We arrived back in Dar es Salaam this past Saturday. How wonderful to be greeted at the airport by a friendly MEDA face and then again at home by our other housemate! The sticky, sweaty weather aside it is great to be back.
Getting home also means getting back to work – and although I was able to keep up with some of the projects I have been working on via email it’s been a busy week as I get caught up on a number of different initiatives.
One such initiative is my work on the youth, livelihoods and HIV/AIDS concept. This past Tuesday we gathered with two other potential partner organizations, some of their implementing partners as well as some youth that they work with to brainstorm on what a successful project might look like. It was a great day with all of the attendees seemingly energized and excited about next steps and the potential impacts for young Tanzanians involved in the project.
There is a continued and growing recognition of the importance of integration in development work and taking a more holistic approach to serving others. By involving organizations that have experience and expertise in the various components of this project we are working together to come up with an innovative and integrated approach to supporting young people not only in protecting themselves against HIV/AIDS but also in providing skills and resources to support themselves economically and plan for their futures.
The importance of having hopes and plans for the future within the context of HIV/AIDS was demonstrated again to me through a conversation I had with a taxi driver named Simon. Simon and I spent some time together and talked a lot about life in Nairobi. He earned his living through driving a taxi but had also secured a small loan in order to build apartments that once completed he will rent out. He was starting off small with only 5 to begin with but he also had plans to expand. Through this project he had hired his cousin to oversee the crew which included 12 men.
When talking about HIV/AIDS he told me bluntly that he was too busy for dating many girls and besides, he had plans for his future and didn’t want to risk things by spending time in bars. He told me he was being picky and waiting to meet the right girl who could help him with his plans. The link was clear to both Simon and I – if you have hope and plans for the future you are more likely to change your behaviour and protect yourself.
In other news the abstract I submitted to the National AIDS conference was accepted for an oral presentation! Unfortunately, because of the short notice and various logistical challenges we are unable to present – but it was great to get the positive response from the review committee. I will be traveling to Arusha on Sunday to attend part of the conference and will be reporting back to my colleagues when I return.
However, what I will be missing during my travels is the staff retreat in which an HIV/AIDS training session for MEDA staff that I coordinated will be taking place. It’s exciting to see an idea transform into reality and I look forward to hearing the feedback on how the session goes in my absence!
Last but not least I am also working on organizing a Microfinance Roundtable Discussion on “Innovation in the Youth Market” for early 2007. As of today I have received positive responses from a number of key stakeholders and have now moved on to doing some logistics work. As always there is an issue of funding but we are exploring a variety of options to address this challenge.
So this is what I have been up to lately. I am finding it hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner – it feels decidedly unlike the holiday season with all this sunny weather! I am heading down to Zambia for Christmas with some friends to distract myself from being away from family by gazing at Victoria Falls. I then head to the beaches of Zanzibar to celebrate New Years. It should be an incredibly busy week.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and lots of love from Tanzania!
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Monday, December 04, 2006
In Nairobi
What a week! Last Monday I spent the afternoon with Kelly in a hospital in Dar. She has been sick for quite some time and had failed to really get better since October. In the end a doctor at a private clinic decided that she should be air-lifted to Nairobi in case she required surgery as appendicitis was suspected. So in a bit of a panic I threw some clothes in a bag and escorted Kelly on "her own private jet" (as I like to tease her) off to Nairobi in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.
The flight itself was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. I was very worried for Kelly of course and I felt very responsible for her care and safety. On the other hand it was pretty cool to sit behind the pilot and watch him take off and land the plane - in fact at one point the crew asked me to tap him on the shoulder to turn up the heat! I myself, would have preferred to let him focus on flying but he didn't seem to mind and proceeded to offer me chips - so bizarre!
After my second wander through an empty (but this time bigger) airport with some random security guard and a brief discussion with yet another customs official we boarded the ambulance (another first for me) and raced to Nairobi hospital.
After a whirlwind of doctors and tests and phone calls to MEDA, Kelly's Mom and various insurance representatives I fell into bed Tuesday night exhausted but content that Kelly was in good hands and would be well taken care of.
The first few days were a bit of a blur as we travelled the hospital for various tests and scans to determine what was wrong with Kelly. I also had trouble finding a hotel that could keep me longer than one night, so each morning came with it the challenge of finding a place to sleep. The hotel across from the hospital became my choice spot and I have now gotten to know many of the staff on a first name basis - all of whom ask about Kelly and how she is doing.
As one friend commented to me in an email, the first few days were a bit like a travel adventure show with various tasks to be accomplished each day like finding a Kenyan Sim card, a place to sleep, socks for Kelly and a travel agent to book and change flights etc. However, the Kenyans I have met so far have been nothing but friendly and helpful, the hospital staff outstanding and I have even become good friends with a taxi driver who took me on a tour of Nairobi complete with an aerial view of the city from one the tallest towers in town.
I'm also happy to report that Kelly spent her first night out of hospital last night and seems to be recovering well from what turned out to be Typhoid. Initially we were planning to leave Nairobi last night but one of her doctors asked her to stay a few more days for follow-up. She has definitely been a trooper with all the poking, prodding and pricks while staying cheerful and optimistic.
Last night we had a lovely dinner with one of the previous interns who now lives in Nairobi. I cannot begin to tell you how nice it was not to eat alone in yet another hotel restaurant. I was a bit disconcerted to hear how dangerous Nairobi can be and the types of crimes that have been committed recently though. I consider myself pretty cautious and street smart but out of necessity (because of all the hotel switching) on more than one occasion I found myself walking with Kelly's laptop on my back and all of our belongings in my purse (like passports etc.) Not an ideal situation to find yourself in! However, it was interesting to hear that many "mzungus" don't walk at all in Nairobi and others choose not to go out at all at night. I will continue to be careful.
Stories, warnings and crime rates aside, my impressions of Nairobi are of a cool (I've worn a sweatshirt every day!) green, lush and developed city. I love the green space and parks which are missing from Dar. The shopping centre I visited felt very strange and as I walked around with Christmas music playing and an African Santa to boot I felt a bit lost and out of place - was I still in Africa?
But as good as Nairobi has been to me (and Kelly) and as much as I have enjoyed catching a few glimpses of a new city (although I really only know the hospital and vicinity) I will be very happy to return to Dar - which now feels so much like home. It may be less pretty, more dusty and hot and perhaps a bit grittier but it also has an innocence and character all its own. Most importantly it is home to people that I love and care about and miss.
Thanks to everyone - MEDA staff, the many doctors and nurses at the Nairobi Hospital, friends and family and Kelly's family for all your support, concern and love this past week - it is much appreciated! We hope to see many of you soon!
The flight itself was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. I was very worried for Kelly of course and I felt very responsible for her care and safety. On the other hand it was pretty cool to sit behind the pilot and watch him take off and land the plane - in fact at one point the crew asked me to tap him on the shoulder to turn up the heat! I myself, would have preferred to let him focus on flying but he didn't seem to mind and proceeded to offer me chips - so bizarre!
After my second wander through an empty (but this time bigger) airport with some random security guard and a brief discussion with yet another customs official we boarded the ambulance (another first for me) and raced to Nairobi hospital.
After a whirlwind of doctors and tests and phone calls to MEDA, Kelly's Mom and various insurance representatives I fell into bed Tuesday night exhausted but content that Kelly was in good hands and would be well taken care of.
The first few days were a bit of a blur as we travelled the hospital for various tests and scans to determine what was wrong with Kelly. I also had trouble finding a hotel that could keep me longer than one night, so each morning came with it the challenge of finding a place to sleep. The hotel across from the hospital became my choice spot and I have now gotten to know many of the staff on a first name basis - all of whom ask about Kelly and how she is doing.
As one friend commented to me in an email, the first few days were a bit like a travel adventure show with various tasks to be accomplished each day like finding a Kenyan Sim card, a place to sleep, socks for Kelly and a travel agent to book and change flights etc. However, the Kenyans I have met so far have been nothing but friendly and helpful, the hospital staff outstanding and I have even become good friends with a taxi driver who took me on a tour of Nairobi complete with an aerial view of the city from one the tallest towers in town.
I'm also happy to report that Kelly spent her first night out of hospital last night and seems to be recovering well from what turned out to be Typhoid. Initially we were planning to leave Nairobi last night but one of her doctors asked her to stay a few more days for follow-up. She has definitely been a trooper with all the poking, prodding and pricks while staying cheerful and optimistic.
Last night we had a lovely dinner with one of the previous interns who now lives in Nairobi. I cannot begin to tell you how nice it was not to eat alone in yet another hotel restaurant. I was a bit disconcerted to hear how dangerous Nairobi can be and the types of crimes that have been committed recently though. I consider myself pretty cautious and street smart but out of necessity (because of all the hotel switching) on more than one occasion I found myself walking with Kelly's laptop on my back and all of our belongings in my purse (like passports etc.) Not an ideal situation to find yourself in! However, it was interesting to hear that many "mzungus" don't walk at all in Nairobi and others choose not to go out at all at night. I will continue to be careful.
Stories, warnings and crime rates aside, my impressions of Nairobi are of a cool (I've worn a sweatshirt every day!) green, lush and developed city. I love the green space and parks which are missing from Dar. The shopping centre I visited felt very strange and as I walked around with Christmas music playing and an African Santa to boot I felt a bit lost and out of place - was I still in Africa?
But as good as Nairobi has been to me (and Kelly) and as much as I have enjoyed catching a few glimpses of a new city (although I really only know the hospital and vicinity) I will be very happy to return to Dar - which now feels so much like home. It may be less pretty, more dusty and hot and perhaps a bit grittier but it also has an innocence and character all its own. Most importantly it is home to people that I love and care about and miss.
Thanks to everyone - MEDA staff, the many doctors and nurses at the Nairobi Hospital, friends and family and Kelly's family for all your support, concern and love this past week - it is much appreciated! We hope to see many of you soon!
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