Author: denniscronin33

We just finished our first of two weeks at a worldschooling hub in Moshi, Tanzania (more specifically, Kwa Sadala), and it has been amazing.  We were welcomed with a cacao ceremony and a dance party with a surprise visit from our Maasai neighbors (a semi-nomadic tribe in Kenya and Tanzania).  And, you guessed it, we taught them the Macarena.  We’re really a one-trick pony.  

You can see Mt. Kilimanjaro from our place and there are frequently herds of farm animals walking by. The kids can’t get enough of the cows, goats, and surprisingly beautiful donkeys (and their babies!).  We are staying in a beautiful cob house made of natural materials with solar power, bucket showers, and compost toilets.  While it can get pretty hot in the afternoons (this is the hottest month in Tanzania), the mornings and evenings cool down with strong winds and it can be rather magical.  

Our first week here was focused on learning about culture.  We took several excursions:  a cooking class at a home where the kids made banana stew and homemade coconut milk, among other things; a waterfall hike where Dennis and Mira jumped in the cold waterfall direct from Mt. Kilimanjaro; a visit to a coffee plantation to see how coffee is made (and now the kids keep asking for a “kid coffee” every morning); and a visit to a home in a different village where they ate lunch and made their own soccer ball out of banana leaves before putting the ball to good use.  When we weren’t on excursions, the kids were busy with activities like yoga, mindfulness, and journaling.  They also had a series of lessons with their new friend, Gaby, a Maasai warrior.  Gaby taught them about the Maasai’s history and his life, took them on nature walks to gather plants and make medicine, and also practiced some Maasai beading.    

Over the weekend we went to some Maasai lodges where the kids got to swim in a fabulous pool, learn about spear hunting lions (and practice throwing the spears themselves), and visit a neighboring village and hold a baby goat.  Mira also traded anklets with the grandmother. On top of it all, we were lucky to share these experiences with new friends across the generations.  We are excited for week two – art!

We loved Rwanda! It is hilly and green with a temperate climate, and everything is clean and well run. It’s also incredibly compelling to see how thoughtfully the country has approached moving forward after the genocide. Notably, Rwanda is the first country in the world to have a majority female government which, ahem, may have something to do with it.

When we asked the kids where they wanted to go on our trip, Rwanda was one of their top choices because of a company called Zipline, Inc. which they learned about it from a video by Marc Rober, a STEM YouTuber. Zipline uses super quiet and efficient drones to deliver medical supplies to rural and other hard to reach areas. They can access the entire country in less than an hour and are very busy with launching and landings (see the video below the photos). It is truly a life-saving operation, especially for emergencies. While we were there, we watched them send blood to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where many people were fleeing the violence. The process is truly phenomenal and inspiring, and has grown from Rwanda to operations worldwide.

We also did a homestay in a local village and the kids took a class on building mud homes. It was hard work, especially when Mira got in there to mix the water and dirt with her feet which was much harder than it looked. One highlight for the kids was the animals — the family had a cow, goat, several pigs, and a bunch of chickens that were all maintained in the interior of the home. Dev also loved helping to build the fire to cook dinner at night. The pit latrine/toilet, with no door, next to all the chickens was decidedly less fun. We ended the homestay with a dance party where the women taught us a cow dance and we taught them the Macarena. The experience is run by an NGO, Azizi Life, and the women that hosted us were all part of various cooperatives that work with Azizi.  The cooperatives make products that are then sold at the Azizi Life stores and any profit above fair wages is reverted back into community support and development.

Besides the homestay and the trip to Zipline, we otherwise spent our two weeks in the capital, Kigali. We had been considering some other side trips but violence (re)erupted on the border with DRC shortly after we arrived and we decided it was safer to stay in Kigali. The grandparents were worried enough as it was.  

We couldn’t go to Rwanda without learning more, and teaching the kids, about the genocide. Our first stop was the Kigali Genocide Memorial where they promptly told us that kids are not allowed. Oops!  But it’s never too early to traumatize your children so we proceeded with a thoughtful guide who skipped a few things that were particularly not age appropriate. She taught us about the history of Rwanda, the role of colonization and colonizers in the genocide, and the resulting horrific violence. We also learned how the country has thoughtfully and intentionally approached repair and reconciliation in the aftermath (again, notably, led by a government that is majority women). One of my favorite examples, albeit a small one, is that once a month everyone stops what they are doing and works on neighborhood projects together like picking up trash (which explains why it’s so clean everywhere) to build community and accountability. We went to the memorial on Johanna’s birthday which probably wasn’t the best decision. Afterwards, we decided to cancel our fancy dinner plans because none of us were feeling in the mood. 

We also made time for some fun. Dennis fulfilled a bucket list goal and took a lesson to learn how to ride a motorcycle!  There are “Moto” taxis everywhere and everyone drives super patiently and responsibly so it seemed like the perfect place. We even let the kids take a short ride around the block.  They had a blast!

The next stop is Tanzania where we are going to a two-week hub with minimal electricity and then a short safari. 

After Cape Coast, we took a long and bumpy road to Busua, a small fishing village in the western region of Ghana.  We seriously upgraded our living conditions to a private room with air conditioning, running water, and beach access (after walking through a small river). The kids and Dennis took daily surfing lessons and everyone learned to stand up and ride the waves (lots of photos/videos below!). We had planned a few side trips but decided to take it easy, surf, and catch up on math lessons. It was lovely and relaxing, and a much needed rejuvenation. 

Our last stop in Ghana was Kumasi, heart of the Asante (also known as Ashanti) people. We learned more about the Asante empire, visited the palace and the jubilee house museums, and saw lots of original artifacts (except the golden stool, much to Dennis’s dismay). The palace was amazing for the original items inside, and the outside was amazing for the many peacocks wandering around and an incredible rubber tree.  We also appreciated seeing some of the recently returned gold items from other countries. Mira also achieved her goal of finally buying and drinking water from a small bag instead of a bottle.

We couldn’t learn about the Asantes without learning about kente cloth. We followed up the museums with a trip to Adanwomase, birthplace of kente (though Bonwire says it was there but…). We learned about the incredible intricacies of the weaving and the meaning behind patterns, visited the cacao farm, and also went to see the shrine and local Chief’s palace. Of course, Johanna particularly enjoyed learning how defense attorneys won’t actually defend a client if the chief has already found them guilty. Because, of course, everyone knows the chief is right. We were happy to find a black and white kente cloth with a pattern meaning you should work hard towards your dreams and goals. 

Next we fly out east for Rwanda! When we arrived in Ghana, the health inspector insisted on a gift before returning our papers so this time we plan to be more prepared.

The trip to Cape Coast was intense and moving, and it had been one of our priorities for the kids. We started by visiting the Assin Manso Slave River which is where people who had been forced into slavery — after being marched in chains barefoot for long distances — were bathed before being sold.  It was eerily peaceful given its history.

After that we went to see Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle. At both we saw the dungeons where humans were held for months, punishment practices and cells, and learned about the systematic rape of women. We also saw the infamous doors of no return, and the country’s more recent attempt to flip those dark passages into doors of return and welcoming. We have been studying the great African civilizations juxtaposed against the transatlantic slave trade and chattel slavery in anticipation of this part of the trip and it was heartbreaking to see it in person. 

In Cape Coast we stayed at a hostel run by the Baobab Foundation with a variety of local projects supporting the community. The kids got to experience shared living spaces, bathrooms two flights downstairs from your room, and no running water. There was also no AC and, gasp, unreliable WiFi.  Still, we loved it, especially the store where you could buy things made by the students. 

We spent one morning traveling to a canopy walk in the treetops of Kakum national rainforest where we caught Mira in the exact spot Johanna stood 25 years ago. Take a look at the photos where you can see the same tree in the background. After our treetop walk we convinced the kids to go to a “movie house” where you watch a movie on a tv in an air conditioned room, only for us, just to get out of the heat. I’m not sure I even remember what we watched but it was a blast. 

Next up is a drive down the coast to Busua Beach. 

It. Is. Hot. It feels like the high 90s most days and is humid. We were supposed to have two rooms at a guest house but the a/c only worked in one room so we ended up staying together with two of us sleeping on the floor. The parents are too old for this. 

Johanna visited Ghana 25 years ago with her friend Chloë and was excited to be back. We did the classic tour of the city to see the important monuments and museums, and learn about Kwame Nkrumah (the beloved first president, and an influential pan-Africanist), but we also went to the mall to see a movie (Sonic the Hedgehog, a classic) and to get some new clothes for the kids. 

We tried to do a street food tour at the famous Makola Market but the tour guide didn’t show up so we braved the market on our own. It was intense, especially because it was the middle of the day at peak heat. Still, it was a truly amazing experience. One highlight from the market was when someone recognized us from earlier in the week and yelled out for “Dennis and the family!” We are famous!

We also got out of the city one day and went to see the Shai Hills Nature Reserve (baboons everywhere!) and took a boat tour on the Volta river to see the Akosombo Dam.  The hydroelectric dam created Volta lake which covers 3.6% of the surface of Ghana, which is big! On the way we stopped by the Cedi Bead factory to see how glass is recycled to make handmade beads and were amazed about how much work it takes for each bead.

The kids and Dennis also took a short drum lesson – and considered buying a drum to go with the one that Johanna already owns from 25 years ago. 

After a week here, we discovered that Dev likes jollof rice, Johanna was happy to have red-red again, everybody still loves plantains, and Mira is happy the food here is spicy. Mira and Dev have also both been inspired by the strength and skill of (mostly) women carrying things on their heads and have been practicing the same. Though most everyone speaks English, Dennis has been studying Twi and practices whenever he can. 

Next we are heading west to Cape Coast.

Seeing the pyramids in Giza has been a dream for Dennis since he was a kid and there was no way we were doing this trip without making it happen.  Luckily, they did not disappoint!  

We only saw the pyramids in Giza as the Department of State advises against travel in Egypt right now and having kids makes you do things like look up the travel advisories from the Department of State.  As a result, we had a short stop in Egypt.  That said, it was still worth it.  We got a guide (thanks to Konrad for the suggestion!) who was great at shepherding us through everything, cutting lines, and keeping things at a level that was still digestible for the kids.

Experiencing the pyramids from the outside was amazing enough but Dennis and the kids also went inside the largest one (see the 360 photo below).  It’s famously claustrophobic, especially with the crowds, so Johanna waited outside.  It was super hot inside but everyone said it was worth it and they took lots of photos and videos so Johanna could see what she missed.  We also went to a quieter spot on the other side where we could walk up to the pyramids without the crowds and people asking us to buy things.  That was particularly nice and Mira took advantage of the time to take one of the best pictures of the trip – her eating Dev.  The sphinx was next on our list to see and luckily it was right nearby to guard the pyramids.

Our guide took us to stops where we learned about how papyrus was made (and Dev taught the employees about making paper airplanes), about essential oils, and the kids got to practice blowing glass!  We also bought some jewelry and the highlight was going to the factory where we saw them make a custom piece with Mira’s name in hieroglyphics and plate the silver in gold!  They also re-sized Dev’s new ring.  It was super interesting to watch and Mira even got to help.  Overall, there was a lot of playing with fire.  

When we weren’t buying things, we also went to see several museums.  The original, older museum still has most of the items, including what was found inside of King Tut’s tomb.  We all learned for the first time that King Tut was not really an important leader and is only famous because his tomb was found before it was looted.  There are so, so many amazing things in this museum that it’s overwhelming but the conditions are really poor.  It kind of felt like Egypt’s attic.  Luckily, they are in the process of moving to a brand new museum which we went to see even though it’s not fully open yet.  We also went to a separate museum where a large collection of mummies of kings and queens are on display.  The kids were really amazed when they first saw the mummies but by the end it was, “oh, another mummy.  More skeletons and organs?  Cool.”

We walked away incredibly moved by what we saw and we were impressed with the ingenuity and beauty of ancient Egyptian civilization.  It’s really breathtaking.  Also, um, we saw a 35,000-year-old skeleton and tools from a million years ago!

The next stop is Ghana!

Below is Dev’s interactive 360 photo from inside the pyramid. Press play and the click and drag to look around.