Paris Pictures

Our much anticipated trip to Paris has come and gone in a flash. It was such a wonderful week and there is so much to talk about. But as I already said, Erica did a really nice recap so I think I'll spare a lot of the details here.

This was both my and Chris's first trip to France, Chris's first real substantial time in Europe even. I wouldn't have put France on the top of my list for "must-see places." No offense, it's just that I guess I'm more drawn to "exotic*" and France never seemed that way to me. So I was pleasantly surprised 100-fold! Both Chris and I absolutely fell in love with Paris and we kept repeating over and over again to each other, "I could live here." "We could live here." I guess anything would feel luxurious and special after spending 18 months in a developing country, but really, y'all. Paris is amazing. You should check it out. And if you can, try to see it with amazing friends and family. That totally made the trip extra, extra fun and special.


Henri`, the neighborhood kitty says, "Le meow."


The gardens at Versailles were a beautiful place to sit and rest.


Dorks in a park.


The Arc de Triomphe


Family times.


They got hitched!


Creeeeeepy.


We got giddy.


Just another day in Paris. Ho hum.

I put up a selection of our shots of Flickr. But really, if you want to see good pictures, just skip right over to Erica's blog.

*HELLO! I live in Africa. That's an understatement.

Cat Advice?

So, I think we broke our kitten. I'm not exactly sure what's wrong with him, but it seems to be neurological. About a week ago in the middle of the night he knocked over a whole jar of sunflower oil that spilled all over the floor. That may be purely circumstantial. Chris cleaned it up, bathed the cat a few times, we moved on. But ever since then he's had trouble walking, jumping and holding his head up. It was really bad at first, he couldn't even jump up to or down from a chair without falling, literally, on his head, which only made things worse. We made sure he got lots of sleep and we kept him locked up so he couldn't jump onto anything and after a few days he seemed to get better. I mean, not better-better, but improved better. For the better part of the week he's been able to jump up and down without falling over and he's not been as wobbly as before. He eats and goes to the bathroom in the litter box, but his personality is still not quite there. He doesn't play or do kitten-like things, nor does he respond to stimuli. For example if you wave your hand in front of his face or snap, he doesn't move. But he can see because he'll follow you around the room. He's sleeping a lot and when he does, he always buries his head. He is singly focused on being in someone's lap and will meow if you don't sit down.

I called our local vet but he's out of town until Wednesday. Though honestly, I doubt he'll have any idea what's wrong and will probably just give him shots of antibiotics. Any ideas from people out there? Has anyone ever seen anything like this?

Sad Goodbye

We were sad to say goodbye to these to knuckleheads today. It's been a great visit and we miss you already! Safari njema.

France Trip

I'm so behind on blogging and probably won't catch up in the next few days. So, in the meantime hop over to Erica's blog because she's got some great pictures and a pretty all-inclusive synopsis of our trip since we spent most of the time there with them. Heck, she's done such a good job of it I might not even write my own post.

Master chef

Helping my dad in he kitchen works just like this. I just stand around and watch as he does all the work. 

Vacation Continues

We're back in Mwanza. My parents met us in Rwanda last week for sight seeing and animal trekking. We got to see a bunch of gorillas and chimps, which was awesome. Our guests are in town until next week so I'll do a longer blog post then, but for now I've posted a few pictures in a set on Flickr.

Rwandan Liberation Day/US Independence Day

Today we commemorated Rwandan Liberation Day (which so happens to be the same day as the US's Independence Day) by paying a visit to another Genocide memorial. Words can't describe the sadness and horror that took place in these locations. Another reminder of the importance of dialogue, respect and tolerance. Here's to a long history of continued peace in America and Rwanda and all the countries in between. Happy 4th, y'all!

Travels update

We've just finished our absolutely fantastic vacation in Paris and are now in Nairobi for the week for some medical checkups. I have so much to write about and many pictures to share, but I'm on my iPhone, which makes it a little difficult to write good posts. Plus, my Flickr app is acting up so in having trouble posting pictures there too. 

Paris was more wonderful than I could've imagined. We got some great quality time with Chris's sister, Erica, and her husband, Fuzzy. We also saw in A TON of sites (the Louvre, the Arc de Triumph, Musee d' Orsey, the Eiffel Tower, cafes galore, Notre Dame, Saint Chepelle, the Concierge, boat trip on the Siene, Versailles). I may have forgotten some stuff in there because by the end I felt a little like a zombie and barely able to keep up. But it was all great! Paris is a beautiful, laid back and friendly city. I could absolutely see myself living there. The people are beautiful, the kids so cute and the dogs quirky. Loved it all!

 

On top of the Arc de Triumph

Now on to Nairobi. We've been here 1 1/2 days and have mostly spent our time in various doctors offices. We came here once before in our 2006 trip but this time around things are so different because of our experience in Tanzania for the past 1 1/2 years. I said to Chris today that if there was any doubt that Tanzania is in need if aid, just compare it to Nairobi. Granted, Nairobi is one of the largest cities in Africa, but still. There is such a major difference between here and there and u can't ever imagine Mwanza coming even close to this. It also makes me feel better about our struggles because I better understand why things are so hard there. Also, after catching a public bus today and trying (successfully!) to find a doctors office, I realized that I may just be prepared for almost anywhere. It was all such a breeze. 

Anyways, more thoughts and pictures soon. I'll leave you with this glorious shot of my husband as he was coming out of anesthesia after his endoscopy today. Ah, Reids and your weird ailments. 

Chris says, "Nairobi hospitals are really nice. And not only because I like these drugs."

Busy Weeks

The past few weeks have been flying by for two main reasons.

1) There's just a lot of stuff going on! It seems like the longer we're here, the more people we know and the more requests we get, the more visitors stop by, and the more busy our lives become. This is all a good thing, but it definitely makes things interesting and...well...busy.

2) We're leaving for vacation in less than a week!!* We've been planning for this vacation for almost a year and now it's right upon us. There's a lot to do in preparation for leaving for 3 weeks so our pace has picked up and I think it'll continue until we leave.

Here are just a few pictures of what we've been up to:

Over the past few weeks it's become a common practice that every Saturday and Sunday at around 4PM the kids who live on the other side of house come over to visit. They will just sit there quietly without doing anything, so we decided to introduce them to Chris's favorite game, Connect 4. They love it! Games that involve critical thinking and strategy are rare here, so we hope we're adding some developmental value to their play time. But they enjoy it immensely so that's great too!


Regina challenges her brother Arnold while the eldest, Adipus, watches.

Last week we picked up the baton for another missioner who returned to the states for their vacation and Chris and I helped with a "project" that David and Caitlin have been working on. (I hate to call a little girl a "project." She's a human being, so I kinda flinch at writing that. But at the same time, it's an undertaking what they've been doing, namely to help her walk. So I'll use that word despite myself.) A month or so ago, Caitlin and David helped a little girl from David's school for disabled children to get a surgery that will hopefully fix her deformed legs. The surgery required followup one month after they put her braces on. Unfortunately, Caitlin and David had already planned a trip to the states for that time so Chris and I agreed to help her and her mom get to the hospital to see how the healing process is going and to see if it was time for her braces to come off.

This process is quite involved because Helena and her mother Happiness live up a very steep hill. After her first surgery, David and a friend fashioned a carrier that Helena could sit in, which would support her legs without moving them. Carrying her down the steep hill while she sits propped in the chair is the first of many challenges.


Her mom is a pro at this, I think.

The process at the hospital is the other hurdle. It requires a lot of patience and advocacy on behalf of our client. Helena's mom is getting good at understanding the system and I'm happy that she was a great advocate to her child (something that is counter cultural to some TZians, who tend to just take whatever they get, even if it's sub-par). Still, we spent a lot of time just waiting in one hall or another. Luckily, I had my iPhone so Helena had a good time playing the games and taking pictures, much to the surprise of the other clients who were sitting alongside us.


Helena's infectious smile.

The good news is that the Doc was happy with Helena's progress. The bones that were broken in the surgery to straighten her legs are showing signs of healing and he thinks she'll have no problem walking in the future. Her bones heal slowly so the braces will be left on another month or more in order to allow more time to heal. By that time the Rossers will be back from their vacation so they'll help her again in the next round.


The doctor checking out the braces.

Helena is a beautiful little girl and her story is inspiring. To read more about her and the help the Rossers have been providing her, check out their blog here.

*We're so so so excited to be meeting Chris's sister Erica and her husband Fuzzy in France so we can all attend the wedding of a long-time friend of Chris's. There's so much to look forward to and the trip will go by so fast (really, only a week?) that I'm trying to slow things down in my mind before I blink and miss it all. After France we'll spend a few days in Nairobi because the medical care there is so much better than here in TZ. There's nothing particularly wrong with us (finally!) but we think a mid-contract checkup is a good idea. Then, we're off to Rwanda to meet my dad and step-mom. We'll be tracking gorillas, monkeys, birds and other animals as well as seeing the sites before they (dad and Holly, not the animals) return with us back to Tanzania for a few weeks. This'll make our second set of visitors since we've arrived. Now that we've tested our tour-guiding skills on these guys, we're getting better at this. Who will be next to come?

I Swear I Will Post More Than Just Cat Pictures in the Coming Posts

I won't turn into a person who only posts cat pictures on her blog. But that guy is so cute and he's had a very active past few weeks.

Yesterday he experienced the trauma of being neutered, poor fellow. I thought it might be of interest to at least 1 or 2 people out there that they do the surgery (all vet care, actually) straight from the home. It's so great because we don't have to go anywhere! So the vets came over yesterday and straight up snipped that junk on the dining room table. Bros, we eat there! But it worked out, I guess.



Getting ready. The younger intern wore a McDonald's apron. So THAT'S the secret ingredient!


Wembley knew something was up.


 Doing the surgery.

The poor little guy was totally stoned all day and night yesterday. Today's he's been moving around and meowing again. I've been at the office all day so I've not been able to keep tabs on him, but Chris said that he's super cuddly and drooling. I think he'll make a full recovery.

And, we managed to eat dinner at that same table last night.

Happy Memorial Day!

Wembley sure is a party animal. He took Memorial Day by his little kitty feet and CRUSHED it!













Hope you all had 1/2 as much fun this Memorial Day as Wembley did.

10th Anniversay Weekend

Last weekend Chris and I managed to sneak away for 2 nights to a lodge outside the Serengeti to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, which went relatively uncelebrated a few weeks back. While it was not as nice as the places we stayed in the park, the lodge was nothing to complain about. We enjoyed resting, watching movies, playing games, and being a tourist for a few days.

Chris always wins at Mille Bornes. He claims it's because he's a good player, but I can't see how skill comes into a game of chance. He can be pretty obnoxious about it too.



We took a boat trip into Speke Bay to see some birds. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed just being in nature for a few hours, quite a contrast to our life in Mwanza!


The lake was so calm and quiet.


We saw a lot of cormorant.


No wonder fishermen have such huge arms. These guys take a boat out a few miles into the lake and drop in a huge net. Then they return to shore and spend the rest of the day pulling it back in again. The whole operation can take up to 6-8 hours!


The happy couple. We've changed a bit in 10 years!


The village was relatively quite because it was mid-morning. Most of the fish come in in the morning, so that's when it's really bumping.

Our tour of the lake was conducted by a young woman who volunteers for a community group that gives tours to tourists. This village community was discovering that their local residents were begging from the tourists who were passing through on their way to the Serengeti. They thought that wasn't the most appropriate way to go about things, so they organized this community group to give tours of the lake and the village. The proceeds go toward their new Montessori school, loans to business women living with HIV/AIDS, and to other helpful projects in the area. What a great way to use a resource to their benefit (the resources of both the tourists and the village's beautiful surroundings!).

Tanzania is such a beautiful place. The development in this area is happening so fast and there is so little planning or concept of preserving the environment. I hope that people can see the value of this precious place and that they will include it in their vision as we move forward.

Do You Support Missions?

Really great post over at Jamie the Very Worst Missionary. Whether you're a missionary or not, whether you're religious or not, I always think she's got great things to say in general about a lot of different topics. This time around she's encouraging people to take a critical eye to the missionaries they support.* Here here. I couldn't agree more. In fact, I think if you support any cause (non-profit organization, church, political party, etc.) you should be sure there is at least some transparency.

Anyways, she says it all.

*By the way, thanks again to all our supporters. Seriously, y'all are great and I'm constantly baffled by your unyielding faith in us. I hope we live up to your trust.

Where Does Change Start

Yesterday my executive director and I went to a meeting of local community groups* in a nearby area. We were invited by the groups to hear about their work and to request our assistance with mobilizing their community to prevent violence in the home. These group members are all part of our We Can Campaign, which registers and supports local changemakers in various communities who agree to take a public stand against domestic violence and to influence their social networks to do the same. It's a grass-roots program to create a social movement toward change.

The group was saying that they are having trouble getting the word about the We Can Campaign out into their community because they don't have funds to hold community gatherings. My organization's executive director asked them about the messages toward violence in their homes. Do their children, wives, husbands, friends, etc. know about violence? Can they recognize it in the community? Inevitably most of them said no. The ED encouraged the community members to start with their own homes. It takes no money to teach our children, talk with our spouses, engage our friends and coworkers. It's a simple, yet complex way to get the word out and to start shifting the social paradigm that allows violence to continue in our communities.

It made me think if I've had a discussion lately with my family and friends about violence? If I had a child who saw bullying in school or was hit by a teacher would he/she come home and tell me he/she saw violence in school? If a friend of mine was talking about hiding money from his/her spouse, would I talk with him/her about the use of economic influence over their partner? There are so many discussions that need to happen every day in order to change these intrenched behaviors.


* These kinds of community groups are really common in this part of the world. Communities exist to help and support one another. People in this area often form communal groups/coops based on their work (for example, a farming cooperative). That group may be a part of a larger group of groups that support each other and lends help in larger community issues. It's a systemic way to ensure that when someone or some community is in need, everyone will have the support they need. This is a very effective way of helping one another in a world where structured support such as government or charitable assistance, bank support, etc. are ineffective.

More pictures of the new house

We're settling into the new house slowly, slowly. I'm reluctant to post too many pictures because it's constantly changing as we move and remove things around to find the perfect location. But for now, here are a few shots (that are already outdated because we've shifted some things).

Master Bedroom




Hallway as you enter the house. Master bedroom immediately on right. Living room/dinning room/kitchen in the middle of the hall on the left. Main bathroom across the hall from the living room. At the end of the hall on each side is an extra bedroom (one will be an office).


Living Room/Dinning Room




Kitchen

(We've moved the counter to the other side of the wall and we hope to put up shelves or something to have a little more storage.)

Also, here's a better picture of our new puppy before she got all weird looking with the skin infection.

At Work

Yesterday I managed to download this YouTube video* from the interwebs and show it at work to some of my coworkers. They were really engaged and had some excellent thoughts/feedback. They were surprised that we have the same issues with violence in America than they do in Tanzania. Most people in TZ think that everything in America is perfect and that relationships exist without any issues of power and control. My coworkers know that I used to work in sexual violence prevention, but I guess it still hasn't hit home that I was working with real people in situations of real violence.



As an adviser in my office, I try to open the eyes of my coworkers to understand more about the issues of violence all around the world and to help build their capacity to prevent violence in our communities here in northern TZ.

*Thanks, Paula, for posting the video on Facebook and giving me the idea to share it with my colleagues.

Avocados and Rancid Together Again for the Very First Time, Just Like Nyeusi and Smokey

In the new house.

We're still unpacking the boxes and trying to figure out where to put things in a house that has no cabinets, closets or shelves. Right now the food and spices are all stored in boxes on the floor. But despite that we love the house. It's quieter, cozier, the water and electricity work, we have a working hot shower and a whole lot less mosquitoes. And now, we have this little lady!

*

Her name is Nyeusi, which means black in Swahili, because she was at a MK sister's house for a few months and they had to distinguish her from the other puppy who was white. Smokey and Nyeusi liked each other from the start and now they're BFFs, rolling on the ground and playing with each other. I'm so happy for Smokey because she's got a friend now and I think she'll be much happier with the company.


Check out that smile on her face! She was so excited!

*Nyeusi is recovering from some sort of skin infection that she's had for the past few weeks. Poor baby was a bloody, scabby mess. She's a lot better now and her fur is slowly growing back, but she kinda looks like a wrinkly old lady. We love her anyway and thinks she's just the cutest.

We're in!

We'll, we successfully moved all of our crap from one house to another. It's amazing how much stuff two people can amass even when living in Africa.

Everything went without a hitch, though, and we look forward to settling in. It was a tiring day for all of us, but this little guy was stressed out! He's happy to know we aren't going anywhere without him.

A Decade

10 years ago today Chris and I were married in a small mission chapel in a town on the coast of New Jersey. When we created the ceremony one of the songs we chose was kind of an odd choice for a wedding. While most people choose songs for their weddings that are about love, devotion to each other or togetherness, Chris and I chose “Pescador de Hombres” or “Lord, You Have Come,” which talks about following God to far away places in search of the lost. I have always loved this song and we both felt like it had a certain message for us both as individuals and as a couple. Now 10 years later, this song has even more meaning for our lives than it ever has.  

Lord, you have come to the seashore,
neither searching for the rich nor the wise,
desiring only that I should follow.

Refrain
O, Lord, with your eyes set upon me,
gently smiling, you have spoken my name;
all I longed for I have found by the water,
at your side, I will seek other shores.

Lord, see my goods, my possessions;
in my boat you find no power, no wealth.
Will you accept, then, my nets and labor?

Lord, take my hands and direct them.
Help me spend myself in seeking the lost,
returning love for the love you gave me.

Lord, as I drift on the waters,
be the resting place of my restless heart,
my life's companion, my friend and refuge.

As a couple, we are not only following and finding refuge in God but we are also supporting each other on this journey. There have been times over the past 10 years when one of us has had to figuratively take the hands of the other and direct them, to reminded the other of the larger picture or to help them to remember who they are at the core. We have had to be the resting place, companion and refuge for each other when one of us has become the lost.

Thank you, Chris (aka Scoobs, Scoobie, Squnch, Squeebs, Bud, Buddy, DB, Dude, Duder), for being my partner, my companion, my guide, my best friend, my client, my patron, my teacher, my student and so many more for over the past 10 years. I love you.

Why is Infrastructure Important?

Last weekend a water pipe broke at the top of the hill from our new house, which also happens to be right outside the grounds of the local Catholic church/MK parish. The water caused the ground to sink and when 2 daladalas (minibuses) and a car where overtop of it, a hole developed and the three cars all fell in. 

Here is the hole with the pipe fixed and the dirt 1/2 filled in.

We first heard about the pipe breaking when on Friday we went to the new house to bring a load of stuff and start cleaning the house. There were about 20 kids and young women in the road outside our house collecting water from the stream. It’s not unusual for people to collect water from the stream, but it seemed strange that there were so many of them. That is when we found out that the water in the neighborhood had been out for several days because of the problem at the top of the hill. It’s bad enough that the neighborhood homes and businesses were out of water for days, but to make matters worse, I soon learned that the hospital at the top of the hill was also affected by the situation. This main (huge) regional hospital (with services found nowhere else in the area) was without water for the week! Can you imagine!??

Plus, the road that leads from the church to our house is completely destroyed. In all honesty, the road was not that good to begin with. It has not been passable by cars for the past 9 months, but at least motorcycles and bicycles could pass, as well as pedestrians. Now, it’s barely passable for people even on foot.

A year ago we drove down this road.


These ditches are about 3' deep.

As we were walking up the road to church on Sunday, a Bibi (grandmother) stopped to greet us and, shake my hand she said in Swahili “This road is very bad!” Uh, yeah, I’d say so!

This really highlights one of the major problems that holds Tanzania (and other developing countries) back. Access to safe roads and clean water should be a “given.” Yes, every country will experience water valve breaks and other unforeseen accidents, but for these incidents to cause so much damage is unforgivable. Mwanza is built on many hills. There is no drainage system, so, when it rains (or when water pipes break) the water runs down the hills, washing all the dirt paths and roads with it. The destruction each year is insurmountable and because development in this area increases every day, the destruction keeps getting bigger and bigger.

I just wonder what happened in the hospital when the water went out. What system do they have in place to provide sanitation in the hospital's bathrooms, scrub rooms, and wards? I cringe at the thought of how many infections happened because of this. How will this road ever be fixed? Answer: it probably won't, unless citizens in the neighborhood decide to come out with pickaxes and sandbags. But even then, when the rains come again the road will surely deteriorate again. What about the business owner who might rely on water for their hotel, restaurant or other place of business? How much money did they lose when the water was out?

These are complex problems with no easy solution but I wanted to share because to show some of the daily problems (or inconveniences, as the Tanzanians see them) that they encounter every day. Problems like these would be inconceivable in the developed world but here they are commonplace.

In rememberence

It was a very strange, sad and unexpected turn of events that I found myself driving to JFK airport yesterday with the NY skyline and the new World Trade Center in front of us while listening to the tragedy at the Boston Marathon unfold in the news. It's like we take one step forward and then take another step back. My heart goes out to those affected by this attack and to those who will relive their memories of tragedies in the past.

As I type this I'm sitting in an airport in the Middle East and watching the faces of our diverse world pass me by. I remind myself that these tragedies are not a true depiction of our world. We are better than this, more complex than the thought that we can't exist in harmony. And I know we will transcend any force that tries to tell us otherwise.

An Admission

I have a confession to make. I've made a visit to the US and am typing this blog post from the couch in my parents' house. On my birthday*, April 1, I loaded a plane from Mwanza, flew to Dar es Salaam, and then to Qatar, and then to JFK in NY. It was a last-minute decision by me and the hubby that I should go home for some R&R after the last round of illnesses at the end of March. Up until that point I had been sick most of 2013 and I have been bouncing around on medications for the past 9 months. It was starting to do its toll on me both physically and emotionally and we thought a change of scenery and some rest and relaxation would do me some good. Unfortunately, Chris wasn't able to join me because it's a really busy time for us and for the MKLM community in Mwanza. So I'm sad that he had to stay back and hold down the fort at home. As great as this visit has been, I really miss him and wish he could've been here.

This is my first time back in the states since moving to Mwanza 15 months ago. I'm still processing what it means to be here again and to understand how I see my home country differently. It's been great to be here, great for my mental health, for sure. It's such a relief to easily go anywhere and pretty much understand the systems and know the language to get across anything I need to say. I've loved stopping into a gas station and buying whatever treat I want.


God bless America and gas stations.

The scenery has been beautiful and I've been able to do some jogging without being gawked at.




Spring is beginning to show its blossoms.

There are magic machines that eat your laundry and spit them out clean and dry!



But most of all, it's been so wonderful to be able to see some family and friends. Even though I haven't seen nearly everyone I'd love to* it's been a wonderful thing to see those that I have.


 My grandparents in their little house in Georgia.


My friend Melissa and her daughters walking to the beach in NJ.


Me and my niece Maddie on the beach.


My sister and 2 of my nieces playing on the couch.

I've got more stories to tell and more pictures to share. But this is good for now. It's been an amazing trip that has revived my spirits and helped me to gain some strength and perspective again. I head back to TZ on Monday so hopefully I can keep this energy to propel me to continue in TZ and keep keeping on.

*Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes! I didn't write anything on my actual birthday because I was in transition.

**I didn't tell most people that I was coming home because I only was here for 2 weeks and I needed to spend some time catching up on rest. Sorry! I'll hopefully see more people when we return for a longer visit, hopefully sometime early in 2014.