18 Luther students return from a January spent in Tanzania

For 18 students at Luther College, three plus weeks spent among the Maasai tribe in northern Tanzania was life-changing.

The J-term class was spent examining the tensions which have developed among the Maasai people of northern Tanzania because of the ways the growth of national parks and wildlife management areas have impacted their way of life.

Wildlife conservation efforts and ecotourism have impacted the Maasai, who used to be a nomadic tribe but have shifted to having homes and woking for wages.

Luther sophomore Alexis Olson told members of the Decorah Rotary Club Tuesday she participated in the program because she was looking for a program "that would immerse me in something I'd never seen before."  Olson, who says she had never previously been outside of North America, said the three plus week experience opened her eyes to the fact that lots of different societies exist around the world.

Another program participant, senior Grant Benthin, wrote in a Luther blog about the program, saying, "Tanzania blew me away! There were animals, amazing places, and even more amazing people to talk with. I grew a lot, had a great time, and succeeded in not getting sunburned."

Junior Jimmy Conway wrote on the blog, "Here is a quick list of what we did: we told jokes, had great discussions, got sick, saw rocks and hawks and zebras and giraffes, built lasting relationships, and in one way or another we fell in love with this country."