Do you love to travel? If yes, then this is the story for you.
Ms. Chynna Wilcox, longterm sub for Spanish teacher Mrs. Janeen Landy, recently returned from a ten-day trip to Tanzania, Africa with Poppy and Loom, an organization that takes adults abroad to experience different cultures.
“I was chosen to go to Africa by a mentor of mine named GaoFoua Jordan. She is the owner of Poppy and Loom,” explained Ms. Wilcox.
Ms. Wilcox is originally from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania and is a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College. Since she majored in Arts in Spanish in college, with a concentration in Religious Studies, it’s easy to see her love for different cultures.
On her trip, Ms. Wilcox was able to have many once-in-a-lifetime experiences. While in Tanzania, Ms. Wilcox stayed with two missionaries, originally from the US, who have a non-profit business that helps African girls who were sex trafficked.
“They rescue girls from the streets and provide them with food, clothing, and a place to live,” shared Ms. Wilcox. “While the girls live there, they attend sewing and English classes.”
After the girls finish sewing blankets, rugs, stuffed animals, sleeping bags, or makeup bags, the items are sent to the US to sell. Proceeds then help support these young women as they rebuild their lives.
“Being someone who wants to start a non-profit abroad, I really enjoyed all the stories and advice they shared with me,” said Ms. Wilcox.
While Ms. Wilcox got to see many amazing small businesses, she was also able to soak up Africa’s beautiful landscapes. She spent four days traveling and during that time she got to go on a Safari, go waterfall diving, and was able to see a water fall that flows from Mt. Kilimanjaro.
When experiencing a new culture, it can be nerve racking because you aren’t sure if you will like the food they eat. Although this was not the case for Ms. Wilcox. She was able to spend the night with the girls rescued by the missionaries, eat with them, and attend church with them the following morning.
Ms. Wilcox was excited to learn about their cooking techniques and described the food the girls prepared for her as “the best food I ever had out of all the countries I’ve been to.”
Along with the food, you can’t forget about the coffee. Like most people, Ms. Wilcox is a coffee lover, so while in Tanzania she had to do a coffee tour—a way to learn the basics of coffee making on another continent.
“As you are cooking the coffee, the village people formed a circle around you and preformed singing and dancing,” shared Ms. Wilcox, who also got to experience coffee in Ethiopia during her layover there.
While Ms. Wilcox said the coffee tour was her favorite part of the trip, she was quite thankful for the entire experience and hopes to continue to travel and experience different cultures in the coming years.
Tanzania was not Ms. Wilcox’s first trip abroad: she has done volunteer work in Costa Rica and taught English in Peru.