Next to last week in Moshi for 2015

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Addicting Rangoon Creeper covers front of house

Wow, last two weeks before we leave Moshi

This week was heralded by John’s crazy trip to Seattle.  He had three days on the ground with the CFAR meeting, and 4 in the air.  Lovely really.  He is not home as I write, because his plane from Seattle to Amsterdam was fine, but the plane leaving Amsterdam was grounded due to a gas leak and it could not be fixed.  So, he will be at least four hours late.  It is of course horrible to contemplate, and even with that, he may be left in Dar Es Salaam for convenience sake. (and to keep the rotation on time back in Amsterdam.)So who knows when he will return.  Oh my goodness.

Pole John.  And on top of that, we sadly leave Moshi on Saturday, so he will only be back for 6 days before we board a plane again.  And the week will be busy sana!

But, I can say that the week was quite interesting.  I have fallen in love with my Rangoon Creeper, which is trying to creep all around the house now, and makes things very beautiful.   My friend Jackie has been helping me identify things, so it was fun to go to her amazing house for book club this week.

beautiful bountiful orchid

Jackie's porch

View of Mawenzi peak from Jackie's porch

What can you say when a Masaai lady comes up to your porch and “Hodi’s” you (hello anyone home?) ?  Well, seems to me you say, “Karibu ndani” (welcome inside) and she walks up to the porch, sits down and proceeds to engage me in a (pathetic on my side) talk in Kiswahili about my family, my children and grandchildren.  As always there are similarities, she has 5 children as well as me, but she has 19 grandchildren!  (I did not ask how old her children were when they had their children!).  She also, just in case I was interested, had some Masaai jewelry that she had made, and reminded me that she would be exhibiting at the ISM Christmas show.  I had already remembered her from last year and we again had a lovely exchange.   And though her purpose might have been to sell me some jewelry, she was happy as well to sit and chat. She was quite pleased in my rooster, Charlie, and even when I told her that he was a fairly old rooster, she liked him just the same.  I tried to understand her name, but it was very Masaai, and I could not make heads or tails of it.

Masaai Momma on porch

Masaai Momma loving my porch

In addition to people, creatures love my porch.

PJ Lily

This moth is bigger than a hummingbird!  beautiful

Adorable "njuici

I think his name will be Ramses (of course I am not the owner!_)

My week continued with a meeting with a young man from ISM who is interested in attending Duke.  He is an amazing young man.  His father had 3 wives, and he has a lot of brothers and sisters as a consequence.  He had a very hard life, the father taking him as a small child to live with his father in another town, and then his father dying, and he being moved back to his mother’s, who was not able to care for him and was quite sick, being found by a local wonderful organization that has made a huge impact on his life. His mother has died as well, and he manages to see his brothers and sisters, but at the same time focuses somehow very hard on academics. If he makes it to Duke, I think he would be a super catch. But, sometimes you are at a loss as to know what to say to someone who has managed to show incredible resiliency in the face of terrible obstacles, and the best thing to do is to kick into a little “mother” motif, and a lot of, "What do you see yourself getting out of college". "What are your interests".  "Do you know what a Liberal Arts college means?"  He really wants to come to Duke, and I really think he could make it.  Gracious, talking to this young man was inspiring. (no picture to protect confidentiality)

It was perfect on the heels of this meeting, that we had a. the first rain in weeks, and b. our Tanzanian Regional Social Work Meeting.  Again, I took away from this meeting, the inspiration of our young people and the dedication they have to making a difference.  It is truly a delight to be a “woman of a certain age” and find young people so much smarter than I ever was, and so dedicated to their work.  Thank you TASWO for inspiring me again.

Dada Agnes Urassa, Outgoing chair of TASWO Kilimanjaro

Sara Urasa, MD Director of Hospital Services KCMC speaks

 The entire crowd agreed that Sara Urasa's talk on the need for Social Workers in Hospital Settings, and the importance of Teamwork was the highlight of the day.  The consensus from the attendees, More of these inspiring talks, please.

TASWO Kilimanjaro group

TASWO Executive Committww

Young people are our future

Lest I forget, my brother Jim is now two years older than I am.  He had his birthday on the 7^th!!!

Birthday boy in middle!  Jim Watson

And once again the week ended with a delightful day at St. Margaret’s Church for “Family Sunday” and a brilliant playlet organized by Clive and Bodil, and our wonderful pastor Tony playing the lead Pharisee.  I got a front row seat because I was playing recorder and spent most of my time trying not to laugh until I cried.  For this last Sunday at St. Margaret’s this trip, it was pure pleasure.

Finally, we had a lovely “hash” in Old Moshi.  This area is spectacular with views and many old old sites that make up the Old Moshitown.  You would never know that it was a town as it is spread out, and just dabs of things here and there.  The old church where our friend Greg’s grandmother is buried is just down the way, and the hash was located where the original Keys Hotel is located.  I couldn’t take pictures because it started pouring rain, and my little phone camera would have died immediately, but it was spectacular.! Here are some Throwback pictures from the church with some of the German Bells...to 2009!

Nikoli at the bells

Sylvia Wilson's grave (Greg's grandmother)

Greg Emmanuel at the church

The little German Church

One more week…..sigh

Kibo Peak Kilimanjaro from Jean's house on the compound

Kibo Peak Kili again from Jean's house across the street from me.!

Week 5-6

As with all things in travel, there are ups and downs.  We have celebrated many of them, and these series of events, friends visits, and times have been no different. Even as we thought that Julia and Charles had just arrived, so they left. Time it seems, is determined to trick you.  At night, when you cannot sleep, it is interminable, during the day it flies. And thus it goes.

John Julia (Lawi's sculpture "Rasta") Trish

We had three new visitors, though they were not new to Tanzania or Moshi.  These three delightful visitors arrived with the goal of revitalizing the OB/GYN collaboration.  The commitment, energy and delight they showed with KCMC and the surrounding area gives us not only hope but belief that our project will be diversified, and renewed faith that there is dedication to a mission to improve care for all people in the area and that Duke feels this need.  Of course, it is important to point out that KCMC's OB/GYN department is filled with talented people whom we feel great loyalty towards, and for them to be able to exchange their perspectives with our teams, and ours with theirs only enhances the possibilities for improved health all the way around.

Lisa John & Peyton

And, these three folks, Peyton, John and Lisa were terrific.  Even if they are UVA fans, it was ok. A-5 is open to them for ever!  Great to have a set of new friends.

Kilimanjaro has been somewhat quiet lately.  Not much coming out, but when it does.  Wow! You just want to keep looking.  At times, I find that I really need a piece of inspiration.  I miss my Appalachian mountains and the view from our cabin.  So when things seem  impossible--somehow the mountain knows and there might just be these views from Barabara moja in the am and the pm.

The downside can be around the corner and I was hit completely unexpectedly by some toxin from the Nairobi fly.  Somewhere I must have gotten in on my finger (I blame pinching the basil back) but come out it did!  And by Saturday night I had a burning rash that continued until Friday when it started drying up.  Horrifyingly, this pic was taken on Thursday evening 5 sleepless nights into this toxin.  (look it up!) I didn't recognize what it was early enough so when I started to put Colgate toothpaste on it I only burned.  Again thanks to Peyton and Lisa I had some cool antibiotic cream to put on which didn't fix it, but made it more bearable...except at night. Our great Fellow, Dorothy, said that the Nairobi fly had worked out the perfect revenge.  Kill it with your hand or finger and it will get your back in an incredibly horrible way.  It doesn't kill you but you wish you were dead.  Fortunately most Nairobi fly burns aren't as bad as this one.  I had had two before and though one was on my eye in 2007 and one in later 2007, none like this one. And again it is time limited.!

after 5 days of Nairobi Fly toxin (don't think you can see these creatures....they get you later)

In the midst of this we hosted (did not cook or set but only opened the house) for a fabulous hash set by some new "KIWI" friends, Jan and Bob and the hash set by Elizabeth.  Just living here and having someone wander around all the nooks and crannies of our Moshi/Kibosho area reminds me of the beauty and wonder of the whole place.  Top of it all are the fabulous children and families who simply aren't afraid to bring their children to this terrific loving environment.

Marco and his Tigger

hash group

Matt the "he-man?"

One of my featured children is Nikoli.  Nikoli comes from strong stock!  Not only is his mother a Baltimorian, and determined, a great horsewoman and tennis "pro" (Terrie) but her father and his parents are pretty much Tanzanians who have live and work and work through very difficult times and continue to keep at it.  We have loved our relationship with Greg, Terrie and Nikoli, and consider Nikoli as close to a "god-child" as there could be.  Now, I have to say that Nikoli is in the continuous movement group.  When he was younger and I was in charge of his walking at hashes, he would complain to me that he had to stop, we had to take shortcuts, or that he just couldn't continue.  Now, however, he is in front of the pack-and CRAZY! running.  Here he is at ISM during their sports day.  Before and after his own races, he was running up the sidelines, in the middle out side, even while the other competitors were resting waiting for their races.  (He had intense competition and still placed 3rd in his age.!)

Nikoli in "rest" position

But, as always, safari's await you.  And, if you are coming to enjoy, and do just a little, Serengeti is only a few hours away.  Thanks Methley for escorting our friends.

Julia and Charles Lion in Serengeti