Jessica Froehlich doesn’t regret volunteering in Africa for a minute.
“It was definitely more than I bargained for,” said Froehlich. “I thought that I’d learn more about African culture and the people there, but just the other people that went on the trip with me and my mentors — I learned so much from them, like where they come from.
“There was one girl from Hong Kong so I learned about China and there were two from India so I kind of learned about lots of places in the world, not just Africa.”
Froehlich, who turned 16 while on the three-week trip from June 17 to July 7, said the volunteer trip was through the Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) group. She said the group of 29 did community service work at a primary school in Tanzania for a Grade 4 equivalent. She said the group taught the students English.
“The first few days it was easier because the kids didn’t really know us … Then after a few days around the second week it was like they were used to us. So they were more comfortable and they’d get out of their desks and walk around,” said Froehlich.
“The Swahilis that lived there were really helpful. So we’d sit down for a Swahili lesson and they’d say, ‘OK, what do you want to translate?’”
For more information, see an upcoming edition of the Times-Herald.
