Just Another Day in Paradise

Today as always was another beautiful day in Tanzania, +35 degrees Celsius . The plan this morning was to do head to toe assessments on children ages four to six years old at a school. We got packed up in the Noah (our hearty minivan) and were on our way. We ended up at a school, but the students were adults. After being here for almost five weeks, we are quite accustomed to things going as planned so this was not a problem. We did physical assessments and sexual health teaching to approximately 20 people until lunch time. At that time the adult learners were on break so we talked with some programmers and instructors. They then treated us to tea, bread and butter and fresh fruit. We than parted ways and made our way back home.

Later on in the day, a couple of us went to a market nicknamed the “Mzungu Market” because it is mostly visited by white tourists. It is also more pricey than other local markets. My friend and I bought three mangoes for 3000 Tanzanian shillings (TSh) and I bartered a bunch of sweet bananas down to 2000TSh. I was feeling a little bad that I spent 5000TSh till I did the conversion to US dollars. 1600TSh is equivalent to 1 US dollar so the matunda (fruit) cost me a big total of 3 dollars and 13 cents. Nowhere in Canada would I be able to buy that much fruit so I guess it is not that bad ;)

Goodnight and have a great day,

Stefany

Tour/Info Session

Our day started out with a bit of overcast, and we all found it hard to get going for the day. This morning, we all went as a group to a Training Centre for Development Cooperation. It offers a variety of courses (short courses, language courses and academic programs) and partners with many Universities. If you are not affiliated with a University you are still able to apply for a course (s). Some of the courses include: Child Rights Governance, Grant Management and Fundraising, Human Rights and Vulnerability, etc.  They offer a very planned and organized stay for their students/visitors with Kiswahili and cultural lessons to help those get accustomed to the African culture. It offers the students an opportunity to become a social activist and join together to meet individuals, share ideas and become empowered and knowledgeable about their rights and how they can influence change. The lady who spoke to us was very passionate and stated her philosophy of “Learn, Know and Act”. She stated that you need to act on what you have learned/know to make a difference, which could be something as small as creating awareness. This facility is equipped to accommodate students and/or tourists with all the amenities included (such as a computer lab with free internet, a library, gym, cafeteria, etc.). Overall, I believe we came to a consensus that this would be a great place to study! It would inspire you to advocate for your rights and the rights of others, and help you to create change. After we finished our tour/information session we headed to our favourite local restaurant for some delicious and inexpensive food.

 

Courtney

Mango Tree

Today my group went back to the orphanage from the previous day, except this time we were going to see the primary school where the majority of the children attend. The school is located about 30 minutes by foot through very beautiful landscape. We were escorted by two of the older girls from the orphanage which was great. They chatted non stop about the various fruit trees and the scenery around. Once we arrived we were greeted by the Vice Principle who gave us a brief tour. He then rounded up the 8 students from the orphanage. It was great to finally meet them as we have been to this Orphanage various times and have only meet the younger kids that live there! We also found out that about 8 of the kids from the orphanage attend an elite private school on full scholarships! We were very impressed by this fact and that majority of the kids were in school! After our visit to the school we returned to the orphanage for an afternoon of good fun! We played musical chairs, when was the last time anyone has done that?! So fun!  

The second group had an adventurous day at the Government clinic. They did plenty of antenatal care visits which included immunizations and laboratory work. 

This evening we had an amazing supper by our in house chef! And tonight we are saying goodbye to our buddy from Scotland. He is making his way back to Kenya to continue his volunteer work. We will miss him dearly!! 

Raquel

Kids Kids and more Kids!

Today was yet another day living the good life here in Tanzania! We had our 5^th Swahili lesson to date and we are still quite inept with the language. However, we are trying and have an excellent teacher. Today was all about conjugating verbs, I wouldn’t say we’re masters at it but we sure try!

After Swahili we did a bit of arranging to figure out our day. Here, the days are usually outlined tentatively but can change at any time. It’s quite exciting and nice to get away from the drone of Westernized scheduling and planning. For those of you who know me, yes, I am saying I enjoy not planning, Miss I Love Lists, which seems to be a common title for many in our group. The end plan was for all of us to go to a local orphanage to play with the children for the morning, such a tough assignment!

This orphanage is one of the poorest one’s we have been to since we arrived in Tanzania. The children are at a severe disadvantage as the location of the orphanage is right beside the Arusha dump. However, that does not stop all the children there from being overly joyous and happy. We spent a few hours singing songs, playing games, learning Swahili, and teaching some English. As we were leaving we all had to make sure we didn’t accidently put a child in our bag to take home, they are truly precious children.

Once we were loaded back into our van we set off for an appointment with Centre for Educational Development in Health, Arusha (CEDHA). This is a centre for degree holding health care professionals to continue their education to learn how to teach others in their field. The aim of CEDHA is to ‘strengthen and support the health care system through training of human resources for health in health personnel education, health services management, and continuous professional development’. Our informant at the centre explained that CEDHA has approximately 30 students, which is all their current resources can accommodate. The majority of the students are nurses but they also have professionals from medicine, dentistry, laboratory, and others from all over Africa. They also have a few individuals from Nepal.

We managed to keep busy all the while learning things. It is inevitable to get through a day here without learning at least one new thing. Our brains are constantly on the go whether it’s remembering what to say when someone says ‘Mambo’ (the correct answer is ‘Poa’) or explaining the treatment and management of a patient presenting with pneumonia. Here’s to another week and a little bit in Tanzanian, where has the time gone!

- Samantha 

The road we should not have taken.

            Today as usual, the group split into two.  My group went to a rural government health center. The trip to the health center was an experience to say the least. It took us an hour and a half (instead of the usual 30 minutes) due to the fact that the traffic was horrendous. The “simbas” (police) were out early today to start their daily car inspections. Thankfully we did not get pulled over. However, this did not speed up the process as cars, trucks, piki piki (motorcycle) and dalla dallas (public transportations) were going every which way with no sense of direction. Once we got off the main road the adventure continued, the road to the health center was a bumpy ride. I do not usually get carsick but this was a first, I needed to close my eyes and not look at the road. It was a relief to finally arrive at the health center.  Once we got there we found out that due to a lack of equipment this health center is being run as a dispensary.  A dispensary deals with basic needs, similar to a primary care center we would have in Canada. The doctor and clinical officer were really educational. We participated in rounds and were quizzed on our knowledge and application.  During our tour of the place we were told that the clinic is in dire need of a new water supply system, as the well is no longer filling with water. This well also is the water supply for the town.  It is sad to think that the government could do something about it but they do not.  It is always nice to feel welcomed when we go to the clinics. We always learn a lot and gain new knowledge about the Tanzanian health care system.

Cheers!!!

Alix 

"Hashtag" Adorable African Babies

For those of you who may not be social media users, the above title is in reference to Twitter.  It came up in conversation this morning at breakfast and we briefly considered doing an entire blog post using hash-tags (#) but figured this may be slightly confusing for those not familiar with this form of communication....

Today we had the chance to go visit an orphanage that is strictly for children under the age of three.  There are not many orphanages in Arusha which take babies because they are expensive to care for.  This orphanage was started about a year and a half ago by a retired American couple.  They take in abandoned children and their goal is either to return the children to extended family members or adopt them out.  In stark contrast to many of the orphanages we have seen, this one was in a very affluent area of Arusha.  When we arrived, the youngest toddlers were napping so we said a quick hello to the babies who were awake and then went into the large backyard to see some of the older toddlers.  There were several nannies and a few volunteers in the backyard.  It is clear that the children are well bonded with their nannies as they ran to them for comfort when they saw strangers (us).  It took them a bit to warm up to us but eventually they started interacting with us.  Soon the younger toddlers joined us in the backyard so we all had one to hold onto.  One of the guys who is living with us came along and initially he was nervous about going to the orphanage but even he found a toddler that he just couldn't put down.  They were all so cute!  One little guy had the chubbiest little cheeks and although we knew his real name we just couldn't help calling him "Cheeks".  He was quite the little charmer, crawling around from lap to lap, babbling and smiling away. 

We stayed and helped feed the children (although it was tricky because some of them weren't sure about taking food from strangers).  After lunch, a lot of the toddlers just wanted to cuddle up in a lap, especially since some of them were sick.  We were starting to feel like we were ready for a nap when the nannies told us it was time for the toddlers to go nap.  We helped with a mass diaper change and then it was off to bed for the children. While we waited for our ride back home, we spent time in the baby room cuddling those who were awake.  I don't think I'd be lying if I said several people in our group really wanted to go home with a baby. 

After we got back from the orphanage, some of us went to get measured to get clothing made out of African-print fabric that we bought.  Can't wait to show off our new threads when we get back home!

 

Karen

Short but Sweet

Today was an easier day, after a fun night out of karaoke and “chaza, chaza” (dancing).  We went to an organization that provides food for meal programs at schools in Arusha and the surrounding areas.  It was interesting to find out that kids are more likely to go to school here if they are given food.  As the conversation went on, we found out that the program will be ending and the Arusha office will be closing due to lack of funding. Part of our discussion was geared towards how they can get more funding so that the program can continue to run.  After that, we went to the Red Cross office; they are working with the community educating the population on safety and first aid. We were only there a short time as the organization members had a meeting to attend.

Later in the afternoon we made our way to the maasai market where we tried out our bargaining skills. It was quite a cultural experience but in the end we all faired out pretty well in the purchases we made.

We ended the evening with homemade pizza and coconut ("nazi", don't be alarmed it's pronounced differently) cream pie :) 

Alix 

Government Clinic and Home Visits!

 

 

This morning after breakfast we had another one of our Swahili classes! Today we learned about connecting words like: for example (kwa mafano), however (Hata hivyo), and (na), or (au) and except (ila). Shortly after breakfast we went off into our groups for two very different experiences. Our group of three went to one of the government clinics. It was immunization day so there were lots of infants/toddlers needing to be weighed. We also learned how to document the weights and give oral medications (Polio, Vitamin A and Rotavir). One lady came to the clinic to get a birth control implant inserted in her arm (Norplant). Her blood pressure needed to be taken before it was inserted and it ended up being 220/110! After this result, they referred her to the hospital, but she did not get any medication for her high blood pressure. We were told she would get the IUD (intrauterine device) instead.

The other group of girls went on home visits to individuals/families who struggle with being HIV positive. They bought a single mattress and provided a wheel chair for a young child with a disability. They also took laundry soap, as well as food (beans and rice) to the visits.

We all successfully bought fabric last night and are awaiting a time to get measured for our dresses/pants!

Courtney-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mambo Mambo VP!

To start off the day we enjoyed a lovely pancake breakfast! Our group was then divided into two once again. My group had the opportunity to visit a government hospital and assist with child immunizations. The Nurses were great and taught us how to weigh infants, immunize and chart. Not to mention they taught us various different phrases in Swahili!!The second group was at a small clinic. They were able to observe various different procedures being done. A lot of procedures in Africa are done much different then in Canada, but they provide for an excellent learning experience. 


As part of our cultural experience we have all decided to get African dresses made (photo to come). Our tailor took us on an adventure to the downtown market in search for the perfect patterned fabric. We ventured into about 3 different stores which had so many options, it was almost overwhelming. Just walking to these stores was an adventure in itself. Merchants were constantly trying to convince us to enter their stores, saying their products were better then the next. Experiencing a market in Tanzania is a must! Be prepared to be tempted in every which direction and to barter for the best deal! After about an hour we all found the perfect fabric for our dresses. Let the designing begin!

Raquel

Living Positively

Today started off bright and early at 7:00am, for some, to make a hearty breakfast to start the day off right! After breakfast we were privy to our third Swahili lesson. In today’s lesson we learnt relationship language. For instance, nawapenda familia yangu (I love my family), this is from all of us here in Tanzania!

We were once again split into our two fabulous groups. The one group took off to a local government hospital. At the hospital we observed two pediatric appointments. We saw our first case of pneumonia, which according to statistics is within the top 5 childhood illnesses in Tanzania due to the inability to cope with the  cold temperatures in combination with substandard living conditions. I understand if some of you (specifically the Canadians) are surprised by the cold temperatures part, so were we. The mortality rate for children under five due to pneumonia accounts for 16% of deaths. Recently, in 2012, Tanzania introduced the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) as a routine immunization for children under the age of five. They receive their PCV at 6 weeks, 10 weeks, and the final dose at 14 weeks; the goal is to decrease the incidence and mortality of pneumonia cases in children under five. The vaccine is given alongside tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, influenza B, and measles.

The remainder of our time at the clinic was spent observing and assisting with antenatal (pregnant women) assessments. These assessments include measuring the woman’s weight, blood pressure, fundal height (height of baby bump), and listening to the fetal heart rate. Note, the fetal heart rate is heard through a wooden tool over the fetus’ back. We we were quickly informed that these odd looking tools only recently disappeared from Canadian obstetric wards. I guess we’re a bunch of young pups.  

The other girls attended a support group meeting for HIV positive people ran by a local organization. Here, they were able to observe HIV positive people supporting other HIV positive people. The goal of the organization is to offer a safe nonjudgmental environment for affected individuals to congregate. At this particular location the organization also offers HIV testing, counseling, as well as prevention and general HIV education. The girls were astonished as member’s relayed personal stories of what it’s like to live as an HIV positive person.

The realities here in Tanzania are harsh but real. It takes a great deal of grit to realize that you, as an individual, cannot help or fix everyone or anything, but the little bit you do contribute will add up to develop a bigger picture; a picture of health, hope, and happiness. 

- Samantha

A Pleasant Surprise

Wow. This is the best word to describe today. Our group split into two. The one I was in went to a government maternal health clinic. We had never been to this place before so we were not sure on what to expect. We were brought to a room that had a lady lying sideways on a bed. When we asked what was wrong with the lady, they said she was in false labour.  Well next thing we know the lady’s water broke and they transferred her to the birthing table. The midwife went to check how dilated she was, but when she did, the head was already starting to come out. The lady pushed a couple times and the baby was out. Immediately, the baby was put on the mother while they stimulated the child to cry. The whole delivery seemed to only take minutes.

It is amazing to take a step back and think about the differences between having a baby in Canada versus the baby we saw here. The birthing room was very rudimentary. There was no oxygen, no suction or fetal heart monitor. When I think about it, not much of any devices we rely on heavily in Canada. The mother had no pain medication for the birth, only a bit of lidocaine for when the midwife stitched the first degree tear. Than like nothing happened, the mother got up and was walking. We were also told that within 24 hours the mother and baby would be going home.

This experience left us with a flood of emotion. By seeing the dawning of a new life and shows us  just how beautiful life is. It also made us appreciate how we take for granted all things that we have in Canada. Let us not forget this when we go home.

-Stefany

Mbuzi!!! (Goat!!!) WARNING: the following post contains images that some viewers may find offensive/repulsive

                It occurred to us on Sunday as we lay by the pool that we didn’t even tell you about our birthday goat!  Shortly after arriving in Tanzania, Alix and I realized that we shared the same birthday (January 12th).  Once we figured this out, we decided we had to do something to celebrate.  We found out that it is Tanzanian tradition to eat a goat for special occasions such as birthdays and weddings so we started scoping out live goats on the street.  We figured we could make it easy on our hosts and just bring a live one into our hostel to live until the appointed time.  Our Canadian supervisor did not share our enthusiasm and told us that no goat would step foot on the property, dead or alive.  However, some of the Tanzanian guys were game and wanted to make sure that we had the true Tanzanian experience. 

                Pictured below you can see us with our goat.  He arrived on the property already slain and was put on the BBQ.  Before he made his official appearance, he was decorated up and his arrival was announced with singing as he was rolled out on a cart.  We had to carve the first piece and then once the goat was fully carved we had to go around and feed it to everyone.  Only about half the Canadians were brave enough to try it and of those who did, only a few were able to keep it down.  Fortunately our hosts also made a turkey for those who did not want to partake of goat.  I myself tried two pieces and didn’t think it was too bad but it wouldn’t be my first choice in meat.  The locals love it though and it didn’t take many days for the leftovers to disappear.  I think it’s safe to say it was the first and last time we receive a goat for our birthdays!  Somehow I don’t see this style of goat-eating taking off in Canada…..

Karen (& Alix)

Playtime

            Although our days have not been jam-packed 12 hour shifts, you could definitely tell it was Saturday morning as there were yawns all around the breakfast table this morning.  Personally, I had a temporary moment of panic when I thought we were out of coffee but we figured out the coffee grounds had been put in the container labelled tea so crisis avoided!

            Today we went to an orphanage we had never been to.  It is in a poorer area of Arusha and the neighbourhood looked different than most we’ve seen so far.  Most of the orphanages we have been to have been in neighbourhoods where most of the houses are constructed of cement.  In this area most houses were constructed with clumps of mud and you could see the patch jobs that had been done.  The orphanage itself was small and very basic, definitely not as well off as some of the ones we have visited.  I am not sure if the children there get many visitors because it took them awhile to warm up to us but once they did we had a lot of fun with them.  Most of our group headed off to a soccer pitch down the road with the older kids from the orphanage where they were joined by many neighbourhood children.  An exciting game of soccer ensued and a good time was had by all both on and off the field.  Some of those in our group hung out on the sidelines with those children who did not want to play.  This afforded the opportunity for them to get to know some of the older children.  Samantha had a really good conversation with a very mature 18 year old whose dream is to become a lawyer one day.  Samantha exchanged contact information with this girl so they could keep in touch so it was neat to see that connection being made.

            Three of us stayed back at the orphanage with the youngest children as they did not seem to want to go to the soccer field. (One of the girls tried leading a child that way but she did not want to go past a certain point so we figured they were probably told not to).  It took them a bit to warm up to us and they didn’t speak any English other than the phrase “take a picture!” so communicating was hard at first.  However, the good news is that smiling is a universal language and before we knew it they were smiling and letting us pick them up. We soon became human playground pieces, swinging them around, bouncing them on our knees, tossing them in the air, chasing them around etc.  Before we knew it the yard was filled with giggles and laughter and we were starting to get tired!  The sky above was gloomy and gray but the laughter and smiles we were able to bring to the children’s faces soon brightened the day.  We will definitely sleep well tonight!

From rainy Arusha,

Karen  

Wtoto (Children) in Tanzania

Today, like every morning, we were all up for breakfast for 7 :30 so that we could star our clinical day at 8 :30.  We are spoiled here and had fresh buns, muffins, pineapple (my favourite)and mangos for breakfast.  Breakfast is certainly an amusing time of day! We always are greeted with high fives and good mornings.  After breakfast we went to set up a meeting with our clinical coordinator, who is in Canada. What a trial and error Internet system they have here in Tanzania! One minute the Internet works and then the other it doesn’t. However, the fact that we even have Internet is amazing so I should not complain.  We finally did get connected and had a preconference meeting.

This morning the plan was to go to a government run maternal and child health clinic and get a lecture on RCH (Reproductive Child Health) by the doctor who works there. We were also told to wear closed toe shoes and a lab coat in the event that a mother would be giving birth! Unfortunately, when we got there no mothers were in active labor, but we hope in the near future some of us will have achieved one of our goals of seeing a birth.  On another note it is so amazing to see the women who were currently in labour and the ones who had just given birth a few hour previous. They are so strong, they don’t shout or cry out in pain during the labour process. Shortly after giving birth, they are up and walking around (about an hour after).

In Tanzania there is a big push for proper antenatal (pre-birth) as there are approximately 24 women/day who are dying from complications in childbirth. These are often treatable issues in Canada such as sepsis. We were privileged to get a lecture from a doctor from the clinic, that was very informative about the family planning system.  Basically, RCH is a form of family planning that begins during the antenatal phase of the pregnancy and ends when the child turns 5..  What family planning is trying to do is work together with the entire family, husbands included, to promote healthy families. Healthy families equal a healthy community. It was a very informative talk.

Later in the day we made our way to a private school in which they take in the brightest children from the poorest families in Arusha.  The children are put through two exams (one reading and the other written).  Once they pass those staff members will go out to their communities to see where they live to ensure that their situation is indeed as the families say it is. They have many applicants every year and people will try to do anything to get their kids into this school. It really shows how much school is valued here in Africa. In Canada, school is a right whereas in Tanzania it is a privilege. Also, without education, they are not in a good position to move on in life.  It really puts into perspective how lucky we are to be living in Canada and have the opportunity to do trips like the one we are currently experiencing.

On a lighter note, this evening was a relaxing one, the group decided to go out of supper at a place around the corner. It was nice to just sit, relax and talk about how our day went.  I can tell you that once our food came the table was pretty quiet!                               

Usiku mweme, tutaonana kesho (Goodnight, see you tomorrow)

Alix

Swahili Lesson #2 and Clinic Day

We woke up this morning to yet another cooler day (we are unsure if this is because we are becoming acclimatised or if it actually is cooler)! We all enjoyed a delicious breakfast of french toast, pineapple and dorian fruit (from the tree in our yard!). We then went into our second half hour Swahili class where we learned different parts of the human body. Our mwalimu (teacher) had to spend a lot of time helping us with the pronunciation of certain words.  Some words have semi- vowels, which means that they are somewhat silent when you pronounce them. One example of a word we struggled with was “nywele” meaning hair and “goti”(knee) with the “ i” being the semi vowel.  

Today we split into two groups again and each group spent the day at a clinic. The clinic we went to had a few clients in which we could learn the process of what happened from the beginning to the end of the visit. The charting they did was also a lot different and not as lengthy as is done in Canada. There were a couple of babies who came to get weighed (they use a fish scale and each mother brought their own cloth in which the baby sits in and hangs from the scale). The mothers each have a card for their baby with their current immunizations/growth chart that they bring to each visit. One baby who was three and a half months needed his immunizations done (TDAP, Polio and Pneumonia) so we got to observe these being done (they do not wear gloves or use alcohol swabs).

We had a discussion with the doctor about contraceptives; depot (injection you get once every three months) and the implant which goes into the upper arm are the more popular options. Oral contraceptives although they are not very popular here (they believe if they take them they will not be able to have kids) are very cheap in comparison to Canada. For the exact same pills they cost about .80 cents for three months. We were also able to observe a woman getting tested for malaria (she went straight to the lab to get tests done), after she found out her results were positive the lab technician got her the appropriate medication (she did not see the doctor- some choose not to because it costs quite a bit more).  In order to test for malaria they take a sample of blood and put it onto a test strip. They then add a  few drops of solution to it and wait for 20 minutes. If there are 2 or 3 lines present they are positive for malaria. Another client got his blood glucose checked and it was 25.7 so he was told to go immediately to the hospital which specializes in diabetes. This clinic was not equipped to provide him with the adequate care he needed.

Both groups were able to do community assessments of the areas around the clinic to get a better understanding of the area the clients live in. As we were walking we were quizzing each other on the Swahili words we had learned, while trying to pay attention to the busy streets and vehicles going every which way. The ladies at the clinic were getting a good laugh at us trying to pronounce the words! As part of the community assessment the other group was able to do an interview with one of the local doctors in order to learn some history about the area. On their walk around the community they came across an organization that ran an orphanage and a school, which was started about three years ago. They were able to get some information about the politics in the area and have a tour of both the orphanage and school, which were very well run, clean, and the kids seemed to be very happy.  We all arrived home safely just after 3:00 with the smell of fresh buns filling the house!!

-Courtney

Clinic Day

To start of the day we were introduced to a new project which is headed by one of  Green Hope Organizations members. The project focuses on providing young girls the opportunity to remain in school who are new mothers or are expecting. They want to focus on continuing the girls education along with providing life skills. This project is very exciting to us as we have been asked as a group to help contribute ideas as to what should be taught to these girls. Let the brainstorming begin!

After this presentation we were placed into two different groups. Each group was going to visit a a different clinic to learn the specifics about the clinic and the area they are located. The clinic that my group visited is very unique as it is located near the dump. Yes that’s right, the dump. Not your typical setting for a clinic to be set up, however it caters to a variety of this communities needs.  We did a survey of this community and spent about an hour and a half walking around checking out what this community has to offer. We were informed that this development is only about 5 years old and continues to grow. This community has a variety of shops which include: bakery’s, hardware store, pharmacy, and butcher shops. Which by the way we walked down this street which we named “meat alley” as it had small barbecue shops on each side with slabs of meat. Every adventurous meat eaters paradise! We also visited a type of  Pharmacy which here is referred to as a “Duka La Dawa”. These Duka la Dawa’s are not regulated here in Tanzania but provide medication if not more then what a medical clinic would offer. They also can be found on almost every street corner. After our walk we headed to the clinic to learn your typical process of a doctors visit. We were given the opportunity to watch the lab process Malaria and Typhoid screening. This is definitely not screening we would see back in Canada. Finally we saw a diagnosis being made and the dispensing of the prescribed medication. It was definitely interesting to observe how things are done at this clinic. 

I touched base with the other group who was visiting a clinic at another location. They observed a patient through a consultation with the doctor, lab work and follow-up. So basically the same thing. One additional area they covered was Maasai Medicine vs Western Medicine. Many Maasai villages have Traditional healers as well as Witch doctors. Traditional healers focus on herbs, while Witch doctors focus on spiritual and supernatural entities. Many Maasai people will often go to a Traditional healer before using Western Medicine. It is amazing to learn how different cultures view health care. 

Overall I think each group had a great learning day! 

Raquel

Working with Orphans

To start off the day you will be surprised to know that for the first time since we got here is was a bit cool (+19*C) this morning. Not to fear it warmed up to +35*C by noon. 

Starting at 0830 sharp we had our first Swahili lesson courtesy of Green Hope's in house teacher. We learnt the history of how Swahili began and how it is most common along the East coast of Africa. It wasn’t until 1961 when Tanzania became an independent country that Swahili was labeled the official language of Tanzania. The number one rule to remember about Swahili is the words are pronounced exactly how they look. For example, mzungu, is pronounced exactly how you see it, give it a try! The meaning of this word is white people. This is a title we, as a group, are frequently referred to as we pass by local shops or even yelled at alongside the road while driving by (kind heartedly of course).

Our journey today was to a local orphanage. The children of the orphanage welcomed us all warmly as they sang us a song and openly looked for hands to take hold of and laps to sit on.  Out goal was to complete a quick head to toe and social assessments of approximately 40 children. This took the good part of our day and with the sweltering heat we were exhausted by the end. It was a day full of smiles, laughs, learning, and tears. But overall a wonderful learning and bonding experience for the children and for us as well.

Once we arrived back home our work wasn’t over. We all chipped in and mastered the art of pizza making. All of the Tanzanian men with the exception of one or two refused to eat the pizza. They are not fond of dairy products here such as cheese. Their favourite dish, as I’m sure will be mentioned more than once, is oogali. This is a staple food for many African people described as being a bland version of mashed potatoes made from a maize (corn) paste that is often paired with sauces and other foods. For the record the pizza was amazing, even the dessert ones!

All in a days work here in Tanzania!

- Samantha