After 2 days of travel we were received with generous hospitality by our hosts. We are staying at the Mwenge Retreat Centre with a breathtaking view of Mt. Kilimanjaro, though we haven’t seen it yet due to the clouds. Our expectations have been totally blown out of the water. The incredible hospitality, amazing accommodations, and the warmth and kindness of everyone we have met so far has been overwhelming. We are taking it all in.
On our first day we toured Mwenge Catholic University (MWECAU) and met some MWECAU students who took us to the local market in the afternoon which was sensory overload, if not a bit challenging. We also visited Shah Industries, a family business that employs people with disabilities who are skilled artisans in many crafts with leather, wood, and other materials. So many beautiful things to see and buy.
Today we focused on learning the local language of kiswahil with our excellent MWECAU professors and university student “rafikis” to help us practice. We laughed a lot as we stumbled over new words and phrases with plenty of embarrassing mistakes.
We are off to Homestays for 2 days and will share about our experiences when we return.
Kwaheri!