New adventures from tz!



We just returned from a shamba- a tanzanian farm. it was an amazing experience. we harvested the beans between mt. meru and mt. kilimanjaro as the tanzanian farmers do it: we picked the plants by hand, carried them back to the farm on a mule-drawn carriage, let them dry in the sun, hit them with sticks to get the beans out, then sifted the shucks from the bean by dropping in the wind. it was so different than the us and they couldn't believe it when we told them how machines did everything in the us. we spent three days there and one day also went to a nearby primary school where there are 60-80 kids in each class with one teacher. we played soccer with a ball made from twine tied tightly together. very unreal experience. the family was great, welcoming us to their home and engaging in questions and debate about everything under the stars. the family also had many children and took care of many other children as most families do. the kids were great. we taught each other songs and iwas able to impress them with my guitar and polaroid picture taking abilities. The return to the danish center and specifically showers and running water is very welcomed.



We also visited selian hospital before the shamba excursion. it looked very nice after our previous hospital visit. they started the first ever hospice program in tanzanian and are engaged in helping families to take in orphans- just what i recommended in my paper! the best part though was teh free prenatal area- they have an open air spot where mothers can come with their children to weigh them and make sure they don't have any growth defects from bad water. they just hang the kids up by their blankets on a vegetable scale and they hang there like a sack of potatoes as the nurse looks at the recommended growth chart. it is a sight to see- all these maasi women with jewlery and enormous holes in the ears in bright kangas handing their kids on a scale. on top of that, we went to a secondary school and helped the kids paint their school a bright blue and yellow color. it was crazy to see the extreme order they had there with kids lining up in rows and answering the teacher in perfect unison. the kids were so much fun there and whether it was singing j-lo or playing basket ball with the false ceiling, a good time was had by all.



Today is farmer's day in tanzania- a national holiday! So i definitely feel between today and the shamba that i am getting back to my "roots." tomorrow we leave for dar es salaam where we will be spending the remainder of the semester. i have many more stories, like our visit to terengire, but i'll let the pictures do the talking. check them out. also, if anyone wants another version of our trip, my friend anna osterbur is also keeping a web blog. her website is annaosterbur.blogspot.com. We'll probably be talking about different things so visit there to read more. take care.

kwaheri.



Terengire Pics





hospital, shamba, school pics