Working on the Mikumi Solar Water project in Tanzania has been a great personal and professional experience. The time spent working on this project is better experience than any other work term. Months of planning was put into the project and it was incredibly exciting to put this plans in action. However, one must arrive with adaptability and expect the unexpected. When we first arrived we discovered many issues that were not known and had to be dealt with on top of the planned work.

The best part for me on this project has been the people you meet. First, getting to know your team members and quickly adapting to working, eating, sleeping, and just being around each other 24/7. Then the people in VETA Mikumi are incredibly friendly and helpful. I had the great opportunity to work closely with Mr. Ali was great learning experience. He spoke and understood a small amount of English but we were quickly able to converse quite easily and effectively.

It was amazing for me to witness how happy the people of Mikumi are. Sometimes in our project we will run into what seems to be a small issue that can be easily fixed but we do not always have the resources available. Everybody I have worked with amazes me with how clever and how they engineer resources to work like wood and rocks.

Thank you to the friends I met in Mikumi and on my team.

Nick Zscheile,
NSCC Student, Energy Sustainability Engineering Technology
NSCC Annapolis Valley Campus