First 10 Days in Moshi

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Kilimanjaro (Kibo) from Machame

Our ten days in Moshi have been eventful in large part because it has been quite hot.  The drought has been fierce and every day we worry that water will just stop.  The mountain has lost even more glacier; the Short Rains never came so there was no harvest.  The people are worried.

They are worried also because the President has issued more and more restrictions that just seem crazy.  His acts are homophobic and sometimes irrational.  He loves western money, but does not seem to like western people, and his “Acts” are decimating the ex-patriot population who teach, farm, and are part of the health care community.  On the other hand, he is quite adamant about corruption and we have heard that his offices are busy where they once were lax.  He fires people, but of course their salaries continue because there have been no official charges brought and tried in a court of law.  We can most certainly identify with the anxiety of the Tanzanians who feel that they have no opportunity for opposition, and the every day Tanzanian who cannot get work as he pares down jobs in every sector.  We see and hear the same issues from the US, though even more draconian.

So, that is my sadness.  My joy is being back in this country that I love.  I am still working through the health issue that was my IT band, but it is nearly healed completely.  I swim every morning between 7am and 8am.  I love my instructor and friends who swim at the same time.  The only problems I am now having are a. getting up at 5:30 am to drag myself to the pool, and b. that I’m not showering off enough with soap and have a bad chlorine rash.  Have to be more careful.

Imagine all over my imperfect body

The other leg...not showing arms-too horrible

So I have focused just a few pictures on things that I love.  Birds, Flame trees and Kilimanjaro.

 Most of these birds are fly catchers, warblers or sun birds.  Would have to have Bob our Jackie Brice Bennett to tell me.  The warbler (which I think is the brown one) has a song nearly the same as a cardinal.)  Sun birds sound a bit like hummers.  Not much.  The fly catchers are very curious birds esp. where people are concerned.

The flame trees of Moshi are still out (our Christmas trees) I think of "The Flame Trees of Thika"  Ours are just as beautiful.

Yesterday, John and I had quite an adventure.  We were to go to the Kili View Lodge for our biweekly hash, and all was well when we started (remember we have a Rav4, the first model that had only front wheel drive) but the farther up the mountain the more difficult the road became.  Lots of potholes and the road narrowed considerably.  It started raining just as the drive became steeper.  As we started down a very steep section pieces of the road had dropped over the precipice and we were close indeed to that very same precipice.  John at this point could not control the car because there was so much mud on the tires.  We just swished this way and that.  It was terrifying.  As we approached the next steep climb, there were three trucks gathering water.  All the men were motioning us forward but John just said, I cannot control the car now, and if we finally got to Kili View, we would never get home.  No pictures.  I was sure we would not be able to even turn around.  But, we did and slowly slowly drove back to the tarmacked road.  I have never been so happy to see Rau before and then our house.  I put my feet up, read, and drank a Kilimanjaro beer at the same time everyone else would have had they been at the hash.  Home and here is this morning’s mountain.

Have a kili?

Moshi Week 8&9 Flurries of activities

10 December 2016

I cannot believe that we are back in the United States again—from a warm, but not unpleasant about 85 degrees to 15 degrees.  Yes, friends, 15 in Boone this morning at 6:15 am when our jet lagged bodies finally got out of bed. This is a lengthy blog!

The last week in Moshi was a flurry.  I had meant to be able to post blogs throughout the last 10 days of our living in Moshi, but it was a continuous bustle, and packing is never an easy experience for us, even though we bring very little home with us.  Though my mobility was limited during the entire trip to Moshi, I found that the trip has been rich with friendships, new and old, and that the mountain continues to be spectacular despite the profound loss of snow, and that there are things that that all the mobility in the world cannot replace.  Perhaps I found a new appreciation of life in general.  Looking back, I think about the ability to skype with our two daughters, granddaughters and their lovely husbands, the new meaning within our church community and the respect I have for the members, my appreciation of the new askaris who by in large have been fantastic in their energy and patrol of our small quirky 1960's compound, for our friends who care for our house and yard and the growth and sweetness of their children, for our fantastic project the KCMC/Duke Health Collaborative, as well as the KCMC college and all the staff that has made such a change for the medical students, for the youth and the Community Advisory Board who are enthusiastic and seem genuinely interested in the breadth of health research going on in the project and the hope for future treatments for a variety of health problems, for our yard, our hash friends, the book club, dear Sabini who daily kept me going at 7am swimming lap after lap with some new stroke or leg kicks, for our wide scope of friends young and old.  It has been a full visit. A big welcome home to the freezing cold!

I loved finding a third Patricia in Moshi.  She is a member of Book Club, as well as now part of our Saa Mojas.

Sabini was ever the patient instructor.  Helping us out, giving newer harder strokes to do.  Thanks and see you in January.

My disastrous fall was the result of Patrica #2 and Sophyia in perfect synchronized swimming. Unfortunately with the lag on my Powershot, I couldn't get their arms when they were perfectly together.

Eric of Saa Moja's had learned to swim up to 16 laps from not swimming at all the first day I came to the pool.  I guess that is the Lawyer in him!

My physio-therapist Dee Dee Whalen created more miracles for my leg with her great deep tissue massage and reassurance that I would get well.

Who gets excited about autopsies?  Well, Ann Nelson does.  She was helping out the young MD's who are here working on the extremely interesting autopsy study.  You have to understand that autopsy has as many myths in Tanzania as in the U.S., but it is so important in understanding the causes of death here.  Even with rudimentary equipment the autopsy can be done, and Ann threw herself into the work.  She was an entertaining house guest at A-5 and even more a fine pathologist who gave terrific encouragement to the team.

My same Masai Mama came to sell jewelry.  She likes to sell at the International School at their Christmas fair, but I know that most of the money she makes, won't stay in her pocket for her family, so I always invite her to my house.  This time, Rose and Pauli served her tea and cakes.  She sat with me inside the house and outside, and all was quite nice.

The chair of Pediatrics Anne Reed came for a visit with her husband John Pat.  She is fantastic.  A secret woman of power.  She joined the other "women of power" for dinner at El Rancho (Indian cuisine).  A fine group.  Sara Urasa (head of hospital) Blandina Mbaga (Project Coordinator & KCRI director) Mary Celine Msuya (Director of Community Health) Anne Reed, and Aisa Shao (Pediatrics).

There are no more city wide celebrations of World AIDS Day, per the order of President Magafuli who states that it is a waste of money.  So, we each celebrated in our own way.  I remembered memories of those who had died with my scotch-taped pictures of quilt pieces at church prayers, my first visit with KIWAKKUKI to a new house built for an orphan (Esther) who was being taken care of by her very impoverished grandmother (both soon died after the house was constructed because AIDS medicines were not free at the time), and my own memories of my mentor Jeffrey Wayne Davies and the work of our Duke AIDS Clinic, both of which shaped my life forever.

We had flurries of dinners before we left.  Pictures of Former Dean Mteta's house did not come out, but the new, thoughtful and compassionate Executive Director of KCMC/KCMCollege, Gileard Masenga and his wife Mary did.  Their house is warm and comfortable just like the two of them and their children.  Of course, we could not survive without our Deputy Vice-Provost Ahaz Kulanga for many reasons, not the least of which was that he drove us to both homes after dark (a feat in Moshi when it is off the Arusha-Dar Highway.

I could not believe that the last hash in Kibosho featured this funeral vehicle.  Farewell Funeral Services.  Imagine!

Pastor Tony Foreman hared the hash.  There are so many reasons why we love him...He took this one on and apparently it was hard.  I couldn't walk it, but I heard!  He is with old friend Susie who is visiting Moshi for a month.

William Howlett (neurologist) and Mike Mayes, heading many college projects (sadly Mike leaves the beginning of January along with family Anna and their 3 sweet girls)

Backsides of 3 guys, good friends.  Greg, Phil and John.  I'm sure they were philosophizing about deep thoughts. hmmm.

This hash in Kibosho featured baby Madeline the most popular person clearly there.  At one point so many children were grabbing to hold her that I yelled ACHA! (Stop!!! For real!!) so that Catherine could get her baby back.  Madeline was totally unfazed by the whole experience.

The Cathedral of Kibosho stands proudly to announce not just its faithful followers, but the incredible beauty of the village and the surroundings.  I particularly am fond of this picture of the Virgin with the kids playing soccer beneath it because of our friend Guido who had run up to Kibosho and thought he had seen the Virgin in the flesh (umm dehydrated?)

One of my favorite new askaris is John in the back.  He is standing with his colleague and the one of the oldest gardener in the compound.

Kili was out beautifully the final day we were in Moshi, It is a magnificent presence for us.

So here we are, back in the US.  Our second night home and here is the temperature outside and inside in Boone.  We are cool enough for sure.

Coffee Anyone? Week 6 Blog

Kilimanjaro from Alex and Lorena's farm

The Super Moon on Full Moon night

My apologies for a late post for week number 6.  You will see that there was and is such a lot going on that there was no way to sit down to write and post.  As it turns out, my knee exercises and treatments take most of my day.  It is getting better and that is the blessing but such a lot of really hard work.  It really makes me cry for a little nap.

My week began with the last 3 of the Saa Moja's (seven o'oclock swimmers)  My instructor Sabini, Sophya, and Eric.  We are a very complementary group and having fun while working hard.  My knee is better I think mostly because of Sabini and my PT Dee Dee.

Sophya, Sabini, and Eric

That night was both the super moon and our planned with dinner with one of our adjunct DGHI professors Abu from Shanghai.  We had a good dinner at 10 to 10 pizza, even though only one of us Frances (our admin. director had pizza!)

John Abu Frances Dorothy Trish

Abu was presenting research that he had been involved with in Shanghai regarding smoking cessation and the huge success they have had with this campaign.  I found Shanghai to be lovely and not nearly as polluted as Beijing, but it was definitely a city of smokers.  So three cheers to Abu's work.  Can we replicate it here at KCMC?  We shall see.  Thanks Abu, and such a charming man. We headed home and I took about 30 pictures of the super moon, as you can see up top.

On Tuesday I headed out with my Dada's group to my Dada Agnes' home.  There we had Agnes to greet us but also her husband my dear friend Baba, and her daughter Yusra who has turned into a stunning and very sweet, smart young woman.  Wow!

Dada's and Baba!

Dafrosa being silly!

We had some very traditional Wednesday Pizza night, Bob, Pastor Tony, and then Greg & Nikoli but wait.. Terrie had just returned  to Moshi from a 6 month stay in the US.  She was repairing their house and going to horse shows it seemed, but fortunately the house is much better, and it is great to have her back. She says going back to African time is a bit of adjustment.  Goodness so busy.  Friday night was play night at International School, and who should be the stars, but our "God child" Nikoli and his good friend Ita.  The play was he "Delicious Death" and it was a Miss Marple adaptation.  Our friends Phil and Sara who run Rafiki foundation's eldest daughter Lydia directed the show in less than 5 weeks.! The whole group was quite good but I of course thought that Nikoli and Ita were terrific.  We sat in possibly the worst chairs in the world in the Gym, all of which made the acoustics and the back and knee comfort tough.  But it was worth it to see how far in theatre Nikoli has come, and to mention how tall. But, on to Saturday!

Trish giving presentation about Mother to Child HIV Transmission

Trish and Yusra at Social Work Meeting

Saturday was the all day Regional Social Workers meeting.  I was delighted to be asked to give a presentation on the PMTCT cascade and the "leaky PMTCT cascade" It was well received even though a great deal of the the time of the meeting involved fees and social workers not paying their membership fees. I was driven home by Agnes daughter Yusra and we had a chance to talk together about her hopes for the future.  She loves Math!!! Can you imagine. I think she has a great future ahead of her!

Finally Sunday and the hash.  Coffee anyone?  It was located on a farm in the upper part of Kibosho and the farm is run by Alexandro and his wife Lorena.  They are both originally from Columbia where coffee is a huge business as well. They have two sons who go to ISM even tough it is a 30 minute drive to town.  But the beauty of the farm and the delicious coffee they grow is worth it.

Levi John and Lorena arguing over end and beginning of hash

The hash had its issues, for though John, Levi and Lorena set it carefully with lots of flour, some children must have been watching and made all sorts of false trails with bits of the carefully laid flour, so everyone got off a bit and some even a bit lost.  It was crazy.  But everyone was back in before dark...altogether good fun.

When they were back, I explored the coffee and the house with my camera.

Alex and Lorena house

Some favorite flowers though I don't know their names

beautiful falling geraniums around the house

coffee beans close

Do you know that as high up as this farm is in Kibosho, it takes 32 days from flower to bean, and then another maybe 2 weeks before red and then just a short time to pick.  Down lower the beans come much quicker.

Flowers and hash flour

landscape with coffee mimosa & Acacia trees and flour for the hash

coffee flowers

coffee flowers up close

Funny black bird fluffing like crazy  S/he had a nice call

And after the hash we drink beer and catch up.  I took pictures of an amused Leonard (who was a hare) and one of the local lawyers who usually walks with me.

Amused Leonard--who is a manager on the farm & was quite amused by all the shenanigans of the group

Handsome Ralph who has a wonderful family home in Uwo & is a lawyer

I miss run/walking with Ralph.  He was a constant buddy.  I hope so much I can do it again

The last of the weekend photos are around our house back in Moshi at our beloved #A-5

Rangoon Creeper and Mangos

Cannot keep that creeper out, but it is sooo wonderful beautiful & smelly!