Here we are, all looking forward to getting home but sad to think it will all be memories and stories now.
We are sitting sipping a very expensive cup of coffee in the Amsterdam airport reminiscing and reflecting over the events of the past four weeks. All wishing Maggie was here but knowing she shared it all with us either via the Nairobi Hospital or from the comfort of home. The stories that will keep us laughing for years to come, are the stories of our Turkish Bath experience. However...... they aren't really stories we could blog!
We were up this morning at 2:30 a.m. To catch our flight from Istanbul and will hopefully catch some sleep between Amsterdam and Calgary. If I can find some speedier Internet service I hope to get some final photos from Turkey on here.
If not, thanks for following the blog, we enjoyed creating it and being able to share a part of our adventure!
Sunday 13 November 2011
Friday 11 November 2011
Istanbul, Turkey!
Cool and today raining off and on. A big weather change from Africa! We are staying in the old part of the city which is great for walking everywhere.
THE SHOPPING IS AMAZING! We are all hooked. Rugs, ceramics, cushion covers, shoes, spices (my least favorite) and Turkish delight etc etc etc. The streets are lined with a variety of shops and a huge selection of restaurants. We have been enjoying the apple tea that is readily handed out and we are only a little tiny bit ok with the Turkish coffee. It's like a little espresso but the bottom 1/2 of the cup is thick black sludge that sticks to your teeth and lines your cheeks!
Tonight we are off to see a traditional Whirling Dervish dance show and tomorrow night.....the others head off to the Turkish Bath House.....I am way too shy! Took a boat ride this morning on the Bosphorus Straight that connects the Marmara Sea and the Black Sea. Great view of Istanbul from the water.
THE SHOPPING IS AMAZING! We are all hooked. Rugs, ceramics, cushion covers, shoes, spices (my least favorite) and Turkish delight etc etc etc. The streets are lined with a variety of shops and a huge selection of restaurants. We have been enjoying the apple tea that is readily handed out and we are only a little tiny bit ok with the Turkish coffee. It's like a little espresso but the bottom 1/2 of the cup is thick black sludge that sticks to your teeth and lines your cheeks!
Tonight we are off to see a traditional Whirling Dervish dance show and tomorrow night.....the others head off to the Turkish Bath House.....I am way too shy! Took a boat ride this morning on the Bosphorus Straight that connects the Marmara Sea and the Black Sea. Great view of Istanbul from the water.
Wednesday 9 November 2011
At the orphanage.
From Turkey!
Hi everyone. We have safely arrived in Instanbul, Turkey. It was so great to reunite....all SIX of us, last evening in the Nairobi airport. We had lots of stories to share with one another.Kerry, Biz and Cheryl arrived from Zanzibar. All three looking like the sunshine had been out in full force and all three with stories of many mosquitos, too much humidity and a great week on the beach. Joanne and I took a long, chaotic as per usual, bus trip from Arusha Tanzania. And Maggie....well she looked great and had lots to tell after her near 3 week stay in the Nairobi Hospital. She was discharged and escorted to the airport where we all met up. It was so great to see her and to know that she was well recovered and looking tired but overall very good!
Together we all flew to Amsterdam and Maggie continued on home to convalesce while the rest of us travelled on to Turkey for our final few days of adventure.
Scroll down cuz I added some new photos. I attempted more but unsuccessfully so will try again in the morning. We seem to have pretty good WIFI service here!p
Together we all flew to Amsterdam and Maggie continued on home to convalesce while the rest of us travelled on to Turkey for our final few days of adventure.
Scroll down cuz I added some new photos. I attempted more but unsuccessfully so will try again in the morning. We seem to have pretty good WIFI service here!p
Monday 7 November 2011
A note from Arusha
Ugh. I had a BIG l-o-n-g blog entry from today.....and in the "pole pole" (poey poley....slow slow) internet, it disappeared! I can't seem to load any more pictures but...maybe one of these days. Anyhow, to paraphrase todays events....the clinic is slow today and Naomi awaits the arrival of her first baby. It too is pole pole! We bought a round of cold "orange fantas and coca colas" for everyone as we melt in the heat. Well, ours were cold, the Tanzanians like them warm.
We spent this morning at a boarding school for some of the areas most disenfranchised children. The disabled, the orphans and kids whose parents can't afford to keep them. Their stories were sad ones. They are all looking for sponsorship to cover costs like school fees, uniforms notebooks, (most of them share), shoes and food. They ranged in age from 2 to 15. Most children born with disabilities are killed when they are born because they are believed to be a curse. Some are rescued by family members or community people. Joanne was won over after providing a wee bit of medical attention to 8yr old Ramadan who was born without arms. Yesterday he was running and fell and scraped his face and head up. 10yr old Violet easily found her way into my heart. She is a Maasai girl who was born with HIV. Her two older siblings (fortunately HIV-) also attend the school. After the death of their parents, from AIDS, the uncles tried to poison and kill the three kids so that they could take over ownership of the small piece of land.
We spent time in all of the 7 classes meeting most of the 205 students. They sang and all welcomed us with smiles and their very best English. Most of the children in the school were orphaned as a result of AIDS.
Last nights visit to the street girls was eventful and a huge shock to us both. They were very shy and distant at first but with the help of Nestory's calm approach and his swahili, they eventually came around and we were able to give them the duffle bag of sanitary pads. They were so happy and one girl who was a bit of a joker happily skipped down the dark packed street singing and distributing them!
Hopefully, I will get some more pictures up here! I have lots!!!
We spent this morning at a boarding school for some of the areas most disenfranchised children. The disabled, the orphans and kids whose parents can't afford to keep them. Their stories were sad ones. They are all looking for sponsorship to cover costs like school fees, uniforms notebooks, (most of them share), shoes and food. They ranged in age from 2 to 15. Most children born with disabilities are killed when they are born because they are believed to be a curse. Some are rescued by family members or community people. Joanne was won over after providing a wee bit of medical attention to 8yr old Ramadan who was born without arms. Yesterday he was running and fell and scraped his face and head up. 10yr old Violet easily found her way into my heart. She is a Maasai girl who was born with HIV. Her two older siblings (fortunately HIV-) also attend the school. After the death of their parents, from AIDS, the uncles tried to poison and kill the three kids so that they could take over ownership of the small piece of land.
We spent time in all of the 7 classes meeting most of the 205 students. They sang and all welcomed us with smiles and their very best English. Most of the children in the school were orphaned as a result of AIDS.
Last nights visit to the street girls was eventful and a huge shock to us both. They were very shy and distant at first but with the help of Nestory's calm approach and his swahili, they eventually came around and we were able to give them the duffle bag of sanitary pads. They were so happy and one girl who was a bit of a joker happily skipped down the dark packed street singing and distributing them!
Hopefully, I will get some more pictures up here! I have lots!!!
Sunday 6 November 2011
Jambo Mambo Poa (Hello Hi Cool!) from our ARUSHA paradise??
Hello from the Arusha pair and scroll down to see the posts from the lot in Zanzibar! The slow internet prevents picture posts but I think we can add a few tomorrow when we are back at the clinic. We have had a full couple of days. 10 hours straight yesterday with some clinic work and then onto orphanages for fun and physicals. Joanne assesses the sick kids and I play with them. Resources are slim to not at all so the flashlight on a cell phone works good for looking into sore ears and inflamed throats. Our day flew past and after 10 hrs we welcomed a cold kilamonjaro beer and a huge bottle of water! You have to specify 'bareedee' (cold) for all drinks or they bring them warm. We had had a banana and one glass of water with one pee break in the whole day.
We eat at the hotel and treated so well by everyone because.....we are the only ones staying here. Nestory picks us up each day and off we go. We have handed out bags of toffee candies, suckers and many soccer balls. It's like Christmas morning over and over. The children are soooo happy and very thankful.
Yesterday we visited two orphanages and thoroughly enjoyed both. We really quickly developed a special place in our hearts for the "Mama's" and the children at Kibowa House. A very profoundly poor home with 48 kids no toilets or kitchen and only a few beds to share. The kids ranged in age from 3 to 18 and were primarily the orphans of HIV/AIDS affected parents and families. A special part of Kibowa is that they strive to keep girls 8yrs old and up, off the streets and out of the sex trade. A huge challenge as we see all around.
Our lowest point in the day was stopping to buy our 4th batch of 40 bananas and one of the many many street kids came by and when Nestory attempted to give him a few shillings or bananas, he panicked and left. It was obvious he was very afraid, alone and ..... albino with significant visual impairment. We went on to learn that in many parts of Tanzania, albinos are killed on a regular daily basis because their body parts are believed to bring good fortune to people and are used for traditional medicine. The boy was 12 at the most. Eventually he came close enough to accept some money.
Today started with an eye opening visit to the regional hospital, visiting a ward with primarily AIDS and Malaria patients. 25 all in the same small very destitute room. Nestory then suggested we do something a little less intense to "refresh our minds" and off we went to ...... the snake park.
We revisited Kibowa House today and certainly have memories we will never lose sight of. We paid their next months rent of $200US in a country with and average annual income of $1000.00. And got another chance to totally appreciate the smiles of 48 kids as they tried to assist with my swahili lessons!
Right now we are heading out late this evening with Nestory's guidance to visit the many many homeless girls that work the streets to survive. We have loaded up with sanitary napkins to deliver and will stop on route to buy....more bananas.
Hopefully some photos tomorrow! Thanks for following the blog. We are hoping our pregnant patient delivers very soon so we can assist!
We eat at the hotel and treated so well by everyone because.....we are the only ones staying here. Nestory picks us up each day and off we go. We have handed out bags of toffee candies, suckers and many soccer balls. It's like Christmas morning over and over. The children are soooo happy and very thankful.
Yesterday we visited two orphanages and thoroughly enjoyed both. We really quickly developed a special place in our hearts for the "Mama's" and the children at Kibowa House. A very profoundly poor home with 48 kids no toilets or kitchen and only a few beds to share. The kids ranged in age from 3 to 18 and were primarily the orphans of HIV/AIDS affected parents and families. A special part of Kibowa is that they strive to keep girls 8yrs old and up, off the streets and out of the sex trade. A huge challenge as we see all around.
Our lowest point in the day was stopping to buy our 4th batch of 40 bananas and one of the many many street kids came by and when Nestory attempted to give him a few shillings or bananas, he panicked and left. It was obvious he was very afraid, alone and ..... albino with significant visual impairment. We went on to learn that in many parts of Tanzania, albinos are killed on a regular daily basis because their body parts are believed to bring good fortune to people and are used for traditional medicine. The boy was 12 at the most. Eventually he came close enough to accept some money.
Today started with an eye opening visit to the regional hospital, visiting a ward with primarily AIDS and Malaria patients. 25 all in the same small very destitute room. Nestory then suggested we do something a little less intense to "refresh our minds" and off we went to ...... the snake park.
We revisited Kibowa House today and certainly have memories we will never lose sight of. We paid their next months rent of $200US in a country with and average annual income of $1000.00. And got another chance to totally appreciate the smiles of 48 kids as they tried to assist with my swahili lessons!
Right now we are heading out late this evening with Nestory's guidance to visit the many many homeless girls that work the streets to survive. We have loaded up with sanitary napkins to deliver and will stop on route to buy....more bananas.
Hopefully some photos tomorrow! Thanks for following the blog. We are hoping our pregnant patient delivers very soon so we can assist!
Saturday 5 November 2011
Jambo from Zanzibar!
All is well. Waiting for an update from Arusha but was having trouble with Internet connection.
We spent yesterday in Stonetown which is a Unesco Heritage site. The morning walking tour was very interesting. We were having trouble staying focused because we're trying to acclimatize to the high humidity and heat, but it was worth it. The slave trade for east Africa was conducted from the slave market in Stonetown. It was rather sobering to visit the holding cells where the slaves were kept until auction day. We also visited the markets and got a whole new perspective on fresh meat!
Had a spice tour this morning and learned a lot about how different spices are grown and how they taste in the various stages of growth. We were only mediocre at identifying the various tastes and smells but had fun guessing. Arrived at our beach resort this aft to find the Indian Ocean on our doorstep. It doesn't get any better than that!
Can't figure out how to attach a picture. Will send a couple separately if you want to add them to the blog.
Sent from my iPad
We have arrived in Arusha Tanzania and are borrowing internet service from the Mama Kwanza Health Clinic. The others arrived safely in Zanzibar and from a brief report, are apparently battling heat, sweat and mosquitos. As soon as we get a "post" from them we will be sure to get it on the blog.
As for Joanne and myself.....we are far from relaxing. Yesterday was packed full of adventure for us. Our day started early with a very early rooster induced wake-up call. We met many clinic staff and were welcomed by all.
Joanne turned a pastey white and hid around the corner when the midwife approached her an hour after our arrival and said "doctor, the pregnant woman would like to see you!" I thought she was going to faint and I burst out laughing! Anyhow, she performed a wonderfully confident and thorough examination and the woman was thrilled and hopes to have the baby while we are still here!
The Greenland Hotel "Resort" came without any record of an address which seems to be the norm. However, it took us a half dozen stops for fake directions and an hour an a half in Arusha driving and driving in the dark before we found it. It's very nice but hilarious because we are the only customers in the whole place and the receptionist who "enjoys our company" also washes our clothes, carries our bags, delivers to our room and serves us and seats us,,,,alone in the bar and the 8 seater diningroom.
Yesterday was hot sticky and full on with feeding lunch to about 50 street boys and creating a riot, visiting and totally enjoying the chilldren of two orphanages and going from pharmacy to pharmacy to buy some very needed clinic supplies. It was a humbling experience and very rewarding beyond words. The clinic was thrilled with the bras and supplies. They kept thanking us and we kept enforcing that it was the contribution of "our" community. They are thrilled with the cameras as they will use them regularily at their ....32 orphanages.
This morning we met the dentist and the opthamologist at the clinic. The 100 and some pairs of glasses we brought were a huge addition to the dozen pairs they had. They visit the villages and fit people with glasses. Dr. Stella, the opthamologist was anxious to have a close look at an infection i have in my left eyelid. She too, as well as Dr McLeod, thought my impatience with wanting an instant cure, was a bit extreme and she found it quite entertaining. She hooked me up with a treatment program that cost me less than $1 and was shocked when we insisted on paying the 10,000 shillings that would then also treat 9 more people.
Women have been LOVING the bras. All 400 hundred and Rebecca the midwife shyly asked if it was ok for the staff to each take one. We assured her they were for everyone and there is a lot more where those came from! We delivered pencils and erasers to the children who received them with big thank yous and even bigger smiles. We stopped and picked up some soccer balls for $3 each and many many bananas that are bringing smiles to the children as well. Again many thanks to everyone at home who contributed to the generosity we are able to share here in Tanzania. As soon as we can figure out the photos we will post some for you all!
As for Joanne and myself.....we are far from relaxing. Yesterday was packed full of adventure for us. Our day started early with a very early rooster induced wake-up call. We met many clinic staff and were welcomed by all.
Joanne turned a pastey white and hid around the corner when the midwife approached her an hour after our arrival and said "doctor, the pregnant woman would like to see you!" I thought she was going to faint and I burst out laughing! Anyhow, she performed a wonderfully confident and thorough examination and the woman was thrilled and hopes to have the baby while we are still here!
The Greenland Hotel "Resort" came without any record of an address which seems to be the norm. However, it took us a half dozen stops for fake directions and an hour an a half in Arusha driving and driving in the dark before we found it. It's very nice but hilarious because we are the only customers in the whole place and the receptionist who "enjoys our company" also washes our clothes, carries our bags, delivers to our room and serves us and seats us,,,,alone in the bar and the 8 seater diningroom.
Yesterday was hot sticky and full on with feeding lunch to about 50 street boys and creating a riot, visiting and totally enjoying the chilldren of two orphanages and going from pharmacy to pharmacy to buy some very needed clinic supplies. It was a humbling experience and very rewarding beyond words. The clinic was thrilled with the bras and supplies. They kept thanking us and we kept enforcing that it was the contribution of "our" community. They are thrilled with the cameras as they will use them regularily at their ....32 orphanages.
This morning we met the dentist and the opthamologist at the clinic. The 100 and some pairs of glasses we brought were a huge addition to the dozen pairs they had. They visit the villages and fit people with glasses. Dr. Stella, the opthamologist was anxious to have a close look at an infection i have in my left eyelid. She too, as well as Dr McLeod, thought my impatience with wanting an instant cure, was a bit extreme and she found it quite entertaining. She hooked me up with a treatment program that cost me less than $1 and was shocked when we insisted on paying the 10,000 shillings that would then also treat 9 more people.
Women have been LOVING the bras. All 400 hundred and Rebecca the midwife shyly asked if it was ok for the staff to each take one. We assured her they were for everyone and there is a lot more where those came from! We delivered pencils and erasers to the children who received them with big thank yous and even bigger smiles. We stopped and picked up some soccer balls for $3 each and many many bananas that are bringing smiles to the children as well. Again many thanks to everyone at home who contributed to the generosity we are able to share here in Tanzania. As soon as we can figure out the photos we will post some for you all!
Tuesday 1 November 2011
Thanks for checking in. We all agree that today was the hottest day yet! We are in tents tonight an hoping it will cool off some. We watched zebra and baboons stoll past as we settled into our camp. We head back into Kenya tomorrow for our last safari night before some of us head to Zanzibar to relax on the beach and Joanne and I head back to Arusha Tanzania to .... get to work at the clinic.
Scroll through older posts down at the bottom of the page. I think I just added 9 photos. I opted out of some of the lizard and gigantic bug pictures!
Missing many people back home but thoroughly enjoying Africa!
Scroll through older posts down at the bottom of the page. I think I just added 9 photos. I opted out of some of the lizard and gigantic bug pictures!
Missing many people back home but thoroughly enjoying Africa!
Lioness
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