I have made it safely home. Although I did not really think I was tired, after my chips and salsa fix (thanks Mom and Dad) I went to bed at 4 PM yesterday and did not wake up for almost 15 hours! I'm pretty sure I've not slept that long since I was a baby. I think may actually be more hours of sleep than I got during my whole Kili trip.
I had an amazing trip! I am thankful I had the opportunity to travel with good friends AND to meet so many new friends along the way. People were so warm and welcoming everywhere I traveled in Tanzania. I experienced things in Tanzania that I will never forget. Some experiences are easy to describe and others cannot be easily be described by words or pictures.
Thanks reading my blog and following along with me during my adventures in Tanzania! I hope to post a link to pictures soon.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Zanzibar
Greetings from Zanzibar!
Our pace has changed significantly since our adventures on Kilimanjaro... We have spent the last 2 days splitting our time between the pool and the beach. The water is beautiful shades of blue and turquoise and almost too warm for swimming. When the tide is out (way, way out) the women are busy harvesting sea weed and the men appear to be busy with their boats. During high tide the beach practically disappears.
This morning we went a spice tour. We learned more about spices than we thought possible. Did you know that vanilla is actually a parasite? How about that the leaves, bark and wood from a cinnamon tree smell like cinnamon but that the roots smell like Vick's Vapor Rub? We all became spice queens - adorned with palm crowns, necklaces, bracelets, rings and hand bags. We also had tiny star fruits stuck to our foreheads and our faces decorated with red paint from "lip stick fruit."
Tomorrow we are going to go snorkeling and then the next day we leave the beach and head to Stone Town. All of a sudden our travels seem to be winding down... Although I will miss my daily adventures in Tanzania, it will be good to see family and friends and get back to the routine of work. Drinking water right from the faucet, sleeping in my own bed and eating chips and salsa are things I'm looking forward to. See you soon!
Our pace has changed significantly since our adventures on Kilimanjaro... We have spent the last 2 days splitting our time between the pool and the beach. The water is beautiful shades of blue and turquoise and almost too warm for swimming. When the tide is out (way, way out) the women are busy harvesting sea weed and the men appear to be busy with their boats. During high tide the beach practically disappears.
This morning we went a spice tour. We learned more about spices than we thought possible. Did you know that vanilla is actually a parasite? How about that the leaves, bark and wood from a cinnamon tree smell like cinnamon but that the roots smell like Vick's Vapor Rub? We all became spice queens - adorned with palm crowns, necklaces, bracelets, rings and hand bags. We also had tiny star fruits stuck to our foreheads and our faces decorated with red paint from "lip stick fruit."
Tomorrow we are going to go snorkeling and then the next day we leave the beach and head to Stone Town. All of a sudden our travels seem to be winding down... Although I will miss my daily adventures in Tanzania, it will be good to see family and friends and get back to the routine of work. Drinking water right from the faucet, sleeping in my own bed and eating chips and salsa are things I'm looking forward to. See you soon!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Kilimanjaro
After starting our summit bid at 12:07 AM we made it to the summit of Kilimanjaro at 8:50 AM on February 17th! It was a long, long, long ways up. Sometimes it looked like the trail of headlamps both above us and below us was never ending. Our hike from Gilman's point to the summit was amazing! After battling rain, sleet, ice and snow for several days, we were greeting with clear skies for sunrise on the roof of Africa. As we approached the summit, the snow was bright and the glaciers were spectacular.
It took a whole crew to get us up the mountain. We were so happy to have such attentive people watching after us. Our guides would pull down our hoods and tuck in our mittens while we were hiking. Each morning we were awoken with hot water/coffee in our tents - not a service were used to having at home. They also made sure we always had plenty of toilet paper in our 2 potty tents!
Day after day we would ask our guides "Will it be sunny today?" We didn't learn too quickly because the answer was always "For sure [long pause] the weather is unpredictable on the mountain." Other common guide sayings are:
"Eat. Eat more!" (What do you do when 9 grown adults refuse eat eggs for yet another breakfast?)
"Twende, twende, twende (even when there is no place to twende to)."
"Walk faster (actually very rarely said) there is another herd of buffalo (bad weather) coming."
In some ways, the hike down and out felt longer than the hike up. Just to remind us who makes the rules (The Mountain first and the guide second) after leaving our last campsite under clear blue skies, Kilimanjaro let us have rain, hail and trails turned to rivers for our hike out.
Our adventure on Kilimanjaro is something we will never forget. We feel so lucky to have made it to the summit together! Now we are off to Zanzibar to end our vacation on the beach.
Friday, February 11, 2011
It's Kili Time!
Have you ever been to 19,341 ft? Neither have we, but we're ready to try. Tomorrow begins our adventure up Kilimanjaro - the Roof of Africa.
We just finished our pre-climb debriefing and gear check. Our bags are packed and we're trying to kill time before bed without getting too nervous. Tomorrow will actually be more of a transition day. We have about 5-6 hours of driving and then 3 hours of hiking. It sounds like our guide (Joshua) will be pushing fluids during the drive and we've already warned him that we will need plenty of potty breaks. Joshua has already summited 143 times - soon that will be 144. It seems like our climbing group will be fun.
You can track our progress on Kili by going to the following blog:Team Kilimanjaro Blog. We are group AMJO (HS). This blog is updated once a day when possible - don't worry if they miss a day. Send extra thoughts and prayers our way on February 17th - our summit day.
We just finished our pre-climb debriefing and gear check. Our bags are packed and we're trying to kill time before bed without getting too nervous. Tomorrow will actually be more of a transition day. We have about 5-6 hours of driving and then 3 hours of hiking. It sounds like our guide (Joshua) will be pushing fluids during the drive and we've already warned him that we will need plenty of potty breaks. Joshua has already summited 143 times - soon that will be 144. It seems like our climbing group will be fun.
You can track our progress on Kili by going to the following blog:Team Kilimanjaro Blog. We are group AMJO (HS). This blog is updated once a day when possible - don't worry if they miss a day. Send extra thoughts and prayers our way on February 17th - our summit day.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Mambo!
We are back in Arusha tonight after an AMAZING 6-day safari! We visited Tarangire, Serengeti, Norongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara. Although we managed to see a sleeping, standing, walking and peeing black rhino in the crater, our favorite park was Serengeti. It is difficult to describe the vastness of the Serengeti. To sit in the midst of the zebra and wildebeest migration was awesome. We easily spotted all of the Big 5 plus so much more. Some of our other favorite times were watching 14 lions sleep restlessly under a small bush to escape from the hot sun, watching a mother leopard and her cubs play with their reedbuck kill in a tree and finding ourselves in the middle of a herd of 30 elephants -- one of which decided to explore the antennae of our jeep with his trunk and tusks. We might be biased, but we think our guide Isdory, from Team Kilimanjaro is the best guide ever! He always found us the "proper position" for viewing animals (even if it required butting in front of other jeeps), made lots of lion noises to get animals to move, told us to be patient when needed (like waiting for the sleeping rhino to wake when the sun got too hot) and tolerated our camp songs and interpretations of Swahili guide discussions. We will miss him tomorrow when we're wandering around Arusha looking lost.
We still haven't managed to see Kilimanjaro yet - it has been cloudy here in Arusha. I'm sure it will look intimidating when we finally do catch a glimpse of it. On Saturday morning we'll be headed up the mountain. Before we leave Arusha, I'll post the link so that you can track our progress. Until then, I hope you are all "cool like a banana in the freezer".
We still haven't managed to see Kilimanjaro yet - it has been cloudy here in Arusha. I'm sure it will look intimidating when we finally do catch a glimpse of it. On Saturday morning we'll be headed up the mountain. Before we leave Arusha, I'll post the link so that you can track our progress. Until then, I hope you are all "cool like a banana in the freezer".
Friday, February 4, 2011
Around Mount Meru
Mambo!
Kim, Megan and I have spent the last 3 days walking around the foothills of Mount Meru. After a day of resting at Songota Falls Lodge we set out on our first cultural tour to the village of Ng'resi. We did a lot of walking, visited a water fall and spent some time with a woman and her child in a traditional Masaii boma. The next day we went to Peace Matunda. First we toured the primary school and new children's home (Amani House) -- it was good to see children learning and teachers teaching. Everybody (staff, volunteers, children) were very welcoming. After a quick tour we spent the majority of our 2 days at Peace Matunda on walking tours with our very own guide and teacher Bellasix. We prepared coffee from dried beans, visited waterfalls, canoed around Lake Duluti and just enjoyed walking up, down and around through the villages. Bellasix helped us with our Swahili greetings and taught us a lot about how the Meru people live. We ended each day in a think coat of dust - but it was worth it. There were volunteers at Peace Matunda from Germany, Canada and the US. If anybody is looking for a wonderful place to spend a week or more volunteering, I highly suggest you check out their website.
We're back at the Outpost in Arusha tonight and tomorrow we leave on Safari! We'll be gone for 6 days/5 nights, so I'll check back in when we return to Arusha.
Hope everybody is doing well!
Kim, Megan and I have spent the last 3 days walking around the foothills of Mount Meru. After a day of resting at Songota Falls Lodge we set out on our first cultural tour to the village of Ng'resi. We did a lot of walking, visited a water fall and spent some time with a woman and her child in a traditional Masaii boma. The next day we went to Peace Matunda. First we toured the primary school and new children's home (Amani House) -- it was good to see children learning and teachers teaching. Everybody (staff, volunteers, children) were very welcoming. After a quick tour we spent the majority of our 2 days at Peace Matunda on walking tours with our very own guide and teacher Bellasix. We prepared coffee from dried beans, visited waterfalls, canoed around Lake Duluti and just enjoyed walking up, down and around through the villages. Bellasix helped us with our Swahili greetings and taught us a lot about how the Meru people live. We ended each day in a think coat of dust - but it was worth it. There were volunteers at Peace Matunda from Germany, Canada and the US. If anybody is looking for a wonderful place to spend a week or more volunteering, I highly suggest you check out their website.
We're back at the Outpost in Arusha tonight and tomorrow we leave on Safari! We'll be gone for 6 days/5 nights, so I'll check back in when we return to Arusha.
Hope everybody is doing well!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Phase II
Good morning from Arusha! Kim and Megan made it to the Outpost about 10 PM and my bus finally rolled in at about 1 AM. It is good to be together! I'm excited to begin the next phase of my trip!
The bus ride was an adventure. Eunice from Bega Kwa Bega was waiting at the bus stop in Iringa with me when we were greeted by Pastor Kimbavala. He has been a pastor in the Iringa area for 6 years at churches with companion congregations in the St. Paul synod. It turns out he was on my bus to return to Arusha for seminary classes. In fact, it turns out he was actually assigned to the seat next to me. It was a very welcomed coincidence that we would be traveling together. The trip was terryfiying at times. I think I clenched my jaw for the first 6 hours during the day and the last 4 hours during the nights (I seemed to chill out a little bit during the 4 hours in the middle. Yep -- it was a 14 hour bus trip with 3 less than 10 minute potty breaks. I was definitely on a fluid restrictions. There were 2 wazungu on the bus for most of the trip, but by the end I was the only mzungu. Boy did I feel grimey! Windows open for 14 hours (no air) made my hair and eyeballs feel nasty. Every time the bus slowed down it reeked like urine, vomit, etc. In all fairness, the bus seat was more comfortable than the Delta or KLM seats, but it was a cozy ride since I had my back pack on my lap for the whole trip.
When we were waiting for the bus in the morning (which was an hour late), Pastor Kimbavala reminded me of a saying that we had already talked about numerous times during my trip: Americans have watches and Tanzanians have the time. All things considered, but Tanzanian bus drivers don't seem to have the time...
I'm ready to explore the North. We're headed out for town for a few days, so I probably won't have internet again until we return to the Outpost on Friday.
Hope all is well! Thank you for anybody who sent prayers and happy thoughts my way during my bus ride yesterday!
The bus ride was an adventure. Eunice from Bega Kwa Bega was waiting at the bus stop in Iringa with me when we were greeted by Pastor Kimbavala. He has been a pastor in the Iringa area for 6 years at churches with companion congregations in the St. Paul synod. It turns out he was on my bus to return to Arusha for seminary classes. In fact, it turns out he was actually assigned to the seat next to me. It was a very welcomed coincidence that we would be traveling together. The trip was terryfiying at times. I think I clenched my jaw for the first 6 hours during the day and the last 4 hours during the nights (I seemed to chill out a little bit during the 4 hours in the middle. Yep -- it was a 14 hour bus trip with 3 less than 10 minute potty breaks. I was definitely on a fluid restrictions. There were 2 wazungu on the bus for most of the trip, but by the end I was the only mzungu. Boy did I feel grimey! Windows open for 14 hours (no air) made my hair and eyeballs feel nasty. Every time the bus slowed down it reeked like urine, vomit, etc. In all fairness, the bus seat was more comfortable than the Delta or KLM seats, but it was a cozy ride since I had my back pack on my lap for the whole trip.
When we were waiting for the bus in the morning (which was an hour late), Pastor Kimbavala reminded me of a saying that we had already talked about numerous times during my trip: Americans have watches and Tanzanians have the time. All things considered, but Tanzanian bus drivers don't seem to have the time...
I'm ready to explore the North. We're headed out for town for a few days, so I probably won't have internet again until we return to the Outpost on Friday.
Hope all is well! Thank you for anybody who sent prayers and happy thoughts my way during my bus ride yesterday!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Feeling like a tourist...
Today I got our my safari hat and wore capris when we went to visit Isimila -- boy did I feel like a wazungu. Isimila was cool. It was a miniature Grand Canyon and bit like Bryce, except that there were 300,000 - 400,000 year-old tools scattered every where (balls for sling shots, hand axes, spears and knives). The rest of the day has been pretty lazy.
Although most of you probably won't care (this is for my Grandma) I have seen some birds that I can identify and even used my binoculars to do some birding one afternoon. So far my favorite has been both a male and female African Paradise Flycatcher. I have also seen a common bulbul, lots and lots of pied crows and some other little green bird with a yellow belly and bright blue head.
Tomorrow I head to Arusha. I'm hoping for a safe day of travels. If I'm lucky, I might get one or 2 quick bathroom breaks during the 12-14 hour trip. I don't know how many kilometers it is, but it will be a long trip. For those of you who might reference a map, I'll be traveling through Morogoro and Chilanze before heading to Moshi and finally Arusha. There is a shorter route that goes from Iringa to Dodoma, but apparently the road is very, very bad and this route is not recommended.
Wish me luck! I hope to check in with you all from Arusha!
Although most of you probably won't care (this is for my Grandma) I have seen some birds that I can identify and even used my binoculars to do some birding one afternoon. So far my favorite has been both a male and female African Paradise Flycatcher. I have also seen a common bulbul, lots and lots of pied crows and some other little green bird with a yellow belly and bright blue head.
Tomorrow I head to Arusha. I'm hoping for a safe day of travels. If I'm lucky, I might get one or 2 quick bathroom breaks during the 12-14 hour trip. I don't know how many kilometers it is, but it will be a long trip. For those of you who might reference a map, I'll be traveling through Morogoro and Chilanze before heading to Moshi and finally Arusha. There is a shorter route that goes from Iringa to Dodoma, but apparently the road is very, very bad and this route is not recommended.
Wish me luck! I hope to check in with you all from Arusha!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Kangas and more...
Yesterday while wandering Iringa I bought a kanga. Although I don't exactly know what I will do with it, I thought it was only appropriate that I purchase one to bring home from my first trip to Tanzania. There is a Swahili proverb that says "a woman cannot be happy until she has got at least 1,000 kangas." I think I will be happy bringing home just one. Kangas come in a huge array of colors and patterns. A lot of the kangas in Tanzania are also printed with a proverb. I bought a bluish purple kanga with dark printing. The proverb printed on it is "mazoea yana taabu tabia zikilingana." The shop keeper couldn't translate this proverb for me, but assure me that it was "good". She also steered me away from the "very bad" kangas. So far my phrase books and dictionaries have not been of any further assistance. You can learn more about kangas here.
We have enjoyed some quiet days in Iringa. There are two other people here from the original Ilula group - the rest of returned to Dar to fly home. We take a short hike to Gangilonga Rock - I think this counts as a training hike since we started at the an elevation similar to Denver. I didn't wear my boots though. In fact I took this hike in sandals and a skirt (For those of you who like to argue the definition of a hike versus a walk, we were gone for about 2 hours and I did carry water). The view of Iringa was terrific from the top of the Rock. Yesterday we visited a batik shop run by some Italian nuns (they also have a cooking school) and had a tour of Tumaini University. I was also able to visit with the pediatric PT at Neema. It turns out that she received most of her training from Sue Murr when Sue was teaching up in Moshi. Tomorrow we are planning a short trip out to Isimilia.
In Iringa we have spent quite a bit of time with the MN folks from Bega Kwa Bega that regularly spend their winters in Tanzania. They have been so welcoming of our group. Last night we even had dinner at one of their homes -- it was my first rice free meal in Tanzania! It has also been interesting to learn more about the depth of the relationship be the St. Paul synod of the ELCA and the Iringa district of the ELCT.
On Monday I will travel from Iringa to Arusha. I hope to make one more entry on this blog before this trip, but just in case it doesn't work out, please pray that I have a safe journey. I'm looking forward to meeting Kim and Megan and continuing my adventures in the North!
We have enjoyed some quiet days in Iringa. There are two other people here from the original Ilula group - the rest of returned to Dar to fly home. We take a short hike to Gangilonga Rock - I think this counts as a training hike since we started at the an elevation similar to Denver. I didn't wear my boots though. In fact I took this hike in sandals and a skirt (For those of you who like to argue the definition of a hike versus a walk, we were gone for about 2 hours and I did carry water). The view of Iringa was terrific from the top of the Rock. Yesterday we visited a batik shop run by some Italian nuns (they also have a cooking school) and had a tour of Tumaini University. I was also able to visit with the pediatric PT at Neema. It turns out that she received most of her training from Sue Murr when Sue was teaching up in Moshi. Tomorrow we are planning a short trip out to Isimilia.
In Iringa we have spent quite a bit of time with the MN folks from Bega Kwa Bega that regularly spend their winters in Tanzania. They have been so welcoming of our group. Last night we even had dinner at one of their homes -- it was my first rice free meal in Tanzania! It has also been interesting to learn more about the depth of the relationship be the St. Paul synod of the ELCA and the Iringa district of the ELCT.
On Monday I will travel from Iringa to Arusha. I hope to make one more entry on this blog before this trip, but just in case it doesn't work out, please pray that I have a safe journey. I'm looking forward to meeting Kim and Megan and continuing my adventures in the North!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words (Part 2)
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| Girls carrying water to school in Tungamalenga. |
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| Humphrey (son of Barnabus and Alice in Tungamalenga) |
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| A student in one of the form I classes at the primary school in Tungamalenga. I could just about keep up with the swahili and hesbati (math) lessons in this classroom. |
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| In Tungamalenga, I met my prayer partner Farajah and her husband Abraham. They have 10 month-old twins Grace and Gloria. |
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| This little girl at the Masaii preaching point that we visited was contstantly teasing me by posing for pictures, but it was extremely difficult to actually catch her in any one spot long enough to actually get her picture. |
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| Masaii boys headed out to play. |
I hope you all enjoys some pictures. I will have lots more to share when I get home. It took nearly 3 hours for me to get these pictures up on my blog, so pictures may be few and far between.
I will be spending the next several days in Iringa and then on Monday I will take the bus north to meet Kim and Megan in Arusha. It's hard to believe that the first phase of my trip is nearly coming to an end.
A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words (Part 1)
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| 11 people packed in the back of a Land Rover to travel to a mobile HIV clinic site. |
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| Examining a baby at Ilula Hospital. |
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| Balancing Bible act on the way home from church in Ilula. |
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| A toddler with malaria on the day of discharge from Ilula. |
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| View from guest house at Ilula Hospital. |
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| "Height and Weight" Tanzanian Style: All children 0-5 years are weighed monthly. Every baby comes to clinic with their own weighing pants. The bigger kids do their best to hold onto the while they are weighed. I am happy to report that at this mobile clinic nearly all of the children had gained weight and not one baby hit the ground. |
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| Can you imagine stirring enough ugali to serve 800 hungry students? This man in the kitchen at Imagi Secondary School uses a 2x4 to get the job done. |
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| Baby after getting weighed. Despite the heat, many babies are very well bundled and even wear hats. |
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
To Tungamalenga and Back
For the those of you who have been there, you know that the trip from Iringa to Tungamalenga is long, dusty, bumpy and a bit unpredicatable. I have a "reserved" seat in the front of our bus where I sit with a clear view of the road with all its bumps and oncoming buses, bikes, people, cattle and etc. Although this is my preferred place to sit to prevent car sickness, it isn't always a good thing to see what's ahead. On the way home we were forced off the road and into the ditch by an oncoming bus. It was a little nerve wracking to be sitting on the downhill side of the bus. It took nearly all of us to push the bus out of the soft dirt ditch and back up onto the road. On the way to Tungamalenga I was feeling a little quesey, but I thought it was just from the ride.
We were greeted by a group from the church who were singing, dancing and waving branches. After my first of many Fantas of the weekend, we checked into our hotel and took a quick walk around the village. Funny thing was that I was feeling sicker, not better. I excused myself from dinner and went to bed early.
It wasn't a fun night. I made frequent trips to the bathroom throughout the night and as my GI system got more and more confused. I think we had sqashed all the big bugs before before we went to bed, but there was a lizard that kept me company. At least that's the only friend that I could see with my head lamp. I had been looking forward to church in Tungamalenga, but spent all day Sunday which was also my birthday) in bed with a fever. I did make it out to the porch in the evening and even pulled out my binoculars to look at some birds (Grandma you should be proud). By the next morning I was feeling better and ready to experience Tungamalenga.
I had been warned that news travels fast in Tungamalenga. I know there were many people praying that I would recover quickly and the most frequent question of the day was "how is your stomach?" I also received meals and eggs from concerned people from the village.
On Monday I spent time at the dispensary where I spent a while working with a man who had had a stroke some time ago (Enoch), visited the demonstration plots for agriculture project, toured the primary school (with Alice), met with a HIV community support group and had the opportunity to meet my prayer companion and her family. It was a wonderful day! People were so welcoming.
On Tuesday I spent spent a little more time at the dispensary and a lot of time up at the primary school. I spent quite a bit of time teaching ring-around-the-rosie and head and shoulders, knees and toes to the kindergarteners. Then I spent some time in first grade swahili - it was a perfect spot for me. Before lunch I spent some time under the big baobab tree talking with community members.
On the way home we stopped at a Masaii village not too far outside of Tungamalenga. Most of the men were out with the cattle, but the women and children greeted us with song and dance. They provided warm soda and jewelry and we bought even more jewelery. Global Health Ministries also provided each person with a small flashlight.
I continue to have a great time in Tanzania. Tonight I will move from Ilula to Iringa (a day earlier than I had predicted). Since I'll be in town more, I should be able to get some pictures in my blog soon. The next couple of days I will spend some time with the PT at Neema and maybe visit the district hospital as well.
Please continue to send your thoughts and prayers this way. Also, please pray for rain in the Iringa/Tungamalenga area!
We were greeted by a group from the church who were singing, dancing and waving branches. After my first of many Fantas of the weekend, we checked into our hotel and took a quick walk around the village. Funny thing was that I was feeling sicker, not better. I excused myself from dinner and went to bed early.
It wasn't a fun night. I made frequent trips to the bathroom throughout the night and as my GI system got more and more confused. I think we had sqashed all the big bugs before before we went to bed, but there was a lizard that kept me company. At least that's the only friend that I could see with my head lamp. I had been looking forward to church in Tungamalenga, but spent all day Sunday which was also my birthday) in bed with a fever. I did make it out to the porch in the evening and even pulled out my binoculars to look at some birds (Grandma you should be proud). By the next morning I was feeling better and ready to experience Tungamalenga.
I had been warned that news travels fast in Tungamalenga. I know there were many people praying that I would recover quickly and the most frequent question of the day was "how is your stomach?" I also received meals and eggs from concerned people from the village.
On Monday I spent time at the dispensary where I spent a while working with a man who had had a stroke some time ago (Enoch), visited the demonstration plots for agriculture project, toured the primary school (with Alice), met with a HIV community support group and had the opportunity to meet my prayer companion and her family. It was a wonderful day! People were so welcoming.
On Tuesday I spent spent a little more time at the dispensary and a lot of time up at the primary school. I spent quite a bit of time teaching ring-around-the-rosie and head and shoulders, knees and toes to the kindergarteners. Then I spent some time in first grade swahili - it was a perfect spot for me. Before lunch I spent some time under the big baobab tree talking with community members.
On the way home we stopped at a Masaii village not too far outside of Tungamalenga. Most of the men were out with the cattle, but the women and children greeted us with song and dance. They provided warm soda and jewelry and we bought even more jewelery. Global Health Ministries also provided each person with a small flashlight.
I continue to have a great time in Tanzania. Tonight I will move from Ilula to Iringa (a day earlier than I had predicted). Since I'll be in town more, I should be able to get some pictures in my blog soon. The next couple of days I will spend some time with the PT at Neema and maybe visit the district hospital as well.
Please continue to send your thoughts and prayers this way. Also, please pray for rain in the Iringa/Tungamalenga area!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
On the Way to Tungamalenga
Good morning! Today we are on our way from Ilula to Tungamalenga. We stopped in Iringa for business (that means most of us are trying our best to be patient with slow internet). From Tungamalenga most of the group will head out on safari in Ruaha, but Randy and I will stay in Tungamalenga.
I just spend 50 minutes trying to include some pictures on my blog, before I gave up. I guess for now you will have to continue to use your imaginations. It is beautiful here. Although they could use some rain to keep the corn and tomatoes growing, it is much greener than I had anticipated. People have been very busy working in the fields. It would seem daunting to me to head out to the huge fields with a single hoe. No space is wasted -- the crops are planted right up to the houses. I knew there were mountains in the area, but had no idea they would be so big. It makes me a bit concerned about setting my eyes on Kilimanjaro for the first time.. Yesterday was probably the warmest day since we arrived -- it definitely felt like we were near the equator when we went out for an afternoon walk.
In addition to our time at the hospital, we have taken trips to visit the Ilula Orphan Program and Imagi Secondary School. I think I wrote about IOP previously, but I'm too afraid to leave this page to go back and check. Imagi has lots of MN ties. It was crazy to spend an hour driving to the middle of nowhere to find a school with 800+ students. Although many of the buildings are finished, others are without roofs. I did not go in the dorms, but some people in our group did. There are 4 bunks per small room and each bed sleeps 2 for a total of 16 kids per room. It made our accommodations at Ilula seem quite spacious. It was mealtime when we were walking around and I witnessed a man stirring a gigantic pot of ugali with a 2x4. Before we left the school, the students did a performance of singing and dancing.
On Thursday I went along on a mother and child mobile clinic. We traveled beyond Imagi another 10 k. They say the road keeps going, but I'm not exactly sure. The more away from the main road we got the more of a spectacle we created. Babies were afraid of us and the older children were curious but very shy. The mothers were most interested in our cameras and kept coming back with more people to get their pictures taken. I spent most of my time at the clinic helping to take weights. This was nothing like height and weight at Gillette. The mothers present their child's growth record and then hang their children by shorts with suspender like straps to a hanging scale. The kids who are a little bit older try their best to hold onto the hook on the scale. While some of the babies are quite content hanging from the scale, others are terrified. In other parts of the clinic women received pre-natal check ups and birth control and babies were vaccinated.
I have spent quite a bit more time in the wards at Ilula Hospital as well. Although I have not done as much PT as I had hoped, I have learned a great deal and have a list of ideas for myself or other PTs who may visit in the future. It is quite an experience just to be in the wards. The rooms are crowded and there is really no such thing as privacy. Families to stick by each other and help each other out the best that they can. Families are responsible for providing patients with food and water and are often seen sharing what they have with others. It must be such a challenging place to heal, especially when so many around you so ill.
I have spent the most time with a little boy who sustained burns to his back and buttocks when he fell in a camp fire. He spends most of his days and nights under a cage covered with a sheet to keep the flies off of his burns. He must be in an incredible amount of pain, but he smiles and laughs as we work on stretching out his legs. His mom is such a strong woman. She has done her best to follow recommendations for positioning and stretching. Yesterday I was at the bedside when the nurse came in to clean the boy's burns. It was terrifying experience for me, I cannot imagine how it was for the little boy and for his mother. That was the only time I have seen the boy's mom cry.
After spending a few days in Tungamalenga, we will return to Ilula for one last day. After that most of the group will be heading back to Dar. Kelsey, Ken and I will head to Iringa for a few more days. I am looking forward to spending some time with the PT at Neema.
Continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I hope everything is well back home in MN!
I just spend 50 minutes trying to include some pictures on my blog, before I gave up. I guess for now you will have to continue to use your imaginations. It is beautiful here. Although they could use some rain to keep the corn and tomatoes growing, it is much greener than I had anticipated. People have been very busy working in the fields. It would seem daunting to me to head out to the huge fields with a single hoe. No space is wasted -- the crops are planted right up to the houses. I knew there were mountains in the area, but had no idea they would be so big. It makes me a bit concerned about setting my eyes on Kilimanjaro for the first time.. Yesterday was probably the warmest day since we arrived -- it definitely felt like we were near the equator when we went out for an afternoon walk.
In addition to our time at the hospital, we have taken trips to visit the Ilula Orphan Program and Imagi Secondary School. I think I wrote about IOP previously, but I'm too afraid to leave this page to go back and check. Imagi has lots of MN ties. It was crazy to spend an hour driving to the middle of nowhere to find a school with 800+ students. Although many of the buildings are finished, others are without roofs. I did not go in the dorms, but some people in our group did. There are 4 bunks per small room and each bed sleeps 2 for a total of 16 kids per room. It made our accommodations at Ilula seem quite spacious. It was mealtime when we were walking around and I witnessed a man stirring a gigantic pot of ugali with a 2x4. Before we left the school, the students did a performance of singing and dancing.
On Thursday I went along on a mother and child mobile clinic. We traveled beyond Imagi another 10 k. They say the road keeps going, but I'm not exactly sure. The more away from the main road we got the more of a spectacle we created. Babies were afraid of us and the older children were curious but very shy. The mothers were most interested in our cameras and kept coming back with more people to get their pictures taken. I spent most of my time at the clinic helping to take weights. This was nothing like height and weight at Gillette. The mothers present their child's growth record and then hang their children by shorts with suspender like straps to a hanging scale. The kids who are a little bit older try their best to hold onto the hook on the scale. While some of the babies are quite content hanging from the scale, others are terrified. In other parts of the clinic women received pre-natal check ups and birth control and babies were vaccinated.
I have spent quite a bit more time in the wards at Ilula Hospital as well. Although I have not done as much PT as I had hoped, I have learned a great deal and have a list of ideas for myself or other PTs who may visit in the future. It is quite an experience just to be in the wards. The rooms are crowded and there is really no such thing as privacy. Families to stick by each other and help each other out the best that they can. Families are responsible for providing patients with food and water and are often seen sharing what they have with others. It must be such a challenging place to heal, especially when so many around you so ill.
I have spent the most time with a little boy who sustained burns to his back and buttocks when he fell in a camp fire. He spends most of his days and nights under a cage covered with a sheet to keep the flies off of his burns. He must be in an incredible amount of pain, but he smiles and laughs as we work on stretching out his legs. His mom is such a strong woman. She has done her best to follow recommendations for positioning and stretching. Yesterday I was at the bedside when the nurse came in to clean the boy's burns. It was terrifying experience for me, I cannot imagine how it was for the little boy and for his mother. That was the only time I have seen the boy's mom cry.
After spending a few days in Tungamalenga, we will return to Ilula for one last day. After that most of the group will be heading back to Dar. Kelsey, Ken and I will head to Iringa for a few more days. I am looking forward to spending some time with the PT at Neema.
Continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I hope everything is well back home in MN!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Pictures Ilula
Nope -- not going to work on this computer. Please check out the blog Ilula Friends. Maybe they had better luck with pictures.
Ilula
Kam wene! (Not sure exactly how it's spelled, but it's HeHe for habari gani).
We made it to Ilula on Friday night just in time for dinner. It was a long bus ride but I'm happy to report that I did not get car sick along the way! I also got to see my first giraffe, buffalo, elephants, impala, zebra and baboons.
We are staying on the grounds of Ilula hospital. The view is amazing from our porch. We have a cook who is making all of our meals -- all sorts of fried goodies and bananas for breakfast and a variety of rice, beans, peas and etc for lunch and dinner.
On Saturday I traveled with a group to a monthly HIV outreach clinic in a nearby village. 104 people came through the clinic that day to receive medications and counseling. Most were adults, but there were a handful of children too. I worked in registration, where my recall of swahili numbers was actually helpful as I recorded weights and checked record numbers.
On Sunday morning I spent a very short amount of time in hospital rounds before I went to observe an c-section of a woman who delivered term twins weighing 6-7 pounds each. It was definitely different that my OR experiences in the US... It was an wonderful experience to hold a healthy newborn all wrapped up in a kanga and deliver him to his dad and other waiting family members.
After the c-section, I quickly changed back into my church clothes and we attended church in Ilula. I survived introducing myself in swahili. The music at church was amazing -- I really felt like I was in Tanzania!
On Sunday evening we made a quick trip into Iringa. I was not able to find a computer at an internet cafe, but I did buy a SIM card for my phone and made a quick call home before my airtime ran out. Hopefully I can manage to buy some more minutes today.
On Monday morning and this morning I spent much of my time completing rounds in the hospital with our team. Sickness and disease are everywhere and in some cases there is so little to offer. So many of the patients have multiple diagnoses yet very vague past medical histories. I have spent quite a bit of time with a little boy who feel into a campfire about 2 weeks ago and sustained burns to much of his backside. People have said that until I spent time with him, they had not ever seen him move. I am happy to say that not only did I teach his mother how to do stretches to maintain his range of motion and get him standing, I was also able to make him smile. It will be fun to continue working with him the next several days. One thing that is very similar here to the patients and families that I work with back home is the insight and of parents (especially mothers) regarding their child's condition and the presence of hope even through extremely difficult times.
We made it to Ilula on Friday night just in time for dinner. It was a long bus ride but I'm happy to report that I did not get car sick along the way! I also got to see my first giraffe, buffalo, elephants, impala, zebra and baboons.
We are staying on the grounds of Ilula hospital. The view is amazing from our porch. We have a cook who is making all of our meals -- all sorts of fried goodies and bananas for breakfast and a variety of rice, beans, peas and etc for lunch and dinner.
On Saturday I traveled with a group to a monthly HIV outreach clinic in a nearby village. 104 people came through the clinic that day to receive medications and counseling. Most were adults, but there were a handful of children too. I worked in registration, where my recall of swahili numbers was actually helpful as I recorded weights and checked record numbers.
On Sunday morning I spent a very short amount of time in hospital rounds before I went to observe an c-section of a woman who delivered term twins weighing 6-7 pounds each. It was definitely different that my OR experiences in the US... It was an wonderful experience to hold a healthy newborn all wrapped up in a kanga and deliver him to his dad and other waiting family members.
After the c-section, I quickly changed back into my church clothes and we attended church in Ilula. I survived introducing myself in swahili. The music at church was amazing -- I really felt like I was in Tanzania!
On Sunday evening we made a quick trip into Iringa. I was not able to find a computer at an internet cafe, but I did buy a SIM card for my phone and made a quick call home before my airtime ran out. Hopefully I can manage to buy some more minutes today.
On Monday morning and this morning I spent much of my time completing rounds in the hospital with our team. Sickness and disease are everywhere and in some cases there is so little to offer. So many of the patients have multiple diagnoses yet very vague past medical histories. I have spent quite a bit of time with a little boy who feel into a campfire about 2 weeks ago and sustained burns to much of his backside. People have said that until I spent time with him, they had not ever seen him move. I am happy to say that not only did I teach his mother how to do stretches to maintain his range of motion and get him standing, I was also able to make him smile. It will be fun to continue working with him the next several days. One thing that is very similar here to the patients and families that I work with back home is the insight and of parents (especially mothers) regarding their child's condition and the presence of hope even through extremely difficult times.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Ready or Not
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Anticipation
After more than a year of planning, I leave for Tanzania tomorrow! Trip planning has consumed a huge chunk of my time lately. I've been up early in the morning and have stayed up late at night researching, coordinating and learning. It feels like as soon as I cross something off of one of my many lists, I think of 2 or 3 more new things to add. Although my to do lists are still actually quite long, I feel like I am in a good place to begin my journey.
In January I will be traveling with a group from Shoulder to Shoulder to the Iringa region of Tanzania. We will spend most of our time at the Ilula Health Center but will also visit other dispensaries and mobile clinics in more rural areas. Although I really do not have any idea what my days at Ilula will actually be like, I have no doubt that there will be plenty of patients with rehabilitation needs to keep me busy. I hope to teach staff, patients and families what I can. This will also be a learning experience for me and I am sure my perspectives on health care, resources and disability will be challenged over and over again. If you would like to learn more about Ilula, watch this video. (If the first part of the video to too bleak for you, fast forward to about 3:30.) During January I am also very excited to spend a weekend in the village of Tungamalenga, home to my church's companion congregation in Tanzania.
After spending a few days in Iringa, I will head North to Arusha to meet my friends Kim and Megan. We have several adventures planned, but first we will spend some time exploring the Arusha area and adjusting to Tanzania. Next we will don our safari hats and set out on a 6 day safari. We will visit several parks, including Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Lake Manyara. After our safari, we will spend another day in Arusha before we begin our trek up Kilimanjaro. We will be taking a 7 day trek on a variation of the Rongai route. We are calling February 17, 2011 "K-Day" because it is the day we hope to reach the summit at 19,340 feet. After Kilimanjaro, will fly to Zanzibar to spend the last days of our trip recuperating on the beach.
While I am quite certain that not everything on my trip will go as planned and there will be plenty of obstacles to negotiate, I am certain I will have an amazing experience. I feel fortunate to have had so many family and friends support me in pursuing this trip and ask you all to keep me in your thoughts and prayers during my travels.
Usiku mwema!
In January I will be traveling with a group from Shoulder to Shoulder to the Iringa region of Tanzania. We will spend most of our time at the Ilula Health Center but will also visit other dispensaries and mobile clinics in more rural areas. Although I really do not have any idea what my days at Ilula will actually be like, I have no doubt that there will be plenty of patients with rehabilitation needs to keep me busy. I hope to teach staff, patients and families what I can. This will also be a learning experience for me and I am sure my perspectives on health care, resources and disability will be challenged over and over again. If you would like to learn more about Ilula, watch this video. (If the first part of the video to too bleak for you, fast forward to about 3:30.) During January I am also very excited to spend a weekend in the village of Tungamalenga, home to my church's companion congregation in Tanzania.
After spending a few days in Iringa, I will head North to Arusha to meet my friends Kim and Megan. We have several adventures planned, but first we will spend some time exploring the Arusha area and adjusting to Tanzania. Next we will don our safari hats and set out on a 6 day safari. We will visit several parks, including Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Lake Manyara. After our safari, we will spend another day in Arusha before we begin our trek up Kilimanjaro. We will be taking a 7 day trek on a variation of the Rongai route. We are calling February 17, 2011 "K-Day" because it is the day we hope to reach the summit at 19,340 feet. After Kilimanjaro, will fly to Zanzibar to spend the last days of our trip recuperating on the beach.
While I am quite certain that not everything on my trip will go as planned and there will be plenty of obstacles to negotiate, I am certain I will have an amazing experience. I feel fortunate to have had so many family and friends support me in pursuing this trip and ask you all to keep me in your thoughts and prayers during my travels.
Usiku mwema!
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