- March 11, 2026
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Windermere Preparatory School students stood back and watched as they saw Maasai men jump as high as they could using sticks they picked from the trees around the camp.
The women, who donned circular beaded necklaces, bobbed their shoulders up and down to show they were attracted to the men based on how high they were jumping.
Sophomore Ashley Laurent watched in awe, experiencing the Maasai culture for the first time. The memories of seeing them dance and another time singing and praying for the blessing of the rain that had come will stick with Laurent forever as she described the trip as a life-changing experience.
“They’re entirely culture-based,” she said. “It was just really beautiful to watch.”
Dozens of Windermere Prep students traveled Tuesday, Feb. 17, through Saturday, Feb. 28, to the Nazreti village in northern Tanzania, Africa, for the annual Nord Anglia Education Global Expedition trip consisting of education, community service and exploration.
But for the first time, a group of students and advisers were able to live and work with the Maasai, a local tribe known for its red shuka cloth, beaded jewelry and traditional culture that cherishes community above self.
In years past, the students saw Maasai tribe members from afar. But this year, they lived and worked side-by-side with them, learning their culture and lifestyle.
Living with the Maasai was an eye-opening experience for the students.
Junior Lacey Farrell said she noticed immediately the Maasai didn’t let much go to waste as they used every resource they had at their disposal. For example, they used cow manure, termite soil, dirt, water, sticks and rocks to create the bathroom the tribe would go on to use for the next 20 years.
With limited resources such as water, the students were quick to learn every drop is precious. Unlike in the United States, where they could shower as long as they wanted, showers in Tanzania were cut short as they had 15 liters per person for each shower, and the water was manually heated up and brought to the camp in buckets.
Senior Natalia Fernandez realized the Maasai are more focused on community than individual relationships. For example, she saw how “love is kind of transactional” because a fact that stuck out to her while she was interviewing one of the workers was that if a man is trying to marry a woman and the woman ends up getting pregnant and the baby is a boy, the man will not marry the woman. If the baby is a girl, he will marry her.
The students also learned the more cows a man owns, the more wives he can have and, as a result, more children.
Senior Stephen Horn is used to a strict schedule and routine. He knows what’s happening next and is determined to keep going, but in Tanzania, that was not the case. He learned the Maasai don’t work in the rain, so despite there being work to do, if it was raining, they had to be flexible and completely stop work for most of the day.
He also was impressed to see how resourceful they were, learning every plant they used and their purposes as they went on a medicine walk.
Seniors Eduardo Arcila and Antonio Farah, who are football players and 2025 state champions, quickly realized the brute strength and determination of the Maasai. Unlike Arcila and Farah, who spend dedicated time in the gym working out to build strength, they saw the tribe members developing strength, especially in their legs and neck, in their every-day lives by carrying heavy objects on top of their heads and jumping high in their jumping dance. Farah said their tall and skinny stature is deceiving because of their strength.
“They could put 50 pounds on their head, and they would be walking like it was nothing,” Arcila said.
Students also learned new skills through manual labor.
Farah recalled working hand-in-hand with the Maasai to build a door on the first day of the trip. They learned how to use a machete and to cut multiple branches at once rather than cutting one by one. Arcila said he learned from a tribe member that cutting wood was not about strength but rather technique and precision. A few days later, when the students tried to make a door on their own, they weren’t as successful.
“The door ended up all twisted because of the rain,” Farah said laughing. “It was a really fun experience just having to build one thing with the Maasai and then trying to build it by ourselves and see how bad we actually are.”
Despite the language barrier, the students said they were able to communicate with tribe members using body language.
“Even through simple hand gestures and them showing us what to do, it was very easy to communicate and understand what they were trying to get at,” senior Maycee Walsh said. “They’re very good teachers, even with there being such a big language barrier. … They’re very welcoming, inviting. They’re very open to sharing their experiences, sharing their knowledge with you. I never personally felt judged by them. And even if you’re doing something the wrong way, they don’t shun you for it. They want to teach you a better way or an easier way. They’re definitely probably some of the kindest people I’ve ever met.”
She recalled when she finished mixing cow manure, termite soil and water for the bathroom, a group of Maasai girls pulled her over to blue bins of water and washed her arms and hands, using sticks to dig underneath her fingernails to ensure they were spotless. She said it was a “really cool experience” to see how caring and appreciative the girls were of the students being present.
Going home, the students said they were more appreciative and grateful for everything.
While living with the Maasai, students interviewed members of the tribe, asking questions such as what is wealth?
The answers surprised students and staff and changed their perspectives on life.
“One thing in common with all of them is none of it had to do with what we would consider wealth, which is money, richness and materialistic things,” Farrell said. “It’s all about community, the connections and how you can help others. I feel like getting to see that and be a part of that is something so amazing, and we can incorporate that into all the people we come in contact with and share.”
Farrell recalled the joy on the children’s faces as they put on the students’ work hats and goggles and took photos, smiling widely at the camera. Then they began to sing with glee.
She said it’s the connection with the children and the other members of the tribe that will last forever.
Bill Miller, a Windermere Prep art teacher and trip advisor, said Maasai members shared that wealth is about relationships and the lessons they could learn from each other and pass on for generations.
Miller hopes the Tanzania trip and the lessons learned will help shape students’ perspectives as they graduate from the school and go on in life. He said many students will become CEOs, government officials, professional athletes — people with a platform to make a difference — and he hopes that by understanding different cultures in a clearer way, they will know firsthand how to create philanthropic programs that will have sustainable benefits to a community.
Arcila said the lesson he learned on the trip was the students were not there to help the Maasai or others in Tanzania but rather the opposite, they were helping the students.
“That was something really true, because they helped me a lot to see the meaning of our life and what is important about life,” he said. “Sometimes we forget we need to be thankful with what we have in our day to day. I’m really thankful for going on the trip and getting to know them.”
