Hodi! Tanzania

Journal Entry - Chelsie

June 25, 2007
Chelsie Moore

So we are home. Not only have I already eaten the beloved velveeta and hot dogs, but I also just slept in a bed with no bug net and no constantly growing valley in the center of the mattress, I am about to take a shower with hot, dirt-free water that flows strongly from a shower head mounted on the wall, and later on today, after visiting most of my family, I will cook myself a steak and corn (notice…no rice or mystery crunchies there). Although I am excited to be home for many different reasons, I am definitely feeling sad to be finished with our trip and mostly to be away from the group. We spent a long time planning and creating expectations; some of which were interrupted or changed, but we adapted better and better with each “surprise,” not to be confused with a “disaster.”

I went on this trip expecting to learn a lot. Mostly my expectations were in learning about a culture very different from my own and then in learning about myself. I did learn about the culture of the people we lived with in Tanzania; however, I learned that a lot of their culture parallels our own yet is still obviously very different. I am not sure if I took full advantage of the opportunity for cultural exchange, but I was most certainly overwhelmed, if not with the seemingly “slow motion” rate of flow in every day life in Pommern, then definitely by the language barrier and shocked and yelling faces staring as mzungus walked by. Even still, I learned, probably mostly about myself. Before this trip, I was hardly nervous about jumping into a community of people with limited communication and very different ways of life. I was mostly nervous about traveling with a huge group and constantly being with almost twenty other people for more than three weeks. Let me just say, it was not easy, for any of us. Now, however, I can say that I would go any where with most of the people in our group and do pretty much anything for them as we came a long way together, learning with each step and “surprise.” I’ve learned that I can put up with things, but once I get hungry or hot, watch out because you will probably hear about it. After a snack to revive blood sugar levels, it is important to realize that I may have over reacted and make amends with the person who was on the receiving end of my flare-up. I have learned that if I am having a rough day, I can always find someone who is having a worse day, and putting my problems aside to help them feel better is more effective than moping. I have learned that patience is indeed a very important aspect of working in a group of peers, also in a culturally new and diverse experience, and in life in general. I have learned what sort of communication within the group is effective and what is definitely not. I have learned that, although eating rice and potato eggs everyday for three weeks is not the most appealing thing, it can be done (thank you, immodium and pepto).

So, with all of the “surprises” we faced along the way and with all of the “short” speeches we endured, I may have taken more out of this trip that I anticipated and in a very different way. When I look back on this trip and wear my Maasai earrings and my $7 custom made skirt, I will remember the fun I had with my friends acquiring these souvenirs and the way we overcame the differences and new experiences we faced as a group and as individuals. We will forever have reminders of this trip, the things we learned, and the friendships we made, and hopefully, as Rob says, they will last a lifetime because I just know the next time I lose my luggage, am within half an hour of the destination and find out my room has been double booked, question a doctor’s treatment of a baby boy who clearly has meningitis, or wait two hours for a half of a cheeseburger, I am going to be looking around for the people on this trip to do it with me again. Of course, the next time I sing “Build Me Up Buttercup,” sit at a waterfall for hours even though I am not allowed to touch the water for fear of parasites, or haggle with (aka yell at) street vendors, I will be looking for the group too. Whether they are really there or not, I know I will handle things with more ease just in memory of what we went through together, because in the end we are all stronger, and we have all learned.

So, thanks to our leaders and my fellow team members for bringing yourselves on this trip. You may have made a difference to people in Pommern, but I think it is safe to say that you have somehow made a difference in each and every member of our team. I am forever grateful for out time spent together, the memories we made, and the friendships we created.

Asante sana wote. Nina kupenda.

Journal Entry - Rob

Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Rob

"Be prepared for an experience that will last a lifetime"

I have read these words for more than 15 years countless times. They come from a sign at the entrance of a camp that has been a very important part of my life. These words have been ingrained in my head and exemplify how I live.

When I am asked to describe my experience in Pommern I will use this phrase: It has been an experience that will last a lifetime. The next question is obvious — why? “Why” is a little harder to answer.

Everyone here knows I have openly complained about this trip. I have complained about team members, the town, food, and especially writing in this journal. Secretly though I have been touched by this trip. Working in the clinic has given me a chance to see healthcare in a form I would never see in the US. Being a spectacle to kids because I am white is something that would never happen in Vermont. The greatest thing though is hanging with people I would never chill with at school. This is what causes the most distress, and my sometimes outward personality. For most people this is a summer trip between school years. Come August they will be back in the rustic mountains of Vermont enjoying the college life at Norwich. For me and other it's our last Hoorah — our last college experience before taking on the world. Come August I will be serving my country in the Army. No more college for more or at least for some time. Knowing how life leads us all on different paths, I wonder if mine will ever intersect again with one of my team members. My biggest fear is leaving Boston and never seeing anyone on this trip again.

Then I realize I probably won't ever see any of these people in Pommern again either. Regardless of how good my intention is for that not to happen.

When I leave Pommern tomorrow I will look back knowing I have left a small fingerprint on this community. What Pommern won't realize is the big one it has left on me.

-Rob

Journal Entry - John

Friday, June 14, 2007
It has been a long time since I wrote in this journal and so much has happened. We arrived in Pommern as people described and got to work on our assigned projects. Evan, Josh and I have been working hard on improving the sporting grounds and getting them ready for use in inter-town and school athletic competitions to begin in July. We have almost fully completed a 400-meter track built from scratch and have made a soccer net for one of their goals.

Since their projects are nearing completion and time is running out, we have turned our focus to the issue that we chose to take on and try to come up with a sustainable solution to waste management. Evan being in the environmental group and I in the economic sustainability group have chosen a project that that addresses both areas.

A major problem in Pommern is waste management: the system they use right now is to build a building over a hole in the ground and use it as a toilet until it fills. They then cement over it and build a new one. This is not only gross but very bad for the soil and water supply near by. Another problem they have is with the use of fertilizers. Not only are they expensive but the rain washes a lot of the chemicals into the water supply making it unsafe to drink.

Our solution: COMPOSTING

Before the trip I did some research on composting and specifically the composting of human waste. I brought with me all of that information and instructions on how to implement it. Not only will this give an alternative to burying the waste in the ground but it will create an inexpensive and all-organic fertilizer for the town to use along with the rest of the environment group. Nicole, Margaret (our local environmental expert), Evan and I met with the upendo women's group today to present our materials and get their suggestions on how it might be best to implement something like this. The meeting was very successful and the women all agreed that composting is a great idea. There was a little snag through when using human waste was suggested. I guess people didn’t like the idea of carrying their poop out back in a bucket and dumping it in a big pile, go figure.

As weird as that may sound, it is a common practice in many third world countries and when done correctly really isn’t all that gross. We have scheduled another larger scale town wide meeting for Sunday after church and hope to gain more support there.

In other news Chris, Josh, ay and I taught 6-8 of the local students how to play American football last night. It was a great time and they were surprisingly good although they had some issues with throwing form and not throwing it again once they caught it. They were all very good at kicking though.

Now it's really late and everyone else in sleeping so lala salama and tutaoonoana Boadai.

-John

Journal Entry - Kate

June 12, 2007
Wednesday
The only way that I can describe today is peaceful and eerily quiet. After living in a house with 20 people for over a week, some alone time is something to be yearned for. This house may be large, but sharing 1 ½ semi-functional bathrooms and a dining room table which always seems to be missing one chair, we have all gotten a little close for comfort at times. Most of the group made a voyage to Iringa today to write emails and do research, and buy more essential supplies like Pringles and Nutella. Meanwhile, Mo, Quinn, Chris, Moriah and I stayed, along with Susan and Lewis. Chris and I unintentionally slept in for most of the morning, because there was no ruckus in the house to wake us up like usual. Mo and Quinn went on an adventurous walk past the Roman catholic church and saw some newborn puppies along the way.

We all met up for lunch, and this time I actually got some watermelon, which is usually long gone before I get to the table. After lunch Chris and I went down to the school to track down our Tanzanian painting compadres and we painted one classroom. At 2:30 all of us headed to the library for a discussion on the seven laws of teaching headed by none other then mama Susan. The local teachers and students joined in the discussion enthusiastically and described to us the national disease that is mathematics. After the class we went back up to the mission house to enjoy our last moments in a quiet house. Once the crew returned it would be dinner, and time for our nightly meeting, and of course back to fighting over the limited fruit and working toilets.

-Kate

Journal Entry - Stacey

June 11, 2007
Monday
It’s Monday and we are beginning another service week. Today I woke up sick and not feeling so great, still I woke up and headed off to continue painting the classrooms with Karen, Maureen, and Bianca, who joined us after she was done at the clinic. Kate, Rob, Jess, and Chelse also went to the clinic for the baby-weighing day. Chris and Nicole continued to replace windows. Moriah and Kim went to the new dispensary to continue with the construction. Evan, John, and Josh were at the playground working on the track. By the end of the morning we completed the two classrooms we began on Wednesday, but we soon learned that we had a few more classrooms to go. After a very needed nap, Nicole, Bianca, Kim and I headed to meet with Mr.Wilbert (headmaster) to discuss education needs at the secondary school. I am really excited about the projects that we discussed and I am looking forward to begin working on them.

After our meeting we went to the soccer field to watch the guys, Haran, and the villagers play soccer, and I am sad to say that the mzungus lost. Tonight we had a real good discussion after dinner. Many people had thoughts and feelings to share with the group. I am very happy that we are able to express how we feel in a civil, mature and positive way. So the lights will be out soon, and I guess I should go to bed. Tomorrow some of us will be going to Iringa, and the rest will continue doing their service projects.

-Stacey.

Journal Entry - Kim

Kim’s reflection 6-15-07
The last two days were incredible and I hope I justify their happenings with my story. Yesterday, I began my day at the clinic where I received not only a warm welcome from the staff, but an intense realization of the need for healthcare providers in Africa. Following check-ups of patients in the ward, Rob, Chelsie, and I sat in the exam room with the doctor to discuss diagnosis and treatments. Later that morning after observing two tooth extractions I “ran” into a women the Dr. said had HIV. And although I have worked in an HIV baby Clinic in Haiti, I’ve never stared deeply enough into the eyes of a dying soul. This experience reminded me again of my purpose for applying to medical school, and my successfulness depending solely on my willingness to be selfless in all that matters.

Today was my home visit, where numerous volunteers from the group decide to split up and go to different homes in order to spend a day in the life of an African family. As Freedon, my 18-year-old escort from the mission hour who brought me to his home, he greeted me with a plethora of tender hugs and a charismatic smile. Already I knew today was going to be different. We began the day with miles of walking to the bean fields where we were going to water the crops! While walking along with Freedon and his 21-year-old sister Astane I was confronted with minimal talking yet it was comfortable enough for me to reflect on not only the breathtaking landscape, but also life in general. I pondered the simplicity of this culture, of the souls of its people, and most importantly the smiles that can be seen inside and out. It is here where I began to slow my life down, after returning to Freedon’s home. I embarked on a journey of de-feathering and carving a chicken, cutting up vegetables, watering beans, weeding sweet potatoes, and harvesting crops.

Everyone always says that taking risks is the best thing someone in need of purpose can do for themselves, well today I took that advice and broke my fast-paced life in order to, for the first time in my life, enjoy the present time. I realize now that is there is any selfish reason for traveling to Africa; it was to be forced to slow down and not hurry through life any longer. The loving compassion of the family of six with whom I spent today actually made me feel at home and I discovered that they were a portion of my life that helped me to find purpose. Long story short… I realized that no longer could I worry about tomorrow, just try and enjoy today!

- Why not go out on a limb… isn’t that where the fruit is?
A new friend

- IN DEDICATION TO MY FAMILY:
If people concentrated on really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles.

Journal Entry - Rob

June 15th
Thousands of miles from home, deep in the interior of Tanzania, within a small room within a small clinic, I learned a very strong lesson in nursing. Today started like any other day thus far. We (Kate, Chelsie, and myself) walked into the clinic and greeted Dr. G and the other staff and started our morning. Patients had already started lining up outside, some who had traveled far to come to the clinic in Pommern.

It was about mid morning when a father and son came into the clinic. The child about two years of age was obviously sick. We had seen the child the previous day for an injured knee and the father and son had returned for a check up. Immediately, my clinical impression was that something else was going on much more serious than the previous day's knee injury.

As we went through the check-up, there were clinical signs that started to confirm my impression. The child was lethargic, not acting age appropriate. There were signs of fever, which was confirmed by touch and a temp close to 103F. Lastly, they child carried himself in a manner that would make you think he had a stiff neck. I was thinking meningitis.

I was reassured though that it was clearly something else. We gave the standard treatment for a child with a fever (some antibiotics and Tylenol), decided to have them stay a while in the clinic, and sent them to the nurse in the next room. Kate and I looked at each other with unconvincing eyes.

I soon left with Dr. G to help pull some teeth while Kate and Chelsie stayed with the other Doc to see more patients. Unbeknownst to me, Kate decided to do some detective work; she was obviously not convinced with the prognosis of this patient.

About twenty minutes later Kate interrupted Dr. G and me and proclaimed, “that baby has meningitis.” She was holding an emergency pediatric book in her hand that was clearly older than our nursing education. Dr. G decided to reexamine the child after we extracted a few molars.

While examining the child for a second time I pointed out to the Doc why I thought the child had meningitis. I especially pointed out the stiff neck with a high temperature. “This is very interesting. I have never seen this in Pommern before” Dr. G stated. “This is surely diagnostic of meningitis.”

With those words the child’s treatment changed, and referral to a hospital in Inringa (about two hours away), a course of action that saved the child’s life.

Anyone who has been in medicine and nursing long enough knows that practitioners are only human. People make mistakes, tunnel vision occurs, and sometimes we don’t come to the right conclusions. There is a reason why it is called a practice instead of a science.

What I learned is that I need to trust my education and my experience. I also learned that I should always advocate for the patient, especially when my gut feeling tells me I am right. Kate did a great thing today advocating for that child. A lesson I will not forget anytime soon.

Journal Entry - Moriah

June 14, 2007
Friday

Today was a very "sustainable" day. A lot of people's project that they planned for are underway. I stayed in the mission house after breakfast to work on my inventory and analysis for the school that will soon progress to my master planning suggestions. I also worked on preparing for my thesis presentation on Sunday. Then Nicole and I went down to the school for tea, followed by Nicole's transferable skills workshop. The workshop was well received by 29 teachers and students. After lunch I returned to school for an amazing discussion with Pommern's student government. The first half of the discussion was focused on comparing the student government to SGA at Norwich. Let me just say, they have an office, and we don’t. They have 86 members and seem to be very organized and well structured. I encouraged the students to ask me about anything, and somehow by 4:30pm we have covered what they thought of Americans, and how not all Americans are rich.

We had a great discussion about sexual orientation, race, HIV/AIDS, rape, and global warming. After exchanging contact information with the students, I walked with Quinn to the fields. Despite all of Chris's efforts the volleyball match didn't happen, but Frisbee and football filled the time before dinner. My day was not the only "sustainable" one. Bianca and Stacey continued their work on building a student records filing system. The running track was completed in the morning and Evan, John, Quinn, and Maureen embarked on their composting meeting with the Upendo women's group. The composting presentation was followed by Nicole meeting with the women's group to discuss grant writing. Right before dinner the health group met with Dr. Godlove to discuss some of their projects. Although a lot of these sustainable projects were a bit hidden by painting and hoe-ing. With still a week left our projects are well underway.

-Moriah

Journal Entry - Jessica

The top 10 ailments in this area:
1) Malaria
2) Acute respiratory infections (like the common cold)
3) Pneumonia
4) Intestinal worms
5) Eye infections
6) Ear infections
7) Asthma
8) AIDS
9) Burns
10) Emergency oral care

In the few mornings that I have spent observing at the clinic, I have seen many of these problems. I’ve seen one small child with malaria, one child with hookworm, one with pneumonia. I’ve seen many people with colds, and I’ve seen two tooth extractions. I saw a young girl with a skin infection on her chin secondary to AIDS, and one woman, presently in end-stage AIDS, trying to care for a 2 month old baby.

Patients believe that anytime they go to the doctor, there is some kind of medication that should heal them.
Doctors believe that any ailment patients have can be fixed with some kind of medication, and very little effort is made to use other treatments instead of, or in conjunction with, medication.

It’s very hard to provide help to the clinic in a sustainable way, because very few things in healthcare can be reused. We have brought some donations, and hope to purchase more, but that will all run out. The one sustainable thing that we can leave behind is knowledge. I hope that I, along with the 3 other members of the health group, can leave behind some of the knowledge that we have, and can help to improve the care that is given to these patients by suggesting treatments that do not include medications (such as stress relief and good hygiene), and by giving the information necessary so that the right medications are prescribed for the right reasons, in the right amounts.

~Jessica

Journal Entry - Quinn

June 13, 3007
Thursday

So I was supposed to write in this last night, but I got caught up in a book I was trying to finish, and completely forgot. So yesterday I set off with Chris, Chelsea, and Jess to repair windows, and my brilliant self decided to carry the first pain we cut with no gloves. Needless to say I ended up with little cuts all over my hands. After my trip back to the mission house to clean then up, I made it back in time to see the last pain go in before tea time. Between tea time and lunch we put a few more windows in, but again my participation was limited because of all the Pommern students that were volunteering to help. After lunch I was finally afflicted with the sickness that we've all been passing around, and I spent a few hours in bed. I still have no explanation for the strange tingling sensation in my knees, but luckily that appears to have been temporary. After dinner we had our nightly meeting, and were unfortunately informed that the Greenstein's would be leaving us, and that it was mama Susan's birthday tomorrow so we all signed a t-shirt, and our NU visions choir came together one last time to sing her happy birthday. At last it was time to retire to our room where Bianca, Maureen, and I are subjected to at least 45 minutes annoyance before Karen lets us go to sleep

-Quinn