First Week

I picked up my weekly vegetable box from Masifio Estates on Wednesday. Their selection has grown since Sue and I used them in 2010-2011 and they now provide produce for restaurants and resorts all over Tanzania. Their farm is located just outside of Iringa and I pick up my weekly order at Neema Crafts.

Sue made it to Morroco and is having a good time. I get an occasional proof of life with credit card activity. We are on the same continent but Google maps says it is a 6,500 mile drive. Here is a photo she sent me of the first course of her lunch.

On Thursday, I got a crash course on Bega Kwa Bega financials and record keeping. BKB has a rigorous approval process with authorization from both the Diocese and Minnesota. This is all documented with paper records as well as electronic. Frank Mkocha is the scholarship clerk and will work with me and Kirsten is just a text away. She will even be close to my time zone because she is going to Spain. My apartment here has a woman work MWF to clean and do laundry for people staying here. Usually this appartment is only used as an office because Kirsten stays in a separate apartment. I will pay Mariam for doing extra for me. Laundry is by hand and she even irons my underwear to make sure there are no bugs.

The x-Ray machine at Ilula hospital has been broken since January and I visited Iringa hospital on Friday to see their x-Ray facilities. Their Radiology department is as clean as any hospital in the US and they have a massive voltage stabilizer to protect their equipment. They also have a staff of three biomedical engineers who maintain and calibrate the x-ray and CT scan who are willing to consult with Ilula. They were proud of their private ward where people self pay for premium accomodation. The photo is their private single that costs 300,000 tsh/day ($120/day) they also have a suite private room with a living area and a walk in shower equiped with a radio to play while you were showering. This room costs 800,000 tsh/day ($320/day) and is likely only used for important government officials. Needless to say, it was unoccupied.

On Saturday, I drove down to Ilula hospital to meet with engineers that were trying to repair the xRay. They made some progress and recommended replacing some components they did not have with them. We need to figure out if it is repairable and what Ilula needs to successfully operate it. I also got a nice tour of the projects Shoulder to Shoulder has been supporting with the King Foundation, including the Reproductive Child Health center, Maternity ward expansion, a morgue, and a waste system that generates biogas for cooking or even collecting in tanks. The RCH is already being used and one clinic room was for doing circumcisions for both babies and adults for HIV prevention, ouch. When I turned on to the main road to go back to Iringa, there were no trucks. Apparently, a big accident must have happened in the Kitonga gorge that totally blocked traffic from continuing. The gorge is one of the most dangerous stretches of road in Tanzania and maybe it was a good thing that our group in June passed through the gorge in the dark. I attended the English language service on Sunday that starts at 9 am or after the 7 am service finishes. The 7 am service finished just before 10 and the English service lasted til noon. I was the only msungu in attendance and sat next to a young man, maybe secondary school age, who had a hard time finding page numbers and I helped him find the passages for reading. I suspect he is trying to learn English. Sunday evening I had a nice dinner with a group from Gloria Dei who had just returned from their partner village of Kilengipasi. The pastor there is from Kising'a and was one of our sponsored students in secondary school. We had a wonderful meal at Ruksana's Indian Restaurant.

Trip 17 to Tanzania

 We had landing lights!  Our trip in June arrived without them and we were stuck in Arusha for a day before continuing to Dar. Trip went well, I got a lot of sleep on the plane and adjusted to the time difference quickly.  After a night at a hotel near the airport I took a larger 36 seater Auric plane to Iringa.  I arrived in Iringa at 5 PM and Kirsten, the woman that has been here since may, picked me up and we went to dinner at Sai Villa.

I have the BKB office apartment here that I think some of you may have been in.  Very comfortable and Mariam works here MWF to clean, wash dishes, and clothes.  She is very nice and I am looking forward to seeing how her English has progressed.  I didn't see her yesterday because I was out with Kirsten and Msigwa visiting parishes that are unpartnered.  We went a long ways out between the airport and Ilula.  Kirsten and Msigwa have now made visits to 47 of the unpartnered parishes.  Each gets about $1000 in scholarship support and some get a piki piki motorcycle.  The first parish was interesting because it is mixed Masai and Hehe.  They raise bees for honey and gave me a 2 liter bottle of honey which I gave to the driver who will use it or sell some.  

Last night I went to Mama Iringa's with Kirsten and two students here volunteering with St Paul Partners.  They are alumni of the UMN engineering trip two years ago and after climbing Kilimanjaro  up north they will be here until Nov 27.  I will go with them to the well dedication for their project on Oct 17 at Makungu.  http://globalblogs.cse.umn.edu/2024/01/days-7-9-our-intrepid-engineers-return.html

Today I am getting a crash course on BKB bank accounts and documentation before seeing how I fit in the Land Cruiser to drive Kirsten to the airport.  Now I am going to go pick up my vegetable box before she comes.