Tanzania Global Impact Service Learning/SCCD

More photos from Melissa...

2008-10-13T00:23:00.001-07:00

in the Nairobi hotel before going home
hanging out for lunch
relaxing with Memu at the house
Mama Nora and all her kids at the orphanage
At the Masai village on safari

Another video from the Orphanage

2008-09-11T10:34:00.001-07:00

And more pics....

2008-09-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

Mount Meru
Our empty water bottles in the kitchen at the house...they don't recycle but will reuse by giving to local women for holding cooking oils etc...
Walking home from a hard day at the clinic
Our watchmen, Sowe and Kahana with dogs Rasta and Smart.The arrows are poison tipped....
These guys were awesome...we had a bit of an exciting event two nights before we left, most were gone, there were five of us left at the house and some drunk youths were trying to break into the compound....needless to say, there was no way they were getting in with our kick butt guards looking after us....

On the teeter totter at the orphanage
Steph planting a banana tree
Walking in the Tengeru Market
The house behind ours
Jessie organizing to leave....I don't think she bought enough stuff....

Zainab and her family...they are the family of a student of mine and they spoiled me rotten and basically adopted me....wonderful, wonderful people
Mikey and Zainab at her house. They cooked all my favorite foods, brought us lots to eat at our house and took me all around town
Zainab and Farah at home. You can't meet a more gracious and loving couple.
Zainab and Farah's house in Arusha

View from Zainab's place

More pictures....

2008-09-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

Planting banana trees at the orphanage, in one year they will produce fruit for the kids to eat
Planting greens in the finished bed at the orphanage, this is a space saving technique where the bed is dug deep, hardpan is loosened so roots go down and dirt is replaced and mixed with layers of manure so that the bed is good for 4 years and more can be planted in the raised area
preparing maize at the orphanage with the kids
The kids saying thankyou...
Seret, who is 3 years old, writing her name, the alphabet and who is able to do minor math problems, she is a Masai orphan

Shucking maize at the orphanage
Mama Nora and Simon. Simon was left at her doorstep a month ago...he is 3 months old and very cute
Mama Nora's son Kevin bringing us a banana tree to plant
Melissa carrying manure for preparing the planting bed
Preparing the hole for the banana tree

Preparing the triple dug planting bed
The finished bed
Watering the planting bed
Gitumbua cooking...African rice cakes
Kids at the orphanage doing a dance for us

Singing a song for us in the classroom
Cooking at the orphanage
A job well done
Doris is 8 years old, a Masai orphan. Her mother is in jail for killing her father with a machete...she is so smart and sweet and cares for baby Simon an abandoned boy....she was the hardest one to leave....she is ready for primary school...if anyone wants a direct contact to send money for her education, contact me. It will go straight to the orphanage with no middle man....
Doris and friends on the slide...these kids are so full of love and happiness and so well cared for at the orphanage..Mama Nora runs a tight ship with lots of love...

Planting the finished bed
Baby goat at the orphanage...Mama sells them for money for educational expenses
Baraka working hard to prepare the planting bed
Banana tree planting day
Monica's birthday...we went to 4 different shops just to find a cake..hahaha

Video from Orphanage

2008-09-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of the kids at the orphanage doing the hokey pokey...way too cute

Home Again!

2008-09-11T08:37:00.001-07:00

Tanzanian Shillings...this is about 100 dollars
Tenguru Market
Carrying Bananas at the market
Girls in their room at our house....love the bunkbeds
Beth at Lake Duluti

Man selling herbal medicines at the market
Slug bug!
Relaxing at Via Via bar the first night in Arusha
Enjoying a cold one at Lake Duluti
Impala Hotel Arusha

How green it was....
Banana trees are everywhere
Amos gets the Ipod......
Kids in the village

Mikey in a dress.....sigh

Toni teaching in the primary school
Relaxing in our living room
More bananas....
Michelle with the kids at Mama Gladness' house
Taxidermy shop at the Arusha Museum

Melissa and Mama Gladness
Our house
Lake Duluti
Sarah counting HIV meds at the CTC at the hospital in Tenguru

Michelle at the Impala Hotel

We are home again, most of us and safe. We had so many experiences. Here are some additional pictures....It was so hard to leave as we all felt so welcomed and loved....

Last Day in Tanzania!!!

2008-09-07T01:37:00.000-07:00

So all but 5 of us are gone. The rest of us are spending our last day relaxing, packing and getting ready for the long trip home. 6 house by "shuttle" to Nairobi, then some hours there wandering around in the market. Our plane leaves Monday night at 10am then we arrive in Seattle around 2pm Tuesday. Beth is a day later and Michelle is extending her trip a couple of weeks. It is so hard to leave as we are so loved and well cared for here by the local people. I will post pictures of more adventures and work when I get home as the speed here is quite slow. The orphanage we left on Thursday was the hardest..., more on that later on....love to all, see you soon...home my house is clean for when I get home...hint hint hint!

mikey

Food and weather info request

2008-09-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

So, just for gobble gf!!!
The weather here is wonderful, hot and sunny! I have a farmer's tan! Pretty huh?? We had a tiny bit of rain and wind but only during the night......it is hot and beautiful. Very green here, lots of banana palms, coffee, and vegetables, remember we are in a mountainous area. The people are wonderful and welcoming and it will be very hard to leave.

We have been eating rice, ugali (flour porridge sort of), lots of vegetables and even some chips (fries), cucumber and carrot soup....I miss other food so I go to the little shops and eat bajia, sombusa, mandazi, kabab, chapati and nyama choma!!! I miss meat so I eat it when I can get it, nyama choma is roast meet. We had a celebration last week, but I missed it due to being sick, where they prepared a fresh goat for us. They also add bananas to a lot of the food.

Rahma's (a student of mine at home) mom and dad came to get me and fed me up with fish, rice, coconut beans, chapati bread, sweet donut type kitumbua cakes and fresh squeezed juices. Tonight some of the guests, a bit more than half, are in town as they fly out tomorrow, so we are all eating at an Ethiopian restuarant and then going to the Colobus Club disco for some beers and local music. I am drinking Tuskars...two do me well....we leave monday night....see you at home, love you all so much, everyone is safe and happy and well......love to all and thanks for the support!!

Nondo....my new name, not trouble anymore.....nondo means iron....hahahaha

First Weeks Pictures 2nd set

2008-09-01T00:33:00.000-07:00

Lynn at work in the pharmacy at the hospital
Doing dishes at home
relaxing and discussing our day
Those working in agriculture build these mounds with fertile soil, compost, manure and height so that you can grow more vegies for the space

grading papers and preparing lessons
Michele hard at work in her classroom
Women's ward, very crowded conditions, sometimes two patients to a bed, cleanliness is an issue, sometimes the volunteers are mopping and cleaning needles from the floors and all kinds of things..everyone is very safe and wears gloves so no worries you folks at home....
Misha doing charting in the women's ward in the hospital...
Beth (now Betty hahaha) working in the men's ward....

Primary school classroom

Red Bull gives you wings! This is Amos, he is a great friend and helps us a lot.

First Weeks Pictures

2008-08-31T23:58:00.000-07:00

This is the kind of scooter they use here.....my son should appreciate his gas scooters!

This is how we wash our clothes

Relaxing at Africa Bar drinking Tuskar, eating nyama choma and other goodies

Walking to the market

This is the house we are staying in

Mzee Bob....lives at the museum

more museum and taxidermy

Taxidermy shop in the Arusha Museum

view from Impala hotel, this is Mt Meru

Monica...we are celebrating her birthday today sept 1

Stephythegreat

waiting at Nairobi Airport for 10 hours...lots of stories there....

museum in Arusha

First Weeks Pictures

2008-08-30T02:49:00.000-07:00

So now the disk I have of pictures isn't reading.....I will have to try again later when the gal who made it for me comes back from safari...sorry everyone....

2008-08-30T02:45:00.000-07:00

We are all safe and working hard. Everyone is happy and healthy. 4 of us work in organic gardening/farming (Steph, Stacey, Jessie and Melissa) 3 of us are teaching English in the school (Toni, Michelle and Monica) and the rest are working in the hospital (Chuck, Lynn, Misha, Kana, Sara and Beth). There are lots of stories good and bad that we will save for later. I will try to upload pictures but will not label them as the speed here for the internet is excruciatingly slow. We miss our families and friends and send our love to you all. The people here are wonderful and kind and we don't want to go home! My Swahili is coming back so fast and people love it that I speak the language so well. I am making everyone laugh and they call me matata now, which means trouble. I am sure none of you who know me are surprised.....Love to all and see you in about ten days or so depending on travel..... mikey :)

Countdown to departure

2008-08-12T15:57:00.000-07:00

Some of us have already left, and many of us are due to leave this Tuesday! We are very excited. We will be spending the first 2 days in Arusha at the Impala Hotel for orientation. This is a five star hotel with lots of amenities so should be fun! There are Internet Cafes all over Arusha so we will be sure to post pics to this site as soon as we are able. After the first two days of orientation, we go to Tenguru Village to start our volunteer work in the school, clinic and agricultural project located there. Many of the group will be spending a free weekend on safari and at least one of our group will be climbing Kilimanjaro at the end of our stay. Many others are travelling either within Tanzania or Europe. More to come.....