Day 13: Pipes, pressure, and presentations

Happy presentation day! The day began early, with many groups continuing work on their presentations before breakfast. Maps were drawn, numbers crunched, MATLAB code written, and slides assembled. With presentations due at 3 p.m., the only break taken was a characteristically long lunch at our favorite spots, Ruksana’s and Neema’s. Reenergized by lunch, all groups made frantic final touches on their presentations!

Day 12: The work begins

After successful village visits, we were eager to start working on our projects. We ate breakfast at 8 a.m. as usual and got straight to work. Each group split up to begin mapping the landscape and considering potential locations for distribution points (DPs). The morning was busy with discussions about Google Earth Pro and fluid mechanics.

Day 9-11: Our intrepid students return!

This post combines updates from the three teams that traveled to their respective villages over the past three days and two nights.

Day 8: And we are off…

The teams are packed up and on their way to the three villages: Igomtwa, Isupilo, and Wimble. We will be in the villages through the 12th, so don’t expect the next blog update until after we return to Iringa—and get a chance to jump in the shower.

Day 7: Science, soccer, and Swahili — a day of water testing and village planning

Today marks one week since we left Minneapolis, and we’re nearly fully adjusted to Tanzanian time. After waking up to a classic breakfast prepared by Harrison, we enjoyed fresh fruit purchased by some of the students at the local market the previous day. The morning started off simple, but it quickly shifted to more hands-on learning.

Day 6: Exploring Iringa

Hi from Tanzania! To start the morning, a group of us went on a trail run to experience Tanzanian nature. We stopped at the top of a hill to watch the sunrise and take in the views. After breakfast at the Lutheran Centre, we took a short walk to the Iringa Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT), the local partner of the St. Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Day 5: Academic adventure awaits!

Our second morning in Iringa started bright and early as a few students went for a run at sunrise. The rest of the students were either woken up when the army ran by singing a song or just in time for the 7:30 a.m. breakfast. Breakfast included fresh fruit bought at the market the day before. Shortly after breakfast, we set off on our morning excursion.