Rose-colored glasses

A year ago today, I boarded a plane headed for Tanzania.  I had no idea what I'd find.  I didn't even know where I was going to sleep when I got there.  That was the adventure I craved.

My time there was life-changing, because I've never lived in a world where everything was an adventure.  A trip to get groceries meant a mile walk, hanging onto the side of a dala dala (bus) for dear life while the pavement raced beneath me, bartering in Swahili with a local for pennies worth of delicious produce.  The children I worked with had diseases I had only ever read about in books.  But now I have seen rheumatic heart disease, rabies, and pediatric AIDS.

I had every target on my back: Single. White. Woman.  And yet I approached my life there confidently (and only sometimes with reckless abandon).  I have never lived so simply.  It's a true test of flexibility to forego all of the luxuries of Western culture.  And yet, I'd love to live without them again.

I miss the beauty of my surroundings: Kilimanjaro peeking out of the clouds, flowers blooming on every tree, the amazing fruits and vegetables that were picked straight from the trees, the feeling of Karibu and the sweet nature of all of the Tanzanians.

I miss Dana.  Happy friendiversary!!!!

I don't know if I'll ever make it back to Moshi, Tanzania, but that's okay because I live out the lessons I learned there every day in my life here.  Karibu, work hard, be present in your community, provide resources, care for the children like they were your own.

T.I.A.-- This is Africa

Habari rafiki! I thought I'd keep you all updated on my time here. It's hard to believe I have already been here two weeks! Time has flown despite the slower speed of life here. We call it Africa time. And when frustrations of life here drive you crazy, all you say is, "TIA-- This is Africa," and you keep going. I have been met with some frustrations this week but they have not stopped me and my experience at KCMC has been filled with amazing stories, revelations, and triumphs.

I have been getting lots of questions from family and friends in the U.S. who are wondering what life is like here. I thought I would answer some of those questions here:

What are you eating?
The answer is quite simple: anything and everything. The produce is the freshest and most amazing that I have ever seen. Fresh from the farms are delicious, maparachichi (avacados), membe (mangos), pineapple (I forget how to say that one), passion fruit, and anything else you can imagine. Dana and I made an amazing peanut sauce last week and bought fresh chickens from the market. Eating out is quite a spectacle though... you have to factor in Africa time and realize that it will take you about 2 hours (minimum) to eat.

What are you wearing?
It is hot. Not quite as hot as NC in the summertime because it isn't as humid, but wearing tons of clothes can make it pretty sweaty. In the hospital I have to wear a lab coat, which I am not fond of since it tends to make children quite intimidated and I am scary enough as a white person! I was told to compare the Tanzanian social norm of women covering their legs to the American social norm of women covering their breasts. You can show as much calf as you'd like, but keep those thighs covered!
To those who know my love of thrifting-- Dana and I went to Memorial Market yesterday where tons of American clothes get sold second hand. We even found a pair of Carolina basketball shorts! We were the only wazungu (white people) there and we spent 3 hours going through rows and rows of clothing and bartering with the shopkeepers. I came away with a whole new wardrobe-- including a birthday dress for next weekend!

How do you get around?
The dalla dalla (bus) is the primary means of transportation to the main part of town. It is essentially a minibus that is PACKED to overflowing with Tanzanians. The cost of getting to town is 250 Tsh (Tanzanian shillings)... the equivalent of about 10 cents. Whether an armpit in your face or someone's mango basket in your lap, it is guaranteed to be an interesting ride. It is not safe to be a mzungu (white person) out after dark so we take taxis to restaurants or to hang out with friends.

Can you speak Swahili?
I've got the greetings down and I can certainly barter with the Tanzanians at the market (and win!), but I have yet to understand how a sentence is formed. I can get by with a few phrases in clinic that I say to parents and children. I have come a long way since getting laughed at on my first day, but there is still a lot to learn. I will give a Swahili lesson here in another post.


How about Kilimanjaro?
I can see Kili from my back porch, but she stays hidden behind the clouds most of the time. Sometimes I have a good view in the morning with a beautiful Carolina blue sky on my walk to KCMC. To those of you who are asking whether I will climb... please talk to the people that know me best and know how much I HATE being cold... much less sleeping in the cold. I am opting out of the climb and am instead planning a few trips which I will keep you updated on.

Have to go, let me hear from you!
Love rebecca (my Swahili name since Becky is too difficult to say with their accent)

Mambo vipi!

Mambo from Tanzania!
I'm so sorry to leave all of you hanging for so many days, but it has been a very busy week! I arrived in Moshi over 24 hours after I left home and was utterly exhausted and overwhelmed. I won't lie that my first night was a bit rough, but twelve hours later I had met all of my contacts at KCMC and my lifesaver Dana which made all the difference.

Allow me to recap the last week here and throw in a few of the highlights:
This week is the national elections for president which has been quite interesting. There has been lots of shouting and music in the street, lots of music, and lots of paraphernalia supporting one candidate or another. Today is election day and the town seems very calm.

I am working in all of the different pediatric clinics at KCMC. Since KCMC is a referral hospital, it gets very sick children whose parents have waiting to bring them because the expense of health care is often more than the family budget can afford. I have seen many clinical cases that I would never see in the US including rabies, congenital hypothyroidism, and lots of rheumatic heart disease. The mentality in treating these children is very different because of their co-morbid conditions (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malnutrition, unvaccinated) which changes the entire approach to their care. Sadly, it sometimes becomes more palliative care because there is nothing more to do for their situation. The medical language is English but the patients and their families all speak Swahili so I am trying to learn key phrases. It is a difficult language to learn, but I am slowly gettin' there. The Duke collaboration with KCMC is quite large and there are a lot of really great physicians here. The idea of a nurse practitioner does not really exist in Tanzania so I had a difficult time in my first couple of days explaining that I needed to follow the doctors and not the nurses.

I live with 2 British 3rd year medical students interested in internal medicine, a Danish 1st year medical student studying lipodystrophy associated with antiretroviral therapy in HIV pediatric patients, and an American PA student doing OB/GYN. Our house has the essentials and that's about it! We lose power almost every day which I fully expected.

Yesterday I went on a trek with my roommates and my friend Dana up to a village named Materuni to see their waterfall (pictures coming later!). The hike to the falls took us through banana and coffee plantations and on the paths of the small village. Children love to see mzungu (white people) so we had quite an entourage throughout our hike. The falls are about 80 meters high and beautiful! We continued hiking to the border of the Kilimanjaro National Forest and took a sharp turn up the mountain where we ended up at our guide's homestead for lunch. As part of our dessert he brought us some dried coffee beans which we shelled, sorted, roasted, ground, boiled, and pressed into the most delicious (and time intensive) cup of coffee I have ever had in my entire life! You know how much I love coffee so that is a hefty compliment, but there's really no comparison when you're sitting on top of a mountain in Africa sipping kahawa (coffee) with beautiful Swahili watoto (children) in a house with dirt floors. We also tried maize beer (gross) and banana beer (equally as gross). I can't wait to show you the pictures!

I plan on hanging out and resting for the rest of today and while the rest of the Americans celebrate Halloween I will be resting for a bright and early day in the HIV family clinic.

Thank you to everyone who has made comments and emailed me! They are nice gifts to get during the week! Keep them coming, although I will respond to everyone here since internet is so scarce. Love you all!