December 25th, 2008
Christmas Njema (Merry Christmas in Swahili) Today we got up early to have a party on the beach with the orphans from Umuma (the local orphanage here). Everyone had lots of fun. I brought bubbles from home which the kids loved, including the older kids. The bubbles ended up having a dual purpose when I saw all the kids with heads full of bubbles, they were using the bubbles as shampoo in the ocean. Some of the kids kept coming up to me with shells and saying, “chakula” which is food in Swahili, then one little girl proceeded to eat the entire shell! I realized they were eating the sea slugs and hermit crabs and some of them would just eat the entire shell. Around here everyone flip flops there r’s and l’s, so jelly fish are called, “jerry fish” and one of the unlucky volunteers got a terrible sting and had to go to the hospital today.
After the beach, we took all of the kids back to our house for roasted goat, veggies, grilled bananas and coca-cola which is a huge treat. I noticed after lunch all of the kids were wrapping up any leftover food in napkins, so we got them aluminum foil and gave them tons of leftovers. Normally, these poor kids only get ugali (a local staple which is like porridge, but has very little nutrients.) After lunch was dance party time and those kids could get down and they were loving the music. It was really fun.
So, last night I woke up to tons of smoke and an awful smell pouring through my mosquito net. There was a steady stream of smoke coming in my window right into my face and smelled like burning hair. I thought the place next door was on fire and went running outside. Well, there was Tumes the night security guard grilling a chicken (feathers and all) right outside my window. He exclaimed with a huge smile, “I cook kuku!” It was 3 in morning and he kindly offered me some black chicken. Anyway, I had to wait out the cooking before going back to bed…..
Monday, December 29, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Nataka pipi "I want candy"
December 23rd, 2008
All of the kids ask me for candy when they see me now since I gave them tootsie rolls and dumdums from home.
E-mail is working today for the second time since I have been here and some friends wrote and said it snowed a foot in Seattle! I can’t even imagine snow right now. It is boiling HOT here. I tried to explain the concept of snow to the local kids in our neighborhood and we made snowflakes. Not sure they knew what I was talking about, but they liked the snow flakes…
Some of the other volunteers work at the orphanage. I get to work with the orphans at Amani club which is a special club for the kids with HIV, orphans etc. We decided we’d make name tags to learn the kids names, so we gave them each a blank name tag and a crayon. We were writing our names on the board to show them what to do. When we turned around and asked them to start writing their names, all of the crayons seemed to be missing…..I couldn’t figure out if they’d stolen the crayons which is definitely a problem with some of the kids, so I kept asking where the crayons were…Well, one child started smiling and kept saying pipi (pronounced peepee). His smile was blue! Then I realized there were green, orange, yellow, red smiles all around. Yes, all of the kids had eaten the crayons because they thought they were candy. Pipi is the word for candy here. No more name tags!
One more funny story, I just remembered. I was chatting with the guard and some of his friends this morning practicing my Swahili. I wanted to say, “I want to learn more Swahili.” Instead, I apparently said, “I want to shower in Swahili more.” The guys were cracking up. Kind of embarrassing, but less embarrassing than something else I accidentally said last week which was much worse.
An important lesson I have learned here is that when people say sure, why not or of course they do not necessarily mean sure, why not or of course. They just use these phrases for everything. So, when I asked if the bjage (3 wheeled taxi) was coming to pick me up for a home visit, Musa said, “of course!” Then, 30 minutes later, I asked, “are you certain the bjage is on it’s way?” His response, “Sure. Of course.” Finally, I asked in swahili, “did you call Asan?” (Asan is the bjage driver). Musa said, “No, I didn’t.”
Another lesson, if someone tells you that it takes 10 minutes to walk somehwere, what they really mean is at least two hours! One little girl, melulu wanted to take me to her house to meet her family. She said she lived ten minutes away. After 10 minutes, I asked, "how much further?" She said, "just past those mango trees." Well, surprise, surprise, no house past the mango trees. Then she said it was just past the coconut grove. Again, her house is nowhere in sight and I am completely lost at this point. Finally, after walking for an hour, we had to turn around....
The staff at the house and at UKUN have started calling me, “poa dada Melissa,” which I am taking as a compliment because it means, “cool sista”. Friends call each other dada (sister) and kaka (brother). The culture here is very affectionate and boys hold each other’s hands and so do girls walking down the street. However, it is not acceptable to show public displays of affection for someone of the opposite sex and homosexuality is completely taboo and not accepted here. Polygamy is commonly practiced here and I have gotten a few marriage proposals from strangers on the street which I have politely turned down. The first wife is known as, “First Mama.” Everyone here is religious. A couple of the volunteers are atheist or agnostic and explaining that concept is impossible, so they just say they are Christian or Muslim. Most people here on the coast are muslim.
All of the kids ask me for candy when they see me now since I gave them tootsie rolls and dumdums from home.
E-mail is working today for the second time since I have been here and some friends wrote and said it snowed a foot in Seattle! I can’t even imagine snow right now. It is boiling HOT here. I tried to explain the concept of snow to the local kids in our neighborhood and we made snowflakes. Not sure they knew what I was talking about, but they liked the snow flakes…
Some of the other volunteers work at the orphanage. I get to work with the orphans at Amani club which is a special club for the kids with HIV, orphans etc. We decided we’d make name tags to learn the kids names, so we gave them each a blank name tag and a crayon. We were writing our names on the board to show them what to do. When we turned around and asked them to start writing their names, all of the crayons seemed to be missing…..I couldn’t figure out if they’d stolen the crayons which is definitely a problem with some of the kids, so I kept asking where the crayons were…Well, one child started smiling and kept saying pipi (pronounced peepee). His smile was blue! Then I realized there were green, orange, yellow, red smiles all around. Yes, all of the kids had eaten the crayons because they thought they were candy. Pipi is the word for candy here. No more name tags!
One more funny story, I just remembered. I was chatting with the guard and some of his friends this morning practicing my Swahili. I wanted to say, “I want to learn more Swahili.” Instead, I apparently said, “I want to shower in Swahili more.” The guys were cracking up. Kind of embarrassing, but less embarrassing than something else I accidentally said last week which was much worse.
An important lesson I have learned here is that when people say sure, why not or of course they do not necessarily mean sure, why not or of course. They just use these phrases for everything. So, when I asked if the bjage (3 wheeled taxi) was coming to pick me up for a home visit, Musa said, “of course!” Then, 30 minutes later, I asked, “are you certain the bjage is on it’s way?” His response, “Sure. Of course.” Finally, I asked in swahili, “did you call Asan?” (Asan is the bjage driver). Musa said, “No, I didn’t.”
Another lesson, if someone tells you that it takes 10 minutes to walk somehwere, what they really mean is at least two hours! One little girl, melulu wanted to take me to her house to meet her family. She said she lived ten minutes away. After 10 minutes, I asked, "how much further?" She said, "just past those mango trees." Well, surprise, surprise, no house past the mango trees. Then she said it was just past the coconut grove. Again, her house is nowhere in sight and I am completely lost at this point. Finally, after walking for an hour, we had to turn around....
The staff at the house and at UKUN have started calling me, “poa dada Melissa,” which I am taking as a compliment because it means, “cool sista”. Friends call each other dada (sister) and kaka (brother). The culture here is very affectionate and boys hold each other’s hands and so do girls walking down the street. However, it is not acceptable to show public displays of affection for someone of the opposite sex and homosexuality is completely taboo and not accepted here. Polygamy is commonly practiced here and I have gotten a few marriage proposals from strangers on the street which I have politely turned down. The first wife is known as, “First Mama.” Everyone here is religious. A couple of the volunteers are atheist or agnostic and explaining that concept is impossible, so they just say they are Christian or Muslim. Most people here on the coast are muslim.
December 21st, 2008:
Today is the start of my second week. I’ve decided which projects I am going to help with this week, as UKUN needs a lot of help to say the least.
Projects for this week are:
Building the duck pen for Mwanahawa.
Writing a grant to the Stephen Lewis foundation to try and get money for an IGA (income generating activities). We visited Zinga last week which is the most productive poultry farm here. We needed to understand costs, how it works etc. We’ll try and implement it here as a co-op with a woman’s group in the village to help those that have HIV/Aids/malaria, etc.
The last project is to help develop a curriculum for HIV/Aids education for the secondary school children (ages 14-21). We had a lesson, open discussion and answered anonymous questions on HIV/Aids with several of the local schools. The kids were much more likely to open up and ask questions when their teacher was not in the room. Many of the teachers were happy we were teaching about HIV/Aids, but one teacher undermined everything we were trying to do by telling the students that condoms only worked 50% of the time. It was extremely frustrating. We also had the kids fill out surveys. They were very open and honest. Now, we can go back and address their questions and hopefully follow progress on their perceptions/education every six months. At least that is the plan. Several students said they thought HIV came because the government in the USA made it in a laboratory to kill people in Africa. It was heart breaking to hear that was what they thought. Of course, we explained this was absolutely not true. Some students explained to us that it was taboo/against their traditions to use condoms. We asked them how they thought they could prevent the spread of HIV. Many students thought by fearing god more they wouldn’t get infected. On the other hand, many students believed condoms worked and I could tell they trusted us. I am definitely starting to bond with some of the students. They ask me a lot of questions and I really think they believe what I tell them. At least I hope I am getting through to some of them.
One idea I have proposed is to have an open forum where we meet with some of the traditional healers in the villages to understand their ways/beliefs and we can also share with them our beliefs, etc. Charles, the director here who is a native of Bagamoyo loved the idea, so he presented it to the council. Yes, they have a council of traditional healers that meets regularly. The traditional healers council has decided that yes, they would like to meet with us.
As a side note, someone is trying to sell me peanuts right now at this internet cafe (place, it is definitely not a cafe), so it is taking forever to write this...Also, ants are crawling all over me.
Today is the start of my second week. I’ve decided which projects I am going to help with this week, as UKUN needs a lot of help to say the least.
Projects for this week are:
Building the duck pen for Mwanahawa.
Writing a grant to the Stephen Lewis foundation to try and get money for an IGA (income generating activities). We visited Zinga last week which is the most productive poultry farm here. We needed to understand costs, how it works etc. We’ll try and implement it here as a co-op with a woman’s group in the village to help those that have HIV/Aids/malaria, etc.
The last project is to help develop a curriculum for HIV/Aids education for the secondary school children (ages 14-21). We had a lesson, open discussion and answered anonymous questions on HIV/Aids with several of the local schools. The kids were much more likely to open up and ask questions when their teacher was not in the room. Many of the teachers were happy we were teaching about HIV/Aids, but one teacher undermined everything we were trying to do by telling the students that condoms only worked 50% of the time. It was extremely frustrating. We also had the kids fill out surveys. They were very open and honest. Now, we can go back and address their questions and hopefully follow progress on their perceptions/education every six months. At least that is the plan. Several students said they thought HIV came because the government in the USA made it in a laboratory to kill people in Africa. It was heart breaking to hear that was what they thought. Of course, we explained this was absolutely not true. Some students explained to us that it was taboo/against their traditions to use condoms. We asked them how they thought they could prevent the spread of HIV. Many students thought by fearing god more they wouldn’t get infected. On the other hand, many students believed condoms worked and I could tell they trusted us. I am definitely starting to bond with some of the students. They ask me a lot of questions and I really think they believe what I tell them. At least I hope I am getting through to some of them.
One idea I have proposed is to have an open forum where we meet with some of the traditional healers in the villages to understand their ways/beliefs and we can also share with them our beliefs, etc. Charles, the director here who is a native of Bagamoyo loved the idea, so he presented it to the council. Yes, they have a council of traditional healers that meets regularly. The traditional healers council has decided that yes, they would like to meet with us.
As a side note, someone is trying to sell me peanuts right now at this internet cafe (place, it is definitely not a cafe), so it is taking forever to write this...Also, ants are crawling all over me.
Dec, 19th 2008
Wiki moja (week one) is over. It’s gone by pretty fast, but I have learned so much and done so much this week. As a volunteer you see the direct and dramatic impact of AIDs/HIV in the Bagamoyo community. Truly though, poverty is the root cause of the problems here. Lack of education is also a huge problem, especially for girls. 85% of the people here earn less than a dollar a day. Despite the extreme poverty, the people here seem very happy (for the most part) and thankful for the smallest gestures of kindness. They are also very generous.
On my first day, I had a quick orientation which included learning how to give an HIV test. A little scary dealing with needles…There is a VCT (volunteer counseling and testing center) here at UKUN. Normally, I won’t be giving the HIV tests, but this week a local woman walked three hours to get here and the director wasn’t going to be in, so I had to give the test. There was a counselor here who could speak to the woman in Swahili. Luckily, she was negative.
This week, I have done many home visits. During home visits we bring nutritious food to the sick patient(s) and their families, clean water and meds (ARVs-anti retro virals). We also check in on them, to check for progress/deterioration, etc. The people are so excited to see us when we come.
I was in charge of buying all of the food for the home visits. Miraculously, I have learned enough Swahili to ask for everything I need which includes eggs, oranges, potatoes, clean water, and orange juice. Mango juice is a treat so I got some of that too. UKUN sent Luka, a local masai who guards UKUN at night with me to the market so I wouldn’t get “muzungu” (gringo) prices. Everyone here is on “TFT” which Mama C and Zik say is Tanzania flex time. No one is in a hurry and you just can’t go by a watch around here. Plus people love to stop and greet you which can take a long time, as we go through every possible greeting they think I might know in Swahili. Mostly, I say “poa” in response to all greetings. Poa means, “it’s cool.” It’s considered rude if you don’t stop for a chat. The trip to the market was interesting and everyone was staring at me, but it was a success and I got lots of good healthy food. A few of the families/patients we visited were:
Mwanahawa. She is an HIV + woman probably in her forties living with 5 grand kids in a one room mud house. Her husband left her when he found out she was HIV +. There is a stigma here towards people with HIV. Her kids brought us sugar cane to say thanks for the meds and food. Mwanahawa needs to have a duck coop built that attaches to her house. Currently, she brings her ducks inside her home at night b/c if she left them outside they would get stolen. So, 6 ducks and 5 people are all under one roof-completely unsanitary and very sad. We took pictures and are going to build a duck coop next week, so she won’t have to sleep with the ducks.
Mariam is the next woman we visited. She is HIV + and bed ridden. She was really happy to see us and especially excited for the mango juice. She wanted us to take a picture of her whole family, so we did and we’ll give it to them next week. I almost lost it on this visit –it was just so sad to see how she was….Of course, I kept it together, but I am definitely not used to this.
The last visit of the day was a happy one. We went to see Salamai Abdalla and her 4 quadruplets (1 girl, 3 boys). It was close to their first birthday, so we brought toys and cake and had a little celebration. The babies (mtoto) are as cute as can be and super smiley. All 5 are HIV+, but everyone was feeling good today and very happy (Nafurahi). Trying to learn my Swahili so I can speak with everyone!! The language is hard for me. The way it’s written is not always how it is spoken and there was a brief period when it was only a spoken language.
Wiki moja (week one) is over. It’s gone by pretty fast, but I have learned so much and done so much this week. As a volunteer you see the direct and dramatic impact of AIDs/HIV in the Bagamoyo community. Truly though, poverty is the root cause of the problems here. Lack of education is also a huge problem, especially for girls. 85% of the people here earn less than a dollar a day. Despite the extreme poverty, the people here seem very happy (for the most part) and thankful for the smallest gestures of kindness. They are also very generous.
On my first day, I had a quick orientation which included learning how to give an HIV test. A little scary dealing with needles…There is a VCT (volunteer counseling and testing center) here at UKUN. Normally, I won’t be giving the HIV tests, but this week a local woman walked three hours to get here and the director wasn’t going to be in, so I had to give the test. There was a counselor here who could speak to the woman in Swahili. Luckily, she was negative.
This week, I have done many home visits. During home visits we bring nutritious food to the sick patient(s) and their families, clean water and meds (ARVs-anti retro virals). We also check in on them, to check for progress/deterioration, etc. The people are so excited to see us when we come.
I was in charge of buying all of the food for the home visits. Miraculously, I have learned enough Swahili to ask for everything I need which includes eggs, oranges, potatoes, clean water, and orange juice. Mango juice is a treat so I got some of that too. UKUN sent Luka, a local masai who guards UKUN at night with me to the market so I wouldn’t get “muzungu” (gringo) prices. Everyone here is on “TFT” which Mama C and Zik say is Tanzania flex time. No one is in a hurry and you just can’t go by a watch around here. Plus people love to stop and greet you which can take a long time, as we go through every possible greeting they think I might know in Swahili. Mostly, I say “poa” in response to all greetings. Poa means, “it’s cool.” It’s considered rude if you don’t stop for a chat. The trip to the market was interesting and everyone was staring at me, but it was a success and I got lots of good healthy food. A few of the families/patients we visited were:
Mwanahawa. She is an HIV + woman probably in her forties living with 5 grand kids in a one room mud house. Her husband left her when he found out she was HIV +. There is a stigma here towards people with HIV. Her kids brought us sugar cane to say thanks for the meds and food. Mwanahawa needs to have a duck coop built that attaches to her house. Currently, she brings her ducks inside her home at night b/c if she left them outside they would get stolen. So, 6 ducks and 5 people are all under one roof-completely unsanitary and very sad. We took pictures and are going to build a duck coop next week, so she won’t have to sleep with the ducks.
Mariam is the next woman we visited. She is HIV + and bed ridden. She was really happy to see us and especially excited for the mango juice. She wanted us to take a picture of her whole family, so we did and we’ll give it to them next week. I almost lost it on this visit –it was just so sad to see how she was….Of course, I kept it together, but I am definitely not used to this.
The last visit of the day was a happy one. We went to see Salamai Abdalla and her 4 quadruplets (1 girl, 3 boys). It was close to their first birthday, so we brought toys and cake and had a little celebration. The babies (mtoto) are as cute as can be and super smiley. All 5 are HIV+, but everyone was feeling good today and very happy (Nafurahi). Trying to learn my Swahili so I can speak with everyone!! The language is hard for me. The way it’s written is not always how it is spoken and there was a brief period when it was only a spoken language.
December 14th
Today is my first day at UKUN, the NGO where I will be working. Zik the program director walked me to my placement. The people here are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Lots of kids wave and shout out, “Mambo Mzungu!!” The literal translation is, “What’s up, white person?” The local neighborhood kids were so excited to see me when I got home from work today. They came sprinting down the street and jumped on me. I was carrying about three of them and the others were hugging me. They’re really cute, but it is sad b/c they are starved for attention/affection. The first day they grabbed my bag which made me nervous, but it’s a sign of respect to carry someone’s bag, so they always carry my bag home for me. Lots to share about UKUN and I will write more later....
Today is my first day at UKUN, the NGO where I will be working. Zik the program director walked me to my placement. The people here are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Lots of kids wave and shout out, “Mambo Mzungu!!” The literal translation is, “What’s up, white person?” The local neighborhood kids were so excited to see me when I got home from work today. They came sprinting down the street and jumped on me. I was carrying about three of them and the others were hugging me. They’re really cute, but it is sad b/c they are starved for attention/affection. The first day they grabbed my bag which made me nervous, but it’s a sign of respect to carry someone’s bag, so they always carry my bag home for me. Lots to share about UKUN and I will write more later....
Bagamoyo...lay down your heart
December 13th
Today is my first day in Bagamoyo and I start volunteering tomorrow. Bagamoyo means lay down your heart in Swahili. The ride here was nuts. We got into a traffic jam. There was a truck that had a whole band in the back rocking out and singing which seems to be pretty normal around here. Then we ran out of pavement and ended up on a dirt road. Next we hit a barricade so we started driving through villages and trees and got stuck for about an hour at one point, but we made it. The heat is extreme here-imagine sauna plus humidity. I am sharing a bunk room with 6 people, including one woman who snores louder than I ever realized was humanly possible. Lying in bed under the mosquito net in 90 degree heat with the snoring woman in the room is not conducive to a good night’s rest. Maybe I will get used to it. OK-now on to the shower situation. There is one shower/bathroom for 12 people. The water isn’t heated which is actually really nice b/c it is so joto (HOT). Sometimes, the water just stops so you end up with soap and can’t rinse off. I learned this the hard way the first time and went to bed covered in soap. You are supposed to shower with a bucket underneath the running water in case the water stops and then you can use the bucket and take a bucket shower. Needless, to say, it really makes me appreciate what I have at home. We also have it really good here at the “homebase” compared to the locals here, so really, I can’t complain.
Today is my first day in Bagamoyo and I start volunteering tomorrow. Bagamoyo means lay down your heart in Swahili. The ride here was nuts. We got into a traffic jam. There was a truck that had a whole band in the back rocking out and singing which seems to be pretty normal around here. Then we ran out of pavement and ended up on a dirt road. Next we hit a barricade so we started driving through villages and trees and got stuck for about an hour at one point, but we made it. The heat is extreme here-imagine sauna plus humidity. I am sharing a bunk room with 6 people, including one woman who snores louder than I ever realized was humanly possible. Lying in bed under the mosquito net in 90 degree heat with the snoring woman in the room is not conducive to a good night’s rest. Maybe I will get used to it. OK-now on to the shower situation. There is one shower/bathroom for 12 people. The water isn’t heated which is actually really nice b/c it is so joto (HOT). Sometimes, the water just stops so you end up with soap and can’t rinse off. I learned this the hard way the first time and went to bed covered in soap. You are supposed to shower with a bucket underneath the running water in case the water stops and then you can use the bucket and take a bucket shower. Needless, to say, it really makes me appreciate what I have at home. We also have it really good here at the “homebase” compared to the locals here, so really, I can’t complain.
Arriving in Dar....
December 11th, 2008
The Prime Minister of Tanzania was on my flight from Amsterdam to Dar Es Salaam. Pretty exciting and finally, someone to practice my Swahili with….He and his entourage pulled up to the plane in a black limo and many diplomats boarded the plane to say their goodbyes. He and his entourage were enjoying champagne during the flight to Dar. Once I arrived in Dar, I was pretty out of it, considering I had been traveling for close to 40 hours. When I went to the taxi to get in the driver kept saying something, but I just hopped in the front seat and realized I had gotten into the driver’s seat. He was looking at me like I was crazy, but laughing. Then on the way to the hotel he ran a red light and we almost had a wreck. I screamed and he said, “Hakuna matata, it’s ok to run red lights here, not like the states.”
Xie He met me that night. She is one of the volunteers and she’s from China. She is going by “Emma” b/c no one can pronounce her Chinese name correctly. Emma scared me half to death in the middle of the night b/c she started screaming out in Chinese. The next morning we went to the museum (safi sana!) and to the bank to exchange money and things are definitely different here-not efficient at all. They told us to wait in one line to find out what we needed. That took an hour, then we went to another line and it ended up that was for travelers checks…Anyway, during the hours of waiting in various lines, Emma met a young Chinese man that she told me she had a crush on and that he could get us a better exchange rate elsewhere, so we left with him. When we got to his car, it had a car boot and the police wouldn’t unlock it until he gave them a ridiculous amount of money. Today, I have learned more Chinese than Swahili. :)
The Prime Minister of Tanzania was on my flight from Amsterdam to Dar Es Salaam. Pretty exciting and finally, someone to practice my Swahili with….He and his entourage pulled up to the plane in a black limo and many diplomats boarded the plane to say their goodbyes. He and his entourage were enjoying champagne during the flight to Dar. Once I arrived in Dar, I was pretty out of it, considering I had been traveling for close to 40 hours. When I went to the taxi to get in the driver kept saying something, but I just hopped in the front seat and realized I had gotten into the driver’s seat. He was looking at me like I was crazy, but laughing. Then on the way to the hotel he ran a red light and we almost had a wreck. I screamed and he said, “Hakuna matata, it’s ok to run red lights here, not like the states.”
Xie He met me that night. She is one of the volunteers and she’s from China. She is going by “Emma” b/c no one can pronounce her Chinese name correctly. Emma scared me half to death in the middle of the night b/c she started screaming out in Chinese. The next morning we went to the museum (safi sana!) and to the bank to exchange money and things are definitely different here-not efficient at all. They told us to wait in one line to find out what we needed. That took an hour, then we went to another line and it ended up that was for travelers checks…Anyway, during the hours of waiting in various lines, Emma met a young Chinese man that she told me she had a crush on and that he could get us a better exchange rate elsewhere, so we left with him. When we got to his car, it had a car boot and the police wouldn’t unlock it until he gave them a ridiculous amount of money. Today, I have learned more Chinese than Swahili. :)
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