Packed Ten Days

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Nice Visits to Machame,Arusha,Marangu Palliative Care and Marangu Book Club

Your Taste of beauty at Jackie Brice-Bennett's home.....

After all my musings about language 10 days ago, I was happy to spend a beautiful day in Machame with Vera and her family where we visited her family home, had a delicious lunch and spent the afternoon walking up to a beautiful church and down through scenic paths.  We were passing by a huge funeral ceremony for a prominent family and heard the story of how the rich son improved the road to his house just for the funeral ceremony.  And though the son was rich, the father who had died continued to make local mbege (home brewed beer for sale) Quite a contrast. John on the other hand was terrified that it might rain, and the small drive to Vera’s moms house would have been quite treacherous if the rain had come down. 

Vera's family

Vera and Edwin

Vera staying cool on walk

Bob and Monty chatting at Vera's family home

Bob's ELCT Palliative Care builds a home for "Shida" a mentally ill man

Bob has many stories ALWAYS!

What Cute Sisters.....Vera with her sister from DAR

Everyone knows I love Pub pictures!  look at this...there was no street!

I really was there, but will have to post me later!

Pretty awesome grave....PrayGod Mushi (not uncommon names)

 Indeed it did look like rain, thus while we were enjoying the walk, John was looking at black thundering sky and imagining our RAV4 slipping and sliding all the way down the steep hill.  As it turned out, after we left, the sky cleared and the mountain came out.  It was a great day with our guests and Vera’s family.

Ok Ok, it did not rain here is Machame and the mountain

On Sunday, I attempted to play my bass recorder in church.  It was fun, but sadly, the piano drowned out the bass so it looked like I was just fingering something and breathing intently.  In one way it was good because I forgot during a 4 sharp piece, that “D” is the fourth sharp, and kept wondering why my bass and the piano sounded very wrong.  Finally on the last verse I figured it out and nice and loudly played all the notes right, but yet not to be heard.  After church it was fun when several children came up to me and asked me to play something on it.  I did and finished with “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.  In any language that is a favorite, and the children were laughing and laughing.

My sweet bass

In the afternoon, I took the dreaded trip to Arusha to visit with Shoonie Hartwig, a just amazing lovely woman who runs a program called “Mwangaza” there (this is loosely translated as sort of “shining light”).  She has been running or involved with the program for nearly 20 years. It is a program that trains teachers to really understand their subjects and learn to teach.  They use a good curriculum and often have volunteers who come from the states to help, but now mostly Tanzanians are doing the teaching.  Shoonie is a remarkable woman who many of my Friday Morning Music Study Club members know from her days at Duke University, and at Church of the Abiding Savior.  Her husband was recruited to Duke by my father in the history department and thus the whole family were embraced by my family.  Amazing how time travels, but you can pick up where you left off and have meaningful and lovely conversations.

Wow-this is a long blog but so much was happening.  Anna Massawe (head of Palliative Care here at KCMC) Cynthia (Palliative Care Health Care Dispensary, Australia volunteer) and I went to Marangu to visit a terminally ill patient with rectal cancer.  This was an amazing trip.  The woman had a colostomy, bed sores and was in terrific pain.  I had managed to find colostomy bags at ONE pharmacy in town.  I went everywhere trust me on this one!  They had to be cut to fit and none of us were very clear about how to cut them.  The remarkable thing to me was that one of this lady’s sons had been helping her, and he had, in fact, been bathing her and changing her bag.  I was stunned that the house was neat and clean and that this poor family had prepared lunch for us!  Can you imagine.  Very moving day.

One pharmacy (not the main one) had colestomy supplies

First Road to Turn!

African Hospitality=2 to 3 weeks money for this family

Husband is a pastor who has 2-3 churches to mind

water bottle with green is morphine

Anna Cynthia and patient

Anna cuts the bags

Patient helps with the bag even though in pain

Team for the Day

 One big highlight for the past 10 days was being invited to one of the Moshi Book Clubs.  The book being read was “Death Comes To Pemberley”, one of PD James’ last books. This book club was held at Jackie Brice Bennett’s home and what a beautiful beautiful setting.  While PD James’ detective novels are high on my list, this one was lower, except that it is what it is….British, and with the linkage to Pride and Prejudice, a novel that as a teenager I loved, and will forever confuse Darcy with Colin Firth.

Get married here????

Jackie's garden

Orchids of unknown names (for me, not Jackie)

beautiful view to house

I call these Faux Bananas....they are beautiful

Some Book Club members

But Jackie’s flowers, birds and landscaping are amazing. And her hospitality was just incredible.  We had tea as well as lunch and I am sure I gained 10 lbs right there!  Her staff are so nice, so it was a perfect day.  I enjoyed the company tremendously even if I am such a Southern American!!!!!  We all know that 15% of book club is talking about the book, and the rest is just talking.  I miss book clubs!  And a big shout out to my dear Terrie who was very anxious about a sick horse (who is still sick), but who took me up to Marangu anyway.  Everyone who reads this, please deliver mantras of “Get Well Penelope” .  There are so many issues for horses in this area and Penelope is a favorite at the stables.

Weddings are fun, and here is our lifeline in Moshi, Rose, Lucy Pauli and cute cute Jonathon

It is hard to believe that we leave in two weeks.  It is bitter sweet for me.  I look forward to seeing my granddaughters, but sincerely cannot imagine waking up in a bed that is not my Moshi bed.  The peace and calm here is so different….

Musings of an Old Lady

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Musings of an old lady

This morning I woke up, fixed coffee, opened e-mail and saw a post that warmed my heart.  It seems that a miracle has happened, and my mind quickly slipped back to the afternoon when my friend had called with terrible news.  Today the news is so much better, and I am grateful. 

Tony and me

Being the type of stream of consciousness person that I am, I pondered most of these things as I went running (jogging) today.  First I dwelled on the two words “mindfulness” and “thoughtfulness”.  Most people who know me, know that I do not like the word “mindfulness”, but until today I had not really thought about it.  I realize it is that the word “thoughtfulness” encompasses “mindfulness” but is so much more.  And, I remember my parents clearly saying to me, “Patricia, do not be so thoughtless!” The intent of the word was clearly my being impolite, having done something reasonably bad, etc.  But, when my father said, “We all need to be more thoughtful in this world.  It is a goal” I remember those times quite clearly.   

Mother and Dad around 1994

As I was running up a hill and struggling, I thought about the word “grateful”.  Well, there is obviously a world of difference between mindful, thoughtful and grateful.  I have many things to be grateful for, but somehow it seems more personal.  (and, I was grateful that these musings helped me run up the hill and nearly forget it was there.)

There is no translation for mindfulness in Kiswahili…mind is translated as "akili", but thoughtful is "mwangalifu".  Similarly, there is no translation for grateful.  Obviously, "grate" and "great" are quite different. I find that interesting. 

I could attribute this mind wandering to the onset of Lent with Ash Wednesday being celebrated this past Wednesday, though that would be unfair as my mind does this type of stuff frequently.   Though it did lead me to think about Lent, and it being a time for thought and prayer.  Lent and running also here generally mean preparation for the Kilimanjaro marathon, even as many of us are preparing for Easter.!   

Mzee Helmut and our former Pastor David at St. Margaret's

Pastor Jason and Heiko at St. Margarets this year.

John nearing halfway at the Kilimanjaro Marathon 2008

All this in its cyclical way brought me back to my joy this morning at finding that my friend’s reports from seemingly impossible depths were good, recuperation from huge surgery is moving along well, and pathology reports show margins clear and no sign of metastasis. So, I am grateful for my family and friends, I am grateful for having good friends here in Tanzania and in the US.  I am grateful for people who take care of other people and who are thoughtful.  And, hopefully that will lead me to be more thoughtful towards others in their times of joy and struggle.

Ndzi mama broke her arm this week..a struggle

 While Ndizi mama broke her arm this week, and her income will suffer if she cannot carry her bananas down the mountain, we will find a way to get her care, and our gardener will find her and bring her to medical care.

Dadas

Agnes Dafrosa

College Buds

Fipples  Happy B-day Elizabeth and Kathy!

Kathy & Me friends for 53 years!!!!!

Mary never stops praying!

Mz Betty and me

Thanks to those who prayed for my friend without ceasing.  Who knows…perhaps miracles do happen, and those prayers made a difference.  Wonders never cease!

Valentine's Day and Jonathan's new shoes

Our week since Pat and Quail left seems quiet.  But, as it turns out, was quite busy.  We celebrated the arrival of Catherine our Duke faculty (and Chrissy's friend) who is an Emergency Room researcher and most interesting.  We looked forward to Valentine's Day, and to a hash at our friend's Kirsten and Erling in a most beautiful part of the greater Moshi area.  It was also one of my Dadas' birthday and the Dadas went to Mkulima for dinner to celebrate.  Yum Yum.  And then too...Jonathan got his first pair of big boy shoes and they squeak.  He loves them because of that.  Squeak Squeak!! Every where.  They make him want to walk.

The birthday girl Eunice is on the right with Lydia and the Mkulima chef on the left.  Beautiful.

My girlfriends.  Who says that you cannot find a circle of close friends no matter where you go.!

Delicious Mkulima Food.

Jonathan's first walk in his new squeaky shoes.

Daddy Pauli watches his boy take off in his new shoes.  Of course, the first things he goes for are the electric sockets.  Why is that?  When he speaks his first clear word, I believe it will be "Acha" a word with no clear translation except "Off!"

Thank goodness we started early for our trip to town, because our sweet Zantel guys took one look at our old car and pointed to the rear tire...ooops going flat.  We headed (on Saturday mind you) to one of our gas station guys and he carefully took the wheel off, got a bucket of water, filled up the tire and carefully put water all around.  Lo and behold, there were two punctures on the one tire.

We were trying to stand in that little bit of shade you can see, and our fundi (fix it man) went dashing to the side of the service station and came back with the two chairs.  I called them luxury chairs.  John and I marveled at the experience.  Yes, we had many things to get done, but where on earth could you drive in, have a man with air tube in his hand, help us out, get us chairs and proceed to fix the puncture.  In truth, not one person would probably fix our tires in US because they are at the end of a long and fruitful life.  But here it is everyday.  And, these fix it guys are PROUD of their work.  They carefully checked every other tire to make sure that they were all ok.

So 25 minutes later, we were all set to go.  $7.00 poorer, and a shake of the hand from the two of us to this nice man and on back to town.

I had been waiting a long time to take this picture of John with Aleem.  He is one of our first downtown friends in Moshi.  He has gotten us through many scrapes and always always greets us with smiles.  Aleem owns one of the small groceries in Moshi and tries to cater to expats as well as Tanzanians.  He tried to get anything that you want, and usually manages to.  He knows everyone...and thank heavens he likes us because we surely do like him.  He always says to me....where is my "finger" daughter.  Chrissy slammed her finger in the car door just before Thanksgiving several years ago right at Aleems and he rushed her in to the butcher in the back, Sadkiki who wrapped it in ice.

And for me--  from Aleem, "How is my darling today!"  and "I love you because I can see that you keep John happy!"--- then he will say.... "Oh but I love you, too because you are always happy."  He is pretty right when I am in Moshi!

Then we had a fantastic hash hared by Marco (not the one talking) at the home of Erling & Kirsten (Erling on the right) people we have known and loved for some time...Joris is explaining what the hash house harriers are and what the rules or non-rules are.

I walked with Marieke and 5 of her six children.  She is a fabulous neurologist from Holland, and one of the most fun and kind people I know.  Her children are adorable.  I decided not to run this one because every view is special and I ran in the morning to make the excuse.  So much fun.

This steep gorge on the left is 40 meters deep.  Our run right along the edge was spectacular and a bit scary, but not too bad since it is so dry.

This shot gives you an ever better view of the gorge. Too bad you cannot see the Weru Weru river running just at the bottom.  But it is spectacular.

And then at the end, adorable Vicky and her little friend, with brand new dresses, hats and bags just made today!  How cute can that be.  Vicky is Marieke and Marco (the hare)'s youngest.  I call them the Von Trapp Family and call Marco, "The Colonel".  I love them.!

But it is, after all, Valentine's day and, here is the 35 cent card that John gave me.  The best cards in the world are from Tanzania.  They fit right in for my love of hyperbole.  And, this one is about the best that I can see.
Happy Valentine's day to my family and friends.  And, "On On".