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Salt Lake City’s McGillis School Greets Mgaraganza Primary

A few days ago, I wandered through Mgaraganza village with Lucas and a couple of friends. Those of you who know her will laugh to hear that Rebecca (Becky) Burton is here in Kiganza, TZ living at GOSESO as I did three years ago! She worked with the Salt Lake Film Center and we collaborated on a Burundi film project a while back. I gave my business card to Shujie, another girl staying at GOSESO and when Becky saw it, she was in disbelief – just as I was when I got her subsequent email saying she was here.

Anyway, Shujie, Becky, Lucas and I were walking to see the building site for Amahoro Secondary School and we passed Mgaraganza Primary School. I remembered that I needed to set up a meeting with a standard 6 teacher to discuss visiting with letters I brought from Cassi Lanie’s second grade class at McGillis School in Salt Lake City, UT. I had visited Cassi’s class back in February when they were studying Africa. Hadley Rampton and I visited with slides about animals, homes, language, school and family in Tanzania plus some information about our upcoming summer project in Mgaraganza. After our chat with the students, they wrote letters for students in Mgaraganza. Continue reading “Salt Lake City’s McGillis School Greets Mgaraganza Primary”

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Musings on Friendships

I have time left on my internet session but no connector for my camera and the computer – so really no desire to tell any of my stories at present … but, I made one discovery today.

One day last week, I started to feel exhausted and shaky. It hit me around midday and I returned to the hotel to eat, pound some water and hope with all my might that it wasn’t the malaria that I was expecting. After long hours of sleeping and lying around – moping really – I recovered with bright eyes and all my energy the next day. Continue reading “Musings on Friendships”

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Nime Choka Sana! Lakini, sasa naweza kubeba mawe!

Which means: I’m so tired, but now I can carry stones (‘to the head’, as they say). If I had typed up this blog yesterday after working with the villagers in Mgaraganza at the school site, the title might have read ‘Eff That!’ And ‘That’ would have been a reference to the work that we did – which was ridiculously difficult and in my opinion just plain ridiculous. But let me back up a bit… Continue reading “Nime Choka Sana! Lakini, sasa naweza kubeba mawe!”

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Amahoro Secondary … Coming Soon!

My good buddy Carter Jensen has arrived in Kigoma! I thought it would be a long lonely road for me from this point on – after saying Kwaheri to my girls on July 5th, but now Carter – a good friend from SLC, UT – has arrived! On his first day in town, Carter had to endure a day heavy on the business for Project Wezesha. This was our tick list: open a post office box, open a joint bank account (Lucas and I), register Project Wezesha in Tanzania, meet with the architect for school plans, meet with the Kigoma Ministry of Education, meet with the land officer. Continue reading “Amahoro Secondary … Coming Soon!”

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Tulienda Kiganza – Visiting the Children

Today we made our way into Kiganza village to visit with my friends – young and old. It was an emotional day for several reasons. Lucas met us in town in the morning and after puttering around a little bit to get some money changed and buy some sunscreen, which we shockingly found in the duka la dawa (pharmacy), we hopped on the dala dala for my first ever ride into the village. In past years, Lucas and I would ride part of the way until the road basically became impassible by cars and the transport cars wouldn’t go further. From that point, we would walk 1.5 hours each way in the blazing sun (uphill both ways). After walking 3 hours a day, eating dust, burning flesh and starving – we would grub down on a full fish and some rice together and I would collapse in the bed. This year, we three spoiled princesses get a ride right up to the Kiganza market – footsteps from the homes of the students Project Wezesha supports and the families I’ve grown to love. From here, it is still a 30 minute walk to Mgaraganza village, but it’s through the shaded forest and across a stream, so who’s complaining! Continue reading “Tulienda Kiganza – Visiting the Children”

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Interview with Hadley and Laura

I asked Laura and Hadley some questions on the veranda of our hotel the night before they left. Emotions soared as they thought back on some of their experiences.

You’ve been in the city, the beach, the small town and the village. Which do you prefer and why?

L: I don’t like the big city at all. Zanzibar is good for tourism. I felt relaxed there and wanted to go to the beach. I liked the atmosphere. It’s touristy so if you’re looking for that, it’s good. If you’re looking for life experience and something deeper, then being here(in Kigoma) is the thing.

H: I would say that Dar was not my favorite place, but I’m glad that I experienced it because it let me see kind of the sad state of affairs of the reality of things here. That people would be coming from villages to Dar looking for a better life only to find more desperation is unfortunate. Zanzibar was a nice touristy respite, but it did feel touristy and didn’t feel as real. And now that we’re in the villages the landscape is incredibly beautiful and while the people are probably just as poor as they were in Dar, there is more warmth and there is more friendliness. It makes me sad that people would leave the villages where there is still warmth and love to go to a place like Dar where the desperation is that much more evident. Overall, I would say that I’m enjoying my experience in Kigoma and surrounding villages the most because it feels the most real to me and I am enjoying connecting with the people on a more personal basis. Continue reading “Interview with Hadley and Laura”

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"Nitarudi" I said, and return I did!

We arrived in Kigoma at long last! We experienced the bustle of the big city, the tourist trap of Zanzibar, Indian Ocean and a lot of surface interactions – but now we are here. We are here – where relationships with the people I know are real and deep.

Lucas, my friend and partner in Project Wezesha, greeted us at the airport and escorted us up to the place I’ll call home this month. We enjoyed some introductions, catch up conversation, important updates and the glorious view of Lake Tanganyika. Hadley was psyched to finally meet the young man I’ve been referencing all these months leading up to this trip. Of course he won Laura and Hadley over instantly with his smile. They could feel what I feel – Lucas is awesome. He’s trustworthy, gentle, kind, protective, funny and sharp. Continue reading “"Nitarudi" I said, and return I did!”

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Humanitarians Spring for a Kitten

Late one night on the island of Zanzibar, Laura, Hadley and I were returning from a triumphant match between Spain and Portugal, which we enjoyed from Mercury’s Bar – so named because Freddy Mercury was born here … or some history along those lines. Triumphant because Laura is from Spain – so of course, Villa Maravilla, Venga and other Spanish cheers were leaving our table with more volume than most in the bar expected from a group of seemingly mature women and wazungu at that. Way to go Spain!!

Back to my story… We were returning from the match around midnight and we were only steps from our hostel’s entry way when the high pitch cries of youth in distress whipped my head to the side and down where I spotted the tiniest of tiny kittens, wailing away and all alone. I scooped it up and it fit easily in the palm of my hand – its eyes weepy, orange coat soiled and whiskers curly from having been burned away at the ends. Of course, the three of us began cooing as women do around baby animals and baby humans – a cooing which quickly turned to moaning about how we could help this animal, after midnight, just outside our hotel with no information about where its mother might be. Continue reading “Humanitarians Spring for a Kitten”

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It’s the Age of Malaria

It’s the age of Aquarius, age of Aquariuh-us … Aquarius! Get that song in your head and then substitute Malaria for Aquarius and you have the latest catchy tune that I’ve been singing lately (along with ‘Sweaty Crack’ sang to the famous Pheobe classic ‘Smelly Cat’ from the hit TV show Friends – TMI?) . Malaria… Malaria. Fortunately, it’s not because any of us have Malaria right now, but we’ve sure been joking enough about the day when, not if, one of us is diagnosed. Luckily – we know exactly the drug to take if we get it … Coartem. Recommended to us by our pal David, the American writer in Dar – who has had malaria 7 times in his life, including during the week we met him. In fact, it will be David that we blame when we are diagnosed as it was his idea to take us out for a drink at a bar in Dar that led to our demise (kidding, David – but it is your fault! haha) Continue reading “It’s the Age of Malaria”