Old Friends, New Friends

How often to get to return to a place you once visited, and get to see people you connected with while abroad?  I have travelled quite a bit, but generally never the same place twice, and never long enough to feel a strong connection or affection for those who have I met.

When I first arrived in Dar es Salaam, I didn't know a single person in the entire country, let alone Dar.  Through the kindness of other development workers, I was able to secure a permanent place to live for the remaining 2 months I spent in Dar in 2010.  One the corner of my street (Sofia Kawawa), there was a restaurant owner, Ali, where I got most of my dinners of kuku and chipsi (chicken and fries).  His food was delicious and cheap, so it was perfect during my self-funded volunteer position with Kiva.  However, we also developed a friendship, where he would bring me sweets back from Zanzibar, when he would go back to visit his family.  He also took care that no one bothered me in the street, and always asked me how I was doing and if I needed anything.  I never forgot about him and the kindness he showed me during my previous stay, so I made it a point to return and say hello.  

I almost didn't recognize him as he has lost a lot of weight.  When he saw my face, he looked confused at first, and then it registered that he knew me :)  It was wonderful and the food was just as good as I remembered.

Ali (his restaurant is located in city centre- on the corner of Sofia Kawawa and India Street)

I also got an opportunity to see the women I worked with at Tujijenge Tanzania, Kiva's partner microfinance institution in Tanzania.  I worked with a woman named Rita, whom I affectionately referred to as Mama Rita.  Debora is the marketing director at Tujijenge and although I did not work directly with her, she often taught me Swahili phrases, and kept my spirits up through laughter.   

When I first arrived at Tujijenge, Mama Rita was quiet and not very self assured, and she often told me that I was very strict in my training of her.  I had just arrived from Ghana, where the microfinance institution's relationship with strained, and I really wanted to strength the relationship in Tanzania.  

Debra, me, and Mama Rita

Mama Rita is one of the sweetest and caring people I have ever met.  She is also quite capable and smart, and I pushed her because I knew she was capable of so much more.  It is weird to push someone who is old enough to be your mother, but I couldn't help myself.  Once I left my placement at Tujijege, Mama Rita wrote to me to inform me that Kiva had increased Tujijenge's monthly fundraising from $45,000 to $95,000.  On this visit she informed me that their monthly fundraising is now $150,000 per month.  

Tujijenge has moved to its own building, and Mama Rita proudly showed me the new facility.  She has grown so much as a person and as the Kiva Coordinator since our first meeting.  It was very sweet as she thanked me for helping her double Tujijenge's monthly fundraising limit and said that her work with me helped her continue to grow their monthly fundraising limit.  Although it felt nice to know that my time at Tujijenge had a positive influence, I did not do the heavy lifting of the work, like Mama Rita.  Mama Rita deserves all the credit and it was so wonderful to see how well the organization is doing.  

I also got to meet the new Kiva fellow, Marion Walls, who is wrapping up her time at Kiva.  Her experience was very similar to mine, except she took a leave of absence from her job, and it figuring out where to go from there.  

Marion, Mama Rita and me

It's been over 3 years since I left my job as an attorney at a law firm, and although I haven't exactly figured my life out yet, this journey has been incredible!

Here are some photos and new friends I have met along this latest journey :)

Me, Essau (African Banjoist) and Ali

Ali, Moses (works for our partner Vodacom), and me

This little gem is Genesis (his father, Christian, works with us on the technical end of the project)

Finally into the field

Things have been pretty busy and intense trying to launch The Health Network Programme in Tanzania.  There are only about 34,000 health workers for the 44 million people currently living in Tanzania.  Our programme will hopefully connect 9,000 doctors, specialist, clinical officers and assistance, as well as dental officers.  It is one thing to sit in an office, and think these numbers are quite alarming, but it is another thing to go out into the field and see how many people wait all day to see the 3 health workers at the local dispensary or health centre.

The hierarchy of medical facilities in Tanzania (from lowest to highest) are as followings:  Village centers, dispensaries (which cater to 6,000 to 10,000 people), health centers (which cater to 50,000 people), district hospitals, regional hospitals and referral hospital (only 4 in the entire country).

One of our field visits was to the Kisarawe District, located in the Pwani Region, which is the region southwest of Dar es Salaam.  The purpose of our field visits was to test our technology for registration.  The health workers use their mobile phones to register for the programme using a USSD registration menu.

We visited three facilities that day - Kisarawe District Hospital, Sungwi Dispensary, and the Masaki Health Centre.  The dispensarywas located 20  kilometers (roughly 12 miles) from the hospital, and the health centre was another 5 kilometers.

The road from the hospital to the dispensary was dusty, rocky and hilly.  We past several locals on their bicycles climbing the hills with heavy loads tied to their bikes.  It made me wonder how people get from the dispensary or health centre to the hospital where the licensed doctors are.  The nurse traveling with us explained that each facilities had an ambulance, and if the ambulance was unavailable, the patient would generally hire a vodavoda (motorcycle) to drive them.  I couldn't imagine how difficult it must be to travel down that dirt, bumpy, hilly road strapped to the bed attached to a motorcycle.

Ambulance at the health centre, located 25 kilometers from the District Hospital

It was wonderful to finally get to see at least 3 types of medical facilities in Tanzania, but it was also very humbling to see these health workers with very limited supplies and personnel treating a large population of patients.  One health workers told us that he lived close to his dispensary and that everyone is the area had his mobile number if case of emergencies.  He also treated an average of 25 patients per day.  Although I never asked about pay, I am certain they are not paid nearly enough for the amount of work that is required to assist these patients.

And just to give you a sense of our surroundings during our field visit, here are two photos of the type of buildings in the rural areas of Kisarawe.

Kipepeo, Tanzania - Finally!

After two hard weeks working with local partners as well as the team in San Francisco, Seattle and South Africa, we finally had a day off.  This past week was especially difficult as we quickly realized that things definitely get lost in translation, and that others (locals) often have unrealistic demands and expectations.  Enough about work though - let's talk about Kipepeo Village!

During my last visit to Tanzania, I use to spend my Sundays at Kipepeo beach.  Zanzibar is beautiful, but I would say that the beach at Kipepeo and probably many of the beaches in South Beach are just as beautiful.  The sand is white, the coastline is gorgeous, and you get to interact and see more locals than you ever do at the private beaches that foreigners often visit in Zanzibar.  It is also a cheap alternative to Zanzibar.

For the past 2 years, I have often thought about this beach and how beautiful and relaxing it was.  It did not disappoint!

From City Centre, you catch a local ferry across to Kigambomi.  The cost of the fare is 200TZS (.20 cents).  Quite a deal!  From the other side, we took a bajaj (a three wheel auto taxi) to our final destination - Kipepeo.




At the showers at Kipepeo Village, here is a sign to discourage urinating in the showers.  If you look closely at the photo,  you will see that a devilish creature is rising from the shower floor.

Ali and I sitting under our cabana enjoying the view and some beers.

We made a new friend, Essau Pwelle, a Tanzanian who has lived in the U.S. for nearly a decade.  He is an African Banjoist, from the Wandali tribe in the Mbeya Region, near the border of Tanzania and Zambia.  I just recently learned that the American banjo was derived from the African banjo.  There were some differences, such as the number of strings.  The American banjo has five strings, whereas the African banjo has 4 strings.  Most banjo playing in America is picking, but in Africa, they strum the banjo.  Essau told us that the only place in America where musicians strum their banjos was New Orleans.

Essau is trying to bring awareness to local Tanzanians of their history with the African banjo.  He said that he walks all around Dar es Salaam and no one seems to recognize the instruments.  He is part of a campaign by the National government to archive their musical history, as well as its influence to instruments around the world.

The African banjo in Essau's hand was wholly constructed in Tanzania.  The strings were taken from brake wires of a bajaja.  The gourd he picked up at a local market and had a local artist carve the outside for decoration.  The tuners are made from local rosewood.  This banjo will eventually be archived along with the name of every local Tanzanian involved in its construction.  Our bajaj driver did not recognize the instrument, but was very excited when he saw it, and basically grabbed it out of Essau's hand.

Essau invited Ali and I to a cultural performance next Saturday, where members of his band will play. There will be other performances as well.  It is nice to have something to look forward to - especially with tough work weeks.

We spent the afternoon listening to Essau and company sing traditional Tanzanian songs.  Not a bad way to spend the afternoon!

Me and a little girl, Essau was friends with the mother.  She was very cute, and very very sassy :)

Some locals decided to bury this Spanish guy, Essau's friend and guitar player in his band, with sand.  The woman next to the little girl is a Tanzanian woman who currently lives in Tanzania.  She is married to one of the sons from the Swedish pop group, Abba. 

I love this picture.  The Spanish guy is breaking free, and a local Tanzanian guy who helped bury him. The local guy saw the hand and jumped back laughing - I only wish I had a video of it :)

Mambo from Dar es Salaam

Hello everyone!

I am back in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for 5 weeks to help launch a program through Switchboard - www.switchboard.org.  Switchboard is creating the largest network of health care workers in the developing world in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Vodacom.  The plan is to connect 9,000 health workers across the country - allowing them to make free calls and texts to other participating health workers.

I have been here for 5 days but it feels more like 2 weeks, as a colleague and I have been busy meeting with officials from the Ministry and Vodacom.  When we are not in meetings, we are working with out of country programmers to ensure that the technology is up and running in time for our tentative launch during the 1st full week of February.  It is pretty amazing that a simple cell phone will allow health workers to connect and collaborate to improve patient care in Tanzania!

I don't have a lot of stories as our days of work have been long, and usually end when we head to bed.  We have ventured out of the hotel a few times for meals, and have had some funny encounters with locals.  My colleague Ali has been mistaken for Julia Roberts a few times.  She does bare a slight resemblance to the actress.  My first night here, we went to a local place to get some barbecue chicken.  While waiting for our food, some local Tanzanian men came over and asked to take a photo with her.  It was pretty amusing.  People have also had trouble saying my name, and I mistakenly told a local that my name was Michelle, like Michelle Obama.  He told me "It is nice to meet you Michelle Obama."  I tried to explain, but he kept calling me Michelle Obama, so I just let him :)

Many things are as I remember them.  There is a bakery (The Corner Bakery) where I would always buy fresh bread after my bus rides home from work.  I went my 2nd day here and bought a loaf -- it was as good as I remember.

However, my experience this time is quite different.  Now I travel mostly by cab, whereas I previously relied heavily on local buses (dala dalas).  This time I am staying at a hotel instead of an apartment, but it is close to my old place.  I hope to make it down to my old place to see if my friend Ali (not to be mistaken with my female colleague Ali) still runs his barbecue stand at the end of street.

I hope to have some interesting stories to post soon.

Here is a photo of me in Giza, Egypt.

I had a 11 hour layover and decided to do a quick tourist tour to check out the pyramids.  It was interesting that most of the other passengers who also had long layovers were afraid to leave the airport or hotel that Egypt Air provided.  I can't say I have an opinion of Egypt as I spent most of my time getting in and out of the mini-van to see various tourists attractions.  I hope to return someday and spend more time there.

Hope everyone is well!

Coming to an end... Costa Rica

We are spending our final night in Bahia Ballena. Tomorrow we are squeezing in one last surf - well attempt at surfing at our spot in Bahia Ballena.

It has been a great vacation. Since my last post, we did some ATVing where I thought that I would drive myself off of the mountain! I had never been on an ATV, and honestly the instruction could have been a little better. Our guides were great though. Initially, we got to do a little test run, where drove around this little dirt road to get a feel for it. For whatever reason, I panicked and drove myself into a ditch. It was pretty funny, but it wasn't so funny when I almost drove off the road again when we were drive through the mountains. I guess I just had a hard time avoiding all of the rocks and stuff, but then I guess you are suppose to drive over them. I rode most of the way in a jeep while one of the guides drove my ATV because I wanted to stay alive for the rest of my trip. I definitely want to do it again, but probably not up and down steep mountain roads!




If you need to make a call when you are in the middle of the mountains, there are telephone booths!



We also did some ziplining in the Osa Mountain Village. I had done this before, but the few first runs totally freaked me out. I quickly got over it and happily zipped through the next 9 lines.




At the end of the zipline, they have a a rope they call the "Tarzan rope." They clip you onto the rope and shove you off the platform. I was a little afraid at first, but then I saw a 5 year old girl do it. If she could do it and survive --I certainly can! It was pretty cool, you are swinging up pretty high, and you just hope the rope doesn't break. Luckily, it didn't and I am still alive...


That's me swinging around!






Today, we went to Dominical,which is approximately 19 kilometers from our house. It is a little surf town, where people who can actually surf go. Nate from our group could actually surf, so he wanted to check it out. Four of us made it down the mountain and 3 of us rented some fiberglass boards. Unfortunately, they did not have soft boards, and the board I ended up renting was too small and not stable for me because I am a beginner. The waves are much more powerful and well harder.

It reminded me something that Nate had told me the first day I took my surf class. He said that the waves are like life. You have to be patient and wait for the right wave. Sometimes you have to pass on a lot of waves until you find the right one. Sometimes you think you found the right one and then it ends up being wrong or just fizzling out right in the middle of it all. Sometimes the waves pound on you and offering little relief, but when you finally catch the right wave, the ride is incredible.

Today the waves of Dominical really just pounded on me and offer very little relief. Let's hope tomorrow the surf at Bahia Ballena National Park with its gentler and longer waves will provide me with some great rides :)

Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica

I am sitting on the porch of the house we rented and listening to the sounds of the jungle. The group is out kayaking and snorkeling, but I stayed behind to do a little work and to recover from my 2 days of surfing lessons.

If you get a chance, I highly suggest heading out to Bahia Ballena. It is super relaxing and beautiful. I am one of 8 people on this trip. It has worked out pretty well except that 3 people missed connecting flights and arrived a day later, but they made it.

I arrived the night of the 28th and met up with Kerry, the sister of a childhood friend, in San Jose. We stayed a pretty swanky hotel the first night and then set out the next morning for Bahia Ballena. Along the way we stopped off to see the location crocodile attraction - actually it is just a bunch of crocodiles hanging out by a river. It was pretty cool though. If you look closely, you can see a pair of shoes next to the crocodile -
I hope it was just coincidental :)



Most of the group arrived a few hours before the new years. Since no one brought speakers for our ipods, we had to improvise. We put my laptop in a bowl and others put their ipods in cups and it really works :)



The last few days, I did a surf clinic through Bodhi Surf - in Bahia Ballena National Park. It was pretty cool. I loved my instructors, Gibran and Adriana. I managed to ride the white water several times my first two days and even rode a small green wave at the end of my instruction yesterday. After the first day, I was sunburned and extremely sore. I thought there was no way I was going to make it through another class. I was wrong - once I got into the water, I couldn't help but attempt surfing again. My body is still sore, my face is a bit sunburned as well as my arms, and my knees are a little scraped up. But in two days, I am going to do it again :) I only wish the waters of San Francisco were as warm and gentle as the waves in Bahia Ballena.

My knees:


It is a bite strange to just be hanging out after living and working in Africa last year. I haven't had much contact with the local people except at the grocery store. I definitely miss that part of traveling, but I can't complain. I am fortunate enough to be able to come to beautiful place like Bahia Ballena, surf and just chill out. Anyways - I hope everyone is doing well and that they had a great New Year. Obviously - mine has been fantastic in Costa Rica.

Take care and if anything else exciting happens or I finally get around to taking some photos - I will update you all.

Hasta luego amigos,

Michelle

---

Busua, Ghana

I am sadly and excitedly counting my final days on the African continent. For the past two days, I have planted myself in a chair at my hotel next to the beach - reading and watching the local kids run around the ocean. I can't seem to motivate myself to do anything else, and it is actually the best way to wrap up my time here.

It has been over 5 months since I said goodbye to family and friends and boarded a plane for Ghana. Shortly before my arrival in Ghana, I recently learned that it was located in West Africa and little else. It seems fitting that my last days in Africa should end where it began - Ghana. Since I haven't been very good about blogging, I will try give a quick little run down of where and what I have been up to.

For the first two months in Ghana, I lived and worked in Kumasi, Ghana, which is located approximately 250 kilometers north of the capital city Accra. Kumasi wasn't an easy town for me as I had a terrible time with the local food and left Ghana ten pounds lighter than when I first arrived. Kumasi was also a bit lonely and boring, but it also gave me a wonderful opportunity to interact with my neighbors and other locals. I also had a chance to travel around to rural areas surrounding Kumasi, which was fantastic. You can't really say you have been to Africa until you head out to the rural areas where you see people living very modestly, but still very cheerful.

After my most unfortunate problems with the Ghanaian immigration officials (still don't know why they are so difficult!), I headed to Nairobi for a little rest and relaxation before my next placement in Dar es salaam, Tanzania. Although I did not do extensive traveling in Tanzania, I did head out to Zanzibar on two separate trips, which was nice. After hanging out and working in Dar es salaam for 2 months at two different partner microfinance institutions, I crossed over to Kigali, Rwanda. My previous blog was about my time in Kigali, so I won't repeat it.

From Kigali, Rwanda, I traveled by bus to Bujumbura, Burundi, where I spent a few days. I went to Lake Tanganyika and just sort of saw the countryside from the bus.

After a few more days in Kigali, Rwanda, I headed to Nairobi, Kenya to collect Rob. While in Kenya, Rob and I traveled to Masai Mara for a safari. Masai Mara is probably the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life. A huge Savannah where lions, zebras, warthogs, impalas, giraffes, etc. hang out naturally and wildly about. From Masai Mara, we headed to Lake Naivasha and biked through the national park, Hell's Gate, where we met our new friends John (a local Kenyan) and Marin (a Dutch traveler). After Lake Naivasha we headed back to Nairobi and to a town called Murang'a where we met with a local microfinance institution who specialized in giving out loans to borrowers to buy dairy cows. We even met with a few borrowers, which was my favorite part of my fellowship.

From Nairobi, we next headed to the coast and the island of Lamu, which is a predominately Muslim area located in northern Kenya. Lamu is beautiful and historic. We spent a few days in Lamu town and a few days on Shella which is the neighboring village. In Lamu, we took two dhow rides (dhow is a traditional sail boat), and I even road a donkey. After Lamu, we headed by bus to Mombasa, which is another coastal town, but located in the southern part of Kenya. Mombasa wasn't quite as charming as Lamu, but I did get to ride a camel there. Therefore, Rob caught a flight back to the States and I continued my journey back to Ghana.

Since I have been in Ghana, I have spent most of my time in coastal towns - Accra, Cape Coast, Takoradi and now Busua. In Cape Coast, I went to the Kakum National Park which boasts the highest canopy bridge in the world. Also, I went to the famous Cape Coast Castle which housed several hundred African slaves prior to the departure to the Americas. It was a very surreal and sad visit, but also important for people to remember this history, so that it never happens again.

From Cape Coast, I traveled by tro-tro (a small mini-van) to Takoradi, where I had the most deliciously pain au chocolat at Bocadillos, which is run by a French/Nigerian couple. Realizing that I wanted to be right on the beach in a sleepier town, I decided to head to Busua.

I hitched a ride with two Ghanaians, who were friends of the receptionist at my hotel in Takoradi), who drove me the 45 minutes to Busua and dropped me off in front of my new residence for the next few days - Busua Inn. The Busua Inn is this little place located right on the beach owned by a French couple who have been living out here for the past 5 years.

And here I plan to be until at least Saturday before I head my way back to Accra, see my friend Richelle and collect my bag for my Monday morning flight back to the States. It has been an amazing year, and although I am not exactly sure what I will do when I get back, I am excited for what awaits me. I remember very early in my time here a manI met told me that people come to Africa to learn about themselves or escape themselves. I would like to think that I learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of. This will likely be my last post from Africa unless something really exciting happens. However, since I am sloth-like in Busua, I doubt much will happen. I will miss all of the wonderful people that I have come across during my life and travels in Africa, but I am excited to see my family and friends - especially my two sweet little nieces!

See you soon America!