The last days... UAACC (UNITED AFRICAN ALLIANCE COMMUNITY CENTER)

We got to the UAACC and a new adventure begins. It was so hard to say goodbye once again to people we have come close to, Killerai and Simon. As soon as we walked in I felt welcomed by Pete and by all the kids there. They loved playing with us, singing and talking with us. We got settled in our rooms. I bunked with Lexi, Sarah, and Claire. Our rooms were the best rooms so far out of the trip. We had our own restroom and shower. We did not have to share with 20 people. The beds were so comfortable I didn't have to use my sleeping mat. That night we met Pete and let me tell you he is a character. He is so funny and has a great personality. Pete is a formal black panther along with his wife Charlotte. They fled the country I think 40 years ago Im not sure. They are amazing people. Pete story really changed my point of view of the black panthers. I thought they were just a group of african americans angry at the white community. But that is not the case. They helped people through tough times many times. Pete and Charlotte are a perfect example of that. What they are doing in Tanzania is a blessing. They feed thousands a day and put clothe on thousands of people. They provide homes and further education for many children with talent. Pete goes shopping everyday to feed hungry people and Charlotte teaches art and goes on the road to give speeches. I admire every step they have taken to help others. They are by far the most interesting people I have met in my life. 

My stay at the UAACC was so much fun. I felt more at home for some reason. Maybe because I was connected to home more often. I called my mom and siblings which was very emotional for me I admit it I cried! I left a voicemail and I cried how funny is that. I couldn't even finish it Mrs.Hartman had to finish the voicemail for me how embarrassing it that?  My favorite, wait I loved every second of UAACC. The food was the best food I have tasted in Tanzania, no offense Mama Killerai , G was our cook. If he was in America he would have his own show on the food network, no joke. A group of traditional dancers were there to teach us a neat little dance. It was so much fun listening to ourselves trying to pronounce the chants. The dance involved so much hip shaking and a little of salsa movements which was easy for me. The other girls had a little trouble at first which was also fun to watch. But they all got a hang of it and did great. In return we had to teach them a dance to. So we chose the Cupid Shuffle and they loved it. It was easy to sing and what you sing is what you do. We had so much fun, and we were ready to show it off. Later that day after lunch it was show time. The dancers went first, they performed a few dances.I couldn't keep my eyes off of them I was afraid I was going to miss something. Soon our moment came and we got up there and did our thing. The girls wrapped fabric around the hips and the guys wore crowns. We were all pretty nervous we did not want to make a fool out of ourselves. But we had fun doing it and the dance turned out well. Then it was their turn to perform the song we taught them. And being the great dancers that they are they beast the dance. 

We were getting closer and closer to our last day which made me sadder and sadder. The last night in UAACC was a night I will never forget. We presented our OA projects and everyone did a fantastic job. When we were done with our projects the teachers and leaders kept telling us don't leave stay here. I was very confused. I was talking to Erin and all of a sudden I hear the babies singing. They came out in a line with a cake and were dancing and singing. We all felt very special that was the cutest surprise ever. The cake was not so bad either. After that we had a little dance with the students and some were painting with light. Travis was our dj for the night. He played a lot of my favorite songs. We were all getting down, acting silly, and having a blast. Sarah is the best dancer in the group, she just spaces out and does her thing it is sooo funny. Erin and Peter let loose that night they didn't worry about planning things for us they just had a great time as well. I asked Travis to put on some latin flavor for me at least one song and he did. He played Gasolina by Daddy Yankee. As soon as we all started dancing the most funniest thing happened. One of the students ran up next to me and said " I want to dance this song with a mexican" I just started laughing it was so funny! I had a blast that night and made the most of my last night in Tanzania.