MY TRAVEL ADVENTURES

pyramids and sphinx

2009-06-05T17:12:00.004-04:00

why I do what I do

2009-06-05T15:26:00.005-04:00

So I have been hearing a lot of comments about why I insist on going to other countries when there is so much that needs to be done in our own country. My response to that is that until you have been to these countries and experienced their daily life first hand, not from a tourist point of view but from a local point of view, then you do not truly realize how great their need is. I agree there is a lot of work to be done in our own country, but the need in third world countries is almost unbelievable. It takes someone who feels the calling to abandon the luxuries of life that we experience here and fully embrace another culture, the good and the bad, for everything it is worth. God created us all differently, with different passions. If we were all the same then there would be no progress in our world. In order to improve civilization and humanity we must not forget those who need help the most. You can make the strongest link of a chain stronger, but if you do not help the weakest link, the chain will still be weak. My passion is global health and international humanity. If we help out or "try" to help out in areas that we are not passionate about, then we will make a fraction of a difference that we would in places where our hearts truly lie.

THE PYRAMIDS

2009-06-04T13:17:00.002-04:00

So thanks to the help of my new found friends...Mary and Joey...I went off to brave the desert sand and see the pyramids. I hopped in a taxi....literally...and drove for about 2o minutes southwest of Cairo to Giza. It is weird because Cairo is such a huge major city and as we were leaving all the sudden there were the pyramids. I guess I imagined them being farther away or something. It was like here you are in civilization with concrete and buildings and now all the sudden you are in the sand for miles. The pyramids were amazing upon first view...I could not take my eyes away. As you drive closer, they appear out of no where. At first glance the second pyramid, the pyramid of Khafre appears larger. Upon longer inspection however, it is the first pyramid, the pyramid of Khufu (the great pyramid), which sits on lower ground and is indeed larger. I was able to crutch up the stairs to the entrance of the Great Pyramid and overlook the city of Cairo. Even through all the smog that the 17 million people living in Cairo create, it is a breathtaking site. After descending the stairs, I crutched over to the the second pyramid, which has a different appearance of its other two neighbors, in that the original casting of the pyramid still sits on the top. After marveling at the architecture and trying to be convinced by tourist traps to ride camels and donkeys we were finally able to make our way to the third and smaller pyramid of menkaure. This pyramid is much smaller, but no less impressive, although most tourist skip looking at the pyramid all together. While standing next to the pyramids I was able to stop and think and marvel in its wonders. I looked at the blocks of stone that surround me. Each stone is close to my height, 5'8", and each stone weighs more than 2 tons, and there are over 2.3 million stones in the Great Pyramid. Even thinking about all the equipment that we have now, it would be impressive to build with the exact dimensions that are necessary, but can you imagine building these massive structures without modern technology. Each of the stones had to be cut out of a rock quarry or casted, and then somehow dragged, lifted, or rolled into place. The backbreaking labor and efforts that it cost people to build such a structure to be be a resting house for the King. Around the Kings pyramids there are smaller pyramids that house the wives and women of the Kings. In front of the second pyramid, and down a slope sits the Sphinx. It is an equally impressive structure, although often times text books and pictures make it seem deceivingly larger than in really is. To enter the Sphinx you must go through the Temple of the Sphinx and then finally you are able to see close up the creation, which is the largest monolith statue in the world standing 241 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 65 feet high. It is also the oldest known monumental sculpture. There are many hypotheses about why the Sphinx was created, however no one knows the real reason. After crutching around for 3 hours, in sand, which I must say, was a rather difficult task, we were finally able to sit down for lunch. It is random but right across the street is a KFC and Pizza Hut. I am not sure what I was expecting but it was not that, I can say. We went to Pizza Hut, which was the best view I have ever had from a Pizza Hut. I mean who can say that ate pizza overlooking the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids, the only ancient wonder of the world that is still standing. After that we went downtown to walk around. Joey and I ate some ice cream/sherbet at one of the most famous pastry shops in all of Cairo. I went with the chocolate and strawberry, he went for the chocolate and mango. I must say I have better taste because the strawberry was by far the best. After going around town for awhile we made our way back to the apartment so that we could rest up for the rest up before the rest of the night. After resting we made our way back downtown joined by Caitlin. For dinner we split up since me and joey are much more adventurous. Pigeon is a delicacy in Cairo so we decided we would eat pigeon. It was not actually that bad, and no it did not taste like chicken! The restaurant was a hole it the wall, but was supposed to be one of the best in town. They pluck of the feathers, stuff the bird with rice, and then fry the bird. It is severed on a plate, the entire pigeon, including the head. It is served alongside some lettuce, onions, pickles, tomatoes, bread, and sauce. There is not much meat, except on the breast. All of the meat is dark meat. We were not sure how to eat it so we stuffed our bread with everything on the table. It was actually pretty tasty I must admit. Served with the pigeon is a pigeon broth drink, which tasted like pigeon stock. I was curious about the head so I took it off the body to inspect. As I did this the eyeball split open and the skull cracked. I became even more curious as I saw the brain. Joey and I made a bet that I would not eat it, and of course knowing me, I would never back out on a bet, so I ate it, and yes it was not good at all. Initially it was not bad, but the after taste was terrible, and of course there was no water to wash it down with. I will saw after that experience I am all for pigeon, but never that brain...unless I was dared again of course. For winning the bet he had to buy me juice. Juice is really big deal in Egypt and it is delicious. You can get any favor and mix any flavor. He got me one that had everything mixed it...it was amazing juice. You could taste the blend of the different ingredients. So we sat outside with the others drinking our juice and enjoying the streets of Cairo. After juice we met up with some of Joey and Caitlin's friends to go on a felucca ride on the Nile River. A felucca is simply a boat ride. We were it a small boat with a sail on it. We brought some red and white wine, and simply went down the Nile River. We originally planned 1 hour but then that turned into 2 hours. It was amazing just sitting in a boat, drinking wine, in the Nile River, with friends, overlooking the Egyptian night. It was so peaceful, and brings back goods memories to write about. I hope that is one thing people could do. While on the boat I did touch the Nile River, because I mean come on, how could you not. At the same time it was gross...it was green, and full of pollution, and basically gross, but it is the Nile. After the felucca ride, we went to some friends apartment and hung out and talked until 2 am....by then I was exhausted. I have never crutched so much in one day. I believe I crutched close to 6 hours that day and it was time to sleep and prepare for the next day of adventure!

My computer is broken...the screen broke in Tanzania...so when I get it back I will post the pictures!

Tanzania-Kenya-Ethiopia-Sudan-Egypt

2009-05-28T11:06:00.002-04:00

So I had to leave my kids today. It was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do. They were all crying when i left and some were just sitting at the table just starring at their paper. It made me so sad, like I was leaving a piece behind me. Of course I will go back but who knows when it will be. I am hoping that it will be sooner than later but you never know. It was also a lot harder to leave the house than I thought it would be. I guess I am one of those people who makes friends easier, and I was starting to get to know everyone. The flight to Egypt was very long. I had to take a taxi to the airport, which was an hour. I saw mount Kilimanjaro though, it was pretty amazing. I then flew to Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Cairo. It was awesome to see the cities at night. My Friends apartment is cool too. I have a view overlooking the Nile River. Her roommates are awesome too! I didn't get into Egypt until 2:30 AM this morning (I am 7 hours ahead) After the initial excitement, I was finally able to sleep around 4:30 AM. I got up today at 8 with a general plan but no specifics. I ended up going to the Egyptian Museum which was amazing. I saw Tutankhamen's tomb and various artifacts throughout Egypt's History (which is very long) I wish I could have taken some pictures but you are no allowed to bring any camera inside the museum. Cairo is really overwhelming at first, especially when you are by yourself, but the longer I walked around downtown the more comfortable I got. Egyptian men are very friendly. I had people try to show me where things were when I asked how to get somewhere. I had one man walk me to this lunch place I was recommended to eat at (which was 30 minutes from where we were) then he ordered the food (which was amazing, beans in bread and then something else in bread) then he took me to tea, and then to get a SIM chip for my phone so I could have an Egyptian number. This was about 2.5 hours of his time. He was a student in University. He wanted to drive me to the hospital but I didn't trust all of that, I mean tea is one thing, but getting in his car is another. I made some excuse and got away. I knew I needed to go to the hospital here to get my foot checked out since the one in Tanzania is well below par, esp considering they never touched my foot. I went to Anglo-American Hospital. It is a private Hospital in Cairo. I walked in and did not have to wait at all. The doctor who did speak English took me right in. The cab driver waited for me, and translated when I first got there to figure out where I needed to be. After the first doctor saw me, another one saw me, then I had to get an Xray again. I ended up having a fissure fracture and now a new blue cast and a set of crutches. Here everything is pay up front as well. It was 250 Egyptian Pounds for the doctor, 50 for the xray, 60 for the cast, 30 for the medication, 75 for the taxi and 470 for the crutches. 1 USD is 5.6 Egyptian Pounds. I guess you could say it was an expensive day, but I fully promote travel insurance. I started crying at the hospital just out of frustration, and everyone got freaked out. The taxi driver told me it is very unusual to see people cry. Also, they do not have crutches at the hospital. The driver had to drive me all the way across town where I had to get fitted for the crutches. I was not prepared for the cost and felt overwhelmed and cried again. Once again the men freaked out, but they bought me a lemonade to try to make me feel better. The taxi driver waited through all this again. He was really nice. I was thinking, if a foreigner came to our country and this happened to them, would we be this hospitable to them...probably not...which is sad. In fact I felt people were more hospitable to me here then most people would be to me in my own country. It is a terrifying experience to be in a country where you know no one, cant speak the language or read the language and have been here 12 hours and now you are are crutches. But on the bright side I guess I will have strong arms. I am going to try to make it though the rest of Egypt. I am going to the pyramids tomorrow and Islamic Cairo. I am hoping I can still do Israel and Jordan but I guess time will only tell. At least here taxis are readily available and not THAT expensive. It is a cool city here though and I hope others do get the chance to explore it, if not for all the sites, simply for the amazing hospitality of the people!

Random Pictures

2009-05-28T10:52:00.008-04:00

it never fails...

2009-05-27T02:59:00.002-04:00

Yes it never fails...I am hurt again. It was really random how it all happened. I was fine after I got home from playing soccer and dancing, and I was fine when I went to bed, but then I woke up crying at 2:30 AM with excruciating pain in my right foot. I didn't want to wake anyone up, because what are you going to do at 2:30 AM...nothing. So I rolled around trying not to cry and eventually the pain got so bad that I had to go to the bathroom because I almost threw up. I then managed to make it out to the security guard to try to get a taxi but of course he was confused at what was going on so I hobbled back to my bed. I laid in bed in pain until I finally exhausted myself and fell asleep at 5:30 AM. I woke up again around 7 still in pain. The cook for the house who I am friends with insisted on doing some local treatment with water and salt and then she proceeded to rub my foot...it was probably one of the most painful experiences...in fact I woke up everyone at the house crying and screaming. There is a doctor in the house right now so she was of course like what??...no?? but she would not stop rubbing and contorting my foot. On the bright side she caused me so much pain that my pain now feels minimal. Anyway I ended up going to AICC hospital...a private hospital. So needless to say I got a very first hand view of the health care system. Everything here is cashed based. You have to pay 10,000 TSh to see the doctor. Then they give you a number for a room. You wait in the waiting room until that room opens and whoever gets in the door next goes first. I was sitting in the hospital forever because no one told me....I guess I got used to having my name called. I went in to see the doctor and he kept calling me mzungu (white person) which was really frustrating and unprofessional. He never once touched my foot, in fact he only "glanced" at my foot for maybe 2 seconds. He sent me to Xray, which I expected. I had to pay another 10,000 TSh for the xray, and wait 20 minutes to find a wheelchair to go back. There are no lead aprons, no "could you be pregnant" questions, no anything. In fact my house manager was standing right next to me while I was getting the Xray taken. After that I had to wait for the xray FILM to be developed, take it back to the waiting room and wait to see the doctor again. He glanced at it and said oh its a sprain, when clearly there was a fracture that even I and the nurse that went with me could see. As most people know I am allergic to NSAIDS, which makes it hard to take pain medication. They have no pain medication outside of NSAIDS and Tylenol. There is no such thing as codeine in this country. Then he told me to put some cream on and wrap my foot. I got sent to the pharmacy where it was another 6,000 TSh for an ace bandage that is child size and cream. After we got home the nurse that was with me looked up the cream in a drug book because I recognized on of the ingredients. And yes...the doctor...after I told him what I was allergic to....prescribed me medication I was allergic to!!! Smart!! I got my copy of the Xray (the next day) which was a hassle because they didn't understand and tried to make me pay again. I brought it home to the doctor from England that is here and it took her 2 seconds worth of looking to say "yep, it is def broken" The health care system here is amazing. I mean seriously, how do you not exam your patient, take a history, or even take the time to look at an xray, and then prescribe medication I am allergic too!!! They do not have boots here or anything! I am leaving today for Egypt, and they are supposed to have a good international hospital there so I was be visiting that upon arrival. Oh the life of Africa....TIA...AWA! on a side note it appears to a stress fracture since I was doing a lot of activity before hand and there was no real incident that occurred.

Church, Soccer and BBQ

2009-05-26T01:58:00.002-04:00

I was really interested in the religious aspects of the culture here so I found a catholic church that is near by. Mass here starts at 7 and then every 1.5 hours after that. It is weird because in America no one hardly ever goes to early mass, but at this church it was full! Every seat was taken inside, with everyone squeezed together. Then at each of the 3 entrances there were about 50 people standing outside listening to mass. They have speakers that lead to the outside. They have an English mass but I decided to go the Swahili one because why not? At first when I got there everyone looked at me because I was white. But after I put some change in the collection basket everyone's looks changed. It was a really welcoming church. Granted I have no idea of what was said it was still an awesome experience. Also in order to get a seat for the next mass people started lining up outside 30 minutes early. It was awesome to see that so many people still go to mass and love Jesus. It was an eye opening experience into faith in different countries. The music was awesome as well. The people in the choir were dancing to the music and it was a very uplifting environment. Some volunteers have organized a soccer match between the mzungu and the locals in Usa River every Sunday. Normally we only have 7 or so volunteers so we get a couple locals. The match is really official. We shake hands before the game and have a ref, although there is a ravine that runs right down the middle of the field which is all dirt and rocks and corners that are knee high with grass. Most of the locals play without shoes or with only one shoe on. The ones that do usually have soccer socks but the bottoms of the socks are just holes so they have to pull the sock all the way down to have something covering their toes. It was funny because I anticipated getting killed in the game but we actually won. Also, I was anticipating only playing 1 maybe 1.5 hours, but no it kept being halftime, never game over and we ended up playing 4 quarters which last 3.5 hours! It was the longest game of soccer I have ever played, plus each halftime was only 5-10 minutes and we had zero subs. It was awesome though. Girls don't normally play sports so when they tell you that you play like a boy it is a great compliment here! After the soccer match or mpira in Swahili, the owner of the safari company SOK threw a BBQ to support Lukundane. While he was cooking the Tamiha cultural dancing group performed new dances for us. Some children from the orphanage came as well and we saw some new acrobatics being performed. The BBQ was so much food. Basically an entire cow, except the cows here are skinny so it is not really comparable to home. After the food we stayed around. I learned how to do a couple of the different cultural dances and I also learned how to play the drums. It was awesome. The children from the orphanage were teaching me the body parts in Swahili. We started a bonfire and danced into the night. It was one of those experiences that were priceless. While there I was asking abut some of the boys ages that were dancing because they seem so little compared to the girls. Apparently their families have been so malnourished for ages that the men are becoming shorter and shorter. It is so sad to see and realize that we have so much and waste so much, when they would kill for 1/8 of what we have and when we complain that what we get is not enough!

SNAKE PARK

2009-05-24T02:22:00.004-04:00

Today was the day we took the children from my orphanage, Bethlehem, to the snake park in Messerini, Tanzania. Katie, Gabby, and I met up in the morning and went to the local market to buy food for our picnic. This was actually the first time I went into the food portion of the market and brought food. Everyone is trying to get you to go to their station, it is pretty overwhelming. We ended up buying 14 bananas, 5 mango's, 10 oranges, 2 packs of muffins, 1 pack of rolls, 1 loaf of bread, and apple and pineapple juice. All this to feed 12 children, Mama and her son, and then 4 volunteers. We figured it was better to have too much food then not enough, esp since this was a treat for the children. Once we got to the orphanage, the children went crazy. They did not know exactly where we were going but they knew something was going on since they were all dressed in their matching shirts from the orphanage. They started dancing and singing songs and were going crazy. It was a bit hard trying to get them all dressed and ready but eventually 1 hour later we were ready to go. We hired a dalla dalla to take everyone so that we wouldn't have to try to change buses in the middle of town with all of the children. It is a religious based orphanage so on the way to the snake park bible songs were on. They were in Swahili so I could pick out some words but not all, but they children loved it. They were singing and clapping the whole way. On the way to the snake park we pass Arusha Airport, which is just a small local airport. We ended up going around to the front of the airport and stopping since the children had never seen a plane or airport before. It was so exciting to them. They all tried to crowd against the window so they could see better, and they were screaming something which probably meant plane. I wish we could have paid some money and tried to get them to even look at the plane up close or take a picture by it, but we didn't even think about that until we passed it. One sad part is that we passed a small pond and the children thought it was the ocean. We eventually made it to the snake park, about 1 hour drive. The kids were so excited. It was pretty reasonable, price wise, to that mama and the children, but even though we are residents and have that stamp in our passport saying we are, because we are white we had to pay 10 times what we paid for the others. That is the one frustrating part of being here, that everyone looks at you and because you are white, you are rich, even though we all know that is not the case. We went into the park the children were mesmerized. Some of them were a little, okay a lot, scarred. Ibraham and Happy would not even go near them. When the snakes would move then all the other children would get scarred. We walked around to where the crocodiles were. All the children thought they were dead because they were not moving. Then one walked up close to the fence and ALL the children ran away and some started crying. It was so cute. We went around to all the other animals and then there is a part where you can hold a snake. All of the children did it, although some were not happy about it. You hold the snake around your neck. There is another part where you can hold a croc but only adults can do that, and I did. After all this we had our picnic. The children were so happy, because they normally do not have all the food that we brought. They didn't know where to begin. It was awesome to see all the smiles on their face. After lunch we went to a Maasi museum to learn about the culture. They were all really interested. After the museum, we went and saw the camels, and some of the children rode on the camels. It was adorable watching their faces when the camel went to stand. They were all intrigued by the camel. After this the children were exhausted so we took them back home. It was an amazing trip. I think that this provided an opportunity to learn about what is outside the walls of the orphanage and see some of the things that we take for granted in everyday life!

lukundane

2009-05-24T02:12:00.002-04:00

On Friday I went to an event created by the founder of Tamhia orphanage called the widows project and lukundane. All the proceeds from this event go to support the orphanage and the widows in Usa River, Tanzania. The event was pretty awesome. There is a cultural dancing group that performs for almost 3 hours with different tribal dances from all over Africa. In this group there is a band with traditional Tanzanian instruments and then 3 male and 3 females dances. The students from the local vocational school prepare the meal for us as part of one of their daily lessons. They fixed soup, croutons, bread, rice, cabbage, chicken, and some other items for us. It was pretty amazing. They have a bar there which serves beer, banana beer which is 10% alcohol, and coke. Everything that exists at lukundane was built with the help of volunteers donations that they were able to raise. This event occurs every Friday. There are 4 children from the orphanage that are allowed to attend based on behavior so it becomes a real treat. We buy the food for the children as well as a coca-cola. They love it. After the dancing everyone just sits around and hangs out. When it starts getting later in the evening a bonfire is built to help keep warm because it gets surprisingly cold here at night and in the morning. It was a pretty cool thing to see. Also, Mount Meru looked pretty awesome today. We have not been able to see the summit recently because of all the clouds, but they broke today and the top looked awesome.

Tamhia supplies donation

2009-05-21T08:49:00.001-04:00

So today was an amazing day once again. I had so many people donate supplies and my orphanages is small compared to the amount give, that I brought some of the items to another orphanage so other children will be able to have things as well. I brought the extra supplies to Tamhia orphanage in Usa River. At this orphanage there are 54 children. The children were so happy. At first all the children gathered around all the supplies in the room and they were just looking at it. They were no sure what to. Slowly each child started to pick up different items to look at. Eventually all the children were picking things up and looking at them and were amazed at everything. They were flipping through the coloring books say the names of the different animals and making the sounds that the animals make. The scissors and glue also amazed them because I do not think they have ever seen those before. After putting up the supplies they started to act out the different animals. After that we went to a local project that the volunteers at Tamhia have put together. It is a self-sustaining animal zoo, kitchen, lounge, and bar. There is also a sleeping area. Every Friday people are allowed to come visit. The money from admissions goes to support the project and the orphanage. This provides a source of income and a place where the children and other locals can learn about animals. There is a pigpen, monkey cage, snake cage, guinea pig cage, fish pond, amphibian pond, and much more being built. It really is amazing what has been done. It is bringing so much to the community and hopefully it will continue to grow in the future!

Bethlehem supplies donation

2009-05-21T08:47:00.000-04:00

Today was an awesome day! This morning I started out running and along the way some local children saw me and were waving at me. I stopped to say “mombo” (hey) and “tano” (give me five). After that the children started running with me. After about .25 miles they died out. I kept running and looked back and they had started running after me again so I stopped and let them catch up. They ran about .5 more miles with me until the school bus came. It was a great way to start they day. I finally made it to Bethlehem orphanage to see my children. I brought with me all of the supplies that everyone donated! When I arrived most of the children were gone to school until 11am. There were 5 children there at first, and then two of the older children left to go to school, before the others arrived home. So that Wittness and Eluide would be able to have gifts too I gave them a couple items before they left. They were very excited and happy. Their faces lit up when they saw some of the items. I also gave mama her present too. I give her a collage picture from that I filled with pictures of the children and me. After the other kids arrived home from school I had them all sit at the table in the “everything” room. I put all the items in front of them and they started going crazy. Literally crazy. They were so happy. They stated singing happy birthday to themselves, and then some other songs in Swahili. It was pandemonium for almost 1 hour. They had no idea what to touch, grab, or look at first. There were some magnifying glasses that were donated that the kids had never heard of or seen before, which they were enthralled with. They were also amazed by all the colors that come in a box of 64 crayons and then 72 colored pencils. Of course, the new coloring books and stickers were a huge hit! Life out here is great. I have never seen children get so happy at what we would consider basics in America. Mama was also really happy. I really cannot express the shear joy on the childrens faces. It felt like I was able to make a difference, and bring something to someone in the world. Also I would just like to say that I tried to take some group pictures with the group and their supplies but they were so excited that it took almost 20 minutes just to get the picture I got! While I was there I noticed some ringworm on the many of the children’s heads so my friend and I went to the pharmacy the buy some cream for their heads. I am not sure how long the children have had it, but I am assuming awhile since they gave it too me the last time I was here. I feel bad that they have had to live with it almost 6 months or longer because ringworm itches, a lot. It doesn’t help that they have to sleep two to one tiny bunkbed. Mama right now has bought a plot to build a new place but does not have the money right now to start building. She is working on trying to fund raise, but it’s had with the bad economy and her lack of resources. Al she basically has is the volunteers. Katie, Gabby (two other volunteers) and myself have organized a trip to the snake park for the children this coming Saturday. It is an hour dalla dalla drive to the snake park in Messerini. Once there we will see the snakes, alligators, lizards, and turtles. Then we are going to take them on a camel ride, and to a Masi (the northern Tanzanian tribe) museum. We are going to stop at the sore before and buy food and have a picnic out at the snake park. The children are going to love it. I am not sure that they have ever been exposed to the kinds of things that they will see there. Right now they are in school right now, but it is government school equal to our public school in theory but not reality. They go to school for 3 hours a day where private school goes for 9 hours a day and they are taught most of their courses in English so they are able to learn. In government school only one class is taught in English. People may say well who cares if they know English, but in countries like Tanzania, in order to get a good job or have the chance to succeed in life English almost becomes a necessity. Besides English, the children are exposed to many more subjects and ideas. It is really hard for someone to go to private school here, as it may be cheap to us or our idea of what a private school costs, it is every expensive here where the average income is less than 1 USD per day. In order to go to private school most children need to get sponsored. Right now only one child is sponsored. All the rest are still looking! The older the children get, the harder it is to transition from government to private school simply because of the vast difference in education that is received. I hope that one day all of the children will be able to attend private school, since many of them are very bright, and a leg up would make a huge difference. If anyone is interested in sponsoring a child, just let me know and I will give you the specific information. Tonight I am off to the movie, or cinema as they would say there. We are having some girl time with some of the volunteers and seeing I am just not that into you. Oh and I had a new dish today for lunch. I ate at the orphanage with mama and the children and we had rice with lentils, avocado, and cabbage mixture. There is also a really, and I mean really hot pepper that mama convinced me to add to my food. I took a piece the size of a pencil tip and added it in and my mouth was literally on fire. The worst part is that we had to water to drink at lunch so I just sat there with my mouth burning. I suppose it was actually pretty funny considering everyone around the table was laughing. But now I know, NO MORE OF THOSE “PEPPERS” I wish that I had more time here. It seems there is never enough time. The longer I am here the more project I see that need to be done. Right now our current project list includes:
1 Taking the children to snake park
2 Getting rid of the ringworm on the childrens head
3 Taking children to local clinic to have them tested for diseases and deficiencies
4 Getting children sponsored for school
5 Getting rain boots and jackets for the children. It rains a lot during rainy season
6 Getting money for the new orphanage.
The list could go on and on. They need so much!

2009-05-20T10:45:00.004-04:00

Home Sweet Home!!

2009-05-19T09:02:00.004-04:00

I finally made it to Arusha last night!! It felt so great to step off the plane on to tanzanian soil. The two best parts were that somehow we got our expired visa extended so we did not have to pay the 100 USD visa fee again, and my friends were waiting for us outside! The ride to the house is about 1.15 hr and only cost 35 dollars in a taxi, could you imagine how much that would cost in the USA!!!, and when I got to the house my favorite tanzanian food chips mayai was made. I ended up going out to local bar to catch up with some old friends and meet some of the new volunteers. It is different here since the last time I came. I do miss all of my old friends that were here the first time with me :( but I am excited to meet new people from all over the world. I just got done exchanging money so I went with my friends to their orphanage in Usa River, which is a city about 45 minutes from here. It was actually two of the volunteers last days so we had songs and cultural dances performed to us by the Tahmina cultural group. There are now 54 children at this orphanage. We went to school today and learned the letters W X Y Z in both capital and lower case letters. We also played some soccer and jumping around. It was amazing just to be with children again, who just want your love and attention. There is not much at the orphanage, so me and 4 other children played a game where you dropped a wash rag on the ground and then we tried to get it. It was pretty fun. We also played hand slapping games like I did as a child, wherre you would sing "Mrs mary mack mack mack all dressed in black black black...." and also patty cake. It was pretty fun. Basically the high light of the day, which is saying a lot. It did however take forever to get home. The dalla dalla (bus) me and my friend katie were on ran out of gas but we made it to a gas station but it messed the whole van up so basically it took almost 1.5 hours to get home. It was aweome seeing all my friends and staff and just being here. I wish and hope more people are able to have the same experience. It is really life changing. I am going to Tahmina orphanage again tomorrow and then will be at bethleham orphanage on Thurdsay. I am hoping to throw in the rwanada war crime trials in there at some point as well. Well I am running out of internet time...talk to everyone soon

At the airport...again

2009-05-17T10:51:00.010-04:00

So I am sitting at the airport...AGAIN...waiting for my flight. I feel like I have lived in airports recently, not that I am complaining at all....it is the opportunity of a lifetime and I feel very fortunate for being able to do everything I am doing. Me, being the constant procrastinator that I am, woke up this morning still needing to finish packing....in my own defense I did pack most of it last night! I am very thankful for everyone who was able to donate items to the orphanage. Even things that seem small in America are very appreciated in countries where having chalk or magnifying glasses, and pencils for school are not always an option. I would like to say that I was able to fit everything in the the bag and it was 50 lbs exactly! I will take plenty of pictures of the children so you are able to see the difference you are making in the lives of people who are strangers to you but family to me. As I sit here waiting it brings back old memories and hopes for new memories that are even better than before. I am a little nervous to go back. Things will be different. Many other volunteers will have come and gone during my time away, the children will have grown, and times will just be different. If there is one thing I have learned from all of my traveling is to have NO expectations...and that literally means NO, NONE, zip, not even your basic I hope to have a good time expectations. If you go in this way there is no disappointment. You take everything for what it is and form your own thoughts and opinions about the experience. You can't think about the past and hope that it will be the same, because it won't be the same. You can't think of how you imagine it to be, because it will never be that way. I am going in with no expectations. I am living my life, helping those that need it most. I know I will make a difference. Even if it is not seen immediately, in the long run, I am changing the world and people. It may only be a couple of people who I am able to impact, but who knows how a positive impact on a few can turn into multiple people. Think of all the people you know. If you smile at one person and they are having a bad day, you could change their attitude for that day, and then think how many people that person will talk to during the day, who will now be shown a positive attitude due to you. It continues to branch out. You have the power to be a positive aspect in peoples life everyday....make the most of it. As I embark on my journey I ask that you please keep me in your thoughts and prayers, as well as all the other volunteers all over the world who are trying to be that positive force and make a difference, no matter how small, in the lives of others!

(all the donations)

(done with nursing school)

(done with work)

:(

2009-01-16T08:38:00.000-05:00

So I just left my kids and it breaks my heart. When I walked in to the orphanage today all the kids where there, I guess there was no school, and they started screaming my name and were running up to me to give me a hug. I felt so excited, happy, loved, and like I was making a difference. Today we went to the field since it was only about 80 degrees here today. We ran around and played soccer and braided hair, and jumped on each other and just enjoyed having the company of each other. This has been such an eye opening experience for me and I cannot thank those enough who helped make it happen. This trip has had more meaning than many other things in my life and it will be unforgetable. As much as I will miss Tanzania, and as much as I thought about changing my flight and not coming home, I do look forward to seeing everyone when I get back, although I am not looking forward to the 17 degree weather...talk about a difference. I want to thank everyone for reading my blog and for all the comments. I am glad you got to share some of my amazing experience with me. It is really hard me for to find the words to write right now because I am leaving a life I have fallen in love with and do not want to leave. I have met some of the greatest people from around the world and the greatest children here. I know I have a life to get back to but this has been an experience that has changed me forever!

Last Day

2009-01-16T02:22:00.000-05:00

Sorry I couldnt blog yesterday we had no internet again and I normally go right before dinner and it was unsafe to go into town to get on. I did not get to volunteer yesterday as I had to get everything in order for when I leave to go home today. I am so sad. It is like the children at the orphanage are my own children and I do not want to leave them. I am actually on my way to go be with my children right now for one last time. I just popped in the internet to update everyone. I leave tonight around 10 so I am pretty sad about that, but my friends that I came here with and started placement with are road tripping it to the airport with me which is an hour away so that should at least be fun. Will try to blog tonight about my last day if the internet works. If not see everyone soon!

orphange

2009-01-14T09:27:00.000-05:00

So I cant believe that it is already almost time to leave. Time here is flying and if I was honest I really dont want to come back to America, at least not yet, there is so much left to do here. It will be weird coming home and not only because there is a 50 degree temp difference! I went back to the orphanage today though because something about those children just make me happy and make me feel like I matter. Some of the children went back to school this week so in the beginning it was just 4 children. We worked on our ABC's and numbers, and speaking english. We sang songs in swahili and english trying to get the children to relate the words since actions were also involved in the songs. It is neat to see when the child is actually learning, its almost like you can see something just click in their brain. We also had some play time with coloring books and a ball. It was too hot to take them to the field today because the children only have access to so much water during the day it is not good for them to sweet it all out. It is weird because it is opposite in America. Most children in America would love to be told that they can stay inside, but I guess we also have game devices and other things as well. The children we so upset when Mama would not let them go, so we improvised and played a ball game in the room. After a little while the other children came back from school. We have coloring and play time and story time. The children loved the stories. some were in swahili and some in English. Even though some did not understand all of the english when they saw our facial expressions change during story time they got really excited. I also helped mama to do some of the childrens laundry, which you have to scrub by hand then rinse by hand, then rinse again and then hang to dry. Even though Mama has one other helper she also has to do the cooking and everyone pretty much knows how children go through clothers, but it is a lot harder when then children only have a couple of outfits to wear and everyone has to share. It was a learning experience washing clothes and makes me value the simplicity of the washing machine which I have never really had to think of. It makes me really sad that I have to leave these wonderful children so soon, but hopefully the new volunteers who will become can pick up the pace. See everyone soon!

clinic

2009-01-13T10:00:00.001-05:00

So I havent blogged for a couple of days. I have not had electricity. For those of you worried about my toe...it is starting to look better...knock on wood though because I am still here for a couple more days. It is crazy that I have to leave so soon to go home. I love life here and am considering coming back. I am pretty sure I will have reverse culture shock when I came home.
I went back to the clinic from the orphanage. I was in the antenatal unit. Here mothers come early in the morning to line up outside to be seen. They wait outside in line for 4 rooms. Women are called up in groups where they are weighed and then brought to another hallway to wait some more. Most women end up waiting for 5 hours to be seen. When they come for the first time every mother is given an HIV test. This is done to help reduce the transmission rate to the baby. It is estimated that the HIV rate in Tanzania is 1 in 10, but it Arusha where I am at it is estimated to be 1 in 5. After the lab test the mothers are examined. It is a pretty basic examine. The mothers are asked questions about previous children and complications and how many times she has been pregnant and the number of children still living. They feel on the stomach and estimate the due date based on what the mother says. Other than that there really are no more questions. They are told when they are supposed to come back and signs to watch for but there is a def need for increased eduation. It is hard though because there are so many women, so few rooms, doctors, nurses, and time! The nurses here do most of the education and exam unless a problem in encountered then the doctor is brought in. there are 2 to 3 women per tiny room so there is no privacy. Everyone knows everything and can see everything. There are so many needs that it is hard to put into words.

Stickers!!

2009-01-09T09:50:00.000-05:00

So today started out a little rough. I ran my foot into a cement block...no surprise there....and I busted the front of my big toe and tore off part of the toenail. Needless to say it is less than comfortable. In America the problem would not be so bad, but here it is a different story. I not only had to put 3 bandaids on it but I also had to wrap the bandaids and the whole toe repeatedly with tape just to keep the dirt out. I also can not wear my shoe so then I had to wear a sock with a thong flip-flop, which is not the most comfortable thing. Even then that is not too bad but have to walk 3 miles to work with it on rocky roads is not the easiest thing and those 3 miles were with taking the dalla dalla. Then on the way back I had to get into the dalla dalla which is a 16 passenger van that had 22 people stuffed in it and i hit my toe again trying to climb over everyone. Even that is not too bad but I cannot get it wet with the water, which I guess is pretty easy to do considering that we never have water. I am not complaining at all, but rather just trying to show how many more precautions are required and the difficulty of having an injury in a 3rd world country.
After my rough start the day got a lot better. I decided to go back to the same orphanage today because the children looked like they just needed the love and attention My mom advised me before I went to bring stickers to the kids. At first I looked at her and was like "okay mom, stickers, that makes perfect sense," but I must say sorry mother because that was the best idea ever. I brought about 700 stickers to the orphanage with 10 children. In about 1 hour all the stickers were gone, and even the sticky part that is left after you use the stickers. The kids used them for a variety of things including fingernail coverings, earrings, necklaces, to cover there mouth and all over their bodies. It was so cute to sing. They started counting their stickers and then dancing and singing around the room. After sticker time we brought a surprise for the children. We brought a laptop with a Harry Potter movie on it. Even though the movie was in English it worked out because we are working on English with the children. They may not have understood everything but they were mesmerized by watching a movie on the computer and all the special effects and magic that was in the movie. They organized the benches in a way so that everyone could see and they sat so still during the movie, minus a few bathroom breaks. When all the magic and different scenes came on their faces looked in awe. It was amazing to them, and it was amazing for me to watch them. I wish all of you all can experience they simple joy with children. I never thought stickers would be such a big hit, and it is something so simple, but I guess if you are not used to them or if you have nothing than anything is a big hit. I am kind of sad because the weekend is coming and I wont be able to see the children for a couple of days. It is shocking how fast someone can grow on you.
I was thinking about how this trip is going to effect me when I get back home. How will I see the world we live in and all the luxuries we have? Will I complain less? Will I learn to leave the small things alone? How will I view the healthcare system? How will I be when someone complains of a headache at the hospital after witnessing all these births with no medication and no noise and no support? Will I view people and their pain the same way? Will I change my spending habbits and my view on material things? Will I even want to stay in America? I think about all these questions all the time and I do not know the answer yet. I guess it will show when I get home and I hope my trip makes a positve impact in every aspect of my life. I have seen and experienced things that I never would have imagined and have a new found respect for many things. Its crazy that my time here is almost up. I really do not want to go home at all, but I know and realize I have to. Life is just so much more rewarding when you are doing good for others because you want to, rather than always taking!

orphanage children and others at the field

2009-01-08T09:55:00.000-05:00

Orphanage

2009-01-08T09:38:00.000-05:00

So today was the most amazing day of my life! Today I went to an orphanage named Bethlehem. It is run by one lady "Mama" and has 10 children: Juvenille, Glory, Angelia, Wittness, Dorcus, Debora, Euilide, Abrhiam, Neehma, and Happy. The place is really run down. The children sleep two per bed. One of the rooms is right next to the chicken cage and smells terrible. There is another room used for cooking, and one for Mama, and then one about the size of storage shed that is used for learning, playing, eating, coloring, and everything!
Another volunteer and myself started out the day doing math lessons. We did counting and addition problems. moja, mbili, tatu, nne, tano, sita, saba, nane, tisa, kumi. (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10) After playing we walked about 1/2 mile to a "field" It was a giant open space of grass but was full of GIANT holes, and some rocks, but over all it served its purpose. We took 2 soccer balls with us and on the way to the field some 30 kids saw us and walked with us. When we got to the field we tried to play tag but no one really knew what it was. Since there were so many kids we played a version of soccer. Basically try to get the ball and keep it. The kids were from 1.5 years up to around 7 maybe. After we played socccer for awhile some of the bigger kids took the ball so everyone decided to chase me. They would run after me and catch me and then we would fall to the ground and everyone would pile on top of me for a minute. Then everyone would yell "get up" and we would start all over. It was amazing. I learned that there are 3 universal languages: playing, love/care, and a smile. These children live in conditions that not even the poorest in America live it yet they are still able to have fun and smile. It brought me so much joy to play with the kids. We played for about 1.5 hours before lunch and I can honestly say that was simply the BEST 1.5 hours of my life ever. These kids have made me think of life in a different way. I will never forget them. After playing we went back had "lunch" and did some coloring. It is terrible that SO many children are orphans here. IT is beyond belief the numbers. People just leave babys everyone and some of them are lucky to still be alive. Just remember when you are feeling down or see someone else down a smile can go a million miles!

2009-01-07T09:14:00.000-05:00

TB sign outside clinic

Sign for clinic and its services

Me and Merril going to the clinic

Main room for waiting to push

Mother trying to walk off pain

the only medical supplies in delivery room

Buckets where they put used instruments

Baby warming table

Baby scale

delivery tables...yes 2 can be in the room at the same time, yes they are completely naked, yes they do not make noise, yes they must bring their own sheet to put on top

toilet

mom before delivery

instrument to hear fetal heart

baby I delivered under the warmer light

oxygen tank

HIV meds to give after birth if needed

Beds in the main room before birth...that is a rubber covering

Mother and Baby I helped deliver

The Mother Baby waiting area

sad day

2009-01-07T09:09:00.000-05:00

So today was a very sad day and made me realize even more the importance of advancement in medicine. A woman came in today in premature labor. She was in the late stages of her second trimester. She came into the clinic because she was in extreme pain and noticed some blood. She waited for some time before she came in because it is part of the culture not to go to the clinic unless you are really close to having the baby. By the time the woman made it to the clinic she had bleed a lot and was really confused and disoriented. The nurses checked her out when she got there and noticed that there were some problems beyond the help of the clinic. They started and IV on her and put her in an ambulance, which is basically a 16 passenger van with the back seats taken out. She was transported to Mt. Meru Hospital. The hospital is basically a hallway with some rooms on the side. She was taken to a room where she was given a unit of blood but by this point it was too late. The mother and baby both died. It was really hard to see. The woman was probably in her middle 20’s. During all this time the family was outside the hospital waiting on the grass because they were not allowed to come in. The staff had to go outside to the grass and tell the family that both the mother and baby were gone. It was terrible. It leaves me with many questions though. If she had gone in sooner would she still be alive? If she was taught to come in at the first sight of blood would she be alive? If the clinic had the proper supplies and capabilities would she still be alive? If the clinic had the proper medicine to help stop the bleeding would she still be alive? If a c-section could have been performed would the baby at least lived and maybe the mother? If she was in a hospital in America would she have survived? There are so many questions yet so little answers. It really makes you think about the value of life and the values of advances of medicine and the need to continually push for more. Besides that I did help deliver a healthy baby boy today and two healthy baby girls. I was really happy for the new parents but I could not take my mind off the lost mother and child. It really was heart breaking. I know that there can always be complications but being left with so many questions makes in hard to come to grips with.

I also went to the family planning section of the clinic. Here they teach women how to put condoms on males and emphasize the importance of condom usage. Besides condoms there are three different methods of birth control available. First, there are pills, which is not a widely used form. Second, there are injections, which is utilized by a lot of people. Lastly, there is implantation where a device is inserted into the arm. The main difference for using injection versus implantation is the amount of time the woman would like the birth control to last. The injection is only good for 3 months, whereas the implantation is good for up to five years.

On another note, the water is gone again, but for now the power is back on! It is frustrating because other volunteers from homestays are coming to eat lunch and dinner and not telling the cooks and so we have ran out of food and some of us are left to fend for ourselves or be hungry. But I guess your stomach eventually adapts to the change in portion size. We had spaghetti for lunch with pineapples and mangos, and toast for breakfast, and we are having eggs with fries for dinner and some chicken. Our diet here is basically all carbs. When I get home you can be guaranteed that I will be eating a big juicy piece of some kind of meat!!

I hope all is well with everyone. Thank you for reading the blog, all the thoughts and prayers, and all the comments. They make me smile and not feel over 10,000 miles away!

2009-01-06T09:06:00.000-05:00

my friend at the corner store...the game catching a ball in a basket!!

idk

creek where some people get their water

someones house

my soccer friends!

soccer ball made of trash and string

boys I play soccer with

Friends I made at the snake park

me holding a snake

my friends and I holding the snake

the friends parents

the camel putting me down

random girl in a kentucky shirt...just kidding shes a roomie

my backyard

Mother Baby

2009-01-06T09:04:00.000-05:00

Starting off on a positive note, our water came back today!!! YAY for showers!!! I never knew how great a shower could really really feel. Also our power left us, but then came back, but then left us again. Whoever created flashlights is a genius. Also many people cannot afford to take the bus to work so I decided I would not take the bus to see what it is like. Let me tell you it is exhausting. I walked 3.25 miles to work, after I had already ran 3.5 miles and by 10:30 I was utterly exhausted! I guess if that is your only option you get used to it. Could you imagine how different our world would be if we had to walk to work. It would not only change your job and school situation, but also our health and our lifestyle as we know it. To be honest I maybe see 2 obese people per 2 thousand people and even then the obese would only be considered over weight in our country.
Today I started out at the mother baby clinic. There is a little building with two rooms. Each room is about the size of a persons half bathroom at home. Outside the rooms is a “patio area” with some benches where literally 100-200 people are waiting with their babies to be seen. The waiting area is about the size of a normal 2 car garage. Women can wait all day to be seen and it is nothing to see women breastfeeding in the open. No one really even bothers to cover up. If the mother is by herself she is typically coming to get her tetanus injection. After giving birth women are given a series of 5 tetanus injections. The women are gathered into the tiny rooms in groups of around 10 and are lined up and given shots. Giving shots here is an entirely different procedure. There is no putting air in the vial, cleaning off the top, cleaning off the skin, checking landmarks for the shot, no aspirating, no wearing of gloves, no anything. When the mothers are there with the babies they first must get the babies weighed. There is a scale hanging from the roof similar to what we would put of fruits in at the grocery store minus the basket. So basically it is just a hook. Women must bring the one sling type device in which the hang the baby from the hook. After the weight they must wait around until it is their turn. When it is time around 7 mothers and the children are brought back into the small room where the babies are given the vaccinations. They are given two drops of oral polio, a shot of DTp, hepatitis B, and yellow fever, and they are given a shot of BCG, which is for Tuberculosis. As soon as the child receives the shots they are taken out the door. Another difference here I was able to see today was the diapers. The children wear. It is a washcloth wrapped around the baby’s genitals and then that is tied on with some plastic. Also here, even though it is 85 degrees, babies are dressed in warm sweaters, and winter hats and thick clothes. I also saw today a woman who brought in a baby that she had to have at home yesterday because she did not have time to get to the clinic. We had to retie off the umbilical cord from what was done at home. It is hard to really describe the situation, but could you imagine standing/sometimes sitting for 5-6 hours holding a child in 85 degree heat with no fans, no food, no anything. There are no strollers here, women always carry their children. Do you think you could do that? How you feel about it? Could you even imagine??
After volunteering I tried to go see the Rwandan war crime trials that are being held in Arusha, but they are off this week for the holiday so look forward to reading about that next week!

the clinic

2009-01-05T09:34:00.000-05:00

So on a first note, I thought I was going to have some great information to report. We have been out of water for almost 3 days and then it came back today enough for 4 people to take showers and then it left us again. So we are now basically 3.5 days without water. We can buy bottled water but no hand washing and toilet flushing or showers or anything like that. You can take a bucket of dirty water and pour it down the toilet and it will flush so that is at least good, and also at least everyone smells bad. But hopefully the water will come back soon. The problem with the water is that the city is expanding but the supply is not. What is weird though is that car washing is a major business here and they always seem to have water yet residents do not.

I was at the clinic today and words cannot explain the amount of culture shock and I cannot emphasize enough how much we really have and how great our lives really are. The clinic is the main place for women and children to be seen. It is divided up into 5 different sections. There is the HIV counseling sections, antenatal section, mother and baby section, child medication/injection section, and maternity ward. Although I semi described earlier the maternity section words cannot really tell you much. I am hoping that I will be able to bring my camera to take pictures and truly show. Women have to bring their own cotton, which is used to absorb anything and their own sutures in case they need to be fixed. There is no numbing medicine used. There are no checks for bleeding after the placenta is delivered, there is nothing. You deliver the baby, the baby is placed on a table with a light bulb over it and wrapped in clothes the mother brings. There are no checks on the baby besides the weight. I assisted in two deliveries today both of which were 3 kg, or 6.8 lbs. The baby is then left alone on the table while the placenta is pulled out. The mom is the wiped with cotton, wraps herself up and then has to get up and walk back to the main room where she is allowed to lay on the bed with the baby for 1-2 hours. While the delivery is occurring the mom has no privacy. She is taken from the main room into the delivery room were up to two women can deliver at a time, only an arms length away with no curtain. The women are laid on the table with no clothes, not anything, and sometimes the door is left open. There is no family there until after about 1 hour after the delivery one or two people may come by, other than that they are alone. To deal with the pain since there is no anesthesia most women grab on to tables, slap their thighs or butts, grab at their hair or anything to hold on to. The nurse delivers the baby and sutures the mother as well. There is no doctor in the clinic building although there is one next door. The nurse feels the baby and decides the positions, and listens to the heart through an instrument that is metal and looks like a cone with one sold flat piece and the other side hollow. You place the hollow side on the stomach and then press down with your ear on the sold side and listen. To be honest I do not think many American women would survive birth over here. Since around 1 in 10 people are HIV infected there are tons of signs on the wall with what medications to give and what to do when delivering an HIV positive mothers baby.

I have walked through the other areas but have yet to volunteer there yet. I am going to a different section each day. Although I have walked through all the sections talking about them without first really experiencing would not to it justice. All I can say is that I hope you prepare yourself to hear how clinics are in a third world country because culture shock is really an understatement and does not fully grasp the difference between here and home.

On a lighter note, I now know my way around town. And we are getting omelet and chips and chicken and chips tonight for dinner. (chips is a version of our fries but not really…they are put on top of egg…it is the best thing I have eaten besides beans on mashed potatoes) I have met the most amazing people here and I thank you all for everything!

Maternity Clinic

2009-01-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

Life here is different from home. My placement for volunteering is a maternity clinic...talk about culture shock. I would now consider the birthing process back home a luxury. Here the clinic is in town, one that everyone goes to. Its funny because it is always full of women and children, but I have yet to see one pregnant lady on the streets. The clinic is basically set up into two rooms. First of all you dont really go to the clinic til you are basically ready to have the child. When you go to the clinic you enter the first room which is full of women who are also birthing. The women wait there, in the open room, until literally the baby is about to come out...I am talking like only need 3 or 4 pushes. Once the woman gets to that point she is brought back to the second room which has one table. The woman then has a couple of pushes to push the baby out and if she cant then she is brought back to the first room and someone else goes back. The delivery is done with ZERO medication. If a c-section is necessary they must go to one of the hospitals. After the birth of the baby the mom and child are fixed up and they are sent on their way back home. Talk about difference, no amenities, no time, no anything. It is pretty amazing what these women must go through. So that is the basics of my placement but I will give more updates as I begin to learn more and experience more in the position.

On a different note, since I only volunteer 40 hours during the week we have the weekends free to explore Tanzania. I went to a snake farm in Meserani, which is 25km west of Arusha. It is weird how quickly you can beome comfotable with the metric system. Anyways I saw some of the worlds most posionous and deadlist snakes of the world many of which are located in Africa. I met an amazing Tanzanian family and walked around with the 4 children. I will post some pics of the family once my camera charges. I also got to hold a snake which was pretty amazing, and I was able to ride a camel. There is a Maasi Warrior maket and talked with the Maasi. You can tell a Maasi by their distinct blue and red garmets and also their shoes made out of tire treads. To learn more about them Wikipedia has a lot of information...it takes a special person to become Maasi. Also today I went running and explored some other towns of arusha (like our suburbs) It was interesting. Most people look at you and first but once you say hi in swahili they normally smile. I also explore back in my own suburb. I met a ton of children. Some are scared at first because seeing mzungu (white person) is uncommon. Once you say mambo or tano they seem to smile. I played soccer with a couple boys. Our ball was made of a bunch of trash tied together with a string. It was SOOOO much fun playing with the boygs. At first I was nervous I would break the ball, but you would be surprised at how well trash holds up. In fact that might be the most fun I have had so far because seeing the boys smile and being able to laugh with them warms my heart. I actually just saw them on my way to the cafe and we are playing some soccer tomorrow! :)
Life here is so simple. I am learning to go by what my body wants me to do instead of always pushing myself in a million directions. It also makes me feel a thousand times more grateful for everything that I have in life. Many of the things most people, including myself, really are so trivial in the long run. I wish everyone had the opportunity to do this because you are able to learn so much about life. Not only from the country you visit but from all the others you can volunteer with. Everyday I learn something new...not hard considering I live with people from 5 or so different countries and then 7 more who are from the same country but different cities which is just as different as a New Yorker and a Californian. One thing that was amazing though was I was walking through town yesterday and saw someone else with a KENTUCKY shirt on. It made me smile and it was funny because I happened to be wearing a KENTUCKY shirt too. I had a great new food for lunch today...well new combination. It was mashed potatoes and some sort of sause made with beans. In sounds pretty gross but in reality is was pretty good. AND of course we had the standard mango, pineapple, and banana. Breakfast we had toast again but we got a new "multifruit" jam and we had pancakes but they were not really what I consider pancakes, really thin and different taste and texture. They were good with peanut butter and bananas...sometimes you have to do what you have to to get a different taste. It is almost dinner time not sure what it is but I am banking on some sort of rice, beans, and fruit. Its funny how differnt prices are. 300 shillings (25 cents) for a coke, 800 shillings (75 cents) for 1.5 L of bottled water, 1200 shllings (1 dollar) for a 500ml beer, soccer balls are 8000 shillings, dalla dalla ride to town about 10-15 mins is 300 shillings (25 cents) , there are dvd sets with 800 dvds on them for 5000 shillings ( a little less than 5 dollars) they are pretty good sometimes the sounds just doesnt match the mouths and no they wont play in america. Things in glass bottles tend to be cheaper than cans because all of the bottles are collected instead of thrown away and reused. I took some videos of the town just so everyone can see but it is not loading so I will have to figure it out another time. It is getting close to 7 pm here and it is unsafe to be out past 7 here by yourself since it starts getting dark.

REMEMBER HOWEVER BAD LIFE IS...IT CAN ALWAYS BE WORSE!!

RUNNING

2009-01-03T01:37:00.000-05:00

I GOT TO GO RUNNING...I went yesterday but found a new route today...it was AMAZING!! only have 2 mins left on internet. I will blog again tonight when I can buy more time...I have tons of updates!!!

2009-01-02T05:41:00.000-05:00

Catholic school

In Town

Building downtown

New definition of dirty

Mount Meru

Neighborhood road

Out basketball court

My feet

Tanzanian Shilling

In mosquite net

How to turn on water heater...have to wait 30 mins

toilet

laundry area

clothes line

Day 2

2009-01-01T03:54:00.000-05:00

So Arusha is pretty amazing. I am on the outskirts of town, kind of what we would consider a subdivision. The bus system here is color coded and I have learned to take the yellow dalla dalla into town. Went into town for the first time yesterday. What can I say but culture shock. Everything was so different, driving was crazing. It is whoever gets there first goes and whoever is in the street just dont get hit. I have learned some more swhilli and am able to communicated better with the locals. We celebrated News Years last night but another thing that is different is that no one really counted down except the volunteers. In fact we counted down many times because no one really knew what time it was. HAPPY NEW YEARS! I went to AICC Hospital which is a local hospital here. There is a gate and a security guard you must pass through to enter. Also on the ground are armed police and army forces. At the hospital here it is about 30.000 shillings for stitches which equates to 30 dollars. MAJOR difference in health care. We are still in orientation and learning the area and the culture. We had omlette pizza with fries on top last night which was pretty good. The children here and people are amazing. Most everyone here are really welcoming and have smilies on their faces. Poverty here is pretty extreme and can be noticed instantly when walking through town. People on the side of the street with cups, people who are dirty, and people missing limbs. It just goes to show how much help is needed over here. We are also working on building a library and painting in for the children. Not very many people go to school here, but the ones that do are fantastic. Could not ask for a better group. One weird thing is I have found that many other cultures do no like Americans, and I have been constantly defending our country. But why is that??

Arusha Tanzania

2008-12-31T03:00:00.000-05:00

Got here last night from Amsterdam at around 8:30 pm. I am 8 hours ahead here. The flight was on a KLM plane and was amazing. The Sahara Dessert looked so large from the plane. The food was pretty good. Chocolate ice cream, oyster chicken with rice and green beans, and coconut rice pudding, then soup and salad. I am going to try to post pics later but I have to use the local internet cafe to get online. It is about a 5 minute walk from where I am staying and 30 mins is $1. I arrived in Mt Kili which is 1 hour away from Arusha. The main roads here have speed humps where you drive through towns and the side roads require a special art of driving. There are so many holes you can not drive in a straight line. I met my family tomorrow so right now I am at the Volunteer house. There are 6 new people starting with me and around 12 that are already here. Money here is the Tanzanian shilling wich is 1200 for $1. Gass here is 1700 shillings and disel here is 1200 shillings, just teh opposite of the US. I have only eaten breakfast so far but we were allowed only one hard boiled egg and then toast with red plum jelly. It was actually my first time eating a hard boiled egg and the white was good, yolk not so much. The town has many small shops on the side. A lot of people walk versus driving but there is also the Dalla Dalla which is the local bus. To shower here you have to turn on the hot water heater 30 mins before you shower and even then it would be considered luke warm to most Americans. Water has to be purifed here and you even need to use the purifed water to brush your teeth. It is amazing to see the culture and here the language. We do not really wear shoes or anything in the house and we sleep in bunk beds under the mosquito net. The is no air conditioning so it is pretty hot even at night, but something that I will have to get adjusted to. Also as far as walking people will walk miles to everything...from towns to towns in the pitch black dark of night. At the volunteer house we do have a secuity guard. His name is Kaka or brother in swahili. Random information Asante-thank you, tafadahili is please, hapana is no, ndiyo is fine, hari gani is how are you. The house managers name is Ommy. I am getting excited to meet my family tomorrow when we have orientation. It is def a different culture here, one I am excited to learn about. One of the local sayings is TIA this is africa. There are volunteers from all over. The US, Ireland, Australia, and many other places. Hopefully I will find a way to add pictures because words do not do justice. The stars at night are absolutely amazing. Hope everyone is well...will blog soon.

Amsterdam

2008-12-30T02:07:00.000-05:00

So I just arrived from Detroit to Amsterdam. It is 8:10 here and 2:10 back in the USA. It was a started slow with a delay in Greensboro, but eventually made it to Detroit. From there it was a 7.5 hour flight on Northwest A330 plane that seats 300 people. Got to watch a good movie though...The Women...there is not one man in the movie. They served some pretty decent food. Started with a Chinese chicken dish with salad and oreos (random) for dinner and then for breakfast we had a tropical fruit cup and egg and cheese biscuit. At one point during my flight it was -75 degrees outside...pretty chilly. It is about 15 degrees here right now. I was really nervous at first but now I am so excited I could barely sleep on the plane. Here are some pics...it was amazing from the plane but those didnt show up. I saw some shooting stars over the Atlantic Ocean. It really makes you think about how wonderful everything is. Another random note, they automatically convert your internet pages to Dutch when you turn on your computer. I can type in English but everything else on the page is Dutch. Well My next flight leaves at 10:10 to Tanzania-I arrive at around 9 pm. The top pics are from Amsterdam, Bottom pics from Detroit.

3 days before

2008-12-26T22:09:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone. Thank you for your constant support during my preparation for my volunteer trip. I am really looking forward to leaving on Monday, Dec 29, but at the same time I am getting nervous. I am in the final stages of getting ready to leave and ask you to keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I am not sure how often I will be able to blog and have never blog before so we shall see how this goes. I am staying with a family and am not sure of the details, however I know that there is an internet cafe in town so I am aiming to blog at least every day and I should be able to add pics. So hopefully you will be able to enjoy!