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….