The Beauty of Tanzania—Beyond Tourism
Volunteer: Pattye Snyder
Age: 65
From: Peoria, IL
Occupation: Nature Photographer
CCS Program Site: Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Why did you want to volunteer abroad?
Well as a nature photographer, I travel all over the world, and I had been to Africa twice before. I just fell in love with the Tanzania area. So I wanted to celebrate my birthday giving back to the country that I loved. I turned 65 in Tanzania.
Have you traveled in the past? How?
Other than traveling for work, I’ve traveled just as a tourist. Since I’ve retired I’ve been to 5 different continents and 33 different countries—I don’t let people catch up with me. I have osteoarthritis, pretty badly. I have had five surgeries so far, you know, just little ones to replace things like…my hip (she laughs). I write a blog every 2-3 weeks for the Health Central Network in Arlington, Va. I like to prove to people that just because you have a diagnosis, doesn’t mean you have to sit around and feel sorry for yourself. I’ve had it for about 9 years now—I’m coming up on my 6th-7th surgeries. So, I come back to America to get spare parts and then go on. Some people call me the bionic woman.
Describe your overall experience.
It’s the most incredibly hard thing I’ve ever done in my life and the most wonderful thing I’ve ever done in my life. I was able to make a difference in the kids’ lives, and they in turn made a major difference in my life.
Describe the best moment of your trip.
I had a guy that I worked with all summer who was a recovering drug addict, and he was going to be released to go back to his village, which meant he was going to be hanging around his buddies again. I knew his self-concept wasn’t strong enough at the time to go back and deal with the same situations, and I went to bat for him so he could stay for a little while just so we could work with him longer. He was about 14 or 15. Seeing his self-concept and self confidence improve was the best. It was great to see him go to computer class every day—he was proud of himself.
Was there a language barrier?
They spoke very little English, mainly Swahili. Somewhere between my broken Swahili and their English we were able to communicate—the language of eyes and smiles overcomes any language barrier, plus I always had a translator with me. If you really care, you can get the message across whether you speak the language or not.
What Cultural & Learning Activities did you take part in?
I learned how to make Batik prints, and I became very good, despite all my artificial joints, at dancing in the African style. I made a rap video with the guys. It was my idea. One of the volunteers was leaving and she wanted to give them cookies, but the kids aren’t used to it. So they got a little hyper, and not in a good way (they were about to fight), so we wanted to use their energy productively. So, I sang a song, and then we made everyone go out into the yard. We were all singing and dancing together for about an hour. We were singing in Swahili and I was in a long dress—we were having fun, but it also served its purpose and burned that sugar through them. It was fun, we had a ball doing it—it took us over an hour. I started out as Mama Pattye, but then they nicknamed me Mama P, so I took it as a compliment.
Where did you travel during your free time?
I went back to places that I’d already been, but when you’re a nature photographer, there’s no such thing as too many safaris, but it was a lot different when I went in this position rather than being a tourist. You look at things differently; you look at the people differently. I think I was a lot more compassionate.
