"Kweli" au "Sikweli"

--> Week 4 in Moshi

The week has been packed once again, such that even when you think that nothing much is happening, lots of things have happened.  Personally, the highlights had to do with meetings rather than views.  The weather has just dried up.  No rain, lots of dust, hot, a big power out (when we least expected it!), and though the mountain has been out each and every day, the dust sort of dulls your desire to go racing out to catch her splendor one more time.  It is even hard to drive downtown because it is so hot and dusty you just feel drained by the time you return.

One of our favorite actors, David, and Chrissy

There were some fun things.  Chrissy awarded certificates to the Usalama Barabarani group, and they were all very pleased.  They were quite serious as they completed surveys and focus groups regarding the dramas to the schools, and it was touching to see and to hear from them about how much the group meant to them.  (a bit surprising as well).  Thanks to St. Margaret’s Church for allowing the group to meet and practice there.  We could talk about the word “serious” forever, and as well “Kweli” au “Sikweli”. (True or false) These three words will forever have changed meanings for Chrissy and I, and will probably send us into gales of laughter for the rest of our lives.  Yet, I’m not sure anyone else would think they are so funny.

Moshi Youth CAB

Fearless Facilitator John

Great Coordinator Ema and resident Comic Vincent

The Moshi Youth CAB also met again, and talked about difficult topics, but their comments help the rest of us in understanding what young people are thinking about, what their attitudes and beliefs are about HIV-research, stigma, disclosure, and how you can get along well with one another.  I love this group as there are all sorts of young people in it.  They come from all around Moshi, and they come from different backgrounds.  All are familiar with HIV, though some more intimately than others, but everyone knows someone with HIV or someone who has died from HIV, and most have some family member or another who has been personally affected by HIV.  So all the discussions become personal and quite thoughtful.

The "New Jerusalem"!

John, Chrissy and I ventured out to eat at a new Ethiopian restaurant in Moshi.  Aptly named “Lalibella” (the amazing place in Ethiopia with the temples underground) we were so excited particularly because the menu was posted and looked good.  We encouraged to sit down, and only after doing so were we told that the restaurant actually didn’t have Ethiopian food (except on Thursdays sometimes) because the restaurant was so new, and the clientele had not grown enough.  This is so Tanzanian I have to say.  But, we did get the owner’s name and she promised that if we called a day ahead, she would prepare the food for us, so all was not in vain and we hope that soon the food will be in our bellies!

Our lovely church and our new Pastor Jason

Our new pastor at St. Margarets arrived last week as well.  A long awaited arrival.  His first sermon was great.  We are looking forward to getting to know his family and he much better, although John will be traveling so much that I think the “get to know” will happen when we return in 2014! 

So, I’m happy to just sit typing away today, reading protocols and making plans.  Hopefully the weather will change and we can hop up from the doldrums.  But, who knows.  It can stay hot and dusty for quite a long while here.  (Kweli au SiKweli?)

Three Weeks In Moshi

  As always, much has happened in just a week and a few days.  You know when you think that nothing much is happening and then look back; you discover that it is packed with just small details that make our experience here rich and a bit crazy!. (Chrissy dreamed that we were in Prohibition and had only one beer to share amongst the three of us--that would not be a rich experience!)

Kilimanjaro in October 2013 (without the June snow)

We are at the beginning of week 4 in Moshi.

Lots of my time has revolved around Chrissy’s drama project and the resurgence of the Moshi Youth CAB. So, I will begin there! 

The whole drama group + Chrissy

I reported on the last blog that the young drama workshop kids were evolving their own play about road safety that was to be performed for primary schools, and I reported on the first school.  Thankfully, the other schools were all in much better shape than the first, which was broken down and dusty. The school obviously housed extremely poor children with little teacher input, particularly at the drama.  The rest of the schools had teachers on hand, though each school had its own challenges.  One school, for instance, had children nicely lined up very orderly, and I was even worried that they wouldn’t want to watch the drama—but, they share a school yard with another much poorer school, and as soon as the teachers saw that our assigned school was going to participate in this drama, they let their children out and suddenly we moved from 300 students to 600.  

Pict shows < 1/3 of the children present-imagine turning camera

 It was sort of like one of the scary soccer games in which people are trampled.  Fortunately, the children were pretty small, so not too much horribleness could occur.  At the next three schools, the physical structures were better, and the dramas improved with each performance.  (The dying scenes were especially dramatic) 

Death from boda boda

 At our last school, we were inside, a touch that was appreciated as it poured rain for about 10 minutes. It was amazing to feel the spritz’s of rain (inside means that there was a roof and chicken wire around the sides and a concrete block floor). 

Boda boda driver....poor pedestrian who ran into the road

Nice to see the outdoors and feel the rain

With all the school performances, I particularly loved the way the drama group improvised to make motorcycles (very popular here now) bicycles, and buses.  Following the performances, we had final surveys and a focus group and a small celebration with certificates.  I was the lucky person to go to the “certificate store” to have the certificates made.  The store is tiny, and there is a great deal going on.  These are the months through December for weddings, “send-off”s, Confirmations, and baptisms.  The whole front desk was filled with rolls of different colored ribbons, and girls were matching swatches of fabric to the ribbons, calling on cell phones for the right width, and then looking at all sorts of templates for their invitations.  I looked like a pathetic old hag as I handed over my flash and asked for just 26 certificates and ok’d the first type of paper shown to me.  I had no idea how long it would take to get them printed, and just assumed that, like everything else in Moshi, it would get done even if I were racing to the meeting with them in hand.  As it turned out, despite the chaos surrounding me, suddenly within 30 minutes, my certificates were presented to me, I ran into two old friends and had time to say a few words of greetings, and off I went, clear that I had one more store with people who wouldn’t soon forget me.

The Moshi Youth CAB met for the first time since last Spring.  They are tackling tough problems such as the importance of HIV-research, disclosure, stigma, medication adherence, and “ways forward”.  It is exciting to see the number of young people who are attending, and even more who want to attend, and our leaders, John, Ema and Prisca are absolutely fabulous.  They will meet again this Saturday and then have two more meetings before the end of the year.  I thoroughly enjoy being with these kids. Not surprisingly everyone struggles with the issues of privacy and disclosure.  For young people the difficulties are compounded by raging hormones, and many parents or caretakers who are not understanding of the feelings of their young people.  It is our challenge to provide a safe space, and to be better carers for these young folks. Thank you Global Connections for Change for raising the money for these meetings.

Chrissy drove to town for some special hot peppers (pili pili) and the car died again right in the middle of the road.  Two of our wonderful African friends were the first to stop and stay with her until John could get there. (Thank you Greg and Terrie for once again saving our lives with your truck!!!!!) Greg’s and now our personal car “fundi” (fix it man) came out on Friday night to diagnose and tow the car.  So, clearly “our village” is big.  Greg, Terrie, Ahaz, Agnes, Deo…we couldn’t do without our amazing wonderful friends, and so grateful to them for helping out our daughter as the sun was setting. 

Fons and Sylvia's house

John, Chrissy and I set a hash at our friends Fons and Sylvia’s farm on Sunday.  It was spectacular.  They have a flower farm with absolutely beautiful flowers, vegetables and even a little coffee.  They specialize in seed farming.  We made every attempt to set a great hash, through one little village where everyone was very pleasant and I in my broken Swahili explained that we were like the Kilimanjaro Marathon and the flour was just showing the way…. But, though everyone agreed that this was good and ok, they brushed much of the flour away.  Chrissy had to run the whole hash again just to help keep anyone from being lost.  It was a successful hash in that the runners and walkers ended up coming in at the same time, but only because the runners were going in absolutely confusion looking for the new paths after the loss of flour.   

Is this the way we scouted?

Lovely water crossing

Huge banana trees on path

Chrissy checking map on her iphone

The X should be here!

second water crossing

X marks the search for more flour

 Fons had warned us not to set the hash through the village, I have to admit, but smug me thought that my new language prowess would keep the villagers happy and the flour in tact. These folks have reasons for suspicions.  They all have some beliefs in witchdoctors and in spells.  Just imagine what a white flour X might look like in front of our property.  And, they have all lost tribal land to the big farms.  Some don’t mind it because the farm provides them with good employment, but they definitely don’t want to lose more, and who knows if we wazungus were making new property lines.  Why should they believe us? No reason at all..

Beautiful Amyrillis

Bottle Brush Tree

Ngrogwe (like little tomatoes or eggplant) and workers

Queen Anne Lace field

Funny trees

Though the flour was brushed away, there seemed to be no harm done. No one lost, and lots of good beer and bites at the end of the hash.

Sylivia and Fons' horses

Maddy cannot resist a cigar

Horseback riding on the farm

No child can resist a horse (nor horses resist children)

Funny container house

We also had an amazing dinner with our friends who were born here in the Kilimanjaro region and had gone through the transition to Independence, and were very well versed in the history of this region.  If work did not interfere, we would have been up all night with them hearing their stories about tribal culture, independence, why Tanzania was ostracized after freedom, and how we can make the world a better place.  It was fabulous.  I’m not sure how many people have had the opportunity to develop such close friendships with persons outside their own culture, but it nearly beats a history lesson any day of the week.  As a history major lo those years ago, I loved every second of it. 

And then tonight, we had a lovely dinner with our Dutch friends (parents of 6 young ones).  We went to a restaurant that is well known for good cheap food, and it was, and though Muslim, they let us get beer and even brought it over themselves. It was wonderful to go out to dinner as “grown-ups”.

Chrissy and Gilead celebrate.  Thanks for so much help Gilead!

Now that Chrissy has presented the certificates--it is time to enter the data...ARGH.

Kilimanjaro this summer

The past two weeks in Moshi have been eventful, most particularly because there has not been the usual “down time” working back into culture, time differences and work.Perhaps this is a good thing, as there was never time to be bored.

It is always a joy to return to Moshi, get off the plane and have your bags all arrive with you.  For me this is a rare treat, but on this trip, there they were all accounted for.  Our project driver Able was there with a big smile, and we thoroughly enjoyed the drive back to Moshi.  Chrissy had a beer for both of us and we had time to catch up a little before going to bed. 

Chrissy with Cipe, Omari & Faradja

We visited our Moshi granddaughter Faradja and delivered Ella clothes and shoes.  Faradja and mommy and daddy thank Lyriella for her beautiful gifts.  Faradja mistakenly things that her Bibi has provided all these things, and calls me Bibi Kitabu (grandmother book!) but the little doggy in the pocketbook took her fancy this time and she screamed when her dad tried to put it down to help her put on a new dress!

Pauli and Lucy

Lucy and me!

The days have flown since that then.  The house looks wonderful (it is now nicknamed A-5+) since the amazing shining paint job on the outside. This blue is one that you generally see only in Africa, China or in Egypt where people are painting pictures of people making their haj.  Our wonderful gardener Pauli has kept the garden and flowers beautifully, better than ever!  His wife Lucy is 5 months pregnant and as beautiful as ever and clearly Pauli is excited about a baby of his own, though all the children in the compound follow him around like he is the Pied Piper.
Rose has taken care of all our house guests and laughs when we laugh and comforts us when we cry.  Her daughter Anjela is so tall now and grown that I would hardly recognize the little 3 year old I first met back in 2005, except for the big beautiful smile.  She is lovely.

Pauli has many new chickens, and one of his roosters is the oddest looking thing I have ever seen.  Perhaps this picture gives an idea of the oddness.  He looks like he is wearing a red bonnet.  So fun.

My own Charlie is doing well and the hens have given lots of eggs even though the new wild dogs around nearly scare them to death, and nearly killed my Angel.(white hen)

We had our first hash at Miti Mengi (many trees) farm.  Caroline and Jan barbecued and those of us who ran and walked nearly killed ourselves crossing water going through briars and wandering around looking for flour for what seemed like ages.  The prize of cold beer and nyama choma (barbecued meat) at the end was terrific.  The mountain came out slightly at the end of the day, Mehru on one side and Kilimanjaro on the other.

John Bob and Chrissy at the hash

Mt. Mehru in the distance at Sunset

 I have had the opportunity to be a “mule” for Chrissy in her research project with the drama and pedestrian safety and oh my goodness it is a huge job.  Chrissy has been training nearly 30 young people to present a community drama to primary schools in the Moshi area.  She has had to be stern and kick some of them out for failure to come to practices, but most of the regulars really appreciate it.  She has also been quite firm with the rest of the group in encouraging participation but giving them criticism (no one is perfect, mother). The kids are awfully cute to me, but I can imagine the frustration if everyone does not come each time. 

Our sweet Ema and Chrissy planning the next youth meeting

Hadija Chrissy and Happiness

Our amazing narrator Haika

Haika manages a crowd of children with ease!

We did the first presentation to a school and had to perform outside in the blazing sun & dust with nearly 500 children racing around.  They loved the performance and 110 participated in the surveys.  It was heartbreaking to see the differing understanding of very basic reading and trying to figure out how to make a duara (circle) to put around their answers.  But, clearly the performance was a hit and the narrator was great in involving the children in the way in which she asked questions and congratulated them when they got it “right”. One of the things this group loves to do is to be hit by the cars and “kufa” (die).  Chrissy had to restrict all but one death, and have hurt legs for the others.  But certainly the “Mwalimu” (teacher)  who was “killed” in the last scene made the most of his death scene.  Don’t all actors love to die on stage!

Jonathon Richard dies after crossing the road while texting on the phone

Fateful Piki piki (motorcycle) prepares for a tragic crossing

The workshop team

This morning I ran through the fields again, and it was simply wonderful.  I wish I weren’t getting a cold (thank you John for giving it to me!) 

Sad male organ cactus falls over last week in the wind.

Filth...note the white ankle NOT TANNED part above...DIRT!

 Sadly, we have no water of any sort tonight and my feet look pretty bad.  Went two doors over and washed my face, and a few other parts of my body, and my feet.  Pray for water tomorrow.