While most students plan for their lake trip or beach trip this summer, junior Rylie Marquardt is headed to Tanzania, Africa instead. From June 4th through the 22nd Marquardt will be spending her first weeks of summer doing what she loves most,
“I always try to be involved in community service, but nothing I have ever done before will ever be like this so I am so excited to try something new for the first time,” Marquardt said.
After Marquardt’s sister, Carson, she felt inspired to go as well even though it was outside of her comfort zone,
“[Carson] going inspired me to apply to go on a trip like hers– seeing how much fun she had, the people she met, and how it was the coolest opportunity ever and that encouraged me to go.”
While doing community service doesn’t sound that amusing what Marquardt will be doing is something completely out of the ordinary and nowhere near close to what community service looks like in the BV area.
“When I get there, we are working within several villages, we are also working on animal conservation for elephants and rhinos and all different animals,” Marquardt said, “We also are taking a portion of the trip to go on a safari throughout Serengeti and get to go snorkeling in the Indian Ocean.”
Other than doing community service Marquardt is thrilled to meet many new people with the same passion.
“I am most excited to meet the other people I will be going with because the organization that plans the trip doesn’t want you to know anyone before arriving at the airport,” she said
Although going to the other side of the world seems fun, it also comes with a few downsides,
“I am also nervous since we don’t get to have our phones with us. We get to write check-ins to our family once a week but other than that they want us to be unplugged,” Marquardt said, “but it will be so nice to be away from my phone and also kinda scary that I won’t be able to talk to any of my friends or family for almost three weeks.”
Other than a few downs this is an experience that Marquardt is thrilled to be allowed to go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip and can’t wait for more to come.
“I really hope I will be able to do something like this again,” Marquardt said, “I already know that this experience is once in a lifetime so I hope I’ll have the chance to go back or do something similar.”
