The day to day of it in Makumira Village

My Tanzanian Family in Makumira Village

Take a look, folks. Just click on the above title and it will take you to my facebook album.
This album is a bit of what I experience on a daily basis at home with my family in Makumira Village.

Hospital adventures in a 3rd world country: Patience and an acceptance of discomfort

Ah, yes.......sometimes you get sick when you are adjusting to new lands. I did. I thought the worst was over and that I was feeling better. However, when I woke this morning my stomach was quite unsettled. Everyone wanted me to go to the hospital....except me. I figured that I was just adjusting and that I had to deal with the minor discomfort during that process. Unpleasant, but whatever. I realized that the people here at the school are essentially my caretakers and want to make sure that I am okay, so I went more so to make them feel better.

My, oh my.....I'm sure it wasn't as bad as I remember. Most things seem unpleasant when you are not able to eat and constantly feel like you are going to throw up. In no way am I trying to make this place seem uncivilized because there are many beautiful, amazing, vibrant things about this place. Some things are true, though....and this is definitely a developing country. On that note, I am just going to share my experience.

The building was very small and luckily the wait was not long. I did not feel like the receptionists were very nice, but maybe that was just because of their lack of English. Translation can be difficult, both language and body when you are in an unfamiliar culture. Sometimes you get sick of being stared at for being a muzungu (white person), especially when you feel like total crap, but it is the way of things.

Unfortunately the doctor did not speak very good english. I had memorized the swahili words for vomit, fever and pain. He did a lot of smiling and nodding. He sent me to the bathroom for some samples. In my already nauseated state, the state of the bathroom did not help one bit.

The picture may not portray, but neither the toilet nor the sink worked. I was really not interested in using the water in the large orange bucket for any purpose.

And then random bedpans.....for me to use??? I did not. I do not think of myself as a germ-a-phobe. Hell, I'm a country girl that grew up with no running water, running around barefoot on gravel roads.....but this tested me a little bit. 

I had to wait an hour for the results, so I just sat in the parking lot. I decided to call Cully, who is just over in Kenya. It was so nice to hear a familiar voice. I was so grateful to have an old friend for a tired ear in an unfamiliar landscape. His project is going well and he was on the coast of Lake Victoria getting ready to take a boat to a small island where he may have a subject for his documentary on urban migration. As we were talking, my phone ran out of minutes. Crap. It was getting hot, I had hardly eaten and my water bottle was getting low. I was not going back in that bathroom. 

Needless to say, they found nothing wrong. I told the doctor that I was just sick and he asked me if I wanted anti-nausea pills. Yes, please. If that is all that I got out of it, then it was a success. So I went to collect my medicine and found out that I had to pay. I was told that it was free....I did not have enough money on me and they did not take cards....Awkward. So I have an I.O.U. with the medical center. 

Then I realized, because my phone was dead, I had no way to get a hold of the driver to let him know that I was ready. I waited and then waited some more.....then finally I reluctantly asked the hospital staff if they could phone him for me. It worked. 

Then for the bumpy, bumpy, fast, swerving, braking, bumpy half hour ride back to the school. All in a days work, right?

I was greeted back at the school with smiles and hugs and sentiments of well-wishes for my health. The people at TCDC are so wonderful and warm. They made it all better. 

I realize that this qualifies as complaining. Sorry for that. It is just part of my experience and I would regret not sharing the bad along with the good. In a way, I am doing this just as much for you all as I am for me. I don't even know if anyone is reading this! 

Well, tomorrow is a new day. Today is already improving.

Too much information???

So, do you want to know about everything?!  Weekend #1=sickness

It is true....I got the sickness.....hopefully it was part of my initiation to Africa and I will be super strong from the experience.
I think it was just the stomach flu. I have felt fine this whole time, but something got to me in the middle of the night. I realize that I am going through a lot of adjustments: weather, food, water, day to day experiences. There is so much to take in. It was probably my body going, "Hey, wait!!!! I am taking in too may new things all at once and I am overwhelmed. Blargh!!!!!
So, yes....I was unable to keep anything down, even water....for probably about 10 hours...then a little rest and then the fever came. My family was so sweet. They checked on me all the time and made sure that I had plenty of water and fresh juice that they made from FRESH watermelon, bananas, mangos, oranges, avocados.....so good. Chakula polepole.....food slowly.....

I have to say, I did start to feel a bit sorry for myself later on. Just as my fever of 100.2 was breaking and I was covered in sweat, the power went out. Which means that my fan quit working. I feel lucky enough as it is to have a fan, but when you are so, so sick......it is kind of a big deal in terms of securing what little comfort there is. The room was so hot and the air just quit moving and I felt like I was burning up. I survived.

Geez! It seems so odd to be blogging about my sickness, but it is part of my journey. It pretty much is like being sick anywhere....except trying to communicate in a different language has its challenges. There were lots of hand gestures to the stomach and the head. Thank god that is over.

I was talking with my baba and he said to please wake them up if I ever get sick in the night. He says that in their culture, people want to visit and be around someone when they are sick. There are many cultural differences. I just figure, when I am sick, that my body just has to work it out. The extra caring is always nice. It is a bit awkward to be sick in someone's home that you have only known for 4 days!

On that note, here is a poem that I learned of a few months ago. It is a Rainer Maria Rilke poem translated by Joanna Macy. I first heard it when she was interviewed by Krista Tippet on the NPR program, On Being. The podcast that this poem is in is called: A wild love for the world. I love it and have it on my iPod and listen to it when I need to be brought back to earth. I listened to this while waiting to depart from Minneapolis and then again this morning as I was coming back to life from the sickness.

"God speaks to each of us as he makes us. Then walks with us silently out of the night.
These are the words we dimly hear:
You, sent out beyond your recall, go to the limits of your longing. Embody me.
Flare up like flame and make big shadows that I can move in.
Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror.
Just keep going.
No feeling is final.
Don't let yourself loose me.
Nearby is the country they call life. You will know it by its seriousness.
Give me your hand. "

I hope this finds you in good health. Minnesota and Wisconsin, I hear that you have freezing rain coming. Please be safe! Just as you may worry about me over here, I still worry about all of my loved ones back home.

Much love,
Sadie

My Tanzanian Family and Life in Makumira Village

I have now moved in with my host family in Makumira Village, which is about 2.5 km from the school.    The walk takes about 30 minutes and is definitely lively. The road is very busy and you have to walk right alongside the road. All types of automobiles, bicycles, motorcycles, and people are all whizzing by in what seems like a very chaotic manner. It will take some getting used to, but the view of the countryside makes up for the chaos of the road. 

My family, the Tikai's, are an absolute delight. How you call your mother and father is different here. My mother is Evaline and my father is James, however, culturally, I call my mother Mama Vivian and my father Baba Venance. Vivian is the eldest and Venance is the oldest son. Vivian is 15 and I have not met her yet as she is in boarding school near Arusha town. Venance is 13 and a very good artist. Brian is 11 and he and I have played soccer together and they both like to help me with my Swahili. Victor is about a year and a half and just walks around being cute. James speaks very good English, but the others speak very little. However, we still hang out and try to communicate.....or just hang out and smile at each other!

In this picture is Victor, the youngest, Venance-the one in the middle and Brian on the right. They are so sweet. I look forward to getting to know them better and take more pictures of them. 

Mama Vivian cooks on a very cool, small cast iron stove that is fueled with wood. I want one! In this picture she is making chapati--sort of like a crepe or a tortilla. I plan to have her teach me how to make them. So far I have been no help around the kitchen! They just want me to sit back and be comfortable. The food is so good! It is all fresh from the local market. Lots of mango, bananas, watermelon, greens, beans, meat, vegetables---so so good. I am being fed very well. I hope to get more involved in the kitchen, but for now I just try to observe and take it all in while I speak my very, very limited Swahili. Sema polepole! Speak slowly!

Here is a picture of Brian and Victor playing soccer with me in the yard.......

I have my own room and a fan!!!!!!!! Those of you who know me well, know that I love sleeping with a fan. My bed looks like a princess bed with the mosquito net. 

I was able to fit lots of little pieces of home in my bag to personalize my space. I have pictures on my wall that my nephew, Augie drew for me, A drawing from my mom (Mama Casey!) and a drawing from my brother, Casey. Warm fuzzies. 

This is the drawing from my mom. Sometimes mothers know just what to say....or draw....it is from a Robert Frost poem: "They would not find me changed...only more sure of all I thought was true."

There is so much more to say, but I don't want to test the internet too much! It won't let me add any more photos. I also figure that if I keep these posts brief, you will not get bored with them!!! Then I can lure you in for when I want to get more poetic and philosophical! 

Love, Sadie

Links to photo albums!

Hello! For those of you who do not have a facebook account (mom and dad!) here are the links for my extended photo albums: Just click on the titles below.

Arusha National Park--A grand day out!


Arrival in Tanzania!!!!!

The flurry of arrival

Good morning everyone! Karibu Africa!--That means welcome to Africa in Kiswahili.

I am now on day 3 of being in Tanzania and I honestly don't know where to begin. My brain, eyes, mouth and ears have been working overtime. Taking so much in. It is incredible.

First things first, I am happy, healthy and well cared for. All of the people here are amazing. Tanzanians pride themselves on their sense of peace and hospitality. Everyone I have met so far is so kind and generous and welcoming with genuine smiles that come so easy. In this picture is Steven Ndosi and Natalie. Steven picked us up at the Kilimanjaro airport and has been taking the absolute best care of us. Yesterday he told me, as we were walking, "You are my daughter now and it is my job to make sure that you leave Tanzania in better health than when you came." He is an absolute delight. Natalie is my program mate and is also a wonderful travel companion and I look forward to sharing this experience with her.

So, general information: The flight was fine. It went fast and the jet lag really wasn't bad. Free wine!!!!
We got picked up at the airport after about 20 hours of travel and were taken directly to the school, MS-TCDC. We have stayed at the school for the first 3 nights.

On out first day, Steven took us into Arusha to change money and get cell phones. Wow. It was the most organized chaos I have ever wandered through; trying not be be a wide-eyed, gawking westerner. So much traffic and people walking and driving on broken streets and sidewalks. I tried my best to pay attention as Steven shared pieces of information with me; "Those are the dala dala bus. The stripe on the side represents the direction they go from the center of town. The ones with the Green stripe that say Usa River will take you to the school." Okay. Check. Got it.

And.........the obligatory toilet picture..........

I also can't help a good ol' construction picture.

The air in the countryside is sooooooo sweet smelling. I don't know how to describe it. The air is warm and there is normally a light breeze. It is normally in the 80's (I think....I haven't checked a forecast since I got here). At the school, all you hear is birds and monkeys and people laughing and speaking swahili, which is a beautiful sounding language. 

Yesterday, Steven and Aziz took us to Arusha National Forest. It was so beautiful and the landscape changed so much throughout the entire 5+ hour drive. I will post more photos later, but here is a good one of us under two fig trees that grew together:

This is Steven Ndosi, our super fantastic guide, facilitator, friend, everything....

Here are a few pictures of the MC-TCDC campus:

That is all for now folks. The electricity and internet connection is very slow here. This has taken me hours to do (over the course of the day)!

Very soon we go meet our host families!!!!!! We will move into our homes tonight in the village of Makumira about 2.5 km from the school. 

I hope that you all are doing well and staying warm and healthy. 

Love, Sadie

Sadie enters the 21st Century!

This is it. My very first blog post on my last day of work. This is basically a "testing, testing, 1, 2, 3..." kind of post. So, I thought I would share some pictures of the dorky stuff we get up to in the office when we aren't saving the world by combustion analysis, blower door tests, and infrared cameras. I am going to miss working with you amazing people. I have been at Sustainable Resources Center (SRC) for 9 years!!!!
I hope to add to that tally again someday. Ya'll do amazing work. 

So long SRC. I'll be back.