SST

Mar 17 2020

As many of you have heard, we will be leaving Tanzania early because of the increasing restrictions on international travel due to COVID-19.  This is so hard, since our students are really feeling a sense of purpose and belonging in...

Mar 16 2020

Today is Emma’s birthday!  YAY!!!  On Saturday, we had the students, who are living close enough to Musoma,  join Emma for some birthday cake and celebration.   The cake was passion fruit-flavored (Oh My Yum!!!). 

Mar 01 2020

Sorry this post took a little longer than I expected.  We had an interesting week dealing with electricity to our house.  But, we are back!! Also, sorry this is a LONG post with LOTS of photos and a few videos. ...

Feb 25 2020

If you’ve been checking the Ecuador blog for updates over the past two weeks you’ve been met with silence…. at least internet blog silence.   The final two weeks of the study portion of Spring 2020 SST have been a blur...

Feb 25 2020

Side note first:  the Serengeti pictures are coming; likely later today or tomorrow.  It takes a long time to download and process pictures for the blog, especially when you have a photographer that cannot stop herself at one photo per...

Feb 16 2020

Last evening the students and hosts families all came together at the YMCA for a meal and time for appreciation.  We are so thankful for all of our wonderful host families who truly welcomed our students as one of their...

Feb 15 2020

Every Wednesday, for the past 5 weeks, instead of an afternoon field trip or lecture, the students make their way to Nyumbani Goshen, or the Goshen home (aka. the Schramms’ apartment). The students were divided into 5 different groups.  Each...

Feb 08 2020

This past Friday we made a trip to Nyantira Mennonite School to take a tour, learn about what they are doing there, and to learn about their affiliation with Compassion International (for information about what Compassion International is doing in...

Feb 06 2020

As the beat of the SST drum marches on, students shifted from a focus on Ecuador’s biodiversity to Ecuador’s ethnic diversity.  Depending how you subdivide it, Ecuador has 14 distinct languages and more than 30 unique people groups and subgroups. ...

Feb 05 2020

  This is Tolly.  She is a lawyer-turned-chef that owns the catering business.  She is fun-loving, sweet, patient, and always has a smile on her face.  She seems to love teaching and exudes endless joy.  She has her own YouTube Channel...

Feb 02 2020

Hello friends, families, strangers who are interested in what we’re doing.  We have had another adventurous week in Dar es Salaam.  This city is so full of interesting experiences, people, sights, sounds, etc. On Monday the students attended a lecture...

Jan 30 2020

Week three of Spring 2020 Ecuador SST thrust students into the biodiversity that is Ecuador and all the complexity that comes with it.  One of the neat elements of SST is there is so much learning that takes place outside...

Jan 26 2020

Forgive the multitude of photos in this post, but we saw so much this past weekend.  We visited a town called Bagamoyo (originally Buagamoyo, which means “lay down your heart”).  For the history of Bagamoyo, click here. While in Bagamoyo,...

Jan 21 2020

The theme of week two of SST has been ascending and descending….  After a lecture on the history of the Catholic church in Ecuador, students visited some of the historic churches in the Centro Historico of Quito.  At the national...

Jan 21 2020

This afternoon the students visited the National Museum of Tanzania (forgive the Wikipedia link; they don’t have their own website).  We casually roamed the exhibits to learn about the history of Tanzania, along with other details regarding archaeological findings related...

Jan 18 2020

Today we had a much-needed day of play and fellowship.  We met up at a nearby beach with some of the local youths from a few Mennonite congregations.  Along with normal beach activities, such as swimming, looking for seashells, and...

Jan 14 2020

Ecuador SST 2019-2020 version 2.0 kicked off this past week with strange global climate change induced sunny weather during the start to the rainy season in Ecuador.  Students missing the sun in North America quickly realized just how intense the...

Jan 14 2020

Today the students were able to go on their first afternoon field trip to the Makumbusho Village Museum (click here for more information about the museum).  It was fascinating to learn about the different types of materials different tribes use...

Jan 12 2020

One of the most important components of SST is living with a host family.  This helps the students with language acquisition, better understanding of the culture, and providing them with the kind of support only a family can give. Last...

Jan 10 2020

Our day began with breakfast and a short orientation about some of the expectations for the next several weeks.  The students were very sleepy, but managed to stay engaged in the conversation.     After taking a brief walking tour...

Jan 09 2020

After a long journey, the students have finally arrived safely in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.  Now begins the long process of jet-lag recovery, acclimating to the heat and humidity, and adapting to all of the sounds, smells, tastes, and feels...

Jan 09 2020

The Spring 2020 Ecuador unit has arrived in Quito and has been safely delivered to their lodging at the Cofan Survival Fund facilities.  Their first couple of days will include a host of orientation activities, including introductions to the public...