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!

Week Three--Again filled with Friendships, Fun, and Work (surrounding rehab for my knee)

Patricia & "The Cane"

Week three began with a flurry.  While the angst of the US General Elections continues to build, Moshi remains in relative peace.  Thank goodness.  Some of the issues that we have concerning President Magafuli edicts remain and we talked about them with many friends.  Yet, we continue to hope for the best.

Kilimanjaro with new snow and amazing birds flying all around me!

This photo was taken October 23rd just as sun was beginning to set and I suppose the birds were thinking about where they were going to go....Lots of possibilities in the KCMC Compound.

My week really began on Tuesday, which was Dada's night.  We went to a new Restaurant "Kili Home", which was lovely with a big outdoors area and comparatively quiet except for our Dada's group.  One amazing thing was that they apparently have only a few wine glasses and if it had not been so humiliating for the waiter, I would have taken a picture of the fruit cups that he brought to us to use as wine glasses.  It was hysterical!  One drink and we would have been under the table. We laughed and took pictures and accused each other of many of things, but mostly shared our love for one another and remembrances of our departed Dada Lydia.

The empty Chair for Lydia

 I had worn my Hillary for President T-shirt and everyone else seemed dressed in new fancy dresses like they were going to a ball but I was the "Rella" staying home to ruminate on the election situation.  It was a joyful time (BTW, all Dada's are united for Hillary, ready to break the glass ceiling.)

All Dadas + Lui's sister-in-law

Dada's cheering on Hillary

Very cute early arrivals of Dadas

Definitely wacky Dadas  altogether + Lui's sister-in-law (honorary Dada)

Wednesday arrived with the Moshi Book Club.  The name alone is interesting since only two members actually live in Moshi.  One lives in Kibosho, our fearless organizer Jackie in Marangu, one in Usa River, one in Machame, the two of us who live in Moshi, and two who live elsewhere but I cannot remember where.  Sadly I have no picture of the group as we were so caught up in talking about some books but also politics.  We were talking about "The Orchardist" which is long, good and very very dark.  Some parts are simply unbelievable (mean that literally not for emphasis) But, it kept us going for a while.  I'm excited because our next book club will be a discussion of Lee Smith's Memoir "Dimestore", a book I dearly love, and "The Little Locksmith" which is said to be the perfect memoir.  So Book club from wherever we are, "On On".

I had a huge surprise visit right after book club when my Dada Agnes arrived to bring me a beautiful Masaii shawl, made by a friend of hers.  She knows how I am cold all the time, but also she is just the kindest most giving friend I have in Moshi.  We are social workers together and somehow that bond has held for more than 11 years!

Agnes and Patricia

Agnes and Patricia by Pauli's favorite palm tree

 On Thursday, Pauli and his partner climbed the mango tree and panga in hand, chopped down all the branches that faced the house.  It is in the back yard so it does not show very much, but the small unripe mangoes that fall are those that make holes in our roof (finally fixed after nearly a year!)  So the tree and branches look weird but there you go.  Our house is a little safer!

Mango Tree branches grow fast!

Mango branches-Let the record show, we did this just 4 years ago as well.

As if these days were not filled enough, on Saturday, we drove to Machame to visit our dear Emmanuel friends, Sylvie and Nic.  I cannot for the life of me figure out why we did not take pictures together but I think Sylvie was so busy getting food set out and I couldn't walk, and the beauty of the mountain, very sad with the passing of the snow, distracted us.

Lovely shot, so little snow!

So, I have passed my days, playing recorder, this past Sunday at Church for All Saints Day (early) practicing ukelele, getting up early enough to be at the pool at 7 am (freezing) to have swim instructions from our teacher Sabini, to exercise two to three times a days to help my knee, and feeling a bit sorry for myself that I cannot walk even to the small gate without pain.

stuff minus sweatshirt and towel

The most moving moment I had this week was at Sylvie and Nic's house.  Not only did we have a delicious dinner, but Sylvie presented us with a prized bottle of olive oil grown and processed by their daughter Sophia who lives in Nacos, Greece and wins prizes each year for her delicious olive oil.  And then, Nic went inside the house and, as we were leaving, handed me a beautiful cane that had been his mother's, and he had saved.  She had bought it in either Egypt or Ethiopia, it is made from bamboo and carved with delicate birds and special signs.  I could not believe it, but will cherish it for all of my days.  How in the world can John and I experienced such amazing moments, to be etched in our memories for the rest of our lives.

The CANE