Shamba Shamba

The rainy season has officially begun! This is both good and bad news. The bad news first; a) mosquitoes b) lots and lots of mud c) roads at times become impassible and d) a wide variety of insects, critters (including snakes) have decided to come out of ‘hiding’… However, on a more positive note, everything is green! Before the rain, you could count on one hand the number of green trees you saw on the drive out to the village, now all you see is green! Another bonus is the abundance of water that we are able to collect! We are very fortunate to have a water harvesting “system” –basically eavestroughing that collects the rainwater that comes off our the roof and deposits it into a very large tank that sits in our courtyard! We no longer have to ‘order’ our water (from the guy who goes to the river with jerry cans, fills them up with murky river water, then, transports them back using a donkey cart!) EI is currently working on a project to build large holding tanks for more water harvesting systems in the village. I can tell you first hand what a difference there is to having clear drinking water as opposed to the sickly yellowish brown water from the river! One of the best things about the rainy season (besides being able to shower in the rain!) is that people can now start working in their shambas! A shamba is what we would call a very large garden (ranging anywhere between 1-5 acres!) In Usolonga, the majority of people’s shambas are located near the river, about 5km from the centre of the village. The most popular thing to plant is rice, although some also grow maize and ground nuts. The rice that is harvested is sold and ‘ugali’ (thick porridge made from maize flour), which is cheaper, is bought instead. This is their only source of income, so getting enough rain is vital! Last year, a survey, conducted by previous interns during the dry season, showed that over 80% of households had absolutely no food in the house. None. Whatsoever. As soon as I read that, I immediately thought of all the times I’ve said, “there’s nothing to eat in this house!” when in reality the cupboards were filled with tons of different foods. I’ve since visited various houses (i.e. mud huts) and have witnessed for myself the effects that a bad harvest has on a family! The last house I visited had only a sack of ‘ugali flour’ in terms of food (which makes up their two to three meals a day)! This sack of flour, a woven grass mat and a kerosene lamp –that’s all! It was unreal.
Work in the shamba starts before the sun rises and ends whenever enough work has been done! This past Friday I had a small taste of just how much work goes into these shambas! At 5:45am, I set out with Esau (a family member of the head nurse) to their shamba. It took us just over an hour by foot, traipsing through mud, manure and lots of water! Esau chose to inform me that we didn’t need to worry about the crocodiles just as we were in the middle of crossing a small ravine –apparently the water levels weren’t high enough yet! As I stopped, somewhat in fear, he enlightened me further, explaining that when the water level gets to a certain point, they have to go the “long way around” for fear of being attacked by crocodiles! Last year he saw a man being attacked and killed by one! It really is a serious problem; six to eight people die annually from these attacks. I just didn’t think it was really necessary to inform me of this while still in the water! We arrived just after seven and set to work right away. Our task that day was to build mud ridges to contain water in the little rice fields. I watched for a bit while Esau started digging–then made the mistake of asking if I could ‘try’. He was a bit reluctant at first, saying that he didn’t think I’d be able to do it…at least not for long, as it was hard work. Well. That didn’t sit so well with me. I smiled, grabbed the hoe and went to work! After about five minutes my arms were killing me! Never mind-I had a point to prove! I didn’t want people to think that a mzungu girl couldn’t handle a bit of work, especially a ‘country’ girl who was raised in northern Ontario! This attitude kept me going for about an hour. Just as I was about to pass out, Esau suggested we rest for a bit. While I was hoeing, he had been putting dry grass on the little shelter, so we had a shaded area to rest. We started making our way back to the village around 9:30 –not exactly the longest workday, but definitely strenuous! By this time the sun was blazing hot, it was already over 30 degrees, and it felt like my arms were going to fall off! As we were leaving, others were just arriving –they were staying for the whole day! I don’t know how they do it. Some are lucky and have cattle pull equipment to dig up the soil, while the majority do it all by hand! Acres and acres of land, upturned, planted, harvested . . . all with one hoe!
Although it took the better part of the day to recuperate and re-energize, I am very glad that I was able to go and witness for myself what this shamba business was all about!

Christmas in Zanzibar

We left Iringa on Wednesday, December 19th and spent two and a half uneventful days in Dar es Salaam. The high-rise buildings and city smog didn't really appeal to us -we were excited to leave mainland and board the ferry to Zanzibar on Saturday morning! Two days were spent exploring Stone Town, Zanzibar's capitol - among the touristy things to do were the 'House of Wonders', one of the city's historical museums, the Anglican cathedral that was built on the former slave trading grounds, the local market and the never ending little shops that are set up within the narrow alleyways that make up Stone Town's streets.

On Christmas eve morning, we made our way to the dala dala station, found the one that would take us to Bwejuu and waited for it to fill up with passengers before taking off! And this is when we found out how small our world is. Approaching the dala dala were three girls, around our age, who I had never seen before, but Jen kept insisting that we had met them somewhere. Turns out one of them went to University with Jen and they had a few classes together! They were fellow CIDA interns working in Dar, making their way to the eastern side of the island.

After two hours of bumpy roads and about fifty stops later, we were dropped off on the side of the road in Bwejuu. It was a great relief to be able to stretch our legs -we had crammed 32 people in that dala dala (wich could comfortably sit 15)! The top had been piled high with various supplies that were picked up along the way (tin roofing, three bed frames, about ten wooden chairs, three bicycles, sacks of grain, baskets of fruit, a few live animals, etc.) One of the remaining passengers pointed in the direction of our destination: Mustapha's Nest.

The adventures begin.

They had lost our booking. There was no room. Jackie, another guest reassured us that this had also happened to their group when they first arrived. . .and to every other guest staying at Mustapha's Nest. Hotel management and book keeping are not their forte.

After a few hours of waiting (we weren't exactly sure what we were waiting for) we were told that there was a one bed room available, never mind that it was one of the staff's bedroom! By this time we had fallen in love with the place, it's chilled out atmosphere and friendly guests, so we decided to stay! Our room was located high up in the trees. . .very rustic. (You'll have to check out the pictures I posted!)
We put our bags in the room, locked up, and hit the beach! Later that night when we returned the door wouldn't open. "Hamna shida" we were told (no worries), our 'carpenter' will fix it. The carpenter took a hammer and a crow bar and started pounding on the lock (now, I'm not an expert, but somehow that didn't seem like the first thing I'd try). His method sort of worked -the lock was no longer in the door (it had fallen out and was now inside the room) but the door was still locked shut. His next plan? Kick down the door. literally. This took a good ten minutes, he even let me have a few kicks (again, you'll have to check out the pictures!) finally the door opened, but now there was the problem of not having a functional door for our room! We were told not to worry, it'd be fixed after dinner. 10:30 rolled around and we still had no door. They tried convincing us that it would be ok to sleep in there with no door, it was a safe place -they had 'guard' dogs and a fenced in yard...I told them that I was usually up for an adventure but there was no way we were sleeping in a room with no door! We ended up sleeping in a large circular cabin (one that was being reserved for a party of four that hadn't showed up yet) The door was fixed the following morning -we slept in the tree house for the following two nights.
Christmas day was pretty laid back, went swimming (got stung by a jelly fish), read on the beach, and hung out with our new friends we had met. We enjoyed a very yummy Christmas buffet (not your typical turkey dinner -but just as good!) followed by traditional drumming and local dance. A very humorous evening!
After three days at Mustapha's Nest we moved up the beach to a new place called "Shells" and kept ourselves busy reading, relaxing and swimming. Watched the sunrise one morning, rented bikes and visited other beaches, read, relaxed. . .we had a very full schedule!
We left Zanzibar on the 30th, and made our way to Kipepeo, which is in southern Dar. It's a very nice beach, but unfortunately did not compare to Zanzibar! We met a girl who was just there for the day on the 31rst and ended up spending the whole day with her! She's working with a Christian organization in northern Tanzania and we were able to exchange stories and experiences! Truly a God send!
New Years Eve was very exciting. . .I went to bed at 8:30! (pm). We had planned to ring in the new year with the other guests but were both so tired (due to a lack of sleep the night before) that we didn't manage to stay up! We also had to get up at 6:30 the next morning to head back to Dar in order to catch the bus home. I figured we'd do the count down at 8:00am Jan. 1 (that way -given the time difference- we'd be ringing in the new year along with friends and family in Ontario!)
We arrived safely in Iringa on Jan. 1 in the late afternoon.
I had a wonderful holiday, with just the right amount of leisure and adventure! We had prayed for a safe trip -and as always, God went above and beyond in answering our prayers! It was exciting to see how everything fit together so smoothly and how numerous "coincidences" kept happening (always to our benefit!)
I didn't mean to write a novel, but I knew if I didn't force myself to write this today, it would probably never happen! We've had one day in Iringa and are heading back to the village tomorrow morning sometime before 6:00am! I hope you've had a refreshing holiday and are ready to start this new year on the right track!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Season's greeting from Zanzibar, Tanzania!
Jen and I have arrived safely in Zanzibar after spending a few days touring Dar es Salaam! We've explored most of Stone Town and have found it to be quite the exciting place! We're travelling to the east side of the island tomorrow, to a little place called Bwejuu, with plans of spending Christmas morning on a beach!
I'll be sure to write up a more detailed account of our adventures here once we return to Iringa after the new year!
I wish everyone a very blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Village Times Vol. 1

Giving birth in Usolonga

Over the past month I’ve been able to attend four different births in the village. Before going into any specific details, I need to first provide a little background concerning the birthing process in Usolonga!
For starters, there is no shortage of expectant mothers! There are currently over 80 women –that we know of, that are due to give birth in the next five months, there are some who choose not to come to the clinic for a check-up and give birth at home. The 4000 shillings (about $3.50 cad.) that it cost to give birth in the clinic provides you a bed (just a bare plastic covered mattress) a midwife and a few medical supplies (rusting scissors to cut the cord, an IV if needed, and pain killers –when they’re not out of stock!). The expectant mother makes her way on foot to the clinic once labor has started, a journey that is anywhere from fifteen minutes to two hours depending on how far they live. Family members usually accompany her (rarely will the husband or boyfriend come) carrying a bucket of water (yes, they need to provide their own water, which is usually dirty river water!) an empty bucket (to put all the waste) and a bunch of kangas (to use as sheets, to wrap the baby in and to wash up the mattress!) If the labor happens to be at night then a kerosene lantern is lit in order to see, that is, if it’s not out of kerosene! Last week two solar panels were installed (as part of the solar panel project that EI is currently fundraising for!) so now there is one light bulb in the birthing room, which, as you can imagine, has come in VERY handy! (The first two births I attended were done by kerosene lamp . . .lets just say I’ll never complain about the health care facilities back home!)

Just to clarify . . .it’s not part of my job description to attend any births (although I’m put to use when I do!) it is only out of a personal interest in midwifery that I chose to take part! So be rest assured if you’re interested in coming as an intern you won’t be forced to attend any labors!

In just the four labors I’ve attended so far I’ve seen and experienced quite a ride range of variety. The first two were pretty straight forward and actually made the whole process seem like a piece of cake! Both mothers were in and out of the birthing room within 30 minutes! One of the babies came out so fast I almost missed it! Unfortunately the third one wasn’t so easy and had a very sad ending. The mother gave birth to twin boys, one of them came out relatively easy while the other one tried coming out hand first. By the time the second one came out, he had already died. I had been holding the first twin, weighing 1.5 kilos, in my arms for three hours when the family finally consented that he needed medical attention and agreed to be driven to Iringa. The little guy didn’t make the two-hour journey, and died when they were half way to town. I’d like to think that this was an isolated event that only happens every now and again, but this being a rural village in Africa, it is unfortunately a fairly common occurrence. The fourth birth was a bit touch-and-go for a while –the cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck- but fortunately Stella (nurse and midwife) was able to cut it in time! This labor was slightly more ‘hands on’ for me and made my stomach turn a bit as I witnessed the mother being sewn up from tearing! (yuck)

So there you have it, giving birth in the village! One thing that I always have to remember before attending a birth is that God is in control and already knows what is going to happen!

Experiencing Clinic Day

On the first and last Wednesday of each month, the MCH (mother-child-health) centre in Usolonga hosts “clinic day”, where children under the age of five are brought in to be weighed and have their health cards updated. Vaccinations are given to those who require them, and children who are severely underweight are referred to the doctor. It so happened that our second day in the village fell on clinic day. Jen and I weren’t too sure what we were going to do, but we’re told that it would be a good idea to show up and help out where needed –thankfully we were also told to expect mad chaos.
If I only had the words to accurately describe the way I felt that Wednesday morning! We had been told that clinic started at 8:30am, so being the keeners that we are we showed up at 8:15 –only to find that the ‘waiting room’ (which is basically an outdoor courtyard) had already began to fill with mothers and their children. I was very surprised to see so many mothers “on time”, but in true Tanzanian fashion, things didn’t get rolling until almost 10:00am! Seeing as this was our first big event in the village, it would be an understatement to say that we were noticed! From the moment we walked into the courtyard curious mothers and small children instantly surrounded us. Some of the children started crying when they saw us, for a majority of them we were the first white people they had ever come in contact with! (I kept telling myself that this was why they were frightened, that it wasn’t per se us they were scared of….) Most of the mothers found humor in this and proceeded to force their screaming child in our direction to see what their reaction would be! While we waited for the health representatives to arrive and get things started, we tried our best to communicate with the waiting mothers; there were approximately 200 in all! We weren’t able to say much, besides our names, where we were from and what we were doing there. Most women were very welcoming and understanding of our limited Swahili. Just before 10:00am, the health reps showed up but didn’t think it necessary to start right away, nor to introduce themselves –finally, after twenty minutes of waiting I entered the ‘weighing’ room and attempted to introduce myself…luckily Stella, the nurse came to my rescue and facilitated proper introductions. When asked what time things would get underway, we were informed that they were just waiting for us to start teaching! After clearing up the miscommunication and explaining to them that we were only there to help out, they finally got things started! For the next three hours we assisted in the weighing, recording and charting of nearly 200 children! Needless to say, by the end of ‘clinic’ day we had had our fill of cute African babies!

Village life

We’ve officially moved into our home in the village! There is still a lot of work that needs to be done, but it is now livable! This is a picture taken from our 'kitchen' window! Our first two weeks of village life have been very eventful and quite exciting! I should start by giving a short description of the village I will be spending the next 6 months inhabiting. Usolonga, also known as Mbolimboli, is a fairly small, remote village situated approximately 70 km north west of Iringa, in the bottom of the rift valley. The last survey conducted recorded a population of approximately 3200 people, 50% of whom were under the age of 15! There is essentially one road into the village and one road out, making it quite isolated. Due to the dry season, the landscape resembles a desert; all you see for miles are little mud huts and lots of sand! The clinic and staff houses are situated on the outskirts of the village, a good ten-minute walk from its centre! The clinic is open each weekday from 8:00am to 2:00pm and local villagers are encouraged to visit on a drop in basis during these times. The doctor and nurse however are technically always on call, and are summoned from their homes if they are needed for an emergency or if there’s a birth. The atmosphere is fairly relaxed and laid back; the staff have been very welcoming and patient as we butcher their native tongue. (Although I must say that our Swahili has improved tremendously since being in the village!) I’m quickly adjusting to “Tanzanian” time, learning that things usually don’t happen when people say they will, being “on time” is an abstract concept that many locals are unfamiliar with and the pace of life is about three times slower than I’m used to, but hey, I’m not complaining! With 40+ degrees temperature, no electricity, and no running water, it is understandable that things usually take longer to accomplish.
Our first two weeks were primarily spent cleaning, painting, getting to know the staff and practicing our newly learned Swahili! In the mornings we took turns shadowing the nurse and doctor in order to gain a better understanding of their daily routine, the common ailments that present themselves and to make ourselves known to some of the local villagers. We’ve met with the headmaster at the local primary school and have scheduled an introduction session with the various classes for later on this week. We’ll also be conducting an informal survey in each class in hopes of determining their level of health care awareness. Seeing as the students have a month off for Christmas, we won’t actually start teaching until January. In the meantime, we’ll be creating lesson plans and making changes to the previous curriculum in order to prepare ourselves for January. When we’re not at the school (we have yet to determine our teaching schedule –it’ll depend on how comfortable we are in the classroom and how much time we want to devote to other projects) we’ll be working at the clinic and with the local health representatives. Our goal is to come up with some easy-to-use teaching material and train the health reps so that they in turn will be able to teach the locals when we are gone. There is definitely no shortage of work to be done! Jen hopes to start a home garden, as part of her nutrition work and we also hope to introduce some new water purification techniques. Unfortunately, given the lack of resources and next to nil education they have on the subject, it is not as easy as one would initially think. There are many underlying issues and challenges to work through –but we are hopeful!

Who would have thought that I'd meet Miss Piggy in Tanzania??

I don't think I've ever laughed as hard as I did on the night of November 5th, the occassion? Jen's birthday! Jen is a fellow CIDA intern whom I have the pleasure of working and sharing a house with everyday in Usolonga. We happened to be in town on her birthday and had a lovely birthday meal and celabration at Andrew and Miriam's house, our in-country reps. I've never seen anyone so appreciative of birthday gifts before! Jen, who has a little crush on Mr. Bean, was moved to tears by the Mr. Bean DVD we managed to find for her! Unfortunately, the disc was a dud and instead of hosting ten Bean movies, it only had two. Never mind, she enjoyed it just the same! The icing on the cake though came later on in the evening when her final gift was danced (Tanzanian style -remember the dancing of gifts at the wedding?) to her and she unwrapped her beloved Miss Piggy 'costume'! The story behind the pig: (and I apologize if this isn't funny to anyone else -it may be one of those "you had to have been there" moments, although I'm sure you can appreciate how disturbingly funny this "thing" of a costume is!) About a month ago, when shopping in the market, Jen noticed this Miss Piggy costume hanging at one of the vendor's booths. Having pointed it out to the rest of us, we all had a good laugh and wondered where this thing came from! It was by far the most disturbing second-hand article we had come across! It soon became routine that whenever we would go to the market, we would keep an eye out for Miss Piggy. She was faithfully waiting for us each time, hanging from the booth -it was actually very spooky the way they had her hanging by her neck! A few times we would stop in and ask how much she cost, eventually the vendor would see us coming and would automatically get Miss Piggy down so Jen could have a look! It seemed rather fitting to purchase the costume for Jen's birthday -I suspect she knew it was coming, not only had we told her she'd better be careful because she'd end up with it one day, she had also gone to the market the morning of her birthday and was suspicious when her beloved pig wasn't there! She was a really good sport and pranced around in the costume for the rest of the evening, posing for pictures and all! The only unfortunate thing is that now Miss Piggy lives at our house! Jen's convinced that she'll be able to re-sell the costume or give it away...any muppet fans out there? ;)