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Matt Burns
Tanzania Community Volunteer Programme
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What was your motivation to take a gap break?
I'd just finished four years of University and wanted a break before I started my career. I decided to combine a month's volunteering in Tanzania with a round the world trip to the countries I'd always wanted to visit.
How did you feel before you joined the programme?
I was slightly nervous about going to Tanzania, as the culture is so different to what we are used to in the UK. However I was also excited about trying to learn a new language and a different way of life. |
How did Real Gap assist you? How did they compare with your expectations?
When travelling to a country that you've never been to its always useful to have someone you can ask for advice and who will tell you the useful information you need before you go. Real Gap helped in this way by giving me information about the country, culture, and simple things like what to pack!
What did you think of the programme?
There is a lot of support offered in Tanzania in finding the right programme for you and making sure that you are settling into it well. I was teaching in a local primary school in the morning and teaching an adult community class in the afternoons. I really enjoyed the ability to teach English to two very different classes.
What was the accommodation like?
The accommodation is in dormitory rooms shared with other volunteers also teaching in Dar es Salaam. All the volunteers were staying in the same house, and we had a cook and cleaner to look after us. Being Africa you have to be prepared for the water and electricity to cut off every now and then, but that's all part of the experience!
Living with all the volunteers allows means you can build good friendships in the time that you are there. |
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What was the most memorable moment of your trip?
One of the most amazing experiences of our trip was going on safari on the weekend, and staying the night in a Masaai mud hut and seeing how the poorest people in Tanzania live.
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Did your programme and destination meet your expectations? Any anecdotes?
The programme certainly met my expectations, it allowed me to teach different classes and subjects, and make friends in the local community. Tanzania is an amazing country, the people are so friendly, and I would definitely return there in the future. One of the highlights was playing music with some of the local musicians who taught us some traditional African music, and we in return played a session in the local bar to teach them some Western music!
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There is so much to see in Tanzania, on the weekend we were able to travel to places like Zanzibar and Bagamoyo, as well as spending time on the beach relaxing.
What do you feel you accomplished during your programme?
I was very lucky in that I was involved in setting up an English class for adults in the local community. I was able to teach them at the start and then see how they developed and improved in the course of the next few weeks. It was also great to have the chance to learn Swahili, the local children look so surprised when you greet them in their own language as they don't expect any of us to know it!
How have you benefited from your experience? How have you changed?
I've benefited by learning to live in a completely different culture to what we have back in the UK. It can take patience to adjust to a new way of life, especially without insulting the people to whom this is the normal way of living. I'd like to hope some of the more laid-back attitude sticks with me when I return home to the UK. I also now speak random Swahili words to people who have no idea what I'm talking about!
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What advice could you offer to someone considering this programme?
I'd encourage everyone to go to Tanzania and get fully involved in teaching and the culture.
The strongest recommendation is just to remember that this is Africa, its completely different to what we think as normal, and therefore just be happy to adjust and try a new way of living for a while!
 Further information on the Tanzania Community Volunteer Programme
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