On the 14^th of January 2020, a group of 10 students (including myself), 2 staff members and an Antipodeans travel leader set off on what is undeniably the trip of a lifetime to Tanzania, immersing ourselves in Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders.

Having never travelled overseas before in my life, I soon learnt that Tanzania is such an amazing place, and definitely set the standard high for future travels. The 17-day trip began by climbing the amazing Mount Meru - a physical yet rewarding challenge that presented us with views that you simply don’t get to experience here in Australia. We then arrived at the Christian Brothers community in Shams where we met two Christian Brothers who would be our hosts for a large part of our stay, as we made connections with Edmund Rice Sinon Secondary School. The Brothers made it feel like our home away from home; not only was it an oasis for the body and soul, but also a vibrant experience of Brotherhood and Community. The hospitality and the kind welcoming nature of the brothers will never be forgotten!

Inspired by the vision of EREBB, this first connection between Edmund Rice Sinon and Aquinas College was designed to spark an interest in exploring how our two Edmund Rice Communities could connect 'beyond borders'. Throughout our week as guests on campus, our delegation was invited to participate in several rituals, processes and discussions to acknowledge and nurture these aspirations. I would have loved to have discussed everything we did, but this article will become far too long, so here are a few of the things we did.We were lucky enough to be invited to attend mass at a local parish, which is in the process of building a new Church. The current Church was filled to the absolute brim and the Edmund Rice Sinon students sang and danced. As a group, we all had a community cook up night at the school, where we attempted to cook both Australian and Tanzanian cuisine together. Whilst the food was delicious, it was probably one of the most memorable nights because we all truly came together and started to form a special bond, sharing stories and creating friendships. Whilst at the school, we were also part of a whole school assembly where we all sang the national anthem in front of over 1300 students.

This was followed by a presentation of twin boomerangs, symbolising the unity of our two schools. There was also a unifying ceremony conducted, in which earth from Aquinas’ campus was mixed with soil from the grounds of ERSSS which was later used in planting a Christmas tree - to signify the growing connection between our two schools. Other events included a visit to a Maasai community where we all sung and danced; an Edmund Rice camp day with kids from a nearby school; a tour of the campus; becoming an ERSSS student for a day; a soccer match and future planning for our connection. The last two days of our trip was spent on a Safari and was a remarkable way to finish what had already been such a magnificent trip. There was an abundance of animals and I am sure that we would have seen every animal possible, except for a leopard (which is pretty rare to see anyway

s).

The EREBB Immersion to Tanzania is a trip that I will never forget and hope to make again someday in the future, hopefully visiting the many friends that we all made and are still in contact with to this very day. I hope that once the Coronavirus situation settles down and international borders are re-opened, this trip can become a regular immersion for future students to enjoy and to continue building the connection between Aquinas College and Edmund Rice Sinon Secondary School in Tanzania.