Opening Night of the IASE Conference
This night was slightly confusing because the times were very mixed up here. We arrived at a hotel to organize which buses would travel to each different hotel. Once that was organized, everyone’s luggage was next on the list. We were all very tired when we eventually arrive to the university, however there was an awesome band to welcome the visitors. We enjoyed the music, networked a bit, and had some small appetizers in a beautiful courtyard of SEKOMU University. This acronym is for the Sebastian Kolowa Memorial University. The conference would be held until Wednesday, but all that was going through my head was just getting through our presentation the next day. I spotted our friend Priti from the safari and it was nice to see a familiar face. I chatted with her a bit about the long day’s journey. I told her that I was nervous, but she reassured me that there was nothing to worry about. We returned to our hotels shortly after, but our group stayed up a little later to continue preparing for our very upcoming presentation!
Day 2 of the IASE Conference (Presentation Day)
We woke up very early to continue preparation for our presentation. I was still a little nervous, but actually more excited to just get it over with. When we arrived at SEKOMU, we were reminded that the Vice President of Tanzania would officially open the conference that day. We all had to stand when she walked in and I liked that everyone referred to her as “Her Excellency.” This day of the conference included an amazing guest speaker. His name is Twesigye Jackson Kaguri and he is a powerful author and CEO. His story was empowering, and I was lucky enough to meet him in person. He showed that it does not take much to make a difference, and I began to have more confidence for our presentation after that.
The rest of the afternoon was crunch time, and we worked busily to solidify our research. When it was finally time, we all met in room 4. As the presentation went on, the audience grew. I realized towards the end that it was completely full and people were standing on the sides of the desks as well. Ultimately, our comparative research was a success and not only spoke to educators in Tanzania, but from multiple countries across the globe. We had many people ask for a copy of the presentation. Several teachers came to ask for my email and also invited me to visit their schools. I felt so honored and happy that our hard work payed off! This day was the icing on the cake for the whole trip and I’m glad our team pulled through.
The rest of the afternoon was crunch time, and we worked busily to solidify our research. When it was finally time, we all met in room 4. As the presentation went on, the audience grew. I realized towards the end that it was completely full and people were standing on the sides of the desks as well. Ultimately, our comparative research was a success and not only spoke to educators in Tanzania, but from multiple countries across the globe. We had many people ask for a copy of the presentation. Several teachers came to ask for my email and also invited me to visit their schools. I felt so honored and happy that our hard work payed off! This day was the icing on the cake for the whole trip and I’m glad our team pulled through.
