This is my first post after about 2 weeks here. I've been keeping a hard copy journal, and I'm also often without Internet. My days have been busy, to say the least. I am working with St. Lucia Orphange, which houses 18 HIV positive orphans. While I'm at the Orphange, I do tasks around the house while they're at school, such as cleaning and setting up their garden. When the kids come back, I help feed them, wash them, and play with them. Often I'm not at the Orphange; I've taken the kids to get checkups at the hospital, I've gone to the market to buy food and hardware, and twice I've been to local villages that have HIV positive children and other poor families. In these villages we distribute donations of vitamins, Tylenol, shoes, clothes, etc, find out what they need, and help plan sustainable development projects. The village elders and health workers are savvy and realize handouts aren't sustainable. There is a lot of business opportunity in these villages for an entrepreneur willing to work here, and enterprises that have been successful in other African countries could be replicated and improved upon. There are two other volunteers, both who have been here in the past. One is from the US and one is German, who lives in Alsace. Day to day I work with a 26 year old named Allen, who lives and works at the Orphange. His English is as good as it gets here, though he still has some problems speaking it. There's 4 women who work there too, and they don't speak any English. For a country where English is the official language, only the highly educated speak it.
After work we typically hang out in town for a bit, and then take a jam packed daladala minibus back to th house. The house is nice by Tanzanian standards but is missing many comforts of home. I've learned to live with 2 minute showers, no internet, power outages, no craft beer, the occasional cockroach, body odor of others, and a lack of personal space. Overall the people have been quite nice and it is a fantastic county to visit; easily accessible and lots to do. St. Lucia is a good organization hat needs continuing funding, and I can see myself continuing to help out in an effort to get them on a sustainable path.
That's all for now. This weekend is another safari and next week will be lots of work. We will be distributing food and medicine to in need families in the villages and I have to fence off the newly planted garden.
Friday, January 29, 2016
Bringing donations to the orphanage
the other day, I was able to go with Matt to the orphanage he works at, St Lucia. First we had to help buy food for the kids weekly meals. It was not very easy. First we went to a store to buy bread and peanut butter. That's as simple as it got. The cheaper food is in the huge open air markets. They are chaotic. The smells can get very rancid with old meat and rotting vegetables. The further you make your way inside the market the more chaotic it gets. There are so many people you can barely turn around. Everyone is begging for you to buy their stuff. Thank goodness we had locals with us to help barter and carry the stuff. There is no shopping cart- you can buy a big feedsack and just lug it. Our first purchase was 6 pineapples for 2$ Each... Not horrible price. We had to go to a different location for each item. Carrots, potatoes, onions, beans, tomatoes, meat , and even these little dried stinky fish everyone is selling ( apparently a good source of minerals). It made me realize a whole orphanage was eating for a week on probably mine and Matt's weekly food budget and also almost nothing was processed - it would all be made from scratch- which is a pro and con. Wish they could have more varied veggies and stuff but then you also have to be wary of cholera and things ( reports have come from this Market about this occurring ) . Matt was standing next to a butcher chopping away at a goat ( while I silently gagged in the background) and he got splattered w some blood and even a chunk of meat 😳. Also some man called him Chuck Norris 😝
It is a long drive to the orphanage, lucky we had a car at the moment. Poor Matt has to take two cramped daladalas plus walking so his commute is over an hour each way... Can't imagine how tiring that is as interacting in daily life here is just an energy drain. The orphanage location is a little remote, but actually the scenery is quite beautiful with tropical plants etc. the house itself is nice for standards here , plain but open air. A lady was cooking in their outdoor kitchen when I got there. I got my first glimpse of the kids as they bombarded us fighting to help carry the groceries ( so cute and helpful) I was first struck by how bare it was - a huge open living room but hardly any toys out or things on the wall. The kids ( smaller ones) were home now from school and running around wildly. I guess someone got them a puzzle but they were just throwing the pieces around. It made me sad as one carried around a battered stuffed English guard doll. My heart broke the first time when Matt told me one would pass him this tiny gutted out fisher price barn to pass back to him as a way of playing since they have so few toys. ( my heart broke again as on our way home yesterday a kid was running around w a stick on a toy car-one wheel broke off and I went to pick it up and it was like a bent old bottle cap- and then one kid later that walk was playing w a stick tied to an old rusty wheel😰- probably the best they had to play with). Side note: the toys they sell on the street and market are so battered- like an old beloved stained gray stuffed elephant w it's eyes missing and stuffing coming out.
Matt says the kids calm down after lunch. They were immediately friendly and wanted to climb on me . I bonded w one of the twin babies ( Jackie) and toted her around she was so cute. We brought out some of the stuff slowly as I didn't realize how hyper kids get and how you can't direct them if you don't speak the language. I brought out Play Doh and they were intrigued! They all started opening a can and I freaked out bc then I couldn't monitor all them. They kept saying chakula ( food) and I said hapana! ( no!) I think only one tasted it and spit it out. They enjoyed making snakes and rolling balls. But then they moved on to the next - slinkies ! ( Matt says they are all twisted now lol). We also have them stuffed animals and it was sweet seeing them carry them around ( even put the monkeys around their chair at lunch and on their bed at nap time). They loved all the books ( one of the workers Allen was even impressed w the Swahili English one we got) which I'm glad bc their bookshelf was abysmal ( tattered old books-few- even one about redecorating your living room/ kitchen so appropriate for 5 yr olds) the girls were holding one of the books Eileen gave us and said "CinderellaCinderella". One of the babies was stroking the "Pat the Bunny" book. We put up the map of the world which they were excited about bc kids are always asking where stuff is ( marked Arusha with "home"). And are looking for tacks to place the other posters. We filled the cabinets w more toys, games, and art supplies ( I'm instructing Matt how to do some projects w them when they are more calm- every kid should get to finger paint!) we filled the shelves w vitamins, oral care stuff, some candy, and menstrual supplies as that's hard to come by. We ( mostly Matt as he travels weekly) have been saving our hotel toiletries for over 6 months now so brought all those that I'm sure everyone even the older kids and workers there will be excited about the kids then ate lunch, which was quite messy and noisy as they eat w their hands and everything falls to the floor ( Matt eats it every day- ugali (maize ball), beans, spinach, and fruit). Then they nap. After they napped a volunteer took them to get their heads shaved ( here girls all shave their heads until they are probably teens ) and they instructed me to cut jackies hair to the skin w a pair of children's scissors! I think I did a good job but was scared of cutting her head.
While the kids napped we figured out what to do w the rest of the money that our families had donated. We sat down w Allen ( who I trust immensely as he lives and breathes helping them so much so that he sometimes eats once every two days and sometimes doesn't have enough phone credits to text). st Lucia also goes to remote villages which Matt is part of ( taking a moment here to say what a hard dedicated selfless worker he is since he won't say that- he walked 8.5 miles in the heat and sometimes skips lunch to get to these villages) . There people are actually starving and have little resources ( the main part of Arusha is not bad compared to this- most people look fed) . We decided some of the money was best spent buying cooking staples for 30 large families and buy antibiotic prophylaxis for 100 HIV positive kids for 2 months. Matt bought the supplies today ( took all day and chartered a daladala ) and will deliver it next week.
One last thought: you may or may not know that the sad common denominator of the kids of st Lucia is not just that they have no parents but that they are HIV positive ( they market it this way so I feel like it is ok to reveal their status. Sad bc of the stigma and unfortunately HIV positive kids are usually given up or their parents did from the disease. Luckily the y have all their meds paid for and I feel like they are in a good environment w people who love them ( and honestly may have more than if they had been w their parents). Matt helps take them to doctors appointments so they stay healthy. And people monitor their meds so they don't miss doses like they might have if they were w their original family. The kids are so precious and we hope to keep helping them after we return home
It is a long drive to the orphanage, lucky we had a car at the moment. Poor Matt has to take two cramped daladalas plus walking so his commute is over an hour each way... Can't imagine how tiring that is as interacting in daily life here is just an energy drain. The orphanage location is a little remote, but actually the scenery is quite beautiful with tropical plants etc. the house itself is nice for standards here , plain but open air. A lady was cooking in their outdoor kitchen when I got there. I got my first glimpse of the kids as they bombarded us fighting to help carry the groceries ( so cute and helpful) I was first struck by how bare it was - a huge open living room but hardly any toys out or things on the wall. The kids ( smaller ones) were home now from school and running around wildly. I guess someone got them a puzzle but they were just throwing the pieces around. It made me sad as one carried around a battered stuffed English guard doll. My heart broke the first time when Matt told me one would pass him this tiny gutted out fisher price barn to pass back to him as a way of playing since they have so few toys. ( my heart broke again as on our way home yesterday a kid was running around w a stick on a toy car-one wheel broke off and I went to pick it up and it was like a bent old bottle cap- and then one kid later that walk was playing w a stick tied to an old rusty wheel😰- probably the best they had to play with). Side note: the toys they sell on the street and market are so battered- like an old beloved stained gray stuffed elephant w it's eyes missing and stuffing coming out.
Matt says the kids calm down after lunch. They were immediately friendly and wanted to climb on me . I bonded w one of the twin babies ( Jackie) and toted her around she was so cute. We brought out some of the stuff slowly as I didn't realize how hyper kids get and how you can't direct them if you don't speak the language. I brought out Play Doh and they were intrigued! They all started opening a can and I freaked out bc then I couldn't monitor all them. They kept saying chakula ( food) and I said hapana! ( no!) I think only one tasted it and spit it out. They enjoyed making snakes and rolling balls. But then they moved on to the next - slinkies ! ( Matt says they are all twisted now lol). We also have them stuffed animals and it was sweet seeing them carry them around ( even put the monkeys around their chair at lunch and on their bed at nap time). They loved all the books ( one of the workers Allen was even impressed w the Swahili English one we got) which I'm glad bc their bookshelf was abysmal ( tattered old books-few- even one about redecorating your living room/ kitchen so appropriate for 5 yr olds) the girls were holding one of the books Eileen gave us and said "CinderellaCinderella". One of the babies was stroking the "Pat the Bunny" book. We put up the map of the world which they were excited about bc kids are always asking where stuff is ( marked Arusha with "home"). And are looking for tacks to place the other posters. We filled the cabinets w more toys, games, and art supplies ( I'm instructing Matt how to do some projects w them when they are more calm- every kid should get to finger paint!) we filled the shelves w vitamins, oral care stuff, some candy, and menstrual supplies as that's hard to come by. We ( mostly Matt as he travels weekly) have been saving our hotel toiletries for over 6 months now so brought all those that I'm sure everyone even the older kids and workers there will be excited about the kids then ate lunch, which was quite messy and noisy as they eat w their hands and everything falls to the floor ( Matt eats it every day- ugali (maize ball), beans, spinach, and fruit). Then they nap. After they napped a volunteer took them to get their heads shaved ( here girls all shave their heads until they are probably teens ) and they instructed me to cut jackies hair to the skin w a pair of children's scissors! I think I did a good job but was scared of cutting her head.
While the kids napped we figured out what to do w the rest of the money that our families had donated. We sat down w Allen ( who I trust immensely as he lives and breathes helping them so much so that he sometimes eats once every two days and sometimes doesn't have enough phone credits to text). st Lucia also goes to remote villages which Matt is part of ( taking a moment here to say what a hard dedicated selfless worker he is since he won't say that- he walked 8.5 miles in the heat and sometimes skips lunch to get to these villages) . There people are actually starving and have little resources ( the main part of Arusha is not bad compared to this- most people look fed) . We decided some of the money was best spent buying cooking staples for 30 large families and buy antibiotic prophylaxis for 100 HIV positive kids for 2 months. Matt bought the supplies today ( took all day and chartered a daladala ) and will deliver it next week.
One last thought: you may or may not know that the sad common denominator of the kids of st Lucia is not just that they have no parents but that they are HIV positive ( they market it this way so I feel like it is ok to reveal their status. Sad bc of the stigma and unfortunately HIV positive kids are usually given up or their parents did from the disease. Luckily the y have all their meds paid for and I feel like they are in a good environment w people who love them ( and honestly may have more than if they had been w their parents). Matt helps take them to doctors appointments so they stay healthy. And people monitor their meds so they don't miss doses like they might have if they were w their original family. The kids are so precious and we hope to keep helping them after we return home
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Hospital
Work at the hospital has been better. However since the hospital is so small there is not a ton of work to be done. I typically round on 7-25 patients a day w dr Mbonike - she is from here but trained in Russian and speaks awesome English. At first she was cold to me but really warmed up and we have a good time. From what I've observed it seems to be the African way to be blunt and almost yell at your patients to get them to do things. It was very eye opening when she turned to me and said " all their hiv meds are free I have absolutely no idea why they won't take them" (side note it is awesome the US is helping provide this free service altought their immune system has to drop some before they are provided drugs) I pondered on this for a while as it is the same in the US ...this is a world wide problem! I've helped take blood pressures and draw blood and some other things but my role is limited bc a. We have super limited resources and there's not a lot of things we can possibly do. Pain meds are ibuprofen, can only do X-rays or ultrasound, not even enough oxygen to put people on it and b. Their way of doing things are sometimes much different than what I know...teen girl with sharp chest /back pain and they calling it angina and saying she needs to go to another hospital to get cathed...I know this is Africa but having a "heart attack" seems way low on the differential. They use many different drugs than I do- the malarial meds, penicillin, etc. I am surprised there is not a lot of examining the patients ( I figured their PE skills would be killer since they don't really use imaging etc) and it's more about classifying them into more " known diseases" as their are limited tests . available. Also frustrating that things get used up fast and we don't get a new supply for awhile such as a certain test tube which prevents me from doing procedures : wanted to do a para ( tap fluid off the belly) to send out to see if it was abdominal TB (!) but we are still out of these tubes!
I see a lot of TB, HIV w related crytococcal meningitis, malaria , dysentery ( mostly amoeba) severe severe anemia, CHF and the occasional diabetes , hypertension ( and patients are horrible about following the diet but can't really blame them as most people survive off carbs like rice and they for various reasons won't take their pills-either too much money or just don't want to anymore) . It is a totally different system in that I saw a man with a hemoglobin of 2.7!! (Normal is like 14-15) and they gave him like two units blood that his family donated and didn't even recheck til the morning ( sometimes the machine will even be broken at this point and it has to wait until the next day!) in the US we would be checking like every 4 hours and freaking out haha. That patient actually did fairly well but he ended up dying all of a sudden. He didn't look amazing but not near death. I was out in the hall and dr m came to me and said you know that pt? He's gone. I said " where'd he go?" Then she said "he passed" and I obviously got it. It was weird bc i usually have a sense of when people will die in the hospital and that took me by surprise. I had gotten used to his family, his very caring son, who always wore traditions Maasai cloths. He was pretty stoic but had a few years. For some reason I thought there would be some different customs with an African or even Maasai death. Turns out I was right..when the women got there (hadn't even seen them the whole time during his hospitalization) , it got very intense. They ran through the courtyards wailing and throwing themselves into the dirt which created a big spectacle from the other patients/families. From what others told me, one most physically show how upset they are. And as far as funerals - people are buried not cremated and the funeral is a big community event.
In kids I see TB, dysentery, pneumonia, and some rare things ( mumps, cholera -and today a boy that had lock jaw probably from tetanus) *plug for vaccination~although due to foreign aid it's getting more ubiquitous* The worst is malnutrition in kids 😟 Especially when they are neglected. The Maasai are polygamous so the next wife and her kids sometimes fall towards the wayside. Mothers esp seem to dote on boys more ( very evident when their are twins which there seems to be a lot of for some reason). They are pale with sunken eyes and cry a lot. A lot of babies end up going to cows milk and porridge almost right away bc mom can't breastfeed (can't produce or too busy) and can't afford formula- I even saw one infant who was drinking milk from the backyard cow and caught bovine TB which I didn't even know was a thing. It's hard to fathom that there are no legal consequences...in the US obviously there would be major legal ramifications. Today I saw one who already had rickets and she had craniotabes ( have never seen this) and her skull felt like the consistency of a ping pong ball. Her genitals were also mutilated which was horrifying but a real problem here and efforts are being made to stop this. On that note today I saw a boy who was like 3 and was just circumcised at his local pharmacy (!!) and now was infected. I never really know what I'll see next.
Random note: found out it only costs 2$ per day to be admitted in the hospital but they charge for everything : even the gloves the doctors use. Chest X-rays are like 10 bucks. The family brings the food and gets most meds for the patients (md will give them the rx) but it's not too bad - a course of Iv abx for meningitis is only like 15$ . Even still probably many African families could not afford this.
Took the donations to the kids yesterday. Will write about that later as well as trying to get Matt to write something on here
I see a lot of TB, HIV w related crytococcal meningitis, malaria , dysentery ( mostly amoeba) severe severe anemia, CHF and the occasional diabetes , hypertension ( and patients are horrible about following the diet but can't really blame them as most people survive off carbs like rice and they for various reasons won't take their pills-either too much money or just don't want to anymore) . It is a totally different system in that I saw a man with a hemoglobin of 2.7!! (Normal is like 14-15) and they gave him like two units blood that his family donated and didn't even recheck til the morning ( sometimes the machine will even be broken at this point and it has to wait until the next day!) in the US we would be checking like every 4 hours and freaking out haha. That patient actually did fairly well but he ended up dying all of a sudden. He didn't look amazing but not near death. I was out in the hall and dr m came to me and said you know that pt? He's gone. I said " where'd he go?" Then she said "he passed" and I obviously got it. It was weird bc i usually have a sense of when people will die in the hospital and that took me by surprise. I had gotten used to his family, his very caring son, who always wore traditions Maasai cloths. He was pretty stoic but had a few years. For some reason I thought there would be some different customs with an African or even Maasai death. Turns out I was right..when the women got there (hadn't even seen them the whole time during his hospitalization) , it got very intense. They ran through the courtyards wailing and throwing themselves into the dirt which created a big spectacle from the other patients/families. From what others told me, one most physically show how upset they are. And as far as funerals - people are buried not cremated and the funeral is a big community event.
In kids I see TB, dysentery, pneumonia, and some rare things ( mumps, cholera -and today a boy that had lock jaw probably from tetanus) *plug for vaccination~although due to foreign aid it's getting more ubiquitous* The worst is malnutrition in kids 😟 Especially when they are neglected. The Maasai are polygamous so the next wife and her kids sometimes fall towards the wayside. Mothers esp seem to dote on boys more ( very evident when their are twins which there seems to be a lot of for some reason). They are pale with sunken eyes and cry a lot. A lot of babies end up going to cows milk and porridge almost right away bc mom can't breastfeed (can't produce or too busy) and can't afford formula- I even saw one infant who was drinking milk from the backyard cow and caught bovine TB which I didn't even know was a thing. It's hard to fathom that there are no legal consequences...in the US obviously there would be major legal ramifications. Today I saw one who already had rickets and she had craniotabes ( have never seen this) and her skull felt like the consistency of a ping pong ball. Her genitals were also mutilated which was horrifying but a real problem here and efforts are being made to stop this. On that note today I saw a boy who was like 3 and was just circumcised at his local pharmacy (!!) and now was infected. I never really know what I'll see next.
Random note: found out it only costs 2$ per day to be admitted in the hospital but they charge for everything : even the gloves the doctors use. Chest X-rays are like 10 bucks. The family brings the food and gets most meds for the patients (md will give them the rx) but it's not too bad - a course of Iv abx for meningitis is only like 15$ . Even still probably many African families could not afford this.
Took the donations to the kids yesterday. Will write about that later as well as trying to get Matt to write something on here
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Our first safari
I have more musings on the hospital and daily life and also Matt needs to help post ( he writes in a daily journal on paper) but wanted to take a few minutes to write about our experiences out in the wild!
First on Friday we decided to get out of the house to a proper dinner at the Machweo restaurant at the Onsea house hotel. And of course I found the fanciest restaurant in a hotel haha not quite intentional. It was quite the experience. So looking on google maps it seemed to be 2 km away. We were going to walk but decided to splurge for a cab. The driver first tried to tell us it was far and then we went back and forth. His English was not great at all. Then as we were driving he tried to take us to another hotel. Then he tried to turn the opposite way from what google maps said. Then it turns out Google maps lied. So now we were all lost. I was getting so frustrated bc the whole point was to see " the best view in Arusha" and sunset was getting close. We were all trying to keep cool but at the most heated part of the convo he just abruptly stops for gas! Ugh. We tried to call the hotel but the man didn't speak Kiswahili. Then we found someone there that could. Finally the cab driver knew where to go but it was way far. Then we got stuck in a standstill by construction for 15 mins. We wished he would do all the illegal maneuvers that the other cars were doing to get around it but for the first time in history a cab driver played by the rules. We finially arrived up the mountain to about 15 mins of the tail end of the sunset and it was amazing and worth everything. The hotel was luxurious and serene. We had cocktails before dinner. It was a very different part of Tanzania than we had experienced. We were like , we really can't sleep here tonight? The dinner was good, the chef was Belgian and it was all Europeans dining blowing smoke around. It was cheap for a multicourse dinner and wine pairings but very expensive for Tanzania. The food was good but not amazing. But we had an enjoyable night out and maybe in the future we will do a more comfortable trip and stay here
The next day was safari to Tarangire national park , home to the most elephants in the world per square meter. It was about a 2 hour journey and we had nelsons brother Bryson as our tour guide and our own private safari vehicle. I didn't realize the tops go up to be able to stand up and look around... Was very fun. On the way lots of things to see on the side of the road notably markets and where the Maasai live. Their bomas or village huts were easy to spot. The beauty of the Maasai men in red checked cloaks and herding sticks in contrast to the Savannah as they herded the animals was stunning ..sometimes just a red dot in a sea of green. Kids probably as young as 4 seemed to be in charge of their own herd with nary an adult in sight. Crazy to process.
The park itself was huge, exactly as I've pictured with green safari grass , big termite mounds and huge baobob trees like the tree of life from Disney. We saw Pumbas, baboons, Impala. So excited when we spotted two lionesses and I freaked out when I realized they got a pumba. It was shrieking and not dying fast! Then they each. Took an end and pulled and it kept screaming. People were covering their ears. As an animal lover I was upset but also realized the lions had to eat. Just wished the death was quicker. Then I was disappointed we didn't see elephants here at the biggest elephant park...like really? But after driving for an hour we found like 40 of them in the trees and grass just hanging out! Day made. I loved the picnic lunch spot wherr monkeys roamed. They tried to get Matt's lunch when he stepped away! They even went into someone's truck bc they didn't close the top. They were after the food for sure. The box lunches we got were very interesting and pretty inedible a piece of old fried chicken ( Matt said tasted like cat food), a doughnut, a crepe, cookies, an apple, and a samosa. Didn't eat much of that!
We then left to stay at an overnight camp called panorama. It was five (!) dollars a night. We stayed in a decent tent but it didn't get great airflow. We left the flaps open ( exposed mesh) but all night I was worried I'd turn and an animal would be right next to me. It wasn't til the next day that I actually saw baboons roaming around and read a review about scorpions. Our tent was equipped w small beds but it reminded me of the field museum Egyptian beds made out of wood w no padding. Ouch. We had brought our sleeping bags thank goodness. The view of the lake and mountainside was stunning and we watched both sunrise and sunset while there. At night there was food and drumming.
On Sunday we went to lake manyara national park. Totally different topography...very lush and green like a rainforest. We saw different animals such as gnus, water buffalo ( so cool wading through mud) and like a billion baboons ( they were roaming in colonies, in the grass and in trees always getting in our way) we saw hippo in the creek and one even very close to our truck. We saw giraffe and finally zebra. And the best part was the elephants blocking our road eating the trees. Very unexpected. They walked towards us and I got scared bc they were so big but then they just looked at us and made their way into the trees. We saw blue monkeys and a baboon even climbed on the hood of the truck. We didn't see the famous tree climbing lion ( they adapted after bad conditions on the ground in the past) but they are rare. The actual lake is In the distance and you could see all the millions of dot that are the famous flamingo.
It is crazy to experience something and see animals in the wild that weve just read about and seen in zoos. Overall a fantastic weekend and excited for next one.
First on Friday we decided to get out of the house to a proper dinner at the Machweo restaurant at the Onsea house hotel. And of course I found the fanciest restaurant in a hotel haha not quite intentional. It was quite the experience. So looking on google maps it seemed to be 2 km away. We were going to walk but decided to splurge for a cab. The driver first tried to tell us it was far and then we went back and forth. His English was not great at all. Then as we were driving he tried to take us to another hotel. Then he tried to turn the opposite way from what google maps said. Then it turns out Google maps lied. So now we were all lost. I was getting so frustrated bc the whole point was to see " the best view in Arusha" and sunset was getting close. We were all trying to keep cool but at the most heated part of the convo he just abruptly stops for gas! Ugh. We tried to call the hotel but the man didn't speak Kiswahili. Then we found someone there that could. Finally the cab driver knew where to go but it was way far. Then we got stuck in a standstill by construction for 15 mins. We wished he would do all the illegal maneuvers that the other cars were doing to get around it but for the first time in history a cab driver played by the rules. We finially arrived up the mountain to about 15 mins of the tail end of the sunset and it was amazing and worth everything. The hotel was luxurious and serene. We had cocktails before dinner. It was a very different part of Tanzania than we had experienced. We were like , we really can't sleep here tonight? The dinner was good, the chef was Belgian and it was all Europeans dining blowing smoke around. It was cheap for a multicourse dinner and wine pairings but very expensive for Tanzania. The food was good but not amazing. But we had an enjoyable night out and maybe in the future we will do a more comfortable trip and stay here
The next day was safari to Tarangire national park , home to the most elephants in the world per square meter. It was about a 2 hour journey and we had nelsons brother Bryson as our tour guide and our own private safari vehicle. I didn't realize the tops go up to be able to stand up and look around... Was very fun. On the way lots of things to see on the side of the road notably markets and where the Maasai live. Their bomas or village huts were easy to spot. The beauty of the Maasai men in red checked cloaks and herding sticks in contrast to the Savannah as they herded the animals was stunning ..sometimes just a red dot in a sea of green. Kids probably as young as 4 seemed to be in charge of their own herd with nary an adult in sight. Crazy to process.
The park itself was huge, exactly as I've pictured with green safari grass , big termite mounds and huge baobob trees like the tree of life from Disney. We saw Pumbas, baboons, Impala. So excited when we spotted two lionesses and I freaked out when I realized they got a pumba. It was shrieking and not dying fast! Then they each. Took an end and pulled and it kept screaming. People were covering their ears. As an animal lover I was upset but also realized the lions had to eat. Just wished the death was quicker. Then I was disappointed we didn't see elephants here at the biggest elephant park...like really? But after driving for an hour we found like 40 of them in the trees and grass just hanging out! Day made. I loved the picnic lunch spot wherr monkeys roamed. They tried to get Matt's lunch when he stepped away! They even went into someone's truck bc they didn't close the top. They were after the food for sure. The box lunches we got were very interesting and pretty inedible a piece of old fried chicken ( Matt said tasted like cat food), a doughnut, a crepe, cookies, an apple, and a samosa. Didn't eat much of that!
We then left to stay at an overnight camp called panorama. It was five (!) dollars a night. We stayed in a decent tent but it didn't get great airflow. We left the flaps open ( exposed mesh) but all night I was worried I'd turn and an animal would be right next to me. It wasn't til the next day that I actually saw baboons roaming around and read a review about scorpions. Our tent was equipped w small beds but it reminded me of the field museum Egyptian beds made out of wood w no padding. Ouch. We had brought our sleeping bags thank goodness. The view of the lake and mountainside was stunning and we watched both sunrise and sunset while there. At night there was food and drumming.
On Sunday we went to lake manyara national park. Totally different topography...very lush and green like a rainforest. We saw different animals such as gnus, water buffalo ( so cool wading through mud) and like a billion baboons ( they were roaming in colonies, in the grass and in trees always getting in our way) we saw hippo in the creek and one even very close to our truck. We saw giraffe and finally zebra. And the best part was the elephants blocking our road eating the trees. Very unexpected. They walked towards us and I got scared bc they were so big but then they just looked at us and made their way into the trees. We saw blue monkeys and a baboon even climbed on the hood of the truck. We didn't see the famous tree climbing lion ( they adapted after bad conditions on the ground in the past) but they are rare. The actual lake is In the distance and you could see all the millions of dot that are the famous flamingo.
It is crazy to experience something and see animals in the wild that weve just read about and seen in zoos. Overall a fantastic weekend and excited for next one.
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Adjusting
so we've been here a few days now. Still in a bit of culture shock but adjusting every day. People here are used to foreigners (mzungu) but they still are very interested in us and constantly want to talk..esp the kids who are the most adorable kids ever, but walking to the bus stop even can be draining. They love to sing "how are you how are you?". We take the daladala to work which is a gutted out vw bus painted on the outside and no joke stuffs 25 people in it. When you think you are packed to capacity they jam more in. Matt thinks the suspension is going to fall off as it goes full speed on dirt roads in these big potholes...I get whiplash. It's only like 20 cents a ride. To take it back from town there is a huge daladala park that has 100 of them trying to vy to get out very chaotic. After work yesterday we walked through a local market and there was so much cool stuff but then meat just sitting out and vegetables rotting. I am looking forward to exploring more markets. The last few days we've been spending some time in town in the area where all the expats and foreigners eat and shop bc it is close to work and it is very peaceful like an oasis when making this transition. after the chaos of walking around then the chaos at the hospital I need to breathe. Soon if we have more time after work we will venture out to more local restaurants and areas of the city- I really want to go to some museums, etc. There are also very nice restaurants w good views farther out (at hotels where the trekkers stay) that i want to go to- we plan to go to one tomorrow night. Apparently club life is rampant so we will have to try it at least once even though we are old and I don't know if we can stay up that late haha. Already made some friends from other countries- the Columbian couple just left to climb mt kili yesterday- can't wait to hear how it went. It is fun talking to my Austrian and Danish friends at the hospital- their experience of healthcare is so different- they find it very odd that even when provided w meds, Americans still dont take them sometimes. It is cool I have met a few foreign women that have married Tanzanian men and they now either live here or are planning on it- then I get the inside scoop on the culture. The weather here has been abnormal due to el nino- not sure whether to hate or love it bc instead of being dry and hot it is cooler but very wet. I am worried it will affect our animal viewing as they migrate in weather like this. It is annoying to walk in the rain and I am constantly covered in mud, but imagine if it was as hot as it could get... so I am appreciative. There is no relief from the heat here...no one has fans really or air conditioning. At the clinic, one doctor dragged me into the only room w a fan and was almost worshipping the "american ventilator machine". Our living conditions are nice for Tanzanian standards but our room is very cramped, with no closets, somewhat dirty bathroom and I feel like I never have room to spread out and it is hard to find our stuff - and I also feel constantly dirty (so much dust and mud here) despite many showers- I don't know how some people do it in the peace corps- living in a small village for years..I know I am lucky compared to many standards. Our cook makes us traditional food for dinner- it is very tasty and takes skill. only con is it is lacking in vegetables so it makes me miss salads.
Now on to our work...man that was a frustrating first day. The hospital I am at St. Elizabeths, is privately run and catholic so it has no money. thus the doctors (which seem to be mostly female which was unexpected yet cool) are not as enthusiastic. It is also small compared to some other hospitals in the area. To say that they are lacking in technology/facilities is an understatement. Their "ICU" are the two beds that have antiquated oxygen tanks (in our hospitals in the US it seems like everyone gets thrown on oxygen). The beds are falling apart, crammed all in "ward" rooms. Patients families have to go buy the meds, bathe them, bring them food. They can only do xray and ultasound- but downstairs so if the patient is crictically ill when they would need these services the most, they cannot be moved to get them. I have to look at the xrays by holding the physical copy into the window (not even a lit up board to view them). The sheets are washed by hand and hung out to dry, not sterilized. Nothing seems sterile, I observed a nurse washing a burned baby in dirty water and then wrapping the burn with gauze that came from the floor. No one washes their hands. The nurses here are very passive and don't seem to want to help with patients- the first day I did a bunch of blood pressures for them haha. Blood has to be donated from the family, the "blood bank" is a fridge with a couple units that the family of the patient has donated- one time no one would donate for a kid with a more rare blood type bc they didnt want to be checked for HIV- so a volunteer had to do it. that was lucky. The first day I was taken around and introduced to everyone but there were so many people I forgot most of them- then it seemed like no one wanted to really work with us. I read some charts. then I went home and was really disappointed. The next day, after rounds, the MD disappeared, and i was stuck again. Luckily I wandered over to a Romanian doc (well now tanzanian as she has worked here for 40 yrs) who took me under her wing. She mostly does peds, but it was very interesting to here all about the culture and also see these kids and how certain things relate to adults. There are a lot of Masaai patients ( a nomadic tribe) here - wearing traditional dress and lots of earrings, huge holes in earlobes etc. They live very differently so it is hard for doctors to reason with them- they often stop taking their meds and do things like cutting kids gums and stuffing them with elephant dung if they sprout teeth too young or chopping off the uvula with a porcupine quill to |cure cough. Very interesting culture, some things though like above are harmful to kids so the docs spend a lot of time trying to educate- it will be a learning experience to participate in this . So now it is a lot better (did some adult medicine in the AM and kids in the PM) and I am still learning the system so hopefully soon I can be of more help. Word on the street is that 30 american med students are coming - it will be cool to have them but hopefully there is room for them (this hospital is very small). I will tell more stories later.
As far as Matt, he seems to like what he is doing. His commute is very long, at least 2 daladalas. he usually then ends up meeting me over an hour after I finish. He helps around the orphanage w the kids in the AM and then the younger kids come back from school at noon- he said they all strip down and they have to be scrubbed down- one lady seemed annoyed bc matt wasn't scrubbing hard enough haha. then they eat and Matt helps prepare the food- traditional ugali (maize ball) and beans that you eat with your hands. Then they play and crawl all over him and try to break his good sunglasses :). He met some of the older kids that come home at 4. He wont be doing this every day, however, today and other days he went to a remote village w some people and did some community outreach and found out what they need in terms of healthcare- like vitamins, etc. He also will help bring the kids to medical appointments. We plan to bring them the donations next week and I hope to come along
Anyways, long post so now will start making the journey home!
Now on to our work...man that was a frustrating first day. The hospital I am at St. Elizabeths, is privately run and catholic so it has no money. thus the doctors (which seem to be mostly female which was unexpected yet cool) are not as enthusiastic. It is also small compared to some other hospitals in the area. To say that they are lacking in technology/facilities is an understatement. Their "ICU" are the two beds that have antiquated oxygen tanks (in our hospitals in the US it seems like everyone gets thrown on oxygen). The beds are falling apart, crammed all in "ward" rooms. Patients families have to go buy the meds, bathe them, bring them food. They can only do xray and ultasound- but downstairs so if the patient is crictically ill when they would need these services the most, they cannot be moved to get them. I have to look at the xrays by holding the physical copy into the window (not even a lit up board to view them). The sheets are washed by hand and hung out to dry, not sterilized. Nothing seems sterile, I observed a nurse washing a burned baby in dirty water and then wrapping the burn with gauze that came from the floor. No one washes their hands. The nurses here are very passive and don't seem to want to help with patients- the first day I did a bunch of blood pressures for them haha. Blood has to be donated from the family, the "blood bank" is a fridge with a couple units that the family of the patient has donated- one time no one would donate for a kid with a more rare blood type bc they didnt want to be checked for HIV- so a volunteer had to do it. that was lucky. The first day I was taken around and introduced to everyone but there were so many people I forgot most of them- then it seemed like no one wanted to really work with us. I read some charts. then I went home and was really disappointed. The next day, after rounds, the MD disappeared, and i was stuck again. Luckily I wandered over to a Romanian doc (well now tanzanian as she has worked here for 40 yrs) who took me under her wing. She mostly does peds, but it was very interesting to here all about the culture and also see these kids and how certain things relate to adults. There are a lot of Masaai patients ( a nomadic tribe) here - wearing traditional dress and lots of earrings, huge holes in earlobes etc. They live very differently so it is hard for doctors to reason with them- they often stop taking their meds and do things like cutting kids gums and stuffing them with elephant dung if they sprout teeth too young or chopping off the uvula with a porcupine quill to |cure cough. Very interesting culture, some things though like above are harmful to kids so the docs spend a lot of time trying to educate- it will be a learning experience to participate in this . So now it is a lot better (did some adult medicine in the AM and kids in the PM) and I am still learning the system so hopefully soon I can be of more help. Word on the street is that 30 american med students are coming - it will be cool to have them but hopefully there is room for them (this hospital is very small). I will tell more stories later.
As far as Matt, he seems to like what he is doing. His commute is very long, at least 2 daladalas. he usually then ends up meeting me over an hour after I finish. He helps around the orphanage w the kids in the AM and then the younger kids come back from school at noon- he said they all strip down and they have to be scrubbed down- one lady seemed annoyed bc matt wasn't scrubbing hard enough haha. then they eat and Matt helps prepare the food- traditional ugali (maize ball) and beans that you eat with your hands. Then they play and crawl all over him and try to break his good sunglasses :). He met some of the older kids that come home at 4. He wont be doing this every day, however, today and other days he went to a remote village w some people and did some community outreach and found out what they need in terms of healthcare- like vitamins, etc. He also will help bring the kids to medical appointments. We plan to bring them the donations next week and I hope to come along
Anyways, long post so now will start making the journey home!
Monday, January 18, 2016
we're here!
We made it safely yay! our flights were not bad, but they were really long obviously. And being in economy means we were really cramped in there and hard to sleep. I didn't sleep on the first leg, but passed out on a bench in the Amsterdam airport and then passed out for about half the Tanzania flight. So many people flying to climb the Mt-everyone in full REI gear haha- made me jealous! next time. we had to wait to pick up 2 other volunteesr (not staying with us) so we didn't get to our house until 2 am. Pretty brave of these women to travel on their own seperately (they are also traveling around after this). Everyone has been very nice but we have to be trusting bc I mean we were driving through backroads in the middle of the night with men who we just met and who are staying in our house as well. (from everything I hear, although you have to be careful, Tanzania is probably the safest place in Africa) We ate rice and cucumbers with the host Nelson. The roads are horrible- huge deposits of water and if you think Chicago potholes are bad- look at these roads! The house is very modest - but likely way better than others. typical kind of clay style, some bedrooms- we are in one w 2 bunk beds and literally room for nothing else. I am glad I do not weigh any more or else we wouldn't be able to get in. There are no dressers or closets so the room is already strewn with my clothes. we picked the room with the best bathroom- although not saying much. There is no fan or AC- glad we packed mini fans although the battery died halfway through the night. We are covered by mosquito nets. We woke up to the roosters outside our window at 6 am and then if that wasn't bad just about every farm animal started singing their song. Breakfast was an omelette- we have a cook, great luxury. a cat wandered in (?the neighbors pet?) and I felt bad bc it was so hungry. Of course it got a bite of my omelette lol. We are in town right now (no internet at home, have to use a cafe) to get our volunteer visas, look around, get oriented , go to the hospital etc. The drive was awesome (besides the potholes) bc everyone was out and it was very interesting to see day to day life- carrying water on heads, toting babies around, scooters,etc. little kids running around. Nelson was right- muslims (wearing hijabs) and christians existing together in harmony- nice to see. Real work tomorrow. hope to post soon
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Here we GO!
Matt and I are about to spend a month in Arusha, Tanzania. I will be working as a doctor in a hospital there and he will be assisting in a local orphanage- that is roughly all we know so far. We are going through the program A Broader View- which is a non profit. We found this through just Googling because we had our hearts set on the IU Kenya program which ended up being shut down until, ironically, last week. But we are very excited about this opportunity. And of course, nervous. The long flight, the potential for infectious diseases of all kinds, safety, and also all the things we might see- myself in a hospital with very limited resources and Matt in an orphanage with hardly any supplies. I feel good and am so proud of our friends and family who donated to us to bring supplies over to the orphanage (people went above and beyond and they are great!) We are bringing 2 fifty pound duffles full of everything I thought they might need to have fun and learn things too- books, coloring books, art supplies, jump ropes, stuffed animals, bouncy balls, stickers, toothbrushes and paste....the list goes on. Plus we have leftover money to buy things over there- maybe they all need backpacks, more food, a bed? who knows.
Although people we know have been incredibly supportive, I have seen criticism online of people who a. volunteer abroad when there are opportunities locally and b. go on volunteer "trips". To that I say, as I have witnessed healthcare for the lowest socioeconomic classes here and abroad, there are vast reasons why it is important to try to bring volunteers abroad. For one, here people have many opportunities for healthcare although it may be lacking or their access isn't ideal (cue my sentiments of wanting an amazing national healthcare system)- there is at least a chance that they may be treated and get into government programs and things that pay for their meds. From what I have seen and know in these struggling countries- there is none of that- people die all the time because they literally have zero access to healthcare and even if they were to get to a hospital the chances are the hospital is lacking in current technology and diagnostics. I am already saddened to think of the difficult decisions I will be faced with and the knowledge that back home, things would turn out differently. But that is reality, and I will do the best that I can. Obviously volunteering at home is important too and I hope to do more of that in my future once fellowship is over. And to the sentiment that these trips are useless, well, I saw what a big difference my med school was to Haiti- going at regular intervals, setting up clinics with local people employed there, people now able to see doctors that have never seen one before...I agree there may be problems with untrained people going for a limited time and thinking they are going to save the world (sometimes they can disrupt the system), but the fact is many of us have skills we can share and do unfortunately have limited time. I recognize that part of the reason we are going is to do something different and challenge ourselves, but the goal always is to help others. I know bringing a bunch of toys and things is not going to change the fact that most of these kids will never be adopted, but at least it can be a bright spot in their lives. The money we are paying for room and board helps the local people employed there. I think the biggest lessons to learn from this are - we aren't going to change Arusha in a major way but we can make a small impact and to focus on what we are there for and give our best for the short time we are there.
Ok now I am getting very philosophical for a minute, now changing pace to something more light hearted- after the month in Arusha, we will continue on to our honeymoon in South Africa. It is somewhere we always wanted to visit. I have been fascinated with great white sharks since I was young and am pumped at the chance to cage dive with them. Reading more about South Africa, I was excited to do things like climb Table Mountain, see penguins on the beach, and stay in a B&B in wine country. We made some nice reservations for dinners (the rand the currency is not doing well compared to the dollar so things are fairly inexpensive there). Then we are going to Kruger National Park for a proper safari- as an animal lover I am very excited to see these wild animals.
Anyways, we will have spotty internet so may not be able to post too much but I will try to update as best I can.
Although people we know have been incredibly supportive, I have seen criticism online of people who a. volunteer abroad when there are opportunities locally and b. go on volunteer "trips". To that I say, as I have witnessed healthcare for the lowest socioeconomic classes here and abroad, there are vast reasons why it is important to try to bring volunteers abroad. For one, here people have many opportunities for healthcare although it may be lacking or their access isn't ideal (cue my sentiments of wanting an amazing national healthcare system)- there is at least a chance that they may be treated and get into government programs and things that pay for their meds. From what I have seen and know in these struggling countries- there is none of that- people die all the time because they literally have zero access to healthcare and even if they were to get to a hospital the chances are the hospital is lacking in current technology and diagnostics. I am already saddened to think of the difficult decisions I will be faced with and the knowledge that back home, things would turn out differently. But that is reality, and I will do the best that I can. Obviously volunteering at home is important too and I hope to do more of that in my future once fellowship is over. And to the sentiment that these trips are useless, well, I saw what a big difference my med school was to Haiti- going at regular intervals, setting up clinics with local people employed there, people now able to see doctors that have never seen one before...I agree there may be problems with untrained people going for a limited time and thinking they are going to save the world (sometimes they can disrupt the system), but the fact is many of us have skills we can share and do unfortunately have limited time. I recognize that part of the reason we are going is to do something different and challenge ourselves, but the goal always is to help others. I know bringing a bunch of toys and things is not going to change the fact that most of these kids will never be adopted, but at least it can be a bright spot in their lives. The money we are paying for room and board helps the local people employed there. I think the biggest lessons to learn from this are - we aren't going to change Arusha in a major way but we can make a small impact and to focus on what we are there for and give our best for the short time we are there.
Ok now I am getting very philosophical for a minute, now changing pace to something more light hearted- after the month in Arusha, we will continue on to our honeymoon in South Africa. It is somewhere we always wanted to visit. I have been fascinated with great white sharks since I was young and am pumped at the chance to cage dive with them. Reading more about South Africa, I was excited to do things like climb Table Mountain, see penguins on the beach, and stay in a B&B in wine country. We made some nice reservations for dinners (the rand the currency is not doing well compared to the dollar so things are fairly inexpensive there). Then we are going to Kruger National Park for a proper safari- as an animal lover I am very excited to see these wild animals.
Anyways, we will have spotty internet so may not be able to post too much but I will try to update as best I can.
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