You can vote for my project, which I put under Cool Places and titled "Clean Water in Tanzania" at:
http://www.uc.edu/coolco-ops
Thanks for all the support!!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
No News is Good News . . . Most of the Time
Travelers often tell their families that no news is good news. That's definitely a good way to reduce stress when traveling to somewhat remote locations, but at the moment I'm going by the opposite theory. The university is having a Cool Co-op contest, and the winners will be announced at half time of a basketball game, amongst other things. I think it would be great publicity for the project, as well as the primary funders/supporters, which are the National Science Foundation and the University of Cincinnati.
You can vote for my project, which I put under Cool Places and titled "Clean Water in Tanzania" at:
http://www.uc.edu/coolco-ops/1cc_voting.asp
Thanks for all the support!!
You can vote for my project, which I put under Cool Places and titled "Clean Water in Tanzania" at:
http://www.uc.edu/coolco-ops
Thanks for all the support!!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Mangoes are My New Favorite Fruit!
I have recently developed a liking for mangoes. They have a great flavor; it's like someone has taken a bit of spice from the cabinet (maybe cloves, I can't pick it out) and flavored the mango. But it's a lot more than the taste that I enjoy. It's having to get all messy tearing off the peel, though I still haven't gotten to the point of peeling it with my teeth. Then, when I bite into it, juice drips down my fingers, hands, and arms all the way to my elbows. It also drips down my chin, and the strings get stuck in my teeth. It's one enormous mess. The whole thing is like a real life metaphor.
In general I have never liked to be messy. I would normally want to wipe myself off five times during one mango. But it is a strangely comforting feeling to not have to care. It makes the mango a million times better.
I know there is no way I could be so messy in cold weather, so it's not only the American culture, but I feel like our culture plays a big part in setting standards for beauty and cleanliness. It's crazy, the whole thing. It seems that the standards of personal appearance are the hardest to break free from, and yet they can often be nearly impossible to conform to. To be seen as functional in our society you have to keep from crossing a fine line. From what I can tell, the line is a combination of beliefs, practices, interpersonal skills (which can compensate for a lot) and a million other things. It seems that a person can be off in many combinations of areas and still be considered functional in society; but if someone doesn't make efforts on their appearance, they are considered to have gone off the deep end. Actually, I can hardly think of anyone I know like that, but I could go on and on with a list of people that wish they didn't have to care. It's so intense, and rigid. If I just give a little thought to the typical American job interviewing process, with the need to look perfect and dress in a specific manner; I love mangoes even more.
In general I have never liked to be messy. I would normally want to wipe myself off five times during one mango. But it is a strangely comforting feeling to not have to care. It makes the mango a million times better.
I know there is no way I could be so messy in cold weather, so it's not only the American culture, but I feel like our culture plays a big part in setting standards for beauty and cleanliness. It's crazy, the whole thing. It seems that the standards of personal appearance are the hardest to break free from, and yet they can often be nearly impossible to conform to. To be seen as functional in our society you have to keep from crossing a fine line. From what I can tell, the line is a combination of beliefs, practices, interpersonal skills (which can compensate for a lot) and a million other things. It seems that a person can be off in many combinations of areas and still be considered functional in society; but if someone doesn't make efforts on their appearance, they are considered to have gone off the deep end. Actually, I can hardly think of anyone I know like that, but I could go on and on with a list of people that wish they didn't have to care. It's so intense, and rigid. If I just give a little thought to the typical American job interviewing process, with the need to look perfect and dress in a specific manner; I love mangoes even more.
Fresh Fish
Since the education team of 10 people left on Wednesday a lot of our free time has been spent with a medical group from California. This morning we all got up early, for a Sunday. The reason? We had a rubber dingy reserved at the lake. There is an island nearby and someone had suggested visiting the island.
It took two trips to get about 15 people to the island. The first half were taken to the island, and the second half were the swimmers, not to be taken the whole way. The rubber dingy took us out past the shore, where all the fisherman were preparing their little boats. As we stripped down to our bathing suits, all the fishermen were watching us as though we were crazy. Apparently thighs are the big deal here. I think it's because people always have them covered, but there's the chicken or the egg question.
The island was much closer than I expected, and smaller as well. After we stripped there wasn't much hesitation. Everyone was in the water within 10 seconds, thankfully it wasn't cold at all. It had taken the boat about 10 minutes to reach the island with the first group, but it took me almost an hour to swim. The biggest concern for the medical people was getting sick. They discussed and discussed the risks before we got to the lake. I have already been exposed to schisto, and plan on treating myself in a few months, so my biggest fear was any creatures that might have been swimming with me.
Once I dove in I found myself in the dilemma of how to stick with the crowd. Half of the group paced themselves at what I thought would be too fast for me, and the other half went too slow for me. I feared not being near another person, because I felt like a bigger target for anything below me. Also, if a creature were to choose only one meal, my odds became better in a group.
I don't know about the logic, but I ended up paddling along with the slow group. Some swimmers slowed down, and were picked up by the rubber dingy, but another girl and I kept a pace that turned out to be perfect. The island kept slowly growing and growing, and I kept thinking that it would have been a nightmare if this wasn't by choice. It seemed so close that there is no way it could have been so far. I kept comparing it to the wall at the other end of the pool, and my judgement was continually wrong.
Regardless, algae swirled around my face, and I kept thinking of our water samples and the E. coli we find in even a single drop. Great for improving your immune system, although I might have a different take on it tomorrow. As we neared the island, there were some rocks with tropical birds, and bird poop, on them. I considered climbing onto them and using them as stepping stones to the shore, but the poop and the 'just finish' force kept me away. Good thing too, as we swam past I saw an enormous lizard, maybe a monitor lizard, sunning himself on a rock. We swam as fast as possible till the last second, then I stumbled up a rock and ran for the sand. The boat was just a little behind us, and when the boat people got out they told me that there had been a lizard, about three feet long with a head as large as mine, swimming right next to me, although someone else thought it was an otter. Either way, I was so grateful not to know until it was over. Then we wandered around the island and enjoyed ourselves for a while. I'm exhausted, but it was amazing!!
It took two trips to get about 15 people to the island. The first half were taken to the island, and the second half were the swimmers, not to be taken the whole way. The rubber dingy took us out past the shore, where all the fisherman were preparing their little boats. As we stripped down to our bathing suits, all the fishermen were watching us as though we were crazy. Apparently thighs are the big deal here. I think it's because people always have them covered, but there's the chicken or the egg question.
The island was much closer than I expected, and smaller as well. After we stripped there wasn't much hesitation. Everyone was in the water within 10 seconds, thankfully it wasn't cold at all. It had taken the boat about 10 minutes to reach the island with the first group, but it took me almost an hour to swim. The biggest concern for the medical people was getting sick. They discussed and discussed the risks before we got to the lake. I have already been exposed to schisto, and plan on treating myself in a few months, so my biggest fear was any creatures that might have been swimming with me.
Once I dove in I found myself in the dilemma of how to stick with the crowd. Half of the group paced themselves at what I thought would be too fast for me, and the other half went too slow for me. I feared not being near another person, because I felt like a bigger target for anything below me. Also, if a creature were to choose only one meal, my odds became better in a group.
I don't know about the logic, but I ended up paddling along with the slow group. Some swimmers slowed down, and were picked up by the rubber dingy, but another girl and I kept a pace that turned out to be perfect. The island kept slowly growing and growing, and I kept thinking that it would have been a nightmare if this wasn't by choice. It seemed so close that there is no way it could have been so far. I kept comparing it to the wall at the other end of the pool, and my judgement was continually wrong.
Regardless, algae swirled around my face, and I kept thinking of our water samples and the E. coli we find in even a single drop. Great for improving your immune system, although I might have a different take on it tomorrow. As we neared the island, there were some rocks with tropical birds, and bird poop, on them. I considered climbing onto them and using them as stepping stones to the shore, but the poop and the 'just finish' force kept me away. Good thing too, as we swam past I saw an enormous lizard, maybe a monitor lizard, sunning himself on a rock. We swam as fast as possible till the last second, then I stumbled up a rock and ran for the sand. The boat was just a little behind us, and when the boat people got out they told me that there had been a lizard, about three feet long with a head as large as mine, swimming right next to me, although someone else thought it was an otter. Either way, I was so grateful not to know until it was over. Then we wandered around the island and enjoyed ourselves for a while. I'm exhausted, but it was amazing!!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Recent Article about the VLOP trip
Below is a link to an article published on the UC website about the Village Life Outreach Project's recent trip.
http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.asp?id=7676
http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.asp?id=7676
Friday, January 11, 2008
Home and Back Again
I had no idea what to expect when I returned home. I had spent three months in the middle of nowhere. Anywhere I had gone I stood out like a sore thumb, as a foreigner; everyone just stopped and watched. In Tanzania the electricity was on when it felt like it, and the rest of the modern conveniences that existed followed a similar trend. Considering all of this, I am surprised to reflect and see that I had little to no culture shock.
There were a few physical things that took me back. I was always surprised to get hot water out of the tap. Whenever I saw wet plates or silverware my first thought was to dry them off, before remembering that the water from the tap is clean. Other than that, being home was normal, and a really great break.
Coming back to Africa was quite a bit harder this time because I knew already the pain I would feel from missing people. In addition to missing people, I miss the understanding that surrounds me at home between everyone I interact with, both verbally and culturally. As much as I try to be culturally open, its hard to have people here, in Tanzania, curious, almost skeptical, of all the things that I do and believe, especially when they are things that are so fundamentally me that I never even thought about them. I suppose the rigidness of the culture here plays a role in the level of comfort I feel as an outsider. I have to mention that if this sounds miserable, I have given the wrong tone. It is definitely difficult, and after returning to my comfort zone for two weeks I would even call it a struggle for the moment, but it's good. I'm gaining a lot personally, and making a difference for the people around me. I also have come to the conclusion that by accepting the fact of not really fitting in with the people here, I can then be an influence to others. I can be an example of gender equality and other more subtle things.
At the moment, I'm sitting outside the local motel waiting to eat. Lunch was supposed to be at one, but its now one thirty, and still no sign of food. So I guess I will move on to the actual return and the past two weeks.
We returned just three days after the Kenyan elections with a group of about ten teachers. It was nice to travel with such a variety of people and personalities that still shared similar interests to mine. At first I could only think about missing people, but when we landed, the air and the weather, and everything about Nairobi reminded me that it was all worth it, and that this was what I wanted to be doing. After spending two weeks in Midwest winter, I felt that 'beginning of summer' feel the first few days that I was here. It was unlike my previous arrival, as I had come straight from a Cincinnati summer.
The journey to Shirati was a bonding experience with the new group. In addition to the experience of traveling through a political situation with a six year old - even if she is the world's best behaved six year old (Maya, Dr. Oerther's daughter, travelled with the group - NS) - it was New Years Eve, and we had temporary trouble on the underside of the car. We got stuck so bad that we tied the two cars together to pull the other out, then we punctured the oil pan of one van which put it totally out of use. This was while driving through safari (but not to look at the animals, only to take a less traveled road) which meant we were as in-the-middle-of-nowhere as possible. We once again tied the two vans together, stuffed all the luggage into one van, all the people into another (which made 12 in a nine person van), and pulled the second van to a small intersection. Amazingly the luggage van made it to our destination later that night, only a few hours after us; a miracle worked by our driver.
The two weeks with the group here were productive, and a change of pace of work for me. With the group gone, I'm still getting back into the life I was used to here for two months. There are several things that are different this time, but the changes seem to be adding a dynamic that keeps things interesting and challenging.
It's 2:15 and still no lunch!!!
There were a few physical things that took me back. I was always surprised to get hot water out of the tap. Whenever I saw wet plates or silverware my first thought was to dry them off, before remembering that the water from the tap is clean. Other than that, being home was normal, and a really great break.
Coming back to Africa was quite a bit harder this time because I knew already the pain I would feel from missing people. In addition to missing people, I miss the understanding that surrounds me at home between everyone I interact with, both verbally and culturally. As much as I try to be culturally open, its hard to have people here, in Tanzania, curious, almost skeptical, of all the things that I do and believe, especially when they are things that are so fundamentally me that I never even thought about them. I suppose the rigidness of the culture here plays a role in the level of comfort I feel as an outsider. I have to mention that if this sounds miserable, I have given the wrong tone. It is definitely difficult, and after returning to my comfort zone for two weeks I would even call it a struggle for the moment, but it's good. I'm gaining a lot personally, and making a difference for the people around me. I also have come to the conclusion that by accepting the fact of not really fitting in with the people here, I can then be an influence to others. I can be an example of gender equality and other more subtle things.
At the moment, I'm sitting outside the local motel waiting to eat. Lunch was supposed to be at one, but its now one thirty, and still no sign of food. So I guess I will move on to the actual return and the past two weeks.
We returned just three days after the Kenyan elections with a group of about ten teachers. It was nice to travel with such a variety of people and personalities that still shared similar interests to mine. At first I could only think about missing people, but when we landed, the air and the weather, and everything about Nairobi reminded me that it was all worth it, and that this was what I wanted to be doing. After spending two weeks in Midwest winter, I felt that 'beginning of summer' feel the first few days that I was here. It was unlike my previous arrival, as I had come straight from a Cincinnati summer.
The journey to Shirati was a bonding experience with the new group. In addition to the experience of traveling through a political situation with a six year old - even if she is the world's best behaved six year old (Maya, Dr. Oerther's daughter, travelled with the group - NS) - it was New Years Eve, and we had temporary trouble on the underside of the car. We got stuck so bad that we tied the two cars together to pull the other out, then we punctured the oil pan of one van which put it totally out of use. This was while driving through safari (but not to look at the animals, only to take a less traveled road) which meant we were as in-the-middle-of-nowhere as possible. We once again tied the two vans together, stuffed all the luggage into one van, all the people into another (which made 12 in a nine person van), and pulled the second van to a small intersection. Amazingly the luggage van made it to our destination later that night, only a few hours after us; a miracle worked by our driver.
The two weeks with the group here were productive, and a change of pace of work for me. With the group gone, I'm still getting back into the life I was used to here for two months. There are several things that are different this time, but the changes seem to be adding a dynamic that keeps things interesting and challenging.
It's 2:15 and still no lunch!!!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Back for Round Two
For anyone who hasn't been reading the news about Kenya, the current election and it's proclaimed results have caused riots in Nairobi and the rest of the country. I have heard from Ely, she and the group are safe, her blogging should start soon.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Only in Africa
Here is my short list of funny and nice things that I only experience here. Only in Africa:
1. Is it more likely that the humming outside my window is a bug rather than a vehicle.
2. Have I ever seen a glow worm. It looked like a lightning bug on the ground, but when we passed it several times and it was in the same spot I wanted to look closer. There was a grub that looked like it had swallowed a lightning bug, but it didn't blink.
3. Is there a childhood rumor that if you put a chameleon on something red, it will explode. I'm on a cheap myth-busters mission, I just have to know.
4. Have I ever been offered a gift of a plot of beach front property.
5. Is it normal to push the car and pop the clutch to start it, as opposed to fixing the starter or whatever else is broken.
6. Is it so important that the girls don't push the car, that we have to get in before they will start pushing. I think that is the most awkward situation I get put into here. It really makes me feel like crap.
7. Have I ever had so many discussions and conversations over the equivalent of ten cents, but I knew it would be wrong for me to just say I didn't care. It would have made a really big mess of things, especially with people we encounter on a regular basis.
8. Has making PB&J ever been the highlight of my day. That's not to say that my days are boring, but with the right people and the right environment, simple things in life can be enjoyable.
9. Do I get people telling me good morning as the sun sets.
10. (my favorite) Have I ever had to duck when shaking someone's hand for fear of being knocked out with sugar cane. While visiting the last house of the day in Nyambogo, an old woman carrying sugar cane on her head wanted to shake my hand. I tried to approach from the side, but she kept wanting to turn her head toward me. The worst part was that the sugar cane was bowed, so I couldn't just duck a bit, I would have had to kneel.
1. Is it more likely that the humming outside my window is a bug rather than a vehicle.
2. Have I ever seen a glow worm. It looked like a lightning bug on the ground, but when we passed it several times and it was in the same spot I wanted to look closer. There was a grub that looked like it had swallowed a lightning bug, but it didn't blink.
3. Is there a childhood rumor that if you put a chameleon on something red, it will explode. I'm on a cheap myth-busters mission, I just have to know.
4. Have I ever been offered a gift of a plot of beach front property.
5. Is it normal to push the car and pop the clutch to start it, as opposed to fixing the starter or whatever else is broken.
6. Is it so important that the girls don't push the car, that we have to get in before they will start pushing. I think that is the most awkward situation I get put into here. It really makes me feel like crap.
7. Have I ever had so many discussions and conversations over the equivalent of ten cents, but I knew it would be wrong for me to just say I didn't care. It would have made a really big mess of things, especially with people we encounter on a regular basis.
8. Has making PB&J ever been the highlight of my day. That's not to say that my days are boring, but with the right people and the right environment, simple things in life can be enjoyable.
9. Do I get people telling me good morning as the sun sets.
10. (my favorite) Have I ever had to duck when shaking someone's hand for fear of being knocked out with sugar cane. While visiting the last house of the day in Nyambogo, an old woman carrying sugar cane on her head wanted to shake my hand. I tried to approach from the side, but she kept wanting to turn her head toward me. The worst part was that the sugar cane was bowed, so I couldn't just duck a bit, I would have had to kneel.
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