Yes, I'm Sunburned

Today started when we decided to walk to the orphanage from the place we're staying. It should only be about two miles. Unfortunately, we went right instead of left...hence the sunburn. (Don't worry, Mom...it's not too bad.)


You can imagine our horror when we realized (after 45+ min) we were going the wrong direction. Sigh. A nice Tanzanian man heard us trying to figure out what to do and offered us a ride. He said he was heading that direction, though I'm not entirely sure he was. I climbed in the back seat with his bundle of lettuce and was thrilled to be rescued.

There must really be something to this Karma thing, because yesterday, upon returning to the daycare at the end of the day, we were locked out. Teacher told us Travis had the key. But one of the nurses took the key from Travis (we're still figuring out this communication thing). Fortunately, it was only about 10 min before the school bus driver came by and got a key from the neighbor next door. So we've been lucky - and I hope it continues this way.

Once we got to St. Lucia today it was all play and no work... Lots of fun with the kids today. The great thing about many of them is that they want to learn so much that even play involves some type of learning. Today I was helping Maria write her numbers while singing, "You are my Sunshine" with Tausi & Gertruda and playing matchbox cars with Godlove all at the same time.

We also worked on a schedule for the week with Teacher (his name is Chance, but everyone just calls him Teacher). Next week I'll be working in the kitchen at the orphanage as well as helping little Joqueen with his speech. He doesn't say much - but you can tell he's listening very well. He is so in love with love and just wants to be held all the time.

Travis has lots of chores like feeding and watering the chickens, fixing the windows and playing ball with the boys. Chris will be working with little John Boscoe who isn't walking right now. She examined him today and thinks there is a possibility he will be able to walk with some more physical therapy.

In the mornings, we'll all be helping teach at the daycare center. I've been working on math with the "middle" group....And trying to work on words/letters/vowels, but I think they're way ahead of me on that one. I'm learning as I go with this teaching thing.

Today was the last day other volunteers, Kim, Jon, Sal & Jocelyn were here. It was so wonderful having them around the first few days of our trip. Their knowledge about the children, the logistics, the town, everything really, was invaluable. It was a teary goodbye at the orphanage this afternoon though. I realized today just how hard it is for these kids. They have no one. Only each other and the people who come to help them. They get attached to the volunteers, of course. And volunteers to them. Aurelia and Tausi were very upset. Some of the older boys don't show emotion - they just sit back and try to hold it in.

I'm glad we will be here for the next couple weeks to ease the transition from Kim & John being gone. They've been coming to St. Lucia for 3 years and have bonded a lot with the kids. I told them both I'd do my best to take care of the kids, but they are huge shoes to fill.

I feel like we've been gone a long time already, but I'm so excited we still have two full weeks here to continue our work with the kids and making some improvements where we can.

After lots of encouragement and rave reviews from the other volunteers, today we booked a 2 day safari to Lake Manyara and Ngorogoro Crater. We leave tomorrow and will be back Monday evening. I hope to have internet access at the lodge, but if not, will post again by Tuesday (I hope!) :-)

I also think I figured out how to get pictures online, so will try to do that soon as well.

Thanks for all the comments, it's fun to read them. We'll send all your love to the kids!!!

We're Here

It's taken a few days to find reliable internet access, but finally, I'm connected. The trip was long and exhausting, but we survived...the only mishap was mistaking salt for sugar in the Amsterdam airport. Salty coffee is definitely not a great way to start the day.

Since arriving in Tanzania, it's been sensory overload at the very least. The sights and sounds are just what you would imagine - the people are poor. The homes and shops are what we would call shacks back home. There are goats, dogs and cows roaming around free.

It's a beautiful countryside though. We are very lose to Mt. Meru, a very popular hiking/climbing mountain - 2nd to Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Tourism is how people make their money. In order to get a job in tourism, the Tanzanians must speak English. That's why education is so important here. Yesterday we visited a premier school in the area, St. Jude. Government schools cost money...St. Jude is free, but it only takes the top students. They teach in English only. It's very important to them to teach the children English, so they can get jobs after school.

We're staying in volunteer rooms above a daycare center run by St. Lucia Orphanage. The children who attend are all HIV positive, many have lost their parents as well. But St. Lucia only has room for so many children, so the day care is the next best thing. The children are learning the alphabet and basic math and they get at least one hot meal a day. Some will go on to government schools if they do well.

The kids are amazingly smart and sweet. I've noticed that kids in Africa aren't much different than kids back home...they want your attention at all times. They love to learn, they love to climb trees and sing songs. We're working on "Old MacDonald Has a Farm" They definitely have the "E I E I Oh!" part down!

A little girl lost her first tooth today while rough housing in the play yard. It is just as much a rite of passage here, though I don't think a toothfairy will be coming tonight. She proudly showed off her tooth and the hole in her mouth to all the "Teachers" (I'm a teacher now...who knew!?)

Over the next couple weeks, we'll be working on more preschool education with the kids at the daycare. Plus there's work to be done at the orphanage. Travis has been tasked with building some shelves or cubbies for the kids' clothing. I'm sure I'll get to help some with that.

Most of our time spent will be jumping in and helping wherever there's a need. I've washed a lot of dishes so far, and even though the soap is a little oily/slimy, it's been fun!

I'm sure this blog post is all over the place and not very organized, but that's about how my head is after 2 full days with the children. Now that we know where to come for internet, we should be able to post every day or so.

Now we're grabbing a teksi (taxi) and heading to the Shop Rite for some essentials, peanut butter, jelly & bread.

National Anthems

Tonight I was at a Carolina Hurricanes game and heard a young girl sing our national anthem. It hit me that I will be leaving this country in just 5 days and entering another country with an entirely different anthem.

On the way home I wondered what the national anthem of Tanzania sounds like and what the words are, so I decided to look it up on Google. The last line is "Bless the Children of Tanzania" - how appropriate!

I found a video on You Tube of school children singing it....it's beautiful.




KISWAHILI LYRICS
Mungu ibariki Africa
Wabariki Viongozi wake
Hekima Umoja na
Amani Hizi ni ngao zetu
Afrika na watu wake.

CHORUS:
Ibariki Afrika
Ibariki Afrika
Tubariki watoto wa Afrika.
Mungu ibariki Tanzania
Dumisha uhuru na Umoja
Wake kwa Waume na Watoto
Mungu Ibariki Tanzania na watu wake.

CHORUS:
Ibariki Tanzania
Ibariki Tanzania
Tubariki watoto wa Tanzania.
---
ENGLISH TRANSLATION

God Bless Africa.
Bless its leaders.
Let Wisdom Unity and
Peace be the shield of
Africa and its people.

CHORUS:
Bless Africa,
Bless Africa,
Bless the children of Africa.
God Bless Tanzania.

Grant eternal Freedom and Unity
To its sons and daughters.
God Bless Tanzania and its People.

CHORUS:
Bless Tanzania,
Bless Tanzania,
Bless the children of Tanzania.

One Week to Go!

One of the great benefits of working for Allscripts is the people. I have received many emails from co-workers supporting this adventure. I've had lots of conversations about the trip in the halls and elevators with strangers and those I've known for years.

I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive of Travis and myself as we've prepared for this trip.

We both know being away from the office for this amount of time will take a toll on those who have to step in and help in our absence. So I want to thank all of you for your support as well. I know it will be a challenge, but your contribution is being paid forward in the time we spend in Tanzania helping the children.

I want to let everyone know that I genuinely appreciate your support, thoughts and prayers as I prepare and depart on this journey.

This time next week, I'll be on a plane!

What's the Weather Like?

If you're interested in checking out the weather in Arusha, TZ click here.

We're Ready!

For the past couple weeks, most people have the same question for me, "Are you ready for your trip?"

While I think there's no way to ever be mentally prepared for an experience like this, I can say I have everything I could possibly need (and more!) to travel 7,768 miles across the world for 18 days.

I've made list after list and comparison shopped for the best prices all over town and on the internet. Bug spray, hand sanitizer, Pepto, tissues, sunscreen, the list goes on and on. My grandmother sent money so we put that toward vitamins for the children.

I talked to Connie yesterday and the first thing she said when she answered was, "How many days till you leave?!?!" I didn't have to hesitate or even think - it's 10. Travis and I have had a countdown calendar going on our desks since day 29...

Because the airlines allow each of us to take two 50lb checked bags, we will be loading them up with supplies for the orphanage and volunteer rooms - Sheets, vitamins, maybe even shoes for the kids. If you're able to donate money toward these items, please consider doing so. There's a link on the right side of the blog, or you can contact me directly as I'll be doing some shopping in the next week.

Connie told me about a couple of the children who have special needs; as if being HIV isn't enough, there are other problems they contend with. One of them isn't talking at all right now. Another isn't walking. We'll be spending some extra time each day with them to see if any progress can be made.

We will have internet access in Tanzania, so I'll be blogging as much as possible. My goal is daily, as long as the electricity is working! Stay tuned!

Welcome Chris Nesheim!

Late last week, Glen selected Chris Nesheim to join us in Tanzania. Chris is an RN and works as the System Director of Care Management at Lee Memorial Health System in Ft. Myers, FL. She works with the Allscripts Care Management product.

Chris has volunteered in hurricane recovery efforts in her area, she is a board member with the Red Cross and an advisor to the Salvation Army and participates in the Homeless Coalition. In her "free time" she has traveled extensively, though not to Africa. This trip will fulfill a lifelong dream of visiting the continent. Another of her accolades includes winning second place in the National Windsurfing Regatta.

We're very excited to share this adventure experience with Chris!