yet there are glimpses of a new, refreshed and exciting era emerging, the epicentre of which is the children and their schools, displaying a real determination to drive the country forward. This is why my work at Dar Independent School (DIS) as a sports teacher was so inspiring.
Within a week of arriving in Dar Es Salaam I sat in a jeep within touching distance of lions, leopards and hyenas, fortunate to be on safari with Class Seven around Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara. Other activities included two trips to the tropical and picture postcard-perfect island of Zanzibar, where a local beer or two was sampled within one of the many beachside shack discos.
Rail trip with a difference
Over Christmas and New Year I booked a sleeper cabin on the Tazara railway and over three days and nights travelled through south Tanzania and into Zambia with elephants, giraffes and buffalo along the line. Two weeks camping upriver on the Zambezi in Livingstone provided ample time to visit Victoria Falls, throw myself off the bridge on the infamous bungee jump and white water raft 28 km of the Zambezi with two lovely Dutch girls I met on the journey. I finished it all off with a booze cruise up river, accompanied by crocs and hippos.
A couple of weeks back at the school and I was off on my own school trip this time, persuading 16 students, three Tanzanian teachers and my Dad to attempt the 19,344 ft summit of Kilimanjaro. On the morning of the sixth day as the sun rose I stood with my Dad, two teachers and one remarkably determined student, Alvin, on the top of Africa. Altitude sickness, freezing conditions, sleepless nights in tents and nine days of hiking made this a fantastic challenge and has hopefully on the 10th anniversary of the school set a precedent for years to come.
A half hour’s run or cycle along the Indian Ocean beach, picking up fruit for breakfast on the way and with the occasional swim if I mistimed the tide – I was at work!! DIS was built next to the beach 10 years ago and has predominantly Tanzanian students and teachers. Improving the school’s sport was my main objective and with activities never encountered in that corner of the world such as cricket, rounders, gymnastics under the palm trees, and rugby on the beach, lots of fun was had!
Read how next month when Alex concludes his account: Ed