NO STATE FAIR HERE

Today is Monday and we have now been gone from Burnsville for 4 weeks.  That is half of our time here.  Sometimes the days seem to go by quickly and sometimes the days seem like they will never end.  It is directly proportional to the weather, the activity level in the office and my frame of mind.  I have been sending lots of emails and making phone calls on MagicJack (a device that lets you call through the computer and not have to pay anything for them) trying to feel connected to those I am missing from home.  It works, too!  Skyped with Carly last week when she had all three of my grandkids at her house. It was fun to see them running around and playing just like they always do.  

They are doing fine without me.  

I made chicken noodle soup from scratch for dinner on Saturday night (still cool here, not hot like Minnesota).  It was good, too.  The only problem is that we will be eating it for a full week.  Every three days or so Ken and I walk up to the market and buy what few things we need for the coming week.  When I make things, it is hard to eat all the leftovers quickly enough.  Just goes to show how spoiled we are with all the preservatives we have in our food.  We have a freezer so I can keep some things longer. 

It is now Wednesday and I found something to do with my soup leftovers.  Yesterday we were supposed to do some banking and did get some of it done.  But the last week of the month is when the government pays salaries and the banks are always very busy.  Tuti, my banking buddy from the Lutheran Center,  was having a lot of trouble with her back and couldn't stand in line and so we decided to finish early this morning.  I told Tuti that I would bring her dinner so she didn't have to go home and cook.  I fixed a big portion  of the left over soup which had absorbed most of the liquid so now it was leftover "hotdish" and packed it along with some soda and some cookies from the cooking school.   We then offered to take her home from work so she didn't have to ride the dala dala.  Those are vans used as transport buses and are often very crowded.  She would have had to stand most of the way home and she lives some distance from the Lutheran Center.  When we reached her house, we were invited in and met her husband.  He is very pleasant.  She must have told him we were coming because he had on a sport coat!  They have a very nice Tanzanian house surrounded by a cement wall with a gate.  There is no grass but lots of trees and landscaped dirt (pots of plants and flowers everywhere).  The inside of her home was clean and spacious with nice furniture.  It is obvious to see that Tuti has worked hard to have a nice place to live.   She appreciated the meal, too. 

This morning we went to the bank first thing at 8:30 a.m..  We had three bank stops and several places to go for Tuti to do some business things for the Lutheran Center.  We were home at 9:30 a.m.!  Tuti said this was our lucky day and we should do something important with it!  So, I am writing a blog entry.  Hope you have a lucky day today, too!  

Oh, and just as an aside, all three of us (Ken, Tuti and I) were wearing ORANGE!  Think about that. 

Stay cool and enjoy the last days of the  Minnesota State Fair.  It may not be possible to do both at the same time but I wish you a happy Labor Day weekend.

The Neighborhood

I have been thinking about this for a while.  Perhaps you are curious about the neighborhood we live in.  Well maybe not, but then you don’t need to read any further.

The Bega Kwa Bega (BKB) apartment is in Block A of the NSSF apartments.  There are three buildings in the complex and BKB or affiliates controls (rents) four apartments.   You can find our rooftop from Google earth.  Look up Iringa Lutheran Centre.  We are across the street.   Ours is the BKB office as well.  There are three bedrooms, one and a half baths and a shower, an office area, living room, dining room and kitchen.  We can squeeze 20 people in the living room spilling into the dining room and hallway.  There is no pottery studio.  In the last entry, you saw Connor and Lars, Kaia and Zoë in front of the mural in the living room.  We need to get Don and Eunice to write the story of the mural before it is lost to oral tradition.

There is an apartment upstairs from us for the pastor-teacher (when there is one).  In the other two buildings, one apartment is rented by the Institute of Ag, (which part of the year Roger and Trish Blomquist occupy) and in the last building, one more shared by Harrises and Langnesses.  They aren’t necessarily unoccupied when the primaries aren’t here, often being sublet one way or another.

Mlandege congregation before second service

Today we went to church at Mlandege, partner to Luther Memorial.  It was quite a celebration.  They had special music (my ears are still ringing).  The unmitigated joy our African brethren display is nothing short of, well, heavenly!  We loved the acoustic music and still appreciate it in Idunda, but with modernization comes electronic music.  Maybe we will see a resurgence of acoustic music as the romance wears off the electronic.  This is of course what my parents wished for rock n’ roll when I was a kid.  We are still rockin’!  So, don’t hold your breath.  The choirs can really belt out four-part harmony.  They are not timid.  Why are we?  I don’t get it!  So after Communion we had a baptism.  All converged into a three hour service.

Of course, after the service we also had tea.  Then lunch.  After the Lutheran Center breakfast.  We got home around 3 PM after visiting John Mhekwa and his new wife Addy.  She is charming, if a bit shy.  John was so deferential.  That was charming too.

All that was left when we got home was for me to roast more peanuts and some garlic butter for the Cooking School breadsticks.  Yum!  A kilo of raw peanuts is about a buck.  We have gone through 3 kg of peanuts already.  I nuke them for two minutes at a time until they are getting pretty brown, usually about 6 – 8 minutes total.  I haven’t found the perfect amount of salt.  I made a brine and soaked them a couple minutes, then boiled off the water. 

Oh, the neighborhood.  The Lutheran Center is across the street, convenient for guests, meetings and great breakfasts. 

On the corner is a duka (shop) and watering hole called Mama Souveyla’s.  That is phonetically correct, but totally incorrect spelling.  Yes, I know, I should have checked.  I haven’t been there this month.

Down the street are several shops of note.  The +255 Club is a bar.  Haven’t been there.  The New Ruaha Inn has a restaurant we have not tried as yet.  Lulu’s is closed.  It was a pretty good place to eat, but dwindled for unknown reasons, well, except bad food and slow service.  If that means anything!

Tatanca

Down to the main street and to the left, we have Tatanca, Dennis Ngede’s travel and tour guide business.    A little further is Hasty Tasty Too.  They have great chapatis, mondaazi samosas and lots of other stuff.  It’s an Iringa HGGT (Hot-Gotta-Go-There).  For a hole in the wall, there is no better!

Across from HTT is Hogwarts.  Uh, no, it’s Warthog Travel.  Birdie mentioned it in her entry.   Walk on through with a short stop at the pastry case.  If you are lucky, they won’t be out of meat pies.  Chicken is my favorite.  The quiche is fine, but that’s by report, since real men don’t eat quiche.  (And tell about it, anyway.)  They have great thick French fries too.  There may be other places too, but so far it is the only place we know of to get a Coke Zero.

We went to the Cooking School and got some good stuff.  I mentioned the breadsticks.  Going back tomorrow to replenish the stock.  Birdie made some chicken soup with a whole chicken and pasta noodles from the school.  Also some spaghetti sauce and “biscuits” (think cookies).   I better quit with the gourmet stuff or you won’t remember that we are in Africa, after all.

One last story.  We said good-bye to the Christ the King White Bear Lake women this morning.  The left at 8:15 AM. Yeah, they had a good time and left with stories to tell.

Well, that one was last because this one happened first.  Jo at TLC sent two young German women to us who wanted to see Huruma Center.  They had brought some of their old clothes with them to give away.  Gently used, I might add.  The two women, I am guessing are mid-twenties, are Polizei, German Police. 

At home, they carry guns.  I am guessing tough as nails professionally, but more attractive and personable police you will never meet!  We took them to Huruma and they had a great time.  Of course, Mama Chilewa was appreciative.  The kids sang and danced for them (us).  I think and hope they have made a permanent connection a the orphanage. 

The picture isn't the best one of Huruma, but the others don't show Birdie's halo nearly as well.

And I have to get a picture of my two favorite police!

ANOTHER WEEK

It has been a good week in Iringa.  We have had lots of things to do in the office and it makes me feel useful.  We paid some student fees this week so more Tanzanians are getting an education thanks to the generosity of the churches in the St. Paul Area Synod.  What a wonderful gift that is.  It is the beginning of changing everything.

We paid student fees this week for about 20+ students.  However, I failed to mention was how difficult the banking is when we have many different requests to deal with.  First we have to go through the requests to make sure they are on the student list from that congregation in the US or that parish in Tanzania.  Then we have to add up all the money that they have requested and go to the bank and get cash because nobody takes checks here.  (With that many students, it almost takes a suitcase to bring back the tshillings.)  Then we have to write out deposit slips for the individual school accounts for each student (praying that they have the correct numbers listed on their requests or the bank gives it back to us).  Then we have to divide up the suitcase of cash into piles to deposit into each account.  Of course, this also requires counting the piles several times to make sure we got the right amount from the bank, put the right amount in each pile and come out even in the end.  THEN, you have to take the stacks of deposits to the various banks that the accounts are in.  This past bunch only had 4 different banks.  When you get to the bank, the line is so long, it is really discouraging.  I do banking  with Tuti from the Lutheran Center.  She used to work at one of the banks and knows a lot of people.  Sometimes she can find someone who will take our deposits and do them without us having to stand in line.  If not, like Wednesday morning, you have to wait in line.  I stood for over an hour in the cue to be waited on. Of course, I am sure the people behind me were not pleased to see how many transactions I had.  The bank only had two tellers working at the time and they are very slow.  Our gentleman was very efficient and yet it still took up almost 20 minutes to get processed.  This would never fly in the US.

Wendy, Grace and Bea from Christ the King, White Bear Lake

There are three women here from Christ the King White Bear Lake who are presently coming back from their safari at Mwagusi Safari Camp.  This is the first trip to Africa for two of the women and I am sure they will have interesting stories to tell when they return.  They will be heading back home to the US on Sunday morning.   We had them to dinner on Tuesday night and got to hear the story of Bea Jones' meeting with the nursing student she has supported for some years.  The young woman was taking her final exams but the administration let her have an hour break to meet with her "mama" from Minnesota.  Bea was thoroughly touched as was the young woman, all caught on camera by the two others from Christ the King.  What joy it brings to have these relationships and know how much good comes to both parties. 

Two interesting observations I made this week.

Natural Fertilizer, waiting for the next rainy season, in 6 months

1.  When they fertilize the lawns here, the ChemLawn guy does not drive up with a truck and spray your yard.  No, you know they have fertilized the lawn because of the smell and the fact that there are large brown clumps of stuff resembling cow dung laying all over the grass.  They don't spend a lot of time watering so even after a week, it looks like they did it yesterday.  No picnic in the grass for us today!

We call it the Warthog

2.  Ken and I went to lunch at The Warthog Bookstore on Thursday afternoon about 1:30 p.m.  The bookstore has a lovely restaurant patio in the back and they serve hot sandwiches resembling paninis, quiche, chicken, soup and French fries. It is the only place I have been to eat where they serve diet soda.  No sooner did we sit down and order than the "church" next door (don't know the domination) whose main entrance is on the other side of the brick wall surrounding the patio began their full blown come to Jesus meeting complete with TWO loud speakers, music and two men chanting and shouting over each other in Swahili at the top of their lungs.  I actually thought one or both of them would rupture his vocal cords.  I could almost feel the hellfire and brimstone raining down on us. It was so intrusive and loud and annoying I could hardly believe it.  I am sure that even those nearly deaf and anyone else in this county heard the message, whatever it was.  We will not go there to eat on Thursday afternoons anymore.

 Hope you are all enjoying trips to the State Fair.  We will miss it this year.  Eat something wonderful for us!

Quiet

This morning we said goodbye to two new friends and will bid farewell to two more in a little while.

Kaia and Zoe

I took Kaia Erickson-Pearson, MS2 and Zoe (put an umlaut over the “e” please) Campbell, Peace Corps volunteer extraordinaire, to their respective buses so they could head back to the US and Mbeya, respectively.  Kaia will fly to Nairobi then home and back to second year med school (MS2) at U of M.  Zoe will go to Mbeya, get some provisions then travel to her small village of 1800 an hour away from Mbeya.  (And you thought Burnsville was out in the sticks!)

I met Kaia when we both volunteered for a disaster simulation conference held by the U of M.  It was really fun and enlightening.  My role was as the administrator of a small hospital in Gopherstan, right on the border of Badgeria.  I don’t recall Kaia’s role.  At the end of the second day, we had a big pizza party for the volunteers and in our conversation found that we would be in Tanzania at the same time.  The invitation was easy from there.  She and Zoe traveled here and scouted the area.  Visitors from all over Tanzania like Iringa.

Zoe and Kaia

Zoe and Kaia met in college at Macalaster.  So after a month in Kenya at a med student volunteer opportunity, it was a short hop for Kaia to visit Zoe.  A short hop being only a country compared with an ocean and a continent.

Zoe is an environmental services volunteer.  There is probably more accurate title.  Currently, she is teaching first-graders environmental science and a little English.  But that is a small part of her role there.  She has already done a survey of every home in the village, Mshewe, to understand what they would like to focus on.  Food security is important and they are interested in a food dryer a local NGO has.  They would also like to collaborate with other villages to set prices across the community so they aren’t undercutting one another.  Hmmm.  That wouldn’t be legal in the US and probably pretty tough in Tanzania if for different reasons.

Connor and Lars

We will say goodbye to Connor and Lars in an hour or so, heading back to school and the US today also.  Actually, I think Connor is going to Rome first before Loyola in Chicago.  Lars will head back to Gustavus.  Connor is studying economics and Lars will be a teacher.  I am pretty sure they are both polyglots.  (This is a compliment!)

They spent a couple weeks volunteering at Huruma Center and then Image School (ee-Mah’-gee) for two weeks, teaching.  Oh they played their fare share of football (soccer) of course, staff, including them against students. 

Lars and Connor

Students are always gleeful playing against the staff and wazungu (white people).  But these young men are each 6-4 and 6-5 and athletic.  And competitive, even at Farkle.  And funny, especially at Farkle!  At a shrinking 6-0, formerly 6-1, I rarely feel short, except around the Jacobsons and their extended clan, but Connor and Lars are in that category.

These young men have provided a model for our friend Thomas coming from the US at the end of September, teaching at Image Secondary School and volunteering at Huruma Orphanage. 

Benki Udanganyifu

One of my more interesting experiences happened this week when I unwittingly committed check fraud.  So I want to tell my version before I end up in a Tanzanian prison.  I don’t know if they allow visitors.

Dennis Ngede’s family, including wife Beatrice, 9 year-old Shalom and 5 year-old Derek, went to Arusha for a few days.  No problem.  Dennis was kind enough to sign a few checks, both from the USD$ checkbook and the Tsh/= checkbook.  In no time I blew through those with trivial errors.  But anyway, didn’t I just spend some time getting myself authorized as a signatory?  They have my application, a copy of my passport, etc.  Well, no, as it turns out.  Just access to account information.  So the checks I wrote didn’t go through.  They did cash one, but immediately after we left with the money caught it and called Dennis, who called me.  I made a fast trip back to the benki to straighten things out.  Did you know they have soldiers at the bank with guns?  I do!  I sat with Shamsa, gorgeous bank manager, and we straightened things out, me as humble and polite as possible.  She didn’t need the soldiers.  Bega Kwa Bega is a big customer, so she was very kind.  Dennis will make a trip to the bank with me on Monday.  That’s my story and I am sticking to it.  Dennis can probably get a message to me somehow if I get arrested before I leave the country.  But don’t worry about me!  I will probably do OK….

The Tall and the Short of it

Another week draws to a close.  It has been such a lovely week weather-wise.  It has warmed noticeably during the evening hours and the days are mild and sunny.  I no longer require socks or cuddle duds when I sleep and have managed to not need my rice bag in the evenings.  Hope I didn't make a mistake not bringing any short sleeve tops. 

We had a new group arrive on Wednesday evening right after the large groups left on Monday and Tuesday.  Three adventuresome women from Christ the King White Bear Lake came to visit and are spending this weekend in their village which is quite a way south of here.  Bea Jones has been here once before and the other two are new and seem to be thoroughly enjoying everything.  They brought me a box of brownie mix and some salad dressing mix to help me expand what is in the cupboard here. 

The two young men who came here in the early part of July to volunteer at Huruma Orphanage and teach at Image Secondary School came back to Iringa from Image on Tuesday.  They are leaving for home on Saturday after six weeks of working and living with the people of Tanzania.  Connor taught economics at Image and Lars taught English.  They are both very charming young men and they loved their work here.  Both young men are also very tall!  They command a lot of attention just walking down the street.   When back in the States, Lars will be a junior at Gustavus and Connor will be returning to Loyola in Chicago, after he spends the next semester in Italy. 

We also have two young women staying with us in our apartment.  Kaia met Ken when they both attended a disaster response conference through the University this spring.  In conversation Kaia mentioned that she was volunteering for a month in Kenya and then going to Tanzania to visit a friend who is in the Peace Corp in Mbeya, Tanzania.  Ken invited the two young women to be our guests here when they came on Safari.  They arrived on Tuesday night and will be leaving on Saturday as well.  Kaia will be heading back to the US to return to medical school and Zoey will head back to Mbeya for her second year of commitment to the Peace Corp.   Last night we had all four young people over for dinner which was fun.  I made beef stew (sort of) with potatoes, carrots and beef I purchased through the Lutheran Center.  Not too bad for my first effort with that.  (Ed. comment: it was fabulous! kpo) We spent the rest of the evening playing Farkle which brings out the competition in everybody.  Lots of laughing and smart talk!  What energetic and selfless young people doing amazing things!

We finally have made connection with our dear friend John.  He has been busy with his companion congregation Shepherd of the Valley and their group from the United States visiting here.  John has many friends from many churches.  He is a cheerful, helpful person who has served as interpreter for many of us.  We are so excited that he will be coming to Minnesota at the end of October and will be staying through the Fall Festival.  There will be lots of people wanting to see him.  He is a little nervous about his first plane ride.  I don't blame him.  It is a long way through some very large airports.  He will do fine though because he speaks very good English and will be able to sort out any problems he might run into. 

PLAYING KETCHUP...I MEAN CATCH UP!

BIRDIE:  Lest anyone spend any more time worrying about the condition of my digestive system, I am doing fine.  It was a two day deal, not critical, but nice to be close to a clean bathroom when nature screamed...I mean called.  There is a reason that they call it Traveler's Diarrhea.  Just about everyone who travels to an unfamiliar place gets it at some time or another.  Glad that it is "behind me" now.

Last Wednesday, a full week ago now, was Kids Day at the BKB office.   Our friend Beate Mundt brought her brand new 4 month old grandson to visit.  He is very beautiful and so mellow.  His dad is German and his mom is Tanzanian and they live here in Iringa.  Beate is moving back to Germany and leaving this adorable little guy is very hard for her.  I can relate to that!  Also that afternoon, Dennis Ngede brought his two boys, Shalom and Derek, for a visit.  Shalom and I have played cards etc. in the past but now the boys go right for my iPad and iPhone to play the games I have.  It is so funny that they like the same things my grandkids like.  They love Grandpa's Workshop and Grandma's Garden and love being congratulated for "getting it right!"  Shalom (9) loves Angry Birds and Derek (6) loves games connected to the Wheels on the Bus app.  They had been here about 2 hours when Shalom complained that it was cold in the apartment and could he have some tea?  So then Derek wanted tea as well and could they have a piece of bread with peanut butter on it?  Typical growing kids wanting a late afternoon snack.   Kids and babies are the same around the world, meant to be loved and played with and feed and cared for.  Those of us who get the chance to do this are really lucky!

Last Saturday, Ken and I finally made a trip to the market to stock up on some things for the apartment. We also spent time buying fresh produce in the market place.  I have had a good teacher (thanks Julie Rogness) and so I feel very comfortable selecting things and looking for good quality.  I usually buy from the women in the market (again, thanks Julie) because for many of them it is their family's income.  The "grocery" store we shop at has moved its space since last year.  They are back in the space they originally occupied.  They had expanded to a new store front that was twice as big as the original one but the rent was too expensive and they had to go back to their first spot.  Sound like home? 

Went to a wonderful church service on Sunday morning at Mkwawa Congregation, the church Incarnation is partnered with here in Iringa.  Great music and the pastor is a female.  She gave an inspired sermon (through interpreters for us) and we really enjoyed it.  There was an older woman who sat in the front row and played a huge drum made out an oil barrel and animal hide.  She was SOOO into the service and everything, you just had to wonder what the Spirit was whispering in her ear!  Ah, Africa....

I have always wondered how the Africans can wear white shirts that look so pure white and are pressed within an inch of their lives when everything else is  covered with the red dust of the earth here.   The choir on Sunday morning was wearing white shirts and black bottoms and the shirts virtually sparkled!  I don't get it.  They must know something. I have tried to wash out some of my clothes here and end up putting in the wash basket for the house girl to do because she does a better job.  It might be hanging the things up in the sunshine.  I don't know but it puzzles me. 
On Sunday night, Ken and I hosted the group from Incarnation here in the apartment for dinner.  It is one of the traditions taught to me by my BKB mentor Julie Rogness.  Everyone loves to come over here and sit and visit and eat something that does NOT include rice.  No matter where you eat here, there is usually rice.  It is great rice, but after awhile... We try to put an American spin on some of the things we can get here.  I bought some ground beef from the kitchen at the Lutheran Center and we made Tanzania tacos using chapattis instead of tortillas.  We had chopped green pepper, onion, tomatoes  and grated cheese.  Ken made guacamole and we had cucumber salad with dressing and fresh papaya.  It really turned out great and the group seemed pleased.  We were well prepared and enjoyed it as much as they did.  They have a terrific group and we hope to see them again when we get back to the US.  For those of you from St. James who are reading this, one of the group is from Cambridge and knows Leon and Marilyn Carson.  Small world. 

On Monday night we hosted the group from Lake Park that was here delivering all the medical equipment.  They have a little bigger group plus we had four additional guests.  We went up to the Italian Cooking School run by a Catholic nun and bought some meat sauce and ravioli and made that for supper along with cucumber salad, guacamole and pineapple.  I bought a jam roll-up cake as well for dessert.  The day was busier than the day before and there were some other things that had to get done so I wasn't quite as prepared as I would have liked to be. I was feeling a little pressure and throwing myself into preparations (like boiling water to make the ravioli and heating the meat sauce) when the power went out.  Okay...this is Africa.  The blackout  is all over the area so the group coming to eat knows that it may be guacamole and chapatti chips and fruit by candlelight. No worries.  And then the power comes back on at 6:55, just before they are to arrive, which means I still have to cook!!!!!  Well, it all worked out okay (always does),  the food tasted great (thanks, Sister Seraphina) and everyone was so appreciative of being invited over to visit.  I have learned that there is always enough food and people will take care of the rest.  The only drawback?  A mountain of dishes  today.  Good thing work was quiet for Ken and I so we could get them done.  Here is another interesting observation.  At home, Ken and I never do dishes together.  They generally  go in the dishwasher.  Here, one of us washes and the other dries.  Makes me think of what it might have been like for my folks, visiting about the day over the chore of doing the dishes.  It really made the mountain into a molehill in short  order. 

The Visits to Idete and Idunda

Birdie has Tourista today, so I am more or less on my own.  She’ll need to work to catch up on the blog entries.

First today, then yesterday. 

Not too much going on now.  I will have lunch with our friend Beate, leaving for her home in Germany after nearly two years here.  She will take a job as therapist and nurse at home.  If Birdie is still under the weather, Kent Olson (no relation) and I will go for dinner.  Because she isn’t feeling well we rescheduled having the group here for dinner.

The group from Incarnation is supposed to go to Ruaha, however, their bus had to be repaired so they will be delayed.  This is Africa (TIA).

The Lake Park people have a well-deserved but short break today after a grueling day yesterday going to Idete and Idunda.  More on that soon.

A young man arrived here about 10:30 AM looking for Dennis about some employment leads.  He has finished school (good grades, I might add) in agricultural studies, so I hope there will be something available.  His English is much, much better than my Swahili, but Dennis will “be da man” for him.

Yesterday.

Planned to leave yesterday morning at 8 AM, sharp. 

August 2012

Left at 9:30 AM, dull.  Oh well.  TIA.  We arrived uneventfully in Idete, if later than anticipated.  The truck was unloaded with the grateful help of Ideteans.  Of course, they still preferred to be paid.  (Dennis took care of that.) 

August 2013

Idete has a very nice, extremely nice Dispensary.  The equipment Lake Park brought tops it off.  Several of the rooms were outfitted with beds and mattresses.  The medicines were put onto the new shelves.

Lake Park Lutheran Church

One thing I recalled from previous visits.  The door to the choo (john) is narrow and short.  Well, Tanzanians are narrow for the most part too.  And short.  I got in, exhaling and sucking the belly in, camera dangling in the way.  Yes, of course I got out!  It just wasn’t easy.  (The camera thing, certainly.)  The dispensary has marvelous new choos, but so far the water isn’t connected.  They are digging a well.  Also, all the doors in the dispensary are narrow.  No problem.  The guys took the headboards and footboards off.  The beds went in fine sideways.  Even the 10-ton delivery bed went through on its side.  Getting a patient out or the ward on any kid of bed, stretcher or gurney will be a trick.  My hope is that future dispensaries will have some double door arrangement, both for getting equipment in and ill or pregnant Tanzanians out.

Now we were in a rush to leave.  But wait!  “You have to have tea!”  Of course we did!  We left Idete at 12:50 for Idunda.

“What is the rush?” you might ask.  The roads are treacherous in the daytime.  We have close to 12 hours of daylight in Tanzania all year round, so it is dark at 7:30.  We arrived at Idunda at 12:50 PM.  We only had soft goods and medications for Idunda but even so we had to carry some stuff on the roof.  The truck could not go beyond Idete.  That should give you a clue about the roads to Idunda, mountainous, narrow, dirt, sometimes muddy with many switchbacks.  “Oh, look across the valley!  That’s where we were (or will be).”  There are sheer drops off the road.  I kept thinking, “Yeah, yeah.  I’ve done this.”  Didn’t like it though.  And humility is a fine attribute to maintain about driving.

This beautiful view tells why driving is tough

Unloading was uneventful.  Except that all the goods needed to be carried a quarter mile to the dispensary, crossing a little brook and up a hill.  They have completed the nurse residence now and it looks very fine.  The Idundans are now collecting rocks to add on to the dispensary building.  This is a community project, so among the many people there were the village chairman, Pastor Letson Chusy and the congregation’s chairman too.  I saw old friends and of course new.  One I will tell about below, named Hekaluni (means Temple in Swahili) Kikoti (means Olson in Swahili; or perhaps Johnson – it’s a common name).

Idunda Dispensary

Completed nurse residence

So, after standing around at the dispensary for a while, granted, a couple wazungu were helping with inventory, we prepared to go.  Yes, naturally we were in a rush.  But wait!  “We have to have tea!”  Of course we do.  This time, it was rice, plantains, chicken, beans, something in a red sauce and, whaddyahknow, tea.  We left at 4:30 PM.

Whenever we visit the villages, there is surely someone who needs to ride somewhere.  Every seat in the three vehicles was occupied with seven passengers each.  A man begged us to take his elderly mother to the hospital at Kitabaga.  Eventually Dr. Saga, not very happy about it, consented.  We drove with the man up to their hut.  We ended up taking not one but three extras.

The drive was dark and scary, but uneventful and we got home about 7:30 PM.

Hekaluni Kikoti

St. James members take note!

Hekaluni Kikoti and kpo

This young man is a success story.  He grew up in Idunda and when he heard we would be there he decided to come back to his hometown.  He introduced to his elderly mom.  He told me that when he was young(er), his mother could not afford school for him.  He got one of the St. James student scholarships.  He went to Lutangilo for his initial secondary schooling, then form 6 and 7 at Pommern, where he graduated and went all through school on the scholarships that St. James gave him.  He got his bachelors in history and Swahili at Ruaha University in Iringa.  He is now a career teacher.

Hurray for our side!  I will try to put a link into the short interview I did with him telling about himself.

Idunda Pastor Letson Chusy, nurse Gertrude, Idunda Town Chairman, Idunda Congregation Chairman

Dispensaries: Idete and Idunda

Tomorrow is a trip to two dispensaries, Idete and Idunda.  Idunda is the companion of our church, St. James in Burnsville.

The dispensary at Idunda does not really qualify as a dispensary for government approval.  For one, it is too small.  We will need to see it enlarged to qualify.  I have seen the plan suggested by my friend Dr. Saga.  It would enlarge the current small building, which you see pictured here.

Idunda's Dispensary

Idunda does have an accompanying nurse residence and a nurse, who does a great job at her level of training.  She has been there a couple years and we are lucky to have her.  We are bringing about $500 worth of medicines and supplies.  That should be about four months worth.  This year, St. James has provided $500 of funding.  In the past couple years, some of our members have privately funded it and have done so again this year as well.  We will see if there are any other contributions!

Bricks and mortar, Tanzanian style

We saw Idete last year when they were putting on the finishing touches to the dispensary.  If I can find a photo or two, I will include them.  I would guess the Ideteans think it is deluxe. (I made Ideteans up.  I think I like Idundans too.)  Well, I do know compared to their old digs, the dispensary is deluxe.  And now Lake Park has done it again by providing some more equipment and supplies for Idete.  They are great!  Idunda will be very happy with some soft goods and we will carry the meds there as well.

Nearly complete!

I will travel with Lake Park too.  It is a grueling trip.  Idunda is only 100 KM away, but takes about 4 hours on a good day.  I heard there was rain in Kilolo, which is on the way to both Idete and then Idunda.  This does not bode well for a speedy trip. The first time we went to Idunda, we got sooooo stuck!  Awwww.  Couldn’t have been that bad… we lived to tell about it!

Last summer I drove to Idunda.  Here are some things that are relevant.  I love my Ford Explorer.  I love the four-wheel drive.  Of course, it is an automatic.  So was my Nissan 350Z.  I haven’t had a stick since we had a little Mitsubishi Tredia Turbo, one of daughter Carly’s favorite cars.  Our vehicle to Idunda was a big Toyota 4x4 Land Cruiser with a stick shift.  It didn’t matter that Tanzanians drive on the left – there wasn’t a “left” or “right”, only a middle, when there was a road at all.  So the roads to Idunda are treacherous without rain or mud.  I earned my Tanzanian Driving Knighthood by completing this trip, granted by my wife, Queen Roberta.

I now get to drive this big, luxurious stick-shift Toyota Land Behemoth, I mean Land Cruiser, around town, but I do see another driving trip to Idunda in my future.  By the way, using your left hand to shift goes much easier than you might guess.  But the turn signal is on the wrong side, so I am still turning on the windshield wipers to signal my turn.  Only occasionally am I driving on the right side of the road, which is the wrong side of the road.  Another three months of practice and I should be pretty good.  I am already an above average driver, like 80% of all drivers claim.   Oh, wait.  I am only here for two months!

There are bound to be stories told about this upcoming trip.  As far as I know I am not driving….

Just before we left for Tanzania, I joined a task force of the Minnesota Academy of Family Practice (MAFP), chaired by my friend and former Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP) student, Dr. Rick Horecka on Single Payer Insurance.  For full disclosure, I want you to know I am in favor of single payer insurance.  This would be like “Medicare for all.”  If you are not convinced that would be a good thing, just as any person on Medicare if they would like to go back to other insurance.  They won’t.  But this isn’t about that.

Rick has a son who may join us to seek a volunteer experience.  I am in the process of exploring some options for him.  In the process, I have been asking the wazungu (white) young people I have run across here in Iringa about possibilities.  I have run across a raft of them who have been very critical of the organization that recruited them.  This is primarily due to poor organization, too short volunteer stays, lack of continuity of projects and poor direction.  Hmmm.  Seems like an opportunity!

My friend Dan McIntyre is very interested in teaching at the Iringa Diocese (DIRA) schools.  They need ESL.  We could do that!  I am wondering if BKB has the infrastructure to organize such an experience.  I don’t know.  I will be thinking about this.  Currently, we already have a couple young men doing such work.

Stay tuned for the next adventure in rural Tanzania!  (My friend Jim Springrose often quoted author Calvin Rutstum, “Only fools have adventures.”