[189] Tanzania Trip is Unforgettable for MTSU Senior ROTC Cadet

Editor’s note: This is an in-her-own words piece written by MTSU senior Erika Ortega. It is her first-person account of a trip she made this summer to Tanzania.


Release date: Nov. 4, 2010

News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Military Science contact: Lt. Col. T.K. Kast, 615-898-2470 or tkast@mtsu.edu

Tanzania Trip is Unforgettable for MTSU Senior ROTC Cadet


(MURFREESBORO) — This past summer, I returned home from Tanzania, Africa, where I volunteered for three weeks with 25 other cadets from schools all over the nation, all paid by university Reserve Officer Training Corps groups.
I saw a side of the world that maybe a quarter of Americans, if that many, will ever experience. My volunteer work consisted of teaching little children, ages 5 to 7, subjects such as math and English and, most importantly, nursery rhymes.
Along with teaching, we were given opportunities to visit places like the Ngorongoro Crater, The Serengeti ecosystem and geographical region in northwest Tanzania, and the villages of the ancient Masai tribe.
Let me tell you, seeing the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater live puts National Geographic to shame! Having been to these places that are said to be “great” and “fantastic,” I have learned that such adjectives are an understatement. The sights were breathtaking.
Most people would be terrified to travel to Africa, but I saw this as an opportunity for adventure and a new perspective. Best part of the trip: It was free!
I couldn’t explain in one article how magnificent this country is and the amount of generosity I was shown by their people, but I can say that I think about that place every day, wondering what will be next for the Tanzanians.
Being in that country gave me the feeling that I had walked through a time machine and landed where there were no washers and dryers, no clean water and other luxuries we see as necessities, and I think of how far the United States has come. I am and always will be extremely grateful for the chance to have seen in person what I have always seen on television.
Erika Ortega, 21, of Clarksville, Tenn., is president and captain of the MTSU women’s rugby team and an MS IV, or senior military science, cadet. She plans to graduate in May 2011 with a global-studies degree and receive her commission. Because her father, William, served in the military, she has been to numerous countries, including Japan and Germany.

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Note: A high-resolution jpeg photo of Erika Ortega is available. It is of her teaching in a classroom in Tanzania. Please contact Randy Weiler in the Office of News and Public Affairs by calling 615-898-5616 or 898-2919 to obtain.

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