12/30/09 from Matt (HIV Ed Team)

Sadly no one will see this in time to calm their fears about our arrival in Africa, but a little late is better than never I guess. Tanzania in the summer has been very different than Zambia so far. Due to abundance of water, both falling from the sky and pouring out of us, we have been taking one to two baths a day. I have never appreciated a cold shower so much as in the absence of air conditioning. Even though several members of our team have had trouble sleeping and needed to sleep in the living room under the fan, I have passed out every night and not even remembered my dreams. It’s kind of sad because the malaria medicine I’m taking is supposed to give you some incredible dreams.

So far we have visited the Indian Ocean, which was at least 90 degrees, and collected sand dollars to make necklaces. The people here are different than those in Zambia, we have not received the enthusiastic welcome in the markets. However, we were welcomed by our hosts and those who attended the seminars with joy. On our journey to the airport to pick up Tannen, Jim, Drew, and Megan, we gave a Masai tribe member a ride. He was security guard and interesting to say the least. We found out that he carried a long knife and a permit to kill people who were attempting to enter a house that he was guarding. Not surprisingly, with capital punishment for armed robbery and Masai guards, there is a strong deterrent for crime in general.

I noticed that the roads are much better in Dar Es Salaam than Mufulira, but at least the mini buses are similar. I was reminded of their danger and excitement when we hit a bridge embankment on the ride back from the airport and were thrown two and a half feet to the right. Fortunately we weren't going very fast and there were only a few bruises and bumps. As for the dangers that we have been protected from, I was about two inches from stepping on a scorpion on the second night, which induced a couple of responses that came out at the same time. Because of curiosity, I wanted to look closer and in contrast I felt like screaming like a little girl while yelling “kill it! kill it! kill it!”. OK, it wasn't that bad, I didn't end up yelling, and I was a little more calm than the situation called for. Happily I have been checking my shoes for unwanted visitors ever since.

As for the seminar, we had a good turn out and even with the language barrier, the students have been attentive and willing to learn. One highlight was when one of the Masai people wrote his story on our chalkboard. It is against their culture to teach children so it was especially touching to see him write in English that even though he was proud of his culture and would not leave it, he wanted to learn and would go against the wishes of his parents. He provides an interesting perspective in the classroom and has promised to teach us more about the Masai people; I’m excited about this. I would say that all five of our sessions went well even with a reduced schedule. So far, the biggest obstacle has been the heat and humidity. Jami and I constructed a whiteboard using four small whiteboards and duct tape, five minutes into her session the duct tape let go and the board was no more. Fortunately we have been trained to be adaptive by circumstances in Africa.

We are all doing well and hope to find Internet access soon so that we can share our stories. In summary, the people, food, and location is all great and we have been enjoying every minute. Until the next time, thank you all for your continued prayers and I hope to write again soon.

Matt