Well, we made it to Morogoro safely. It was a long trip filled with awkward sleeping patterns and much anticipation. We left the Waterloo airport Tuesday morning and arrived in Minneapolis an hour later. We had a 3-hour layover there, where some of the Starbucks enthusiasts (myself included) enjoyed our last cup for about a month. We also watched CNN while waiting, getting updates about the swine flu's spread andlso watched a 30-40 minute long live police chase of a semi-trailer with the actual owner of the semi hanging on to the back. Everyone at our gate was watching in excitement, and luckily he was able to jump to safety before we boarded the plane.
The flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam was about 8 hours, and we were all spread about the plane so everyone just watched movies, met a few new people, and tried to get some sleep. We arrived to the Amsterdam airport at about 6:00 Am their time had more than enough time to walk around and check out tacky souvenirs, such as tacky wooden tulips and clog keychains. Another thing we had noticed by this point was that we had only seen a few people (approximately 10) wearing protective masks, and they were just at the MSP airport coming off of a flight from Asia. When we boarded the plane at Amsterdam on our way to Kiliminjaro and Dar, everyone was pretty exhausted. Many of us were able to sleep for much of the 10-hour flight. We arrived to Kiliminjaro and had to wait for about an hour for passengers to exit and also for the plane to refuel. We then traveled about another hour and a half to Dar es Salaam, where we boarded a large van with all of our luggage and traveled to the Catholic guest house an stayed for the night. The rooms wre nice and spacious, and we were able to take showers before turning in for the night - it was also our first night under the mosquito nets in Africa...
The next morning, we woke up and went to breakfast at the guest house, sharing the dining rom with almost 2 dozen other travelers, some of whom we recognized from the last flight. We had toast, hard boiled eggs, and watermelon, and left for Morogoro. Sadly, this was my first hard boiled egg - I was hoping my first new experience in Tanzania would be something more exciting than a different way of having my eggs done.
We were finally on our way to Morogoro. The ride to the Lutheran Junior Seminary tok approximately 3 hours because it took an extremely long time to get out of the city of Dar es Salaam. The city was much different in the daylight, and we were able to see all of the markets along the way. On the way out of the city, vehicles drove literally within inches of each other. On the highway, we saw men riding bicycles carrying gargantuan bags of coal on the back of their bikes... uphill on their way to Dar es Salaam.
Once we got outside of the city, the rest of the drive was gorgeous. I never would have guessed that Tanzania was this green. I sat up front and was able to learn some more about the issues surrounding Tanzanian culture and news from Dr. Strickert and Pastor Hafermann. Finally, we arrived to the Seminary, where would be taking classes and call home for the next 3 weeks. One of the first things I noticed upon entrance were the giant baobab trees. There was a change of plans as far as the rooming situation goes, and now we all have our own individual rooms intermingled with the other people staying at the seminary. Luckily, Mara and I have a door in between our rooms so we can visit. The dormitories are set up into blocks, with the buildings labeled A-F. Mara and I are the only ones from our group in block B. Apparently our block is closest to the entrance where most of the wildlife enters, including monkeys and cobras. Hooray! We were also introduced to our first millipede (about 4-5 inches long, black with red legs). He was a cute little fella. Mental note: the millipedes are fine, but the centipedes are poisonous.
After a short amount of time to deposit our belongings into our rooms, it was time for lunch. We walked around the seminary and made our way to the dining room, where we were served rice, beans, meat, spinach, and papaya (good for settling the stomach and apparently the seeds are good for treating worms). Lunch was delicious and looking around the table after lunch, everyones glazed over eyes signaled we were ready for rest. While it seems the jet lag on this trip was not as bad as we had expected, I think everyone is a bit tired and adjusting to the new surroundings. Now we have some time to just check out the seminary, nap, journal, and hang out until tea & coffee at 4:00 and dinner at 6:00.
Peace,
Anna
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Swine Flu
So much has happened in the last few days on the world news... we've been watching closely to be sure travel to Africa has not been affected or advised against and so far it looks like the coast is clear. Africa is one of the only remaining continents without reported cases of a virus resembling the new swine flu, a seeming combination of the avian flu, the swine flu, and the human flu.
We are bringing masks along for the airplane/airport for those who want to wear them, and especially for the way home depending on how the virus spreads throughout the next few weeks while we're abroad.
Be sure to keep the other May Term trips in your thoughts who are travelling to areas where the virus has been reported!
Less than 24 hours until we leave!
Until later,
Anna
We are bringing masks along for the airplane/airport for those who want to wear them, and especially for the way home depending on how the virus spreads throughout the next few weeks while we're abroad.
Be sure to keep the other May Term trips in your thoughts who are travelling to areas where the virus has been reported!
Less than 24 hours until we leave!
Until later,
Anna
Friday, April 24, 2009
Pre-Departure Checklist
Since I was a kid, I have always wanted to travel to Africa. My dad told me stories of his days in the Peace Corps in Swaziland and sometimes spoke to me in basic Swahili. We also watched old slideshows of pictures he took while he was working there. As soon as I came to Wartburg and learned about the ties the school has with the Maasai in Tanzania, I knew it was something I wanted to experience before I graduated.
It's hard to believe that in 5 days it will all be real. I feel like I have so much to do before I leave, but in all actuality there won't be a whole lot to pack. I'm looking forward to a month of living simply and leaving behind so many of the petty things that define our existence. A few skirts, some t-shirts, and sandals... most of which I will hopefully leave there to make room for things we will buy at the market.
The main purpose of our journey is to gain a greater understanding of the AIDS epidemic in Subsaharan Africa. We spent winter term reading books about Masaai culture and the history and spread of HIV/AIDS. I've been shocked to learn how many people die daily and how much assistance these countries are not getting that they should be. While funding to treat and prevent malaria has been given much attention in past years, HIV/AIDS has not. There is much controversy surrounding the reasoning for this, much of it seemingly stemming issues of morality and the various means of transmission of the disease.
An organization that we will be working with in Morogoro is Faraja, an AIDS relief agency whose motto is "Alleviate suffering through building self-help capacity of the affected persons". You may visit their website under my links on the left-hand side. I'm under the impression that this will be a very educational experience for us to learn more about the impact the disease has on the community and its sociological and medical implications. You can check Faraja's website out on the left-hand side under my links.
However, we will be doing other things to gain a greater sense of immersion in the Masaai culture. Most of our mornings will consist of Swahili classes, which I think will be exciting but also frustrating at times. We learned some basic Swahili phrases throughout Winter term in class, but definitely not enough to carry a conversation along. It seems that in the opinion of students who have traveled in the past, the more you attempt to communicate in Swahili, the more enjoyable and real your experience. We will spend Sundays at the village church, where hopefully we will be able to witness a baptism or another special ceremony but it sounds like certainly we will be involved in hours of singing.
The first Saturday we are there, we're scheduled to go to the Maasai Cattle Market and also the youth prison. The cattle market should be an eye-opening experience, since they are a pastoralist people and so much of their lives revolve around their cattle, goats, etc. I'm excited to learn more about some of the challenges they face with the health of their animals and zoonotic diseases (spread between human and animal) since I'm applying to veterinary school and have a strong interest in epidemiology. I am hoping to learn more about this situation while we're there, as well as the human-wildlife conflict.
Our late afternoons will be spent at the orphanages. It seems that this is one part of the trip that everyone is ridiculously excited for, and rightly so. I know I am. Everyone is bringing bubbles and stickers for the children to play with, and Dr. Strickert and people who have gone to Tanzania in the past recall how excited the kids get when they can see themselves on the "replay" setting of your camera. We will spend a few hours there hopefully most afternoons just playing with the kids. It won't hurt that the walk to the orphanage is a beautiful green hike. :)
One night, we get to sleep at the watering hole in the Mikumi game park where one year students were able to eat breakfast and watch a baby elephant nearby. I'm super excited for this part due to my love for animals, but also just being so close to nature in such a preserved area.
A project that will consume about 4 days of our trip is a building project in the village where we will be building either a church or school, although we're not sure of which yet. All the girls seem really pumped to get their hands dirty for a good cause. Our group is really neat - 12 girls, most of whom are biology majors - but all are extremely passionate about the issue we will be working for and learning about. The last thing on our itinerary is the ferry ride out to Zanzibar, where we will hopefully have the chance to snorkel and go on a spice tour.
On Tuesday the 28th, we fly out of Waterloo at 11:30 AM and up to Minneapolis. From there, we go over to Amsterdam and then fly down to Dar es Salaam at 9:50 PM where we will be staying at a Catholic Guest House. The next morning we will drive to Morogoro and head to the Lutheran Junior Seminary which we will call home for bout 3 weeks. In addition to packing, I hope to take the next few days to read up on current events in Tanz and read more about their culture since I didn't research as much as I had hoped due to the insanity of winter term. Hopefully I will post again before we leave, and if not, my next will be from Africa!
Peace,
Anna
It's hard to believe that in 5 days it will all be real. I feel like I have so much to do before I leave, but in all actuality there won't be a whole lot to pack. I'm looking forward to a month of living simply and leaving behind so many of the petty things that define our existence. A few skirts, some t-shirts, and sandals... most of which I will hopefully leave there to make room for things we will buy at the market.
The main purpose of our journey is to gain a greater understanding of the AIDS epidemic in Subsaharan Africa. We spent winter term reading books about Masaai culture and the history and spread of HIV/AIDS. I've been shocked to learn how many people die daily and how much assistance these countries are not getting that they should be. While funding to treat and prevent malaria has been given much attention in past years, HIV/AIDS has not. There is much controversy surrounding the reasoning for this, much of it seemingly stemming issues of morality and the various means of transmission of the disease.
An organization that we will be working with in Morogoro is Faraja, an AIDS relief agency whose motto is "Alleviate suffering through building self-help capacity of the affected persons". You may visit their website under my links on the left-hand side. I'm under the impression that this will be a very educational experience for us to learn more about the impact the disease has on the community and its sociological and medical implications. You can check Faraja's website out on the left-hand side under my links.
However, we will be doing other things to gain a greater sense of immersion in the Masaai culture. Most of our mornings will consist of Swahili classes, which I think will be exciting but also frustrating at times. We learned some basic Swahili phrases throughout Winter term in class, but definitely not enough to carry a conversation along. It seems that in the opinion of students who have traveled in the past, the more you attempt to communicate in Swahili, the more enjoyable and real your experience. We will spend Sundays at the village church, where hopefully we will be able to witness a baptism or another special ceremony but it sounds like certainly we will be involved in hours of singing.
The first Saturday we are there, we're scheduled to go to the Maasai Cattle Market and also the youth prison. The cattle market should be an eye-opening experience, since they are a pastoralist people and so much of their lives revolve around their cattle, goats, etc. I'm excited to learn more about some of the challenges they face with the health of their animals and zoonotic diseases (spread between human and animal) since I'm applying to veterinary school and have a strong interest in epidemiology. I am hoping to learn more about this situation while we're there, as well as the human-wildlife conflict.
Our late afternoons will be spent at the orphanages. It seems that this is one part of the trip that everyone is ridiculously excited for, and rightly so. I know I am. Everyone is bringing bubbles and stickers for the children to play with, and Dr. Strickert and people who have gone to Tanzania in the past recall how excited the kids get when they can see themselves on the "replay" setting of your camera. We will spend a few hours there hopefully most afternoons just playing with the kids. It won't hurt that the walk to the orphanage is a beautiful green hike. :)
One night, we get to sleep at the watering hole in the Mikumi game park where one year students were able to eat breakfast and watch a baby elephant nearby. I'm super excited for this part due to my love for animals, but also just being so close to nature in such a preserved area.
A project that will consume about 4 days of our trip is a building project in the village where we will be building either a church or school, although we're not sure of which yet. All the girls seem really pumped to get their hands dirty for a good cause. Our group is really neat - 12 girls, most of whom are biology majors - but all are extremely passionate about the issue we will be working for and learning about. The last thing on our itinerary is the ferry ride out to Zanzibar, where we will hopefully have the chance to snorkel and go on a spice tour.
On Tuesday the 28th, we fly out of Waterloo at 11:30 AM and up to Minneapolis. From there, we go over to Amsterdam and then fly down to Dar es Salaam at 9:50 PM where we will be staying at a Catholic Guest House. The next morning we will drive to Morogoro and head to the Lutheran Junior Seminary which we will call home for bout 3 weeks. In addition to packing, I hope to take the next few days to read up on current events in Tanz and read more about their culture since I didn't research as much as I had hoped due to the insanity of winter term. Hopefully I will post again before we leave, and if not, my next will be from Africa!
Peace,
Anna
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)