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GIVE: This Is Africa (TIA)

Written by: Greyson Kountz

9/26/2013

When I learned about GIVE, it sounded like such a great volunteering program that I immediately pulled out my laptop and applied. Little did I realize that this application was going to be the start of a journey that would forever change my life!

For the next eight months before my GIVE trip to Tanzania, I focused solely on getting prepared and called the GIVE office way too many times to ask questions. They were extremely helpful and nice, and probably all knew my name by heart. I taped a GIVE flyer next to my desk and found myself starring at it, daydreaming about how epic of a trip this would be.

Fast-forward eight months, and I’m standing in the Kilimanjaro Airport with all the other GIVErs, who I now call family. We immediately bonded with one another and were anxious to see what was in store for us. We met our guides, Chris and Nora, who honestly deserve their own television show they were so funny! They gracefully and humorously took control of everything with positive attitudes during our trip, which was really comforting. After meeting the GIVE guides and all the other volunteers, I instantly knew that this trip was going to be incredible.

While in Zanzibar, we’d wake up each morning to the great views of the beach while eating breakfast, then go build the school or teach English for the rest of the day. After work, we’d return to the lodge or go to the beach, physically and mentally tired, but a good kind of tired. We finished each day with a sense of accomplishment, which would drive our motivation for the next day. Working alongside your fellow GIVErs and the locals daily was priceless. The ability to see the positive impact made on the lives of others was something I had never experienced. I could see the progress on the school and the light switch go on when a student understood our lessons. The whole Zanzibar experience was so gratifying and the amount of work we accomplished each day was incredible.

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Volunteering with GIVE will change and enrich your life for the better.

The excursions were definitely an added bonus that made this journey with GIVE even more brilliant.  

Another reason I wanted to be a GIVE volunteer were the different types of excursions available during our days off from volunteering. We went swimming with dolphins in the middle of the ocean, which was one of the most fun things I have ever done! We also went sailing and snorkeled around a huge reef as well as relaxed on the beach.

The two-day safari was definitely my favorite of all the excursions. Seeing animals that I’ve only seen in zoos in their natural habitat was a surreal experience. We saw all kinds of wild animals, up close and personal, and were even able to see the Big Five (Elephant, Rhino, Leopard, Lion, Cape Buffalo), which is a pretty big deal! The excursions were definitely an added bonus that made this journey with GIVE even more brilliant.

By the end of the two weeks, I felt like I had been living in Zanzibar for an entire year.

And, what a year it had been! From playing with the local children, building a school, filling bottles with sand, teaching English, learning Swahili, swimming and taking baths in the beautiful Indian Ocean, playing soccer with the locals, enjoying bonfires on the beach, using new currency, bargaining for souvenirs, visiting Stone Town, learning more about the African culture as well as one another, and forming life long bonds with my fellow GIVErs were just a few of the many things that I experienced on my trip to Africa.

GIVE truly is the ultimate package for a volunteer program! You do not just volunteer, you are immersed in the culture, and are provided an opportunity to experience everything Africa has to offer. Volunteering with GIVE will change and enrich your life for the better.  You will leave refreshed and more aware of the world in which we live.

I left Africa with a new outlook on life, a new family, and a new understanding of what it truly takes to make our world a better place.

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